And one for Dolly

 I finished those baby quilts and then thought big sister needs a dolly quilt. Dig through the bundles of scraps I find the scraps from a quilt that was given to the big sister’s mommy. Perfect. Just like mommy.  Time well spend on another hot day  —Ann—

Two-da-da-da-done

 

Finally I finished these quilts the baby girls are 3 months and one month, my niece’s two newest grandkids.  It has been hot here a good day to go downstairs and finish something!! —Ann—

Reading list #3

Three of the books I read took place in Ireland, this little watercolor is Fanad the farm where my 6th or 7th great grandfather lived in County Donegal.

This is the house where my 1st great-grandfather raised my grandfather  in County Tyrone. He came to America in the 1920’s.

1. The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner a fun magical story takes place 1820’s and present day about archaeological divers looking for wrecks and stregas — sea witches who could influence the waters of the sea and a love story in both time periods.
2. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose the second Maid book as delightful as the first.
3. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans I just about quite reading this book even though I waited a couple months for it, ( I just wasn’t getting into it ) then I went back and read reviews by readers and decided to continue reading. It did get better. It is a collection of letters written and received by a woman in her 70’s. The book turned out to be very good. Then I read the preface again (something I frequently do) and I read the whole book again in 2 days! Now I’m thinking I should purchase the kindle edition so I can read it again someday.  It was that good.
4. Isola by Allegra Goodman based on a true story takes place in mid 1500’s a young French noble woman is marooned on an island by her guardian. Not great.
5. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt a cleaning lady talks to the creatures in the aquarium, a young man is looking for his father. Very good story!
6. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout for book club everyone liked the book. More about her usual characters.
7. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall very good takes place in England in 1950’s and 1960’s young lovers, aspiring writers, misunderstanding, new relationships, marriage, some unfortunate events. Lots of surprises in the story I don’t want to give it away. Did I say it was very good?!!
8. Draw Your Day by Samantha Dion Baker lots of inspiration to illustrate your journal each of her journal pages was like a little poster advertising her day—beautiful, but I just want to improve my drawing / sketching skills.
9. The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose book 3 and as good as the first two. This book reveals the story of Molly’s grandmother.
10. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller for book club and as good the second time as the first time reading it.  I had forgotten so much.
11. If Walls Could Talk by Jean Grainger first in a new series centered around an old estate house in County Clare contemporary story about 3 women one has rented the house and is cleaning it, she dreams of turning the house into a retreat offering natural remedies. Another story takes place in the 70’s when the house was home to unwed girls. Good story I look forward to the next book.
12. Three Bags Full by Lennie Swann The Sheep Detectives the book was fun to read the author must have spent a lot of time observing sheep and their habits and personalities. Her descriptions took me back to my childhood on the farm the lambs were so much fun to watch, I loved bottle feeding the orphans.  I’m looking forward to the movie. But then I saw the list of actors voicing the sheep…..some sheep are missing or renamed hmmmmm do I still want to watch the movie?
13. The Alchemist of Paris by M. C. Dulac a journal written by an orphaned girl who grew up in church supported orphanage where she learns about natural remedies, she is hired as a maid in early 1800’s her master is a scientist working on a steam engine but also turning mercury into gold to fund his lifestyle and delving into ancient alchemy for an elixir of life. Fantasy I probably won’t read book 2.
14. The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club by Faith Hogan story takes place in western Ireland about friendship and new beginnings very good I will definitely be reading more of Faith Hogan’s books.
15. Murder at the Royal Ruby and The Nosy Neighbor both by  Nita Prose  two very short stories the second story reminded me of Shirley Jackson short stories. 
16. The Rector’s Daughter by Jean Grainger same characters as If Walls Could Talk learning more history of Dunmara House. Waiting patiently for the 3rd book comes out in September. 

Half was through this reading list I was trying to keep characters and plots straight in my head, this is another list with lots of connections from one book to the next.  The Mystery Guest connected to The Maid  (previous list) same setting, same characters, same author, jump ahead to Remarkably Bright Creatures (RBC) two women obsessed with cleaning and a mystery.  The Correspondent about getting older but then aren’t we all getting older.  Tell Me Everything (TME) also about getting older and being in a nursing home.  Broken Country missing a child also missing a child in RBC. BC naming the sheep and the sheep all have names in Three Bags Full. RBC and TBF talking sheep, talking octopus solving a mystery. A couple of the books deal with adoption mysteries. 

 It has been hot here too hot! But a good day to stay inside and read. —Ann—

Re knit and re knit and re knit……….

 

It’s finally finished and I might love it this time. I knit this yarn last summer into a sweater  https://straythreads-straythreads.blogspot.com/2025/05/off-needles.html that always felt 2 sizes too big so rip and rewind which took less than an hour. The pattern I’m using this time is Poppy by Petite Knits. I changed the hems from ribbing to garter stitch because ribbing stretches out with this Remix yarn and doesn’t pull back in until it’s washed so the garter stitch is a better finish.  The same with the neck I did a stockinette rolled hem. I ripped this so long ago maybe March that I have forgotten how many times I ripped, my swatch was right on gauge but my stitches really relaxed as I got going……too big…..start over then on the shoulder seam……one side was tighter than the other…..rip again.  Finally I got it right —-pull that increase stitch extra long.  I only re knit one sleeve twice no problems on the second. Now to throw it in the washer and dryer it should come out perfect!  About the yarns I have knit several sweaters with the remix light—they are my summer sweatshirts. The tweed it yourself yarn combination was from a Danish knitter I follow on facebook I can’t understand a word she says but her yarn combinations speak for themselves. Fabulous!!

Washed and dried and shrank to almost perfect. If I knit this pattern again I will make the arm scythe shorter. Happy summer and strawberries —Ann—

Another flimsy

 A third hummingbird quilt top sewn sometimes I cut way too many pieces for one quilt but I just cut one 6 inch strip of each fabric and i like variety in the colors and prints……..so three quilt tops later I’ve almost used all the pieces.  This one I used just one background fabric it sewed together much faster and I could turn the segments just for fun.  Now to find backing fabrics and pin them on the frame to baste.  Backing is my least favorite part of quilting.  —Ann—

More watercolors

 

Reminiscing over trip to Ireland in 2024 and now those paintings in the sketchbook are finished. Amazing what consistent practice can do, hubby was off fishing so I had a watercolor week while he was gone.  I should have cropped all those pics but then they are saved as panoramic and they take up more space.  I need to delete pics again.  Hopefully a week of watercolor got me in “the habit” so I will continue.  It was really just playing with paint —Ann—

Watercolor

 

It has been hot here 94 and humid……a good day to go downstairs and play with the watercolors.  I’m making progress on my sketchbook I started in Ireland.  The paintings are not in chronological order I go through my photos and decide I’ll try painting this today as my skills and confidence grow I might go back and try a scene that I thought was too complicated.  Sometimes I use the Waterlogue app to turn a photo into a watercolor and work from both as I paint, the app simplifies the photo.  Having fun with the watercolors and maybe sewing a few quilt blocks as the paintings dries.  —Ann—

A Bit of wisdom and a flimsy

 

Same fabrics different grouping of the background fabrics.

It’s amazing how fast a quilt top comes together when I put a concentrated effort into it.  Like just sitting down to sew for a bit.  And getting the needle threaded, that seems to get more challenging as I get older.  I realized something today that makes threading the needle so much easier. There is that groove in the needle facing you as you sit at the machine……if I aim for the groove with my freshly cut thread (no long fibers from breaking the thread) get the thread in the groove then slide it toward the eye and change the angle of the thread from diagonal to more horizontal the threads slides right into the eye!  Easy peasy more easy peasy than the needle threader! Happy threading —Ann —

Reading list #2. 2026

 

1. The Crossroads by C. J. Box #26 of the series and did not disappoint 
2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig for book club  as good the second time. 
3. The Irish Midwife by Seana Tinley about a young woman in Belfast learning to be a midwife then going to school in Dublin to become a certified midwife and a love story.  Story takes place in 1939.
4. The Last Post by Jean Grainger book 7 of Knockneshee series happy ending of the series. Yeah!
5. The Portrait by Emilia Kelly the story takes place mid 1800’s during the Victorian era the owner of a glassworks commissions a painter to paint a portrait of his fiancée. She finds the diary of his previous girlfriend…….the plot thickens….good story.
6. A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman I think I have read this book 4 times and it gets me every time. 
7. The Forgotten Shore by Sarah Maine very good story takes place in three time periods, 1940’s Scotland a wounded soldier is recouping at his childhood home, 1960’s where he fled to Newfoundland to start over and flee the war trauma when he befriends a young girl and encourages her to read more challenging books and 1980’s where the girl is now a journalist in Scotland looking for the man she recognizes in a photograph at an old estate.
8. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout  this is a book of short stories Olive Kitteridge is mentioned in each but not as a major character. I’ve read other books by Elizabeth Strout that I liked much better.
9. The Maid by Nita Prose for book club everyone loved it and it’s a short series! About a maid in an upscale hotel she finds a dead body in a room she is to clean………good story!
10. The Monk of Mallorca by E. L. Nunez very short book a young woman travels to Mallorca and meets a 400 year old monk a lot of religion and faith in the story…..there is the 400 year old monk. Good story
11. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen a story of friendship in a small town and a mystery. Light reading just for fun.
12. The Emerald Shawl by Louise Douglas takes place in England in late 1800’s a young woman news reporter who writes a column of interest to women—recipes, housekeeping tips, decorating etc. gets involved in a murder story. Treatment of girls and women who don’t fit the norm of wanting to get married and have kids and lots of twists in the story.  We have come a long way.

If we weren’t packing up to leave the river today I would be sitting in the sun with a book and coffee I’ve got a little time to enjoy my coffee but I don’t want to haul a chair out by then my coffee will be cold and then need to haul it back to the garage. Oh to sit in the sun after a rainy overcast few days.  Everything is greener than last week before the rain.  Bring it on again.  —Ann—

Little artists

 

Fun weekend with the little girls as always low tech.  My watercolor pencils got sharpened…..while they were painting, cutting or gluing I was coloring in a Peter Rabbit coloring book from my daughter’s childhood with watercolor pencils then they would use the waterbrush to paint. They saw that I was using multiple colors for leaves and fur so they would try it.  They would try so hard to stay in the lines and be neat. They love their Prang paints the colors are as vibrant as from my childhood the paint brushes have gotten smaller if you can see that in the top photo.  They each have the Prang script. I buy tablets of 9 x 12 paper and cut the sheets into 4 the perfect size for them.  Little art lessons and they think they are just having fun. —Ann—

Organizing pencils

 My granddaughters each take a box of colored pencils and coloring books when they go places where they are expected to be quiet like church so I made them each a pencil roll with their name, it holds 12 pencils and is easier for their little fingers to get the right pencil out and put it back. I have several of these for my pencils and drawing tools and a couple have been recruited for knitting needles.  Sometimes I’m better at organizing my tools than using them.  But I have decided to use them!  Darling daughter turned 35 this month, she and college roommate have planned a fun weekend to mark the occasion because 35 is half way to 70.  Guess who will turn 70 this year!?! I have made the decision to use my art supplies with wild abandon ( as wild as I get but accepting there will be bad art days and just enjoy the process) because I cringe at the thought of DD filling the dumpster with unused art materials. I’m going to leave piles of filled sketch books.  If my kids want to tear pages out and frame them I will be thrilled.  Recently I have attacked my travel sketchbooks, those sketchbooks I buy special for a trip then do one or two pages and bring home a mostly blank book.  I have been sketching from my travel photos to fill the pages sometimes I add notes,  progress is slow but I see improvement.  Sometimes I jump up and sew a couple quilt blocks while the paint dries. 

Keeping busy—Ann—

Another one

 Sometimes I get carried away cutting pieces for quilts and sometimes I need to make two quilts. First baby was born just over a week ago healthy baby girl at 6 pounds 9 ounces. The next baby is due in June. 

The four point stars burst in the first quilt so in this quilt I’m going with the stars in the background three on each side.  Stars will either be offset in the middle of the quilt or let the background circle in the middle row.  I did polka dots in one and the dots were dominant so I moved them to the outside edge. Much quieter there.  The lower circle is a print with black and gray houses —a cul-de-sac. I still may rearrange some things. I like working with the string grid with this pattern but sometimes when I move a couple pieces I get the string too and all fall down. I had to cut many more background pieces  I have 4 leftover but enough of the colored triangles for a third quilt and I have ideas. —Ann—

How much did it shrink

Those seam allowances can really shrink a quilt and to really be able to see it on the grid I pinned on the design wall.  The quilt top is sewn!  I’m really glad I grouped the background fabrics together.

Now to decide on borders the plaid is out. Either the top or the bottom or dig through the pile of fabrics some more.  The weather has changed again from capris yesterday and temps in the 80’s to wool sweaters and the furnace running.  It’s a good day to sew. —Ann— 

Off the needles

 I finished this a couple weeks ago, a Petite Knits pattern with a round yoke. I used a hand dyed fingering weight yarn and a strand of mohair and silk. I had two skeins of pastel blue with yellow, white a pink and two skeins of slightly variegated light blue.  The mostly blue I used for all the ribbing. The upper yoke is the pastel multi colored yarn the I alternated the two yarns for the rest of the sweater and sleeves because I knew I would run out of the multi colored yarn.  I should have bought 3 skeins instead of 2.  It’s soft and cozy.

I knit this little sweater for a girlfriend’s granddaughter I bought the yarn in Ireland last summer. One big ball of fingering yarn is almost enough for a size 2 or 3 sweater hence the white ribbing. I paired this with a strand of mohair and silk.  I will be like wearing a hug from grandma.

—Ann—

Blissfully sewing

 

Blissful sewing……..this is the first piecing I have done since last year! It felt good and sounded good after oiling the machine.  The hummmmmm and then I saw the star!  The big four point star in the background fabric I liked it and it’s not too late to rearrange the background pieces for another four point star.  Those background fabrics really needed to be organized into puddles. —Ann—

Design wall

 I have been doing more reading and knitting than sewing of late, after reading Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick got me back in the sewing room but progress has been slow. I need to make two baby quilts one baby due the end of April and the other the end of June. First decision what pattern to use? I frequently sew a kaleidoscope pattern click kaleidoscope in the labels sidebar to see that pattern. Older sister of April baby has one of those quilts.

How about hummingbird by Darlene Zimmerman?  Click hummingbird pattern on the labels sidebar and scroll to see that pattern and a variation.  So I cut lots of pieces and onto the design wall……I want lots of bright colors with black and white background or should I say white and black since there is more white than black in all those fabrics.

 I’m having a hard time bringing order to the chaos.  Eight different white and blacks and throwing a couple oddball fabrics, random placement was just too busy so maybe 4 of the same print I each background square or puddle them together either way I need to place each and every fabric on the design wall before I sew a single seam.

I need to spread these out on the wall so I can rearrange things……..make a grid with string and pins. I have yarn I can do that…….

How do I want to do this?

This arrangement worked for the raspberry truffle quilt if you scrolled that far because the pinks were very similar and the background fabric was all the same.  There is just too much going on here. Over stimulation for tummy time.

I think this arrangement is best I’m still going to need to have everything in place before I start sewing to keep the diamonds between the X the same prints and puddle the prints together.  I found a couple more bright fabrics to add to the mix.  Making the grid made it so much easier to see what I was thinking. —Ann—

  

Baby towels

 My ‘just one thing today’ was to finish these baby towels for great niece’s first baby. Terry cloth on the bolt is no longer available, the craft store’s website says they have it but you have to order it on line is it nice thick terry cloth or the thin stuff that bar rags are made from? So off to the big department stores…….fortunately I found some 30 x 60  bath towels on sale and found wash clothes that were almost the same color and a few fat quarters in the stash to use for binding. Now to find a box and get them in the mail. Just one more thing today—Ann—

Reading list #1 2026

1. No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Conner murder mystery takes place on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland a lot of twists and 27 year old secrets the heroine has mint green eyes like the ice cream.  The only mint green eyes I have seen are in a cat in a cat food commercial. The few individuals I have met with green eyes are best described as olive green.  
2. Home Again by Kristen Hannah I just about quit this book after the first chapter the main character was so self centered I didn’t want to read about him but the next day I read chapter 2 and the characters got more interesting. The main character needs a heart transplant mostly because of bad life choices, his cardiologist was his teenage sweetheart. Turned out to be a very good story. Published in 1996. 
3. The  View from Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani about a 30+ year old Italian/American woman with self esteem and family issues she inherits her uncles marble importing and construction business. She goes to Italy to learn more about the marble business and her family. A nice story. I have read other books by Adriana Trigiani that I thought were better.
4. The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skendandore interesting story about a traveling medicine show in the late 1800’s. Main character is a woman physician who was at the top of her class but made a mistake. Everyone in the medicine show troupe has a past and the show master holds it over them. They decide to ‘winter’ in Galveston then the hurricane hits.  Near the end of the book the author uses the phrase “on accident” how could an editor miss that?!? It was a good story otherwise.
5. Julia by Heather Moore novel about Julia Child, her civilian service during WW2, she was too tall to enlist with WACs or WAVEs, then learning to cook and writing a cookbook. Good story of her life.
6. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese for book club I was expecting a story about renaissance art and marble that was not what the story was about, it was about doctors and nurses in Ethiopia by way of India then to America in the 1960’s and 70’s. A revolution was happening in Ethiopia I had no background knowledge of that. Was not a favorite book. 600+ pages too many
7. Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner Arizona territory early 1900’s a young woman goes to art school in Illinois learns photography returns to Arizona. She read some of Jane Austen’s books and learns happiness is not a man with lots of money. Good story
8. The Children of Hamelin by Jannie Ireland a fantasy story, I usually don’t read much fantasy but this one intrigued me, it’s about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and the children who disappeared on Midsummer in 1284. Where did they go what if they reappeared in 1978? A modern day story in a psychiatric hospital, a young nurse her journalist fiancée and a retired cop. Fun story.
9. Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick this book really spoke to me about a grandmother, Adele, who was an artist and quilter and her granddaughter, Esme, who wanted to be a writer but became an editor.  Esme is learning about Adele after she passes away. This book got me back in my sewing room so far I’ve just pulled out fabric for two more baby quilts but the ideas are swirling.
10. When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward about the munitions explosion in 1917 at Halifax, Nova Scotia the largest man made explosion prior to the atomic bomb in WW II.  It’s also a love story, a young nurse and a doctor. It was a good story but could have used Esme from previous book to edit, a lot of repetition and mundane details. I scanned over much of it.
11. The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel very good contemporary story a woman recently engaged to a nice enough guy but started having vivid dreams of her 12 years deceased husband. She is a music therapist working with children.  The dreams make her question her current life and fiancé. Very good story.
12. The World’s Fair Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini financial problems at Elm Creek Manor the roof needs repairs, the apple orchard is open to u- pick, the historic society wants to display Sylvia’s worlds fair quilt that she made with her sister in 1933. Sylvia is telling the 1933 story.  This story was interesting to me because my grandparents took the train from South Dakota to Chicago to go to the fair.  My grandmother kept a little notebook about the trip,  I wrote a blog to share with my cousins about my grandparents travels.  https://travelswithselmaandroy.blogspot.com/2021/10/1933-train-trip-to-chicago-for-worlds.html  if you are interested in reading about “The Century of Progress” 1933 World’s Fair.  My grandmother did not write about seeing the quilts, after reading this book I can’t believe she didn’t see the quilts because she made quilts in the 30’s, the picture above is one of hers.

Happy reading —Ann—