Hugs And Kisses // 2

Last December I started a new epp project to have a hand sewing project to bridge time between one thing and another. At that time I thought I would have something to calm me down while preparing for my first ever exhibit. I was too excited about and focused on the exhibit that should have taken place in March to start a new well-thought-out creative project. So I whipped up this idea and was happy to know it would be there for weeks and months and I could always go back to it when I needed a moment of sewing. It should also have served me as a welcome activity during the week of the exhibit while I would be present waiting for visitors to show up. And I would have something on hand to show and explain the process.

Well, the Corona Virus had other plans and I had to let go of mine. A week before the start of the installation I canceled. I hope to make up for it in September but who knows how things will evolve.

And so amongst all the frenzy of adjusting to this new situation, all the worries and the uncertainty related to the Virus and what it is doing to the world, all the attempts of trying to stay up to date with all the news, the anticipation and excitement for my exhibit has been replaced by a total different kind of restlessness. I find myself still unable to create, the mind still going all sorts of direction and unable to stay focused on developing a new quilting project.

More than I could have anticipated this epp project is helping me through these unsettling times. And in the meantime its title has also gained a deeper meaning. Hugs and Kisses. We can't liberally give them these days. We need to keep a physical distance. While I stitch I think about this and marvel of what has come about us. Never would I have imagined that what seems the natural and loving thing to do has now become a DON'T. When will it be RIGHT again?

So during the last weeks I've been calmly stitching this quilt top whenever I had a moment. The weather has been kind and I was happy to sit outside and enjoy the signs of spring. In the meantime the weather has changed and I'm back inside taking the opportunity to say Hi here on my blog.

I'm fine and hope you are too. Be safe and be kind. Hugs and Kisses to you.

Plum feast !

It's currently hard to make time to sew! But I don't really mind. There is a time for sewing and then there are other times.

Our neighbors have invited us to help ourselves with their over boarding plum tree. The plums are gorgeous, really sweet and juicy. In other words just yummy! So I'm cooking jam and preparing portions to go into the freezer for future plum pies.
And then there is still my parent's vegetable garden I can take benefit from while they are on vacation. There is a lot going on in my kitchen these days.

Sewing studio has to wait. Maybe even some more as a longer trip is also on the horizon.
Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Steps IV // 6

I'm taking my time with this. I still haven't started on the backing and I'm also out of batting. But it is always on my mind and I'm thinking a lot about how I want to quilt it.

To help me visualize my ideas I print several copies of a picture and draw imagined quilting lines on them. Here in red so that I can see something. But my plan is to use a light grey or similar color of quilting thread. In the end it will all be about texture and highlighting areas. We'll see how it works out. Most probably I won't start quilting before October anyway. Lot's of time to change my mind again and again.

And here just one of the other things keeping me busy as well. No tending and watering. Just harvesting and processing thanks to my parents! Still time-consuming but oh so good and satisfying!

Rug revamp // 2

I think my idea will work out just perfect and I'm going to have a new pretty rug. I'm just sewing my scraps on top of the old rug. I'm using my walking foot and adding pieces as I go. I had started with scraps of different shapes but then realized I needed some kind of order. I'm therefore cutting my scraps all into rectangular shapes but with different sizes. It still is scrappy enough but not that wild. Also I'm paying attention to color selection.
I'm sewing the scraps down with straight lines just using my foot for spacing them. I'll add more lines once all is put in place.
I've never done this before and I'm curious to see how the raw edges will behave when going through the washing machine. The good thing about this is, I can always add more scraps on top of the other!

Here a sight of my blooming wisteria bravely fighting against the return of winter temperatures!

Greetings from my little garden

It takes this little to put a smile on my face.
Showing up in my garden every spring since more than twenty years.

And I did a little yarn bombing to cover up a rusty iron bar.

Winter - Inverno

Hello from my garden 2/2

Hello from my garden 1/2

Lilacs - Flieder - Lillà

Little hello from my garden.

Kleiner Gruss aus meinem Garten.

Piccolo saluto dal mio giardino.

Garden in April - Garten im April - Giardino d'Aprile

All this sprouting and budding. All this new life. Spring with all its moving power is encouraging.
Greetings from my little garden. Especially for my one and only!

Es spriesst und schlägt aus. So viel neues Leben. Der Frühling mit all seiner treibenden Kraft ist ermutigend.
Grüsse aus meinem kleinen Garten.

Tutto questo spuntare e germogliare. Tanta nuova vita. La primavera con la sua forza spingente è incoraggiante.
Saluti dal mio piccolo giardino.

Garden in December - Garten im Dezember - Giardino in dicembre

Garden in October - Garten im Oktober - Giardino in Ottobre

Garden in August - Garten im August - Giardino in Agosto

Garden in July - Garten im Juli - Giardino in luglio // 3/3