this and that on a Monday EDITED

I may have flunked Kanzashi Flower Making 101 as there looks like I have too much thread and maybe did not follow the instructions quite to the letter?

It is not the Bitty Bits and Pieces tutorial fault, I do not believe but I just don't know how tightly you are supposed to string the petals together.  My friend and fellow Bama Belle Bev might be able to straighten me out at our next meeting as she has been making these with the Clover doo dads.  I know you need a long sturdy thread.

I was using 7-cut 3 inch squares for this version and also cut out 8-2 inch round circles of the reverse coloring to try one from a tutorial found on Fabric Flowers.  It gives a little different look for varying squares and rounds.  Really I am just goofing around but may put one of these on an existing purse for the upcoming flower blog hop.

EDITED:   From the Fabric Flowers site I found a couple other tutorials for the flowers.  The one by rodneybones on instructables for kanzashi simplified hair clips looks good.    And after folding itty bitty cones from those 2 inch round circles this Anna's Flowers tutorial from Sew Ritzy Titzy looks even better.  She uses a larger cut circle then sub-cuts into half circles and then works the magic plus some of the work is done on the machine!!  Pinning, bookmarking and converting to pdf on my end!

Though I cannot show you my wall hanging till the 31st, it is finished, much to my relief, with about 10 days to spare.   I took the last stitches in the binding and buttons yesterday afternoon. Woohoo!   It is currently hanging in the place of honor above my bed.

Though the sun was not really cooperating, I tried to get some outside shots of it on the  neighbors fencing again.  That worked out quite well last time with a decent picture or two.  I've got a couple that should work.  Glynda said to move the flower pots around if I wanted but dead head the petunia so I didn't get some dead blooms in the shot.  LOL   Actually I knew she would be in the shop on Monday's and I needed to verify my next hair appointment too.

Then it was off on the grocery run and lunch.  Chatting with my pal Norma as she is off work today, this being Victoria Day in Canada.   Meanwhile I debate about what I might sew next----work on the May and/or June rows for guild to get caught up OR start on my Tammy bag for the mid June hop?  Just to get the decks cleared a bit I am thinking Tammy Bag.  Not sure what I am talking about?  See Sew We Quilt  THIS POST

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Speaking of blog hops, I am happy to announce that I won a couple of giveaways in the bird hop!   First I heard from Jan in GA who posts on Sew and Sow Farm.  I had won the Crazy Daisy charm pack from Benartex that she and her wild chicken Daisy picked out.   Rather than spreading them all out and getting a shot where you can't see them anyway, try THIS LINK  if you are not familiar with the line.  Fun fabrics!  I am debating whether they would work in my Farmer's Wife Inspired Sampler OR just combine them with existing stash for possibly a various sized circle quilt.

Then today I got an email from Fiona of Celtic Thistle Stitches informing me that I would be receiving some patterns from Helen at Bustle and Sew.  I'll quote Fiona's blog notation here.  .  Since she is in Ireland arranging with Helen for pdf files to be sent was a wonderful idea!  No one is out the mailing costs. 

 "The winner will receive a copy of the Birds on a Wire pattern, Seagull Cushion Cover pattern and, in keeping with the It's for the Birds Blog Hop theme a copy of this Summer Birdie Bag pattern too!

 Fiona had made her rendition of the Birds on the Wire and the Seagull Cushion for her blog entries.

THX again to both generous ladies!  I surely appreciate it and am surprised my name got pulled from all those entries!

Well, looks like it is almost time to go scare up something for us for supper.  We will be doing a bit of cleaning out the freezer again but I never mind that, it keeps the grocery costs down when I can re-purpose the meal.  DJ was just happy to see the rest of the Blonde Sheet Cake come out of hiding, LOL---Mr. Sweet Tooth.   He also paid me a rather backhanded compliment saying  "you used to do a passable job but now you are a GOOD cook"  He was saying that he had never been interested in cooking and I said that was not a good thing as what do you do when your wife is not available---eat out or open a can of soup, either way it is either pricy in the long run or not good for you.  He then went on to say that he bet I was a better cook than my mom.  Who knows?  Modified diet for medical reasons, could be.   Maybe because I can make a variety of different ethnic foods and do often?  Growing up it was 8 mouths to feed and stretching the food budget with basic home cooking, what I learned to cook.  I am a champion potato peeler as that was my job to help out.  Oh I can hear the phone ringing now, LOL.  Love you, Mom and Dad.  I do NOT know how you two managed it.

And sew it goes-----