Sunday, August 16, 2020

YOP Week #7

This was not a crafty week although I do have a final finish finally! It didn't go too well although I followed Vonna Pfiefer's finishing tutorial.  I couldn't find my interfacing so I skipped that but her backing method was more complicated than it needed to be in MHO.  I have since seen others sew all 4 sides of the backing to the front and then make a slit in the middle of the back and stuff it that way.  When all stuffed they cut a little square or heart shape of wool or fabric and glue it to the back covering the slit!  Voila!   No blind stitching, no fuss,no muss!  I used Vonna's method and when you stuff it full like she tells you and then you try and blind stitch the hole closed....well, let's just say my back is not pretty!  Vonna does beautiful finishing and I appreciate her tutorials but if there is an easier way to accomplish the same result I am all over it!

   I pulled out my Stitch Maynia project #1 and started working on it hoping I will have it finished for next Sunday..................we shall see...........this is a small St. Patrick's Day bowl filler.


I worked on Brill and Candy Kisses but nothing much to show that you haven't already seen.  The same with the sock.  I've been cleaning and clearing out and going through more paperwork.  I had more of Jim's things to go through and found some more of his artwork which was a pleasure to find.  I had to stop last year as it was just too much.  I made visible progress this past week and that makes me feel very good.  It is too hot to even take a walk.  I go out and water early but I come right back in.

This morning I found a HUGE insect on my kitchen window....on the outside thank goodness!  Does anyone know what this is.....it is about 2 inches long and the biggest insect I've ever seen!  He/she was light green.  Could it be a cicada?  I only see them after they're dead on the ground and they don't look like this one. 

Not much excitement here which is fine with me!  My family has enough going on in Iowa with no power, no phone, no ice, no Fema, no Red Cross...supposedly 100 national guard are coming (the storm hit last Monday, a week ago and no help for them!).......that doesn't seem nearly enough since all of Cedar Rapids and so many other towns and rural areas in Iowa are suffering and literally destroyed.  It is worse than any tornado that's for sure!  Whole towns are destroyed.  My daughter and her family are lucky.  Their car wasn't hurt and they think their roof is okay and no one was injured. Grain bins destroyed and crops, restaurants, libraries.....you name it.....people need medicine and a way to keep it cold.....it is just a tragedy....so sad! Please keep all those affected by that derecho in your prayers.

Happy Trails!!!    

13 comments:

Betsy said...

Your pillow is lovely-don't show anyone the back! :-) My family in Iowa said the storm was crazy. My sister said she saw the clouds forming, went inside and looked out and it was gone and sunny. Apparently it went from the Council Bluffs area to Des Moines in a little over 30 minutes. The weather is crazy.
Take care Sam.
Blessings,
Betsy

Diana said...

June bug, very common (aka May bug, July bug, etc.). They're very cool. Yep, they can get quite large. // I've always left a spot open on the bottom seam (say about 4"-5") of pillows for inserting the fill and then just do a quick whip-stitch. I don't understand people using any other type of closing in their instructions (especially in the middle of the back??? wow, that makes absolutely no sense). But I sure do like that pillow, such wonderful Americana! Blessings to you, Sam!

Leftycrafter said...

Your pillow is great. Don't show the back to anyone. It isn't any of their business anyways. Your St Patricks stitchery is cute. It will make a nice bowl filler. That is a BIG BUG! YUCK! Bugs creep me out as do things that slither on the ground. I can deal with critters much better.

That Iowa storm was awful. We have seen so many reports on the news at night. I am glad your daughter and family escaped injury but to still be without power and other necessities of life. All those crops and grainerys that were destroyed........just awful. I thought of all those people without power and all the food in their freezers and refridgerators. All spoiled by now. SO sad.

I hope your weather cools off for you. I know ours is going to stay brutally hot for at least another month. UGH!

Miss Merry said...

Lovely pillow!

I don't think these horrible storms have gotten any press coverage outside the area. I have a facebook friend who is very "into" weather and he has been sharing the devastation. It is horrible.

Far Side of Fifty said...

That is one ugly bug. Yes those storms are horrible, glad your daughters home is okay and her family also. My thoughts on the Red Cross is they don't do much as I saw personally in 1997.
Stay safe and cool!

www.self-sufficientsam.blogspot.com said...

i remember my father not liking them because they were in Europe fighting during WW2 and they had were handing out coffee to the soldiers and charging them for it. My father was furious as he was in charge of a platoon of men and they had been marching. I had the same experience during the ice storm....no one came until a week later and by then the emergency part was over.

www.self-sufficientsam.blogspot.com said...

You are right! They didn't cover it until Friday night I saw a mention but they didn't talk about how widespread it was...like 7 states and whole towns destroyed. Even s tornado doesn't destroy everything...there are no businesses, gasoline is short, ice, batteries. They have to wash clothes by hand because there is no power so you can't go to a laundromat either. Some local organizations are having charging stations for phones and food. Not everyone has a grill to cook on. I am just so angry at our government. They waste our money and then when the American people need help they can't seem to come up with any. Don't even get me going on the Covid mess!

www.self-sufficientsam.blogspot.com said...

Nope, not a June bug...they have been here and gone this is about 4 times the size of a June bug!

Maureen D said...

Cross stitch is something I haven't tried. Yours look wonderful.

Becki said...

Have I missed you working on tht God Bless America pillow? I don't remember it in progress, but I love it! Boy, I don't think I'd want to finish a pillow by slitting a hole in it to stuff it. And then patch it? Let me hand-sew a section of an edge together any day.

I am seeing now that I must have missed some news over the weekend. We've been busy at MIL's and I'm completely unaware of the storms in Iowa. I don't know when I've been that out of the news loop! Going to go read about it now, though. So glad your daughter and family are okay.

HighlandHeffalump said...

I am following your blog but for some reason I haven’t been getting the emails through so I’ll need to check that and maybe unfollow and re-subscribe. My friend Sarah from Mildly Granola blog was saying on Sunday about the storms and their old house they just moved out of having no power for a few days. They’ve been lucky they just moved. I can’t imagine anyone would turn the pillow over so not to worry.

Jeanna said...

Definitely praying for those affected by the storm in Iowa. Don't have much confidence in the Red Cross, just for reasons you stated regarding how they treated our soldiers during various conflicts.

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