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.

Sunday, June 9, 2019

SLOW DOWN--CURVES AHEAD

          Here is my "enhanced" fabric pull for my improv project...
                         I have added 3 more light "print fabrics"--
                           well, one is a bit brighter but
                            it fits in with my theme.....

I've cut 6.5" wedges and am going to make curves...as in Sherri Lynne
Woods' "Get Your Curve On" in her improv book...

I was leaning toward her  floating squares score, 
but I've done a lot of "square" works, 
and I thought this might be a change 
and a challenge for me...

I truly don't know where this is going:
no road maps, 
no GPS, 
no Atlas--
just kind of "off-road" meandering ....
seeing where this sewing will take me...

            Here's a closer look at the two new prints added on the left ,
and

                        that brighter one is at the top right...

I had to separate the lighter peaches and white as they 
are very close in color and difficult to tell apart....↓ far right below


I also have used bits and pieces--scraps; so I had to sew two colors together
sometimes in order to make up the 6.5" lengths...

Then I free-cut the wedges...no ruler at all ....they are all the same height,
but all slightly differing widths...

As I said, who knows what will come out of this...
We shall see....I am a bit hesitant, but going to try it...;))))

hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (pondering-euse)



Saturday, June 8, 2019

TURN DOWN THE VOLUME

                   So far, here are my choices for a low volume style improv....
            I wanted to just use solids, but I am incapable of not using prints it seems...
And I  don't usually choose all my fabrics ahead of time like this--but I
                                                      Need a change.....
                                 STAY TUNED
Hugs, 
Julierose, La Blageuse  (trying something new-euse)

Thursday, June 6, 2019

I LIKE NO. 7

   I LIKE NO. 1:            Starting out here with the best lasagna
                                           I've ever made....
                               this recipe is courtesy of  BARBARA  (click)
                                            at  "Cat Patches" --

               When she posted her own "Overnight Lasagna" recipe
                               I had to try it....
                                       and here is my reason why: 

My daughter and son and their children came for a 
Sunday supper...about 7 years ago...
Lots of hearty appetites
would be seated at our table--
so I decided to make lasagna....
you know how that is good for a crowd, right??

;000 life always has surprises though waiting for you, doesn't it????

Well, the lasagna  came out all "soupy"--i mean really, really soupy
:(((

[And I know  I heard low voices saying just call it 
Lasagna soup-- 
which is hotly denied by all my children!!]

But,  my darling granddaughter, Cassidy, obviously seeing
how awful I felt  said.....................

"It's ok, Grand-mere--it still tastes GOOD!"  which was so sweet...

I've never made lasagna since that day.

Until, that is,  this week...deep breath..
 Barbara saying it's NO-FAIL....I put on my apron...

And she was SO right...

This recipe was SO GOOD, and it set up beautifully--

thanks Barbara for a life-saver and a very happy Hubster 
too ;)))  So win/win...

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I Like:          my Japanese Irises just about to burst into bloom...
                                        in my front garden....
                                                    AND

                                        my pretty Rhodie--
                             which we had moved it two years ago
                (a no-no I hear-- and it has looked yellow and sickly since.....)

                      But this year it has favored us with two pretty blooms--
                             so perhaps we have been forgiven...lol ;)))

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     I love watching "VERA" on Acorn tv....when I cannot sleep at night,
                        I tune it in on my laptop, put on my headphones 
                                       and watch until I
                                            get sleepy......
                    I like her feisty yet human character....
                                      an excellent series.....
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I like keeping track of moon phases
in my journal; and I try to draw
the moon freehand in its
various cycles daily....circles are
hard freehand, I find....but i keep
on trying......







                      MR. GOOGLE explains the various phases --fascinating...to me.....

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THANKS TO :  LEEANNA at LAPAYLOR 's "Not Afraid of Color Blog"...
for her weekly linkup...it's so wonderful to read everyone's positive thoughts.....

Hugs, Julierose, La blageuse (thankful-euse)


Wednesday, June 5, 2019

HEXAGONIA, et al

  I have made twelve of these :    ROSETTES........

and have used up all the leftover Christmas fabric in that line...
with just two additions of leftover reds....









Here are the two reds 

















And four more....














I am planning on appliqueing them to Holiday themed background squares.....
the trick being to FIND a fabric that will pull them all together....

I thought B&W text immediately, but didn't like how it looked--so 
am searching my stash .....

Stay tuned for the final selection......;)))
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I am now doing a Star A Day with some precuts....(I have so many mini charms, charms, 
jelly rolls, layercakes--WHAT was I thinking.???
..well, I am trying to use them up....)

                                                          
 A Closer look at these STARS:
             

And:

I had previously  pre-cut all the central squares from a bigger landscape fabric
 and set up my  wonky stars with those gilded triangles...
so now I will set to sewing them together..

                       Here is my little tub of pieces at the ready;)))
                                           and no rotary work required for these
                            I can trim up the flippy corners with my scissors, Lizzy (;}}})
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And finally, here are my Desert Dreams Ojos ready to be sewn together...
no more usable pieces to string....only little bits--
which will go into some small improv pieces I am
working on....

I have kept the centers, this time, all in the same color family: yellows and golds; and 
pinks and maroons...I like this look--Again this may (hopefully) set with a solid
(gold or rose) fabric squares will become  a long, narrow table runner.....I love 
those and have made Christmas ones  for my daughter and DIL....
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                                               >>>>>S I G H I N G  H E R E>>>>

My heavy work with rotary cutters is going to have to end.  Really and 
truly............
Too many nights with aching shoulders , wrists and hands....
SO..........................
I am going to switch over to scissor work as much as I can...
and using my Go BAby dies
 and ripping...

and in that scheme of things, 
I want to try my hand at some improv work...

I have been re-reading Sherri Lynne Wood's "The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilts"
And although, for the most part, none of my quilts have been what is termed
 "modern", 
I will attempt to utilize her methods for some smaller pieces 
(I know all her stuff is really big, but maybe 
I can come up with some  smaller pieces?? ).  
And that is where I stand right now....

hugs, Julierose La Blageuse  (shifting-euse)


Tuesday, June 4, 2019

DIAMOND PAINTING PROGRESS

                   I've been working on my Diamond Painting:
                                              "ROSES" 
                              and it is emerging bit by lovely bit.

  [I have been  resting my arms and shoulders from rotary cutting....]

Here is what my work station in progress looks like...

You can see the empty squares on the canvas, 
my diamond drill pen placer,
and the little tray holding the drills. 

The canvas to the right remains  covered to preserve the glued surface
from any dust or debris ...
I only uncover a small square to work on at a time.

Here is the chart that lists all the colors and the number,
letter or symbol that
appears on the chart for each color...

                I have checked off each color as I kitted this one up
                      placing the each drill color into my little plastic jars 
                                      (beading jars, really) for ease of use .

            I really find this a most relaxing craft; and I love seeing 
each of the colors emerging...

(the colors match up with DMC floss colors)

I first found out about this craft on the "Stitcherista" 
Channel on YouTube...there are quite a few channels and videos about
diamond painting..
**************************and, Later........

I have finished up this small square area this morning; there is only 
approximately 1/3rd of the lower portion left to fill...

I will move onto a smaller piece next...before I embark on my HUGE
Nefertiti canvas that I received for my birthday...

Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (DP-ing-euse)


Thursday, May 30, 2019

I LIKE NO. 6

I like to make little "salt and pepper" table decorations for everyday.
my bleeding hearts make a perfect bouquet filler for the 
leftovers of my birthday flowers .....

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I like (love) how my ferns have taken over this border by my front walk.....and
just filled it to bursting...

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I like this idea I saw online ("Polka Dot  Chicken" blog)  she has the cutest
 ideas for displaying her stitcheries...

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                              My old-timey (lol) kitchen clock that is plenty BIG ENOUGH 
                                                               for us to read!!;)))

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                                         My wonderful double door fridge---
                                                                 really love this...so much space.....

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                                             I love watching "Agatha Raisin" on Acorn...
                                                         and I like her hairdo, too....

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And finally...................
 Remembering ...................

                                     This picture of my Mom making her First Communion
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Linking up with Lee Anna's today for :

LA PAYLOR's Not Afraid of Color blog

Hugs, Julierose, La blageuse (remembering-euse)

Monday, May 27, 2019

DESERT DREAMS OJOS

                 I've begun working on these tiny little string pieces.....
                          I have moved on to my 
                               smallest squares of papers now
                                              only 3.5".

                           Along with these leftover triangles 
                        (from a failed Broken Dishes project...)
                         which make perfect corners for my 
                                        Desert Ojos...

I just cannot seem to stop making these string blocks, people!

I keep on telling myself ............
it's time to move onto another project--

                              and then, BAM! 💫💣👀👀

I sit down at my machine and those little squares 
just jump under my needle..

                         Perhaps this "EYE" has cast its spell over me.
                         It sits on my shelf overlooking my machine....

[Conjuring up images of Desert Palms, 
Oases, Arabian horses,
shimmering sands....]

And so it goes....
hugs, Julierose,
La Blageuse (dreaming of desert nights-euse)