To-Do Tuesday #67 Looking forward to Christmas!

Last week I had what I thought was an easy and doable list. And it should have been. But there was a snafu! 

 Last week’s list

1. Keep stitching on Santa  Baker! ✅

 I am really enjoying this. The cute little needle minder is very helpful. I've been watching some YouTube videos from different people showing counted cross stitch techniques. I've been stitching off and on for 30+ years and I am learning some new ideas. You really can "teach an old dog new tricks!"

2. Make cranberry salad and pumpkin pie for Thursday!✅ 

I wish I had pictures! I always make a salad with cranberries, grapes, red jello and whipped cream! It’s pretty and it’s yummy. Pumpkin pie is easy, right? Especially with frozen crusts! I’ve made dozens of pumpkin pies! And never have I ever forgotten the sugar. I’m on WW, trying to keep my 29 lb weight loss in line, but sugar free (really sugar-free) is truly “icky”. Reminded me of baby food! Blech!! In the trash, and two more pies made for Friday! Thanks goodness there was no company. Only the two most important men in my life and they love me, warts and all!

3. Start a Christmas Ornament stitchery! ✅ 

I purchased this kit from Jacquelynn Steve’s and had it sent to our son’s house. 

 

I got all the pieces traced on freezer paper and pressed to the appropriate pieces of felt. The first one, the deer on a mitten shape, is ready to start the stitching. It will be fun I think! 

I’m linking up with Linda at  Texas Quilt Gal with blushing cheeks! This old grandma and great grandma has years of experience cooking and baking! How could I make such a rookie mistake. Oh well, on to next week. Wednesday would have been my sister’s 73rd birthday! I miss her every day! 

To Do List 11.30.21 - 12.6.21

1. Work on felt ornaments.

2. Continue stitching on Santa Baker. 

3. Address some Christmas cards. 

Until next week, Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

ScrapHappy Saturday.

 

This post doesn’t exactly reflect a finish of rainbow colored blocks. It is however a finish of scraps and leftovers. During Orange month,  September, I made a cat and 3 kittens using a pattern from Cathy at Crazy By Design and also from Sally at The Objects of Design.   Using a book called Toppers by Nancy J Smith and Lynda Milligan ( from 1998) , I took approximate dimensions and made a couch topper

 with a piece of fabric that was in my stash. I bought the fabric with the intention of making a bed runner for our Tuxedo cat. We lost him before I got that done. 

Long story short I finished it up! 

I made this one for our daughter’s cat. Using the same big cat pattern from Cathy, the leftover CATS fabric, some blue scraps to frame the white cat, a scrap of pink batik for binding and a piece left from a floor pillow made by her aunt for our daughter when she was a teen. 

Her birthday is the 16th of next month. So it’s ready for gifting. She doesn’t read my blog, so this isn’t giving anything away! 

So a scrappy finish is in the books! I’ll link up with Angela at SoScrappy!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

November Table Scraps Challenge!

 

It’s a STRETCH!! November on the RSC is light neutrals or maybe just work on finishing !  So the closest  I got to that this month was near the beginning. Because we were planning on traveling I had to get going on any projects. The latter half of November and December I will be without a sewing machine! 

This is a casserole hot pad! Made with leftovers from an apron and the Cat Couch Topper seen here and here. 

 I had to piece the backing, I cut it the exact size as the front piece. Any reasonably skilled quilter knows that the batting and the backing have to be bigger that the front. I can get by with 2 inches in each side for small things.Duh!   Anyway, it's finished.  My long arm quilters like 4-6 inches in each side for large quilts. That makes for more scraps though, so I’m ok with it! 

I cut the rectangles roughly 13 x18 as recommended by this YouTuber . But as I write this I realize I did not use 2 layers of batting! Will it matter?  I hope not! Needless to say, this is for our son. I will warn him about the thin construction. 

I’m linking up with The Joyful Quilter's Table Scraps Challenge today! 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

OMG November Finish Link Up 2021

 

These were my goals.

1. Get the NOEL banner redone.

2. Get last two red borders on the Nines and Rails or Chunky Churn Dash! 

The border is on this scrappy little quilt! It’s too big for donation to Jack’s Basket, but I’ll find a place for it in the new year. (ps : and pieces for a backing are selected.)

A close up of the stitching with invisible thread. This was my second experience with that thread, and I must say, this time was a whole lot better than the first time I tried it several years ago .

 

All ready to hang for Christmas.

And now I'm linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts!

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - November Finish Link-up

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

I LIKE Thursday #71

 Checking in with fellow bloggers this Thanksgiving morning. If you are in the US, chances are you are traveling, gathering and/or cooking up a storm! But if you are not, for whatever reason, log on to  Not Afraid of Color  and hostess LeeAnna to join in the listing of good things! 

Mr. Busy and I traveled last Friday through Sunday to spend the holidays with our son in Northern California. We spent two nights in motels and ate from our cooler and a trip into a grocery store for salad and fresh fruit! It never ceases to amaze us the price for a bed and a shower that some motel chains charge. And the discrepancies in $$ per location! Small town Wyoming or Utah, under $100, small town California, twice that! Same motel chain! 

I’m going to bore you with travel photos. 

Three hours south and west of home, still in Wyoming! Muddy Gap near Independence Rock. 

Saturday morning. Notice the bit of snow on the car and the low hanging clouds! Driving wasn’t bad, and although we were warned of some roll over accidents on I-80, we didn’t see any. Phew! 

Looking at Great Salt Lake from a moving vehicle ! Not much to see! 

I think this is part of the Wasatch Mountain range in Utah or maybe Nevada! Pretty though! 

This maple leaf was as big as my hand! It’s still fall in Susanville CA! But the grass was frosty! 

A pile of crunchy fall leaves! 

Fire damage and clearing in the Lassen National Forest!

So sad! Lots of damage !

Our first site of snow on the mountains in CA. I think this is the south side of Mt Shasta!

Mount Shasta from our son’s deck. He’s north of Mt Shasta, so this is looking south! Lucky guy to wake up to this every morning! 

Do you remember the Cat Couch Topper I made! It’s already in use! 

I may be MIA in the next several weeks. But if I find something to share I will post to I LIKE Thursday.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

TO-DO TUESDAY # 66

 

This morning I’m linking up with Linda at Texas Quilt Gal to share my to-do lists.

Last week

1. Work on stitching down the binding and burying the threads on the secret sewing project. ✅

Almost done. All the threads are buried, but I ran out of pink thread for the binding.  That means a trip to the store! I’m reluctant to go to Walmart these 2 days before Thanksgiving or on Black Friday!! It may have to wait! This is a birthday present for our daughter! Because our son got a cat themed couch cover, you gotta be equal! :)   DD’s kitty is white, so a white mama cat figure( even though King is definitely not a girl cat) on the last of the CATS fabric. Thanks again to Cathy at Crazy by Design for sharing her mama cat pattern. 

2. Finish the pant legs of Santa Baker. ✅

Just a small patch of 7 stitches missing in his left pant leg. I’ll thread a needle with the correct shade of red today and get that done. 

3. Bake zucchini bread! ✅

Done. 4 mini loaves came with us to CA. The first one is

gone! 

4. Change privacy settings on this blog! ✅

I enabled comment moderation. So far I have not found any more “troll-like” comments. 

Next week!

1. Keep stitching on Santa  Baker!

2. Make cranberry salad and pumpkin pie for Thursday!

3. Start a Christmas Ornament stitchery! 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

I LIKE Thursday #70

 

Good Morning Fellow Bloggers!  I’m sharing some likes and good things this morning. LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color gives us this place to share I LIKE Thursday. Click over there and join us. 

In these 7 days prior to celebrating Thanksgiving in the USA, I hope we all have a chance to stop a minute and reflect on our blessings. Even if you are not in the US, join us in finding some things you like in your life, gratitude,  if you will!

The above is a November stitchery I did years ago. It’s a Kathy Schmitz design that was in a year long block of the month. It was fun to stitch and make into a mini quilted wall hanging! 

I’ve made some progress on my current stitching project! ⬆️ It’s good watching Football or NASCAR diversion! 

I had to return my library book but I was able to download it to my iPad via Libby! I love that I’ll be able to finish it. Because I am enjoying it! 

I made zucchini bread! There were 5 mini loaves, one fell in the middle. I tested it too, but it wasn’t quite done in the middle. Mr. Busy was glad, he got to “check to see if it was good enough!”  He deemed it yummy! 

We watched Season 4 of Goliath! This one was good, but slightly weird! But Billy Bob Thornton, so we watched! 

We are watching our regular favorites on Prime Time! 

Mondays:  We are long time NCIS fans and still watching! We miss Gibbs, but still enjoy the rest of the cast.  So, unless the Broncos are playing MNF, we will watch! 

Last night, all the Chicago Wednesday shows we usually watch were reruns! What’s that about? So Mr Busy, switched to PBS and we watched NOVA Universe Revealed about the forming of Sagittarius A-star. It’s just mind-boggling! 

I expect the coming week will be full of “likes” as we share Thanksgiving with family.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

 

To-Do Tuesday #65

 

I’m linking up with Linda at Texas Quilt Gal for To-Do Tuesday!    I’ll quickly share my list and progress from last week. 

Last weeks list was short. 

1. Keep stitching on Santa Baker. ✅

Can you see my progress from last week on the right, and last night on the left?

2. Put Full Stop blocks away. ✅

All my rows are safely packed and labeled. This is one project box of nine that I keep, plus 8 individual bags of started UFOS.  Don’t mention the tote full of possible projects, not yet started! 

3. Start to pack for our trip ! ✅

This is how I start!  I sort into piles on the bed in the guest room! Lots of zippered pouches to sort into! My correspondence folder with Christmas cards, address labels and stamps! My extra prescriptions, masks, sanitizer. All the stuff for 6-8 weeks away!

Next week -November 16 - November 22

1. Work on stitching down binding and burying threads of a secret sewing project.

2. Finish stitching Santa Bakers pant legs! 

3. Make zucchini bread for DS and finish some bookkeeping tasks before the weekend. 

4. Change Privacy Settings on this blog. I have a troll!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy

Finished or Not Finished Friday! #71

 

I'm fairly certain this will be my last Finish post for this year.  I may pop in for some NOT Finished posts. We will see. 

Last year when we were visiting our son, he commented that the apron I made him years ago, never did fit very well. I followed a pattern, but he was in Arizona and I was in Wyoming. Anyway, I promised to take it home and either redo it or just make another. Well, I forgot to take the offending item with me. I had made some fast measurements of an apron ( ready made) that fit him well. Very simple!  I forgot all about it, till he sent a photo of a pantry organizer he built. There at the edge of the photo were the aprons. Mom Guilt! So I decided, since we were going to visit for Thanksgiving......this would be the time. 

I’ve had the fabric for awhile! The ties are a coffee bean print that’s been in my stash for at least 6 years. There is a divided pocket across the front. Hard to see it, the print is so busy. 

And there were left over pieces from the Cat Couch Topper too!

So this "squirrel" hit my sewing room. A casserole hot pad, to fit a 9X13 pan.  

 

These are finished. I may get one small project done before we leave. Not sure what the future hold in that regard. 

I'm linking up to Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts. Click over there and see what other bloggers have finished up!  

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy