at long last

I can finally put my Atkinson Designs Popsicle Sticks AKA PopStix quilt on the bed.  I think I had the top all finished at least a year ago.  The backing fabric hung in the closet for months till it broke the hanger, LOL.  Denise had it quilted by August 2013.  I had it bound in time for the Gadsden quilt show last fall but I wanted to keep it free of cat hair, dust, etc.  By that time it was fall and time for the fall themed quilts, not this spring/summer one.

I kept it bagged up in a pillowcase for Friendship Quilters show in early March knowing that one day spring might possible show up, LOL.  Off came the two quilts that have been on the bed with a lowered thermostat.  It has been staying up in the mid 70's the last couple nights and I have even had the ceiling fan on.  Cool, dark and quiet is the recipe for sleep after all.

Of course, you see who had to come hop on the bed as soon as the camera came out.  Actually it was an adventure to even get the newly laundered bedding on there as he wanted to play, roll around and attack me.  I practically had to drag him out from under the fitted sheet or he would still be in there!

You know it will probably turn colder again now that I have dialed back the covers.  We already have a cold front anyway as some rain came in.  This being the starts of tornado season there is always a concern that thunderstorms may morph into severe weather.  I guess there was tornadic activity in TX, maybe OK and AR too yesterday.  My step-DIL said her son had already had two tornado warnings at college, down near St. Louis.   I spotted about a quarter inch of rain in my gauge as we had some wind and rain about 8 or so.  Still cloudy and dampish with temps about 10-12 degrees lower than the past two days.

I started to swap out machines so I can quilt my hop project several hours ago but that is about as far as it got.  One is packed up and the other is waiting to be unpacked.  Other than marking the piece for quilting and pressing another component that is all that got done with it yesterday. Well, that was AFTER I got past the fact that I sprayed a whole section of batting with the rubberized stuff that I put on the back of my rulers to keep them from sliding rather than quilt basting spray.   That will teach me to look at the cans  more carefully in the future.  Just not my day, I guess.  Mostly, I was putting some apps on my phone.  I need a SIM card for one of them and don't think it has one.  A mystery for another day.

Here's hoping I can be a bit more productive this afternoon and now that the needed trim is here, get this puppy finished up.

glamour shot time

PopStix complete with kitty tester.  He was being particularly silly since he had been in the catnip shortly before, LOL.

The quilting showed up quite well without the overhead light on.  Denise did a great job in on it and the swirly quilting panto was a good choice with all these strips!

Now what do I want to do first?  Vacuum up the floors or go bake a cake for tomorrow?

PopStix comes home!

I have more to add to a post---after all, I had a sew-in and a birthday between posts---but I wanted to share my recently quilted Popsicle Sticks (PopStix) bed quilt. Pattern source:  Atkinson Designs.  I still need to bind it and that is on my "to-do" list, right after the hexie items are finished up for the next hop.  I jokingly told my pal Norma this morning that I may never see daylight with all that is ON that list.  I may post it just to keep myself accountable but trust me, my previous goals list needs to be tossed.  Blog hops happened and I have not done one thing on it!  Oh, I have gotten lots done, just not THAT stuff.  You may see what a sorry confession that is. Or to put a positive spin on things, maybe I should make a list of what I HAVE managed to get done instead or in addition to what was listed.

I took one of this from this angle hoping you could see how pretty the back is and what a great job Denise did with the quilting.  She is a friend from Friendship Quilters Guild who long arms.  I had taken it to the last meeting and she had it done in time for me to pick it up at the sew-in.  Not knowing which pantos she had,  I had said to use something like a big stipple or rounded since the top itself is all strips.  This bubble shape and the variegated thread was the perfect choice.  THX Denise!  I love the fabric too which I found for a good price at thousands of bolts.  Good thing too since I needed like 9-10 yards of it.  Habitat by Jay McCarroll for Free Spirit but it also says Westminster Fibers #JY 34 For the Birds.  There is probably enough left to bind the quilt and maybe make a couple pillow cases for my bed.

I must tell you, that I had to make the bed to even get to this point.  Skyler was NOT making it easy either.  A rousing round of "where's the kitty?" ensued with each layer.  I thought the coast was clear when I pulled out the quilt and the camera.

But, here is the quilt complete with kitty lump.  He had taken a tour of the bedroom clothes closet between bed making and my getting dressed.  I thought he might be done playing and settling in for a the morning into afternoon nap.  You think that they have built in radar when it comes to quilts??

Looks like I should have lightened up the pictures a bit before I posted it.  I'll be sure to do that when I take the final glamour shots instead.  Too late now!

From another angle.  Again I hope that the quilting shows up.  All my favorite colors.  But even better, the quilt does not feel like an army blanket with all the cuddle mashed out of it by over quilting.

I have some more sewing to do this afternoon as I near completion of one of my hexie hop projects.  I hope to pin it tomorrow at Bama Belles so that will push me to finish up sometimes this afternoon.  I'm close!

With that more immediate action plan in place, I best make it happen!  Tell you about the other stuff later.

finished to flimsy!

Oh come on!  You know I would get this done---and as planned since I just had 3 blocks and two long seams to go, LOL.  I just cannot get a decent picture of it----though the colors of the stuff hanging off the bed from the window angle is what it looks like in person.

This one looks more yellowed than it is---possibly from the overhead lights and the fact that it was 1945.  The width looks good and so does the length finishing at about 88 x 98 or something close to that.

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Woohoo!  The strips and fabrics are put away, temporarily anyway.  I had vacuumed the day before to get the worst of the mess up.  Materials gathered to start cutting on FWIS.  Off on another sewing adventure soon!

Jane, Aline and I are heading off to Pell City to drop off our QOV quilts in about an hour.  We may also be going on to Heart to Heart in Trussville from there BUT it will wholly depend on the weather.   Not raining now but some forecasts said the Isaac driven rain bands would hit Thursday through Monday.  It is overcast and who knows what it is doing 2 counties away?  Or will be doing in several hours.   Two of us get a birthday discount but I don't think I "need" anything but would go along with the others if they want to go.  I have begged off a couple times recently---like, going after the guild meeting and I need to get home.  Also Aline watches her great-granddaughter a good bit.  She may be needed at home if Pop has his hands too full of little Lily.

Besides I already ordered my quilt backing from Thousands of Bolts---Free Spirit Habitat on an aqua background.  Either by design or happenstance there are a lot of little (and some big) polka dots in this quilt so this is  perfect, not only colorwise but "theme".  The springboard was the Me and My Sisters "Amelia" so even the backgrounds have dots.  Not enough to call it  "lots and lots of dots and spots" like Pam called her version but they are there.  Once I get it the batting and backing prepped, I'll get on a long armer's list.

There are a few paperwork things I must deal with first but then full steam ahead on cutting the first little sampler blocks anyway.

Getting closer!

................and that is a statement that could be taken TWO ways.  My PopStix quilt top  is one row away from completion and Isaac is getting closer as well.

On the quilt front I had left off last night 2 blocks into row 5.  There are 5 blocks in all that mess of color plus that extra width of 3 rail sections, about where Skyler is laying.  I could join these two to the top half but why?  It is getting too big and heavy with my current machine table set up,  I'll wait till the final row is completed and then turn around like I do when I am quilting with a forward table.

I started sewing about 0730 and here it is noon!  I am in my nightgown still and kept thinking I'll get in the shower once I get one more block and/or section done.  Well, that did NOT happen obviously.  DJ started a load of wash---I am not competing with the washing machine for shower water.  The air was not on yet and that is always a consideration especially if I plan on drying my hair.    Who in their right mind wants to aim a hot blow dryer at their face or head when it is sticky 82 degrees in the house?   I kept pushing on, LOL.  Now it is time for lunch and I'll get the hygiene stuff dealt with once we eat.

As far as the approaching storm goes,  they are projecting that it maybe further west towards MS and LA.  That will mean  rain and possible tornadic activity for us in NE Central AL possibly. Hide and watch, I guess.  See what the weather is like tomorrow morning when I get up to decide if Belles is on or not.  We had planned to go out to Olive Garden for the summer birthdays.  I had promised to  pick one of the gals up on the way and help her out with some of that heat press batting stuff.  Bev has quilts to turn in too.  After all this machine sewing I think it might be an embroidery type day for me---take that day off.  My goal now is to get this top done by Wednesday.

Saturday check in

Been piddling with the PopStix top still---maybe by next Saturday I can report a finish to flimsy.  That is my goal anyway based on availability and the weather.  The weather dude is keeping a watchful eye on Isaac as it moves into the Gulf as some models have it headed right into Alabama.  Who knows if the power will even be on in a couple of days?

I only got 3 blocks made today but joined row 3 to rows 1 and 2.  Since there are 6 rows, I am officially half done plus two blocks.  17 blocks out of the 30 I need plus the expansion sections.   Probably too much information?  Just as long as I can keep track of what I am doing, I guess.  BTW the picture shows the width of the quilt, not the length.

I really did make my bed this morning but it is so much easier to look at these blocks if I get down the plain colored sheets, LOL.  I had to apologize for that stripped off look yesterday too.

Yesterday my friend Marilyn came by with a friend of hers to have me help her get some blocks laid out for some quilts she is making for ovarian cancer.  She had a two stacks of teal and white Twisted Sister blocks.  One she planned on sashing but had been struggling with the layout.  Since she had 4 blocks of 5 different prints I suggested perhaps laying them out across the top diagonally.  The other pile I suggested possibly putting them block to block as it sure makes it easier to quilt them in the ditch.  She also has a larger quilt in the works which I showed you  HERE.

But I digress---I do that a lot.  I have come to the conclusion that one should NOT make 15 pairs of the 5 strip sections of the blocks ahead of time.  I keep taking apart the blocks to use for the 3 strips or to substitute a color so I can keep them scattered.  The colors may be close tone but I don't want them being the same fabric.  Also I have been folding up the row(s) to isolate just a couple of blocks at a time so I can see what fabrics had been used.  There is so much going on with these things!  I don't mind if the same fabric is in a section on the block ahead if there is some separation or it is placed horizontally versus vertically.  OR I will use a different fabric that is near to the same color---that's okay.  I really cannot get a decent picture of this either.

Before I do any more piecing tomorrow I am going to straighten out this strip container.  I am loosing track of what is still in there from the jelly roll.

I have cut a few more strips to add to the mix.  I have already raided my meager 2 1/2 inch strip bin that has been through two quilt group sew-in's and up for grabs looking for little bits for the little triple rail sections.  Also I may need to cut some lights of something or toss in another green shade----some of my "birthday" fabrics would work.   Some are already in it, LOL.   I guess one good thing from my 2 1/2 inch strip bin being so low is that the leftovers from this project will have room, right?  None of it goes to waste.

And sew it goes-------------

a little forward motion

Well, I got a little bit of PopStix done on after my Saturday post----one complete row to be exact.  I still can't get it on the bed enough to get a good picture of it, LOL but it certainly will be long and wide enough for my needs!   Shown at left---the first half.  The 2nd half is below.

Really I probably should have just started diligently piecing 3 strips by whatever lengths.  I need enough of them, after all!  I had mentioned that I had enough to completely do two blocks so that is where I started.  Then I made a couple 3 strips by shorter lengths so I could complete the row by the time I

closed up shop.  I may continue on with this method though since so many of the colors repeat themselves and I was hoping to avoid having some colors in such close contact.  It may not matter one whit though in the scheme of things.  Guess I just like seeing rows, counting off rows rather than how many more of this size and loosing count all the time.  Most were done in pairs anyway since I was using fat quarters along with half a jelly roll strip---not entirely random.

Sunday found me with several none sewing "to-do's" on the list---like type up the minutes from guild, get groceries, cook two meals, etc, etc.  I managed to read the entire paper, played with Skyler, watched TV, chatted with some pals.  Other stuff---I'm allowed.

Yesterday morning started off with a search for a Sunbonnet Sue blocks.  (Local project---shhhh)   I was sure I had some loaded in my quilt files and pdfs.  Before you know it I am re-organizing sections of my files, backing up the changes, surfing for Sues online.  Read between the lines and you will see that I was adding MORE files and new folders to the thumb drive.

Since my block is supposed to represent "me" in some way---redwork?  foundation piece?  Applique?

I found this one the other day when I was looking for that F & P issue with the Album Cross article in it.  I found it in, get this, in a booklet called Modern Quilting circa the 70's and published by Leman Publishing of Quilters Newsletter Magazine and Quiltmaker fame.   My opinions on modern quilting are a rant for another day but someone is mistaken about so called modern and I think it is the "new bunch".   Jinny Beyer designed a Sue who looks like she has been dieting, LOL plus I never water or do outside work.  If it is ME, then it would have to be a chubby one.  Cute block though---and different.  I scanned it so I could re-size it to fit the parameters, just in case.  The resized one is printed off and tacked to the bulletin board for now.

Surfing led me to some cute embroidered sue pillow cases found  HERE on a blog called Lace 'n' Ribbon Roses.  Ohhhh, I like the kitty ones!!  Go figure.  I really like the one with her embroidering and the cat nibbling on the thread.  That is SO my house.  No pattern source listed though.  What to do?

Flash to this morning-----I have a whole notebook with redwork projects in it and also some Aunt Martha transfers. I have just 3 packets but I remembered that two of them were Sunbonnets. (the other is cats, LOL)  SCORE!!   I know the source and I own it-- Bonnie Bonnet 3920.  I scanned it as I don't want to attempt doing the transfer and also to re-size it in Irfanview for the space I am allowed.  (Sue embroidering)  I thought Jane might like the other one I printed off if she doesn't already have something planned for her contribution, that is.  I couldn't decide between the two at first.

Jane dropped her QOV off yesterday afternoon and I got the binding on for her to hand finish, as she requested.   That was the extent of sewing yesterday as I swapped out machines again.  She'll be back by to pick me up in about an hour.  Then we'll run by Marilyn's to get her and run up to Wilson's in Boaz.  (fabric discount place locally owned but the one in Boaz has better selection than the one in Oxford depending on what you are looking for)  Translation:  girls day out.  LOL, DJ had asked me on Sunday if I had any plans this week. At that point it was only "get my hair cut" and he was stuck with me all week.  That changed, obviously.

And sew it goes---though today's sewing may well be by hand.  Better get myself dressed or Jane will catch me in my jammies and not ready to go.

where did I leave off??

Way back in February of this year I started a Popsicle Sticks quilt with my FAB pals. It was Norma's choice of a pattern for us to help her celebrate her delayed bday party. I was fine with the choice as I love Terry Atkinson's Patterns.  Always tested thoroughly, the pressing directions make sense and so forth.  You know she was not just throwing a pattern out there without having thought it all out or making you rely totally on your own past sewing experiences to help you over any hurdle.  I don't necessarily need to be spoon fed but I appreciate when someone has made an effort and has eliminated any pitfalls before the pattern is released for mass consumption.

I had to set it aside----for one thing, QOVs intervened.   It is a guild project, I am an officer and I needed to do my part.  To be honest I made some more Button Ups or finished up some other small projects I had started.   Piles of quilting came along in June and July.  Well, if you follow my blog you know I have quilty things to do.  There are just not enough hours in the day to do it all.

So I am finally ready to get back to it---about 6 months later.  Where did I leave off with this?  How many blocks, if any, are done?  More likely how many sections are done and how many more do I need?  Found my road map.   Terry said for a twin/full I needed 5 x 6 blocks---16 inch finished blocks.  Well, the quilt is far too busy and I do not want to border it to make it a tad wider.   I had decided to add one more row of "half" blocks" to add another 6 inches to the width.  Generally the quilts that fit my bed best are about 86 to 88 wide with that pillow top mattress.

I still have plenty of fabric including a few more fat quarters and leftover yardage I stuck in the box.  For variety I will probably cut them a few strips from them too.

So I started spreading them out on the bed---and should have gone from the other edge if I hoped to get 5 across, LOL.   Turns out I have all the 5 strip sections done---15 pairs using the same fabrics.  I have only 20 of the 66 3 strips x the longest length I will need.   I also need 28 more 3 strips x shortest length done.   Actually the only reason I even have those two done was due to a mis-cut early on.  Where you see "holes" at the top  and elsewhere is where the smaller triple rail sections go. I COULD have two completed blocks if the sections were joined, in other words.

I think it will be a pretty quilt when completed.  It has all my favorite colors in it, after all.  Some of the fabrics will translate nicely into my Farmer's Wife Inspired Sampler (FWIS)  which is part of the reason why I want to move this forward---before I am too tempted to raid fabrics from this for that project.

And sew it goes------easy sewing really.  Just need to get to it.

What's next? need some motivation or an action plan

Well, I am still at the hand applique stitching but almost done.  That leads me to the "what's next?"  question.  One plan has me cutting the first 10 Farmers' Wife Sampler blocks out----they would ready for sewing when I am ready, even at a Bama Belles meeting.

2nd plan:  pin this one so I can quilt it up and actually display it in the coming month.  If it is done then I have binding to do at the quilt meeting.  If I am going to pin, then I would pin the ancient Country Thread inspired Row Robin piece as well though quilting it would go lower down on the stack.

3rd idea----tackle this stuff first.  That is not all of them as the mostly done one is on the pressing/cutting table.  Skyler is starting to use it for a nap spot the past few days and thinks it is "his" at this point.  I don't "feel" like quilting but seriously, when I examine my goals and motivations, when do I ever really feel like quilting??  It is a means to an end and piecing is my true love with embroidery right behind that.  That is why it has been relaxing to do the hand button hole on this button up.

This pile, as I have said before, is the first thing I see every morning.  It truly needs to be dealt with.  6 are my donation tops, 2 belong to other group members.  One I volunteered for and the other, I did not but it still needs to be completed for the kids.   Some would be a little faster finishes than others----let's be optimistic and say if I quilt some every day, I could be done in a week and half, maybe???  What good are they doing a child just sitting there?  Suck it up and just quilt the darned things. I was on a roll with them before I went back to Illinois in June, got side tracked and never got back on the rails.  Just do it, Linda.

If I am so much into what I "feel" like doing, if I could make anything I wanted to make?  I would finish up the Prairie Stroll top that I started at the sew-in----also something I could do at Bama Belles on Tuesday.  If I am into the throes of quilting, it would be a nice break for a day or so.  What else?  Finish up the Popsicle Sticks quilt top last seen in February HERE packed up for another day and  HERE as blocks in progress.  I think it is a going to be a nice bed sized quilt in my favorite colors and I want it on the bed eventually.   I also know that the leftovers in the container, some of them at least, will be going into the Farmers' Wife Sampler.  BUT I really cannot start taking fabrics out of there until I know, for sure, that they will not be needed in PopStix.  (It is a mix of stash and a Me and My Sister Amelia jelly roll that I got with my Christmas money last year and fabric I found on markdown sale at the quilt shop.  Some of the selections can be seen HERE ).  Any over-cuts can be used for some of the 6 inch blocks that  make up the FWS---not all of them but some of the fabrics should go with the Vintage Modern selections I have made.

Okay, have I kicked myself in the butt enough to make me want to get the ball rolling?  Maybe but I may need the nudge of quilting friends.  You have my permission to nag, LOL.  I do well with short term goals so I will say "just for today, I will finish THIS top and pin it.  Any time leftover?  Finish quilting the one I am almost done with and maybe start another".  There, was that so hard??  LOL.

Meanwhile, this one wants to play!  Anything to keep him from sleeping his day way on the kitchen chair pushed up under the table.  "His" chair pad got soooo badly covered with cat hair (dark forest green solid---bad choice of color!) that we recently tried an experiment.  I got one of the least cat haired cushions out of the storage room---mine since I don't use one.  That one is DJ's now, Skyler got DJ's and the two worst ones were sent thru the washer.  If this experiment did not work, then nothing lost.  If it did, we have some to fall back on when company comes.  Actually what cat hair remained seemed to brush right off and they don't look too bad.  Shed away, Skyler but I will snap you up for some window perch time.

And sew it goes------

Design Wall Monday

Seriously there is nothing much happening on that design wall.  Same blocks up there---some blank squares for quilt labeling purposes, a piece of bias binding for the Christmas Patience Corners.  We also have a block Aline gave me for Christmas along with the Oxmoor House components that I hoped would inspire me to keep going on that.  Odd kid quilt components but mostly I can't quite reach them, LOL.

A slump or just busy with other stuff?? Both actually.

On Thursday through Saturday this week Friendship Quilters is having a sew-in to work on our quilts for the Col. Robert L. Howard Veteran's Home being built in Pell City (AL).    The Popsicle Sticks stuff that I hoped to work on a bit over this past week just did NOT happen.   The guild met on Saturday and I did not feel well a few hours after I got home.  Yesterday, some cutting and grocery errands. You know how it goes. Life happens.   I put the stuff back in the container for now.  Not forever, just not now.

Now I have to make room for it to stay in my line of fire.
That also means the large blue tub of Christmas fabric is going back under the cutting/pressing table.  The stack of stuff on the left atop it is all related to the Oxmoor Quilt---back it goes too.

I also have 30's fabrics (by no means all I have) to the right and the smaller tote atop it is holding some newer acquired stuff from the donation bin that I have plans for.

I knocked the paper shredder over as I moving things around so I got to vacuum up the room along with some hairy base boards under the table.   Maybe that was a good thing, LOL?

Seismic shifting.

.........Out comes the patriotic fabrics etc from its hiding place.   Aline had given me the extra Land of Liberty panel she had to do something with.   The fabric manufacturer Marcus Brothers has a free pattern on their website for American Valor that I will use but it is not quite long enough when the suggested size is 60 x 90 for the beds at the veteran's home.  I'll do some tweaking in EQ to re-size it before I cut.

To prepare for the sew-in I cut the alternating squares and rectangles that go with the RWB 3-D bowties I had started at the last sew-in.  The kit next to it is one I cut out for Jane.  The guild was setting up kits of fabric for anyone that wanted one but it was not cut to size.  Apparently she is not as confident in her cutting skills as I am and said so.  It is a simple "potato chip" quilt or one that I knew as Rainy Day Satisfaction from ten  years back.  Whatever, LOL.    The other bag is the RWB row quilt some one donated that I need to sash/add more blocks to or adjust in some manner to get to the targeted size.  I have made 2 already and plan on 3 more--that's enough.  A more truthful statement would probably be that with pro bono sewing there is never enough. The needs are great and always present.

I had gotten my QOV Disappearing 4 patch back from the long arm quilter a month back.  The binding IS on it but I need to stick a label on it as well.  Margaret had done some up on an embroidery machine but she may not have been the one that quilted this.  I had thought about asking one of the Belles with an embroidery machine if she could help me out with that.  OR play with my Brother to see if I could figure out how to set up the lettering.  Just haven't had time to look at the manual and play.

I asked Jane if she would want to work on the binding at the sew-in rather than drag her machine with us.  She, more or less, jumped at that idea!  We were swapping services.  I cut, she binds.  We're both happy.  I'll hand off at Bama Belles' tomorrow.

The fellowship hall we normally use is needed by another group to set up for an event they have the following day.  The church secretary had given me a "heads up" before they okay'd this.  Rather than schedule an alternate event or location we are just meeting in one of the classrooms in the church.   Handwork day, more or less.  Some members cross stitch, others like me do redwork.  Some body wanted me to show them how to hand quilt  (Teresa maybe?) so I may take my Birdbrain Santa quilt instead of my  embroidery.  Makes no difference to me, LOL.

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On another front, DJ who is the primary loader and unloader of the dishwasher is not happy with our choice.  He hates the silverware holder in the door which HAD been a selling point and the bowls will not stay in an upright position which was driving him around the bend.   I told him to quit bellyaching and try to get used to the change in features.  I was thinking that we had made our choice and would have to live with it.  See how sympathetic I was, LOL?  After listening to 3 days of how we had made the wrong choice, I was fresh out of sympathy and tired of the complaining.  Today he calls Whirlpool and the CSR got to listen to it too.

Off shoot of all this, Lowe's will take this one back.  We had 30 days after the sale to get an exchange.  He asked me to go with him to talk to the sales person but frankly, I have not really had to load the new one except for a few items used in food prep.  He is the one who has the problems and loads the bulk of it.  I haven't even read the manual yet. Therefore he is the one who needs to be happy with his choice.  To that end, he took 4 different kinds of our bowls in question to try them in the models they have till he found one that fit the bill--another whirlpool with different features.   It will cost us 3 additional dollars and another installation fee with a credit coming down the line.   They have 2 business days to call and set up an installation time again.  Hopefully the same person can come back.

And sew it goes---I got a label to sew on, a car to load and some designing to do.

WIP Thursday

 It is going but very slow.

The designer Terry Atkinson lists sizes as:

• nap 48 x 64
• lap 64 x 80
• twin/full 80 x 96
• queen 96 x 112
• king 112 x 112

I want it to be more like 86 x 96 so made some adjustments to bump up the width by a "half block" and went with the length of the full rather than the width of the queen.  So I fiddled with it in EQ only to discover that moving the half block part around meant way more seam matching or a band of 8 strips,  Just add a column to one long edge and call it done!

So the sum total of my output is the 30 sections of squares I already had done.  I only have 20 of the 3 strips x 10.5 done, only 46 to go!  The small sections?  Only two and that was because of a mis-cut---34 more there!

I have been playing a bit in my recipe software making some major additions and changes in the past few days.  Lots of backing up required, etc along with reading discussion list notes, experimenting with some OCR software and such.  Time involvement things really and still part of organizing my files in a logical manner.

I may not have posted this here but we have had to replace our 15 year old Maytag dishwasher.  I had walked out there one morning recently to feed the cat and stepped in a puddle.  Oh oh!  We had gone to bed with the dishwasher running so where had it come from and what did the owner's manual say about it in the trouble shooting area?  Anyway, a change in dish washer preparation help along with some sanding and silicon grease but it was still spitting some water out.  We could see the hand writing on the wall.  It would need replacement.  DJ and I went several places to price them on Friday and purchased one at sale price, sales tax waived and a set installation price with pickup and haul way.   The fellow is here now with his helper wife installing it.  

We had hoped he would be here yesterday but that didn't happen.  That part of the story is only pertinent because I have a slight snafu with my car that will need some attention.  I say slight---who knows?   The right turn signal had blinking like a hazard light on steroids.  When I told DJ about it, him being the fleet manager and all, we went out to check to see what it was doing outside the car.  Not lighting up at all meaning that other drivers do not know what my intentions are in regards to a turn.   He had me turn on the headlamps to check the brake lights, etc.  Not sure what he said about those but he did tell me to take his car if I had errands to run until we could get it fixed.  Someone suggested that it might just be a bulb that needs replaced.  DJ will take it in tomorrow as he has to head that way for something else.  Save gas, combine your errands.  

The thing is---we just had that left tail light replaced due to the cracked lens.  There were parts leftover.  We can't help but wonder if there is a connection between the two events.    Guess we'll find out tomorrow!

Looks like they are all done and I need to go fix some lunch.  I got off easy yesterday as we didn't want to dirty up a bunch of dishes. I'll pay for THAT decision by having to cook two meals today.  What can I whip up somewhat quickly?   HMMMMM.

I'll close with this picture of some of the daffodils that are out.  The camellia is going nuts with blooms and so far no big frost though we have had a couple of colder nights that were close.   Isn't Mother Nature something?

This afternoon, back to sewing a bit and some recipe entry as well.  

PopStix progress--edited

 This what my cut piles looked like before I started sewing yesterday afternoon.  Nice, neat contained.  The stuff in the front is my jelly roll strips all separated out by their color groupings or style of the print.

Here is my output so far----32 of the 5 strips sections x 10.5 inches.  I need to make 10 more to be done with step A-B of the pattern.   I almost had to take this with a cat sitting among the blocks.   As it is, one of the strip sets is piled on the thread boxes near the light, LOL.

And here is the fabric strips after a day's sewing----what a mess!  I closed down shop for the night.  My back will thank me to do so.  Plus I need to unplug the machine anyway since we have some thunder/lightning moving in.  I am going to straighten this up and call it a night!  The only neat part of the pile right now is what remains of the Amelia jelly roll though I suspect some might still be hiding in that strip pile.    I did cut some more strips just to add a bit more color the mix or lighter strips for contrast.

I will pair up the next 5 sections I need while I am organizing the strips and get back to it tomorrow.  Think it is going to make a pretty quilt or a hot mess??

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Sorting by color

More sorting

Any bets on how long it stays this way after I make 84- 3 strips by 10.5 inch sections? 

Reveal date!

The FABs are celebrating Norma's bday today---at long last.  Her day fell around US Thanksgiving this past year and we just could not get everyone's schedules to coordinate.  Trust me, the emails and IM's were flying to decide that Saturday, Feb. 4th would work out for all concerned.

At left you see the Snow Days Button Up from Joined at the Hip that I made for her.  When I first offered to make her one, I told her to pick a couple that she liked.  She suggested November for her bday month and the December stockings one.  Well,  she and I made that "Charley Brown" Christmas tree so December was taken care of.  November, I could have done but with her party being pushed back so far I was afraid she would not get to use what I made till next fall.  Snow Days, it was.  Shown on my base though and my buttons were not aligned just right for display nor was I going to move them just to take a picture, LOL.

I am sure she will post about this and her other gifties on her blog in a few days time.  What a talented bunch of gals I am associated with.

As part of her Par-Tay plans we are sewing on Atkinson Designs' "Popsicle Sticks"  (PopStix, in FAB talk).  Well, 4 of us are.  Norma is working on a king sized version with fall colors.  Pam is making a queen sized with a lot of dotty fabric.  Pat is making a donation sized one using a jelly roll and some additions from her stash while I am aiming for somewhere between a full and a queen if possible.  She lists the full version as 80 wide which is too narrow for my bed while the 96 inch queen is too wide.  I am hoping to do a half row or something like that.  And should be sewing!!  I am getting closer to done on the step A-B part but stopped to post this.

I didn't forget about Cher though.  She elected not to start a new project but rather go back to another of our previous "par-tay" quilts and try to finish it up or make some forward progress.  I think she said she was doing the Line Art/Skinny Strips one that I had selected for my day.  It's all good, LOL!

I cut a few more light background strips just before I broke for lunch so best get back to it.  I still say these girls work a lot faster than I do even if the "speed demon"  title may not fit.