Thursday check-in

When I left off on New Year's Day, I talked about the old quilt list adage about what you do on NYD, you will do all year long.  I am striving for a balance in the aspects of my creative life so I did a little bit of everything.

So I knit----and did a little bit on hat number #2 out of this Mexicana yarn.

I finished all but the gathering yesterday on a run over to Springville with Aline and Jane to deliver a couple quilts to one of the gals from Friendship Quilters that does long arm quilting.  It looked like I had a bit more yarn leftover than usual (change in the needle size) so I started hat #3 casting on as we were about home.  I posed the question on FB about  how far I might get that ball I rolled up.  A pal offered to send me some of her leftover yarn the same color if I didn't have enough to finish the job.  But it's done too, LOL.  Started another more girlie looking one.

Tuesday also found me putting a few more stitches in "Witches Hooray" from Bird Brain Designs.  This is supposed to be a table runner but I am going to use it in my Halloween row quilt. 

Then I pulled out the hand quilting----this design is also from Bird Brain Designs called "Here Comes Santa".  I love hand quilting and I don't know why I don't make more of a point to do it especially since I would love this to be hung above my bed next Christmas.  It would make a nice quilt show entry as well.  My plan is to hand quilt on Sunday afternoons-----then I will be able to put a little time in towards getting this done and have a more laid back day.  Maybe work on my embroidery on Saturdays.  Unless I am on some sort of deadline or push on a sewing project I think I can make that happen.

Next up was a few blocks of the re-sized Patience Corner blocks that I am going to use for Allison's tree skirt.  I KNOW for sure now that I am on the right track and she saw the pic I posted on facebook---and loves it.  That blend of traditional and non-traditional holiday colors will be fine. 

Finally I got another block of the Criss Cross quilt foundation pieced.   That one with the red half square triangles in the middle and started sashing some of the blocks.  Today I got the top row joined and that lonely block in the 2nd row.   I was trying to get a picture taken so I can post it to the Wrap Them yahoo group or point them over here.  BUT look who had to come in and see what was going on!  When I pulled out the camera he was sitting in the upper left corner but then decided to try crawling under it.  The colors are way off---that brown is more a milk chocolate color and the greens are brighter. 

So here is the official shot once he decided he was tired of that, LOL.   I am going to foundation piece and sash two more blocks to get this to the half done point and then put it up and get back to the Christmas tree skirt(s).  I can work on this at the Belles' meeting next week if I want to haul my machine.   Ignore the filthy floor!  You know what a mess it is pulling paper when you foundation piece even though the newsprint sheets from Dick Blick come out pretty easily.  ( Get it by the ream, 8 1/2 x 11 sheets that I can put through the printer and use my EQ project files.)

And sew it goes----just like that it is time to go fix supper. 

this and that on a Sunday

 For all of you who think I get "so much done"  I slowed down a lot in the last two weeks time.  Actually stopped would probably be a more apt description.

The sum total of my output for that time frame has been as follows----

• Binding cut, seamed, pressed and applied to a 60 x 90 ish QOV for the veterans home.  See THIS  post

• Binding pressed for February----see the same post

• 2-55 x 72 ish batts pieced from batting scraps.  See THIS post

• a minute amount of embroidery on my basket block.

• Those 4- 3 inch finished courthouse steps blocks you see on the design wall.  That was yesterday's project.   Wish I had made the center a darker color but it is too late now!  Not much of stashbuster with those itty bitty strips, LOL.

The flying geese and pine tree block you see on the design wall are some sections that I managed to get done a long time back.  Unfortunately the geese will no longer work in the spot I made them for and will be re-done---possibly today.  Possibly not as I want to try a suggestion I had received about quilting my redwork Santa quilt.  OR I may use the machine to anchor down the February hearts in some manner so I can pin it Tuesday, seeing as I have the right machine out for that. 

If you wanted to count all the time I spent designing on the Christmas quilt plus printing and re-organizing the notebook for the patterns and printouts, then yeah, maybe I did get a little bit more done.  My view is that I spent a whole lot of time thinking about sewing and planning to sew but  not much actual sewing,  hands on time.

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My pal Norma were talking this weekend and as we often do, start sharing websites we have seen.   We can and do lead each other astray----and do it often!  But I love bouncing ideas off of her.  When you are slumpy and not really motivated, it helps get that creativity going again.

Turns out The Quilt Patch shop that she had visited in Moose Jaw, SK will be coming to her area to do a trunk show soon.  She loved the shop in person and they had some patterns she had not seen in other places.  She linked me to their kit page.  I asked her which one appealed to her most.   She replied Happy Trails with the strip pieced sections but added applique interest---the flower stems are made from rick rack for a whimsical touch. She is right---it is CUTE!

Norma felt that they were probably going to focus on promoting their new book Urban Country Quilts which had been released by Martingale Press this past fall.  I commented on the cover quilt called Market Fresh wondering whether it was made in the manner similar to a circle quilt I had started as a donation quilt way back in 2001 or so.  Possibly but maybe not as she said they were doing a workshop on it and the melons were appliqued in some manner.  What I was describing sounded like something she had done called "bread and butter plate"  as you actually used a plate for the template--about 7 inches in diameter.  

HMMMMM  Sounds similar to me what I have tucked in the project box.  I told her I would pull out so she could see it.  I don't know if mine really has a name for this technique.  Mine is the Orange Peel set versus a Rob Peter to Pay Paul, two color deal.  I did use a Quilter's Rule International Sew and Fold Circled Patchwork template set to cut the 8 inch circles.  There are three sizes nested for 4, 6, and 8 inch circles which I cut from a bunch of birthday fabric exchange squares.  This was all destined to one day be a WTIL donation quilt that would not need any batting.  Easy to get it this far, LOL.  The circles are all faced by fabric, a small slit made and the pieces turned.    I counted up what was in the box----You see 2 rows of 4 that are not joined, 14 circles are turned and 38 need to be turned plus a few more cut white squares and a few odd fats that I must have planned to include.  Will I ever finish it?   I don't know but turning those circles would be an easy, front of the TV project.    Having said that, there are 8 other project boxes stacked up in there that I would more likely to do first, including a masculine looking Hopscotch quilt designed by one of my fav designers Terry Atkinson.

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RE:   hand quilting on my redwork Santa.  Caron from Celebrate Hand Quilting and MIquilts had commented on one of my recent blog posts.  Since she hand quilts, beautifully I might add, I posed a question about how one might address quilting on a redwork quilt.   I am cross hatching it but do I go straight on thru, like I marked it initially?  Or is it best to go around the design elements?  I may not be the only one wondering about this!  Caron posted it to her group HERE and you may be interested in the replies.  Still no clear cut answer----always two sides to any question, right?  I feel I am on the right track and decide as I work on the blocks.  Is the Santa poufing up too much with the absence of anchoring stitches?   I can certainly go back and quilt around some of the larger design elements.  The beauty of hand quilting means you can go back and add more!  Thanks, Caron!

And one last picture-------look at what is up in our yard!  Ironically, I had just commented on Facebook to a pal in Maine about crocuses and spring coming soon.  DJ came in soon after and told me to get my camera--the yellow ones are up.  Nearby I think I saw the starts of the daffodil stems coming up as well.   It seems too early for this.  Mid February maybe but not late January.   I know winter is not done yet.   PSSST tell that to that weird budding out camellia bush----frost is going to get you!

 Now that I have this post completed do I sew or hunt for my missing set of car keys?????   Have a good day in whatever you have chosen to do and thanks for stopping by.

a little progress?

In the past days I have gotten a little bit more done in several areas.

I almost have 4 blocks completely hand quilted on the Bird Brain Santa. I am still looking for a cable idea for the sashing and have a few on order that MIGHT work. I think it needs something more than in the ditch. I did check in my inventory at home and have one that may be more in keeping with what I am visualizing though. I have NOT looked in any of my quilting motif books yet either.



Next we have most of the flower stems hand appliqued down on this project---the one on the extreme left is only partially stitched. Note: this is April's quilt of the month of the Joined at the Hip Button Up. I am so far behind since I elected to go with hand work. Oh well, that is why the" Welcome" one is done and hanging. I am considering jumping ahead to July since I so far behind and catch finish this up more at my leisure. Actually if you leave off the July wording, this one would work for any of the patriotic US holidays. HMMMM

I am also thinking that I should pull the stuff for the "In Seasons" Summer wall hanging. DJ even was commenting on the fact that the one hanging says "Spring" but it sure feels like Summer is here with a vengeance. Not by the calendar of course but tell that to the jet stream, LOL. I am drawn more to THAT than what I was working on yesterday though. Maybe it will get me out of my doldrums a bit?? I can hope.


This was what I was piddling with yesterday but did not get too far. I am using the Puss in the Corner method from Billie Lauder's Quick Quilt Tricks book #2 for this. This is not what she calls it, however; "Four = Nine Uneven Nine Patch " is its name in the book. Anyway, you start with a big 4 patch to make the finished block. This is part of my scrap bag challenge for the quilt group. One of many kits and a few started projects in that area.

I was going to cut some 6 1/2 inch blue blocks and try the disappearing 4 patch blocks that my pal Pat had featured on her blog but have not done it yet. I was thinking that they might work for a veteran's home quilt. Just two colors like hers shown HERE --classic look, don't you think? So striking in the green fabric she chose making me wonder why they all insist on RWB or service related colors. Shades of blue might work for the Air Force folks though. HMMM again.

I took this bit of embroidery with me on my trip last month but barely touched it. It was a fast trip and I really did not have a lot of time to just sit and stitch plus we were sharing driving duties in order to get up there and back in one day. It is the Button basket block from Bee Tree Designs. Scroll back to previous post to find the link from the Flickr page if you want it. (Being lazy, LOL) There is a ton of stitching on this thing and I think the next one, honey and biscuits, is a similar situation! But I am liking how the green floss looks. This will be my meeting project. I have quilt guild coming up this Saturday and a Belle's gathering on Tuesday.



And here is the other thing I have been doing---reading. Some days, it is all I can do to look at the local newspaper but I enjoy reading. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we used to head up to the town library almost daily in the sumer to check out some books, read them and head back to get another stack. Some of these, my mom just sent back with me and a couple I had on my shelves. I finished up the Kristin Hannah book last evening and started on 3 Nights in August right after that. The next thing I knew it was almost midnight and Skyler has been waking me up around 5:30 in the morning. Short nights!

Normally I prefer fictional works but this book written by Buzz Bissinger, the same guy who wrote Friday Night Lights is an interesting account of Tony LaRussa and managing the St. Louis Cardinals. Since I often wonder why they make the moves they do in the course of the game, it ia enlightening. Actually I remember the 3 games the title refers to--classic Cubs/Cardinal series played in STL. Since it was written back in 2005 and the events took place in August of 2003, you see the turnover in position players and pitchers. I would have to visit the MLB site to even know if some of these guys are still in baseball or when others began their time with the team. Chris Carpenter and Albert Pujols might be the only holdovers that spring to mind.

And so it goes----not getting much done but doing what I want to do even if I still feel like I am in a slump. Hope you are having a good day and thanks for stopping by

WIP Weds

If I live to be a 100, I will never get these silly photos to load in the order I want------grrr.

Skyler in his favorite spot lately---watching the birds from the bedroom perch. He is so near but yet so far from their nest in the holly bush. The problem is that he almost insists on having the blind and/or the window open as soon as it is light so he can start his patrol. It has made for some early, early mornings lately.





I finally got the giftie quilted on Monday. Not an easy process because neither of my quilting machines seemed to be doing a very hot job of it. It is a gift after all and I want it to be special instead of adequately holding the layers together. SIGH. I am working on the binding now. Obviously can't show you yet.

Just to have a quilt related picture, I took my hand quilting to the meeting yesterday. The binding is dark fabrics, dark thread and I needed far better light than I had available to me at the church. So hand work it was though I debated about this or the basket blocks right up till the last minute. One block of the 12 is done and most of the the one you see hooped up in this earlier shot. Maybe I stand half a shot of getting this one done by Christmas! One of the Belles asked if I was planning on quilting something more in the sashing area, other than the SID I had already done. I wasn't necessarily but may see if I have a nice cable that would fit there. I have a bunch of quilt stencils in my sewing room closet and if you don't use them now, then when?

We had a good time at the meeting. Some of the girls could not stay long for various reasons but it is always good to catch up with each other. In this case a lot had happened since we last met. We met on the 26th and the EF4 tornado for one thing and whatever they termed the morning storm---straight line winds or tornado in roughly the same area came the very next day on the 27th. Some of the girls have been busy helping with the Salvation Army tornado relief efforts. The old Fort McClellan commissary has been set as the distribution point--good plan since it is centrally located in the county plus has a big enough warehouse space to do this. They were helping sort the donated materials and getting what the people needed on their lists once folks were I.D'd by FEMA number. Another of the group and her husband are first responders so she was telling us what her day was like during the storms. Another related how the family farm was hit earlier in the day by the first round of storms---outbuildings destroyed, downed trees, power out but no one hurt. Cows are missing though. I digress...................

Rosa has her house on the market so is purging things and brought a big pile of magazines to share. I came home with a few issues to study a bit closer. We have a library cart at the meeting place where we have some quilt books and other literature to share with each other so I stashed the mags on there for other meetings and ideas.

Silly me though---I went off without my camera! Aline shared a quilt her daughter had made that was recently picked up from the long armer----French Braid in deep rich, masculine colors. Gorgeous! Lois had a cool top that definitely requires a design wall, not sure of the pattern source but I will find out down the line.

Janet was working on binding that cool runner she had started at the sew-in but needed help with the join. Brenda was pressing fabrics in preparation to a cut a 5- 1 yard quilt pattern she had picked up at recent Atlanta shop hop. Beverly was binding her gift quilt for a great-nephew while Rosa had her machine out working on her hidden spools.

Jane was busy dispersing quilt show entry forms for the JOY guild show this weekend. Many of our group are members of that group but the show is open to anyone, not just member owned and member made. LOL, how many do you want, Jane? Quilts and wallhangings, I have. Which ones already have sleeves on them? I got busy this morning and filled out entry forms for 4 of my collection. I saved out my most recent completions so I can share them at the Friendship guild on Saturday though.

And that is how it goes here. I best get my fingers to stitching this binding as unfortunately, it does NOT stitch itself. Darn it, LOL!

checking in

It has been quite a week. I cannot say that I will be sad to say goodbye to April. at this point. Between the horrendous weather, a morning spent at the doctor's office, DJ's birthday, home duties to tend to I have not been very motivated after the sew-in. Understandable, I guess

I have been asked if my quilt group is okay. As far as I know, yes. I have not heard from a couple of the girls but judging by the storm's track none of us was in the direct line of fire. Some power outages and trees down but not on anyone's house. So minor compared to what others are going through. We are all saddened by the fatalities the state suffered, 9 in our county alone. Please continue to hold those affected up in prayer.

Above, left--This is what I SHOULD be working on. Well, at least the top is finally done. Trust me, I had my doubts for a while there. I pinned the giftie at the sew-in first thing but have not touched it since other than to switch out machines. I guess I shoot for Monday to start that machine quilting, is all I can say.

Oh the doctor did not notice that I had switched from red Santas to green baskets when I went for my appointment. I guess he is just to the fact that I was stitching by now. I told him I thought they were making the eyes of the needles smaller since I last saw him. He related that he had gotten his first pair of reading glasses---neither of us were wearing our corrective lenses though and I really need to get my eyes checked as I am going thru some changes, I can tell. I am afraid I might hear "trifocals" UGH!


At right, what I picked up to piddle with yesterday and today. Talk about small needles and needle eyes since I use 12's. I do love hand quilting and do not get to do it often enough. What do you think? Should I be quilting thru the whole block or leave it like I have it so the Santa looks to be floating on the top? What is the classic look for embroidered blocks? I am undecided about quilting around the main motif. It might detract too much from the stitchery plus I think the cross hatching will provide enough "weighing" down in the block anyway.




And here is the "Happy Birthday" Dutch Apple Pie I made for DJ the other day. I do cake much better when it comes to baking, if the truth were to be told. BUT we had had cake recently and he wouldn't/couldn't tell me what kind he wanted. I suggested "pie then?" My dad would be a pie for birthday guy---cherry pie specifically.My sister-in-law Jen makes a wonderful mile high apple pie that is delish! I will have to be sure to get her recipe when I go "home" next month. Anyway-------

I used the recipe found on Food.com HERE after comparing 4 or 5 recipes from various sources. As with most recipes, they never clearly tell you what type of apples to use or necessarily, how many to buy which aggravates me no end. I don't make pies often and some things need to be spelled out! One source said not to use Granny Smiths and another said TO use them. HUH?? Make up your minds and quit with the contradictory information! Then I read that Golden Delicious, Gala and Fuji would be a good choice along with some that I knew I would never find in our market. I am marking this recipe accordingly 2 of each kind. For the record it took 7 1/2 apples to equal the 5 1/2 cups of peeled, cored sliced apples. Pet Ritz did the deep dish crust far better than I could too. I know how to make pie crust but just do not very often. Pretty yummy pie, if I do say so. I made a mess serving the first slice as it was just a tad too warm from the oven but it ate up just the same.

Soon I better be solving that old dilemma of what to fix for supper. The day before grocery shopping is always a challenge but we won't starve.

Hope things are going well in your neck of the woods----

a week of this and that

It would seem that this past week, creatively, was a bit of "this and that" or that I couldn't stay focused. I like having a variety of things to work on but the downside of that is that it takes longer to finish anything. The upside, I keeps me from getting bogged down and feeling like I have to keep plugging when I really just want to do something else for a few days.

For two days I hand quilted on the FAB friendship quilt. At this point the short top border and the long right side are done--well, almost done. I am about to turn the corner onto the bottom border.

I also started another stitchery project. Hanging head only because it is NOT on my 10n10 list. But this is will be an ongoing project so I am allowing it. I am SOOOO open to the power of suggestion and as usual "blame" Norma for it. She was telling me about their recent guild program with a trunk show from the designer of the Freckles Collection patterns. Norma had bought a couple of patterns and shared a link to the ones she had gotten. I in turn shared the link for one I had on hand---shown HERE. Cute, huh? Entirely true too, LOL.

Actually I had almost started on it earlier this year but hadn't checked the floss inventory to see what I needed to get. I have it all written up on a spreadsheet but then had to dig around in some cross stitch projects and two thread boxes to find it, LOL. By Thursday I had done that so was making a floss run to Hobby Lobby. Thankfully, they still carry DMC floss because our closest spot for crafting supplies (Walmart) no longer carries ANY floss--not even JP Coats, Anchor instead--- no floss period. Sheesh! I wound the floss on bobbins, entered the numbers on the inventory sheet, marked the muslin and put in a few stitches. Because there is a fair amount of running stitch on it, I decided to back this with a light weight batting. Do the running stitch like a long quilting stitch---see how that goes.

I think when I left off posting last week I was about to work on the block you see to the right---the appliqued January block from Nancy Halvorsen's book Calendar Quilts and Stitcheries (link in previous post) What fun to dig around in the fabric boxes to make my version--stash quilting! The fabric base, obviously is done as is the fusing and buttonhole applique stitching. I still need to embroider the verse and do a running stitch with floss on this as well as sew on some colored buttons on the snowman and add some beads for snow. I pulled the fabrics for the February block as well and will get to to work on it in a couple of days.

I will say that I was a bit confused on this project. The designs are all printed in reverse due to the fusible part but the lettering is not. I finally figured out where to put the verse but where I messed up was NOT shifting the pattern over for the tree placement. MY tree looks like it is growing out of the snowman's head rather than between it and the log cabin. Naturally I had marked this with pigma pen, not a pencil, where maybe the mark would erase or lighten. A little like working the crossword puzzle in ink and now I can't undo it?? Lesson learned! IIWII


Yesterday I was back to binding---ugh-- something I cannot show you (gift--might be spotted here). Only one long side to go. Close to another finish and to mailing it out.

I hadn't posted a picture of Skyler lately so here he is. Just before I took this he had been hiding UNDER the quilt. By the time I got the camera he decided the top of it worked just as well for napping purposes. (Mom, recognize the quilt?)

So looking forward---I still hope to get to the two donation quilts I have in my stack this week. The plan is to save the handwork, quilting or stitchery, for a few hours in the evening--or not, VBG.

At some point I need to run my Strip Twist quilt up to the long arm quilter as well but that is dependent on the weather. Lately the forecast at week's end has not been very pleasant and not the good driving conditions for making that 110 mile approximate, round trip. I thought a friend who is free on Fridays might want to go with me or I would have made the run earlier in the week.

Binding awaits------

Tuesday check-in---10 n 10 plans

So far Ms. Ida has dropped 2.5 inches of rain in our rain gauge here in the NE central part of Alabama. It is still pouring and breezy so who knows what the final tally will be for this rain event? (ed: note---we topped out at 5 inches plus. The rain gauge filled but DJ was not going out in the pouring rain to empty it ) Last I heard we were 10 inches over our annual average rainfall totals and the ground is already saturated. In fact, we went through a 9 day stretch without any rain --first time since a period in late June/early July!

I canceled our quilt meeting till next week as there we were in a flash flood watch--no one needed to be out slopping around in that mess today. Also I had woke up for the 2nd day in a row of almost like migraine-like headache. I'm the one with the key to let us into the fellowship hall so I figured it would be best to just head any of the regulars off at the pass. Skyler and I went back to bed for a couple hours and I feel a bit better now.

Yesterday I spent some time doing some hand quilting on my FAB friendship quilt, something I love doing but often do not make time for. The stencil I had selected is called Four Fleur from The Stencil Company. Part of the reason I selected it was that I also needed it to provide some fill for side setting triangles and use a portion of the motif in the corner triangles as well. I am still debating whether I want to do some hand work in the outer border. After all, I do want to hang this on the wall in the bedroom at some point, LOL. Their Gentle Wave border is on hand if I do want to use it---it echoes that knobby look.

Of course, my handsome boy kitty HAD to come sit on the quilt in the hoop---just HAD to! Twice we had some snuggle time and quilt testing and a break from stitching. My camera was already out in the car or I would have taken his picture to share. I plan on working on the binding on those last three "Be Attitudes" quilt-lets I shared in the last post---got them all quilted over the weekend. Woohoo--almost a finish!

That leads me something that Norma and I have been talking about for a couple weeks now, brainstorming and tweaking as a way to keep ourselves motivated and on track. We are both impressed and inspired by how our pal Pat managed to get things done on her lists. Norma and I both would tell that all too often we want to do everything and then end of getting sidetracked. Or worse, get ourselves so bogged down with other peoples stuff that our own projects are neglected.

To that end we have come up with a "10 in 2010" plan (10n10) for next year but I am implementing it a bit early as an organizational tool. Here is what we have so far and how it should work in theory:

We think that there are several areas in our quilting lives: UFO, finish to flimsy, quilt/bind it, cut it and rewards. We should be able to pick at in any category depending on our mood at the time.

• UFOs--something you have pretty much abandoned for some reason----pull it out and work on it, re-purpose it or give it away/toss it but deal with it in some manner. Those things are like weights pulling you down and making you feel guilty.

• finish to flimsy --you may have started the blocks but set them aside and you want to get at least the top done

• quilt/bind--maybe it's pinned or you have to prep the backing and binding yet but could be worked on and the quilt completed
  

• cutting/kitting -- usually there is something that you need to cut out in order to keep rolling

• Rewards--what are you "itchin' to stitch"? Finish a UFO or a deadline task then you can pick something from this "fun" list. Norma and I both know we need this to jump start our creativity and give ourselves permission to play. She explains the "reward" system on her blog post.

Now pick two items for each category that you want to focus on. 10 total should be a fairly manageable number. Things should cycle through a bit and you can add another item in its place if you want.

On further consideration I decided I needed two more categories for my list writing:

• donations and deadlines---I do some commissioned work on occasion and always have some quilt, mine or one of the groups' around for WTIL. This would include any challenge quilts I do.

• ongoing---blocks I make till I have enough for a top, my red work Santas, the Seasonal quilter I want to do next year are examples. Hand quilting too.
  

Want to join us? Jump right in! Tweak it to suit your needs but any way you chose to do it, keep busting that stash and have fun!

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Thanks to those who commiserated with me about my mixer and had suggestions of brand and ideas of where to look. Because I had primed DJ for months with how much these things run, he asked me to look online to price them. It turned out that shipping was going to be less than the 10% sale tax we would have had to pay had we found a bargain here locally. I am getting a refurbished 5 qt heavy duty professional Kitchen Aid with a 475 wt motor----in boring white. Yeah, I love the red but the rest of the small appliances are white so watcha going to do? It should be delivered this afternoon and from the tracking, it is out in the county somewhere with my UPS person. 6 qt would have been nice but I didn't want to push my luck with the fella paying for it.

dabbling

A view often seen in the mornings---Skyler sees DJ down on the floor doing his exercises and he thinks he should be right in the thick of things, LOL. There was some question as to whether he planned on moving out of the way of the sit up.

Well, another week has passed by and we have moved onto September. The t-shirt top (and back) that I pieced for Out of the Box was delivered to Susan on Wednesday and I ran some shopping errands along the way to Boaz (AL) for stuff I cannot find here in town. I attended the JOY quilt guild meeting in nearby Jacksonville for the first time in about two years time on Thursday morning. In between, I dabbled with some various hobbies. Not completing anything nor will I for a while at this rate. But that's okay with me as I won't get bored with it. I doubt I am the only one who works like this either.

I have been working on a cardigan knitted from the neck down occasionally. (Pattern is from Knitting Pure and Simple) I felt like knitting so pulled it out the other day and finish up the ribbing I had decided to substitute at the bottom. I have made my sweater significantly longer that suggested as I want it to cover a longer top that I own. The next day I picked up the first of the set aside sleeve stitches and worked a bit on that before setting it aside. You start off with a small cord on circular needles and as you decrease the sleeve width you switch over to double points in two different sizes. I am used to double points from making DJ sets of golf club covers over the years and of course, all kinds of mittens. It's fun and mindless knitting except for watching for the evenly spaced decrease rows.

I did a bit of the "Here Comes Santa" block from Bird Brain Designs at the quilt meeting making some progress on the first block that I have traced off. I have decided NOT to use the perle cotton that came with the kit however as it just looked too thick to me. I was not pleased in the spots that called for finer detail work so switched to two strands of DMC floss. Good 'ol 498. Susan had some in stock since they have cross stitch and framing at the shop in addition to the long arm quilting and some fabrics.

I should tell you that a woman at the meeting had been given a bunch of books, magazines and even some quilt tops and blocks and brought those to share with. I was busy stitching but my friend Marilyn snagged a couple of the quilt tops. One she will re-vamp as a donation top and the other she handed me as she knows how I love feed sack stuff. Later, as I was chatting with the woman who had brought the things I saw someone holding up a blue quilt top and then someone pointing in my direction. Then heading my direction, LOL and handing me the quilt top. I think the person SHE had been chatting with told her that our quilt group could probably use it.

And, for a couple days this week I was machine quilting on this Railroad Crossing top. My mom pieced it and I brought it back with me when DJ and I were "home" visiting in June. The quilt will be going to DJ--maybe for Christmas or our anniversary in late January. I have the plain blocks marked with a small motif to hand quilt--what I was doing at the last quilt meeting actually. All the blocks are locked in and I have maybe a third of the bands stitched in the ditch. The borders are done as of yesterday morning. My goal was to get as many pins out of there as I could so it would be easier to maneuver for the hand quilting though I am itching to get started on that part.

One of the Belles wants me to show her how to hand quilt so if I have not started the hand work by then, I will definitely take with me to the meeting on Tuesday. Oops, that reminds me to switch some fabric over from the washer to dryer. I said I would mark off a design for her to practice on but needed to wash some muslin to do that. That part is easy--it is the fabric pressing that I don't look forward to. UGH--ironing!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking with Norma on the phone. We email and chat all the time but what a treat to hear her voice! The weirdest thing was a local friend had called to tell me about some feed sacks she had gotten from a friend of hers that does estate sales and deals in antiques. (She will sell them to any of the Belles that wants them at the price she paid for them. You know I will have to check these out!) Had Judy NOT called me on my cell phone I would have missed the call. I am sure that Norma would have just tried again a little later if her schedule permitted.

That's about it for here---scanning some recipe books for some inspiration and looking for a few recipes that are filed in who knows which notebook as it is about time to go grocery shopping. I still want to do the toaster cover and other appliance covers soon. When Norma gets back we have talked about tackling Atkinson's Designs Cheese and Crackers pattern. I didn't even show you the box that my mom packed up that was leftover from her town's raffle quilt that used this same pattern! I should be looking at these patterns in a little more detail to see how much background fabric, etc is needed to make this happen.

Hope you all are having a good weekend in whatever you found to dabble in-----

not much going on

Really not a whole lot happening here. I have been mainly hand quilting this past week. Here is what the quilt looks like so far BUT I am only doing the heart motifs in the alternating blocks by hand; the rest was quilted on the machine and I already did the binding once that crosshatching was done. Two more blocks to go but my arthritic-y wrists and my "poked too many times fingers " are begging me to set this aside for a few days. After I finished some of the accent lines on block number 5 a little bit ago, I listened. BUT as soon as this is done and its picture is taken, it can be delivered down to the Presbyterian Children's Home In Talledega along with 15 others that are piled up in the bedroom and closet. A little reduction in clutter would help.

Other than turning on the machine this morning to fix the worn out in seam on a pair of pants I wanted to wear, I have not had the sewing machine for a week or more. Now that is a slump. Here is what I intended to work on---and truth be told, most of this was done last fall except for adding a couple more blocks on the left side of the row. As I said in my last post, I am piecing friendship stars into the sashing that are the same size as the signed blocks. I think it will be a nice remembrance quilt of the people who made the blocks if I ever get it done. Also I am using bits of fabrics that were gifts from quilting friends and/or using my stash fabrics in the sashing so it will be more scrappy. BUT and you know there had to be a "but", I really do not feel like working on it, ancient UFO and on my long neglected personal project Top 10 or not. Not gonna happen right now. Too much pin matching and having to pay attention to what is going on all around the block. Some days I would be up for that but when I need to get my sewing mojo back, this is not the project that will do the trick. I'm putting it up as well.

So how about getting back to something fun? 4 patch posie, it is. I started working with this pattern along with Norma in September but then got stalled out because I needed something for sashing in two contrasting colors. Actually. the piece of fabric I used to trial the technique was too short and I could only get 7 cuts made--eight would have been better. I found some more of the floral fabric at the Quilter's Yard Sale last month so I will be able to make some more blocks. Also got lucky and found the darker of the two sashing fabrics. My mom sent something that I can use for the lighter color sashing so it looks like I am "good to go".

I got a notice in the mail that A Time 2 Sew is having another Quilter's Yard Sale tomorrow. (Yard cuts for $2.50 and I assume that they are cutting yardage for the same price for one yard and more as they have done in the past.) One of the Belles called me about something else and asked if I planned on going. I was toying with it at that point and said so. Turns out the JOY quilt group is car pooling up there and were asking for volunteer drivers. I'm not a member anymore but would have room in the car after I pick up Fleeta so why not? I don't really need anything but if I find some of the fabric I used on the back on the quilt above, then I am getting some. Also Nessa is serving a quilter's luncheon for us. Girls Day Out, what's bad about that?

Pippi hairing up DJ's desk chair--her "new" old spot for napping and sometimes lately, nightly sleeping. Always something different with her.

Other than that I am making a more concerted effort to improve my health situation. I have been walking at least 5 days out of 7 since March but my triglycerides are still up even though the rest of my lab work is in normal limits with the current medication regime. I do NOT want to take an additional expensive statin if I can help it and the MD gave me 3 months to see if there is any improvement with what I am committed to doing. I do NOT want to say that I am on a "diet" but I am trying to be more aware of what I am consuming and cutting back a bit more than I had been doing. After all, I have a husband who needs to gain some weight--yeah, we look like Jack Sprat and his chubby wife---so I cannot make things too low cal as he doesn't get that he is supposed to eat MORE of it. Forget suggesting that the serving size for something is anything remotely what he IS eating. Anyway, currently I am walking 2.5 miles or 2.8 if I get really ambitious at about a 3, 3.5 mph rate and shooting for 6 days out of 7. On days like tomorrow where I have to be somewhere early, I take off but otherwise, I'm going. DJ says I am overdoing it and is afraid that I am going to booger up my feet or legs. Not trying to sabotage me, just concerned plus he thinks if they say 30 minutes minimum that is all that you need to do. Maybe some muscle strengthening should be added but I'm walking, honey.

Additionally, I am keeping a food and exercise journal so that means writing up the recipes in my cooking software to have some idea of the nutritional analysis for what I prepare so that it can be added to the software journal. It is a bit time consuming but makes it easier to see where improvements should be made. I have lost 26 lbs in the last 7 months and know that this is a long process---the weight didn't go on overnight and it sure as heck is NOT coming off any way but slow and hopefully, steady.

Guess that's it for today---our evening meal is a bit labor intensive so I'm headed out to the kitchen. DJ wanted me to give him a haircut but he always bathes at 4:30 and I'm busy with meal prep---I told him it can wait till later in the week or earlier this afternoon. As hide bound as he is to a schedule, that didn't happen, LOL, not that I thought it would............

Latest finish

My latest finish---Finn's and my blocks with the hand quilted Snowball alternate squares. After piddledinkin' on the computer with this and that the better part of the day, I finished up the last bit of binding. I interrupted DJ's watching some wretched Steven Seagal movie to hold this up--what the heck does he see in those films? There were pencil markings to wash out and it came out of the dryer beautifully---the quilting even more defined and full of cuddle factor with the soft peach backing fabric. I'm glad I re-pinned it. I am a little sad to be done with the hand quilting so will have to find another project to fill the desire to slow down and enjoy the process.

When I was putting the binding on the other day, I found out that I was about 8 inches short of having enough to make the angled join. I was NOT going to take all that off again but thought perhaps there was a bit of that Mumm floral in the scrap bags. Maybe not though as it had been used for backing, bowties, maybe turned up in the Pineapple Blossom or Heartstrings blocks the Belles made for a group quilt. I dug around for a while and then flashed on the idea that perhaps it was with some pastel fabrics I have set aside for Log Cabin Baskets. Nope, but I found a scrap of a 30's print from a past BOM quilt that was just right----I bet most people would not spot it right off but it is there.

Speaking of Log Cabin Baskets---this was the Wrap 'Em yahoo groups raffle quilt from 2005. We were to make a block for the quilt and a block for drawing amongst the participants and I got some of them. Someone other lucky person got the quilt though. (Tickets for the current one are available now on the website---link in my sidebar)

Someday I will make a quilt of my own though though maybe not with the garden lattice stuff. My impression is that it would not be too easy to get the rails and x's to line up. I later made one block in 30's repros to be included in my Pioneer Sampler----I hope to finish up the machine quilting on that one when things slow down a bit with the donation quilts. Currently I have 8 pinned and waiting for me and 7 tops at the church to be pinned. Once those are done, I WILL move onto my own stuff, though I cannot promise that I won't still sandwich some more donation work in between.

And just because I have not posted any pics of my Kitty lately doesn't mean that she can't stay out from under the bed and be friendly. She kept moving her head around so it took about 6 attempts to get one of her face, LOL. Looks like she is just barely tolerating the picture taking to me if you look at those ears. She's doing okay eating wise--not great but okay. Lab tests later in the month to see where her kidney function levels are.

Nothing much going on today. Walked this morning early but that's a part of my morning routine most days. I've got the Brother set up to do some piecing today--a block for a special friend and some odds and ends. See what strikes my fancy after that but it will be piecing, not quilting for a few days. Tomorrow I best get busy on the last round of the row robin since it is due in a week.

I am sure that you join me in saying a prayer for those involved in the collapse of the interstate bridge in Minneapolis, MN. The fatality count may rise and a lot of people were injured or missing from what I am reading online. The rescue workers job is not finished nor is the healthcare workers caring for the injured. Just goes to show that things can change in an instant. Sobering thought.

quilting--the slow way

I was about ready to start binding our Heartstrings quilt yesterday but then realized that I needed to print up a special label for it. Since the ink needed to set up and so forth, I opted to machine quilt the little Ohio Star quilt (some of Finn's blocks and some blocks I made with Finn's fabric and/or my stash). I started hand quilting the heart motif last evening. I enjoy hand quilting but really don't get much time to do it anymore---not when there are quilts to get done for donation. Well, this is one too but since I know we have enough to take to the Boys Ranch, the biggest push is about over. I am having fun with this!! Even better, no seams to deal with. I could totally see doing a whole cloth quilt.

For years I did not machine quilt and resisted it like crazy. I like the looks of hand quilting best for my own quilts but who has the time? When Joy and I got started making them for WTIL and she was getting stuck doing mine too, it was definitely time to bite the bullet. So sometime in 2000 I learned how. I still do not like to free motion. I don't like a quilt to be stippled within an inch of it's life either--not for kids anyway where I am a firm believer in the "cuddle factor". There are some fantastic machine quilters out there using domestic machines, long arms and everything in between. Just won't be me, LOL.

So the binding will get done by Saturday on the Heartstrings top but I am going to enjoy slowing down and taking these stitches. DJ noticed what I was doing and asked me if was hurting my hands. Not really but machine quilting isn't any easier of those bothersome thumbs either or cutting and doing the claw fingers thing. Look at it as exercising the joints. Where is this day going to? It is almost time to think about fixing supper. Didn't we just eat?