WIP Thursday

My quilt group met on Tuesday and I was able to spread out my recently completed Cheese and Cracker flimsy and get a better picture of it. Well, better is debatable. I had to stand up on one of the chairs and I still managed to nip off a corner of it.

It was fun to see that two other pals were working with 30's repros as well---or about to. Nancy had a pattern called "Blooming Bowties" designed by Sherri K. Falls from This and That Patterns that is scrappy bowties with some fun applique applied on completion. It is one purported to work well with layer cake cuts and fat quarters for the fabric collectors out there. Linda C was working on Oopsie Daisy designed by Darlene Zimmerman. I believe an order has been placed for more of those Mama Cottons 2 from Connecting Threads--or about to be. You think it might be the pastel, fun colors that is appealing to us since spring is coming?

Linda C came back to my house after the meeting so I could help her with bias strips for the stems and showed her how to use templar for prepping the leaves she will need for "Oopsie Daisy". I have extra supplies here to share especially since her sewing room is all packed up and in storage while the repairs to her flooded house continue for who knows how long. It is fun for me to mentor our "newer to quilting" members and show them the shortcuts or help them interpret a pattern. While I encouraged to "go for it" when she found a Lady of the Lake pattern similar to the one in the link, I also said "Thangles or Triangles on a Roll if you are going to do that many half square triangles!" and let her have enough of them from my stash for the top she was making. The pattern was found in 101 Fabulous Rotary-Cut Quilts. Our Theramae had this book in her home library and when she passed away, her family donated her quilts book to the quilt group. Actually Theramae lent this book out---a lot!-- so it makes me smile to know that another one of the girls is enjoying the patterns and quilts in it too. We recently had a library cart donated to the group as well so I imagine it will be in and out of circulation along with other stuff we have on it.

I had taken my machine with me and gotten another wedge applied to my stack of Twisted Sister blocks at the Tuesday meeting. Yesterday I added the 4th one. All that remains is the last completing seam. See the stack next to the sewing machine. It represents two piles ready to chain into the machine. Clipped to the shelving unit is the next "Be Attitudes" base and rough cut for the applique that I prepped on Monday. Yeah, same old "Convergence" is still up there needing a border.

Hey, maybe that should be my "Move it Forward" Fab challenge?? LOL, too many choices to make for that one but I'll get it narrowed down by the 21st, when we plan to convene for our next online sewing session. We have found that this makes us a little more accountable and adds that little extra push towards a finish. It helps to have our own cheering section too. I am leaning towards either an old Stack and Whack or my 4 patch posie that has antiqued for about an year and a half. That narrow sashing about did me in on that one!

We had a potluck lunch and about 11 of us at the meeting. Lots of gabbing, laughing and joking around. I think a total of 7 quilts were pinned? Lois had her Twisted Sister top done from an earlier class. I had two small tops that Marilyn had asked me to do for pay that I wanted to get pinned. (Fun 30's 4 patches) Nancy was "cracking the whip" and pushing the girls to take care of 4 tops I had left in the closet some time back. Good to have them taken care but I don't think she realized that made more work for me, LOL. Hanging, they were out of sight and out of mind. Now, not so much! I had two more donation quilts pinned and in my closet so all the sudden I have a stack again and a total of 8 to tend to. Guess I better get those Twisted Sister blocks dealt with, swap out machines and get busy!

So far it has been a pretty lazy morning. The temperatures are down to a more seasonable expected high in the low 50's but rain is on its way in. It was in the low 80's on Tuesday and that was too hot, too soon for me though we could shut the furnace off for about 4-5 days recently and air the house out. Many of the Bradford Pears are in bloom. Our camellia has some blooms in spite of itself. It is always trying to come out too early and then the buds get zapped by frost but some late comers have made it to flower now. DJ dug up some ground so I could toss in some zinnia seeds from my dad. He always has a bumper crop in the summer time and tons of seeds to spare. Who knows if this is the time of year to plant them here in the South? Got to dig when that old red dirt is a little softer was DJ's theory.

Pictured is Skyler on the hunt for another puff ball. I have not gone on puff patrol for a few days having just bought another bag in his preferred size. Batt them wherever you want, little boy! He hops on the desk and sits right on the mouse waiting for that container to pop open. If he had opposable thumbs, no way would he need me, LOL. At the moment he is napping dead center on DJ's bed . Must be all worn out from chasing balls and monitoring bird activity in the neighborhood.

Sewing awaits then. The past couple days I have been enjoying some audio books while I work downloaded free from Overdrive. DJ found the link in either the AARP magazine or bulletin or the paper's "Parade" section. Turned out our county library was one listed as a participant--woohoo! The link will take you to a page to see who might be participating in your state/area. Plug in your library card number, download the software and you are good to go! Some books can be burned to CD and/or transferred to your personal media player increasing their portability. Others are limited to your installed media player. I prefer music when I am walking to keep my pace up but it is a thought for a change of pace.

Guess that's it for now! Hope you have a good day in whatever you chose to do and thanks for stopping by!