Sunday 24 May 2020

Happy 95th Birthday Mom!

Unfortunately this is how we celebrated her big birthday this year thru the glass.  We chatted on the phone and tried to include my Aunt Pat via FaceTime, but I didn't have enough hands to hold everything easily we had to cut Auntie out of the visit.
 Her birthday falls on World Bee Day and if you follow me you know I love photographing them hence that is why I'm doing all Bee cross stitch samplers this month. Ths is how far I got over three days last weekend.
 A bit closer, I wasn't going to touch it until June again.
 But he looked lopsided without his other wing so Monday night I stitched it on.
 I also added a bee to my next sampler circle which is a 1.5" one and added a stem and some leaves to the flower.
 Rita's white poppies are opening up.
 She is also getting strawberries on her ever bearing plants.
 A sunflower circle.
 More pretty flowers from Rita's garden.
 The promise of more strawberries.
 Love the seed heads forming on this allium.
 Her neighbour has a huge multi blooming peony right now.
 They are very close together.  So tight he cut one of the blossoms for me.
 Queen Anne's lace.
 So delicate.
 Lots of clouds rolling thru but no rain this day.
 My bloom 24 hours after receiving it.  Still intact today.
 This Friday's Sampler of Bees.
 Day one.
 Closer look.
 Day 3, very happy with my progress.
 Here is my overall layout of my circles.  You can see I've left some negative space in areas.
 The top third.
 The middle third.
 And the bottom third.
Back to my latest Bee Sampler.  I needed to do some Euripides which I'll explain later.

Sunday 17 May 2020

What have you Bee-n up to?

I've Bee-n trying to get caught up on my 90 day circle sampler with Sue Spargo.  You may remember I decided to add some 1.5" and 2" circles into my piece. I liked the bee so much I decided to make two on a 1.5" circle.
 I also decided to start on this cross stitch along called Stitchmaynia.  Here is the beginning of a piece I started. I decided to follow my friend Anna Bates lead and start a new project every Friday.
 When I went to put the A beside the B I realized I'd used the wrong for my horizontal middle.  See the fine fold along the bottom of the word?  That's where I should have centred the piece. So I adapted and had some fun with some motifs from another cross stitch I plan to work on along with some from the same project.
Here was the sampler I ended up making.  I have a finish in mind but too many other things going on right not but it will be done soon.
I decided I'd only stitch on the projects for 3 days.  I took these pictures on the fourth day.
This is a truer colour match than the other photos I find if I leave a white surround the colour is truer.

3 bees buzzing about.

Queen Bee


This flower was supposed to be yellow but I like cone flowers or echinacea so I made them pink.

 I spotted this on one of my walks.


The petals against the new spring green leaves of the fiddle head fern look so pretty.


 Our Century House group showed their progress on their Isolated but Not Alone quilts.


This one is quite large, she appliqued all the house blocks around the border with her machine.

 Topsy turvy houses reflecting the hills of New Westminster and the River at the bottom.

 Another top.

 Laura hasn't put hers together, she made this table quilt with fabrics from her mom's stash.


A project bag
.

She finished her elephants designed by my friend Uschi.  She gave them upward trunks.


Another little table top quilt from Buttermilk Basin's free sew along which is now closed.


Barry is working on a row quilt contribution.


He is also making a house quilt for a friend who isn't taking the stay home advisory very well.





Another House swap top in progress.
 Another show and tell top.

 Another Sue Circle done.


 Rita's one bloom on her tree peony.  It almost looks like and Oriental Poppy.


 Pink on pink.


 Second Friday start another Bee Skep Garden Sampler.


Part of my goodies I got from Buttermilk Basin.  The bird didn't travel well.  Stacy offered to compensate me but I've decided to ask a mechanic friend if he can straighten it out and weld it and he's game to try.


Love this little gate with the clothes pins.


Perfect for Spring.


For next easter.


 After Day 1 of stitching



After Day 2, I had stitched part of the fence incorrectly and had to frog stitch it out and redo it.


 A closer look.


 And at the end of Day 3.  Tucked away for the next time I work on it.


Another circle.


This was supposed to be a cat, but I'm not a cat person.  They love me but I'm not a fan.


Some quilty goodness from Anna arrived in the mail.


After placing an order to Sue Spargo I saw this but it was too late.  Nicer to have it from a friend.


This was designed by Monica Janssen of Olde World Quilt Shoppe in Cave Creek.


Catching up on my circles.


I did the cactus on a 2" circle.


He is down towards the bottom of the piece.


 Out walking one evening I spotted this juvenile Blue Heron


He spent time walking and preening and then..


..suddenly took off.


I thought he was leaving.


But he settled down to preen and listen but never did fish while I watched him.


The clouds rolled over from the north you can see a shower centred over the river in the distance.


Another circle.  This one was a lot of fun.


Sue tested us to keep it simple.  A lot of people had to add something to the centre.


Snowflake.


Queen Anne's Lace.


Third Friday's project yes another bee.  Bee Kind, be calm, be safe to quote Dr. Bonnie Henry.


This guy was very busy.


So busy at times he is out of focus and his wings disappear.











 First Bearded Iris of the season.




My first day's work.

 

Day 2 I had to frog stitch the two dark portions of his body because I forgot one stitch and it threw off the symmetry of the piece.


A closer look again the above picture is truer to life.


Friday was lovely and sunny but Saturday and Sunday morning have been rainy.  Around noon the sun came out and I went for a walk.  I got fascinated with reflections on the boardwalk and brick walk.

Right side up you recognzie the palm trees.


Blue skies and clouds.


Trees and some sky.

 Suspended in green.


Inspiration for a Sue Circle.


So pretty and delicate.


 Evidence I live in a rain forest.


A friend wants to see pictures from your front porch.  Well this is what I see when I come out of my front door to the right.


and to the right.


 This is my back porch view to the right.  the water is quite green we have resident ducks who hang out in it.


and to the left the Fraser River and Queensborough.

Hope to see you again soon.