VIP ~ Very Important Packing

Packing today for flying south for Thanksgiving

and our early "Grammy~Grampy Christmas." 

Must include the all important hand stitch projects for the airport and flight.

These little scissors have always make it through security with no questions asked.

The folding scissors in the small box are

Rose Gold Folding Scissors

The tiny ones with the pink sheath are

World's Smallest Scissors from ToolTron
I cannot tell you where I bought them as I have had them awhile
and all the other shopping links I checked said out of stock.

What stitching essentials would you pack for a getaway? 

Autumn Leaves Are Falling

Today was very warm and summery.

As evening fell it found me outside looking for some cool air 

and a quiet place to sit and stitch.

The little red maple leaf fell near me as I stitched.

It is the last day of summer and night is already starting to arrive early in my quilty corner.

By 7:00pm, it was too dark to see and stitch and I had left my portable light inside.

So I have packed up and moved to the living room.

I am working on a very old UFO project ... 

I finished this "schibbles" quilt in 2012

At some point I decided to hand embroider free form autumn leaves on the white squares.

I am a seasonal stitcher so this has been packed away for another year more than once.

Today I chose to pick up this project again.

I hope to have this one done this year before the snow flies.

Autumn is fleeting.

Time will tell.

Slow Stitching Sunday ~ Everly's Baby Quilt

A new hand stitch project!

A lovely lady who went to market sent me this lovely sampler of

Aurifil Embroidery Thread

I love the colors and threads!

I knew right away what I wanted to use this for ...

The Quilty Aunties at the Quilt & Needle

started this baby quilt for my granddarling Everly

when she was still a bump of a Sprout.

A friend hand quilted the center until life happened and she was only able
to complete the center of the quilt.  Now I am working on finishing it.
I have never hand quilted before.
After thoughts of machine quilting the rest, an attempt to use the same thread and stitch length as in the middle ... neither of which seemed the right solution ...

I concluded that these lovely threads were destined to finish this pretty baby quilty ...

I am off to a slow stitching start.

My thread and stitches will not be as small and even as those in the center,

but they shall be rounds of all these pretty colors for my grand-darling's little fingers to enjoy the colors and textures. 

Linking up today with all the beautiful hand-work @ 

Slow Stitching Sunday @ Kathy's Quilts

Have a Happy and Slow Sunday ... :)

Sew I Stitch

When I saw this "meet and greet" sponsored by the lovely
Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt
I did not sign up because I do not really think of myself as a hand stitcher
and felt my efforts would seem too small.

When I looked through my blog tonight, I was surprised to find that I have done bits and pieces of hand quilting accents on my projects that really enhanced their beauty.

So I have decided to add this link to the get together.

Many of these projects were for Sew We Quilt blog hops.

No surprise there, Mdm Samm has a way of inspiring me to challenge myself.

So here are my humble hand projects ...

Sewing Chatelaine with Hand Stitched Accents

QAYG Fall Hexie Table Topper

Hand Stitching Leaves

Hand Stitched and Quilted Hexie Pillow Top

Vintage Heart

All the beautiful hand work that I have seen lately online has been making my fingers itch to pick up some beautiful embroidery threads again and try my hand.

I know the links here in the Meet and Greet will amaze and astound and inspire me.

Many, many years ago I did both hand embroidery and cross-stitching,
but my vision issues keep me from doing much close work these days.

Since I have had recent eye surgery, even my sewing machine work has been a challenge lately,
but I am hoping that soon with my new implant lens
supplimented by the external prescription my eye doctor will soon be able to give me,
that maybe I can stitch again.

Sew I am planning a simple project to get me started so I may stitch along with you.

Thank you for visiting.

<3 Pat

Slow Stitching Sunday ... and Monday

I am a slow stitcher.

... and my back has been hurting ...

For the last month I have been having a lot of unusual upper back pain.

This is something new to me.

I am used to having chronic lower back pain of the dull annoying variety
and have learned to handle it and just keep sewing.

These are sharp shooting pains in my shoulder blade area

so I went to the doctor who told me it was just muscular 

and recommended resting, taking ibuprofen and pacing myself.

I do all that already except for the pain pills.

I try to avoid pills but I have taken one a day for the last several days 

just to dull it a little.

So far I have not taken it today and have even gotten some
happy time with my sewing machine.

I have not been able to machine sew as much as usual.

So ... time to join the

Slow Stitching Sundays @ Kathy's Quilts

This year I really want to finish adding the embroidered leaves to my 

Fall Schnibble Quilt Top

I started embroidering these leaves last year.

I am very much a "seasonal" stitcher, so this was tucked away last year
after the last of the autumal leaves fell.
The end of summer is drawing nearer.
Time to embroider colorful leaves again.

So when I am taking breaks from my machine time,

I am slow stitching.

.... just keep stitching ... 

:)