Change of Plans...

Feeding The Birds

I'd originally planned to be on my way to another craft day with my dear friends in Portage today. Plans changed last night when I got a message saying there were some sick kiddos at the hosts home. Better to take care of babies instead of crafting, to be sure.

That means I'm going to get another full day to work on the petit point canvas I showed to you yesterday. It appears that most comments on my post yesterday are leaning either to black or blue. So, I'm going to do a little of each on the canvas and see which one I like best. (These were both my choices, too, by the way.)

I'm sharing this photograph today from last weekend. After the snowstorm, Otis Redding (the name I gave the little black opossum who visited this area before the snowstorm) moved into the Compass Barn with Claudette and Crystal, and the birds were looking for food. I filled their feeders, and it didn't take long for the word to get out. He hasn't left all week. Otis has taken over Crystal's bed, and during the day, he snores away while Crystal and Claudette snooze right above him in the southern exposure window (in the sunshine).  

Not only were these red-wing blackbirds happy to see the smorgasbord, but cardinals, bluejays, morning doves, chickadees, purple finches, nuthatches, and woodpeckers (two different varieties) showed up, too! We also have two large crows that show up a few times every day. I've taken to calling them Heckle and Jeckle (for those too young to know, they were cartoon characters from my childhood).

Had we kept craft day for today, I would have left home by 7:30 am. Instead, I could sleep a little later, and devote my entire day to working on my needlepoint piece....as soon as I feed my barn girls (and Otis). Time to go...

Please Help Me Decide...

Petit Point Bouquet Canvas

This will be my next project. I've been putting it aside for a while. It's a needlepoint canvas my BFF, Cyd sent to me having found it with her mother's things. As a BFF would do, she left the background color choice and finishing up to me.

Do You Like A Black Background?

I can't decide, so I'm asking for your input. What do you think of a simple, Victorian-style black background? That one's always a winner for needlepoint and makes the design really pop.

How About One Of These?

I have these background colors, too, that I think would be lovely in their own right. Each color appears in some fashion in the design. I numbered them clockwise sitting on the design to give you the best idea of how each color looks with it.

I'd love for you to help me choose. Oh, one more thing. She's left the finishing to me as well. Pillow? Round or square? Framed piece? Oval, round or square? These are all the reasons I haven't even begun the piece yet. I'm going to start it this weekend. I know a lot of you follow and read my blog. I hope you'll comment and let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

Production Sewing Tuesday...

Five Adult Bib Fabric Combinations

 

I got a request at about 4:30 on Tuesday afternoon for a couple adult bibs with pockets across the bottom. I knew they would make life easier for the recipient, so I chose my fabrics, pulled the pattern from my cabinet and started cutting them out. 

Rather than just "a couple", I pulled fabric for five bibs. This is the pattern we used in Florida when our guild, the Disconnected Piecers Quilt Guild in Port Charlotte) used to make them for nursing homes and for the guild sales boutique at our quilt shows. The only difference was that the pattern didn't call for the bottom pocket. I simply measured two pieces of fabric by the width of the bib and cut the bottom curves to match the curves on the bottom of the main bib pieces. That way the pockets had linings. 

I set all the pieces up and proceeded to production-sew the five bibs, and by 10 pm Tuesday evening, all five bibs were cut, sewn, ironed, topstitched, and had the velcro closures for the neck tabs sewn in. I neatly folded, stacked, tied with a ribbon, and wrapped for the recipient.

They were delivered yesterday. I managed to take these photographs before packaging them so I could share the combinations with you. Handsome suggested at least one of them should be "whimsical fabric", so that explains the dog fabrics. Do you see the corgis? (Hint: You'll see them in the closeup photograph of the dog fabric below. They''re orange and white, and located next to black and white dogs where they appear.) Below are closeups of all the combinations.

Fruit and Navy Print Fabrics

 

Butterfly and Fern Print Fabrics

 

Shellfish and Bandana Print Fabrics

 

Whimsical Dogs and Pawprint Fabrics - See The Corgis?

Fruit and Green Print Fabrics

I'm so grateful that I'm able to accomplish a small job like this as quickly as I can for the benefit of someone else. I know they'll be used and appreciated. I've already offered to make more (which I'll likely do in the next week) so that when some are in the laundry, there are still options for clean ones to use. 

Today, I think I'll plan out a new stitching project. I'll let you see what I decide on tomorrow.