Cloth Stitched

Still Not Spring!

2026-03-14T13:17:00.001-04:00

After having temps in the 80’s this week we are back to 30’s and extreme wind! Uh maybe next week we’ll have a hint of Spring.

More bowl/baskets were created this week. I’m really getting the feel back after not making them for a while.

This is how I ended the bowl/basket from last week.

My old Oliso iron died this week. I purchased it with gift cards from Joann years ago. Replaced it with a good ole reliable Black and Decker and boy does it get hot fast!

Today I’m spending a bit of time with the red scraps. I’m actually forcing myself to focus on the red scraps as I don’t have many I might rid myself of them this time.

This is what the design wall looks like this week.

I did a bit of crochet this week. I finished a pattern test for a crocheted shawl to be published in April.

I also finished another book. The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens. I love his books. This one was good.

I’m linking up with the RSC today. Enjoy your weekend!

Char

Feeling More Creative

2026-03-07T12:14:00.001-05:00

It was a good week in the sewing room. I finished up some green items on Sunday. I made a mini table runner and finished these mug rugs that I have been moving from room to room for years! 😁

During the week I was in a bowl making frenzy! I completed 2 and have one almost done. On the almost done bowl I'm still trying out different endings.

This is the almost done bowl.

I have many more ideas floating around in my head so it looks like I'm on a roll. I sure hope so. I thought my sew-jo was lost forever and I have wayyyyyy too much fabric to stop sewing now!

Red not being one of my favorite colors means I have a limited amount of red scraps. I'm hoping to work with these this weekend.

Although it's been really cloudy this week there are signs of Spring! I'm linking up with RSC. Enjoy your weekend.

Char

Spring is Not Here Yet!

2026-02-23T11:58:00.002-05:00

This week I mostly worked on some crochet WIPs I’d like to get completed. This shawl was started in 2024. I did manager to add another color in the mix. Only 20 more rows to go.

This one was started in 2025. It's very slow going because there are over 300 stitches in each row!

I did manage to spend a bit of time working with my green scraps and made this mini tote. It has leather straps and I even used a half quarter piece of fabric that I don't remember purchasing for the lining. 😓

I haven't decided which is the front. I kind of like the scrappy side better than the flower.

Linking up with RSC. Enjoy your weekend even if you're covered in snow!

Char

A Little More Sew-Jo

2026-02-14T12:29:00.001-05:00

Although the sew-jo isn't fully back I did do a little with the green scraps this week. I pulled out the scrap bin and found a better variety of greens.

So I finished the 5 1/2" strip blocks and the half square triangle blocks.

While going through my blocks from previous years I discovered the 8 1/2" half square triangle blocks. So I made a few more. With any luck there will be enough for a quilt soon.

I also found a bunch of these colorful strips, don't know where this was headed. Hmmm

Today I plan to finish up the quilting on my "After Masks" quilt. It was made with lots of scraps from the masks I made during Covid. That is of course if I don't get comfy in a chair and crochet!

I'm linking up with the RSC as usual. Enjoy your Valentine's day! 💖

Saturday Greens

2026-02-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

Well since it’s 7 degrees and very windy here it’s not like I was going out! So I forced the sew-Jo to get going. I pulled some scraps from the first green bin and found them to be a bit dark.

I did manage to complete one of the blocks with the low volume borders. I'll definitely get some lighter colors from the other bin. These are depressing! 😄 It's enough to scare the sew-jo away again!

I'm linking up with RSC today. Check out what others are making and enjoy your weekend.

Char

We’re Frozen Here!

2026-02-04T12:02:00.000-05:00

It’s been a weather headline couple of weeks. We’ve had lots of snow which was covered in ice and temperatures in the single digits. I know lots of the country has experienced this weather. I guess I shouldn’t complain because it’s been years since we actually had winter weather here. Still all I can say is, come on Spring!

I’ve crocheted 3 hats.

I've also finished two books. The Widow by John Grisham which I enjoyed and We Don't Talk About Carol which I also enjoyed.

I celebrated my 71st birthday on Jan, 29th and received lots of flowers.

I'm hoping to get some sewing done soon. My sew-jo has been gone for so long I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get it back.

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for February is green. I have lots of green scraps so we'll see what happens. 😏

The Blues

2026-01-17T12:45:00.002-05:00

When I first started with the blue scrap pile I thought I only had the two pretzel containers. Ha! This week I realized I had another bin full! So it looks as though to make a dent I will need to complete a few items and not just work on blocks.

I've decided to skip the four patch blocks since 2 1/2" squares won't even come close to making a dent in this pile. I've come up with another idea.

I used 5 1/2" strip blocks and paired them with low volume 2 1/2" borders. We'll see where this leads me. I also made 2 more half square triangle blocks.

So this is what the design wall looks like now.

I did do a little crocheting this week and finished another hat for donation.

I also finished reading Nash Falls by David Baldacci. First finish of the year. In this book he introduces a new character, Walter Nash who goes from a nerdy businessman to a superhero. 😉

It’s snowing here today. I sure hope you’re having a great weekend. I’m linking up with So Scrappy for RSC 2026.

Blue is the Color

2026-01-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

This year I’m doing the RSC again and I plan to stick with it. In previous years I’ve just made a few blocks each month with no real plan for a quilt at the end of the year.

This year I have two quilts in mind, although the first one took all day to come about. It’s been so long since I made anything after I pulled out some of the blue scraps I was just sitting there lost.

Finally I just started an improv block. Wasn’t crazy about it, had lunch, finished watching a show on PBS and about 4:30 I had an idea.

So improv half square triangles it is! These should make a great quilt, I hope. 😁

I plan to make some sort of four patch quilt for my second project because I still have lots of 2 1/2 squares to use.

It’s a rainy gray day here in Hatfield Pa. I hope the sun is shining where you are this weekend.

I’m linking up with So Scrappy for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2026! Check out what some of the other participants are making.

January

2026-01-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Now that my holiday guests have returned home I can get busy in the sewing room. Ha, but first I must make Christmas disappear. 😁

I do have one crochet finish to share.

Also one new project. It’s also a hat crocheted flat and then seamed.

Have a great week. It’s warmer in beautiful Hatfield this week. I hope the weather is great where you are.

Char

Goodbye 2025

2025-12-31T10:53:00.004-05:00

I'm very, very happy to see the tail end of 2025 and looking positively to 2026. It can only get better, right?

Enjoy the celebration!

Gray May Day!

2024-05-04T13:43:00.001-04:00

It’s a drizzly gray end of the week here in beautiful Hatfield Pa. It was 90 degrees at the start of the week. Today we hope to reach 60. The trees and the flowers are popping out all over and so are my allergies! 🤧

Here’s what’s blooming now.

This weekend I’m hoping to get a few annuals and veggies purchased so I can get my garden and my too numerous to mention porch pots started.

As usual I worked on a few bowls this month.

I made a few scrappy yellow items including the Criss cross stars.

So that brings me up to date with scraps and I’m really happy Pink is the color for May! I have tons of pink, most of my fabric is pink! This is really funny because before my 40s I didn’t like pink at all.

I’ll spend next week playing with the pink scraps and starting a new Plus quilt. Oh and digging in the dirt! 😆

Enjoy your weekend and check out the beautiful makes at RSC2024.

Taxes = Not Much Sewing!

2024-04-13T13:47:00.003-04:00

It was another one of those weeks that went a little too fast. I have no idea where the time went, of course I did have to finish the taxes !🤬 It was raining and windy most of the week so no gardening but I was able to make plans for the garden.

My daughter sent me pictures of flowers from her garden on the dining room table and I noticed she’s still using a Halloween table runner I made for her college apartment. 🤭 Of course I had to make her a new one. She wanted color, this is the start.

I started a new evening crochet project with yarn from Barnyard Knits. This is fingering weight and the color is Shipwreck.

Today I’m spending time in the sewing room working on a small project with my yellow scraps.

Check out the other fabulous makes at RSC2024. Have a great weekend!

Wow, What Happened to March?

2024-04-06T15:50:00.001-04:00

Well March was a month where I didn’t have many free Saturdays to blog. I can say lots of sewing was done.

I finished the Spring Collection bowls and have actually sold 2 of them!

I actually finished a small table runner made from cotton lawn with a little bit of hand stitching.

And my latest evening crochet project. It’s a shawl made with a cotton and acrylic gradient yarn.

I pulled out my yellow scraps and noticed I don’t really have many, but in the closet I have lots and lots of yardage and fat quarters. I guess that means I don’t choose yellow much when I’m creating. 🤔

Go check out the RSC2024 makes and have a great weekend!

National Quilting Day?

2024-03-17T11:06:00.005-04:00

Every year I plan to quilt on National Quilting Day. Of course every year something prevents me from quilting. This year was no exception. Got a text from my niece in the morning that she and my sister were doing a yarn crawl and they were going to stop by because one of the stores was near me.

I did get to start this purple bowl that I will add to my new group of bowls that I’m calling the Spring Collection! 😁

That's the end of my purple scrap play for the week. Here’s a peak at the other bowls in the collection. None are completely done.

I did a very little bit of work on this table runner I started before Covid hit me. Lots more half square triangles to trim. 😒

Have a great weekend and check out the purple makes at RSC2024.

Rainy Saturday!

2024-03-09T14:32:00.004-05:00

Well it’s been sometime since I felt like blogging. The hubby brought Covid home the second week of February and I’ve been trying to get back to normal. Not testing positive but still have a cough even after Paxlovid and what seems like a million cough meds.

I’ve made a few items, mostly coiled rope of course.

Medium sized and small.

I also had a few custom orders. One being a challenge to me because it measured 12 x 6 and took me two days to make.

It was huge as you can see compared to the size I usually make!

I had a custom order for mug rugs as well. This was a very easy make.

Last week I finished the red string blocks, improv and strip blocks.

And yesterday I was able to dig into the purple scrap bin to make my purple star blocks. Yay!

Feeling all caught up on this another rainy Saturday in Hatfield. I hope you have a sunny weekend!

Check out the purple scrap makes at RSC2024.

Busy Week in the Sewing Room!

2024-02-03T12:29:00.004-05:00

Today for the first time in a long, long time the sun was out when I got out of bed. I hope this means Spring is on the way! 😁 Which means I should start my garden plans.

I had a birthday on Monday. I received lots of goodies from friends and family. Flowers from hubby.

Flowers from my brother and sister in law.

My favorite gift was turquoise hair dye from my daughter! I can’t wait to use it! 🩵😂

A new spool of rope arrived this week. This is the size I use for trivets and I’ve already put it to good use.

On Wednesday, the last day of January I made two Criss Cross Star blocks to finish up with my green scraps. This is a pattern by Lori Holt.

On Thursday I dumped the red scrap bin. Such a mess! Lots of really old fabric scraps. First I pulled out all of the strips that were wider than an inch. Then I pulled out large chunks. I will use these for a QAL I plan to participate in later in the month.

I used all of the really small, ugly and unknown fiber content scraps to make another pillow bed for the animal shelter.

Yesterday I made two red Criss Cross star blocks. I think these star blocks will make a great quilt at the end of the year.

This weekend I’m planning to work on red string blocks. I hope you take time to do something fun this weekend. Check out all the red makes at RSC2024.

Week of Fog!

2024-01-27T13:42:00.003-05:00

This was the week of the fog! Warmer temperatures moved in along with rain to melt all of the used to be beautiful but now grey snow. It was like being in a horror movie! The good thing is all of the snow has disappeared. 😃

As it seems I’m still in instant gratification mode I still haven’t started or worked on any of the (pick any number) new quilts or WIPs I said I would start the year with. I had this on the design wall, but took it down.

But I’m still chugging away at coiled rope.😆

I finished these and it was perfect timing because this week I sold the first one I made from this orange fabric.

I worked on this bowl on Thursday after I got the idea right before I fell asleep on Wednesday night.

And of course I had to use a few more green scraps to make this trivet. I haven’t even made a dent in my green scraps yet. I’m thinking maybe a scrappy green table runner would help a bit. 🤔

Check out RSC2024 and enjoy your weekend!

Snow Covered Saturday!

2024-01-20T09:42:00.001-05:00

This week finds beautiful Hatfield under a few inches of snow. We got snow twice this week but the heaviest snowfall was above and below us! 😄

I had lots of time in the sewing room to finish two sets of bibs and burp cloths for my niece. She needed a shower gift and the theme is sunflowers. 🤔

I also completed a custom trivet set for a returning Etsy customer.

I did play around with my green scraps a bit. No real projects in mind for my blocks this year. I made a few improv and string blocks.

I thought I’d make the improv blocks to eventually create another quilt like this one. It had been in my shop for a while and finally sold on the first of the year.

Yesterday I decided it was time to get my but in gear and start a quilt. I started pulling random fat quarters and I wasn’t really liking the results. So I went to the bins where I keep my bundles and found this!

It’s Cameo by Amy Butler. I looked it up and it’s out of print and people are selling it for crazy money. So now I’m wondering if I should sell it instead!🤣 Stay tuned!

Today we will have a high temp of 22. Definitely soup weather. I’m making Tuscan white bean and kale soup for hubby and I and we’ll spend the afternoon with me crocheting a hat while we watch football (even though our Eagles collapsed)

Enjoy your weekend! I’m linking up with RSC2024

A New Year!

2024-01-08T15:01:00.002-05:00

Wow, 2023 just seemed to zip by so fast. I did do a few things like actually leave the state of Pa. after not traveling because of Covid for so long. I read a few books, made lots of bowls, a few table runners and mug rugs but I didn’t complete 1 quilt. I really want to change that this year.

I’m finalizing my plans to finish up the quilt flimsies hanging in the closet and start some new ones. I’ve decided I don’t want to win by dying with the most fabric!😂 Some of my plans for new quilts and WIPs are to donate them along with a planned quilt for each one of my remaining siblings.

In the first week of the new year I did make two bowls. It was all I had time for as hubby was on vacation. One bowl has already sold. (pastel) The other is a housewarming/Christmas gift for my niece.

I’m planning to participate in the RSC2024 this year. The color for January is green. I’ve pulled from the overflow tub of green scraps and organized them by size. Guess there will be some crumb blocks and string blocks in the future.

Every year finds me saying I’m going to blog more, but by mid year I’m just not keeping up. This year I’ve set a goal for myself of at least one blog a week. Here’s to a good year ahead and time to check some items off my list!

Be kind to yourself!

Last of the Purple

2023-04-29T14:38:00.001-04:00

This week I finished up with my purple scraps. I stitched the half square triangles and put the rest of the scraps away. Of course there are more, I didn’t make a dent.

I was able to pull out the batik strips and make a few coasters. After resisting forever, I’ve decided to add them to my shop in sets of 2 and 4.

I’ve been itching to make a few bags for my shop with the stack of canvas I have. This blue floral print is one of my favorites so here’s the first bag. Lots more are in the works.

And last but not least, l thought it was time to use some of the tons of yarn I own to make items I can

actually wear. I love making shawls but I’m always so hot I almost never need one. So I see lots of crochet tops and cardigans in my future. This is a top I started, doesn’t look like much yet.

I’m linking up with the RSC. Enjoy your weekend!

Scrappy Purple

2023-04-22T12:22:00.001-04:00

I got to play with the purple scraps a little this week. Between itchy eyes, scratchy throat and my stuffy nose. My allergies are exceptionally bad this Spring. 🤧

I made the half square triangle blocks (which need piecing) and the MP blocks.

I also made this little scrap block from a bag of small purple scraps. Don’t remember where it came from.

As I was working on getting the fabric/yarn room organized I came across a zippered bag of strings. I love string quilts so I dug in and started making scrappy blocks. It’s happy mindless sewing. ☺️

I’ve made some progress on my evening crochet projects.

This one is Tunisian crochet. It’s only my third Tunisian project so I’m still trying to get comfortable with it.

Hoping to get in more sewing and a little garden work next week. We’ll see what happens. I’m linking up with the RSC.

Go enjoy your weekend!

Purple Week Three

2023-04-15T12:15:00.001-04:00

The RSC for April is purple. It’s one of those colors I don’t have a lot of along with red.

I did manage to cut enough scraps for my 9 patch blocks. I plan to do the half square triangles and Martin’s Pennies blocks next week.

It’s Hands 2 Help time again. If you’d like info, check out Sarah’s blog. Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I have one quilt that needs quilting and one that might need a border.

This week I started working on a scrappy version of a Fast Four Patch quilt. I’m using lots of leftover charm pack squares that I’ve cut down. Now that the four patch blocks are complete, I’m trying to decide on fabric for the alternate squares. I got the pattern from Amy’s blog.

Spring has sprung here in Hatfield and I haven’t been able to down much of anything in the garden because the pollen is horrific this year. 😩

I’m linking up with the RSC. Enjoy your weekend!

Last Green Scrap Saturday

2023-03-25T12:44:00.001-04:00

Well it was a very gray week in Hatfield Pa. I’ve been hoping to start working in the garden, but this wasn’t the week! I had lots of indoor time. I changed the bedding and curtains in my bedroom over to the nice bright Spring colors. I even ordered new covers for the club chairs. 😄

Progress was made in the sewing room too. I dug into the green scrap bin and made my 9 patch blocks.

I also made a few of the Martin’s Pennies strips.

And finally yesterday was a coiled rope marathon. I made five coiled rope trivets for my Etsy shop. These four

and this green one to end the day!

I’m slowly getting my cro-jo back. I’ve started and undone at least 6 or more projects over the past 2 weeks. I finally settled on this and have made a little progress.

Here’s hoping there’s lots of sun next week so I can work in the garden. 😄 I’m linking up with RSC2023.

Enjoy your weekend!

Green Scraps and Purple Bowls

2023-03-18T15:33:00.004-04:00

I did mange to get a bit of sewing in this week. I played around with my green scraps and completed these half square triangle blocks.

Each month I've had a few of these half square triangles left over so I'm thinking maybe a nice colorful pinwheel quilt at the end of the year.

I worked on a new bowl with leather handles.

I also finally put the finishing touches on this one that's been sitting around for a while.

I'm linking up with Angela.

Enjoy your weekend!

A No Green No Sew Saturday

2023-03-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

It was one of those weeks where I had so many plans but I just couldn’t get started. I piddled around here and there and just never really worked on anything. So here sit my green scraps ( I did get a new cutting mat) untouched.

I put up a temporary design wall in the sewing machine room and pulled out one of my on going 2 1/2” square projects.

I started a few blocks for a table runner using this pattern from Cynthia.

I’m really hoping to get my sewjo back soon. It’s not just my sewjo, I didn’t do any crocheting this week either. 😳

I’m linking up with Angela. I’m sure the others have made lots of wonderful things with their green scraps!

Enjoy your weekend! 💚