Kindness Quilt Square #4 -- aka my favorite one.

It only takes ONE person, and ONE act of kindness, to inspire others and create change.

@jennifer_hogan

That quote illustrates a great way to live and one thing I have discovered in the 

creative blogging community, is that they are some of the most

generous and kind people around. 

My friend Vicki, over at the 2 Bags Full blog is one of those wonderful

people.  

So when I was invited to be a part of her KINDNESS QUILT PROJECT, I was thrilled and honored to participate. An immediate "YES' was my answer. 

4 squares - crochet and embellished.

Roughly 6 inches square. 

These will be gathered by Vicki, assembled, and gifted to a special person. 

What a wonderful way to share our love of creating with others. 

I immediately went to work. 

Details from Square #4

This looks NOTHING like my original idea for the 4th square. 

It's all Cindy Kirk's fault. She gifted me this gorgeous novelty yarn.

And it screamed Sea Water to me. 

So I made the foundation for this one to resemble the sea. 

And then I wanted a tidal pool with all kinds of treasures.

A base of some sand colored linen.

 I edged it with some rough thread bordering. 

I did the border in single crochet and left the loops and bobbles free to simulate the splash of waves on the sand. 

Sew on some clear bead "bubbles".

Then I ran across these seashell patterns 

Designed by Susan Whitlock. 

I made mine from bedspread cotton. 

I LOVE IT. 

I also crocheted a little spiral of seaweed. 

Gathered fun little bits and bobbles to embellish this.

Look there's a lace "sand dollar" 

And a crocheted bit of a "sea fan coral"

This project was so much fun. 

Having an idea.

Seeing the idea come to life as I worked on it. 

There's the full view of my "Mermaid's treasure, tidal pool"

Thank you Vicki for inviting me to be a part of this. 

I cannot wait to see the finished quilt. 

Kindness Quilt Square #3

It only takes ONE person, and ONE act of kindness, to inspire others and create change.

@jennifer_hogan

That quote illustrates a great way to live and one thing I have discovered in the 

creative blogging community, is that they are some of the most

generous and kind people around. 

My friend Vicki, over at the 2 Bags Full blog is one of those wonderful

people.  

So when I was invited to be a part of her KINDNESS QUILT PROJECT, I was thrilled and honored to participate. An immediate "YES' was my answer. 

4 squares - crochet and embellished.

Roughly 6 inches square. 

These will be gathered by Vicki, assembled, and gifted to a special person. 

What a wonderful way to share our love of creating with others. 

I immediately went to work. 

Details from Square #3

I made the base for this one from some wool blend, sock weight yarn using a C2C pattern. 

Then I went into the stash. 

I knew I wanted to make the roses from my friend Doni's, Tutorial . I've made a lot of these in different sizes since I first got the tutorial from her, so I consider this one tried and true. 

So I gathered some cobweb weight thread in assorted colors from the stash.

I wanted this to feel like dried rose bouquets that we save from those special events. 

I crocheted six roses and added vintage buttons for the centers. 

For the "leaves" I crocheted a lacy doiley center from some nice, silky thread. The sheen and color perfectly fit the idea I was trying for. 

Then a fussy cut from some vintage lace that my friend MaryAnn sent me. 

The final bit of detail is a FAVORITE button that I have been hanging on to for YEARS. 

Look again at those colors.

Does it give you the keepsake faded roses feel I was seeking?

I promise this is square - but it sure looks wonky in this picture.

I am really happy with how this turned out. 

It is so exciting when the idea in your head really works out. 

Kindness Quilt Square #2

It only takes ONE person, and ONE act of kindness, to inspire others and create change.

@jennifer_hogan

That quote illustrates a great way to live and one thing I have discovered in the 

creative blogging community, is that they are some of the most

generous and kind people around. 

My friend Vicki, over at the 2 Bags Full blog is one of those wonderful

people.  

So when I was invited to be a part of her KINDNESS QUILT PROJECT, I was thrilled and honored to participate. An immediate "YES' was my answer. 

4 squares - crochet and embellished.

Roughly 6 inches square. 

These will be gathered by Vicki, assembled, and gifted to a special person. 

What a wonderful way to share our love of creating with others. 

I immediately went to work. 

Details from Square #2

The base is crocheted from a soft, baby sweater yarn that I had leftover from a baby blanket.

(I've also used it in a Moogly Sweater that I made) 

It matched some sweet rose fabric scrap that I had. I actually think that this is the very last bit of this fabric. 

I took some beautiful coordinating Perle Cotton and crocheted an edging around the oval rose cutout from that fabric. Giving it a "frame" effect.

A tiny PEACE advertising token from an insurance company was attached along with a vintage button and a blossom from a silk hydrangea. 

I then beaded a tiny little butterfly (or moth) and attached that as well.

I mounted the framed rose a bit off center to allow the colorful striping to be seen . 

A fairly quick and simple square. 

My Kindness Quilt Square #1

It only takes ONE person, and ONE act of kindness, to inspire others and create change.

@jennifer_hogan

That quote illustrates a great way to live and one thing I have discovered in the 

creative blogging community, is that they are some of the most

generous and kind people around. 

My friend Vicki, over at the 2 Bags Full blog is one of those wonderful

people.  

So when I was invited to be a part of her KINDNESS QUILT PROJECT, I was thrilled and honored to participate. An immediate "YES' was my answer. 

4 squares - crochet and embellished.

Roughly 6 inches square. 

These will be gathered by Vicki, assembled, and gifted to a special person. 

What a wonderful way to share our love of creating with others. 

I immediately went to work. 

Here are the details of the very first square from me. 

A luscious, soft, pink cotton yarn. I crocheted in a single stitch basket weave pattern. 

(Looks like an Easter basket to me.) 

Once I had the base completed, I then set about embellishing.

I have made hundreds of these melty fabric flowers over the years, (here's a HOW TO link if you like) and I had these warm pink fabrics left over from making some for a wedding, so I made one for this block. 

( Trying to be stashsourceful, so I made all four blocks from assorted stash materials.) 

The flower kind of disappeared against my base, so I crocheted a circle for the "leaves"

I went to the scrap box for a bit of linen and added a bit of cross stitch to this. 

That little glass button was gleaned from my "favorites" jar. 

I then called this one complete. 

Although, Vicki may add more embellishment to it as she assembles the entire quilt. 

Again, I am so honored to have been asked about being a contributor to this project. 

I'll be back in a few days with the next block. 

Have a fabulous weekend. 

Life is crazy beautiful

The Fall Nandina Shawlette

So, it's like this.

I craft.

I sew.

I cross stitch.

I CROCHET.

It all is important to me.

I am also cleaning and purging a lot of things. It's time. And its beginning to be very effective. The clean corners give me space to breathe.

Enough preliminary information.

I cleaned out an embarrassingly piled up corner of my kitchen. It's an awkward little space that I have hated for 20+ years and we pile stuff there. I dragged it all out and went through it an item at a time. And I found YARN (imagine that)

What to do?

Stash it - nope, did not ever seriously consider it.

Sell it - nope there too, I loved this combo of colors so much

And it was good yarn. 

Only option left was MAKE SOMETHING. 

But what? And this other project is not done. Hmm!

So I left it on the table by my chair and I studied and I designed in my head and I worked on finishing the big project I was working on and the car project I was working on too. 

And then I finished the car project and I started the head designed thing with this. 

And it looked like CRAP. 

Yes crap. 

So I frogged and regrouped. 

Enter Ravelry search. 

I found this free pattern over there.

She calls it the Oh!So Simple Crochet Wrap

And boy does it live up to its name. 

After the first four rows, I was off and running. 

It became the car project, because it was so easy. 

I changed my yarn colors at whim.

And it was fun. 

I call mine the The Fall Nandina Triangle Shawl, because the color remind me of the Nandina bush fall colors.  that link goes to my ravelry project page with notes about the yarn if anyone is interested. 

Below are some of my pictures of the thing. 

Just started - and that orange could easily be worn as hunters safety orange, it is that bright. 

A row of single crochet and a row of double crochet --- repeat.

I really love these colors so freaking much. 

 

And the yarn is so wonderful, both to work with and that the finished object feels like.

The japanese maple tree is starting its fall color showing. and the multicolor areas have this wonderfulness of color in them.

It even matches the pretty color of my new car.

I added a button for securing this.

The button allows for closing it in any of the double crochet openings, making this very easy to secure. 

And --- I listed this on my facebook and Instagram as a give away. 

People have been very generous to me over the years and I am returning that favor now. 

Still on my hook .....

The four points blanket is still being worked on. I am very much "over" all these rows after rows of single crochet. But it is turning out really cool. I have decided that it will still be a gift, just not a baby gift. This will turn into a very adult sized sofa blanket and I will post pictures here in full color once it is finished. But not on my facebook, because the recipient does follow me there. I can rightfully cover up with a single panel of this one.  One of the repeated questions on the PurlSoho.com post with the pattern was how to make this bigger than baby sized. Easiest way ---- change the yarn to a larger one. I have/will use 8 skeins of worsted weight yarn and it is wonderful.

 THE PERFECT SNUGGLY WEIGHT 

In my Serenity location, I have these on deck. My friend Vicki is leading a wonderful project - THE KINDNESS QUILT and she invited me to create a square. Well I am stash busting and I crocheted these four very different squares. I will begin embellishing them for the project. I have some ideas that I think will make these really pretty when they are finished. 

Embellishing will feed my creativity as well. It's not just crochet, this will let the "artist" in me have a bit of fun. 

And last there is this brightness. Yes it is damned near safety orange. This is the car project. I keep a box in my front seat with a project that I can do a few stitches on in the bank drive thru, or fast food drive thru, or even to grab when I will be riding with a friend. 

This is a triangular shawl pattern that I found for free on Ravelry. It's the Oh So Simple Wrap pattern and it is so easy. I am making it from 4 balls of a cotton blend yarn that I found while I was cleaning the corner in the kitchen. (Let's not talk about how long they were buried in that corner.)

I refused to add this yarn to the stash, so it spent a few days beside me while I worked on all that single crochet. I spent those days "designing in my head", then when it moved to the car project box, that designing was not working out. I went on the search for a project that I could easily pick up and put down, Where I could change colors as I wanted and that could expand or contract in size depending on the yarn I had. I could have done an old fashioned granny square shawl, but I wanted something with slightly more style. This is turning out to be perfect. 

I sure hope you are having a wonderful day.

Remember LIFE IS CRAZY BEAUTIFUL

It's Nuts but it works.

Wow - I haven't been here in quite some time.

Lot's of reasons that need not be aired publicly here.

I had someone make a comment about how much I accomplish creatively. She wondered how the heck I get so much accomplished. When she said it, I kind of downplayed it a whole lot. But on thinking about it, I thought I would explain how I do get things done.

I spend years "half-ass" doing stuff. I have LOTS of UFO's. I am simplifying my entire life right now and rediscovering those unfinished things had cause a tremendous amount of guilt and stress. 

(I uncovered Molly's unframed cross-stitch birth record. It is finished. Not framed. She is 24) 

Many years ago, I started blogging and that was the beginning of focusing on my creative side. I needed to make progress on things so I would have something to share. I am not, nor will I ever be one of the BIG bloggers, but I have my group of friends and we love and encourage one another here. 

Anyway --- back to how my "system" works.

I almost ALWAYS have multiple projects going. Which sound like craziness, but it really has worked for me. 

I have discovered that crochet and cross-stitch travel well - other stuff does not. 

The other stuff, is not addressed here - I do a few bits on those projects and leave them to dry on the work table. 

Now for the pick up put down explanations.

I have a crochet bag by my sofa - right now it contains a sunset colors inspired infinity scarf project. Yarn from my stash (yay me). I pick it up and put it down. The pattern is a no count required repeat, so I don't even have to make a stitch. This one will soon move to the car (reasons will become evident in a minute)

I leave early on Sunday Morning and spend time alone in the silence with myself and this project. It is a big blanket - stash buster project. Two worsted weight yarns held together. There is a kind of pattern repeat to keep this from getting too busy looking. This will ebb and flow with weather conditions, and will be a long time finishing. As the hot weather creeps in I'll put this in a Huge Zipper Project bag and hang it in the craft closet to pull it out when cold weather gets back. Also a stash project (yay me)

This sweet and soft bit of pastel goodness is a granny square baby blanket. Another stash buster project (the stash is wide and deep - please don't judge) It is my car project. I have it in a plastic tote and I can work on this while riding. Plastic tote allows me to sit this on the ground by the campfire or at ball games, keeping everything dry and clean of debris. (I tried a 31 tote for this and as much as I love that tote for other things, the soft sides just did not work out well.) 

I am close to finishing this one. Abby's final college softball season starts next week, so the long hours in the car and at the ball field begin. I'll finish this one and then move the scarf from the bag at home by the sofa into this project. Because.......

This has started as the detailed - must concentrate - project for by the sofa.

AND 

requiring reading glasses and the best light I can find. 

It is a cross stitch piece for one of our most special babies on the way. 

I'll be posting tips and bits about this as it progresses. If there are overnight stays for ball trips, this is organized in a plastic tote box as well, but it certainly is not a mindless, riding in the car, kind of project. 

A note on those car projects, after the blanket and the scarf are finished, I will go back to the stash (yes, there is still plenty of stash available) and start another something.

The cross stitch project will consume a large portion of my home time creating. But I combine that with prayer time, so this is a good thing. 

Now for some tidbit notes about this.

- I do not sit still well.

- I can be a terrible passenger in the car.

- I cannot read in the car or the sun without getting a headache, but I can crochet. 

- I have multiple crochet hooks in each size. 

- I think I have 50 pair of small scissors too. 

- Keeping things in a convenient to use and move container is key. 

-  When I pack up the big blanket for the summer, I will put an index card in the bag noting the hook size.

- MAKING at the ball field - or by the pool - or in the lobby of a hotel - has always caused people to ask what I am making. I always take the time to answer and I have met so many wonderful people this way. 

- Make sure the travel projects can be construed as mindless and either easy to keep count or effortless to recount after you have put them down and picked them back up.  (like granny square blankets or repeat patterns for cross stitch) 

My craziest softball crocheting story - Softball Princess played travel ball for many years as she grew up. One season I made 88 beanie hats. That means we played at least 88 games that year, because I could make a beanie every full length game. 

her college freshman season, I made 150 quarter sized crochet roses.

If you would like regular project updates and some mundane randomness, you can follow my instagram

I do hope you are all doing well. 

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Grateful Hope Planning and Praying

This counting of blessings - it's contagious - my friend Patti has/is reading the book --- I am re-reading it. Looking for things to focus on for the retreat. Trying to plan the details. 

Details - all the details - and this is to be a low stress event -----

For my friends. 

Me - well this s a GIFT for them. Some of the details may go unnoticed, but the prayers that are in those details --- they will be felt from now until the event and hopefully well past it. 

Which brings me to today ------

This is me. 

Let's just recap the week. I forgot to write a transaction down in the check book - the warehouse for shipping material to us at my grown up girl job left a CRITICAL item off the truck (4 hours in the car to make that right - windshield time) - Mr Dorsey has had another stroke - one of the youth from my church had a GI artery bleed and is still in the hospital after emergency surgery - a friend of mine spent Wednesday night and all day yesterday trying to find her elderly father (who left going to church, became disoriented, and was finally located miles and miles from home), another friend lost a job, and  add to this ---- I feel puny. (hope I am not getting sick).

I am quite empty ---

And yet I am blessed.

Patti posted her NOTICING on facebook last night. Simply beautiful.
I tossed a grungy sock with the bucket boy --- both of us enjoyed that play time.
Andrew's surgery was successful - he will be ok - again
AND - they found Beth's Dad safe - he wandered into a Historical Museum in a small town and the lovely people there searched until they found Beth's number (please please people - program an ICE number into your phones.)

Blessings through the HARD, EMPTY, TRYING moments.

I want this seeing of blessings to be shared with the ladies in attendance at GRATEFUL HOPE.

So yesterday - while praying over so much difficult stuff - I tried to pray over an easy craft for the Retreat. I put up a picture collage of these and asked for votes. I'm still asking. See some of these ladies are not "craft" oriented ---- but I really want them to feel like they can make something pretty as a memento of the day together. Something that when they see it, they are reminded of the JOY, GRATITUDE, and FELLOWSHIP of the day.

Note - I will put together kits for whichever one I/we decide on. The actual craft will be INSPIRED by these - not an exact duplicate.

So please vote in the comments on this ---- list your top three in order of what you might like to make if you were a part of the gathering.


1. A BEADED HEART ORNAMENT - inspired by the one pictured. I found the original link at Mayahelena on ETSY

A note prompted by Patti: This can be completed in brights or neutrals. I already have everything I need for this craft. I would form the hearts ahead of time ----and the completion would be stringing the beads and wrapping the heart to your liking.

2. FABRIC BUNTING - I found this image at The Natural Wedding Company - it linked to BHLDN - but the bunting is no longer available there. The one shown is sewn to the hanging string, but we would glue ours. Again we can do this in brights - or neutrals. I'm thinking at least 10 different fabrics for each one. 

I have everything needed for this one too - I would precut the fabric shapes  - and the completion would be the gluing together - I most likely would cut all the pieces from assorted fabrics - then randomly package the kits - but you ladies could swap at the tables ---- 

3. BEADED MOBILE YARD ART. I found this on Pinterest, but in searching Google images - I located the source - on ETSY.  The most difficult part of this will be stringing beads (I'll add buttons to the ones we would make because - well - I have them - and I like them)

I have everything for this one too - I would predrill the branches and completion would be stringing and tying these on. Again - these can be brights - pastels - neutrals.

4. HANDSTITCHED TINY CHARMS - be still my heart -- I love these. These were made by Becky Shander - actually I love ALL her stuff.  Now these are tiny - and this would definitely be a handstitching project.

But once again (imagine) I have all the stuff. to make assorted versions of these.

Matter of fact - I'll be making some of these anyway. Just because.

5. WORD BLOCK ORNAMENT - this one came with a FULL TUTORIAL and I like it. it can be expanded to say HOPE - PEACE - GRACE - LOVE - really anything.

I have "most" of this readily available. Although there may have to be a bit of adaptation to use from the stash. it might not be multi-sided and we may wind up using scrabble tiles for the letters.

6. MELTY FLOWERS -- I made over a 100 of this type of flower for Molly's wedding.  I found this picture here.   Circles of petals - fun button and bead centers. These are a little more "laborious" - but NOT difficult to make.

I would bring the precut circles - and candles - you would melt the edges (who doesn't like to play with fire) and hand stitch together to make a pin on flower. again these could be done in any color scheme and I have all the stuffs for them.

Crafts for 15 people - from the stash - well yes - I can EASILY be accomplished.

This event is in October - it is a LABOR OF LOVE for me. I have felt called to do this from the first chapter of the book. Please help me get all these details right ----

I am investing my heart into this --- God is investing His love through me ---

Please comment with your 'PINIONS even if this is not an event you can attend. I need your help.

I am working through all my details - most will not be seen here until after the event --- surprises are fun.

Life is beautiful - busy, but beautiful - stop and NOTICE the beauty.

Just for fun - and just for me....

I so very rarely create with absolutely no idea what I'm going to make or where it is going. 

Even less often - do I make anything for myself. 

This post is all about both of those things. 

It's also about this little issue I have with  hoarding 

 uh - 

 I mean keeping good stuff. 

I have this storage box - and even though I posted that it was an organizing tool - the damned organization just magically undid itself. 

I got into the habit of stuffing floss leftovers in the top compartment. 

Resulting in this. 

This is all good quality floss - but not numbered. Most of it is left from kits. Or came in a sewing box I gathered up while thrifting.  Just a jumble of threads. 

I'll be 49 in July. (I know that seems random, but it isn't)

I was stuffing yet another bit of floss into the compartment and I decided that I MAYBE could make an "inchie" sampler for myself out of this box. 

So off to the studio for a bit of 14 count cream AIDA cloth. 

I put inchie in quotes because I'm doing 10x10 stitch squares instead of 14x14.

But I started a square with the first color I grabbed from the box. 

It will be 7x7 squares - each a different color. 

Then I'll embellish it to MY liking. 

Well - I had lots of that floss color left - so I gathered me some scraps of other cross stitch fabrics.

Because I keep all kinds of good stuff. 

Then I randomly started stitching. In repeat type patterns using that color. 

When I get one finished (or to a stopping point) , I tuck it in my cheese dome. 

Then I wind the remaining floss and put it into a compartment in the bottom of the storage box. 

Not tangled and easy to use. 

Yes - the button was in that danged mess from the first picture. 

This is one of my favorites. Three stitch stair steps.

I keep the whole shebang in a plastic bag by my chair. Grab it and stitch a bit most nights. 

The repetitive stitching and easy patterning are relaxing and since there is no "deadline" or even a "planned use" for the these I feel no pressure working on them. 

In the picture above, see that bit to the far left. Well often I have just enough floss for a few stitches left in the needle. For those bits, I grab this strip of the fabric and add stitches until that bit is gone. TOTALLY random numbers of stitches. It's a fun little piece. 

Then there is this little bottle. 

It came from Cracker Barrel

Held a single serving of their syrup. I kept it with the idea I could use it. (Remember - I keep all kinds of good stuff.)

I have stuffed thread bits in it for years. 

I started stuffing when I made the stitching for the pillow from this post.

Mostly because so much of that stitching was done in the car and or at various ball games and I needed a way to corral them. 

I keep stuffing - and its funny, I can remember where a lot of the visible threads were used. I'll keep saving them and then someday it will be full. Then I can sit it on a shelf and one day, my kids can say 

"see my mama had issues, she even kept this REALLY GOOD stuff." 

As I wrote this - I actually giggled out loud. 

It's really just a fun little bottle that has no purpose at all other than to corral the trimmed bits. But it makes me smile to look at it. 

So there - 

I'm organizing stuff.

I'm kind of using the stuff. 

I'm creating and I NEED to create for my sanity. 

This creating is NOT costing me any extra money. 

But - aside from the "inchie" sampler I'm making to commemorate my 49th year - now I need to find a use for these little stitched bits. 

Or maybe I can just keep them. 

Because - well - you know - I KEEP SOME REALLY GOOD STUFF.

Life is beautiful. 

heart of gold

I've been making things. Fun Valentiney things. Like these ornaments. And I am using things I already have.

 Full tutorial to come on Thursday.

Have a beautiful day.

I've been waiting for many years for this......

Years ago I found a blog that resonated with me. 

A lady with an amazing talent for ephemeral art, crochet, and appreciation for nature, and for living a beautiful life. 

This lady has a wonderful name too

Margaret Ooman

you can find her here

or here

Anyway, back to the story. I saw a post on her website and fell head over heels in love with the idea. 

Now, she lives where it get COLD (as in -6 degrees C) and I live in the southern United States. 

There was an issue with completing this idea at my house --- it may get cold, but it often warms well above freezing during the day. 

So the artwork would really be "ephemeral" and vanish quickly. 

But not now.

We are having a huge freeze here in good old northeast Georgia.

It was 8 degrees F here this morning. and not going out of the 20's all day.

This was my chance. 

I took a pie pan. 

A crochet snowflake. 

Snowflake flat in pan. 

With the hanger draped over the edge. 

Sprinkle Glitter across the water. 

Sit outside. 

Go to work.

Come home to this.

Crochet ice sculpture. 

It makes me smile every time I see it hanging on my kitchen porch.

I'll be doing this one again "SOMETIME"

    Here's the link to the post I saw over at Resurrection Fern. 

What do you guys think?

Happy Tuesday!!!

Life is very Beautiful.