Happy Thanksgiving!

Moving date

This blog will serve as archived material from March 2006 till November 20, 2012.

http://catsnqlts2archive.blogspot.com/

Current material will be found at the "old" address

catsnqlts2.blogspot.com

Tuesday check in

 Another day almost gone----another day closer to Thanksgiving day. This year has seemed to go by so quickly when you look back.

So what have I been doing with myself other than obviously NOT posting?  Well, Friday I was off to the Friendship Quilter's last sew-in of the year.  I thought that two of the Calhoun County contingent would be riding along with me but it ended up just being me.  At left was my project of choice----Fun and Done! Criss Cross.  I had started this a few months back but I only got three sections done and decided that I hate the technique.  I do NOT want to do a whole quilt this way but I am not going to waste the fabric that I had already cut.  I took those apart and will pass the batting square on to Teresa who likes to do rag quilts.

I could see that each of the segments in Criss Cross (above) was 1/4 of a larger block called The Priscilla  Brackman #2975.  I plan to use it in my Farmers Wife Inspired Sampler (FWIS) because my dad had wanted to name me Priscilla but mom put the kibosh on that---obviously!  The sampler uses 6 inch blocks so it was easy to see where I needed to make my angled line in EQ to maintain that cone shape.  Figuring that it would be easier to foundation piece the block sections since the fabrics were already rough cut, I printed off a "bazillion" of them before I left for Pell City.

I can still use the backing fabric that I had cut but now it will act like sashing between the block sections.  I had decided too that I did not like the randomly placed segments of color and would go with a positive-negative thing with the backgrounds---that is how it was cut out but maintain the same three colors in a block format.   Other than unpacking my supplies this as far as I got on Friday.  I had taken the "Tons of Black" Challenge kit with me but did not touch it-----I STILL haven't touched it unless you count moving it from spot to spot in the room, LOL.  Nothing on my list got gone last week---nothing!

Saturday, I had decided to a "pay it back" day and worked on more of the potholders for the 4-H project sewing up all the leftover ones they had cut out and paired up with batting.  The others had done theirs on Thursday so they could play the other two days.  They were out of hanging loops too---so I made a pile of those before I started sewing from the odd bits of muslin left from cutting the muslin strips.  Shelia said that they had about 700 done now with about 200 more needed by mid January.  Not panicking yet or asking folks to do "homework"

Sunday and Monday I was back to embroidering-----turns out my contribution to the president's quilt was misplaced.  The organizer looked but was not able to come up with it.  I had said that I would just put it in high gear and stitch another one.  I met her this morning for the hand off .Since we were down in Oxford, we ran over to Hobby Lobby.  A couple more skeins of yarn followed me home---for kids' hats.  I had several other stops to make along the way today.   It was a great day to be out with picture perfect weather, the leaves are still out a good bit too making the running around pleasant to look at. 

I had decided to try knitting the 6th (or is it 7th?) hat on double point needles to avoid anyone having to seam them up---not my favorite part and in fact, I mailed what I had done to Cindy un-sewn.  I told her I was going to do that though, LOL.   It was working out okay but I did not have any double point needles over size 9 for when I switch from ribbing to the stockinette part of the hat.  Oh I have double points just short ones and not 10 and up.   I did find a set of  75--5 for each size US 0-15 in the 8 inch length, bamboo at amazon.com for 20 bucks, 40 bucks off and ordered it.  It can be part of my Christmas present from DJ.  Between my circular needle set and these I should be set for life in the knitting department.

My Christmas Patience Corner was waiting for me when I got home on Saturday.  Woohoo!  I will get to it in a day or two but first I need to press the binding.  I don't know how well you can see the  those neat swirls Norma used to quilt it.  I used backing fabric from Connecting Threads in a snowflake pattern so that might be obscuring the quilting a bit from this angle. ( Pictures of the front side are in the last post.

What else is coming up?  Aline has a quilt that her sister made that I will quilt for them.  I say "them"  because Aline had pieced a flying geese pattern for the outer border. I may be wrong but I think this might be her sister's first quilt?  You'll see it soon enough, LOL.   We will probably pin it next week at Belles.  It will need tending fairly early on so they will have it and the binding done in time for Christmas.  It will need to be mailed to Rhode Island too. 

Other than that I plan to at least work on the strip sets on my challenge piece tomorrow.  DJ has a pair of pants tossed over the machine that I need to do a little minor repair on.  The Christmas quilt binding after that.   I found a pattern for a tree skirt today.  Actually I bought this one Mc Call's 3777 at Hobby Lobby today but I really liked the scallop shape and the loop and button closure better on McCalls 6453 instead.  They did not have it in stock but I found it from an alternative location.  I believe that this will work well for Allison's crazy patch piece rather than the vague directions to piece 44 inches square and then have to draw off the shape with a string and pencil.  Knowing me, that is a recipe for disaster.  Piece the petals---better plan.  She is not expecting this to be done in time for decorating this year though who knows?

Thanksgiving will not be a big deal for DJ and I.  Not going anywhere.  I make turkey breast dinners for him fairly often so the only thing I have to do ahead is make a pumpkin pie using a " no bake " recipe.  Easy peasy.  Still will have time to sew----or chat with Norma like I did this afternoon, LOL.  No ambition on my return home, sorry to say.  The only creative thing I did today other than cooking supper was try to re-string one of Skyler's cat toys since I remembered to get some corded elastic.  Then could not find the little toy that went on the end of it.  I used something else but it is a good bit heavier.  Actually I think monkey boy may have run off with my Black and Decker steamer instructions!  I wasted more time today looking for both of those things.  That's what I get for taking things down from the refrigerator!!!

DJ has most of the cabinet doors on the upper part done and re-hung.  I was just holding the trouble light up so he could do so on the two in the corner----not an easy spot to work in by any means.  That just leaves the 4 small doors---above the door and the fridge.  What do you think??  Ignore the dirty dishes---someone by the name of Linda still needs to wash the wok, LOL.  That and the sweet and sour sauce boiled over on the burner so I need to get that sticky mess deal with too---ugh.

 And see who want to play??  Wild kitty on the loose.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

check in/meeting

Finally!   It seems like I have been done nothing but binding lately but the last of the donation quilts is finished up.  Woohoo.  I packed up 6 quilts that I had made and sent them off to Wrap Them in Love headquarters yesterday afternoon.  You may not realize just how rare it is for this armoire not to have something quilty on top of it.  It either needs quilted, or bound, or labeled and it is not always MY quilts either.  Yeah, there are about 26 in the closet that need to be delivered somewhere but they are not piled up in plain site.  I am kind of caught up----though that is illusionary since I know there are three donation tops that I will quilt for others at the church.  Three more that either go to Friendship Quilters or Wrap 'Em are hanging in the closet.

To fill the box I added two of my personal quilts.  You know how you sometimes make a quilt just to try the technique?  Other times, you make a quilt to play with fabrics that you have in your stash, play with that combination of colors.  Doesn't mean that I have to keep it necessarily.  I need the storage room more than I "need" either of the barely used quilts.  One I had displayed on the wall for a couple months.  The other maybe used a couple times on the bed on an especially cold night.   I have others that will do the same thing.  Off came the personal label and on went the WTIL one instead. 

The last one to bind was this modified Prairie Window so here is the glamour shot.  It would go in the washer right after to get the  quilt markings out.

At the meeting the other day, Marilyn was wondering how she might cut up some Scooby Doo yardage for a quilt for her youngest grandson.  I said "you might want to consider NOT cutting it up at all.  How about something like this?"  and I pull out the quilt that I was binding.  We took a few quick measurements for the center panel and she was off and running.  LOL, she could have made it easier on herself piecing it had she treated the side panels like long triple rail sections and the corners as big Puss in the Corner blocks.  I think she might have done it that way except that she did not have all the yardage she needed with her.

Here are two others that were turned in at the meeting.  Silly me went off without my camera so I had to take the pictures once I was home.  I missed a lot of fun pictures that I would have shared too.

Bev's Watermelon 2 

How she had time to finish this up with all the holiday sewing she has been doing!  She had another Christmas quilt to pin---a neat folded pinwheel idea that she shared with us.  Another quilt was a commissioned quilt in black and white with skull fabric, of all things!  She said someone from out of state had begged her to make the quilt.

I had my machine with me to try that folded pinwheel technique but went off without the fabric I had cut for this purpose.  I have not tried it yet.  I found out that my Jem was sewing less than ideally anyway.  Tension a little messed up and when all else fails, change your needle!

Teresa's Flannel Rag quilt.   Pretty, huh?  Some of the flannel is from our donation bin and it is my belief that the print piece was some my mom passed on to us.  Leftovers from some gowns she had made for my grandmother, I think with additional fabrics from Teresa.  She made a couple of pink rag quilts this year for Breast Cancer fund raisers.  She had also made a black and white rag quilt that will be going to her school chum Gene's Ogden House project (at risk teens) but I do not have a picture of it.

 In addition, Beverly was able to use the cutting ruler that I had rigged up for her to use with the scaled down Twister wreath base.  A misunderstanding in directions led to this but we were able to find a way to make it work!  Actually it was kind of cute that way.  She had taken Marilyn's hint about quilting it with buttons and raided her momma's button box.  For that reason she thought one of her granddaughter's would appreciate the vintage feel---and having some of her great-grandma's things included in it.  Beverly said that she might be keeping the re-sized version for herself.

Teresa's sister Judy shared her first quilt---and I would have loved to share that with you.  Not sure of the pattern name she has used but they used a lot of tone on tone in it.  Lovely!  She and Teresa had made a batting and backing run before the meeting.  Hopefully I will get a picture of it once it is done.

Lois had a couple of tops to pin as well.  We had thought that a friend of Bev and Teresa's might be coming so we could help her with some binding questions she had but the friend was not feeling well.  Maybe next time.  I know that Aline was home re-working a border on a quilt her sister had made that I will be quilting for her.  Brenda was not letting a broken but surgically repaired left ankle hold her down and was sewing on her BQ top.   She had broken the right one in the past and had kept the wheel chair and crutches.  

Work on the kitchen cabinets are proceeding.  The green matches fairly closely to the green below the chair rail that is one three walls of the kitchen.  My curtains and appliance covers are a different shade of green but I am not likely to ever want to re-make either of those.

Actually I now have two of the doors back on as of about 15 minutes ago but I took these on Tuesday afternoon.   He had been a busy boy while I was at quilt group, rolling the rest of the wall mounted stuff with a little touch up still needed.  The doors are up over the cups and glasses as well as the plates and bowl cupboards.

He has not done any painting on the small doors about the stove and fridge---no bonding primer or the green.  When I posted this on facebook, my SIL asked if he was going to go the bottom cupboards as well.  Yes, that is the plan in case you were wondering.  Long drawn out process especially since the outside weather has not been exactly conducive to putting them stuff out on the saw horses.  Things are migrating back to the fridge top so he better step it up, LOL.

Now for my upcoming plans---first, this room has got to be straightened up before I can get any cutting done!  My desk top is shrinking with little piles of stuff eating up work space.   The projects I would like to address have not changed but just got shunted aside while I dealt with the quilt stack in the other room.  I find that making a list like this helps clarify what I want to do and more importantly, holds me a bit accountable. 

• Harvest banner to cut and sew---modifying the pattern so it is a sew and then cut proposition
• Sew Tons of Black Challenge piece----may do that at the sew-in date Saturday.  I do not think I am going tomorrow or I would be out in the kitchen baking cookies now instead of pecking at this keyboard. 
• Allison's Christmas Tree Skirt and keep the fabric out to work on my version of the Oxmoor House Christmas quilt

 AND bind my Christmas Patience Corner when it arrives from Norma.    She has done such a lovely job on the quilting and sent me pictures of it the other night showing it draped over her long arm machine as well as a closeup shot.   I asked her if I could post them here as there is no way for me to get as good a picture of it even if is not trimmed or bound yet in this shot.  Can you tell I am excited about this??  I've got the binding seamed but not pressed.   Add that to the list, LOL.

 And sew it goes-------best make this stuff happen!

another finish

I have been working on binding again for a few days.  This Faux RR Crossing is the one I did last week but I waited to launder out the marks from the double hearts I had quilted in the light squares till today------

Pattern source:  I attribute it to Marti Michell and her book Quilting for People Who Still Don't Have Time to Quilt.  What makes it a Faux version is that I did not piece the sashing bits---use stripe fabric!

This is the other one that hit the laundry room.  Bridgecreek Blossom #2.  Pattern:  Atkinson Designs.  I made enough blocks for a queen sized quilt but made two smaller donation quilts instead.  The first one had a jigsaw puzzle border but a pair to the same blocks.

Note who managed to get into the shot with those glow in the dark eyes.  Minutes before when the quilt was laid on the couch he was trying to hid under it or on it or whatever.  It was still warm from the dryer and we all know how cats love warm laundry!

Yesterday was our Friendship Quilters meeting in Pell City.  Aline and I were the only ones of the Calhoun County contingent that went this time.  Life happens.  Our program was on miniature quilts and was presented by Donna who will be coordinating the guild's biannual quilt show.  Her sister was visiting from KS and she assisted with the program as we will be borrowing something for her guild there.  They do a miniature auction as a fund raiser donating part of the proceeds to local charities.   When they mentioned resources for mini patterns and such, someone mentioned "Miniature Quilts" magazine but Donna said they no longer print it.  I knew I had a stack of the magazine currently residing under my bed.  To be truthful I did not remember just how many!  Issues #40 thru #69.    My mom passed them on to me.  Someone in her town donated them to her when his wife had to be admitted to a nursing home.  We have some sew-in days next week again so I may take these with me, especially if I know Donna is going to be there.  Some will be looking for additional ideas down the line.  Meantime I have something to look at for bedtime reading. 

The day before the guild took the quilts from the coordinator's home and their other storage places to the Veteran's Home.  They finally had the ribbon cutting on November 1st.  The girls caravaned over and delivered 211 quilts.   Just in time for Veteran's Day.   The CBS and ABC TV affiliates were there and they either interviewed the guild president or the project coordinator.  The paper was there as well so I have a link I can send you to
http://dailyhome.com/view/full_story/20797824/article-Guild-donates-quilts-to-Veterans-Home?   

Our guild historian Beth got some good pictures too that are on facebook.  If you are on Facebook, try entering "Friendship Quilters Guild Alabama"  and see if you can access them. In one of them you will see
Margaret's (the coordinator) dining room table piled high with quilts and then she and her husband smiling that it was finally cleared off!   Hard to say which of them had the bigger smile, LOL.

 They still say we have more to make but those are for the domiciliary beds, like temporary housing apparently.  The first patients are scheduled to be transferred in soon, about 20 to start with.  Then apparently they have to do some sort of certification or inspection before more come in---from what the guild has been told. 
When I was out on the WM run today, I picked up a couple more skeins of yarn to make a few more knit hats.  I thought these looked a bit more boy especially the one labeled "Woodsy" .  It has an Army, camo feel, don't you think?  I have a routine doctor's appointment tomorrow so I already have my stuff packed to knit while I wait.  Mid morning app't and I know I will be lucky to be out of there by noon.  Might as well keep busy while I have to be parked.

Other than that, not much going on.  Just stitching that binding.  Thursday evening Norma has told me that she mailed off my Christmas Patience Corner that she had offered to long arm quilt for me.  She wanted to be sure to miss the holiday mailing season and be sure it would be on my bed for the Christmas decorating season.   When mailing from BC, Canada to clear down south in Alabama you just never know how long it might take.   Woohoo!  I can't wait to see what panto she used.  Get this though:  she still has to quilt her own!   What a pal!  I knew she had been working on one for her brother and sister-in-law but when she was talking about doing one for another client I never dreamed she meant ME!

I guess that is it for this edition though I still have a feeling that I had planned on mentioning one other thing, just what escapes me now.  It happens--------

Thursday check in

I'm with Skyler----isn't it time to take a nap?  Before my mom calls to see if I am okay and remind me I have not posted in what, a week?  I guess I better to a check in post.  LOL

It has been a fairly quiet week on the creative department.  I spent the better parts of three days just working on binding----ugh.  BUT my twister wreath is finished, just in time for show and tell at Friendship Quilters this coming Saturday.

I also got Faux RR Crossing shown in THIS post finished up as well.  It still needs to be laundered to get the markings out but getting at the washing machine has been a little problematic lately---more on that later.

 I have also been knitting a good bit-----my pal Cindy got me started.  It knits up quickly especially if you do the German, pick knitting like I do (hold the thread and move the needle, not throwing it over for each stitch, more like crochet that way.)   Oh, I learned how to do it the other way, tossing the thread for each and every stitch but somewhere along the line picked up the faster way.  The only time I do it the other way, is if it is a heavily patterned row with a lot of cable twisting OR the first couple stitches on the purl row side.

I have made two like the variegated primary colored one and working on a 2nd one with this "pink camo" Red Heart Super Saver.

 Cindy will get the job of sewing them together but the knitting, the fun part, is done.  She sends them on to school kids in her area who are in need.   She used to make mittens, she said, but you'll seldom get a kid to wear those.

I had intended to run over to WM and look for a green and/or blue variegated yard for the ones when I was out earlier this morning but time got away from me and I needed to be home to start our noon meal.

I am trying to think what else I have possibly been up to.  Nothing pertaining much to sewing that is, for sure!!   I was researching Christmas tree skirt patterns for my niece/godchild Allison and have that narrowed down. Originally she had seen a picture of my twister wreath and jokingly asked if I could cut a hole in the middle and make it into a tree skirt.  No,  much too small for that but I guess she was serious about looking for one.  

 I sent her some links to see what she had in mind and a crazy patch version was the one she liked the most as it would go with any color theme she might choose in the future.  HERE is the pattern I'll be working on.  Because it is a Christmas project, it will fit the criteria for the "Leisurely Turtle Race to Christmas with Squirrels Allowed"  or LTRTCWSA challenge that my left handed pal and Linda in KS cooked up.  I have some fabric pulled but primarily that was because I was still trying to figure out the tree skirt pattern that came in an old Better Homes and Garden quilt kit.  You could make a small throw with the same yardage plus ornaments etc.  Trust me, this stack of stuff has antiqued sufficiently though I have run off with some of it for other projects.  I will happily use the fabric elsewhere for this special project.

Also my dear niece is now an engaged woman!   Yep, he proposed on Halloween.  Turns out he had taken her to dinner and while they were gone, someone left a pumpkin he had carved with the question "will you marry me?"  (not a real pumpkin but some material that she can save his hand work).  No date set yet though she did tell me she was thinking a fall wedding.  Her Grandma H. has the perfect quilt presently at the long arm quilters.  From what she told me, Allison has seen it and remarked that Derek would love it----a  medallion with blue and white stars all around it.  Derek went to the University of Kentucky and their colors are blue and white.  LOL  I had said  "do me a favor and don't get married in the winter so I can be there" while grandma said  "please don't tell me you are getting married two months from now so I can get the quilt back from the long arm quilter".  Mom had said there was no rush when she dropped it off, LOL.   

Anyway I'll be on the lookout for some other kind of quilty idea for a gift or shower gift but her grandparents have the wedding quilt covered.   I am thrilled for them---Derek is a good guy for her and to her.  

So what else?  The car had to go into the shop as I thought something was smelling like it was hot and I was afraid a belt was going out.   The chirp it had been making was getting louder or more frequent----turns out whatever took the place of the distributor in modern cars needed replaced---bad bearing or something.  DJ and I dropped it off and then went to vote on the way home.  Then another run into town to pick it up.  

I had a lab work run, laundry, errands and dropped off a quilt to a friend of a friend for a project he is collecting quilts for (troubled teens and runaways in the Guntersville, AL area named Ogden House that I believe is run through the Tennessee Valley Family Services).  Gene has more about this on his blog as they did this last year as well.  My BQ 1 picnic fabric quilt is going to this project----it was a pay it forward project from a quilt shop in Washington State so I feel it is an appropriate site. 

Of course, I stayed up way tooooo late watching the election coverage and the concession/ victory speeches.  Wouldn't you know that I had accidentally set the alarm be picking up the silly thing on the very morning that I SHOULD have slept in??  Well, if not that, then the little furry alarm clock would have been rousing me anyway! 

Yesterday I spent a ton of time in my kitchen.  I baked some cookies to take to twister class that Marilyn was doing today at her church near here.  I had some prep work to do for our noon meal today as I would not be home till about 11 or so today.  I had everything ready to put in the crockpot this morning first thing for navy bean and ham soup.   Beans soaking overnight etc.  I must have been out in the kitchen at least 4 hours and that did not include cooking supper.  DJ had gone into town earlier in the morning and I asked him to get some coconut as I did not  have enough to make Pride of Iowa cookies.  I thought it was the only thing I needed----well, I was a half cup short of oatmeal and had to make a quick run after all.  

 My kitchen is in a bit of a mess at present and will be for some time as DJ has decided to paint out kitchen cabinets.  The doors have been gone for a little over a week---just long enough for me to NOT be trying to close the door when I get something out of there anymore.  This is just the bonding primer stuff---stark white does not go with that wall paper in the first place and I do NOT want flat paint on this.  We have discussed it for some time since we cannot afford to just replace them.  If we could have, we would have when we had discovered that the bottom of the sink cabinet and the one to the lef to fit were warped from water damage.

This is not wood but that composite stuff, and it looks dated.   The lower half of the room where there are no cabinets or appliances below the wall paper is green colored so the paint selection will be a hair darker than that---as close as we can get it.   It should go well with the kitchen table and chairs.

So he can't paint outside on the saw horses as it is too cool out. Not above 50 when he had time to work on it. The rain threatened the other day and actually started to sprinkle on one door that had not quite dried so we had this scenario yesterday too.  Obviously access is limited to both the washer and dryer but go for it---sigh.  I already had the discussion with him to NOT plan on this spot till after I get a load of towels done tomorrow.

He has only concentrated on the upper part so my kitchen access has not really been a problem.   I suspect that won't be too problematic till we get to the bottom cupboards and I'll have to be mindful of wet paint and my pants legs near the sink anyway.    I have a feeling that it will be awhile before I can show you any after pictures, above or below.

I DID go over to help Marilyn with her twister demo/class this morning for a little while.   As you know I have a few more examples of how to use the ruler than just the wreath so shared those.   Marilyn had lunch planned but I needed to get home.   I have not cut anything out as I had planned other than the "Tons of Black" Challenge piece and prep "Happy Halloween".  Fabrics are pulled for the other project----just sitting and waiting.  Absolutely no sewing this week unless you count binding.  My sewing machine is apt to be getting lonely at this rate!   I've frittered today away to the point that I'll be warming up that pot of soup that I finished making after lunch and making cornbread all too soon.  Now I am out of the notion of doing much of anything productive.  More binding??  There are two more to go.   Go read and forget it??   Just do some Twin Sisters strip sets---that might be the ticket for now.

And sew it goes--------- 

some progress

Some progress here----my version of the Happy Halloween Button Up is all prepped though I still need to do the button hole applique on most of the elements.  I used black felt for the pumpkin faces so that part should be okay but the rest of it will need anchoring.

I also will need to tweak in those spider legs---add some buttons for the bats eyes and the cats as well.

BUT I believe that I will prep the other button up that I want to do first and then I can do the machine applique stitched on both of them.  Same with pinning and quilting.  I work in cycles, after all.

Soon it will be time to go fix supper.  I had been thinking Hot and Sour Chicken (good recipe in an old Sunset oriental wok book that I like).  I may still make that.  The grill is still out and uncovered so I am tempted to go with something else.  Or poach it for an primavera dish for tomorrow.   Ambivalent about cooking, I guess.  Usually I have a fairly good idea about what I am hungry for but not today.

Hope you have had a good day ----