Progress Continues

 I'm making good progress on my January projects.  I think I mentioned last week that I have totally fallen in love with cross stitch again!  I can't really show you a picture of my current project, because I roll my fabric up as I stitch, and it is a horrendous mess to look at.  Could I run downstairs and iron it for a pic?  I could, but I'm not going to.  

I stitched for hours and hours on Wednesday, while I was watching our Inauguration on TV.  I was holding my breath all day, hoping there would be no violence to mar the day.  I believe there were a few protests around the country, but nothing major.  Our new chapter begins.

I'm loving this Stitch-along with Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts.  I've learned a couple of interesting tips from watching her YouTube videos.

And while this is NOT a difficult project, I spent a lot of time with Jack on Friday.  Sometimes I don't read instructions, because I think I know what I'm doing.  That doesn't always work out.  Lol.

Friday really wasn't a very good day in the sewing room.  My iron died.  It just chose not to turn on.  I was able to use my tiny travel iron to finish the house blocks, but larger projects are on hold until the Amazon truck arrives on Wednesday.  RIP iron.  

Today was a quilting day, and I'll have a finish to share on my next post.  Tomorrow is binding day!

It has turned very cold here, so all these quilts are coming in handy.

Keep on Stitching!
Peggy

New Projects in the New Year!

 What was I thinking????  Every time I saw something new online the last couple of months, I decided I needed to sign up!  So I started Four new projects in January, in addition to a few that were already in the works.

First, Kathleen Tracy is doing a small Mystery Quilt.  She's also doing a Sew along, and several other projects, but I'm only doing the mystery.  Here are my blocks for the first month.  She is keeping it pretty simple since there are so many other things going on.

I'm making a Vintage Linens quilt with the 1914 Boehm House Vintage Quilt group.  I have been acquiring vintage linens for many years, and this is a perfect use for them.  Here are the pieces and parts of my quilt.  I haven't decided on sashing and corner stones yet.  This is offered as a Facebook class, and it's not to late to get started!

Number 3 is Winter Village by Edyta Sitar.  I bought the pattern and fabric a few years ago, but never started making my village.  She is offering it as a sew along, so I decided now is the time to dig it out and get to work.  This didn't photograph very well, and I'm much too lazy to go downstairs and try again.

And last, but far from least, is a cross stitch project:  Sew by Row, a Lori Holt pattern, also being done as a stitch along by Fat Quarter Shop.  I did a lot of cross stitch before I discovered my love for quilting, and I've done a little over the years.  I'm now addicted again.

I'm showing the pattern instead of my piece, because I discovered a huge mistake this morning, and it requires much frogging.  Not fun.

I also have another new addiction - YouTube.  I've only watched a few videos in the past, but now I'm watching quilting and cross stitching the entire time I'm stitching!!  Oh My.  There's so much to learn.  

So what are you up to these days??

Hugs,

Sunny/Peggy

2019 Caribbean Cruise

Thanks for the warm welcome back to blogland.

In January of 2019 and again in 2020, we cruised the Caribbean!  That is not something I ever thought I would do, but when a friend invited us, we decided to give it a try.  Since I was in the planning stages the last two years, and I'm obviously NOT this year, I'm reliving some memories, and dreaming of the day I might cruise again.

This is most of our group of 10.

We met up for breakfast most mornings, disembarked the ship together, and then met again for dinner.  There were no expectations of where we needed to be or when, or with whom.  It was the perfect arrangement.

As you might imagine, I took hundreds of photos, but I'll only share a few.  I was fascinated by everything!  I was up before sunrise most mornings, and watched us sail into port.  And quite often, I was able to witness the Pilot onboarding.  With the exception of the Bahamas, the other islands were mountainous, which surprised me.  I'm accustomed to the sandy barrier islands of the east coast of the US.  The waters really were the amazingly beautiful turquoise colors that you see on postcards.  

Oh the sights, the colors, the plants, the people, the food, and just the cruise life itself.  The rest of our group were all seasoned cruisers, and were entertained by my amazement of everything.  Hubby and I took a tour of most of the islands.  Some, including Tortola, had been devastated by Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017.  But since tourism is so important to the islands, they bounce back pretty quickly.  Especially the port area where we docked.  I guess the ship companies pay to get that area   back quickly.  I was amazed by all the high-end jewelry shops.  I expected more local crafts and experiences.  

Even the steel drum band that met us on the dock at Antigua was probably staged and paid for my the shipping company, but I loved it!!

This little dude, however, was probably not sponsored by the ship!  Iguanas are much larger than I expected.  

After our 10 days on the ship, we made our annual visits to family and friends in Florida before we returned home.  I'm really missing them this year.  Maybe next year!

My next post should be about some of the new projects I'm starting this year.  There certainly are plenty to choose from online.  

Hugs,

Sunny