A busy 3 days ...

Since last blogging My husband and I have cycled the Katy Trail in Missouri, all 228miles of it. We had a great time; riding was great, weather was fantastic, photo ops superb, mets lots of neat people, and then raced the foul weather. Weather 1, Shirley & Danny 0  You can read all about it and see the photos at http://travelinduo.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-katy-according-to-danny.html
The colors were changing and by the time we were finished what we saw was

Today I finished up a marathon 3 days of sewing. I finished the 2 quilts for my mother and an UFO that I discovered in the closet above the bed.
Mom had asked me to quilt 2 quilts for her. I was given 2 sets of 12 cross stitched blocks, all different sizes. They are for 2 of her great granddaughters.



I decided to put them into a Friendship pattern because that would allow brightening colors that bring out the block without overwhelming it. Then I wanted them to be completely different. This is what I came up...

 sewing in cramped quarters

The UFO that I discovered in the closet was a Halloween table runner started in Panama. It got packed away unfinished and sat. The end panels needed to be quilted and then the whole thing bound. Here you go ...

Perfect and now ready to once again pack away! This time she goes into the Halloween box, not the UFO box. Love working with those jelly roll and cake cuts.

 When our friend came to visit us in Missouri I was able to persuade her to pick up and bring me my finished Enchanted Sleigh pillow. I was a little apprehensive about the color that I had chosen, but turns out it is a perfect shade for the pillow and the bedroom decor.

 sorry about the lack of lighting

As for Miss Cleo, well she is coming along slowly even though she has been on the back burner now for a time. And ... she will remain there for another month as we head off to Mexico. She is too big to take with us as a bus riding project. I will just have to find something else to do. Learn more SPanish maybe?????

Finally, I have finished my friend's Christmas gift. Now to get it to the finishers as well. They will take it up to the first of Dec to get it done before Christmas but I want to get it in right away for easier mailing.

Wow, I guess I really have done a bit of work here, all in between the bicycle riding, the hiking, the touristing, and the traveling. Somehow I think the next month will not be as productive - riding public transportation in Mexico, touristing areas that we haven't been in before.

Tah dah ...

Miss Cleo's personality

A little here and a little there, slowly the stitching continues as we attend various functions at the Escapees RV rally here in Sedalia, Missouri. It is amazing what can be accomplished in so little time.

As I continued with Miss Cleo's face, she continued to look like an alien ... whoa, I hope that is not her end personality.  You know, those huge bulgy eyes with a focal middle black iris area that so often frequented the sic-fi movies. What a shame that would be. The first of the three sections were completed - broken byzantine with 4 threads of Splendor.

I am learning how to use a laying tool but still can't get those darn threads to lay flat and untwisted at times. There must be a trick that I am not catching onto. My new tool:

Then the second of the three stages is completed - turn your canvas 90degrees and do the same broken byzantine. Then the third of three - fill spaces with a scotch block. All done with 4 threads of the same Splendor. Looking less and less like an alien but those eyes are still pretty focal. So next the eye outline and the mouth and nose. Wow, a true cat, not an alien as I thought.

Is that a smirk that I see? Is she making fun of me, when I have worked so hard to give her a personality before I continue on with her body?  Is it a "I told you so!" Aaah I get it, playful and full of mischief. I like that. She will lead me forth on a journey of discovery, enjoyment and relaxation. Ah what a time we will have, Missy Cleo and I ...

Oh yes, I promised no photo of me stitching but as my husband read my entry he got a gleam in his eye. He fumbled around a bit as I stitched and then called me. Ok, so I broke my promise, here it is, pj's and all, courtesy of my DH.

Miss Cleo

A milestone, the first of many, with my newly christened "Miss Cleo", Cleopatra's Cat, in that I finally finished all the outlining. Everything matched up. Wahoo!


I eagerly sought time to begin the actual filling in of the blanks. The instructions called for section A as the beginning block. This was the tip of her tail - very pretty when done too.

... lines of silver Kreinik first (you really can't see this), then satin stitching using a variegated floss, and finally a dark blue with colored highlights Kreinik in the cross stitches between the satin stitches and over the silver.

But oh she was so lacking in personality, in feeling, in, oh I don't know. Somehow she just wasn't there. So I asked myself, "What can I do to make her more alive?" Ah ha, how about giving her some eyes and at least a partial face. So I hunted through the instruction booklet and, wow, she didn't get her eyes and face until almost the end of the project. No way, she is getting them now. So I started in - first one, then the next. Yes they are talking to me. She has something there for sure, and it is starting to come out. Next I started on the face. Oh oh, this makes her look a little like something out of an alien-type movie. (using Splendor and a "broken Byzantine stitch" in 3 stages)

 

Still the eyes egg me on, as if to say "keep looking Shirley, there is more here than what is surfacing." So I will do just that! Keep tuned for her personality to show and a synopsis of the stitching.

I am learning how to use a laying tool with this project. IT is quite difficult to hold the canvas in the stretcher bars and still have a free hand for the laying tool while stitching with the other. I have the perfect solution - I sit in the Laz-y-boy and hold the bars with my knees. It is actually quite comfortable. There will NOT be a photo of that, I can assure you. LOL

An uninterrupted afternoon

My DH went on a hike this afternoon, leaving me to an afternoon of uninterrupted sewing machine usage. I had planned on sandwiching his nap pie quilt but with all the suggestions to use a spray adhesive to prevent movement and stretching of the fleece, I now have to wait until I can get into a store that would have that. At the moment my options are Wally World and WalMart - nada.

So I dug out a project started in Colombia of which I only had the first month done Craftsy BOM class. Each month has two new quilt squares and the way to piece them, both traditionally and in a new manner. I had completed exactly January's 2.

The squares completed today account for 1/12th of all the squares - 2 for February. Scanning through the various ones left to do I can see that they get harder and harder as time goes on, all interesting.

I made some decisions about the end product. I am going to use the squares to learn how to FMQ - in fact, I might even have to follow a blog or two to do it. We shall see. Also there are the Craftsy classes that I could take and FMQ along with everyone else.

Cleo's Cat is coming along slowly. DH's nappie is still sitting forlornly on the chesterfield as I haul out another bag to put to put it in until I get the spray. Tomorrow Tulsa so hopefully there will be  store or two there to be able to go to.

A Wild Wacky Wonderful Woman

Danny hikes. Danny cycles. I cycle but not nearly as far nor as long. Simply too hot for me. So I have spent the last couple of days working on projects interspersed with housework, cooking, and ....

I completed my Wild Wacky Wonderful Woman wall hanger this afternoon. I had to add an outside border fabric as the wild stuff I had was too overpowering. Found this ecru faintly mottled fabric in another project that needs to be finished. It even has faint purple mottling in it that is more prominent because of the binding.What a thrill to hang her up. No wall space to put it in but I found that a couple of quilting pins through the stitch in the ditch and I could attach it to the valance over the window. Looks awesome and vitalizes me when I look at her.

I don't often keep my work, in fact, they are usually started as a gift in mind. My WWWWoman was just that. Started in 2002 as a Christmas gift, never finished, gift not needed, I love her, she is mine!

Now on to the original UFO Challenge project - Stairway to Dreams. It still sits on the chesterfield looking forlorn and dejected. Never mind, you will come out of the bag tonight and be aired for a tomorrow start.

I have also finished up my special project that can't be shown yet as it is a gift for a dear friend. It goes to the finishers next week. Received notice that my Enchanted Sleigh is finished as well. Now to get it mailed to me so that I can finally see it. The shop people are raving about it and how it looks. I can hardly wait. Will have it sent to the park where we are going to the Rally so will have it by the beginning of Monday week.

As for Cleo's Cat, nothing new to report.