Category Archives: Uncategorized

Walk to Wonderwood Park

No sewing happening, but lots of fun genealogy and visiting with family, so all is good!

Currently, I am blessed to be on the west side of my state visiting with my son and his fam. Double blessed, since Spring is happening here, and it is still snowing on my side of the state.

So I took my new camera out for a walk to Wonderwood Park and recorded the greening of the land!

Those that aren’t experiencing Spring, but are longing for it (It is coming!), please enjoy the blooms, the greens, and the textures through these photos!

Walk to Wonderwood Park

” Blossom by blossom the spring begins.” — Algernon Charles Swinburne

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul.” — Luther Burbank

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“My favorite weather is bird chirping weather.” — Terri Guillemets

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring.” — Victor Hugo

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“A flower blossoms for its own joy.” — Oscar Wilde

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” — Mark Twain

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.” — Bishop Reginald Heber

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.” — Virgil A. Kraft

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.” — Charlotte Brontë

Walk to Wonderwood Park

“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” — Lilly Pulitzer

Walk to Wonderwood Park

Stay healthy.

Stay safe.

Keep smiling.

See the world around you!

Sock Monkey

Once upon a time and long ago, I purchased a sock monkey kit at a quilt show. Sometime in the 90’s.

Seems like I have lots of stuff from the 90’s and then I dropped off the face of the earth in terms of a crafty life. Generally speaking.

Anyway…

I want this UFO kit out of my sewing studio.

Sock Monkey

In spite of how popular sock toys are, or were, and especially sock monkeys, I have never made any.

I should have made these in the 90’s! My hands were young then.

Who knew how much they would hurt making these now? Ha!

I’m not sure why I was attracted to these.

I don’t think that they are all that cute.

Sock Monkey

Maybe a bright red ribbon to dress them up would help?

Sock Monkey

Yup. I still have a Valentine wall hanging up.

St. Patrick’s Day is a good day to change that out, right? Sigh.

I am always behind.

What do you think of sock monkeys? Have you made any? Have you purchased any? Do you collect them or give them for gifts?

Keep creating! It nourishes your soul!

Jessica’s Patriotic Quilt Final Update

I have procrastinated so much, simply because I just could not come to a decision on how to quilt this quilt!

To recap: I first posted about this quilt in December 2021. Way back, when my little girl really was a little girl, she wanted to make a patriotic quilt. Together, we designed and chose the fabrics, and then she cut and pieced. And then it sat for a very long time. A lot of life happened.

My not so little girl finished the applique in early 2021 (Or was it 2020?) and sent the quilt to me. I was supposed to quilt it.

We haven’t been in any hurry up to this point, so why hurry now?

Thus…procrastination.

I finally got around to pin basting by December 2021.

Jessica's Patriot

My goal in February 2022 was to get the stitch-in-the-ditch quilting done.

Jessica's Patriot

By the end of March 2022, I had finished the SITD quilting.

More procrastination.

In January 2023, I made up my mind to get this thing done!

By January 16, I had a plan for some of the blocks and set to work making stencils and machine quilting the pieced blocks.

Jessica’s Patriot

More life, and more procrastination (Are you getting a theme here?).

What to do with the appliqued blocks?

Jessica’s Patriot

Jessica’s Patriot

I am happy to say that I came up with a plan and I have my part finished!

Jessica’s Patriot

Jessica’s Patriot

I find it difficult to photograph black thread on black fabric.

But I think I took enough photos so that you get the general idea.

Jessica’s Patriot

I had to work out some tension issues.

Jessica’s Patriot

Jessica’s Patriot

Disaster struck when I washed out my chalk marks.

Jessica’s Patriot

My daughter and I are pretty sure that back in the day, we washed all of these fabrics before using them.

Jessica’s Patriot

But, doggone, if a red and the black didn’t bleed profusely and turn most of the light areas a plum color!

Jessica’s Patriot

Jessica’s Patriot

I have managed to get most of that bleeding out. What’s left doesn’t really look all that bad.

My daughter has a tub that she can soak it in, so she can circulate Dawn soap and water around much better than I can with my washing machine. She will try to rinse the rest of the bleeding color out.

I think it is okay if she can’t.

Jessica’s Patriot

Jessica’s Patriot

The quilt needs to be bound, and Jessica will do that.

The quilt will live with her.

Quilt On!