About Me

My photo
Shoreline, CT, United States
I would love for you to join me (a retired senior)in my zany crafting adventures with quilting (waaaaay too much fabric); scrapbooking (will I ever catch up?); redwork; counted cross stitch; crossword puzzles; reading; and cooking.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

FUNFETTI INTO A FLIMSY , et al

 
Here are the wonky funfetti
blocks sewn together.
(click to enlarge all)

AND then I
pinned those double rows 
of 4 patches--
all gray toned prints--
to the shorter sides 
to see if I liked them
with the main piece...
↧↧↧↧

It was a Plan for  borders...
SO...
I wandered about for a couple
days looking at this a lot...
and finally, 

I decided I did like that 
softer look to surround
the funfetti center


I used up all my gray 
mini charm 4 patches 
here and also a leftover
strip of foggy grayness...

I got to sew it all together
this afternoon 
into a Flimsy:

I had a tiny little little smidgen
of that solid grayness
leftover...
j-u-s-t 
enough!! ;)))

This is my trial piece for making
more confetti blocks...
using the smallest pieces I 
could sew 
and still have them show up;
and also trying out 
a few triangles...

I am thinking now of a dark 
background with low volume
white and off whites
to make next...

I am hoping it will look 
like snow falling...

I will be deciding on 
a background
for this...

And so, this really is 
a TWO-fer
in my 
"USING IT UP" 
series...

I still have more mini charms
😧😰😮
sewn in 2-sies and 4-sies
to be used up
before I embark on 
any really 
totally new projects...
************************
Tom is out mowing our lawn 
in between showers;
very humid here with a 
72 dewpoint and 
80 degree temp.
Needless to say,
our AC is on..
***********************
I have prepared our dining room
table for what will be the 
7 of us tomorrow:
Candice, Cassidy,
Greg, Connor and
Steven and us...

Very French Countryside
dotted with my mini
collection of 
Rooster salt and peppers:

These are Pfaltzgraff--
I have 2 set of these...love how one is 
looking back over his shoulder
:)))))

and
 Mom and I scored
this pair 
at a yard sale:
⇊⇊⇊

We both thought they were
vintage looking..
Soooo cute...

You know, it's been so long
since we've entertained at all
that I had to really think 
👵 about
dishes, serving dishes, etc...
We are so looking 
forward to tomorrow..
:)))

Hugs, Julierose,
La Blageuse
(Grateful-euse)











Friday, June 25, 2021

BOOKISH FRIDAY, et al

 

A new quilt book has landed
in my mailbox!! 

My reasoning (excuse really!!)
hahaha--
like I need any more quilt books!!
R E A L L Y???
👧😇
is that I have a ton of Charm packs
and want to begin whittling them
down as I've made a big dent in
my mini charms now....

See those page markers???
I have marked 
NINE
out of the 18 quilt patterns
in here that I really
would love to make!

This has to be some 
kind of record
👀💫
for a single book...

***********************
Tonight I am making 
"Magpie's Mumblings" 
(see her blog for recipe)
↡↡↡↡↡
"Smoked Sausage Foil Packets".

I am using Sweet Italian
sausages and having Tom
pre-partial-cook them on
our grill before I incorporate
them (sliced) into the foil packet.  

[For some reason I
cannot fathom
putting RAW
meat of any kind 
alongside veggies,
touching each other,
like those Sheet Pan type recipes..
And these packets will have raw
potatoes and peppers and onions..]

ANYWAAAAY..
that's just me...;))

****************************
Right now we are watching the
Austrian Practice for the
Sunday Grand Prix while we have
our 2nd cuppa coffee...
A slow start for us on
this rainy and muggy
morning.  
****************************
We are in "cleaning/prep
mode" for my daughter and her family's
Sunday visit...

A late celebration of the twins'
graduating High School
when I will give them their 
"Going Away To College"
quilts...

Tom is making his spaghetti sauce
which will be accompanied by
salad and garlic bread
and followed by 
Italian Gelatos and
fancy cookies and brownies
for dessert...

Yesterday I did all the grocery shopping
and today will begin the "picking up" phase.
I am so excited to be seeing my
grandchildren all together here.
AND
catching up
at long last....
👏👏👏👏

That is where I am right now...;)))
{T G I F  ALL}

Hugs, Julierose,
La Blageuse 
(in-prep-mode-euse)







Wednesday, June 23, 2021

DOLLY QUILT FLIMSIES

 


Here is Fiona's 
Dolly Quilt
Flimsie...

AND
Here is Willa's
Dolly Quilt 
Flimsie

These were both put together from 
leftover chunks and strings,
starting with the string block centers
that I posted yesterday...

Such fun little projects....
I plan to layer and then, 
back them tomorrow...

************************
Today Tom and I did errands
in the morning 
and then walked at our
favorite path at 
the playing fields...

{I managed about 15 minutes
before the sciatica began--
but that is better than not 
walking at all!}

************************
Tonight's menu is:
Roast Pork Loin,
Mashed potatoes,
Gravy,
and steamed corn...

********************
Our hot humid weather was 
blown away overnight by
a strong cold front;
winds from the north
brought us low humidity
and sunshine-y 
low temps today...;)))

All in all a wonderful day--
I hope yours is going well, too
👵💕

Hugs, Julierose
La Blageuse
(Still-stringing-along-euse)




Tuesday, June 22, 2021

STRINGING ALONG, et al

 

Fiona likes purple
(sorry for the darkish photo the
purples are much brighter
in reality)

AND

Willa likes blue

I don't know what these will grow into as yet
[placemats, dolly quilts, lap quilts]

I have raided my leftover blue and
purple scraps and strings to make
these....

They are a work in progress...

I do love to make these string blocks

[to see a lot of other neat
string projects--
visit Cathy at 
"Crazy By Design" blog...]

💝💓💗

**********************
Over the weekend
not much sewing was done;
I took a little break....
And on

Sunday we watched the Formula One
French Grand Prix


Mark Verstappen won for
the Red Bull Team

and a close 2nd was 
↧↧↧↧
Hamilton...
{imagine, they even have
someone to do up their hair}

We had a french toast breakfast
in honor of the race.
So yummy!!!
 
Tom and I so enjoy watching these
races
on Sunday mornings.. 

Next week the race will
be in Austria...

(and what will be 
on the menu
for Austria???
Hmmmm....👵
stay tuned)

***************************

I am still working on my  
Diamond Painting...

she is almost done....

I began this when we shut 
down for
the Corona Virus...
A good way to relieve stress
I've found...


*********************
Hot and very muggy here today...

I hope you are having a 
good week;
stay cool....

hugs, Julierose
La Blageuse
(still-stringing-euse)











Monday, June 14, 2021

THE CHERRY THIEF, et al

 
I got this finished over
the past weekend--all
bound and labeled...
💝💝💝

Here it is on my cocktail table in
my living room..
Fits nicely...;)))

The backing is a VERY old fabric
that has been languishing
in my stash for-EVER!
I chose to use the bird fabric for
the binding.
 
And
I even remembered to 
label it...;))

****************************
And..
on the family front:
my two handsome twin grandsons--

Greg (L) and Connor(R) 
are attending their last day 
of High School..

Tomorrow they will graduate..

It just doesn't seem possible...

My daughter's youngest two..
S  I  G  H...

Life surely flies by in a moment...
👵✈✈✈

We will be watching the
live stream at
5 p.m. here at home...

We hope to see them soon so 
I can give them
their "Going Away  To College"
quilts...

It will have been such a long time
since my daughter and her family
have all come down here.

We are planning a BBQ 
celebration...
Fingers crossed for good weather...

*************************

I hope you are all well and
being able to sew...
Hugs,
Julierose,
La Blageuse
(Lots of finishing-euse)








Thursday, June 10, 2021

LOW VOLUME STRING BLOCKS

 
After my Big Y weekly
food shopping
early this morning,
I came home and settled out on our
deck to begin my hand 
quilting journey on my 
Low Volume String blocks...
[click to enlarge pix]

It is a beautiful low humidity day
here with a lovely breeze
AAAAH....

I am using this lovely
Sulky cotton thread in 
this "perfect" pale green 
color using my
Milliner's needle and little
automatic needle threader.
:)))
(I love that little vintage 
tea napkin edging above)

I will be stitching a row on 
each block's
seamed sides....
both vertically 
and horizontally.

Some of seam crossing spots 
are pretty hard to 
needle through 
and
[I've already bent one
needle !!]
😰
But, I am trying to "navigate 
around" as best I can,
those seam crossings...

That green/white fabric below
is a dense linen leftover from
a crazy quilt block...
↡↡↡↡

Right here I managed to
work underneath
this crossing spot......

I think my title for this one will
be "Early Spring".

Hugs, Julierose,
La blageuse
(hand-quilting-euse) 











Saturday, June 5, 2021

FUNFETTI, et al

 

Three "Funfetti" blocks...
(click to enlarge photos)

I don't know what it is about
those little captured pieces
but they make me so happy..
😂💓💓
This one has....
A  long narrow strip...

And
they all have a lot of whites

These take quite a while to
work up...
I love the randomness and
pops of colors...

I have pulled all my white on white and
white on ecru, and 
white linen strips and
chunks out to make these.

*************************
On the bigger playing ground...

I have my backing chosen 
for my string blocks...
↑↑↑↑
Now all sewn together.

Here are the two fabrics 
below
(I, of course, didn't have
enough of either so 
will do a combo).
↧↧↧
Now to measure, cut,
sew, and
layer...

*************************
It is really hot here today...
we had our morning coffees 
out on our deck --so
lovely...

Hope your Saturday is a good one..
Hugs, Julierose
La Blageuse
(working mini-scraps-euse)