Late season sewing room projects

Because spring has been late in coming, I was able to sneak in a few more projects before I need to put the needle up on the sewing machine.  Trying to finish up a few projects that have been around for awhile.

I made this little embroidery wall hanging for the barn.  Needs to be lightly quilted and bound, but other than that it's finished.

Back to jelly roll projects!  This is a jelly roll rope bag that I have had in mind to make for several years.  I made one out of darker fabric about four years ago, but wanted a bright and cheerful one for spring.

Pockets for cell phone, reading glasses and well.....what ever else one puts in a tote.

And, inspired by my friend Cheryl, who is at least as organized as I am, if not more, I purchased these nifty plastic bins for my scrap fabric.  This level of tidy pleases my brain!

From this......

it's organized, but could just be a little more tidy.

so, this happened!  Thanks Cheryl!!

And then, one cold and windy day, I pulled this out of my pre-cut project stack!  I made a quilt out of this fabric several years ago and had quite a bit left over.

In an effort to use up before buying new, I decided to do just that!

Finished piecing the top last night.  Ready to send off to be quilted! 

Covid-19 adjustments

When Reynald and I were first married I cut his hair.  I gave up on that a long time ago, until now.  I'm not the least bit good at it, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He says his hat fits a little better now.  Believe me, he needs to keep it on now!

I've also made a few face masks.

We had our book club meeting a couple weeks ago via Zoom.  It was kinda fun!  I'm so proud of my mom, who at 80 years old, can easily navigate technology so that she isn't completely isolated.

This virus is so sneaky and scary.  We are fortunate to have jobs and a lifestyle that naturally lends itself to isolation and social distancing.  Our hearts go out to those that have been so deeply affected by this terrible and difficult time.  Looking forward to the day the sun sets on these challenging events.

From the sewing room

I've had a productive winter in my sewing room.

Some photos of completed projects and a few in progress.....

This is the cross stitch part of a Christmas stocking that I made for Ryan James.  Of course I forgot to take a photo of the finished product.  I do not do the finishing, I send these stocking out to have that work done.  

My friend Brenda tipped me off to this cross stitch project and I loved it!  I ordered the chart and had a wonderful time making it.  Now to have it framed.....

Again, my friend Brenda leads me down a path of projects.  She sent me a link to a youtube video on how to make a rug out of a jelly roll.  First, is to make the jelly roll in to a rope.  

Then sew the rope in to a rug.  Simple as that......many, many hours later!

The beginning of one of the movie room quilts. 

And the completed quilt!

I had extra fabric, and what would I ever do with movie themed fabric so I used up all the extra on pillow slips for the movie room.  

Some time in November a dear friend of Roni Jo's emailed me and asked if I would make a quilt for her and her brother, using clothing from her mother who had passed away around two years ago.  Of course I said I would be happy to do that.  She went through her mom's closet and chose all the articles that she remember her mom wearing.  Jen boxed up the clothing and sent it to me. 

Beth helped me decide what quilt to make.  One afternoon we went through and cut all the clothing apart.  It was harder than you might think, cutting up perfectly good pieces of clothing, but I told myself that this was just a different way of "wearing" it.

This project was quite a process.  There were several different types and weights of fabric.  I found that each piece needed to be stabilized before cutting.  In the end, I was very pleased with how these quilts turned out.  I know they will bring a smile and perhaps a tear or two to Jen and her brother's eyes and they remember their mom, snuggling under a quilt. 

Stabilizing the fabric from the clothing before cutting in to squares. Notice the large scrap pile on the floor!

Squares of fabric cut and stacked, ready to piece together.

There were two fleece pullovers, this yellow one and a red one, that I made in to pillow slip covers.  

Starting to piece.  

And the finished products.

Nicki at Heartbeat quilting did the custom machine quilting on both quilts.  As always, she did a fantastic job, but these projects are particularly impressive.  

The last of the movie room fabric.  The print is movie reels.  Again, what was I going to do with it so I made another jelly roll rug.

Both rugs in the tub room.

And yet another jelly roll rug because I had the jelly roll and didn't like it all that much.  I would have done this one a little differently color wise, but it's ok.    K, I'm done with jelly roll rugs now.

So I pulled out a 30's reproduction quilt that I had cut several winters ago.  These are hands down, my favorite fabrics.

Getting started.....

Adding some more......

And finished piecing.  Still need to get it to the Kathy to quilt.

New project....a pineapple log cabin to be used as a winter quilt.  Cut, boxed and ready to work on next winter!

Current cross stitch project.  I deeply underestimated the time this one would take.  It's fun though.  Looking forward to the finish.  

Weekend in the pasture

This past weekend we loaded up the SS Rolinco and drove a few miles north to the Mielke pasture campground.  It was a beautiful weekend. 

We arrived Friday mid afternoon and got set up.  At 5pm we celebrated a virtual cocktail hour with our Portland family.  Sadly, I didn't take a photo of Reynald and myself, and Baxter sitting in the jeep, on top of a hill so that we could get enough signal for zoom, with our cocktails.  It was so much fun! 

Cast iron pizza on the grill!

This is where a spring bubbles out from the ground.  It's the best water you will ever drink.  

The view from the hill where we parked the jeep for our cocktail hour!

Saturday morning we took a walk around "the loop" and in the afternoon we went for a long ride in the the jeep.  As often happens in the spring, a rain squall blew in while we were motoring along, in the open air jeep.  We got a little be wet, but made it back to the warm, dry SS Rolinco before it really started to rain.  What a treat to listen to the rain beat down on the roof as we had our dinner.

A whole hillside of grass widows, back lit by the sun.  

Grass widow, yellow bells and butter cups.  

A man and his dog. 

If you enlarge this photo, you can see a thick cluster of buttercups at the bottom of this  rock cliff, near the dead tree fall.

I love this red lichen, and the other colors too!

Surveying the geography from a different vantage point than before.  

Reynald and Uncle George built this fence.  They put these heavy rocks on top of the fence post to keep them from lifting out of the ground in the spring of the year when the soil was wet.  The tension from the fence wires would pull the fence posts out of the damp soil.  

This area is called "The Recreation Area" by the family.  Uncle George and Reynald's father designed these ponds so that they cattle would have winter water.  It's a series of three ponds, one draining in to the other.  

This pair of geese were not very pleased with our presence in their pond, especially not Baxter, though he was on leash.

First they jumped in the water and swam to the middle of the pond, and still didn't feel comfortable so took flight.  

Back at camp, a Corona and left over pizza for lunch!

Campfire/cook stove.  

Saturday afternoon a rain shower rolled through and it poured for about 45 minutes.  We were warm and dry inside the SS Rolinco, happy to listen to the rain beat down on the roof.  

Sunday morning we had breakfast then walked the loop again and picked up plastic bailing string, left behind by the previous tenant.  There's more to pick up in a different area, which we will do another time, but we made a start at least. 

We came home, spent the afternoon working around the yard and cleaning up the motor home.  It was a gorgeous afternoon.  We left one beautiful setting to return to another.