What I’m Working On

I feel like I’ve been pulled in a lot of different directions at once. There’s a pretty good reason I feel that way, I think. I have been trying to get as much done as I can at my shop—I have a couple of new customers, and I don’t want to get behind—but there are other appointments and commitments that I keep having to leave and take care of. In all honesty, some are optional….like an invitation to lunch. Haha. 

I got Karen’s breast cancer quilt done and had a good amount of fabric left from the back and the binding. I texted her to ask if she wanted me to make a pillowcase from the leftover fabric. She was happy for me to do that, and I didn’t mind.

Today is the Cuero quilt show, and I needed to get Janice’s quilt trimmed so I could take it to the show with me. 

I added the closeup to show the variegated thread I used. I hope she likes it! I’m also taking scissors and a knife with me to get sharpened. The scissor sharpening man will be at the show. 

I finished a couple of other quilts that were picked up Wednesday night after church.  I made an attempt to work on a couple of my projects. I have been busy cutting and fusing key fobs.

They aren’t near finished. I get tired of them and can only do so much at a time. I did find a jelly roll and some yardage I forgot I had.

It’s the Walkabout fabric line from Moda from a few years ago. It was a quick trip to the quilt shop to get a pattern and some background fabric.

I’m happy to report this is all I bought while i was there! I got the background fabric all cut, but I ran out of time before I got all the jelly roll strips cut. Maybe this afternoon if I get back early from Cuero.

To-Do-List Tuesday 3-28-23

Hello! It's time for another to-do list Tuesday check in. I had a good week, and knocked out a lot of my items.

1) Bind March UFO quilt. Yes, and I am so happy with it.

2) Finish 10 key fobs. Done. 

3) Piece a charity quilt. Also done.

4) Add some rows to the shop hop quilt. Well, I only added two rows, but I am going to count that as a success.

5) Make some blocks for Facebook block swap. Done and ready to mail.

I'm happy with my progress and have some ideas about what I want to get accomplished this next week. 

1) Finish three customer quilts. Two are small, but the third requires binding and a pillowcase.

2) Go to the quilt show in Cuero.

3) Order thread before the price goes up.

4) Order black batting for a quilt a customer is bringing soon.

5) Work on Trip Around the Countryside. I think I have five more rows to add, but I'm not sure I will get all of them done. Any progress will be fine with me. 

6) Cut out some more key fobs. I probably won't get them sewn, but I would like to have about 10 more cut and fused.

That's enough, and it should be doable. I am thinking I want to start a new project, and I also want to start cutting up some of the kits I want to take on my cruise. I still have a few months to do it, but I don't want it to fall off my radar. 

I am linking this post to Quilt Schmilt. Have a good week everyone.

Hello Monday

 I really have nothing new to post. 

I have been a little more introspective than usual….normally I just go non-stop until I drop, but I spent most of the day (Sunday) in a thinking mood. I also decided I may be exhausted, and took an hour-long nap. I’m not usually a napped, but I’m tired of falling asleep at 10pm on the couch. We’ll see how long it lasts. 

I stopped at Walmart after church to get some coleslaw mix, and of course I made a pass through the fabric department. They had some bolts marked down to $2.50/yard and I bought a few pieces for our church service group.

We generally use 1.5 yard pieces for our comforters. I didn’t buy a lot, but every little bit helps. We rely mostly on donations, and I will donate these, although I think I will keep some of the green to use for sashing on my swap blocks. If I ever get enough of them, I hope to have a twin-sized donation quilt. 

Tonight I hope to work on my Trip Around the Countryside quilt. I have been neglecting it a little, but there’s plenty of time to get it finished. If I don’t make any progress tonight, I can always work on it tomorrow after I come back from my exercise class. 

Weekend Update

Yesterday was spent at my shop working on a customer quilt. It's another breast cancer one.

This one, like the last breast cancer one I did, is made by someone who is not a quilter. I don't believe she has ever made a quilt before. And you know what? it is nearly perfect as far as being square and even. 

The last breast cancer one I quilted was a different customer, but it was also someone who had not been quilting long, and it was also close to perfect. I wish my experienced quilters were more like this. Or maybe that would make my life boring. Some of the most prolific piecers bring me the most challenging quilts. I think it is because they crank them out so fast. Slowing down and taking your time does make a difference with accuracy. That is a good lesson for me as well.

After I finished quilting, I worked on my charity quilt, and I was determined to get finished with the piecing.

I'm sure you can tell I didn't measure those borders. I took the lazy way out and just sewed them on and then trimmed off the excess. I did use the differential feed on my sewing machine, but that may not have been enough. It looks like there is a little bit of fullness in that outer border. I may take it off and do it the right way, or I may load it on the machine and address it as I quilt. I have plenty of experience doing that. LOL. The best thing about this quilt is that it is free (so far) if you don't count my time. The seashell blocks were something I found in my stash, and the lavender was cut off backing from another quilt I did. The other good thing is that it was my March UFO for piecing. I don't know for sure when I will quilt it. 

I am still feeding the neighborhood cats at my shop. As far as I can tell, they live next door, but those people are often gone for weeks at a time. Anyway, one of them is getting friendly.

When I walked out the back door, he was waiting for me. There is a gray striped one also, but he is more skittish. I see him, but when he see me, he leaves before I can take his picture. 

So, today I am going to try and work on my Trip Around the Countryside. I tried to do some Friday night, but I think I was too tired, and I got totally confused. I'm sure I was too tired as I fell asleep later of the couch. I hope everyone is having a good weekend! 

Another Busy Week

The weekend is here! I didn’t do half of what I needed to do, but I did get groceries bought, did some meal prep, vacuumed, and of course, lots of work on quilting-related stuff.

I got the binding put on my March quilting UFO. I’m quite happy with it.

I’m even happy with the backing.

I like the backing so well I am thinking of ordering another bolt. There are 15 yards on the bolt (I think), and I can see myself using it for many projects. They had the same print with a pink background, but the pink is no longer available. I also got an email from my thread wholesaler saying thread is going up 9% due to raw material costs. Sigh. First batting, and now thread. 

Oh, I solved the dilemma I wrote about yesterday. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to order the book this quilt is in:

I found a used copy on Amazon for a little over $7.00. There’s another quilt in the book I would possibly make, so that’s not too bad. 

Today I need to get a quilt loaded on the frame, but first I will have to piece the backing. The lady brought me 5 yards of 45” wide fabric, and I didn’t notice it until yesterday. I will split it into two pieces and seam them together. 

Good news. I’m finally getting the hang of the zero-turn mower.

There is definitely a learning curve involved. I would have been embarrassed for anyone to see my first attempts which involved turning in circles both in forward and reverse. I was thinking of selling it and getting the regular lawn tractor like we used to have, but I have kept trying and am getting more competent. I have been using the push mower on the front yard, but the back yard is a little larger. Maybe I can get good enough on the zero turn to use it on the front, but not yet.

What I’m Working On

I lost a day (Wednesday) because I wasn’t feeling well. I felt better by the evening and was able to help with the Lenten meal at church. 

We have the Wednesday services in the old chapel….it’s much smaller, but it’s quite pretty inside. Lots of hand carving, and the inscriptions on the stained glass panels are in German. We served tacos and chalupas for the meal. It’s supposed to be a light meal, but Lutheran and light meal are contradictory terms. 

Yesterday was quilt guild. There wasn’t a program since it was a 40-year anniversary celebration. I took pictures of two quilts I thought I might like to make.

These (among others) will be donated to graduating foster children. The second one is from the “On a Roll” jelly roll book. I thought I had that one, but I can’t seem to locate it, so maybe not. That presents a conflict; I feel I should order the book to make the quilt, but I certainly don’t need a pattern to make the quilt. It looks pretty straightforward. I guess I’ll think about it for a little while. By then I will most likely forget about the quilt.

I did finish the Umbrella Girl quilt and got it trimmed.

The backing is also pretty. It picks up all the colors from the front. 

I worked on a few other things, but am not quite finished. I also took in three more customer quilts so I will have plenty to do.

To-Do-List Tuesday 3-21-23

 It's been a pretty productive week for me. I had a long list of to-do's, and while I didn't get it all done, quite a few can be checked off. Here's the list:

1) Three customer quilts quilted and trimmed. Done. 

2) Get the binding on the February UFO. Done. 

3) Work on shop hop quilt-Trip Around the Countryside. Four more rows got added....just seven more rows to go!

4) Piece a charity quilt. No, but I have an idea what I want to do. It's just a matter of having enough time.

5) Quilt my March UFO. Done.

6) Make ten more key fobs. I worked on them but never quite got finished.

That's not bad, and I am not worried about the ones that didn't get done. The list works to keep me focused, and I like to have enough on their that I can pick and choose what I feel like working on. The two that didn't get done can go on this week's list. And, here it is:

1) Bind March UFO quilt.

2) Finish 10 key fobs.

3) Piece a charity quilt.

4) Add some rows to the shop hop quilt.

5) Make some blocks for Facebook block swap.

That's probably about all I can get done. It's going to be a busy week: my church group is preparing the Lenten meal tomorrow, and I have a quilt guild meeting on Thursday. Not sure what else will happen, but my daughter has Covid so I may need to help out there if they need me to. And now I am off to work on some key fobs!

I am linking this post to Quilt Schmilt. Have a good week everyone.

Another Finish

Oh my, the weather is so cold and rainy. We need the rain (a lot) so I'm trying to not complain about it. One good thing about this weather: it is a good incentive to stay inside and sew. I could be cleaning house, but oh well! I am beyond happy with the way my February UFO quilt turned out. It's called Marmalade Cake and the pattern is from the Dessert Roll book by Pam Lintott.

I got the binding on yesterday and immediately hung it up for a picture. I think the gold binding really ties it all together as it is the same as the inner border. I used a poinsettia quilt pattern in gold thread. It's a biggie--94" x 94". 

I also got the binding made for my March UFO quilt, but wasn't able to finish stitching it on. That will most likely have to wait until Monday or Tuesday.

No secret that I am partial to both string blocks and nine-patch blocks. This one is totally my style. I tried out a new quilting pattern that I had bought a few weeks ago.

I don't usually like a really dense pattern for my stuff, but I thought it was appropriate for this one considering all the seams. Some of my customers like a denser design, and I like to try out new ones on my own stuff--if possible. 

I got a little done on a customer quilt. The lady who did all the umbrella girl quilts brought me another one.

It's another big one. I think it's 104" x 114". It takes a little more time to get these big ones loaded, and then I didn't do much quilting on it as I was busy trying to put binding on my own quilts. There's always a trade-off and only so much time in the day.

Today is church, and I hope to feel like working on my shop hop quilt. Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, I end up just sitting on the couch with my feet up. That's okay too.

Finishes!

I have been concentration-challenged all week. I just jump from one thing to another and can’t seem to concentrate on a single project. It’s been that way every day, but finally, some things got finished Friday. I got three quilts trimmed and ready to go back to their owners.

The first one is a tee shirt quilt. I like the way it turned out. I know some people say they don’t like doing them, but I’m fine with it. They are such a personal memento of a person’s interests. 

I got my string quilt quilted, but I haven’t trimmed it yet so no pictures. I still need to cut some black binding and get that prepared so I can it put on. Speaking of binding, I have been working on binding my February UFO quilt but can’t seem to get finished. That should happen today, but who knows?

I got some more swap blocks cut out and got these two sewn. 

I am trying to stay caught up with it. I am already behind on the RSC challenge. This month is green, and I need to get to work on my blocks. 

I made some chicken soup last night—the weather is cold again. I had bought a rotisserie chicken and needed to get it used up. I ate the wings and legs over the last few days—those are my favorite pieces—and had all that breast and thigh meat left. I had carrots, celery, and onion in the fridge, and some noodles in the pantry, so that was easy. I think I have enough left for a few more meals. I’m trying hard to eat more healthy. Cooking for one is a challenge, but if I can cook soup or stew and eat it for a couple of days, it makes things easier.

What I’m Working On

Oh my goodness….the weather has been so gloomy. It was in the 80’s over the weekend, and now in the 40’s. Winter is not quite ready to give up. I guess I don’t really mind. Summer will last forever so no point in rushing it. I was at church yesterday morning with my sewing group, and then I went to my shop in the afternoon. I got 10 key fobs made.

I’ve got ten more cut out and the fusible ironed on— I just need to sit down at the machine and get the stitching done. It was one of those days when I just jumped from one thing to another and didn’t get completely finished with anything. I did get a quilt backing loaded and I cut binding for my February UFO quilt.

This one was picked up today:

The owner was so happy with it she had tears in her eyes. I feel lucky that I was able to take the old embroidery squares and make them into something she loves. 

I have a few more customer quilts to do before I can put one of mine on the frame, but I am trying to always keep one of mine in the queue at all times. That’s about the only way I can get mine done.

To-Do-List Tuesday 3-14-23

I missed last week, so I am still working from an old list.....that's okay, it's not like I got much sewing done last week anyway. Here's my list from two weeks ago:

1) Quilt and bind commission quilt. This is a have-to-do, no negotiation on this. It's done!

It's made from embroidered blocks made by a late family member. Here's a closeup of the blocks:

2) Quilt three customer quilts. I know I got two done--one was the Santa quilt I posted yesterday.

3) Make two pillowcases for my bed. I didn't get to finish this one.....I may have kind of forgotten about it.

4) Continue working on border workshop quilt. I think it is actually called Borders Galore. I need to start referring to it as that. I'm still working away at this one. I haven't finished the pinwheel border yet.

5) Finish February goal quilt. This may not happen; it depends on how much time I have. I finished the quilting and still need to do the binding.

What would I like to accomplish this week?

1) Get the binding on the February UFO.

2) Three customer quilts quilted and trimmed.

3) Work on shop hop quilt-Trip Around the Countryside.

4) Piece a charity quilt.

5) Quilt my March UFO.

6) Make ten more key fobs.

I'm leaving the Borders Galore quilt for a week or two--I need a break from it, I think. I would rather spend my spare time on the shop hop quilt, and of course, yard work is taking up a lot of time.

I am linking this post to Quilt Schmilt. Have a good week everyone.

 

Monday Already?

 It feels like the weekend just zoomed by! I didn’t get half the things done that I needed to do, and now that it’s Monday, I will have to hit the ground running. I did get a little yard work done, but not nearly enough. I think I will have to hire a lawn service, as I just don’t have the time to deal with it on top of the housework, my volunteer projects, and my quilting business. 

I had hoped to get my Trip Around the Countryside quilt mostly done; I got about one half done. I laid it on the floor to take a picture, and it was photo-bombed!

Here is a dog-free picture.

I’m a little undecided about it….I had envisioned one thing, and it’s turning out not like I pictured. I’m committed to finishing it though. I have a couple of patterns for 2-1/2” strips I want to start soon.

I also have a couple of layer cake patterns I want to do as well. I will need to finish a couple of things before I start in on something else. 

The dogs drug in a bunch of dirt, and I had to clean my floors yesterday, but I still need to dust and clean bathrooms. That needs to happen today. I am going to try and get a pedicure this morning. Exercise class is cancelled today, so I have an extra hour. Whatever happens, it won’t be as busy as last week.