Bear Claw Hand Stitching Project

I haven't had much time to sew lately.  I did make a few stitches on my Bear Claw hand stitching project.  I made it all the way around one of the rectangles and started stitching around another.

I really do like the challenge of stitching.  I'm still poking and jabbing.  As long as I enjoy it, I'm going to just keep going.  The 3rd graders I am long-term subbing for are keeping me on my toes.  When I get home from work I tend to want to just cook dinner and chill.  My eyes are tired from looking at all of their little iPad screens and making sure they are on the right page.  Three more weeks of this assignment--not that I'm counting.  LOL.

Our son's bowling "social" practice after school starts on Wednesday.  I'll have this project in the truck with me while I wait to pick him up.  It's called a social gathering because they are not allowed to officially start bowling practice until one month before bowling starts.  Our school district is super small (all grades Pre-K thru 12 are in the same building -- approximately 70 kids in a graduating class).  The school cannot bus the students from the school to the local bowling alley.  Grrr.  

Enjoy your nice, long weekend if you are still working and celebrate Labor Day.  I'm hoping to get a little extra time working on some longarm quilting.  It's a cool 54 degrees here in Ohio.  My sister-in-law said she's going to come swim in our above ground pool.  I think I'll have to pass on that one today and tomorrow.  Brr.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

 

RSC26 -- Aqua

I finished this flimsy this summer.  Today I'm loading it on the longarm frame.  It's Old Town Mystery (Pattern by Bonnie Hunter 2024-25).  It's my project to work on that has the most aqua in it.

Linking up with Angela at SoScrappy for the RSC25 (Rainbow Scrap Challenge, 2025).

Hoping I can get it quilted during this long weekend.  Not sure when the binding will go on, but I'd like to get the quilting done before the cold weather sets in and it's too cold to quilt in my quilt room.

RSC25 Orange Dicey

 Here's another dicey block.  

I haven't hit it with the iron yet to remove the markins.

You can read the reasons behind why I started this quilt here.

Linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

 

RSC25 Aqua

 One more aqua block was finished this week:

...and yes, the kid is magnet fishing again.  School starts for him on 8/19.

He also had a fun dance at the church before school starts.  It was a party where they could dress up as a character.  He said that Weird Al Yankovic was a "character".  

Here he is with his girlfriend (dressed as Greek Godess Athena).  They certainly have fun together.

You can read the reasons behind why I started this quilt here.

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.

Dicey Neutrals

I just love low volume (neutrals).  I cut and sewed the last three blocks needed for my dicey blocks.  I am going to do a 6 x 8 layout.  Next to prepare the circles to applique.

You can read the reasons behind why I started this quilt here.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Got caught up with my red dicey blocks this week.  Still practicing to get a nice, smooth edge.  For some reason this red fabric was harder to get a nice circle.  I didn't iron it yet.  Those marks will come out.

You can read the reasons behind why I started this dicey quilt here.

Linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

 

RSC25 Aqua

Two more dicey blocks were stitched this week.  The first in aqua.  Look at those fun neutrals! 

Our son was magnet fishing at one of his favorite boat docks.

I also stitched the last of the purple blocks:

You can read the reasons behind why I started this quilt here.

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.

Rainbow Binding

I made a bunch of rainbow binding this week in hopes to finish my charm basket quilt.  But after I made it I didn't think that it was right for that quilt.  It can wait in the binding bin until the right quilt comes along.

Homework

Now that I'm back to school for the 2025-26 school year, I need to make sure to do my "homework" to make sure my sew-to-go bag is stocked for those moments that I can get a few stitches in.

I am using Applipops to make circles for my Dicey quilt.  You can read the reasons behind why I started this quilt here.

Bear Claw Block -- An Attempt at Hand Quilting

 I found this bear claw block when my son and I sorted scraps in the quilt room.  I decided to turn it into a hand-quilting project.  I have not hand quilted anything yet.

I have gathered all the supplies needed.  With some awesome tips from Gretchen at Gretchen's Little Corner, I stitched around the center square close to the seam.  Gretchen had so many good tips for a newbie like me.  After a few stitches I realized that I better get a set of "real" needles.  The one I was using has a little spot on it that doesn't glide through the fabric nicely.  It will work until my eBay delivery arrives.  Not perfect, but definitely a lot of fun.  I am enjoying it!  That's the big deal.

Thank you, Gretchen, for answering questions and cheering me on.  I'm having fun!  I haven't been able to get numerous stitches on the needle at once yet.  I'm hoping the longer (smoother pulling) needles will help with that issue.

I finished a slow-stitching project this week.  I took the Grandma's Flower Garden pieces with me to school last year and appliqued them to backgrounds for this little 42.5" square quilt.  You can read all about it on this blog post.

In other slow-stitching news, my Charm Basket quilt has made it to the longarm frame!

 The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design.  I made my quilt larger than the pattern.  The baskets are wonky, but I think they are charming!  I am longarm quilting it with my Circle Lord giant template board called Loopies.  I wanted to keep the quilting simple to not take away from the baskets.  I adore this quilt!

I head back to school tomorrow, 8/4.  I'm looking forward to a great school year. Our son will be a senior this year.  He starts 8/19.

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 

Grandma's Flower Garden Small Quilt

 Grandma's Flower Garden quilt is complete.  

It measures 42.5" square.  I quilted it using my Circle Lord giant template board called Bubbles.

At first sight I thought this backing fabric was a vintage sheet.  After further inspection, I found it was just yardage that looked very similar to the waterbed sheets I had in the 80's.  LOL.  It works for this quilt.

I'm linking up at Alycia Quilts for Finished (or not) Friday.

Linking up at Off the Wall Friday.

Linking up at Melva Loves Scraps for Sew & Tell.

It was one of my goals to finish this quilt this quarter.  I'll head over to Summer 2025 UFO Club on Ravelry. and let that group know.

Linking up at From Bolt to Beauty for the Beauty Pageant.