Old Crow

It is still 90 degrees here in North Carolina but the beginning of September means I can at least think about fall.  My favorite season by far.

In retirement, I am still amazed at the opportunity to spend time sewing or crafting without having to limit myself to an hour here or there.  I really enjoyed making this charity quilt.  It measures 36 inches by 45 inches and is scrappy as per usual.

  It is destined for Victory Junction.  I did free motion quilting in the alternating rows.
 

As part of my ongoing effort to finish all current projects I did some stitching on the old crow.  I want to stitch some pumpkins for fall but need to finish what I have started.

  I am trying to be mindful about my crafting and would love to have no UFOs by the end of this year.  Is that doable I wonder?  Already it has changed my thought process when I approach starting something new.  I need to consider my commitment to a project when the first "oh shiny" hits.  

Case in point is this cross stitch crow.  This has become a bit of a slog, with the unstitching and fudging.  I seem to have forgotten how to count!

I wanted different shades of orange for some wool applique pumpkins.  So, I pulled some organic shades dyes and scraps of wool.  

I forgot how much I love dyeing fabric and yarn.  For small amounts I use ball jars in a pot of boiling water.  Minimal fuss and mess!

I used orange dye and added a touch of red to one jar and yellow and black to the others.  Easy peasy.

So happy with my results.  There is a lot of serendipity in dyeing and especially for me as I do not do formulas or recipes.  A tad and a touch and see what results is more my speed.

 

Pressed and ready for stitching.  Happy stitching friends.  I am going to continue to work on meandering my way through this quilt.