Scrappy Saturday

I’ve been catching up on some smaller projects. It has been raining for the last couple of days, so the weather was perfect for staying inside and sewing. Betty and I braved the rain yesterday and made a road trip to Yorktown. We visited the quilt shop there and then drove to Cuero for lunch. When we got back to Victoria, we went by the quilt shop here, so it was a mini shop hop for us. I bought a couple of things in Yorktown, but I haven’t gotten the bag out of the car yet. I’ll get a picture once I bring it inside. The only think I bought in Victoria was a yo-yo maker and a creative grids ruler.

I finished Diane’s quilt Thursday.

It’s a baby quilt with cuddle fabric on the back.

I pulled out some scraps and made a couple of potholders.

I plan to make a couple of cup towels to go with them. I have a strip of the kitchen fabric left—hopefully enough to embellish two towels.

I’m still working on my RSC blocks; I’m working on May (pink) and trying to get caught up on April (yellow). 

I sewed some more half-square triangles last night, so I should be able to crank out about six more blocks this week. 

What else? I finished my May block of the month Thursday night.

We’re almost halfway through the year, and I haven’t fizzled out yet. I really want to complete the year and get the blocks put into a top.

Today I need to clean house. The dogs have tracked up the floors with their wet paws. I need to sweep and mop and hopefully clean bathrooms if I have the energy. 

A Little Work and a Little Play

I haven’t been working much this week, but I get a few hours in here and there. Here’s a picture of the one I finished Monday: 

This was from a block swap done in 1999. It’s not mine—it belongs to a customer, but the blocks are signed and dated, so it’s not hard to figure out when they were done. It’s kind of ironic to me how we’re all trying to finish up quilts from swaps we did in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. That’s where this one of mine came from:

It was a block swap from sometime around 2001 or 2002, and I finally got around to quilting it last month. Are we all realizing our mortality, or are we finally getting caught up on all the UFO’s? Either way, things are getting done. 

I was going to get started on the next t-shirt quilt yesterday, but I managed to put it off. I really can’t get in the mood to work on it, and I have another one to do after I get that one done. I did get a baby quilt done, and I will trim it this morning and get a picture before she picks it up.

I started working on the flower beds, and my neighbor asked if he could finish it for me. I said yes, but now I’m regretting it. He pulled up all my gerbera daisies and my lantana. I think the lantana may come back, but we’ll see. At this point, I’m pretty well resigned to the fact that I will have to do it myself going forward. In the meantime, I spent my “spare” time playing ball with the dogs, and then I cut out my May BOM.

I think I’ll make some cookies tonight. The ones I took to the WELCA meeting all got eaten, and although I don’t usually eat many sweets, I was wishing I had some last night. It won’t take long to make a small batch.

To-Do-List Tuesday 5-14-24

I haven't written a blog post since last Tuesday so I should have plenty to report. LOL. That's not really the case. I've been busy with other non-sewing things, and I've been somewhat unmotivated to work on any of my projects. I did, however, keep referring back to my last post to see what I needed to be focusing on and ended up finishing the week on a pretty good note.

1. Quilt three customer quilts. Yes. 
   
   
   
   
   The first one had a pieced back, which I thought was pretty cool
   
   The third quilt is quilted, but not trimmed. I'll share a photo tomorrow.
2. Put binding on commission quilt. Yes. 
   
   I like it! I used light blue of the back, and I think Sue will really be happy with it.
   
   
   
3. Make some more scissor cases, or maybe some potholders, depending on what I feel like doing. Yes, I got several scissor cases sewn and am in the process of sewing on snaps and buttons. 
4. April and May RSC blocks. No. I cut out enough for a couple of yellow ones and a couple of pink ones, but I still need to sew them together.
5. May Block of the Month. No.
6. Crochet some dish cloths. Yes, some red ones.
   
   
   

I know I have some things I need to work on this week, and of course customer quilts to do. I need to keep things moving along with some kind of progress. 

1. May block of the month.
2. Finish scissor cases.
3. April and May RSC blocks.
4. Start a tee shirt quilt.
5. Dish cloths or potholders.

Today I have a WELCA meeting which will include a luncheon. I'm not having time to cook anything for the luncheon, so I got a jar of picante sauce and a bag of tortilla chips. I also made some cookies, so those can go too.

And, here's a recent picture of the baby kitty.

He is so cute! 

I am linking this post to Quilt Schmilt. Have a great week wherever you are reading this!

To-Do-List Tuesday 5-7-24

Ha! What a week! I managed to stay somewhat focused until Friday afternoon, when I decided I was done with everything and everybody. My grumpy mood affected my productivity, at least on the quilting stuff. That's all behind me, and I am back on the hamster wheel. 

1) A Quilting Life BOM. Yes. Finally.

2) Work on April RSC blocks--yellow. No.

3) Finish two customer quilts. Yes. 

The bottom one still needs to be bound so it's technically not finished, but the quilting and trimming is done.

4) Order batting. Yes, and I think the FedEx driver hates me. He did not have a happy look on his face. 😒

And now it's a new week, and time for a new list. 

1. Quilt three customer quilts.
2. Put binding on commission quilt.
3. Make some more scissor cases, or maybe some potholders, depending on what I feel like doing.
4. April and May RSC blocks.
5. May Block of the Month.
6. Crochet some dish cloths.

That's probably enough for now. I still need to get some yard work done in the evenings, and that will tire me out. Any little bit that gets done is a good thing, though, whether it’s in the yard or at the sewing machine. I am linking this post to Quilt Schmilt. Have a great week wherever you are reading this!

Weekend Wrap Up

I spent the weekend working on some projects I had been putting off. I bought a pattern to make a scissor case that holds three pairs of scissors, and I had cut out about eight of them, including the batting I’m using in the middle. I sewed and topstitched two of them.

They still need snaps and a button on the flap to hold it closed. I think they are super cute. 

It takes about a fat quarter, plus the batting. I will definitely be making more.

I ended up spending Saturday at home. I had lots of chores to get done, including the yard. 

After I took the picture, I sprayed round-up on the grass in the sidewalk seams, and between the brick pavers. We had a pretty good rain Sunday morning so I may need to do it again. The backyard continues to be neglected; I will try to work on it some this coming week.

I also did a lot of laundry. Remember the stain on this quilt?

I treated it with the Nature’s Miracle, let it sit a little bit, and then laundered it. Unfortunately, it didn’t all come out although it is somewhat lighter in color. Instead of drying it in the dryer, I squeezed some lemon juice on the stains and hung it on the clothesline in the sun. I am probably one of the few people that still has a clothesline, but I find it quite useful. After the quilt dried, I put it on my bed. Here’s the stain:

A little lighter, but I can still see it. I positioned it so it doesn’t show when you walk into the room, and I am the only one that ever goes in there. Well, besides the dogs.

It is on the back side—the part that hangs over the mattress. I’m still thinking about what I can do to get it out. Maybe oxyclean. 

I was going to work on my block of the month Sunday, but my grandson had a piano recital at 2pm. He played Hedwig’s theme from Harry Potter and apparently decided to dress the part. 

He’s the one in the Harry Potter robe. LOL. He is a born performer. 

What I’ve Been Working On

It’s been a busy week here. The weather has been gloomy; just enough light rain to keep the car looking dirty. I was able to get a couple of quilts finished. Quilting and binding done on this one

This is one made by a customer’s mother. She brought the extra fabric for the borders. It was a full size quilt, but I added the borders to make it a queen.

The fabrics look to be from the 1950’s. This one looks like a dress my grandmother had

I put light blue on the back. 

I finished the quilting, but I still need to trim it and bind it. I worked on some heart ornaments.

They are made from some the shirt fabric left over from the last memory quilt I made. She wants eight of the hearts; I only got two done, but it’s a start. 

I’m still tired in the evenings, but I try to do a little yard work or housework or laundry each day. Then I sit down and crochet or embroider. Even if I just crochet a couple of rows, I feel like I’m getting something done.