Good Friday was kicked off with Easter ham dinner shared with my kids—we missed Dawn (living it up in Paris!) and Nick (hitting the books at college). The kids continued a sweet tradition and gifted me a gorgeous lily plant.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Easter 2025 Weekend
Monday, April 21, 2025
Circle Challenge 15 & 16
Week 15
Dogma Rules:
1. A piece of heavy watercolor paper or cardstock. Trance 1
circle and paint it in a light wash in one of these colors: blue, green or
turquoise. Mark up 3 slices, If you want to have a center in the middle or off
center the slices are up to you.
2. Punch a bigger
hole where the 3 slices meet and punch holes in the outer circle line of all 3
slices.
3. Now it is like mending socks. Make the warp. Come up from
behind in the outer circle and go down in the middle hole, and so on. Do the
same on the 2 other slices.
4. Start weaving/mending. Go over and under the threads in the warp, the row. Do it opposite in the next row and so on. 5. Thread: one in the colors blue, green or turquoise.
Week 16
Dogma Rules: Inspiration: Abstract landscape.
1. 1 piece of background fabric. 4 strips of different patterned/colored fabric of your choice. Sew the 4 strips together so you’re able to trace 1 circle where all the 4 fabrics are visible.
2. Use only straight vertical stitches/ på dansk lige vertikale sting. How big/small and where on your fabric you will embroider the stitches is up to you. Sew only inside the traced circle.
3. Thread color free. Be inspired by your fabric.
4. When you’re done with your embroidery, cut
the circle out, place it on your background fabric and invisible basting it
down.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Until We Bead Again
I found Beth Murr's we site years ago and purchased her beading patterns. Because these old eyes find it hard to bead, I haven't been beading lately. I see where Beth has retired from nursing and is posting her patterns, YouTubes and Etsy shop again!
If you wanted to learn peyote stitching (making rings, etc.) check out her blog! Beth's blog,
These are some I made back in 2018? I still use mine but I only have the orange one and needle case next to the orange that I kept. Others were given as gifts. They are fun to make and you'll impress your friends with your work!
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Circle Work continues!
Week 12
Dogma Rules:
1. 1 piece of a light colored fabric and 1 piece of a dark colored fabric, in the same size and in the same color family. You decide the color. Sew them together to 1 square.
2. Trace 1 circle with something erasable. 3. Only sew the Sheaf stitch / på dansk Knippe sting. Sew them as big/ small /random/in columns/in rows/in circles, or as you wish.
3. Use 2 color threads as the colors of your fabrics and sew with the light color thread on the dark fabric and the other way around.
Week 13:
1. 1 piece of fabric in your hair color. Trace 1 circle on the fabric.
2. Use a punch holes thing for ring binders and punch as many dots as you want. Use black or another color you can see on the fabric of card stock or some thick painted paper. 3. Drizzle/ sprinkle the dots on your fabric inside the traced circle. They will land totally random and that's the meaning. Glue the dots with a tiny dot of glue stick or make a small mark where they landed..
4. Use only the "Star stitch" ( in this case 1 cross stitch and a plus stitch upon each other), as big or small as you like, and sew all your dots down with that stitch. 5. Sew running, double running or back stitches on the traced circle line. 6. Thread color free.
Week 14:Dogma Rules
: 1. A piece of fabric in one of these colors: blue, green or turquoise.
2. Trace as many and what sizes you want of small circles on the square/rectangle piece of fabric.
3. Only use chain stitches/ på dansk kædesting. Stitch whatever you like with the stitch inside every traced circle.
4. Threads, the same color family as your fabric. If you have variegated threads/thread with color shifts, use them
Having our spring book sale at the library so lots of work to do this week with setup! Friday and Saturday are sale days....no knitting this week! But I did finish my circle project!
Dogma Rules: 1. A piece of fabric in one of these colors: blue, green or turquoise. 2. Trace as many and what sizes you want of small circles on the square/rectangle piece of fabric. 3. Only use chain stitches/ pitch whatever you like with the stitch inside every traced circle. 4. Threads, the same color family as your fabric. If you have variegated threads/thread with color shifts, use them.
Dogma Rules: 1. A piece of fabric in one of these colors: blue, green or turquoise. 2. Trace as many and what sizes you want of small circles on the square/rectangle piece of fabric. 3. Only use chain stitches/ whatever you like with the stitch inside every traced circle. 4. Threads, the same color family as your fabric. If you have variegated threads/thread with color shifts, use them.
Dogma Rules: 1. A piece of fabric in one of these colors: blue, green or turquoise. 2. Trace as many and what sizes you want of small circles on the square/rectangle piece of fabric. 3. Only use chain stitches/ på dansk kædesting. Stitch whatever you like with the stitch inside every traced circle. 4. Threads, the same color family as your fabric. If you have variegated threads/thread with color shifts, use them.
Monday, March 31, 2025
More drawing in my journal!
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Christmas Cards for 2025!
![]() |
So now they sit just waiting for Christmas! |
Actually, I put them all in a plastic bag on a shelf in my sewing room. Who knows...some rainy day I might even print out the labels to put on the envelop before Christmas! HA
Monday, March 24, 2025
Drawing and stencil papers
Since the 'puzzle' is finished and given to my friend, Donna...Now I have time to work here and there on my journals of hand painted papers.
So I saw my stencil journal with a few pages in it and decided to add some drawings to it. Not my strong suit but fun to be doing something with the pages.
![]() |
original on left and papers added on rt |
![]() |
Added funky leaves...good practice! |
![]() |
Before and (rt) covering with papers |
Hard to see the little flower on the side...but it's there! HA
Just having fun with some drawing. Now to get back to knitting and practicing drawing more flowers and leaves. A good start!
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Family Time
Monday, March 17, 2025
Some progress and one completion!
Yep, I'm still working on the weekly circle challenge! Here are 10 & 11!
Dogma Rules week 10: 1. 1 piece of heavy watercolor paper or cardstock. Trace at least 3 circles in the same size, wherever you like on the paper. Cut the circles out. Pre-poke the holes. 2. Stitch the way I show you in the video on YouTube, or follow the diagram. I have no name for this kind of stitching. Do each circle differently, meaning different amount of poked holes between where you are coming up and down. 3. Use white or cream colored thread. 4. Free options. Paint your page in your book in a light color or glue a piece of colored paper on the backside of your embroidery.
Dogma Rules week 11: 1. 1 piece of light-colored fabric of your choice. Trace 1 circle with something erasable and divide the circle up into 5 different areas as you want. 2. Only sew the # stitch/ hashtag sting, 3. Use 5 different colors of threads as the color of your fabric, just different in value/ tones so they are visible. 4. Sew each of the 5 areas with one of the colors.
It's hard to see but there are 5 different color of yellow threads. The picture almost makes the top right look white...and the yellow I used in the center blends with the edge. Guess I need to redo or alter in photoshop.
AND I finished Susan's puzzle she gifted me for my birthday! WOOHOO! Now back to my regular scheduled program(s)! HA Thanks, Susan! I did gift this to my bud, Donna! She was working on a 1000 piece but said she gave up. She's looking forward to putting this one together! It really is a pretty puzzle! Thanks again, Susan!!
Monday, March 3, 2025
Other Progress....
Funny how a little project can give you so much satisfaction! HA Thanks, Susan!!!
Not a very good picture of my sweater...but I'm making progress...I'll be putting sleeves on holders and then get to start on the body! Finally!
Just like the puzzle...I don't get to knit every day...30 min. here.. or 45 min. if I finish dishes early! HA I go in my sewing room and I don't come out until the evening news comes on with David Muir.
I choose not to listen to the news all day long (as my hubby does!). Instead, I catch the local morning news and check in again before dinner. Of course, they always include national news—often depressing and disheartening.
This past week was a perfect example. Watching the exchange between Trump and Zelensky was sad, frustrating, and frankly, embarrassing. Moments like that remind me why I prefer to limit my exposure.
For now, I’ll keep my distance—until it’s time to research candidates and cast my vote. I don’t base my decision on party lines; I vote for the person, not the label. In the meantime, I’ll continue reading books and perspectives from both sides to stay informed. After all, the best I can do is educate myself and make my voice count at the ballot box.
Enough said...
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Weekly Circle Challenge
Weekly Circle Challenge Progress:
Dogma Rules Week 8: 1. 1 piece of fabric in one of your favorite colors. Trace 1 erasable circle or stitch on the traced line.
2. Use only blanket stitches / tungesting, so they are lying horizontal. Experiment with the stitch: long, short, wide, narrow rows, columns, or squares and so on.
3. Use the same color thread as your fabric has, but in other values/tones so the stitches are visible. Use many different fx. shiny, matt, textured threads. Thin knitting yarns is also an option.
Dogma Rules Week 9: 1. 1 piece of black fabric. Paint/print as many small circles as you want, on the fabric. Look at the video on how. Do them in the same color as your fabric color in week 8, or color of your choice.
I have to say these are fun to do and EASY! You can complete in the same day so you feel like you are accomplishing something. Just a fun project and making the commitment to do something productive everyday is a nice benefit!
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Playing with my Gelli prints and booklet!
In one of my last posts I showed some gelli prints that I had made into a little booklet. I haven't added any more papers to the booklet, yet but thought I would play with the ones I have already.
So this was my busy day just playing with collage pieces and prints. Next I'll add some more papers to the booklet. Just fun to feel like I am accomplishing something. What will I do with the booklet!? Keep it for my kids to toss when I'm no longer here! HA
Page on left is the actual gelli print. The right side is with playing around with other printed papers.
I thought some of these prints were just too plain. If I have some that I like as a gelli print, I'll keep. But this was a fun exercise to do. Nothing that exciting just fun That's All Folks!
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Project(s) Progress
Back trying to knit for 15-60 minutes at least 4 or 5 days a week. I try after I've finished dinner/dishes, which is usually around 5-5:30. I'll knit until the evening news at 6:30 or when the dogs leave me alone to do so! I did return the pink yarn and choose this pretty gray/blue.
I had to make up another cheat sheet for the rows on the front of the sweater. It's too easy for me to get off count. Too many interruptions and I'll lose my place for sure. This sheet helps me keep on track.
And I made over 15 more Christmas cards! Woohoo! It takes me about a day to stitch strips together and then sew over with a decorative stitch.
The next day, I fuse 808 Pellon on the back to give stability to the 'card' insert. I still have to stamp on the back then insert in the photo card.
I'm not sure how many I have but I did run out of the Pellon and black thread!! A trip to JoAnn's is upcoming. These are more of the Charlie Harper fabrics.
So I'm keeping busy...enjoying staying home so I don't really minds the snow!