Catching Up, 9-15-2020

We are having the most beautiful days and I feel very guilty saying that when I think of those who have lost everything to the fires out west and now the hurricane in the south. Such bizarre weather that is affecting millions of people!

We will have a very hydrangea Christmas this year as today I trimmed up my biggest tree and started hanging them anywhere I could think of. By Christmas I will take them down and tuck into my tree.

Dirty Dozen Quilts

My friend, Carolee in Poulsbo, WA, sent this to me – isn’t he just the cutest fellow? Look how much work is in this project – it’s hard to take in when I look at it. Hours and hours of work many years ago.

Makes me want to open up my pincushion case and look at them. So much work tho’ – maybe a winter project?

Not much new here – still sewing on many different things and making progress on my rug – how about you?

24 thoughts on “Catching Up, 9-15-2020

  1. Sandy

    Hi Mary your hydrangea are amazing! Love tthe selvedge stars! Back in windy wellington ,time to tidy up after my messy husband! Best wishes to all, sandy

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Sandy – so you have a messy husband, too, huh? Mine would fit that category some days – not all but quite frequent.

  2. Martha Engstler Gettysburg

    Can’t wait to see your Christmas tree, sounds beautiful. It’s an hour later here but am glad to have seen the blog before I head to bed, such a bright spot in the day.

  3. Charlotte Shira

    I love your hydrangea idea! Can’t wait to see your tree and the hydrangeas look beautiful drying!

  4. Kathy in western NY

    Wonderful use of selvages with the stars. I sure do enjoy seeing all these projects your readers share.
    Like you we here are having gorgeous fall days as it helps ease the transition of the four seasons. I can’t imagine that many days of brutal hot weather CA endured and adjusting to that. But come next spring Mary when I am so sick of looking at brown lawns waiting to green up again, I promise myself not to complain one bit when I think of all the brown burned ground those on the west coast will look at daily for years to come. We do recover but so much rebuilding and replanting is hard to think about.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Kathy in western NY – I hope I remember not to complain, too, it Winter gets to be long!

  5. Kathy Hanson

    What beautiful hydrangeas! What a great idea putting them into your Christmas tree! Will look forward to seeing it! Fun to see what people are finishing, so many talented people out there!!

  6. Sue in Oregon

    Love your hydrengeas. My blue ones are starting to go green and mauve. I tried to dry pure blue ones, but had to throw out many of them. A few made it. Now I will try again.
    Betty K….I see you finished your Chicken Coop wall hanging. Its wonderful and so is the big pumpkin.
    Those selvedge stars are wonderful, too, Jeanine. Now I know what I want to do with my bag of selvage.
    Nancy, your Thankful quilt is perfect.
    The grey curtain of smoke is slowly going away. We actually saw the sun yesterday and it got very hot. We celebrated by taking the boat to the bay and we went crabbing. Came home with 8. Cooked them and had cracked crab for dinner. Yum.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Sue in Oregon – so are the fires out? Or is there just less smoke blowing your way? I can’t imagine catching my own crabs for supper – I’d love to experience that once before I die – haha! I’d have to leave home tho’, wouldn’t I?

      1. Sue in Oregon

        Mary…the fires are getting under control now, but still burning in the mountains. Here on the coast we just have a bit of lingering smoke, but the Willamette valley isn’t clear yet, I don’t think.
        You are most welcome to come here and go crabbing with us. We would love that. Dungeness crab is excellent.

    2. Betty Klosterman

      Thank you for your compliment, Sue. The Chicken Coop top is finished. I probably made it about 20 years ago BY HAND! Everything, even the 1/2″ piano key borders. Don’t ask why as I don’t remember. I don’t know if I even like it enought to finish it. And I am not going to finish it by hand.

      1. Sue in Oregon

        All by hand? Oh, Betty. It was hard enough to make on the machine and I skipped the keyboard border. I think you should machine quilt it.

  7. Cheryl from Arkansas

    On my way to Gruber’s!!! And Mollie P’s!!! So excited to be back ‘home’ in Minnesota. We stayed at Oakwood RV Park in Clear Lake and almost came over for breakfast and coffee Mary! Beautiful weather. Back home in Arkansas. Land of rocks. Oh I wanted to get a trailer load of that black dirt to take home. Anyway the temp is in the upper 80’s with high humidity. Thanks for the quilt shop tips! Be still.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Cheryl from Arkansas – oh, I wish I were with you to shop!! I could have made a pot of coffee pretty quick if you had called – hope your trip is a fun one! Tell them at Gruber’s that we had a great time shopping there last month! Looking forward to co I guess back in the spring!

      1. Nancy TD

        Thanks for the compliment , Sue from Oregon. Thankful you are safe. We have been seeing the smoke in Minnesota. Everyone’s projects are fun to see and inspire to do more.

      2. Cheryl in Arkansas

        Both shops were wonderful and so different! Let’s just say both shops can pay for next months water bill!! My husband really enjoyed the cafe at Gruber’s and he got lunch at Truffles & Tortes across from Millie P’s. So we were both having lots of fun! Love the hydrangeas. Is that a northern thing? We were in the neighborhood of St Paul’s Cathedral and there were hundreds of huge hydrangea bushes. It is just too hot in Arkansas.

  8. Marj in Western Wisconsin

    Hope everyone that requested the Sunkissed pattern received it. There are six photos of the pattern total, be sure to read everything. I have saved it and can send to anyone else that wants it.

  9. Mrs. Goodneedle

    Your hydrangeas are gorgeous, what pretty tree trimmings they will make. When in NH visiting family I spied a “Starwberry-Vanilla” variety hydrangea in the neighbors yard, initially blooming with snow-white blossoms which turn into the lovliest shade of a mauvey-pink– the shrub was LOADED with blossoms in every stage of color from white to deep pink. I had never seen one of these before. I’m making S-L-O-W progress on my dirty dozen selection for this month, too many other projects clamoring to get ahead in the line for attention!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Mrs. a Goodneedle – it’s a story every quilter can recite – so many projects! And yet we’ve never had so much free time to sew, have we?

  10. Bernadette Dixon

    Love your beautiful hydrangeas, mine were not so pretty. They turned rusty creme right away instead of the greens and pinks. They will be gorgeous in the Christmas tree

  11. Peggy S

    Love the selvage projects. The stars are really cute. Are the other pieces hot pads??
    Love the hydrangeas. Do you hang them upside down to dry?? Or just leave them in a vase without water to dry.??

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Peggy S – I do it both ways but they’ll look better at Christmas if I hang them upside down to dry. I might even forgo my artificial tree this year and buy fresh – haven’t done it for years!

    2. Jeanine Waal

      Thank you, Peggy S. Yes the others are hot pads. The front is from selvages and the back with fabric. They are for Christmas gifts for the adult gals in our family. Fun to make.

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