Finish It Off Friday / DrEAMi! and Easy way to reply to Blogger Comments

Hello Dear Friend,

Today I am linking to Amanda’s “Crazy Mom Quilts” for “Finish it up Friday” and Sandra Walker's "DrEAMi!" party as this is a project I just had to Drop Everything And Make It!

Firstly, I was planning on linking this finish next week and then I realised Amanda will be on holiday, so I hope you will forgive me for linking with an "almost finish".

And secondly, this was a DrEAMi! project I just couldn't put down! Sandra, forgive me, I know it isn't strictly quilting, but I did use patchwork fabric so I hope you don't mind if I shoehorn this in as it has quite a few 1/4" seams? and lots of stitches, albeit cross stitches.

The magazine provided the pattern, cottons, evenweave fabric, felt and spotty pink fabric. I have added a lining and will add a strap handle before I'm finished (which is why I'm not quite finished).

Here you can see some of my scrap fabric, cut, ready to make the strap.

My phone is smaller than most, so I was able to cut off a strip of the spotty fabric which I will use to bind the top.

We had visitors today so I haven't been able to FFO (Fully Finish Off) but I intend to stitch the Flamingo onto the phone case using hem stitch, either in pink, or green to match the grass. The pattern said to use a white running stitch to add the Flamingo, but as my case is smaller I think I either need to hem stitch it in place or use some bias binding .... not sure which, because the evenweave is a little rough and I don't want it catching on things in my bag.

Not sure which colour to go with, what do you think?

I couldn't resist stitching this pattern when I saw it in Cross Stitcher. Then, once I had started I wanted to try to be the first to finish! They have a competition where the person to send in the first photograph of their completed project wins a nice pack of embroidery flosses. Well I never really thought I'd be first to finish ..... and, of course, I wasn't ..... but once I started I just had to finish! So, hence this has been my squirrel which I just couldn't drop for any other project!

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While writing I felt I just had to mention an easier way to respond to Blogger comments!!



I do wonder if Blogger will be able to give us back the facility for emails advising when we receive
new comments? Or is the lack of emails caused by GDPR? Either way, Blogger certainly do seem to
be having a few problems at the moment. (Edited: I just read on Jo’s blog that emails should be back
within a week)

Jo of Serendipitous Stitching tells us that after “publishing” your latest post if you comment on your own post and tick “notify” in due course you will then receive notification of any future comments on that blog post, albeit those emails will be “no reply”,  but you can use that email notification to reply to the “commentor”, assuming you already know their email address.


But take it one step further! If you reply to comments on your blog:

1. You keep everyone in the loop, and
2. You get an email to send to the “commentor” with that reply at the same time!
3. Although you will need to reply by using “Forward” as the email you receive will again be “no reply” (Edited 6.6.18)

Seems easy enough to me. What do you think? Does it help you?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter!

Hugs, Barbara xxx

Linking to: “Finish it up Friday”

and              DrEAMi 

Really Late TUSAL/a catchup/and a blogging tip!

Helllo,

Thank you everyone for your kind comments on my last post.

I'd completely forgotten to write a TUSAL post this month, until now!


Catching up

I’ve been so carried away stitching this lovely Flamingo from Cross Stitcher - Issue 331 - it has almost become my "one monthly goal".

I should be stitching my quilt for The Endeavourers but what with hindering helping DH in the garden and popping out shopping here and there I haven't had time to start on the quilt yet.

Most of my ORTS have consequently come from the Flamingo, and similar to the Rose I stitched previously, this pretty Flamingo has five different pinks scattered about the picture, and it is taking me quite a time stitching them.

I’m so glad I used a grid again, as it has really helped stitching the colours in the right places.

Help with Grids

Further to Rosey's comment on my last post I thougt it may help to mention how I used my grids:

I haven't actually read up on grids anywhere but I used individual lengths of cotton loosely stitched in lines (10 squares apart) ..... that way it is possible to push the thread to one side of the current stitch so that the grid lines don't get stitched into the pattern. 

In places I had to pull grid lines out while I added a particular stitch, and put them back after making that stitch! And once or twice I've even had to snip out a couple of grid lines, but it was possible (with great care) without damaging the actual work in progress. I guess that's probably why it's taken a while to stitch.

I'm already eager to start on the latest kit from Cross Stitcher - mainly because of their "Camper van" button. But I will finish the "Flamingo" first!

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Stumpwork

I was so enthusiastic about joining in with Queeniepatch and her Stumpwork faces tutorial but I haven’t got very far!

DH took one look and said “It’s evil”, “I don’t want it in the house!”
Well, it is, in the house, and I'm sure he'll be back soon!

However, I’m not sure what part to stitch next! I wanted to add a necklace, but I couldn’t even thread the beading needle, the eye is so small my needle threader wouldn’t pull the thread through! So it’s all fallen by the wayside, for now.

Stumpwork

I’ve chosen fabrics for clothes but haven’t started yet.

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Hope you don't mind me sharing a couple of photos from our garden: 

One of my favourite all time plants! Not sure of its name ..... never can remember names! that's why I call him DH!

This is the plant that inspired my first mini quilt for The Endeavourers. It has lots of really pretty berries later in the year which is the reason I won’t let Hubbie prune the bush until the birds have eaten all the berries, and consequently he has a job to prune the bush before the next season’s growth starts, and it is now becoming a tree!

The flowers open from the outside of the cluster first, and the centre florets(?) are really tiny. Oh dear! it's taken me so long to write this post most of these lovely flowers have already turned quite brown!

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Apologies to those of you that really hate snakes, 'cos this isn't, it is actually a legless lizard I'm about to mention!

The other day on our way home from the shops we spotted a Slow-worm on the pavement next to a busy road. Luckily I had a beaker in my bag (as I'd been to my stitching group that day) and DH was able to pick the critter up in the beaker ..... not before it lost its tail, but then that's its way of escaping ..... jettisoning the end of its tail which then wriggles frantically, the Slow-worm then discretely slopes away whilst the predator  is fascinated with the wiggling detatched section. More about Slow-worms HERE.

DH virtually took his life in his hands kneeling at the edge of the road as the Slow-worm tried to escape from him by wriggling off the footpath, over the kerb, onto the road's edge, and the crazy drivers raced past as close to us as they could, even though we could both be clearly seen!!

As soon as we got home we popped the little chap into a corner of the garden where we had seen Slow-worms previously. I do hope they get on with each other!

Here's another one we saw recently in our garden:

In our garden, next to our "vegetable plot"

and a close-up

Slow-worms are very good for the garden ..... they are reputed to eat slugs! Not sure how true that is as despite our many, many Slow-worms we still seem to have an inordinate number of slugs in our garden!!

This is one reason why we don't use slug pellets in the garden ..... as it would get into the food chain of the Slow-worm.

Another of my favourite plants, always makes me think
of tiny fairy shoes hanging on a line.

Couldn't resist this pic either ..... an Alium (new to us this year)

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Of course I can't sign off without mentioning GDPR! 

I know many of you, like me, are wondering what we need to do with our blogs now to stay legal!

Luckily though we have a few lovely blogging friends who are already dealing with this on their blogs, and once I finish this post I will be off to see what I need to do.

I'm sure they won't mind me mentioning them:

Jo of Serendipitous Stitching - advised us that we won't be receiving notification of comment emails, and suggests a way around it HERE.

Mia of Craftartista has written a whole page HERE.

And Shez of  "I am" has added a page to her blog too HERE.

I know I am already missing all those friendly comments appearing in my mail box ..... already feeling lonesome!! ..... but I'll be checking the "Comment" facility in the left hand margin of my Dashboard everyday! .... well, most days!

Oh, and if you are still with me this is my tip: 

Don't know if you've had this trouble, but I've had a lot of trouble trying to "Publish" comments when I've been visiting buddies blogs ..... I've found that it is necessary, when you finish writing your comment, to make sure you place the "cursor" within the text of your message before hitting "Publish"! So next time you are stuck remember and try this out!

Hope you still comment,

Hugs to you all,

Barbara xxx