Home Quarantine - Week 4

Things are starting to settle a little more in some ways. I went to the grocery store on Friday. Things were much more plentiful, although certain items like bread and canned goods were limited quantities. Other things like flour, toilet paper and hand sanitizer were still out of stock.

The media are reporting more cases and more deaths. These are still very uncertain times. My state seems to have a pretty good handle on the situation and have been very proactive in its mandates.

I am seeing more and more people walking in my neighborhood. We are still talking to each other, from a safe distance.

I turned off the furnace, again. But this time I have windows and doors open. We will be in the upper 60s today, storms and wind in the forecast and lots of rain and storms over night again.

This is the evidence from Friday night's storms. It is our spring rainy season.

It's the last few days of March, time to finish up my goals. So here they are:

1. Baby quilt for great nephew #10. He is due on April 15, and Mommy is hoping any day now would be good :)

2. Susan's BOM for March

3. Cross Stitch heart

4. Bird Song Block 1

Other goals for the week, not necessarily for March:

1. Baby quilts for donations - x3

2. Blogs - have several I need to draft

Next several days will be busy, and that's how I like it.

Hope you all have a good, productive week.

Stay safe and healthy.

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, thank him for all he has  done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. He will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 6-7

Home Quarantine - Week 3

Things are changing daily as far as trying to keep the coronavirus from spreading.

Schools are closed . . . 

Churches are closed . . . 

Non-essential businesses are closed . . . 

It's like nothing I've ever seen in my lifetime.

I was in elementary school during the worst of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was scary. I remember seeing reports about wounded and killed soldiers and civilians.

This pandemic is global. It isn't about guns or real estate or civil rights. It's medical!! How's that for taking things for granted?

* * * * * 

Starting this week, Honey Do will be home more often than not. We are going to do our best to relax and enjoy the mini-stay-cation. We are praying that it is only the two weeks that have been ordered by the governor.

In the meantime, I cook, I clean, I sew.

Monday/Tuesday, March 23 and 24

I started by cutting strips into blocks for some baby quilts for donation.

Then I cut out and started sewing a tote/grocery shopping bag. This is for a swap I signed up for in February and is headed to Canada.

 

Yes, I know there are American flags on it. I did that on purpose as I was born in Canada and wanted to share that with my swap partner.

Wednesday, March 25

Today is a brighter day. The sun is shining and the temperatures are finally on a rise.

My favorite rose bush has new growth on it :)

It's the first one I check every spring to make sure it survived the winter. We had an extremely mild winter, but I needed to make sure. It was a mother's day gift from my mom about 10 years ago !!!

 

Crocuses and my Rip Van Winkle daffodils are blooming and enjoying the sunshine as well.

This is my sewing project for the day.

I cut the butterflies out earlier in the month from a free pattern and have finally come up with the project. It's hard to tell, but the butterflies are stitched onto a white on white heart. The background fabric has been in my stash since the 1990s. The butterflies were cut from the scraps of another simple quilt I started last week. I wanted something soft and feminine and I think this fits the bill :)

I folded the butterflies in half and stitched down the center so I could get a better 3-D effect.

And the rest of the week . . . 

 

I made and finished three more doll quilts from the scraps and miscuts (oops) of the baby quilts. This makes a total of 15 for the year . . . so far :)

And a pillow case for my 13 year old great-nephew. I found the remnant while looking for something else. It was a quick sew and finish.

Hope you all had a good, productive week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, thank him for all he has  done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. He will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 6-7

Home Quarantine - Week 2 Progress

I joked last week about a self-imposed quarantine. It as my excuse to stay home and se. That was fun and I enjoyed myself.

In our day of modern technology, it's easy to stay in touch with people without having physical contact. That is becoming our new normal, like it or not. It's one thing to want to stay home, it's another when it becomes mandatory and essential. We don't have to like it, but it is necessary.

Monday morning as I sat and did my devotions, Psalm 34, I'm thinking about relying on God for every need, rejoicing in our circumstances and not feeling isolated. I got an email saying my weekly Bible study had been cancelled for the remainder of the year - at least the in person study. Headquarters is looking into virtual meetings.

I'm watching cars go by. The grocery store and library are 10 minutes down the road, only a mile away. 

 

The sun is shining, flowers are blooming. No children are walking to school, no school buses driving by. Our world is changing ever so quickly.  

I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 

Psalm 34:4

These are scary times, but we can't live or thrive on fear, we must find our refuge and comfort in the Lord. Plan, be prepared, but don't be afraid. We make bad decisions in times of fear and uncertainty. Take a minute, reflect, make a plan and rely fully on Him and we will all get through this new normal.

Taking advantage of all this time at home is a time to stay connected, pray and catch up on all the things neglected or just behind on at home. For me that looks like the basement will finally get finished, I have plenty of time to cook, clean, bake and of course, sew.

I started Sunday with a batch of pasta sauce, which I doubled on Monday because it just didn't look like enough for the freezer. I let that cook in the crockpot all day and went to my sewing machine.

* * * * *

* Warning, this is a really looooong post :)

These are my goals for the month of March and what I will be working on for the last two weeks.

Fall Into A Quilt - plan the layout

Monique Sew Along - layout the blocks

12 Things - pull the first block of BirdSong

Doll Quilt - need to make 1

Doll Gown - need to make 2

Susan's BOM - Get March's instructions and do

PLQS BOM - still waiting for this to arrive, but when it does, do it

F2F Blocks - need three, pull fabric and make, mail

Sunday Stitch - finish page 2

* * * * * 

I started Monday, March 16, with Fall Into a Quilt, my One Monthly Goal/UFO. 

I started by framing blocks that weren't up to size. I have done much better at matching points, but sizing things correctly continues to be an issue. This project was started as a block of the month in 2018, so I have gotten better.

I started a new quilt. It's a simple patchwork just because I wanted something pretty for spring and I had the fabric.

By dinner time, the past sauce was bagged and in the freezer. I also made a batch of morning glory muffins. It made 2 1/2 dozen !! The half dozen were consumed almost immediately. I put one dozen in the freezer, the rest will be for lunches and breakfasts this week. 

I spent my evening planning the layout for the Fall quilt and 

finishing page 2 of Sunday Stitching Journal.

Tuesday, March 17

This day started a little less enthusiastically. Several things kept me awake, none were related to the quarantines. I finally gave up at 4 a.m.

I finished folding the load of rags I washed on Monday and put them away. Honey Do was up at 5, so I made breakfast and packed his lunch. I took a short nap after he left for work, then began working on OMG/Fall and listening to a new book. I've been keeping up on my personal goal of reading/listening to one book per week.

Blocks framed, layout decided, next up sashings and fillers to be it up to queen size.

 

I managed to get the first four rows together. I am very pleased with the progress after such a slow start.

Wednesday, March 18

After a pretty good night's sleep, I'm ready to roll.

I finished adding the fillers and borders. The goal is complete. I am planning on quilting next week, after my other monthly goals are completed.

As leaders and enders, I've sewn together strips of Easter prints that were gifted to me by Susan.

I haven't decided how big the quilts will be, but they are bound for donations as part of this year's H2H, Hands 2 Help charity drive.

Thursday, March 19

I started my day with a review of my 12 Things To Do goal. It's a wool applique called Bird Song

I love birds, always have, so that made the design appealing. I didn't really want another new project since I've been making UFOs and using what I have a priority. But I let myself get talked into it. It's a BOM so I'll add it to my goals and work on the blocks monthly. Honey Do will make copies of the patterns as suggested by the designer so I can cut the pattern pieces out and make them more manageable to work with.

I made the binding for my OMG/Fall quilt, pieced the backing and got it sandwiched. It is officially ready for quilting.

I spent my evening do more cross stitching.

Friday, March 20

My mornings typically start at 5 a.m. After Honey Do leaves for work, I find a movie and do some stitching. This was typically between the time he left and Newton got up for school. Since school is cancelled for the forseeable future I have a little more time to start my day. It's too early to start working on cross stitch but I do quietly sit and embroider.

Page 3 of Sunday Stitching Journal

Then I move on to my chores and sewing. To stay productive before it was time to leave for errands, I worked on a doll quilt.

 This is made from a 2.5" charm pack I had. I loved it when I purchased it, but honestly, didn't know what to do with it. A doll quilt is the perfect solution. I had it all put together before I left.

I had plans to do some shopping. I haven't left the house since a week ago Friday. That's almost unheard of as there is always something to go out for. Mom is in Canada with her sister and everything else has been cancelled.

I was out of milk. I wanted some fresh produce and other odds and ends just because I was going. I got everything on my list between Aldi and the local grocery main store. Paper products were out completely or very limited. I didn't need anything from that department, but did look just in case. Because of concerns for how long this will go on, I would have picked up toilet paper if I had found any. 

My other wants and concerns were flour and yeast because if you find bread, it's very limited. I still have some, but I want to be able to make it. I found the yeast at Aldi, but they had no flour. I did get the flour at the second store, but paid more than I normally do. I got a bag of bread flour and one all purpose. I can make my Amish bread starter and bread next week.

Everything put away, I finished the doll quilt.

Another goal finished.

I moved on to doll gowns and my PLQS BOM. They rolled over into Saturday.

Saturday, March 21

And the end of the second week arrived. It's been very productive :)

Doll gowns

PLQS BOM

 

And finally, three swap blocks.

Hope you all had a good week,

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, thank him for all he has  done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. He will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 6-7

Home Quarantine - Week 2 Goals

It's week 2 of my self-imposed quarantine.

Let's make some goals:

Fall Into A Quilt - plan the layout

Monique Sew Along - layout the blocks

12 Things - pull the first block of BirdSong

Doll Quilt - need to make 1

Doll Gown - need to make 2

Susan's BOM - Get March's instructions and do

PLQS BOM - still waiting for this to arrive, but when it does, do it

F2F Blocks - need three, pull fabric and make, mail

Sunday Stitch - finish page 2

That should keep me busy this week. 

Hope you all have a good week,

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, thank him for all he has  done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. He will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 6-7

Home Quarantine - Week 1

Quarantine:  verb meaning to impose isolation

I have blissfully quarantined myself :) Not because I'm ill, or been exposed. I'm not . . . Praise God !!!

After spending Monday with Mom, I had no need to go anywhere, except the grocery store and pharmacy for Honey Do. So what better way to spend the week than quarantined in my home and sewing room.

And it's been a good week :)

I finished binding both baby quilts.

I made some significant progress on my counted cross stitch.

I made these two blocks for my OMG/Fall Into a Quilt. 

I cut out squares for a new quilt . . . 

because I was feeling unproductive.

 

And some additional stitching because the new block was posted and I love this project. It's simple, but very relaxing and I'm excited for the journal as the end result.

That's my week, hope you all had a good one and are staying healthy. 

Just about everything has been cancelled for the coming week . . . 

Schools are closed for the next three weeks over spring break . . . 

Church will be video streamed in compliance to the governor's request that we not meet as a group . . .

The library is closed to the public, but the reference desk and drive up window will be accessible . . . 

Sounds like the perfect scenario for Home Quarantine - Week 2, hope you join me. Let's get some sewing done :)

(saved from Facebook)

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, thank him for all he has  done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. He will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 6-7

HQAL - March

It is that time again. It's amazing how quickly three weeks flies by, especially when you stay busy. Here's the link to see what everyone else is doing. Our group is growing :)

Kathy, thank you for being such a gracious hostess 💖💖💖

 

5 gnome pin cushions

two identical baby quilts - typically, it's just the binding that is hand sewn.

This is where I was three weeks ago.

And this is where I am at present. I think I made some pretty significant progress :)

 

I started these two little cuties last month. This is a free stitch along sponsored by Hugs 'n' Kisses.

Once complete, they will make a stitching journal. They are simple, quick, fun. I have always wnted to make a stitch journal and Helen is providing the perfect time and opportunity.

It's been a fun three weeks of stitching. Hope you are all well and taking necessary precautions.

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, thank him for all he has  done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. He will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 6-7

"Home Quarantine"

I know these are days that we should not be taking things like the Coronavirus too lightly.  Unfortunately, the virus has made its way to my home state, even in my county. I'm not thrilled to say the least. I think this is a real reality check on who we are . . . as people, as a community, as a nation, as a world.

Now, on to things less serious :)

I am in a position to "home quarantine" myself for the next week :) This makes me very happy. I am not ill, in fact, I feel pretty good beyond the typical aches and pain that my age just brings with it.

The weekend and beginning of the week brought spring back into the forecast. I've turned my thermostat down because the house just feels too warm and even this morning cracked a window in my sewing space.

The rain is here, which means temperatures will be dropping throughout the day. I think there are snow flurries forecast too, but there shouldn't be anything significant from this front.

My self-imposed quarantine just means lots of sewing time and projects. I have a variety of them I am working on.

First, finishing the second of two identical baby quilts. One is donation, the other will be a gift for my son's teacher who is expecting a little boy in May. I have an appointment at school next week, so I will be delivering it then.

Following the completion of this project, I moved on to my UFO/OMG (unfinished object/one monthly goal).

The goal for this month is number 11 and it is Fall into a Quilt from 2018. I was able to keep up with the blocks until November and then I fell behind.  

Unfortunately, I didn't pick it back up to finish it. It became a UFO.

I had two blocks left to make. My goal this month is to get them made as well as assembling the top. 

I drew off and ironed on the pieces for block 11 and pulled the fabrics for block 12. I should be able to get both blocks assembles tomorrow and then I can work on the layout.

Thanks for stopping by.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31 NIVUK