Friday, August 21, 2015

M.I.A.

I've had a busy few weeks and that's my excuse for not blogging. One sewing project I started and finished is this little penny rug. I have several pieces of wool that are too thick for rug hooking, but they're perfect for making penny rugs - so I cut some circles and squares and stitched this up on a recent road trip.


I have always avoided stitching things with points because the stitches would always fall around the corner, but I think I finally figured out how to get them to stay in place and it wasn't as hard as I had expected! Yay! I like to use cotton crochet thread instead of the pricey perle cotton that so many others prefer - I buy it at thrift stores and it works great.


I took this little owl wall hanging to the Ogden Nature Center yesterday so they can auction it off at their annual fundraiser in October - hope someone buys it for a decent price!


I saw that my daughter-in-law had one of these fabric buntings on her Pinterest board for the baby's new room, so I made one for the shower last weekend.


My Clover binding clips helped immensely in holding things in place till they got stitched together. I sure love those things!


It's a big one - hope it isn't too long for the room!


I'm finally done with green beans from the garden - canned 24 pints and I'm calling it good - that should be plenty for hubby and I.


I recently found out that my grandmother read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn back in the 1930's as she traveled across the country from Massachusetts to California, so I thought it would be fun to read it myself. It was a good one! I guess it's been made into a theater production and a movie so I might try to find it to watch sometime.

I also read Orphan Train and enjoyed it a lot - had no idea that this story was part of our national history.


19 comments:

Saundra said...

You've been mighty productive. Back in the day I used to do a lot of canning, making jellies and jams, but since it is just me now make it easy on myself.

Kyle said...

You may not have been posting but you've been busy again. The penny rug is super cute and your stitches look perfect going around the corners. Your addition to the nature auction is delightful. I'm sure someone will enjoy having it. I use to can, mostly tomatoes and peaches, but one day my canner began to leak and that was the end of that. Your beans will be delicious all winter long.

Sandra said...

I really like your Penny Rug and I see that you did a binding on the edges...great idea. Great to have all the canning done and to have food put away. You have been busy.

518Frenchgirl said...

Hello Gayle, enjoy your blog very much, we have a lot in common: blue poison bottles, love the blanket stitch and fleur-de-lis is our favorite motif, and my daughter-in-law is expecting a baby in about a month, wow...wish we lived closer to each other! Only thing is I am the oldest sister.

Janet O. said...

Very cute penny rug, and the contrasting stitches look fun.
I think your owl hanging will be popular.
My daughter made lots of buntings for a fund raiser and I bet she would have loved that Clover Clip hint.

annie said...

a great post!
love your penny rug!
I have read about the orphan train, amazing really!

Lesley said...

Love your penny rug and owl. Sweet!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Love that penny rug! I read Orphan Train, and I didn't realize, until I was finished reading it, that it was based on fact.

Julie - My Primitive Heart said...

Hi Gayle,
You have certainly been busy making lots of wonderful things!!! Love penny rugs, and yours is really nice with the binding!!
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, is a really good movie, shown on TCM from time to time! The library may also have a copy so hope you can find it!! I have never read the book but am sure it is good too!
Have a nice weekend!
Warm Hugs~
Julie

Sue SA said...

The owl is so cute, love his feathers! I am sure your daughter will be thrilled with the bunting...I might start pinning things I want for Christmas now, so my friends get the hint!

ohiofarmgirl said...

Love your stitchings! Dianntha

Farm Girl said...

I love your projects! I love your little mat and your bunting is fantastic. You know I have a Tree Grow in Brooklyn and I got it out to read this summer. I am glad you reminded me. I read it a long ago. A long time before I had children as it was a book my Mom just loved. I need to read it now again. I bet I would love it too.
Lovely projects.

Serendipity said...

I love all of your projects! I just read Orphan Train on our way home from a trip where we were with darling orphans -- it was really insightful. Like you, I liked it too and had no idea it was part of our history. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is probably the only novel I have read more than a dozen times. I love it! If you are ever in Brooklyn, you must do ATGIB walking tour or a tenement tour...so interesting! Fun to see what you've been up to!

Three Sheep Studio said...

Lovely projects, Gayle !
I always like having my pantry loaded with canned peaches, spiced pears, tomatoes, etc.
I appreciate your book recommendations.
I just finished A Spool Of Blue Thread.
Rose

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Your penny rug looks awesome. Great banner and good usage of binding clips.

Cheryl said...

Oh, so jealous of the green beans! Thanks for the book recommendation.

Lori said...

Cute penny rug. I don't purchase expensive thread to do them either and it works just fine.
The orphan train is amazing and sad at the same time. I just put a request on the Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Always looking for book recommendations.

Morna Crites-Moore said...

Adorable penny rug! And perfect corners! :-)

Karen said...

I read the "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" a long time ago but forget what the story is about. I recently read "The Orphan Train". Good book.