Painted Mirror Frame

11"x14"

I needed a break from the T-shirt quilt, my knitting and hand embroidery...so what to do but watch Design Matters TV with Laura Kemshall!  One of her current videos is making a painted mirror frame.   I'm not showing the entire process, you'll have to sign up and pay for the video.   So I looked through my fabric stash and this is my painted mirror frame!  

Yes, that's a mirror in the middle of the fabric.  It wasn't easy to photograph the mirror without my hand being in the picture!  You'll see later in this post what I mean by that!

This was the piece of fabric I found in my stash.  It turned out to be a piece painted by my daughter in a class she took by Ann Johnston quite a few years ago!  I started off by adding some horizonal yellow paint (Setacolor).  This picture isn't very good as the fabric is really a cool orange, which shows better in the finished frame.

Next I added some dots around the black swirls Dawn painted.

Then I went through my stencils and found a small (4"x4") square and used white acrylic paint and rolled it over the stencil in a few areas.

This was the completed frame with the backing on.  Had to use clips to keep the backing/front together and to allow the glue to dry.  

You can see my camera and hand in the mirror!  I had a heck of a time trying to take a picture and not have my hand show in the mirror!

This is the back with a ribbon for hanging on the wall.  My daughter said for me to write her name on the back "this is gifted to Dawn" for when 'mum' is gone!  HA  

 I've been following Laura and Linda Kemshall for many, many years.  Years ago they produced five small (around 6"x6") booklets called 'thr3fold' (yes, I have each one!).  They were chalk full of great ideas and projects.  I don't even remember how I found them  but I always looked forward to getting a new book. Then they started their Design Matters TV online.  Better yet!  They  show a new video about once a week.   I love their work and they are such an inspiration to so many of us.  Especially when you're in a funk and just want to do something different! 

They are both big on sketchbooks and journals, which I haven't been bit by that bug yet but I do love their textile work.  They also have different 'classes' on fabric dyeing, painting, quilting,projects, etc.  Check out their web site.  Another good aspect of their site is you don't pay an annual fee (they did in the past) but instead  now you buy the video's you are interested in.  I really like that because I'm not interested in many of the sketchbook video's.  Although, I have purchased some in the past and have been inspired to use some of their technique in my quilting or painting.

Now to get back to the dollar store to pick up some more mirrors and to get caught back up on the MIP online class with Hilary!  So much to learn, to do and not so much time to do it all in!  Whew!

A post a week?

 

A week since my last post??  Guess I'm not doing much to write about!  But why am I so busy at home!  Actually, I've been doing a lot of spring cleaning and purging!  That is when Bob isn't around!  He has a hard time letting go of certain items...like 8 pillows we have that we don't use!!!  In Bob's defense, he does have a lot of arthritis in his neck and has a hard time finding just the right pillow to sleep on.  I talked him into getting a new pillow last week AND he did agree to throwing out 2 pillows!  Bob is flying his planes today, so I dropped off an entire carload to Goodwill here in town..no pillows but lots of other 'stuff' we'll never use and someone else could.  I'll pitch some more pillows in the trash next week, hopefully, Bob won't be home!  

I am back hand stitching on my split rail piece I started several months ago.  I do so enjoy hand stitching as it's so relaxing!  

This is before I started any stitching.  When I am finished with all of the hand work, I have something in mind to add to or take away from the darker areas in the pattern.  Not sure if it will work but it's using discharge  paste!  Who knows!  Now to get busy finishing all that stitching!

 

I'm still here!

We're having Florida weather this past week and suppose to continue into this coming week!  What fun...guess I'll just stay inside like I do in the winter, right!  Not a problem for me.  At least we've been having a good breeze blowing constantly...not good for Bob to fly his RC planes but at least it helps with the hot/humid weather.  

It hasn't stopped me from knitting but only later in the afternoon if out on the deck for happy hour!  HA 

12" x 12" paper collage

I also finished stitching this collage piece.  Nancy (check out her blog), one of my buds from Florida, mentioned about lengthening my stitching.  Because I was free motion quilting and I'm such a stuck in the mud, I couldn't make my stitching look decent.  The stitches were way too big.  But it was a good suggestion, Nancy!  I ended up setting my top tension down to '1'!  That seemed to take care of most of the stitching problem.

Yep, up close, you can see some of the holes where I removed the stitches.  Other than doing some hand embroidery to fill in the holes, I elected to leave well enough alone.  I have my other hand embroidery and bead project(s) to work on so I'll save my fingers for those projects! 

It's not that bad and it will end up hanging in my sewing room.  I'm not sure if I'll wrap around a canvas or just do some type of edging on the collage.

I love my Instant Pot the girls got me for Christmas a few years ago.  I ordered Jeffrey Eisner's Lighter Step By Step Instant Pot cookbook.  So many good recipes in it...I made this past dish for us last night and it was SO good!!!!  

You can take a peak at the book from your local library or go to his YouTube channel or his Facebook page!  He really has some great recipes.   Or just go and purchase one of his books.   I made his pulled pork sandwiches a few weeks ago, which was awesome!  Tasted just like smoked pork!

I have to say I'm enjoying trying all the new recipes and I don't mind not going out to eat!  Saving those big bucks too!  So I can buy more cookbooks!  Works for me!

Of course, I have to brag, again, on my grandson, Nick!  He was awarded Offensive Player of the year 2021 at the Lacrosse Awards dinner this past week.

Just more memories for his 21st BD book!  HA

So now what should I do! LOTS!

 It feels so strange that I don't have a project hanging over my head!  My friends know I do not like target dates at all.  So, I've been doing some spring cleaning - finished master bedroom, master bath and my sewing room!  Feels so good to walk in the sewing room and start looking at a new or old project to work on!  Actually, I did some sewing for Bob (shortened a pair of pants) and now playing with one of my art pieces from Hilary's online class.  I've been MIA from the lessons between life, Bob & his health issues and with making Nick's T-shirt quilt for several months.  With Bob now on a treatment plan and the T-shirt quilt finished, it's time to work on what I want when I want and the same with spring cleaning.  Still need to spring clean computer room, LR and kitchen.  Downstairs family room will be on hold until Christmas!  Works for me!

Back in January, I finished knitting the Ixia lace top.  I was happy with it but the neckline drops too close to your shoulder.  My sister made this same top and it was also an issue for her, so she gave the top to her daughter and it fits really good.  Today, I took some fine elastic and wove it through the neckline to make it a tad tighter.  I'm really happy with it now!  Hard to see in this picture and I didn't take a picture with it on, but I'll be wearing it soon and will take a pic.  You can see how the neckline looked when I finished back in January here.

I'm also back to knitting the  Lattice Lace poncho I started in March.  It's coming along but I haven't worked on it much!  It's more for fall so I should have finished sometime this summer!

It's really hard to even look at this and figure out how it will be a poncho!  My sister is also making this same pattern and we both are just "following instructions" and keeping our fingers crossed!  

And this is my latest machine stitching project....I made this collage and attached to batting a few months ago.  The leaf design was a stencil and the border is part of the reverse from the stencil.  I added the photo of the little bird from a magazine. 

I started stitching the center leaf today but I'm having some issues with the stitching not looking right.  Need to change needle, tension or thread(s).  This is what was left after I ripped out the stitching!  This print is on layout paper so you know what happens when you stitch on paper, right!  Actually, it will be a good lesson for my FMQ to follow the holes exactly once I get the tension/thread stitching as it should be!  Fingers crossed!

Tonight Nick has their 2nd championship Lacrosse game!  I am heading down to Oxford for the game.  Also, check out this link...yes, I'm proud of Nick and his team for making it to the finals!  Nick is #19 and his picture is on the front of the article.  I've saved the pdf to put in his memories book for his 21st BD!

Oxford Newspaper Lacrosse article

Bob is doing great with radiation...he had his 7th treatment today and doing well.  So happy he's being so positive and no side effects.  They really don't think he'll have anything!

Last Grandchild graduated!

 

Yes, it's bittersweet that our last grandchild has graduated from high school!  Now the next journey is to graduate from college.   Seems like yesterday Nick was sitting on my lap taking a nap or we were playing in the driveway with his cars.  Now he's graduated, on his way to college and has a girl friend.  Where has the time gone.  

I just love that boy...but now he's a man!

Our Wednesday outing with cousin, Ginny, Amber, me and Nick!

Another Wednesday outing...fishing!

And Nick playing Lacrosse!

This was a crayon artwork Nick did several years ago..another Wednesday project.  

Graduation was really nice and even being held at the DTE outside event center worked out great.  The kids were only allowed 4 tickets and once seated the four seats on either side of you were tied together so they kept the distance...except we all herded inside and outside of the even.  Some with masks and some without...but all in all it went quite well.

Proud mom and dad and a senior who wants to get the show on the road!

And yes, a proud grandma!!!

Auntie was taking pics at the house since she couldn't attend due to shortage of tickets but she and Uncle Jeff at least got to see Nick and congratulate him before the commencement.  Amber was working and grandpa was at home with Kalee and Gigi.

That's our boy...but they forgot or didn't  acknowledge he was cum laude...they actually missed reading it for several of the kids, which is too bad.  They had several different readers of the almost 400 kids so guess they wanted to get through the list.  It was a shame because the kids worked hard on their academics and sports.  

Yes, he may shoot me but this is Nick's friend, Braylon.  I haven't met her yet but hope too as the OHS Varsity Lacrosse team won the 1st championship game and are playing again this coming Wednesday.  Fingers crossed, for both..a win and I get to meet this young lady!

TaDa! Finished!

Nick graduates on Thursday and yep, my last T-shirt quilt is finished and I'm happy with the results.  I am so excited that his class is able to have a graduation ceremony and I get to attend.  The kids only have 4 tickets and I was gifted one!  Not sure if he'll get the quilt tomorrow but I'm thinking it will be this weekend sometime when family gets together.   

This is laying on our king size bed...wider than it is longer but that's ok!

Hard to take a picture!  At Amber's open house, Darrin hung her T-shirt quilt on the wall...somehow...this bugger is really heavy so not sure how he'll hang it but hope he does!

Back of the quilt...I have a picture of Nick, his Lacrosse team for 2021 and the label.

My boy!

My label...

The team for 2021!

I did the binding in white, gray and black...turned out fine..this puppy is heavy and my right shoulder can vouch for that!  It's not easy lifting or holding a quilt to sew together with a complete rotator cuff tear!  But, hey, we did it and I hope Nick enjoys the memories...it will most likely be one of those quilts 10 years from now he'll have in his truck when moving furniture!  But he'll remember where it came from!  

Almost forgot the animation from start to finish!

And just to brag on my grandson..This is Nick's awards for sports and for continuing his athletic career at the collegiate level (Lacrosse at Lawrence Tech University) as well as graduating with cum laude honors.  Both kids have excelled with their academics all through school.  So proud of Nick and what he has accomplished and the man he is becoming.  Kudo's to you, Nick!  Love ya

 

New Due Date for T-Shirt Quilt!

 What was I thinking....guess I wasn't...I thought Nick's graduation was the 27th of this month...well, it's not!  It's the 20th, which is this coming Thursday!  So guess what this old grandma has been doing!  Yep...freaking out first off, then sewing my little heart out!  It's coming along really well, but quite time consuming.  

I had to move the largest cutting mat to the dining room table.  I'm triming each of the panels in this picture.

This is the back of each panel, which is the back of the quilt.  So far, the length is 82" and I'm not sure how wide as I haven't measured each panel.  I think the outside panels are around 18" and each remaining panel is around 14" but I'm not certain...close enough, right!

This is the real struggle for me...holding the quilt while I attach the strips to join each panel.  UGH...it is SO heavy and awkward but thank goodness, I'm not quilting the whole quilt and instead quilted each panel, which was a piece of cake.  

Hard to tell what this is...the darker gray area on the left is actually part of the back of one panel.  The white/gray is the attic window and where that little safety pin is at is actually holding the top strip which will be sewn to the panel.  Clear now!  HA

This QAYG method is WONDERFUL, especially for heavy quilts, although I've used it even on smaller ones.  You can see tutorials by Marianne over at The Quilting Edge.  I have a post from 2013 where I used this same process, which you can see here.

And so far I have 3 panels sewn...I only took a picture when I had two sewn together....whew...It took me about two hours just to attach these panels.  

Monday, girls have their dog spa day so I'll drop them off and come home to work on the quilt.  Thursday is right around the corner!

On another note, hubby starts his radiation treatments on Monday.  He has to have 3 weeks/15 treatments but no chemo for his cancer, which is a relief.  Once his treatment is finished, he will have another PET scan 8 weeks after his last radiation treatment, to see if the cancer is gone or still there.  Other than Bob having to miss golf because he can't schedule radiation and golf!, he's handling this so well.  Better than I would have thought.  So far so good...thanks for all the good wishes and prayers.  We are so lucky!