checking in

LOL, this post will not fit either the design wall Monday or WIP Weds protocols. I have been busy here in the sewing room since I last posted but just don't have a whole lot I can show you.

The base for the "In Seasons" Spring piece was sewn. Machine applique was done on the FAB birthday piece with the deadline coming up by month's end. February JATH QOM is stalled out for now. I may jump ahead to March and finish February up later since this month is half gone now. For now the January snow man is still hanging and I'm cool with that.

Saturday I spent a big part of the day cutting my way through a stuffed to the brim grocery bag of scraps for the Belles scrappy challenge. My bag(s) contained a stack of some yardage that I didn't want to slice down yet as there were some piecing possibilities for some of it so I attacked the true scrap stuff. You know the drill--whatever you can squeeze out of the piece.

It turned out to be: 3 inch squares for an existing project in the storage drawers, 2.5 inch squares and strips, 2 inch x 3.5 and 5 inch for other scrappy projects and 2 inch strips. I also cut 5 inch squares if I could get them out and "true" strings--1 1/2 and up strips. In the end I got the stuffed grocery bag cut and contained in a 13 x 7 x 4 shoe box styled container. At least I have a better idea of what I have to work with now and can proceed with a couple of ideas for it over time. Actually you can see a bit of one of those ideas in the picture below---hanging on the hook above my work space for inspiration, LOL.

Here is the aforementioned FAB piece ready to quilt. Batting was pieced and I managed to pin it here at home. I did not think I had enough 505 on hand to spray baste it but this worked out okay since the piece is long but narrow. I did the "honors" on it yesterday but a search for thread to match the binding will continue today. (It isn't green and it isn't blue so nothing I have on hand will really work---odd color!)

In between I did a little of the redwork cornerstones stitching on my long time Bird Brain Santa project. I think I have 7 of those itty bitty motifs done now---13 to go??

Sunday DJ awoke about 0515 to the furnace making some racket and then a hot, burning smell. The whole unit had be replaced almost 10 years exactly 10 years ago. To complaints about "what next?" and "why does stuff like this always happen on the weekend?" we shut it off. No way was there anyone who was going to come out on a Sunday but he made the call to the answering service anyway.

Thankfully the house remained fairly warm as the outside temps hit the high 50's. We did okay till Sunday early morning hours but in bed, under covers, it was fairly cozy. The guy from the heating/air conditioning firm came about 930 Monday. He replaced the burnt out starting capacitor and removed a small sponge that had managed to get into the blower wheel. We don't have a clue how that got in there as 1) we don't own any sponges like that 2) he never used one around the grate in the first place. Weird! Hey, maybe those ants that shorted out the a/c part of the unit a few years back drug it in with them??

We didn't do anything special for Valentine's Day. Our anniversary in late January is far more important to us and that is what we chose to celebrate. When we were still single, yeah, cards were exchanged, flowers given and special dinner out. We just did all that about two weeks ago!

Today's plan: thread hunt shopping run and hand finishing binding. Maybe some more of it after this project is done too. I really, really want that stack on the armoire dealt with, once and for all. Two quilts are waiting for binding finish---that twin/lap sized Christmas log cabin which I have at least started and my queen sized Daisy Chain. And if I don't want to bind or my fingers need a rest, there are two smaller tops to quilt and 7 blocks of a full sized one to finish quilting. I will be due a BIG reward project when all that is done! I will have the illusion of being caught up anyway, if only I don't think about the tops waiting to be pinned in my closet, LOL.

THX for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful day in whatever you chose to do--------