Hooping It Up!

When the sewing machine is away the hands will play. 

Just because my machine is in for repair doesn't mean I'm bored. I always have a variety of hand work projects I can work on.  I'll just list here the projects in the hoops.  I also have a pile of socks that need darning and I've been crocheting dishrags and scrubbies to go with hotpads and embellished dishtowels for gift giving.  I finished two crocheted dishrags this morning on the drive up to my husband's dr. appt.   He has to go to Iowa City, an hour away, to a specialist for follow up after that surgery where they removed his fibula and made it into a jawbone.  

The Gwennie Medallion (above)  is in the hoop for hand quilting.  I'm hoping to finish it by month's end so will make it my One Monthly Goal (OMG) for November.  This is lap quilt sized. 

A few weeks ago I was digging through a box of thrift store items I've had tucked away for a rainy day.   I found this 45 inch square stamped embroidery tablecloth.    

 It cost me 95 cents.   It didn't come with embroidery thread but I have a lot of that.  The brief instruction sheet that was attached said to embroider with two strands of black and to use chain stitch on the flowers so that's what I did.   One motif is finished and I have 7 more to go.  At 45 inches square it is probably for a card table.  I'm thinking I might use it as part of a quilt backing instead. 

  And in another hoop I have my chicken scratch sashing.   Each one of those strips of chicken scratch embroidery is one sashing piece.   I think I need 36 strips but don't really remember how many for sure. 

This is a little stitchery I picked up for a couple of dollars on clearance. I'll make a pillow out of it if I ever get it finished.  I keep it in a tote and grab it if I get notice I have to pick up grandkids from school.  My grandson gets out of elementary school one hour earlier than my granddaughter who is in junior high so I wait for about 45 minutes between pick-ups at my daughter's house and work on this.  I don't have to pick them up very often - just when my daughter is at work and my son-in-law has to go to an Iowa City specialist for his leukemia/bone marrow transplant follow up. 

These two six inch blocks just came out of the hoops.   They are blocks 7 (left) and 8 (right)of the 2020 Crazy Quilt Challenge. 

Previous total of items used toward goal of 2020 unique items by 2020 = 73

Block 7 statistics: 

Fabric: 0 (counted in block 5)

Lace/trims: 1 (big piece of lace with rose motif that I buttonhole stitched around) = 1

Motif: 3D Butterfly with bullion knot center = 1

Stitches/seam treatments: buttonhole wheels/feather stitch, 3 rows wiggly chain stitches.= 2

Beads, buttons, charms: 0

Threads: variegated prism craft thread, dark brown perle #8, DMC 4145, DMC 829 = 4

Grand total = 81

Block 8 statistics: 

Fabric: 0

Lace/trims: 1/4" 100% polyester ribbon used in woven ribbon roses, lace trim laced with perle thread = 2

Motifs: bead spider (see it in the web? I won't count the two different beads for this block as separate items since I'll use more of them later), spider web, woven ribbon roses = 3

Stitches/seam treatments: chain circles with lazy daisy flowers in center = 1 (I counted herringbone stitch along seam previously).

Beads, buttons, charms: 1 in flower centers (micro mini round griege) = 1

Threads: DMC 783, 435, 452, 739.  Antique effects E436, DMC variegated #5 and #8 = 7

Grand total = 95

 Here are all the blocks together so far. I'm not really sure how I'm going to put them all together. I may mix and match, keep some as circles but use some as partial circles...who knows at this point. 

Right now I'm just having fun with the project. 

I like to work on a variety of projects because I think they use different finger/wrist movements and help keep my hand from getting stiff and painful.   But then again it might just be my imagination. Whatever works!