Lit and Laundry

Farewell to Lit and Laundry

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 18:55:00 +0000

I am starting an adventure at a new blog. My life has turned a corner in the past few months and the era represented by this blog has ended.

My new blog is called Finally Fuchsia. There you will find me posting under my real name, because I no longer define myself as someone who had three children under two. The title of the blog reflects the hope I have of celebrating my own journey, which is symbolized for me by my favorite color.

The last of the children will fly from here to their new lives in a few months and I no longer define my life by the amount of laundry I have to conquer while wishing I could read more literature. My new blog will focus more on my creative projects and less on parenting.

I want to thank every single one of you who has found me here and especially those who have taken the time to comment. I hope you'll enjoy my next blog as well.

Finished for Friday: Santa Needlepoint Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 23:31:00 +0000

I finished this pillow earlier this year and have been waiting until December to share it. It's from a vintage needlepoint kit and it was a joy to stitch.

I've always joked that Santa looks best with his green mittens. I don't know why I find that look so appealing to me. A lot of vintage pictures and figurines of Santa show him with green mittens. Here are my winking salt and pepper shakers:

Several of the Santas on my tree have green mittens too. I think I need to make some more.

WIP Wednesday: Reindeer Applique

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 03:09:00 +0000

I'm still spending time on some top-secret projects, but when I get a chance, I spend a little time on this. Now the antlers look more like antlers and all that's left are the trees and some of the leaves. Maybe I'll get this done for this Christmas! I hope so. There are a couple of borders and then the quilting to do. Fingers crossed.

I've been enjoying this voyage into needleturn applique. I haven't tried it in a long time and I can see why so many people love it. Not sure I'll always use it in the future, but I feel like it's something I have in my repertoire now.

Our tree this year is all cross-stitch ornaments and crochet snowflakes that I've made. A lot of them have the year and one of the kids' names embroidered on the back. When they each leave to start their own Christmas traditions they'll have a few ornaments to take with them. I'll have to make some more for myself to refill my tree! That's something to look forward to actually. I'm trying to find every positive angle to the kids growing up and leaving the nest.

Linking up today with Freshly Pieced and Sew Fresh Quilts.

Please Stop Rushing Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:53:00 +0000

Last weekend we set out to get a tree at a reliable lot that is always well stocked. This was December 6 - there should have been 100 trees to pick from. I like to keep a tree up through New Years day, so to me this just doesn't seem like it should be too late. I always worry that I'm getting a tree too early for it to last.

The tree you see in the photo was the very last Noble Fir on the lot. I couldn't believe it. There were only a few other trees. As we drove home we passed other lots that were similarly sparse.

There could be a number of reasons for this. Retailers in general are getting smarter about avoiding excess inventory left over at the end of a season. I saw tree lots completely closed down a week before Christmas last year and I thought that was amazing. They must assume that everyone who wants a tree has one by then. It could also be that so many people have artificial trees now that there is much lower demand for real trees.

But today I went into the local fabric store and all of the very few remaining Christmas items were on deep discount. I mentioned my surprise to a clerk and she said "this Christmas sucks." While I might not have said it quite like that, I could see her point of view. In Christmas seasons past, the fabric store has always been a jolly jam of crafters gathering items for last-minute projects. Nothing like that this year. I had trouble finding some ribbon that was Christmas-themed.

What is causing this? Halloween has certainly gotten much bigger in recent years. Maybe people are spending more of their time and energy celebrating in the Fall and don't have as much interest in Christmas as they used to. Maybe we had reached peak excess in the past few years and people are finally scaling back their Christmas crafting and decorating, despite all of the fabulous ideas all over Pinterest.

It makes me a little sad.

I'm going to pour some eggnog, enjoy my Christmas movies - and continue frantically crafting all the things I want to make before Christmas. I hope your season is fulfilling. Let me know what you think in the comments. Maybe Halloween is just more fun for people now? Do we start celebrating too early?

Cozy Christmas Quilt Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 03:53:00 +0000

Here is the Christmas quilt I finished a few months ago. It's from an old Fons and Porter pattern. I'm thrilled to finally have it done.

I did a lot of quilting on each block, after I stitched in the ditch in every seam. I think I might need to add some more quilting to the borders to help it hang a little straighter.

Looking at the quilts that are all over Instagram these days, these colors seem very old-fashioned now. I guess I will always be a really traditional quilter. Give this one 20 years and it will be back in style.

The season is in full swing and I'm busy with lots of top-secret projects. My reindeer applique is also coming along. I have a few more Christmas finishes to share as the month progresses.

Now I'm off to work on some Christmas cards. Have a great weekend!

Slow Sunday Stitching

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:13:00 +0000

I've been working on my reindeer applique today. It's been a busy few days with Thanksgiving and family events. I hope to get a lot more done on this during the coming week. I love how the layout is coming along so far. After I get this layer stitched down there will be a layer of falling snow and snow on the trees, which I think I might do with wool. Then after quilting there are a lot of buttons and bells to add.

Wasabi Girl took a class with me yesterday and we made good progress on some tuffets. It was a lot of fun and I'll have pictures of those when we finish them up next week.

Linking up today with Kathy for Slow Stitching Sunday.

Design Wall Monday: Winter's Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 03:01:00 +0000

This is what I'm working on today. It's an old pattern from Robyn Pandolph and these are just the first few pieces. It's called "Winter's Dream." I'm going to do needleturn applique, which I need to practice more.

Happy to be working on another Christmas quilt. I've just spent some time on instagram and found a lot of inspiration.

Linking up today with Patchwork Times and Bits and Bobs.

Timing is Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 02:19:00 +0000

I keep a lot of notes in my calendar that repeat every year. I've coordinated our family celebrations through so many holidays now that I have a system that works. This year, everything is conspiring to defeat my system.

Take the amaryllis pictured above. See how it's sitting in a turkey basket? It's supposed to only be a few inches high. I got the memo in mid-October to put in my amaryllis bulb order. If I start them the third week of October, they always bloom just before Christmas. I decided to just buy a bulb locally this year and look what happened. It's in glorious full bloom already. The blooms last a long time, but it wont last until Christmas. Looks like I should have stuck with my original plan.

I spent a while putting together my Thanksgiving shopping list. I planned to go early on Sunday morning and pick out most of my groceries before the crowds hit. I took Wasabi Girl along nice and early - and the store was so crowded we had to hunt through the parking lot just to find a cart. Who are these people? They were supposed to sleep in while I browsed the aisles. Note to self: Go in the middle of the night next year.

I even time out my cooking schedule so my Thanksgiving meal all gets to the table at the same time and everything is hot. This year Jungle Boy will be working his job at the movie theater in the evening so we'll have to move dinner up to 2:30 in the afternoon. This throws me a little. But it will all be for the best in the evening when I can put my feet up and eat leftovers. Makes for a different but still fun day.

Christmas trees are showing up in tree lots around town already. I think it's pretty optimistic to expect them to last through Christmas. How early do you get your tree? Seeing all the green lots really puts me in the Christmas spirit. Good luck to all those people who buy them this week!

Finally, a number of household products have all decided to run out at once. My soap ran out in the bathroom - so I had to open up my Christmas-scented soap. My "Autumn" room fragrance ran out in my bathroom - so I had to pop in the Christmas one. The car scent also ran out - guess what I replaced it with? And last but not least, I had to use my gravy baster to help clear water out of a drain, and it finally developed a crack in the rubber and became useless. Good timing though, I would hate to find that out on Thursday when I'm trying to cook the turkey.

So forces are conspiring to tell me that the Christmas season is upon us this week. Can't really fight it any longer. I'm ready!

Finished for Friday: Animal Advent 12

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 04:56:00 +0000

Another cute freebie from Brooks Books Publishing. Glad to see the little squirrel has found a festive hat to wear.

I'm stitching away madly at Christmas gifts now, so I'll have to keep them a secret from my blog for a bit. Just in case some intended recipient gets the urge to see what I've been up to.

I've started weeding out boxes in my garage and I'm finding treasures and trash galore. I found a whole big folder of pictures and craft instructions lovingly removed from magazines. That's what we used to do before we could save things on Pinterest. I barely gave all those clippings a look before I tossed them all in the recycling. I bet Pinterest has saved me money that I used to spend on magazines.

I've collected a lot of Christmas cross stitch patterns on one of my pinterest boards. Maybe you'll find a project you like there. Most of the patterns I like to collect are free.

Now back to my top secret projects...

Tiny Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 04:14:00 +0000

I took a break yesterday from my afghan to stitch up this little guy. The pattern as a free one I found here. I switched around the colors to use up some leftover hand-dyed floss. I think he's cute. I'll make a tiny ornament out of him and throw him in with this month's bowl fillers in my entry hall.

I'm pretty sure if an alien landed at my house right now and looked around, he would come to the conclusion that we worship turkeys. Pumpkins would be considered demi-gods. I have pictures of turkeys, quilts with turkeys on them, a vintage turkey planter, turkey plates. It's not my fault. I just add one or two little things each year and they accumulate. And all the turkey and fall decorations give a break from the spookiness of Halloween and before the Christmas craziness.

I keep passing by all the turkeys for sale in the grocery store. It feels too early to get one now, but usually by the time I'm in the mood to get one they get pretty picked over. I always try to find a smallish bird. I like leftovers, but not huge amounts.

Gobble gobble, oh mighty bird! You will be delicious.

Do you put out any Thanksgiving decorations?

Slow Sunday Stitching: Fans and Pansies Afghan

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 22:02:00 +0000

I've started a new crochet blanket. I found the free pattern on Ravelry. I'm using Patons metallic yarn and it has a pretty sheen to it.

This one is definitely going to take a while. The pattern requires my full attention so I can't do it (yet) while I'm watching television. So much counting and double-checking. At least at this point, it's easy for me to see if I make a mistake.

The first few rows took hours and hours because they made no sense at first. There is definitely a payoff in sticking with a difficult pattern though.

Linking up today with Kathy at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Autumn Harvest Festival Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 22:47:00 +0000

I have another finish to share. This is "Autumn Harvest Festival." The pattern is by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I started this one back in January but it didn't get a lot of attention until this month.

Trying to keep the house in an Autumn mood for just a few more days. I'm itching to get going with Christmas but I'll hold off decorating for at least a week more. I used to be bothered when stores brought out their Christmas stock early, but it seems like lately Thanksgiving has been later and we've had fewer weeks to actually celebrate Christmas.

I'll enjoy pulling this out with my Fall decor next year.

The Annual Christmas Card Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 05:03:00 +0000

Ever since the first Christmas with Drama Girl, I have been sending cards out with pictures of the kids. I got lucky some years with great shots, other years I was lucky if I could get them all in the same frame.

So this year, when Drama Girl came home for a few days, I jumped at the chance to take a picture of all three of them together. It got put off until the last day of her visit. She just had to go out to see one more friend...and Jungle Boy had to go to work...and Wasabi Girl was out at rehearsal. Finally, late at night they were all home and I got them together and took about 40 pictures. Here is the best of them:

They're punchy and tired, and Jungle Boy's eyes are mostly closed, and when did he pick up the cat? And why did I use such an awful background?

But these are my kids. I sort of love the awfulness of the photo.

On the other hand, I have a bunch of incredible senior portraits I could use, like this:

I could scrounge up some recent pictures of Drama Girl in Europe.

What to do, what to do. If you're on my Christmas card list you'll just have to wait and see. At this point I don't even know myself. How do you choose photos for Christmas cards?

How I Plan to fight Alzheimers: Champagne and Show Tunes

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 05:03:00 +0000

I've got to say, I'm thrilled with all the new research coming out with strategies to prevent dementia.

According to a study from the University of Reading, drinking champagne several times a week may counteract the memory loss associated with aging.
If that isn't fun enough, another study has shown that singing show tunes improves the brain power of dementia patients.
Not to be outdone, researchers at Harvard have found that chocolate protects against Alzheimers.

Of course I know I'm going to live a long time because

According to this study, cat owners have lower heart attack risk.
Some researchers have actually studied the average age of death of various artists and scientists, and harpists do pretty well compared to other musicians.
Another study from Harvard tells us that spicy foods help people live longer.

So I intend to play with my cats, eat spicy food and chocolate and drink champagne while singing show tunes at the top of my lungs. When I get tired of that I'll sit and play my harp.

Research is wonderful. I'm looking forward to aging - it sounds like fun!

Much Ado about Too Much to Do

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 03:07:00 +0000

This is perhaps the busiest season Wasabi Girl has ever experienced. She works as a coach at the gym, she has a full academic load, she rehearses and performs with a jazz combo, she's taking several Advanced Placement classes for college, and she's writing and submitting applications for colleges. Her schedule is exhausting for me, and I'm only a bystander.

So when she decided to audition for the school play, with all of the rehearsals and hours of commitment that entails, I was less than thrilled. How can a 17 year old manage so many things at once? If you've ever been involved in drama you know how much time it takes.

But here she is, and if it isn't clear to the casual observer, it is to me. Practicing art gives us the energy to do everything else in life. This was her escape, her well-deserved respite from the real world. I'm so proud of her. She knows what she can handle and what she needs. She knows how to surround herself with supportive people who help bring out the best in her. We should all be so lucky.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bartee Photography.

Stitching Endurance

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 01:53:00 +0000

I enjoy several active stitching and quilting groups on facebook. I love to see the progress people make over time and as you know if you spend any time on social media, sometimes friends you meet through the internet can become real friends.

I am always amazed at the productivity of some women who do cross stitch. I've come to realize that I just really have limits. I make myself sit for one hour increments but after that, I have to get up and move and stretch and then sometimes I get pulled into other commitments for the day and I don't get back to it, however much I try.

I can quilt for hours and lose track of the time. I can sit in front of the television and binge-watch a show and crochet miles of yarn. But cross stitch is exhausting to me for some reason.

Tonight I only have a little bit left on this Autumn Harvest Festival, but I just don't think I can do it. Ugh! But it's supposed to be fun, so it's not worth working on it if it's going to seem like a chore. It will just have to wait until tomorrow. Then I'll probably get it done in about 15 minutes.

I'd love to hear if this happens to you with some kind of craft you work on. Let me know in the comments.

Finished for Friday: Acorn Hollow

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 23:47:00 +0000

I actually finished this last month and forgot to post it, but it still works for this month. This was a fun wool piece to stitch up.

It's been sitting under my bowl of small things for this month. The house is completely switched from Halloween mode to Thanksgiving now.

You can find the pattern or kit for this project here.

Needlework Tuesday: Turkey Candle Mat

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 03:32:00 +0000

I started on this little project today. I can't believe how long I spent fussing around with the feathers to try to get them "perfect." I moved them each a million times. Sort of silly how obsessed I can get with something like this.

Right now I think they look like leaves, or peacocks, or flowers. After I finish stitching them down I'll add some embroidery faces and feet and they'll look much more like turkeys.

All of the Halloween decorations are finally packed away and the house is enjoying a little breather until Christmas. I clearly need to make some Thanksgiving quilts...

November Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 05:27:00 +0000

This month I'd like to finish this Autumn Harvest Sampler.

I have six patterns to finish for the Animal Advent series from Brooks Books. I think I can do three or four of them this month.

I'd like to baste up my Kaffe Fasset "Marmalade" quilt top and quilt it.

I want to make this little candle mat from Bare Roots

I hope to finish the blocks for my Project of Doom and start putting them together.

I have one last block to prep and applique for my Country Cottages quilt. I hope to get that done and maybe I can start putting this quilt together too.

This should keep me busy. I'm sure I'll work on some other things along the way. What are you going to work on in November?

It Was a Great Party

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 03:17:00 +0000

Here is one of my extra daughters (not actually related to me) decorating a rice krispie cake for my big Halloween party. She arrived at 2:00 in the afternoon and the last guest left at 2:00 in the morning. The party was a lot of kids and a lot of food and a lot a fun.

Today was all about eating leftovers and washing the last of the pots and pans. Tomorrow Drama Girl gets on a plane and heads back to college. The truth is hitting me that this is another of "the lasts" - the last Halloween with kids in the house. Shall I get rid of a lot of these decorations when I pack things up or wait and make decisions about them next year? Will I be sad to unpack them next year or will I want to put some of their favorite things out again?

As the top picture shows, a lot of the friends of my kids have become part of the fabric of our family. When my kids move on, these amazing young people will too, and I mourn the loss of all of them.

Tonight I am trying to be brave. I choose to be philosophical and optimistic. This was one of the last of the great kids parties, but there will be other celebrations with them in other ways in the future. I cannot stop the passage of time, and the best I can ever do is save the memory for myself. This is why I blog.

It was great. It was a lot of work. It was all worth it.

2015 Halloween Projects Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 15:47:00 +0000

Halloween Mug Rug

When Witches Go Riding Cross Stitch

Cinderella Pumpkin Quilt

Halloween Bunting

Halloween Bowl Fillers

Chillingsworth Quilt

Spiderweb Table Mat

Monster Movie Table Runner

Crochet Owl

Jolly Halloween Quilt

All in all, a pretty productive month for me! Have a great Halloween and I'll see you in November.

Finished for Friday: Jolly Halloween Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 22:50:00 +0000

Hooray for my last finish for October! I started this one two years ago, so it's nice to get it off my UFO list at last. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I did a simple outline around each of the embroidery pictures and filled in the blocks with fluffy swirls.

The blocks are pretty cute.

The alternate blocks were just stitched in the ditch. I chose a vintage print from American Jane for the outer border.

It was interesting to make a black and white quilt but I do look forward to working on something with some more color.

Have a great Halloween! Don't miss my big post tomorrow.

Best. Day. Ever.

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 03:22:00 +0000

I've had to keep a secret for a few weeks. Drama Girl wanted to come home for a short break and she wanted to surprise her brother and sister. After I picked her up at the airport today she got to surprise a lot of old friends. It was so fun. Since last January she has only been home for four days. She's been in Europe and then straight back to college. This trip is also only four days, so I'm treasuring every moment.

It's been hard to keep this all secret. I've bought some of her favorite foods and hidden them in the freezer and pantry. I've caught myself about to slip up when talking about this weekend. I've tried to get the twins to avoid scheduling extra things.

Have you ever had to keep a big secret? Such a lot of work but worth it.

Now I'm off to go hug my long lost college girl again. And bake some more cookies.

Haiku Wednesday: Spooky

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 03:13:00 +0000

My Halloween quilt

Suddenly much scarier

When I look close up

Jolly Halloween Almost Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:39:00 +0000

Today I spent some time quilting my "Jolly Halloween" quilt. I hope to show the finished quilt to you on Friday. I'll get it done just in time to pack it away with the Halloween things. That's okay though, I'll enjoy it even more when I unpack it next year.

I'm putting recipes together for our big Halloween party. This will be the last one with kids in the house - they'll all be off at college next year. Everything is going to feel so different next year.

Except I'll probably still be making last-minute quilts for the holiday.