WIP Weds

Wednesday finds me working on the 2nd of the two commissioned t-shirt quilts. Monday evening I started sorting through the large container that had been dropped off at the quilt shop. I don't know how long the things had been in there but it was musty smelling and needed to be laundered, big time. Some of the things are stained but I have to use them, regardless. Just obviously used and well loved, I guess. Since they were not removed from the container, then that must be okay with the one who requested the quilts be made. I have worked around it the best I can.

There was also a pile of non-usable materials in there---scraps of shirts with no printing on them that filled a plastic grocery sack. Weirder still to me was the other things that the container held---old receiving blankets, booties, a sweater vest, little night caps, pillow cases, etc. What was I supposed to do with that stuff??? Is the mother wanting something way different from what I am making? I thought mixing pieced blocks with t-shirts would look pretty schizoid. It all just struck me as a typical case of a non-quilter wanting a quilt made but from all non-traditional items. I did not want to proceed with the 2nd one till I knew that the first one was going to be okay. If I had to attach booties or little baby pants to a square of fabric, then you don't want my services.

Anyway, I found a way to use some of the materials in an inventive way but called Susan at the shop yesterday. The blue background fabric we had initially picked out for this actually looks more periwinkle to lavender. Since she had set aside the bolt, I asked them to take a look and see what they thought. She and Joan made another selection that is on its way in the mail. In the meantime I spent my Tuesday whacking up shirts, applying the interfacing and then cutting to size. By bedtime last night I had the sections spread out in my preliminary design.

I guess the true pictures of my WIP is what you see in the shot with the computer screen, LOL. My notepad scribbles are there to verify the cut sizes of each vertical row. I know the width and the length of the column but need to evenly space the sashing around the block and between them so that's where the calculator comes in handy. I have 3 of the 4 rows entered into EQ6 already. Naturally, things have been moved around since I laid them out last night. My design wall is the computer screen and the desk top at the moment. Once I am done I will tally up what sizes of sashing I need to cut so I can make more efficient use of my time once the fabric arrives.

If it doesn't come today, then I am thinking about cutting out another Take Along Tote and matching Wonder Wallet. Yeah, number 4 but I keep looking at two different pieces of yardages on the shelf and just might use the pink stuff. Make that a PIM (project in mind) rather than a WIP! I have friendship blocks to do for the FAB retreat but that would involve dragging out more varied fabrics, swapping out machines, etc---it can wait till I have all the guidelines in.

I'll close with a picture I took yesterday of that silly Skyler. DJ was doing the laundry and I think that this is his handkerchief drawer. He stayed in there and napped for almost 2 hours.

Today's silliness was brought on by a bleach bottle. DJ was filling a spray bottle with bleach water and some spilled on the kitchen counter in the process. Bleach smell to Skyler is like catnip to most cats. He goes bonkers and even will start attacking his own body. Catnip barely effects him. The towel that DJ had wiped his hands on? He attacked it. Sillier still? He was rolling around in the sink basin like a pig in mud. I don't get what there might be about bleach fumes that make him so whacky!

Well, back to the design process for me--------