Art, Craft and Needlework, July, 2026

[Harriet]

Amazing that it is the HalfWay Point of the Year, 2026!

Does that focus your creativity more toward the gift-giving and decor part of year's end?

Or is it more the weather change that encourages you to find inside creativity to beat the heat?

Whatever makes creativity blossom for you, let us know!

In June,
Nancy customized purchased PJs with a phone pocket and a new waistband, and worked on prayer shawls
Twins' Mom's created a grapevine wreath door decoration in time for the Fourth of July ✯ the 250th of the U.S.
Harriet continued quilting the 13 Colonies quilt that might get finished during semi quincentennial MONTH (smile)
Cathy cross-stitched on her current project at her knitting group
Gma helped her Mission Quilters group tie a quilt for donation
Mystery Woman embroidered small items for a gift exchange with friends

[Nancy]

I am on a break for a bit from knitting.
I got red and blue solid yardage fabric today and pre-washed it.
[Could not find any red and white or blue and white with stars.]
The banners for fence rails were sold out as were bird baths.

I've been glad for the break on yard work but did get some more marigolds today
they are in a planter for now.

[Harriet]

Glad to hear you could find new fabric, Nancy. Yep, better to prewash darks I guess, especially reds, which can be big surprises if you don't. Have fun with it!

Yesterday I wasn't feeling so well, but yesterday morning early I did get some sewing done. I kept working outward with the straight lines along the sashing and a couple small designs beside the embroidered bit.

The machine sort of scared me at one point - I don't know what it (or I?) had done but it acted as if it bit into the fabric and I was thinking, "oh, no". But I was able to release it and couldn't find any evidence. Whew. Maybe the machine quilting thread is harder on the machine, or maybe this has just been a long haul for it.

Quilting progress 23 out of 30 sections: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░

[Gma]

I'm in awe of people who do quilts! The ladies at church asked me to please put together a few back sides. That will be just one long seam. I hope I can make it the right size. We have fabric in a designated room at church.
I'm working on a summer shawl for myself. It's white with alternating rows of solid double crochet and lacy open box like spaces. That's my relaxing happy project

[Harriet]

Gma, that's so kind of you to offer time to your church group and get backings ready for their next creativity together. Happily, even though it can be cumbersome to make the backs, if they turn out too large it is not a problem. Any leftover can go right back into other projects. The one I'm working on now is in three horizontal sections, so I have some "waste" of the backing along one side of the whole length of fabric. But it doesn't bother me a bit, 'cause I like the fabric just fine and it will have a place later. Does your church space have a lot of room to spread out, and good tables? Does the group "birth" or turn the quilts so the edges are already done, and then tie/quilt? That's the way a group I once worked with did it, since they would have extra hands around to tug the quilt straight.

Since I posted about the machine scare Thursday, everything has been okay. Whew!

That evening I machine quilted one block that had curves that were not all that easy. If I had it to do over, I'd have simplified, but it's okay. Getting better at planning the blocks in halves, so I stitch one direction, stop, go back to the same side or corner, stitch in the same direction, less turning. Then Friday I quilted another that was simpler and calmer with long curves only. Took the weekend off, not because we had much going on, but just to get other things done around here. I have one more of these 12-inch blocks to quilt and all the blocks representing colonies will be done. This one, I think will look nice with more straight stitching. Then the 6-inch-wide border on either side of this section equals the size of two more blocks. But that is at edges, easier to get under my ordinary Singer.

Quilting progress 25 out of 30 sections: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░