Here's what I've been doing -

I'm trying to work on the multitude of UFO's I have. I tend to move from one project to another when I can't decide what I want to do with what I'm working on. Take for instance ... the new version of my seahorse rider. It’s been 4 maybe 5 years ago that I started redoing that pattern. The doll still needs her hair on. Oh, I have the hair fibers but just can’t get inspired enough because of the seahorse. I had a huge change for it and have found what I drew on paper is a lot harder to accomplish when sewing it. So, there it sits on a shelf in a closet with other started designs that stalled as I worked on them. Way too many :(

As unfinished projects sit, I’m always moving onto the next thing. To help me stop all this I bought a small wipe board and made 2 columns, one for old projects, and one for new. I also added a note to remind me to stop adding more stuff to make without finishing stuff that’s already started. I was going to post a pic of it but my camera battery just died so it’s on charge.

As for old projects I decided to work on some aprons I started last summer.

I’ve cut out a Japanese style full apron using the chicken print fabric. For my husband I’m finishing a basic butcher style with a panel cut from a t-shirt a friend bought him. I’ll post a pic next time.

In the new pile I made myself a new pincushion. Again I followed some free patterns I found at Elefantz. They're on her free patterns page.Here are some pics.

 Amazing with all the buttons I couldn't find one I wanted to use so I went thru a small set of drawers where I have lots more and found the perfect ones.

I love the tiny bee print fabric by Mary Englebreict. I bought it ages ago at Walmart and save it for special projects. The fabric bin above is made using a free pattern I have at my web site over at tripod. Each of the flowers are yo-yos that I gathered into 5 petal flowers. Each of the 4 sides have a ceramic button. Here you can see the hive and a bee. The case was made to hold my original cell, a small tablet and pen. I decided it was too big and made another. Unfortunately I've misplaced it and it's making me crazy. I HATE to lose anything. I also lost my original haircutting shears. I think they cut a hole in the tote they were in but where they fell I don't know.

Back to the pincushion, here it is! I made a change to the scissor pocket since the embroidery wasn't as long as the one in the directions. I found another ceraminc bee button so added it to the front. But it's the back that's I love. I found I had a spool of this tape measure ribbon so I checked to make sure it was accurate, and it was! Perfect for the back.

 I also want to share a mat using a denim pocket. I found the pattern in Quilter’s world magazine, vol.39 no.2. I changed out the bias for the stem. I had some crochet cord I made that was perfect. My pocket was larger but I did have the same fabric for the back/binding. I also switched the mini dot green and orange for a tiny leaf pattern. I also used 2 vintage buttons.

 Now I have a place to set my iced tea and coffee without staining the vintage tablecloth.

And ..... in case you're windering if I'm designing anything new here's a pic of the supplies I'm working with. It's the same pink fabric I used for the flower on the mat. I've had the ivy/rose fabric for ages. I bought a couple of yards but after making a few doll dresses with it I never used it again. I think it's perfect for my new version of the clothespin fairy. BTW, I'm working on directions using dowel rods instead of mini clothespins. Too many people couldn't find the pins.

I HATE the new blogger, what about you?

I had to revert to the old version to post anything because blogger has got a new version and it's not easy to find how to post. They don't seem to have updated the help links so here I am frustrated beyond belief when I was planning on a nice post with some nice pics but now I'm just feeling extremely cranky. Aren't we all dealing with covid anxiety so do we really need things like this, too? Well, I'll post a few pics and maybe I'll feel better afterward.

Here's a pic of some mats I made for the kitchen.

I'm a fan of strawberry stuff even though I'm not a fan of this fabric.

During a clean and sort I came across these old towels that belonged to my Gran. I'm not sure what I'll do with them but that's been the problem all along. Maybe an apron with 3 or small appliance covers? Not sure so they'll get packed away again.

Love this close-up of the pea blossoms!

With the high temps we've been having they're just about done. Which is good since I planted tomatoes in front of the and it's now getting hard to get to the vines.

LOVE daisies so much I had them in my wedding bouquet.

This big patch is blooming in front of an old fashioned hydrangea.

Thanks for staying around for this post. I'm felling a bit calmer so I"m going to draw out some more embroidery patterns. I have so many I'm working on :) I'm also working on a new version of the clothespin dolls using dowel rods instead of pins. I'll be giving the directions free to anyone who bought or who buys my clothespin doll patterns.

One last thing, I've finally decided to open the blog for comments. IF I get trolls I'll shut them down again. I just don't want that kind of negetivity in my life.

It's getting better all the time -

My ankle's doing better. It's great to be able to walk around without wincing in pain. Since I've been hanging around the house instead of working in the garden and yard I've been sewing. Below is a tutorial I followed after finding the post on http://www.elfantz.com for making quick cover for small tablets. The link will take you to the post. This would make a great beginner project for new sewers. I love little tablets for writing down all the lists and notes I make all day.

To the top right is the printout of the blog post so I could follow without being on the computer. My tablet was a little bigger than the one in the tutorial so I made sure to wrap a tape measure around the tablet to get the correct size. I bought this cherry print fabric at Walmart before covid hit. I wanted to make a cute walhanging but knew I had to use some for this cover.

I used the red dot for the inside. This shows the cover pockets laying on top.

Here's the whole thing pinned together.

My little Singer sewing it together.

Using a dowel to turn right side out.

I decided it needed a small embroidery of some cherries so I drew out the design and picked out the DMC floss.

Here it is! I hand sewed some green ric-rac around the fringed edge and added the button.

I like it so much I'm making another using a cute peapod fabric I had in my stash. Speaking of my stash I recently bought these quilter's quarters. Don't they remind you of sorbet or sherbet? Or citrus? Not sure what I'll use them for yet. I think I need to find a print with at least 3 of the colors. This calls for a trip the the fabric store that just relocated 10 minutes away :)

It's not the first time or even the 10th,

I'm so tired of being clumsy. I spent my childhood covered in band-aids from my elbows to my knees. I was always running, tripping, and falling. I've knocked out teeth (baby ones), had stitches, and ended up on crutches twice.

By my teens I was a little more careful but I do remember falling off a fav pair of sandals more than once. I bet most people would have stopped wearing them but I thought they were fantastic so I kept at it. Anyone remember the wood soled Dr. Scholl sandals? I didn’t just slip my foot out of them, my heel would go to the side and the next thing I’d have an ankle sprain. I had 2 pair and I still have them. I get them out walk around the house till I remember how bad it felt and put them back in their boxes (original, BTW).

When platforms became fashion fun I owned 8 pair of various heights. The platforms ranged from one inch to 4 inch. As a girl just over 5 feet I loved these shoes. I still have 3 pair of them. I’ll never wear them again but I do love looking at them. They let me remember how it felt to be taller. The ones with the 4” front platform have a 7 inch wedge, all in denim. You may think these were just a disaster waiting to happen but they taught me to slow down, to be more careful after falling over a few times.

I now only wear flats or shoes with a heel/wedge height of no more than 2 ½”. I have happier feet and less ankle sprains, at least until the past 4 years. I’ve lost track of how many times I slipped and fell in the snow because I went out in slipper boots instead of regular snow boots (stupid I know). It took lying on my back by the mailbox, embarrassed beyond belief, to make me change shoes. Things were going better till I fell down some steps 2 summers ago. I didn’t go to the hospital but should have. I had a spiral fraction from slipping off a curb in town over 10 years ago so I knew there was a good chance this had happened again. I knew how to wrap it, had crutches and a brace so I treated it myself. Once it healed it seemed I kept reinjuring it over and over for the next year with minor sprains. Then it happened again, not as bad, with the other ankle. Now both ankles have become susceptible to sprains. The littlest twist makes them hurt.

This all leads up to this past Wed, I was in sneakers mowing the grass when I stepped on a large black walnut. My ankle went sideways and I was down. Jack was just pulling in the drive so he saw me fall. So here’s a pic of my ankle all wrapped and on a cushion. At least I can walk. I don’t need crutches, but I won’t be doing much other than sitting. Now’s the time to catch up on old magazines and sewing. I have a lot of pictures to post but I’m tired so I’m going to close.

Stay safe, be kind, and wear a mask!

I'm so glad I had just polished my toenails :)

This may be a mistake but I gotta do it

What's a mistake? The pic below, since it seems like blogger has jinxed my chickens. Ever since we lost 3 of our chickie girls, Jack decided we needed to get replacements so here’s a pic of the 4 day old babies. I’m scared about the jinx but they are just too cute not to share. He was in Tractor Supply getting feed for the remaining 6 girls and 5 ducks when he saw they had Comets. That’s what Hailey was and it’s what we were hoping to get more of. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to get them since we were in a heat wave of 90 and above but Jack had to have them. We lost 3 the first night. He went back to the store and since it wasn’t even 24 hours since he bought the peeps they replaced them. They’re in the box Jack made when he got the ducklings last year. It was used for the original peeps afterward. Funny thing is that the heat should be around 90-95 for the first week. Guess they weren't all that healthy.

Blogger's done it again -

Well crap, I post a pic of one of my chickens and it gets killed. It's happened again. And the reason for it is the same as Nefi's death, Jack fell alseep and the bird's coop was open all night. Sorry sweet Dot. No more chicken pics!

I'll post again. Right now I'm more than a little mad at whatever is killing the birds. We borrowed a trail camera but it didn't pick up anything coming or going. Will need to move it closer. Stay safe, wear a mask :)