Waning days of July

Won't be long and this month will be gone.  I guess since I was traveling/on vacation for about 10 days the month has seemed to fly by when I wasn't looking.  As usual I was trying to think what I have been up to since I last posted.

I got the binding on my two Prairie fabric quilts--just the machine part though I did trim both quilts and press back the binding at the evening group.  We met on Thursday evening as the church had an event planned and that always takes precedence when the fellowship hall is needed.  I never did get any handwork done but part of that was because I needed to run home for a few things the girls needed.  Aline wanted a print out for Prairie Sticks.  Since I had used two Jolly Bars, the pattern was included in both.  I had promised Margarita a couple of my extra Frixion pens as I had ordered a box of them at one point.   I only live about a mile and a half away from there so no biggie!

Mostly though, Stacy was wanting to make a Chevron quilt for her niece.  Donna had done one using the Missouri Star methodology in blues and white.  While it was pretty, Donna was a little discouraged by the bias edges that method produced and the three of us were mulling over alternative ways to accomplish this.  Half square triangles was one way---I said if she wanted to do it that way she better let me bring her some 4 inch finished triangles on a roll.  That's what I primarily ran home for BUT I grabbed Chevron top that I made for Lily to show her another way that took NO triangles.  I had directions printed off of two different tutorials including one from Happy Zombie with large pieces.  Not trying to cloud the issue for Stacy who is really still learning to quilt but show her there was perhaps a simpler way.    2 rail Super Zig--scroll down to print/download the pdf file.  Stacy said "I want the zig zags to go the other way".  I said that she should turn the paper the other way for the picture especially since she wanted to make a queen sized quilt.  The length given would be wide enough for the queen size and just double it for length.  OR I would draw it up in EQ for her later if she decided to go that route.

On Friday Aline, Jane and I were off to Trussville to the Heart of Dixie Quilt Show.  Jane's husband had offered to take us over.  Unfortunately I had one of those wakeful nights and in desperation medicated with some Benadryl.  Yes, they are saying it might cause dementia but then I didn't give a rip.  I needed to get some sleep.  Well, between the meds kicking in and the sleep mask the next thing I knew it was 0905.  I was supposed to be in Alexandria, about 15 minutes away at 0915.  If Skyler had not been meowing at me from behind the closed door, I might have slept even later!  I put a call into Jane and Hugh knowing they had probably already left the house and quickly pulled on some clothes, fed and watered the critters, grabbed some water and a cereal bar etc.  If they didn't mind waiting about 15 minutes, I would be there or they could go on without me.  They waited.

The show was small but nice.  Our friend Jill who we knew from the Pell City guild had quite a few quilts in the show  I ran off without my camera and tried to take a few with my phone but being too lazy to upload them to the computer right now.   Maybe later.   Jill had a nice bargello quilt that did take Viewer's Choice and had Judges honors as well.  We saw several of our friends from the Pell City group when we arrived as well as a group of 4 from the Jacksonville group.  We went on to Cracker Barrel for lunch.

Saturday Miss Kathryn invited me over for birthday cake and then on to lunch.  It was Paul's birthday and he chose a nearby Mexican restaurant for our late lunch/early supper.  We all went home with leftovers for the next day though fish tacos don't quite re-heat the same, LOL.  I had some tortillas on hand though.

Bama Belles had a Sew Day planned for Tuesday so I was trying decide what block for sure.  Okay, that re-sized version of Four Patch Pinwheel looked like the best bet.  Between that and what to fix for the potluck it was good to finally arrive at a plan.  Initially I was going to do a version of Tex-Mex sheetcake but someone else had said she planned on coming and would bring dessert.  I did Carrot-Craisin salad and Creamy Cucumber Salad instead.  Not without mishap though.  I did the Carrot Salad dressing first in the blender and then rinsed it all out since the cuke salad took something more savory.  Not once, but twice, I had the milk and vinegar mix running out of the blender.  The first time I thought I had not tightened the base enough.  The 2nd time I realized that the rubber ring had dropped off somewhere.  I poured it all in a bowl thinking I would just use the hand mixer but then spotted that the ring had fallen off into the dishwasher.  I had visions of having to track another one down from Hamilton Beach Wave Action to the point of looking for the model number for next time.  Still might not be a bad idea to have one in reserve.   That mess made for an unplanned load of laundry too.  (The only other cooking I seemed to have done this week is roasting some turkey tenderloins and chunking it up for salads this week.  Too blamed hot to have much appetite for anything but lighter fare and re-heating leftovers.  Does a small bread bowl pizza count as cooking?)

I also cut a couple quilts worth of background rectangles!!   Right after I finally put the sewing room quilting set up away, that is.  Only sat that way since Thursday.  You never know, I might have decided to work on binding on that setup.  (Naw!)

This first photo is Aline's Ribbon Candy quilt she was turning in.  That was the block from our last sew day.  I spotted another top of it in the closet that needs to be pinned but yesterday was all about sewing, not pinning!!  Next time it will probably come home with me to add to the stack.

Here is the block output.  37 blocks and 8 of us were piecing.  Beverly has some health concerns that make sewing away from home a challenge but she came for a bit to visit and do some hand work.  Fun day!  Good food, good times with my buddies doing something we love doing and doing so for others.

One of the piecers was Brenda's granddaughter Kallie who I think is 9 or so.  How old are you in 4th grade as that what year she and her twin brother will be going into.   Brenda took a picture of her with the 6 blocks they teamed up to make.   Later Brenda texted me to say that Kallie told her on the way home that "days like today are what memories are made of"  Sweet!

Looking at the blocks from the other end of the two tables.  Anymore and I would have started pinning them on the table drape!  Pretty, huh?  If I make three more blocks, then I have enough to make two quilts of 12 in horizontal sets with sashing and two quilts with the blocks on point.

This week has also been the week that I had to have some of those tests I had postponed in order to leave when I wanted to on my trip.  Monday was the dexa-scan that you do bi-annually.  Today, my annual mammogram and some followup tests to see just where that thyroid function is and adjust my meds if need  be.  I've been busy though.   I'm beat!

 I had decided that I was going to ditch the pink Priscilla curtains in the bedroom in favor of some room darkening curtains but that meant the dust ruffle that matched needed to go as well.  The stuff I had ordered came in a couple days ago but today was the first day I had time to work on it.  Though I had purchased a cafe rod I thought I might use, in the end I took it back as I thought it would jut out too far from the wall and the curtain would not wrap around the side as I had hoped.  I found one Eclipse Room Darkening Wrap Rod that I liked on my 2nd trip of the day to Walmart.  I was going to have to use some wall anchors to mount it though.  Remembering the last attempt I made to use molly bolts on something and then losing it in the wall with a large hole I still need to patch, I ran over to the neighbor's to ask Robert for sure how to do this. Drill, pop the plastic piece in the wall and then screw it it, right?  He got the right sized drill bit, handed me his portable drill and said to go for it.  It is up BUT with only one panel.  I didn't read the small print apparently and only got one panel!  I thought curtains (with an s, plural) meant there would be two panels,  not one.  It at least will cover the window till the 2nd one arrives.  I may replace the mini blinds

I laundered the sheets, old dust ruffle and curtains and had to deal with Skyler.  He would NOT get off the mattress pad.  I tucked the last corner down and let him realize that he needed to move out of there.  I was not playing with him and my attempts to remove him where met with biting on his part.  When he realized he could not get out, he started meowing.  Mean Mama maybe but he was being such a pill!  He got the picture and left before I started with the top sheet and quilt.   I laundered all Oscar's bed/ crate stuff/toys which smelled too much of dog to the point that I replaced the bed pad completely.  He had torn a whole in the foam pad cover I had made anyway so it needed to be swapped out.  He is actually willingly going in his crate today.  Hope that works come bed time!

I vacuumed the whole house including the drilling mess I made putting the curtain rod up.  Oscar was barking at the vacuum again as I could not find him when I started to have him go outside for a bit.  I could not get the filter and cup thing to line up properly at first and a piece fell off of somewhere---still don't know where from---but it didn't affect what I needed to do apparently.  I may go look at the floor model at the store to see what it might be next trip to the store.  The grocery list is mounting so I'm bound to be going back in the next couple days for that.

It has looked like rain a good bit today but so far only sprinkles when Oscar and I walked after supper.  A couple days ago we had a thunderstorm come roaring in and had 2.5 inches.  The yard is green again but some weird kind of grass that took over when the old dried up brown patches filled in.  I told Robert it looked like he had been bailing hay or something when he mowed on Monday.  I don't know if the drought situation has reversed itself or not but I do know it has not been a good year for tomatoes around here.

AND one final item, Baby Emily arrived yesterday morning!  When I told you about seeing Kristine and Lily on the 14th for lunch and relating things about my trip to Illinois, I had said that Lily's sister would be here sometime in the next two weeks or so.  It was the 26th.   Here is my sister Diane with her newest grand!   She also has a grandson on the way, due sometime late next month, going from two grands to four this year. Consensus is that she has a lot of soft hair like Daddy's side of the family and toes like a family trait.  Emily weighed in at 8 lbs. 6 oz and 20 inches long.

I am not making any plans for tomorrow but certainly hope I sleep better tonight than I did last night.  None of the three of us were sleeping well---not Skyler, Oscar or me.  I tried both beds, with and without the cat.  When I got in my own bed and closed the door, Skyler just meowed and pawed at the door.  We tried the other room---no dice.  Let's do better tonight, boys!