Friday, December 2, 2016

Christmas Stockings and Meadow Mystery Quilt

Once again it has been several weeks since my last post.  Not because I haven't been busy, just that there hasn't been much to report.   The majority of that time was spent cross-stitching on the Christmas stocking for my granddaughter-in-law, Callie.  The first picture is her stocking and the second picture is from my last post.  For those of you who have never done any cross-stitching, the green glove on the left took almost four hours to stitch.  It is a long and slow process, especially when you have a lot of color changes. 

 
 
Here is a picture of the stocking for my granddaughter, Dakotah.  I had finished the cross-stitching on it before our summer travels, but just made it into a stocking this week.
 


They both went into the mail yesterday and are scheduled to arrive at my daughter's on Monday. 

Yesterday the December instructions were posted for the Meadow Mystery quilt and I got those all stitched up.  I can't believe how on top of this I've been the last couple of months.  It is never too late to get in on the fun for this mystery quilt.  Just pop over to Cheryl's blog, Meadow Mist Designs, HERE for all the instructions.


Living in an RV full-time doesn't give you many places to take pictures when it is cold and very, very windy outside, so I must apologize for the lousy picture taken in the bathroom.

On the personal side of life, my husband left for Alaska on November 12th and will be returning on December 15th.  He is up there to help his daughter out with her three teenagers as she is going through a divorce.  I think he was ready to come back home after the first week there. 

During November, I participated in a 30 day minimalist challenge.  On November 1st, I got rid of one item, November 2nd, I got rid of two items on so on.  You get the picture I'm sure.  All-in-all I cleared out 465 items from our tiny RV home.  It was a great challenge and it felt good to get rid of all the things I haven't used in years, including a lot of smaller clothes that I'd never fit into again.  It would be a good challenge for January for those of you who tend to hold on to stuff.

Next up, I'm going to look at my goals for 2016 and see what I can actually accomplish before the end of this year.  Stay tuned and happy stitching.

Linking up with Finish it up Friday.

22 comments:

  1. Your Meadow Mystery blocks look great!

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    1. Thanks Alison. I'm really loving how it is starting to come together.

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  2. Those stockings are wonderful! I do a little cross-stitch here and there, but have only done one project that was as detailed as these are and it took me YEARS to finish. It is done now, but I still have to mount it or do something with it. :) Great job!

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    1. Hi Jen, cross-stitching does take forever and not my most favorite thing to do. Thanks for taking time to visit my blog and comment.

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  3. Such great progress! The stockings turned out wonderful, I'm sure they will be cherished for many years. 😊 I haven't been blogging much recently either - a lot going on at the moment. Like you, I haven't had much to share either despite seeming to stay busy. Good job on cleaning out your home, that is something I need to try sometimes.

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    1. Hi Jennifer, I've missed your posts, but understand how life gets in the way. Hope you are able to get some quilting time in. Hugs!

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  4. Wow, you got your December blocks done in record time! I am looking forward to sewing mine this month. And I love the minimalist challenge concept; I am in the process of selling off items through eBay and after that is over will consider doing that challenge or something similar. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks Yvonne! It was rewarding to actually be on top of the mystery quilt as so many of my projects are now at the bottom of my WIPs. It is very refreshing to clean out unused stuff. More room for fabric. 😈

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  5. Where in your RV did you find 465 items to get rid of? If I were to do that I would be finding all kinds of space in my house. I'm really bad at deciding what needs to go! I'm sure you understand that. I'm in the process of losing weight (just started two days ago...) so I won't be getting rid of clothes just yet, but I guarantee that as soon as something is too big, it's outta here!
    The stockings are great! I haven't touched my cross stitching supplies in some time. I am hoping to get back to it soon, that and my weaving, embroidery, macramé...you know where this is going?
    I was going to start the Meadow Mystery thing, but there is so much stuff going on in my sewing room right now, I just cannot start another project!
    I wish I was living back in my RV days! Don't get me wrong I love my place here, but I had such fun in my RV!

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    1. It was amazing all the stuff I found hidden in nooks to get rid of. You know RVs have all kinds of cupboards and drawers where you can stuff things. Thanks for the compliment on the stockings. I'm so happy they are done. I'm trying to lose weight too and it is so hard at my age. I'll lose a pound and then boom, I've gained two. Good luck on your weight loss adventure.

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  6. Your mystery quilt blocks look excellent!!

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    1. Thanks Cherly, I'm loving every minute of it.

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  7. Your cross stitching is beautiful and I know just how long that must have taken you to finish; truly an heirloom to treasure! And yay for the decluttering; we recently hired a skip thinking we'd mostly fill it with garden rubbish but then it was amazing how much we got rid of when we started sorting through the house!!

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    1. Thanks Carie. I'm so glad the stockings are done and in the mail. Good for you on decluttering. It is very refreshing.

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  8. I too, am a full time rv'er but this is the first year I have made room for my quilting supplies. (glad I did cuz its super windy here too so stuck inside) At home in Washington State I have a cabin I sew in so no supplies in the rv unless I am hand sewing. Its taking time getting used to finding places to sew, iron, cut etc but I am enjoying it none the less. Your stockings are absolutely gorgeous. The quilt squares are pretty too. Love the colors.

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    1. Hi Verria, thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. This summer I took part in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop and my post for that showed/told about quilting in an RV which may be of some help to you. You can find it here: http://rvquilting.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-new-quilt-bloggers-blog-hop-week-2.html

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  9. Jennifer, I have admired your commitment to the Minimalist Challenge. As another Full-time RVer, I know there is limited space but I also know we still manage to fill it arms many of those things are not needed. Perhaps I will do the Challenge when I am able to get back to the RV. We have been doing it here at my daughter's as we try to get things in order. Hugs Marsha (quilterinmotion.net

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    1. Thanks for the wonderful comment Marsha. I had a lot of fun doing the challenge and getting rid of "stuff" I won't miss.

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  10. Your cross stitch is beautiful! And I love the idea of the minimmalist challenge. We have been in a purging season of late. It feels good.Blessings. M

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    1. Hi Melva, thanks for stopping by and for your kind comment about my cross-stitch stocking. I'm so glad to have it finished and Callie loved the snowman one. My granddaughter won't see hers until she is home from college for Christmas break. The minimalist challenge for fun and I feel much lighter. :)

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  11. Your cross stitching is beautiful! I did bit many years ago, but now I stick to quilting with just a bit of sewing in between quilts.
    I like that Minimalist Challenge. I think I'm going to give it a try in my house beginning in January. If getting rid of house items works, I'll then consider the studio. Just the thought of getting rid of studio stuff gives me heart palpitations, so I'm guessing I'm not ready for that. lol The word destash scares me.

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    1. Hi Mary, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I much prefer quilting. The minimalist challenge was a lot of fun, especially the fact that I got rid of so much "stuff". I didn't get rid of any quilting items though.

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