Memorial Day

 

I don’t have much planned for today….I am caught up for now on Quilts of Valor presentations. In fact, I haven’t been sent any requests this year. I am planning to meet up with friends later for lunch and a movie, so that will be fun.

I worked yesterday afternoon on the donation quilts I had cut out on Saturday. I made pretty good progress.

Well, I have to admit they weren’t really challenging, so it didn’t take but a few hours once the cutting was done. The USA print is directional, and I sewed two of the panels upside down and had to do some ripping and re-sewing. That was one small delay. I hope to get the borders put on these this week. I wish I would have bought a couple more yards of the focus fabric for pillowcases. I may go back to Walmart in a couple of days (payday) and see if I can get some. 

Moving Along

Another hectic day, but I managed to get some things done that I wanted to do. I went to the Farmer's Market and got there early enough to get some tomatoes.

I got various shades of ripeness so they will last the week (I hope), and I also bought some squash and cucumbers. I helped in the kitchen at church--it was a big meal, and we were there for several hours.

Once that was done, I could have used a nap, but I pushed myself to get some sewing and cutting done. I got another kit cut out for the cruise.

It really wasn't hard to cut, which made me wander why I had put it off for so long. I also got the binding finished on the horse quilt.

A customer pieced it, and then gifted it to me along with the fabric for the backing. Now that it is quilted and bound, it will be gifted to someone else. Full circle.

I started cutting out some of the fabrics I had laundered for the charity quilts in hopes that I might get some sewing time after church. This is one of them:

I think it will be adorable in a child's quilt. I am going to use that checkmate pattern I showed yesterday, so it shouldn't take long at all.

Lots of Activities

Things have been incredibly busy around here. Thursday was quilt guild, and it was my turn to provide a door prize and also to provide refreshments. I try and sign up for both in the same month, and then I’m done and don’t have anything hanging over my head for the rest of the year. I made sausage rolls, and I bought some donut holes and some trail mix. Beth made biscotti and also brought fresh fruit. I wish I would have thought to take a picture but I didn’t. We were supposed to have a workshop, but the presenter couldn’t get her computer to work, and she had forgotten to bring the blocks we were supposed to work on. They were preprinted blocks for coloring. She dropped mine off at my house yesterday afternoon, but I am not exactly motivated to work on them by myself, so we’ll see if they get done or not.

Today there is a funeral at church, and I am on the bereavement team, so last night I fixed pecan pie bars and raspberry oatmeal bars.

I actually fixed another larger pan of the pecan pie bars.

I thought I might have over-cooked the raspberry ones, so I made a powder sugar glaze and put it on the top. I usually do a cake or pie, but I was noticing that people like to take several small pieces of the desserts so I think the bars may be the way to go. 

I got a customer quilt loaded yesterday and started cutting out another kit for the cruise. I have had to work on grass cutting for the last few days so that takes a chunk of time. I wish I could just hire someone to do it, but the last person I had couldn’t do it to suit me, and my dogs have a total fit if someone is in the yard. <sigh>.

I have some yardage in the washer right now. I picked up some kid-friendly fabrics when I was in Walmart, and I decided I better pre wash it before it goes into a quilt.  I also got some at JoAnns Monday, but I haven’t washed it yet. I am anxious to get the quilts cut out. They will be going to Midcoast Family Services here in Victoria. I ordered a new pattern (I haven’t received it yet) that will show the focus fabrics.

I bought two yards of this dinosaur print.

I love how realistic it is—not too babyish or cartoonish. I also got some jungle animals and I don’t know what all else. Between Walmart and JoAnn’s, I spent around $250.00. I’m not sure how long I can continue doing that, but for now I will do what I can. I believe God will provide a way for me to serve. I did talk to the facility director last week, and she said the quilts and bags we are providing mean so much to the kids. They are generally arriving there from a domestic violence situation, so they come with nothing. It’s pretty sad. Anyway, enough of the sad stuff. Happy Saturday everyone.

Mission Accomplished

When I went to Corpus on Monday, I went by JoAnn fabrics to see if they had any fabric that would coordinate with the fat quarter bundle I'm using for the Solar Flare quilt. I found a bundle of red-orange-yellow colors and a single fat quarter of dark blue.

They both have the mottled look that will work with the original pack. I ended up pulling out the orange and the blue as they seem to coordinate the best.

I did end up putting two rows together yesterday with the hst's I already had sewn. That's about all I got done as I went home early. I wanted to spend some times with the dogs before I left for bingo last night.

I also found this magazine at JoAnn's:

This was my main reason for going there, and I was happy to find it. The cover quilt is the next APQ quilt along. 

I also bought 20 fat quarters that I need for the quilt. I looked through the magazine last night, and I also like this one:

The quilt along starts in June, so there's not much time to get the last one finished. Nothing like a deadline......

To-Do-List Tuesday 5-23-23

 

Well, darn. I’m usually better at staying on track with my weekly goals, but I didn’t get a lot done last week. In my defense, there were other things that needed to be done, but I was also unmotivated to sew or create. Here’s my list:

1) Borders on Planters quilt. Yes! This can be crossed off the list.

2) APQ blocks - need to do the alternate blocks and get it laid out. I worked on it, but I am not as far along as I had planned.

3) Cut out another quilt for cruise. No.

4) Bind horse quilt. No.

My lack of progress leaves a lot of options for this week’s list. All my incomplete projects can go to the top of the list.

1) APQ blocks - time to quit piddling around and get this one finished.

2) Bind horse quilt.

3) Cut out another quilt for cruise.

4) Work on the solar flare quilt I started.

5) Quilter’s choice—probably something with the charm packs I found.

I am linking this to Quilt Schmilt. Have a good week everyone….I’m hoping I can get my mojo back!

Weekend Update

I already blogged a bit about Saturday’s activities; the weather was better on Sunday—just a light shower while I was in church, and then it cleared up. I had some red, white, and blue silk flowers that I wanted to take to the cemetery before Memorial Day, so I made a trip to Port Lavaca after church. I don’t know why I don’t go more often….it’s a straight shot….about 30 miles, and 75 mph speed limit. 

I wanted some lunch and was trying to decide between Mexico Tipico and El Patio. Guess which one won? 

My childhood favorite. Haha. I still love the hot sauce.

It still tastes exactly the same. It’s hard not to fill up on chips and salsa before the meal comes. The lunch special was beef fajitas asada for $12.00. Pretty cheap, and it’s a lot.

I couldn’t eat it all, but I ate more than enough. 

I drove by the bay before I went to the cemetery, and then I headed back to Victoria.

Today I plan to drive to Corpus and stop at Joann fabrics and Macy’s. 

I found a box of precuts in the sewing room closet last night.

When I buy charm packs, I buy two or more. I learned from experience that you can’t do much with one, unless you make something small like a table runner or bag. I spent some time last night thinking about these and I think I have a plan for them. Stay tuned for that….I just need to find some time.

A Small Diversion

It was another nasty, dreary day. I lost electricity about 8am; I reported it online, and then I headed to the other side of town to my shop since the online map didn't show any outages there. Of course, I have to disengage the garage door from the opener in order to get the car out. I decided I needed something bright and cheery to work on.

Someone gave me two fat quarter packs last year.....there are five colors in each pack, and I picked out a pattern to use.

The pattern needs 11 fat quarters, so I added a similar one from my stash. The gray i'm using for the background is something Walmart had on sale some time back for $1.50/yard. I bought several yards, I don't remember exactly how many.

I'm having some issues with the fabric--some of the "fat quarters" are around 19" wide insstead of 22". That means I am not going to have enough fabric to cut all the hst's. I have no idea where they were purchased or even when they were purchased. They were in a little bundle tied with a ribbon.....I'm guessing JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby. I may make a trip to Corpus on Monday and see what I can find. I've been wanting to go to Macy's anyway.

I have been working on getting my UFO's completed and didn't really plan to start something new. I justified it by getting the border put on this one.

It can join its friends in the "to be quilted" stack. If I don't get it quilted this year, it will definitely be on next years UFO list.