Saturday doings

A few months back Finn sent some fabric and quilt kits down for the Belles' use--some was bits and pieces left from previous projects from both her and her pal Betsy. Cut squares I gave to Theramae since she loves making nine patches. Abandoned blocks went to Sarah as she works wonders with tops made from "nothing" and so it went but the dribs and drabs came home with me. Since I will be making some Heartstring blocks before long, I thought today was the perfect time to visit that box!

The carpeting felt a little dampish yesterday so I got to cutting. I've got a stack of muslin cut for the foundation and the red strips for the block centers. In true stashbuster fashion I cut my way through the muslin cutaways from quilt backings---so I cut 10 inch squares for the string blocks, 9 1/2 inch squares for an alternating block for some nine patches made at the fall sew-in, 6 1/2 for bowtie alternating squares if you were to put them on point and a gob of 3 1/2 inches for bowties.

The fabric from Finn I am cutting whatever I can get out. It is shaking out like this with half of the box yet to cut :

• 3 1/2 inch strips
• 3 1/2 inch squares for bowties
• 2 inch strips
• some 2 1/2's and 1 1/2 for the string project
• some 2 1/2 inch squares---Rd to St.Louis
• 6 1/2--not sure about those but if the piece is big enough, why not?

So what is with these pictures? Well, I found one piece big enough with a large enough print that I decided to use it to recover that awful mess of a foot stool. Finn has said to use the stuff how we see fit--donation quilts mostly of course but there is something that I want, I get first dibs. I keep the footstool under my desk to prop my feet up when I am sitting at the computer. The tapestry fabric on the edge is pretty frayed and I had stuck a bunch of packing tape over it the other day as a temporary measure. Yeah, I know it would probably be easier to go buy a new one but they don't have them at Wally World anymore---I looked when the leg needed fixing.

I've got my own tool boxes so I hauled them in and had DJ take the hinges off though I could have done it myself. (I was trying to get dinner started at the time so I just let him.) You know, my mom sent me away to nursing school in 1970 with those two blue handled screw drivers, a hammer and a pair pliers. Boy, did those come in handy and they still do. I have accumulated other things over time--a Phillips screwdriver or two, a variable speed drill for my birthday one year, that staple gun to frame pictures etc and the tool boxes as well. I pried those staples to take off the nasty cover in no time. . The foam that was under looked nasty so I replaced it with some scrap cotton batting--8 layers since it was the thin kind. AND here it is. When it wears out again--and it will---I'll do it again. Just like my pressing table board and the June Taylor mat that I covered with teflon cloth. Have staple gun, pliers and screwdriver, I'm set.

Oh, that bow thing is a cat toy in case you were wondering, LOL. She does bat at it especially when the fan currents get it stirred up.

So no sewing or quilting yet but I am sure getting ready for it. The quilt group meets for our first 07 meeting on Tuesday so I know a few more pinned tops are probably coming home with me if not at this meeting, then the next. It will be good to be back in the swing of things again. Guess that's it for now..............