Sunday, January 31, 2016

Here we are at the last day of January.  Time is speeding by which only tells you that I'm old.  I had my 68th brithday on the 21st and now speeding toward 69.  I'm just not sure how I got this old as I don't feel that old, at least most days.   I skipped a week of blogging as I didn't have much to report on, but now I do so I'm linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching.

I finally got my Midnight Mystery quilt pin basted by using a new method I saw on Pinterest and it worked really well for me since I don't have much space living full-time in a 5th wheel.  Here is a picture of the beginning of the basting process.  I purchased pipe insulation and I pinned my backing, batting, and flimsy on separate insulation tubes and then rolled them up.  As you can see in the picture the backing was laid down first, then the batting on top of that and finally the flimsy on that.  I was able to pin baste it (72" x 72") sitting down and it only took a half hour from start to finish.  I will definitely be using this process again.

 
 
I also worked on my La Passacaglia quilt which is done with the English Paper Piecing (EPP) process and is a lot of slow stitching.  If you've never tried EPP, you should as it is fun and enjoyable.  This is the second rosette out of 35 that I need to make.  Not all are as big as this one will be.  The round that I just finished will have pentagons that are intertwined with the next round so be sure to check back to see what it will look like when I'm finished with this rosette.
 
 
 

I finished the snow around the animals on the cross-stitched stocking that I've been working on and got the deer and wolf are back stitched.  Goal for this week will be to work on the three trees.  I don't believe I'll get them all done by next week, but I'll give it my best shot.


I started a new project that I've been anxious to do and something that will give me a bread from my EPP and cross-stitch projects.  It is one of Jenny of Elefantz' designs from her stitchery club.  As you can tell, this one is January and there are 11 others.


The day before my birthday, we went with some friends to the China Ranch Date Farm, in Tecopa, California and a wonderful place to visit.  They have a unique gift shop as well as delicious goodies.  We always come home with date nut bread, chocolate chip and date cookies, a date muffin and this time I came home with a cute little tin that I'll but putting a wool applique piece in.  Here is a picture of my other half and me at the farm as well as a picture of that cute little tin.


After a hike at the date farm, we went into Shoshone, CA for lunch and ate at the Crow Bar.  If you are ever in the neighborhood (Death Valley National Park), be sure to stop there and have a bite to eat as it offers excellent food.


I thought I would share with you a picture of our home while it was parked at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge where we volunteered last winter and is only about 35 miles from where we are now.  Our 5th wheel is 38' long and 8' wide not counting the 3 slide outs.  The slide out you see on the left is where our dining table is as well as my quilting table which took over the space where the couch was.  It is very comfortable and a wonderful home for us. 

 
 
Happy stitching,

15 comments:

  1. That looks like a great pin-basting method, especially for your small space. I love that rosette. I recently acquired an EPP book. I am looking forward to trying it some time. Great pic of you and your other half. I also really like that stocking. It is coming along great. I never backstitch as I go. Something I will have to think about. I also like your embroidery. I just asked for one of Jenny's designs for my own birthday in February. By the way, Happy Birthday!!

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    1. Many thanks Cathie. Backstitching cross-stitch is not one of my favorite things so I decided to try and do it along the way and it is working out good for me. Happy Birthday to you this month.

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  2. Very cool idea for pin basting!
    Love the rosette.... just gorgeous!
    Enjoy your stitching!

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    1. Thank you Kathy. I'm still working on the same rosette. The large ones seem to take forever.

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  3. I love your fabric choices for La Pass. I’ve seen the intertwined versions of the large rosettes, and they are gorgeous! They give it a completely different look. Do you keep your RV parked in the same location, or do you have around from place to place?

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    1. I'm working on the intertwining now and I'm really liking it. Maybe I'll have it finished up by Sunday. We will be keeping our large RV parked on our site in Nevada. We have a small 5th wheel that we use for traveling that is in the storage area of our park at no charge. We had hopped to travel to FL and on up to New England this year, but our plans have changed so will be doing some shorter trips later this year.

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  4. I love the prints you're using for your La Passacaglia piece!! It's going to be gorgeous. The Elefanz embroidery is cute! :)

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    1. Thanks Denise. I'm having lots of fun with the La Passacaglia and the embroidery.

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  5. Love the idea of using the insulation tubes. I have used boards but I am always worried I am going to bang something or break a window when I bring them in. Thanks for sharing a great idea

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    1. Hi Carla. I first saw a video using the boards and was going to try it and then I saw the posting using the pipe insulation and it worked GREAT. You should try it.

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  6. You certainly do not look 68. 58 maybe, but not 68. Time to start lyin' about that stuff -- lol! Lots of sewing irons in the fire at once to keep things interesting is cool. I follow several full-time RVing vlogs and always sew when we are on the road, but I doubt we'll ever go full-time. Take care.

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    1. Thanks for the age compliment. I don't feel that old, at least not all the time. I'm so happy to be retired and can spend most of my time with my quilting and handwork. Never say never on the RVing full-time. LOL

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  7. Everything looks so lovely! I may have to look into that basting method, it sounds quick and much easier on the back than being in the floor. And your EPP is beautiful, I love all the colors. I'm excited to see how your rosettes start fitting together. Your pictures and stories of the places you are parked at make me jealous, it's always sounds so nice. :)

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    1. Thanks so much LBC. You should definitely try the basting method. I love that I can do it in the RV and sitting down. Can't beat that. I'm hoping to get the next two rounds done on the EPP this week. The last round is more stars and they take a lot of time to do. I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll be doing with all your hexies you've been working on.

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  8. Happy Birthday! The cross stitch stocking is lovely as it is, when finished will be a treasure. Great idea for the basting pin process. How cool you are volunteers for the Wildlife Refuse. I think it is interisting to have a home that can go with you where you want to go. Have a great week

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