some progress 'round here

I'm making some progress around here on that Christmas row----and otherwise, LOL. Two of the blocks are complete except for the appliqued bits and the other three have all the components done. There they are stacked and pinned down to my flannel workboard.

This is often how I work---print out a mock up of the block for reference and keep it right where I can see it. If it is a quilt, then I print that out too especially if I need to know how much sashing to cut, etc. This time since I was foundation piecing I needed to watch the sectioning so I did a screen shot of the EQ page that shows that prior to printing. I had to be mindful that not all those tips were red and mark the foundation as such.

Yesterday I prepped all the leaves and the little gold circles that will form the center of the flowers. The bias strips for the stems I did while I was working on the first block. I MAY use that old Jinny Beyer border stripe between my rows depending on what my rows turn out to be. I have owned this piece of fabric for a long time so this might be the perfect chance to use it in some manner, don't you think? Bust some stash? The pattern calls for a lot of red and white checkboard but I don't think the pattern needs to be slavishly followed--that's for inspiration. I am setting this aside for a few days though as I need to get a couple quilts quilted before our Tuesday meeting.

Yesterday afternoon/evening I quilted the other half of the Rising Star in those purples and teals that I love so much that Nancy sent us earlier this year. Well, HERE they are before I made them into two smaller quilts rather than one large one, including the Crossroads to Jericho and Boot Scoot Boogie that are in my "to quilt" stack. The original faux log cabin is HERE shown with its original border. That one is now living at the Boys Big Oak Ranch while the 2nd half is the one that I will be working on today--maybe a quick zoom lines one first though. I don't like having to change thread on the needle when I am on a roll quilting so decided that I am going to do something different this time---keep quilting however many I am going to do in the couple days and THEN do all the binding and label application as one step. Normally, I get that part done before I move onto the next quilt and have to stop to unthread/rethread in between. See how this goes.

I guess Sunday is the first day of fall. We have had a few cooler nights lately and have been able to forego a/c completely for two days and reduced time the last two. I don't have to get up quite so early either to avoid the heat and sun which is nice. I think we are in for some rain today though--a little muggy, overcast and a bit of a breeze blowing in. Maybe due to that approaching storm in the Gulf?? We still need it as our little burg is still under watering restrictions. The burn restrictions were lifted a month or so back, unfortunately so one of the neighbors is back to smoking up the neighborhood--then we have to close the windows and doors. Good bye fresh air. GRRRRRR

Good thing I did my grilling LAST night if we are due for more rain. We tried out a couple of the steaks that came in our meat package and yummy!! I fixed baked potatoes and since I had the oven on, blueberry peach cobbler. We also had the last of those green beans that the neighbor had brought us (I blanched and froze most of them at the time) and a tossed salad. All we needed was some yeast rolls and we might have thought we were out at a restaurant for a special occasion meal. I think DJ felt like he was a king last night eating that good as it normally doesn't happen. He does not often rave about my cooking but he specifically came back to the sewing room to thank me. Usually I only get that kind of high praise after a holiday meal. I am not saying this right---he doesn't take it for granted or anything but he is just USED to things being good that he just doesn't compliment me all the time about my efforts. AND if we have guests for dinner, he will not say "this is really good, Linda" in front of them and put them on the spot either. He might chime in and say, "she is a good cook" if they say something first.

I have no confidence when it comes to making steaks though---I always afraid I am going to ruin an expensive chunk of meat. A roast, no problem. Cheaper cuts, no problem. I may have told you this story before--my parents were gone on vacation and left us older three kids home as we all had to work--late teens. My brother Steve had bought a t-bone steak and asked me how he should cook it. Why I didn't consult a cook book I don't know---I would now--but I said that Mom always put the meat in before we went to church (obviously a roast) but I must have told him to put it on broil??? I will always remember his coming out like, an hour later, to see the last charred bit from the rack blow away with the wind. (Mom, there may have been a very good reason for all the potato peeling detail though I could make a mean fruit salad and stir ice cream custard pretty good then, LOL. Obviously I was NOT ready then but could follow instructions when told what to do.) Live and learn.............

Speaking of fall (LOL, several paragraphs ago I was---my mind is not going in a linear fashion today, is it?) Jeanne has been making some neat blocks lately, some with a decided fall theme. Three of the row quilts that I have coming up are fall/Thanksgiving themed so I had been looking for some appropriate blocks in BlockBase and have a list of some possiblilities if someone else doesn't use them before I do my part. I mentioned this to her in comments and Jeanne asked me to post what I had come with. I will next post, with thumbnails---this quilting isn't going to give me any blog fodder for a few days.

Till next time---