just puttering

Pippi is showing you her newest acquisition. I got her one of those cozy cat cushions that features a self-heating core and warms without electricity and FedEx delivered it on Saturday afternoon. I was thinking it might help those old kitty bones. She sits down so gingerly sometimes that I thought she must be a bit uncomfortable. Then the next minute she is hopping up on something high or running 90 mph down the hall, so who knows? She seems to like it--to the point that DJ asked me where I intended to sleep last night. (She did allow me to have half the bed and I pulled the quilt at the bottom of the bed up over me till she moved on a few hours later. )

Speaking of bones, I have got a case of the lazy bones today---no sewing or anything remotely sewing related for almost a week now. A little knitting, yes, but that is about it. Well, first it was because we expected company on Friday and Saturday. But I had another project that I'll tell you about in a second.

Actually the golfing pal came--and left--while we had gone out for our anniversary lunch on Friday. We came home to a note in the door that said it was too cold (meaning too cold to play golf---duh, we tried to tell you that on the phone). He indicated that he was heading on further south--my guess down to Columbus, GA or Jacksonville, FL where other friends live but I don't think that they were much warmer on Friday and Saturday. I think he had that planned all along based on a less than promising forecast.

We were NOT looking for him till the evening hours anyway. DJ and I had left the kitchen floor mopping detail for last and the chairs were off in the living room so good thing he didn't come in! DJ said he was worn out from his cleaning detail earlier in the morning so he just hauled the chairs back in , LOL---and did it the next day. So we will have a clean house for us---we are worth it!

I had asked about some ideas for organizing my notebook stuff in my last post. Patti had some good ideas to suggest and really it was along the lines of what I was thinking as well. Norma had sort of put the bee in my bonnet about this in a conversation recently. I hope that she will post how she deals with her paper stuff as I think you might find it helpful if you haven't got a handle on YOUR stuff.

I gave some thought to the types of patterns and printout that I have. Then Thursday evening and most of the day Friday (once I knew Herb was not going to be plunked on my couch) I sorted and culled my way through my stuff. I am basically a traditional quilter so a good bit of my collections falls into the typical types of blocks:

• hearts
• baskets
• stars
• log cabins
• fans or circular designs and so forth.

As I was going through the notebooks I found that I needed some space devoted to:

• seasonal/holiday patterns
• kid friendly patterns since I make donation quilts
• critters other than cats (cats have their own notebook and have had for some time, LOL)
• reference/technique
• home dec/totes, etc.
• Clothing patterns but those were already separated out
• I don't do much applique so I didn't feel I needed a category for that--added it to the general mix.

Some stuff I separated out by designer if it was someone that I have a good bit of----in my case that would be:

• Amy Bradley
• Billie Lauder
• Debbie Mumm
• Glad Creations
• Atkinson Designs
• Mary Ellen Hopkins and on it goes.

Other stuff fit a theme, of sorts and could be grouped together as well-- barns, country, sewing, etc.

I tossed a bunch of my EQ printouts--those are in my software anyway-- unless it was something that I didn't feel I could replicate or had a lot of notes about the set or cutting directions. I kept handouts that I had generated for the Belles but those went into the mix---baskets, stars, log cabins, fans, etc.--if they fit the criteria even though I have those in my document files too. The duplicates got tossed or set aside to share. Then I just separated things out into the named categories and kept adjusting which notebook that they went into. Even better the one with the sprung rings that would not catch all the holes on the all the sheet protectors?----it is outta here! I cleaned out the two file cabinet drawers as well. Only one notebook is currently a hodge podge but it is also the one with the empty sheet protectors so anything new will be put in there temporarily. So I feel a whole lot better about that situation!

Moving onto something that I am NOT so okay with and part of the reason why I am not sewing. I was doing pretty well on working on this till last Monday night but I have real problem child with this. I swear that I cut all the strips the same length. I know that the sashing is for sure as I trimmed them all off at the same time. I stay stitched the braid strips to keep them from stretching as they were added to the sashing. I don't know if you can tell just how badly these have turned out from the picture. Some are too long and others are too short!! Worse yet? The last set that had two pieces of sashing added to it is too short on one side and too long on the other!! SHEESH Now what do I do?

I didn't have the heart to get the tape measure out and see what went wrong. I just folded them up and put them ont he shelf---mostly because I was cleaning. It is just scrap material and my first impulse is just to toss the whole thing (but save the yellow if I resorted to that drastic a measure) No way, no how, it this going to make flat quilt like it is now. Trim the long ones off and add something to the bottom of the too short ones once I know what the heck these really measure?? My mom said to take off the stay stitching (too tight a seam, too close to the edge---no thanks!) and take the seams up a bit to make them fit. Chalk this up to experience and never make it again is my feeling at the moment-- if the measurements are wayyyyy off. I have made one of these before without this kind of mess!!

We had a gorgeous day today though pretty frosty this morning. It was up till almost 60 today, warm enough to just walk in my jeans and sweater minus any t-shirt underneath--no heavy sweatshirt, hat and gloves today. Yesterday, not quite as warm but the first sunshine in days so there were a lot of people at the park. The basketball court had about a dozen people playing ball, the skate park was full, some kids tossing a baseball around, some of the playground equipment with their parents keeping watch. Still others on bikes and walking either in the park or the adjoining trail. Even one family flying kites. With school in session I have sort of gotten used to being about the only one in the park as I walk or spotting a few walkers in passing. Guess we all were a little sick of being inside and wanted to enjoy that sunshine.

No cooking tonight since I cooked our lunch--hurray for leftovers to warm up!

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1-29 ED NOTE: I have gotten a couple of good suggestions both here and off post about what I might be able to do with my oh, so errant braid strips. Norma at Random Stitches was kind enough to post a picture of her salvage job when the "Bias Bogey Man bit her bad" as well---click HERE for a view of her creative solution. I would need to take the sashing strips off but those could be used elsewhere---maybe on a Chinese Coin strippie, yeah that would work. No more braid though--I'm cured, LOL. OR what would it look like if I kept the yellow on there, cut squares and chunked it into squares whatever wide they measure? Food for thought.