WIP Weds, wk. 39 (I think)

So what am I working on today?

Well, we have had a couple cooler nights lately and that means I will be needing long pants sooner than later.

I had purchased a couple pair of jeans shortly before shorts season arrived and was hoping that these things were going to shrink up a bit. Wrong! They are stone washed so have already been washed and treated and pounded on a rock. I hated how they fit in the waist and thighs and could not return them. I know I am a big girl but not all of me is big---and I don't need to look like I should be saddling up a horse with the width they give you in the thigh. SHEESH!

What did I really have to lose by attempting to alter them? But I couldn't quite reconcile it all with the waistband and tapering down the. I ended up taking the all apart and drawing a template off a pair of my old wrecked, beloved and had for 10 plus years pants. Cut them down to size and whipped most of it together yesterday but after a run to Walmart for some elastic, etc I am now trying to sew on the elastic like the previous pair had. I MAY have cut it down just a tad too much at the waist. Hard to tell. I don't have that much invested in this other than the money I spent for the baggie pants to begin with. I have not sewn clothing in I don't remember when!

The quilt group met yesterday. A few tops to pin, a lot of visiting, good group of us there. I did my pants cutting early before we needed the pinning table. A couple of the girls had some machine sewing stuff to do.

Here are a couple of the quilts that were turned in.

Lois' Hidden Stars---she has made several like this and each one turns out so pretty. Linda C was spotting her leftovers in a couple of these tops.


This one at left was one that Aline made from ballerina fabric she found in the donation box. I love the frames she came up with and the wonky placement of the blocks. She had this at the Gadsden quilt show last week and it won one of the ribbons in its category.

Aline also won a first place ribbon in the bed quilt category and best of show for the music themed "Just Can't Cut It' she had made for her son. Congrats to her!


The one here at right is another of Lois' tops. Neither of us could come up with the name of it off the top of our heads but I am sure that it is one that she spotted in Quiltmaker magazine---one of Bonnie Hunter's scrappy quilts featured in her column a few months back. I told Lois I would look and refresh my memory so I could log it into our quilt document for the year. It is a form of nine patch, obviously.

Okay I found it in my back issues. May/June 2010 #133 and she called it Carolina Chain. Beverly was remarking on how much she thought it looked like an Irish Chain so that fits. Notice the scrappy binding that adds to the scrappy look of the quilt too. Lois used 2 1/2 inch strips though for a larger block.

DJ is out mowing the yard as I write this. The sun is already down behind the tree line so it was a good thing we had an early supper--the days are getting shorter. Between the mower being in the shop and the lack of rain for about 45 days he has gotten off easy in that department lately. We got several inches this last week and the grass greened back up. It also blessedly, cooled things down to a more seasonable temperature and cool overnights. Perfect for a quilt on the bed! I didn't really look at the bushes and shrubs to see if they snapped out of the droopy state they were in but I know DJ was worried about the lilac bush in particular.

DJ also had to get permission from the cardiologist's office to mow in the first place since he had a procedure last week. 1-80% blocked artery. Some weight lifting restrictions remain in place and he is presently wearing a holter monitor for 24 hrs to help determine if further intervention is needed. He feels fine so I guess that is a good thing. Hopefully, the tests will prove it.

And so it goes around here-----I hope to get back to my super secret project soon. I made some good progress on it on Sunday but other things have intervened since then.

#11 of 12

Woohoo! Another of the Bird Brain santa blocks are completed as of a few minutes ago. No sewing the past few days but lots of stitching! Waiting at the hospital for 12 plus hours will do that.

I couldn't resist adding our names to the empty spot that was the "Nice" list. DJ said he wasn't so sure Skyler should be on there but I begged to differ, LOL.

DJ had a procedure on Wednesday. He is home now but things are not completely resolved. We should know more next week.

Tomorrow I'll get back to the "super secret project" but for today, #12 block, here I come!

done, done, done

Last bit of binding finished a few minutes ago. I had left off last evening with just one long side to go with the hand finishing.

The top was pieced by my friend Judy, quilted by Becky in Oxford (AL). It is intended to be a fund raiser for a group that Judy supports as an auxiliary member. Judy favors the blended quilt look. I happened to be with her at Tiny Stitches in Marietta when she bough the fabric she used around the outside edges----a Jackie Robinson print, as I recall.

Try as I might to keep him off of a quilt that does not belong to me, Skyler insisted on giving it a kitty stamp of approval.

So what do I do tomorrow? Maybe back to the super secret project or borders on my two little calendar quilt-lets. I'll decide once I get done with errands which trips my fancy more.

I finished just in time to go make some pizza dough for our supper---------thx for stopping by and I hope you have had a wonderful weekend.

two down, one to go!

woohoo! Strip Twist is finished up with days to spare. Looks pretty good if I do say so, LOL.

Of course, the little black and white quilt inspector had to give it his stamp of approval. So did DJ, apparently.

It is still pretty warm and muggy around here and no quilt is needed at this point---not when we still need ceiling fans at night. He can have it back after the quilt show.

That leaves the raffle quilt and I already have most of one short side done. Hopefully, this is all finished up by Monday at the latest.

one down, two to go

Wooohoo! The hand finishing is done on one of the three large bed quilts that I have to bind. Betsy came by the quilt meeting with entry forms for the Gadsden quilt show scheduled for Sept. 24-25. I said that I would have two entries but would have to get those fingers flying to get them done in time. Lois, bless her, offered to help if I need her to. Now that is a friend! Counting the sleeve stitching I tallied up 400 inches of hand stitching. By the time I am done with all 3 quilts my fingers and wrists will be calling "uncle!"

Fortunately, the raffle quilt Judy asked me to bind is not needed till the end of the month. I had done most of the top edge of it at the meeting but realized that I needed to set it aside to concentrate on the two for the show. DJ is shaking his head and wondering how I get into these deadline projects---"you are treating it like a job" and "isn't this your hobby?" Sometimes a deadline is what it takes to make me finish this part of the process. A couple years back, it was binding on my Cheese and Crackers, shown in this post (along with the scrappy bargello that I also entered at that time.)

Did you see who had to pose on the quilt as soon as I laid out on my bed? Skyler had been hiding UNDER the quilt while I finished the last 36 inches or so and sure wanted to stay on there. Judging from his attack behavior, I know he thought it was time for a round of "where's the kitty?"

Here is how much he was helping me when I was attempting to fold the quilt. Plop, right back in the middle of the quilt. By that time he was getting a little more feisty about my making him move. You can also see the leftover block which I made with Allison's initials. I pieced it the middle of the quilt backing where it will serve as the label once I mark the information on it.

I DO have some quilt pictures to share with you from the meeting but that will wait a few days.
Meanwhile I will happy dance a bit that I have one finish, anyway!

Tomorrow, the strip twist, 88x 95 on that one.

0kay, one picture

I had to laugh when one of my readers commented "not even a kitty picture" on my last (pictureless) post. So here you go, Jane.

This was taken a few months back but it could have been just yesterday. Skyler has developed a re-attraction to the highest spot in the house. DJ worries that he will fall asleep up there and forget the narrowness of the ledge. I worry more that he goes flying up there in manic kitty mode and is not a bit careful about getting up......or down..... at warp speed.

DJ also has visions of his predecessor Pippi throwing her ACL somehow by doing silly cat things and the pricey surgery that followed. That was a little unusual for a cat, we were told and expected more in small dogs.

But we love our wild boy anyway

no pictures, no posts

No, I did not fall off the face of the earth though you that have gotten used to seeing a Weds. post may think so.

Just working on a "super secret project" that I cannot show you. It encompasses some pieced, appliqued and embroidery elements so I am having fun with it. Today some more embroidery but come Monday, I will have to set it aside. I am guessing for about 10 days or so.

I was asked to bind a queen sized quilt that will be raffled as a fund raiser for a local concern for pay. I will do it for Judy even if binding is NOT my fav part of the process. I also picked up my niece's quilt from the long arm quilter a few days ago so that needs bound as well----at least that pile of binding is seamed if not pressed. Plus now that fall is approaching, that fall colored Strip Twist I did last year---last seen in THIS POST---is supposed to go on DJ's bed so I can have my "World Series" quilt back.

The World Series quilt? It is a Trip Around The World (or Boston Commons?) quilt my mom made when she made a quilt for each of us kids. You can see a bit of it HERE. No one got their quilt till she had all 6 of them done. Originally she meant this one to go to my youngest brother. It has a lot of red and blue in it and that was the year that our St. Louis Cardinals played the KC Royals in the 1985 World Series, red and white being the Cardinals color and royal blue and white, KC's. DJ and I got to go to game 4 of that series so I said I should have that quilt---and Phil got something else.

Now mind you, DJ has his own quilt that I made (with lots of help from my mom) but it is big and heavy that he doesn't like to use it. Anyway, I let him use my quilt and it is just right if you turn a full sized quilt the "wrong" direction for a queen sized bed. It is also just right in the weight of the quilt---not too heavy and not too light for fall and winter use. Skyler likes it too, LOL.

So, embroidery it is for today----stay tuned for future completions. Maybe the Belles will have something for me to share with you since we meet on Tuesday.

THX for stopping by. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend-----------

ask and you shall receive.............

Last week a casual conversation with my pals Pat and Norma led me to dig out this "I -Spy" quilt I started years ago to show them--circa 2001 or so would be my best guess.

It is from Ami Simms' Picture Play Quilts, the Hugs and Kisses variation. I don't know how much you can tell from the picture but the black hot wheel fabric forms a 3-dimensional knot when the rows of fabrics are joined. From the back it all looks like plain squares. Reminds a bit of making a more complicated 3-D bowtie block.

Now, all I said in our conversation was I would take a piece of teletubbies fabric that Pat had come across while she was looking for an elusive item. Well, she met and exceeded that one piece, LOL! Glad to help stash bust, Pat.

Today, a packet arrived. While I don't think I saw teletubbies, this is a nice haul, I'm telling you! If you click on her name above, you can read her account of this "transaction" and see a few of the fabrics she had included.

Looks like I better dig out the book and refresh my memories on just how this top is assembled. I'm thinking that I am about half done with it at this point? There are about 12 other designs in the book that would also be kid friendly and good choices for the squares Pat shared even sticking with a more limited theme. Take a peek at her gallery pages for some pictures of finished tops/quilts HERE . Who knows? Maybe mine will be on there someday, LOL.

This morning I got sidetracked a bit straightening out these two bins. I was pulling some fabrics for a fun but secret project I have in mind. One of those that I may have to make for ME, too because I like it so much? Know what I mean? Not like I don't have enough fabric, for pete's sake!

I don't think I stuck things back in there like I found it because once I finished up I found a stack that should have gone in one or the other of them. Fun to be "playing" in some bright and happy fabrics! I still have some fabrics to pull and cutting to do but then some foundation piecing for said project soon.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend-------

WIP Weds, wk #35

A bit of stitching finished up last night--------

To the left is the untrimmed and un-bordered August and September blocks from Calendar Quilts and Stitcheries.

I was going to do fusible applique on that August block but changed my mind---obviously. I had scraps of WOW in the basket from Allison's t-shirt quilt and dug around in my stash till I found the "right" shade of yellow for the lemonade in the glass. Once seamed, the piece was easy to back with freezer paper to turn the edges. I appliqued it down in a traditional manner for a "zap" of color. There will be a lemon slice button sewn to the top of the glass. Both blocks get a running stitch border as well.

The schoolhouse block will also have buttons added once the quilt-let is layered to help anchor the layers. It calls for a small "Liberty" type bell to be added to the schoolhouse cupola and another small button on the door for a knob.

So, out comes Santa #11 again for a few stitches here and there. It all adds up over time.




My real inclination is to go ahead and work on the borders on the stitcheries especially so I could hang the September one sometime this month! July with the firecrackers is still up there---whatever!

BUT, my frienid Marilyn asked me to help her top stitch some of her business items for pay. She does American Girl doll items but also does these cute hanging towels. Some are double sided to hang over your stove handle and look like a little pinafore at the top. The ones in this pile are single sided and just fasten over the drawer pulls. I'll do my thing and then she will add the finishing touches. I need to at least get started on these rather than "play". I had done a dozen last week so at least this time I have the thread colors pulled and bobbins wound---should save some time in that regard.

Walking totals for the month of August:
Well, down a bit at 143 miles. Total since I began counting: 631 miles.

Some health issues surfaced which kept me home a few days and some weather related deterrents as well but this year I haven't allowed them to derail me totally. I am still getting in 5 days out of the week with my new action plan though still at 2.25 miles/8 laps. As long as my back and knees are not squawking at me with this schedule I am not likely to want to tempt fate. Some cooler mornings have been a blessing this past week, a glimmer of the approaching fall. Now, if the humidity would drop a bit, I would be even more blessed, LOL. Also I had backed up the alarm clock rising time by 15 minutes but could actually move it back still further as the sun isn't up over the tree line till much closer to 7 these days.

And so it goes--------time to feed the boys! Sew after lunch..............