A Question On Everyone's Mind "Where Does The Time Go?"

During the Holiday Season I always seem to find myself asking "Where Does The Time Go?" I have so many ideas on what I want to do for the holidays; but never seem to have enough time to complete them. 

I was able to get more done than I thought I would this year thanks to someone near and dear to me Ms. Bonni who is otherwise known as "Elfkins" to those she holds close to her heart. I was amazed at how she kept me on track through our Jitsi stitching sessions. 

I am flabbergasted at everything she walked me through to make sure I would come out of my comfort zone in one piece. We began with the stem stitch with "Christmas In Jacksonville". Of course I was a little intimidated by this technique so I only chose to use two colors of DMA thread: 498 Dark Red or Christmas Red as we call it Turkey Red; the second choice was 3818 Ultra Very Dark Emerald instead of the 6-8 they wanted us to use. 

These are the completed blocks, of course there are more that have been traced onto the fabric and are ready for stitching. I am already ahead of the game for next year! Yay! When you embroider the stem stitch, do you use a hoop or stitch in hand? Inquiring minds would like to know. 

Shenanigans' were underfoot with my next adventure. Where do you think we will go to next? That would be the fascinating world of Applique. Having only limited exposure to this beautiful area of quilting I was intrigued. Once again I was introduce to another avenue to explore. Follow me as I am introduced to "Simple Yet Elegant". So many thoughts danced around in my head. The most important question of all: "Would I be able to demonstrate the skills it took to create such enchanting blocks"? Only time would tell.

In no more than a blink of any eye I was inquiring how the patterns came to life. Bonni came to the rescue once again. Bet you can guess what came next? Our nightly Jitsi sessions where she taught me the steps it took to learn Applique: 

• Cut the foundation pieces of fabric to apply your Appliques to.
• Trace the pattern pieces to the fusible. 
• Iron the fusible to the fabric. 
• Cut the pattern pieces out of the fabric with said fusible attached. 
• Ironing the fused fabric pieces to the foundation block with your master pattern. For this step it is best if you have a light box so you are not guessing if your pieces are going where they are intended to be. 
• Last but not least came the Button Hole Stitching of fused Applique pieces. 

This Jitsi session was very painful for Bonni as I could not wrap my head around what she was showing me. Enter You Tube once again. Needless to say I am able to Button Hole Stitch now but I of course do it backwards. Don't ask me it is how I processed what I was shown on the videos. LOL

I had the unfortunate lesson to learn: Ironing fusible was not for sissy's. How did I learn this lesson you ask? By ironing the fusible to the right side of the fabric instead of the back side where it belonged of course. I almost cried when I had to throw away the ruined fabric. Lesson learned. So without further todo I proudly submit the Simple Yet Elegant blocks I have Appliqued. No not all of them are stitched but they are fused:

These are the blocks that have been stitched. They still require trimming to the size the pattern calls for:

Okay so now I have the stem stitch down and can fuse applique to the correct side of the fabric, discovered my own unique way to do the button hole stitch. Where will my adventures lead me  to next you ask? The Land Of Dinosaurs! Yes, I said Dinosaurs. I have a grandson who loves Dinosaurs so of course he will need to have a quilt from his Grandma Susan with Dinosaurs on it. Red ones, Blue ones, Orange ones, Purple ones, even Green ones. A little elf guided me through this process as well. Can you guess who she is by now? Yep, you got it Bonni to the rescue once more:

Dino Are Among Us

This lovely quilt is ready to be backed, then quilted. Now how to quilt these rambunctious creatures. That has yet to come to me. 

Now I don't just have a grandson I have a new grand daughter as well. She is just a wee one, only 2 months old. Now I don't think she will appreciate the Applique technique just yet, so a 9 patch will wrap her in love and warmth. Just the right size for a crib. 

Okay so the photo isn't the done with the best of lighting but it was made with tender loving care 💗

Well I must get ready for the live "Our Time To Quilt" on You Tube that is on every Sunday @ 3:05pm Eastern Standard Time (NY Time), time to chat with the ladies and enjoy each others company. 

Be sure to take care of yourselves and each other. Remember a little grace and empathy will go a long way in these times. 

Enjoy The Walk

Susan

The Beginning Of My Journey

Disclaimer: A Professor of English I am not, nor am I a professional stitcher. I will make mistakes. I will not have all the answers to your questions. I choose to be present, not perfect. Well I might be a little O.C.D. maybe just a little. In time you will learn that what I share comes from my heart and my love of creating. If you have questions that I do not know the answer to, I will tell you I don't. If your question is something that intrigues me, I will see if I can find the answer. Maybe someone else on the site may have your answer so we can learn together. I do not believe in bullying, bad behavior, or harassment. These actions will not be tolerated. This is a judgement free area. 

Where to begin? From the beginning is what I have always been told. This journey is not unique in any way, however, it is one that I am drawn to share. If only to touch another soul who has lost their "Mojo" to express to them that they are not alone in this quest we call life. Pull up a chair make sure to have your favorite cup of tea, coffee, soda, or water. It is up to you. Fair warning, I tend to be long winded, it is one of my many weaknesses. I already know this about myself, you do not need to tell me. You may choose to stay or leave, that is also up to you.

This journey begins for a quilter who had suffered many of life's speed bumps in a short period of time; tragically somewhere along the road she lost her creativity. One day while exploring Pinterest she casually clicked on a Cross-Stitch pattern whose colors seemed to have been kissed by rays of sunshine. Oh how they shimmered and shined, how had this happened? Further investigation was a must. Cautiously she clicked one pin then another not wanting to get her hopes up, would she find her lost "Mojo" only time would tell. That first click was just over a year ago, how do I know you ask, that woman was me. Hi, my name is Susan, this is my story. During our time together I will share my adventures into the world of Applique, Cross-Stitching, and crochet one stitch at a time. 

In order to go any further I must give a heartfelt shout out as well as thank you to Bonni. Without her I honestly believe this journey would not have come as far as it has nor been as interesting.  

 

Enjoy The Walk

Susan