Keeping busy

What gorgeous weather we are having!  Some have said this is our Blackberry winter and it has been cooler at night, down in the mid 40's or so.   Highs in the 60's and low 70's and little humidity.  Love it!  The honeysuckle is in bloom and my sinus tracts hate that but boy, does it smell good.

The week has been flying by again and I've been keeping busy.

Monday this is what happened----

Yep, about 11 inches of pony tail have been mailed off to Locks of Love.  This is the 2nd time I have done this in the past 10 years or so.   Grow it out, keep it like that a few years, cut it off and repeat process. I sort of shocked her when I said I wanted it cut off but she likes how it looks.  Her mom loved it but she thinks everyone should have short hair, LOL. Now I am sporting a chin length bob type deal.  Glynda arranged it curly the other day though I do have natural wave/curl that I have fought with my whole life. I dried it smoother last night but am still getting used to short hair again. Mousse and crunch with minimal blow drying works too.  New look to go with my now 50+ lbs of weight loss, non-food reward.

I finished up my niece's project learning how to apply #15 and # 16 snaps.  Kind of gratifying pounding the tar out of something that day.  Then I cleaned out the fuzz, lint etc out of my trusty Singer.  OOH did it need it after sewing with flannel!  No sewing on my fun project I want to do--not yet anyway.

Her package was mailed off on the way back from Bama Belles meeting on Tuesday.  Also gassed up the car and ran by the recycle bins while I was out.  We went out to lunch at Cracker Barrel.  I have some pictures of the turned in quilts to post but will do that in another post--when I need to avoid a pictureless post.

Wednesday was laundry, errands and guild newsletter mostly.  The city is working on the center where we meet and we will not be allowed access till June.  All guild activities are cancelled for May.  They could not book another venue with such short notice.  It meant I had to edit some of the submitted copy and wait for responses in some cases.

Thursday, I met with Grandmother about the 100 Good Wishes quilt.   She no longer drives so I picked her up ar her home about 10 miles north of me though she said I could drive her car.  I am kind of funny about driving someone else's vehicle so did not take her up on it.  We headed off to Wilson's and the south end of Calhoun County for backing for the quilt and then over to the Oxford Exchange for batting.  Rumor had it that they had Hobbs Batting though I had never seen it there myself.  With 40% off coupon, I saved us a bit of coin.   She bought my lunch at Baja California Grill in Jacksonville before I went home.   Oscar went outside after supper long enough for me to seam the backing and cut out the binding strips.

Initially I had not intended to quilt this but looks like I am after all.  Oh well.  She cannot complete the job and I can.  Being paid to get this ready to gift to the granddaughter.   After I threw a small boneless turkey breast in the crockpot, I took off for the meeting place to pin.

Darned thing was about 7 inches too long and wide so I had to jockey it up and down on the table in addition to the normal side to side.   That tedious job is done now.  I'll set up the tables and swap out the sewing machine tomorrow to get started on quilting it.

And sew it goes----

Checking in

Before I get the "are you okay?"  inquiry,  just busy, inside and outside the house.

Outside:  I have weeded, hoed, chopped, sprayed all along the edge of the bank in back.  It took me a few hours over two days to get down the row swear that kudzu is like a phoenix rising from the ashes.  You think the roots are dead and then when you start hacking it, you discover that the little sprouts that are coming up are springing off the stuff you thought was dead and gone.  Not only will it trail on top of the ground sometimes at close to a foot a day and attaching to whatever it can find to attach to, it also grows outward underground.   Some of the roots are about 1/2 or more in diameter and it is like hitting rocks with the hoe.  Also you have to be mindful that there are low spots, animal holes, fire ant mounds and where you see the kudzu is generally off the edge of the bank.  You can't get too close and I sure don't want the riding lawn mowers going anywhere that close to it either!

I've swept and I've raked attacking the dead leaves from around the bushes on the front.  Now that the stuff has dried out, I can see where the pieces were left behind when Robert pruned the bushes. The side by the a/c could still use some attention but that is not happening for a few days.

We had some rain (1 inch to be precise) with more due in tonight and tomorrow.  All the rain did is encourage the fire ants to start digging.  I treated a few of the mounds that were in my path to the brush pile and in the backyard where Oscar could get in them, once he was in for the night last night.  To be honest I do not know which of those two awful things I hate worse, fire ants or kudzu.  Maybe the ants as at least kudzu has a few useful purposes.  Very few, to my way of thinking but you can make baskets and wreaths, use it for silage, make jelly out of the blossoms which tastes faintly grape-like I am told.  Fire ants??  I know God made them for a reason but tell me what it might be.

Inside the house:  well, all that yard work makes for more laundry with sweaty clothes.  I am caught up now though, until I decide to out and do something silly like clean up the utility shed or vacuum out the car, LOL.   I've cleaned, cleared and shredded paper stuff from his filing cabinet but mostly I was looking for a misplaced paper that I need for the HHS paperwork I need to file.  Found it!

Tuesday I waited past the time the donation truck was supposed to come pick my stuff up.  They finally showed after a phone call an hour later.  Among the things I parted with was DJ recliner.  No one, including the cat, sat in it.  Remember how he always wanted in there with or without DJ??? It was like he knows that someone is missing.  No fun sitting there if you didn't have to fight with Kitty Daddy for squatters' rights??  Anyway, the handle was a bit hard to operate and it always took up so much room in the living room.  I didn't need to keep it as a shrine to my husband.  Anyway, I was up moving around the remaining pieces of furniture and vacuuming at 9:30 Tuesday evening.  Skyler just wanted to know where the love seat was headed and when the kitty eating machine was going to stop.  There is only so much you can do with a fire place and entertainment center stuck in place.  Still, it looks a bit more spacious in there.   I have since discovered that it must be a position in the room sort of deal rather than the love seat itself, as he has been sleeping on the coach now that I switched the two around.   He can see the kitchen and whatever Oscar is doing or he can see me coming up the hallway.

What else? No sewing this week though I have been thinking about it-----a lot, LOL.   The house is reasonably cleaned after that vacuuming and sweeping binge.  I didn't wait three days to unload the dishwasher.  Cooking has been more of a re-heat thing as I try to get the freezers emptied out a bit but I guess that is the beauty of leftovers.  I did make some spaghetti sauce in the crockpot the other night thinking I would make some lasagna when we  had a couple of cooler days.  Like do it in a couple of loaf pans, maybe??  Didn't happen but only because I had another bit of ground beef something thawed out.  It may morph into something else by the time I decide to use it.

I have made a decision about what I want to do for an upcoming hop and ordered what I need to make that happen---that took care of a few hours this morning but then I had already decided no outside stuff today.   I have a list going in my head of what I need to do sewing-wise.  I doubt that two of them will be completely done in time for my upcoming trip but there is truly no rush on either of the gifties, really. USPS works for me and buys some time.

 I did manage to cut out Lily's baby quilt though after hoeing the other day, it was a little hard on the hands to use that rotary cutter.

What am I doing with these?  Well, the strips should go pretty well with the wall hanging I made her with the aquas.  The #8 strip was one that I used in it while the others are mostly from the two 5 yard quilt packets that I got some Bolines of Indian Creek when I was in Pigeon Forge earlier this year.   AND I am going to make a chevron quilt with them using the tutorial from Crazy Mom quilts.  A white solid will go between the strips.

Would you like to see a few more adorable baby pictures?  Lily is home now with her folks as of Tuesday I think it was.  My sister is an OB nurse but not at the hospital where Lily was born.  Her hospital uses the Bella Baby Photography while the hospital they used is getting the service in August.  I think as a special favor to my sister they arranged to travel down and take some posed, professional pictures of our little peanut.  I put on my own watermark but they get all the credit for these wonderful pictures!  You should not be surprised to see her wrapped in the Pittsburgh towel as Daddy is a big anything Pittsburgh fan (family is from there originally, I believe).   I have Mommy's permission to share these.

AND then we have the critters to contend with:
Case in point, Skyler does not respect boundaries, at all.  Look at him!   I put that gate up to keep YOU out, Mister, when Oscar is IN.

Yeah, like on THAT side looking at Oscar from afar, not right in his face.  I have considered just taking the gate down and letting him chase that nosy thing through the house.  Thing is, Oscar would head right for Sky's food bowl and you don't feed Skyler dry food on demand.   Treat bites, yes but not dry food.  Oscar still goes at the fence every once in awhile barking like crazy but other times they are both walking around the kitchen table sizing each other up.

Oscar meanwhile has the cute thing down to a science.  I still am not sure what his signal is for needing to go out  to do his business so periodically I open the back door and "come on, Oscar, let's go out".  He inevitably lays down on that throw rug, and shows his belly and almost dares me to make him go.  Of course, it almost always works making me one of the most indulgent mamas around.  One look at those big brown eyes even with me being on to him, LOL.

If it has quit sprinkling, I think I'll take my dog for a walk.  If I don't have to referee these two, I might even think about sewing.  Stranger things have happened, LOL.

check in

There is absolutely nothing quilt-y going on around here.  Oh there are things I need to, yes but it has just not happened yet.  I got as far as digging around in one of the three containers that holds Christmas fabric.  This large hinged however many quart container (32, maybe 40 some?) is one container of holiday fabric to check first, more recent additions Then there is a large 15 x 21 x 16 Rubbermaid tote has been sitting by the TV stand next to the sewing table for well over a year--loaded to the gills.  There is also a small basket 12 x 6 x 9.5 that is overflowing with yardage and small pieces suitable from some log cabin blocks etc.  Some is Christmas prints and tree skirt leftovers.  Wish it could be combined but it just won't fit or if it did, the container would not stash away.

 I was previewing fabrics to make a pillowcase to hold Kristine and Andy's tree skirt.  I think the one on the left will do just fine.  I'll track down my pattern and cut it out in a bit.  The serger is already out and set up though I think my tension may need some adjusting judging by something I stitched a few days ago.  Kristine  posted a picture of the tree skirt along with their dog Sydney and their cat Franklin. I borrowed the image.  Sidney is named after Sidney Crosby the Pittsburgh hockey player as Andy's family has connections to the area.  Franklin remind you of anyone of the feline persuasion?  LOL  Kristine said she had to take the lower branches off to accommodate the pets.

DJ seems to be doing fairly well post surgery.  I brought him home from the hospital Saturday afternoon.  He is on some activity restrictions, like no driving for a couple weeks.  No lifting or exercise bike and floor exercises.  He is not ready to be too far from home either or I would suggest a drive just to get out of the house.  The weather has finally cleared and while still a bit on the cold side, at least the wind and rain are gone.  They had projected highs in the low 50s but that did not happen.  Maybe tomorrow?

I did a bit of stitchery on Bird Brain Designs "Snow Happens"  table runner while I waited at the hospital with DJ.  Very little completed.  I had the bird house top done once with #8 perle cotton but did not like it that thick and took it out.  Had I had 311 DMC on hand before I did that stitching I would used it to begin with!  I'm stocked now.  I know from doing other Bird Brain Designs that two strands of floss is enough to suit me and sometimes the more intricate areas I drop down to one strand.  I traced this off late Wednesday evening and serge the edge to keep it from raveling.  I had gotten this as a kit with some of my Bama Belles gift monies last year so I am sure that they would like to see me work on it!


I've been busy today but not entirely sure with just what, LOL. I had the typical errands to run today plus a few things to pick up for DJ.  As it was I forgot to run by the pharmacy and will need to do that tomorrow sometime.  I also needed to come to some decision about my health insurance, get enrolled online and such.  Now it is almost time to think about what to do for dinner.  Time is just slipping away today but I have not been goofing off and playing Solitaire or anything.  Pillow case, cutting it is.  Maybe it can get mailed out with tomorrow's run?

Like Minds??

I had popped over to see what was going on at a Left Handed Quilters blog,  This is Design Wall Monday for a group of bloggers so I figured Kitty had posted.  Cool!  She was talking about using the "Big & Bold" quilt pattern from Cozy Quilt Designs, apparently a fat quarter friendly pattern.  I own that!  It is filed away in one of my notebooks.

She also mentioned "Twilight Frost".  I have a pile of that for use in that very same pattern!  I have to move the bag of it every time I need to get at the Singer sewing accessories or the yellow and orange 20 qt containers of fabric.  See it there right on top?   Ignore the mess---I am still sewing, after all, so the iron is still plugged in and the floor is covered with strings and fabric bits again. 

It is possible, but I do not entirely recall, that Connecting Threads had the "Twilight Frost" featured as a kit on their website using the "Big & Bold" pattern.  I had originally purchased it way back in the fall of 2009 and then added to it.  I planned to use the yardage in some manner for the FABS "Baby, Its Cold Outside" fabric challenge with the giftie going to Cher that round.  I waffled, boy did I waffle,changing my mind about 4 or 5 times and then ended up making  a Convergence quilt.   The challenge piece of fabric was that light periwinkle-y tone on tone paisley so it all worked out well.  I had also found some other yardage that blended with it.  You can read all about it in this post

Once this was done, I put the leftovers in a 2 gal ziploc bag.  I had enough of it to consider making that Big and Bold quilt, in some size or another.  I had apparently ordered some fat 8ths and charms but once I had it drawn up in EQ must have decided to make a far larger quilt.  The blocks needed to be re-sized to be able to use the fat 8ths and charm pieces.  I have a fat quarter kit and some selected yardage as well----they marked it down as I recall.   I know I specifically bought more of the darkest piece "Expresso" for the section separators and the borders, possibly binding too.   See the sketch below.

 Here is the EQ sketch and yep, I was headed for a 89 square quilt with this stuff.   I was just being lazy and did not color it in at the time.   And I need to bookmark her page, LOL for inspiration to do my own version.   You really need to go take a look at Kitty's version (s) as she did one up in "B/W/R - FLORAL MULTI" as well as the Twilight Frost version that went to her grandson, she said.  The names will take you to the quilts.

I have set this to post on Tuesday morning when I am at Belles, or at least I hope I am!  Isaac may have something to say about that idea. 

Sunday evening

I would give anything for him to tell me what he was finding so fascinating about the floor this morning! Oddest thing, a few hours later he was doing his "best Snoopy atop the doghouse" pose on DJ's desk chair.

This being Sunday both Cher and Norma were asking what project is next up on my list.  I took things easy last night, though I was on the hunt for a pattern which I eventually located.  Along the way I found something that may work for a guild "top secret" project so no hunt is without rewards.

I mentioned several things in response.

DJ's neck things did NOT get done last week.  He told me he was in no hurry.  While not sure that was such a good thing to tell me since I DID leave a shirt of his that asked me to iron for months one time.  I did the hand finishing on those two wall hangings instead.  Here they are finished up----one and a spare.  He's happy and I'm happy that it is out of the way.

 2nd choice was to pick up with the Prairie Stroll donation top, last seen HERE.  I was thinking about doing this at Bama Belles on Tuesday but have another plan now.  The machine is revved up from the neck things, the blocks are all done.  Assembly should not take all that long----nice Sunday evening/Monday project.

3rd choice----start back on Popsicle Sticks------I drug the fabric tote out but will need to see just where I left off on it.  Too much water over the bridge, LOL.  It is going to be a pretty quilt, I think as it will have all my favorites in it!

And then there is this------the veteran's home did NOT open in July as planned.  They totally messed up the floors in moving beds, equipment etc in from what we were told.  Now they are shooting for Labor Day weekend or less than 3 weeks away.  Margaret, the coordinator for this project and former state QOV coordinator had brought in about 10 quilts that will be donated by our guild members but we need to finish our binding first.  One of mine was among them.  Odd that it is one of the ones I made this year and not the one I turned in way back in September last year but whatever, Line Art/Skinny Strips will not be done in time for the opening though I certainly did my part to make that happen.   Craig Heyer of Over The Mountain Quilting in the BHM area quilted this one as he had volunteered his services for some of them at Margaret's request.  Since the backing is a golden colored print, he did rings of stars on it.    I believe you can see them from this angle.

  

I think binding this will be a good project for the quilt meeting since I will have far more table space to spread it out than I do at home.  As long as we get it delivered back over to Pell City later this month, it should be okay.  I believe Jane and Aline have one to take care of as well so we can probably make the run together.  Decision made.

The guild also passes out little quilty gifts in our birthday months.  I was one of about 6 guild members with an August birthday.  Here is what came out of the reach in and grab one----a bit of a fall feel, don't you think?  Not sure which project it will show up in but you just  never know!!

And sew it goes-------back to top assembly for me.  I woke up entirely too early this morning so hard telling how long any ambition will last, LOL.  Hope you have had an enjoyable weekend.