I had a great routine going until I started making masks and then all went out the window. But I am now on track again. I had joined a SAL from Italy about March or April and then got behind. Now I am working on putting borders on the blocks and then will be putting it together. When that is done, I have an applique that is about 1/16 th done, Christmas to make and so little time.
So my SAL where I am. More borders.
I had an issue with bad lighting in my sewing room and so we went out and looked for about a week then I found a new ceiling fan. I told the sales clerk that I had 3 wants in a light. 1. Did not want it to look like a shop light, 2. Look nice and 3 and most important when the light is on your say “Damn that is a bright light.” I love it. Hubby teases that he needs his sunglasses. Before the old light was 1 bulb, and I had 2 LED low vision lamps I had to turn on. Now only 1 light. It has 3 LED bulbs.
Today I hope to finally finish this quilt. We will see. Then tonight I need to sit down and decide on quilts for granddaughters. Will be fun matching up personalities with kids.
Well this Jabber jaws will say goodbye, stay safe and do something fun.
Yesterday and today I have been taking photos of the things I have been making and getting our Etsy shop updated. Something I have put off doing and now have been consumed with doing this. Still so much to do so I guess tomorrow I will be taking more photos.
But it has been fun seeing what I have made and have to sell. Right now I am making Mommy, me and dolly make 3 aprons. It has been fun.
Watched the Astronauts come back to earth. Such a wonderful historical event. At times like we are facing with the unrest in the US these days and the Covid 19 we need a slap of good ole USA excitement. To see what has been accomplished make a person be more positive. We need it.
Now back to photos. Here are a few to put you to sleep with.
Decided it needed a little dark border then the squares. I have been making smaller pinwheel blocks to add to this. The finished size will be a lap quilt size.
I am making my pinwheels by sewing around 2 2 3/4 inch blocks put together face to face and then cutting diagonally across the block and then cutting diagonally the other way making and x. Jenny Doan has a youtube on this process and it makes great pinwheels.
Ready to be cut and sewn….Today’s project
Do I want another border?
Or no border. I will see when all the pinwheels are made and ready to sew. Plan is to spend the day sewing as it is raining to beat the drums here and will be like this all day. What is better to do on a rainy day? Well curling up with a good book and some chocolate sounds good, but that will come later.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday and stay safe.
As my scraps have been growing so much lately I decided to attempt my first scrappy quilt. So I started sewing lots of 2 3/4 inch squares together. While doing this I came across some larger pieces and so the center is a pinwheel and am working my way out.
After looking at it this morning I don’t like it. I think I will take it apart and put a narrow border before the squares. When making a scrappy quilt do you plan out what it will look like before you start and the only thing scrappy is the fabric choice? I am thinking now since the pinwheel and more smaller pinwheels to come doing a primitive pinwheel instead of the squares. This would keep the motion flowing. In theory. Any suggestions and comments (positive or negative) welcome. I do need advice.
Today is the day that I will take the scrap bag seriously. I have a bushel basket of scraps that I have collected over the months. I have not made anything unplanned and this is intimidating. I love all the scrap quilts I see and am jumping in. Both feet first HA.
The last few months with this terrible virus has reminded me of something I wish every human on this earth would remember. It is simple. People are good, people are caring, people are loving, people really don’t care about your color, race, religion, if you are tall or short, funny or not. People want to do good. We just need to remember to let everyone be who they are and accept them for that.
Making masks and giving them away asking for them to pay it forward, we have had people bring bags of fabric, clothes they didn’t need to use the fabric, one young couple cut elastic out of their under clothes so we could have elastic. People who looked like they were struggling wanting to bring us dinner or what did we need. It was amazing. I wish more people could see and experience something like that and maybe all this anger we see and feel would go away.
I honestly hope this brings everyone a wonderful and safe weekend.
Today is one of the days we really need. Rain! It woke me up early this morning and poured. Will be doing this all day. A great day for sewing, right? Read a good book? Yesterday the city came out and dug a 2 1/2 ft trench the length of our back yard to bury the power lines. They will come out after the rain and put the wires thru the pipes they buried. WOW 3 inches of rain so far this morning. Lots of sewing today.
With sewing in mind I am making 20 more blocks for the American Freedom quilt I am making.
My mind is also telling me to do something with all these scraps. I have been saving them because I hear my dad saying how wasteful it is to throw them away. The organizational part of my brain says a scrappy quilt is scary. Well no time like now. After making the blocks I need I will start getting all these scraps sorted and ready to sew. Who knows what it will look like. At least I will be making myself step out of my comfort zone(something I tell hubby he needs to do) and worse case the grand fur babies will get blankets for Christmas.
Have a wonderful day friends and do something to bring a smile to your heart.
The last several days have been busy making masks. Summer school has opened up and the kids have to wear masks. Schools here are giving parents the option to do on line learning or in class. If they are in class everyone will wear masks, eat in the classroom, not play on equipment outside and lots of other necessary changes. This has had me at the sewing machine for quite a while. I am glad things have been figured out for fall.
This afternoon will bring me back to the quilt that is left wanting to be worked on. Also a very messy sewing room. You know it is a mess when a 5 yr. old stands in the middle of the room and says. “this is a mess, and I DIDN’T DO IT!” Yep I got told.
I think I have spent more time watching the Humming birds outside my windows.They are so relaxing and hypnotic to watch.
While outside with Destiny last night we found a smake skin. It was a little over 2 ft long and was in the rocks next to my clematis. It is just a garter snake and will keep mice and smaller critters away but still I don’t want grab it by mistake. Now to find out how to relocate it.
While researching and staying out of the heat(heat index today is 103) I will continue piecing blocks for my quilt
I am adding another row to make it bigger. 1 set if blocks made and working on the next set.
I have been watching too much news and just spent the last few days din a big funk. Now I will be focusing on all the positive things around me and what I can control. With that in mind when I fell asleep I woke up this morning in a wonderful mood. So to answer my question the answer is YES beautiful days are a state of mind.
Masks have the focus of Saturday and Sunday, with headbands and mask straps. Kansas City is back to mandatory mask wearing again with new outbreaks of the virus. there are a few things I learned wearing masks.
I wear glasses and they fog up wearing masks. So to fix this here is something we found works.
cut a paper towel in half
2. Fold this in half.
3. Fold the top over about 1/4-1/ inch over at the top.
Lastly hook the folded over part of the paper towel over the top of your mask, and wear the paper towel inside nest to your face. You can trim this if you want.
The paper towel absorbs the moisture of your breathing and talking so the glasses do’t fog up. It works for us.
If you have a cricut there is a free file for the mask holders. The one they have it is 8 inches long so I sized it down to 6 inches and 4 inches. I cut these out of Heavy Duty Template plastic.
This is what I’ve been up to and will be making myself 2 blouses and a dress for Destiny. Have a Wonderful day.
Today was a day to finish our Missouri Hwy 36 Quilt Trail. It goes from one border of Missouri to the other(Kansas on the west and Illinois on the east). We broke it up into 2 days. The first of June we drove 209 miles to Hannibal and then worked our way home. We made it thru 6 shops the first trip. Some of the shops were in the cutest towns. These were in people’s barns or sheds. These the towns had populations of 200-300 people. We thought these were going to be the smallest.
This morning we drove to 95 miles to pick up where we left off. The 2nd stop today took us to Jamesport, MO. The whole town is Amish and was amazing. On the way into town we stopped at 2 Amish fabric stores and were amazed with the beautiful quilts they had for sale. If anyone is interested the 2nd Saturday in October is the Annual Amish Quilt Auction. People from many states and Canada send their quilts, wall hangings, & quilt tops to be sold on consignment. The Amish also sell their quilts here.
From here is where things started getting interesting. The GPS took us from the highway to Farm Routes, then to County roads, to gravel roads.
This road was what we drove on for 3 miles. The shop was so worth it. The shop was a large barn with the shop was in the right side of the barn and then over the garage part of the barn. Walking inside it looked like a large log cabin with a loft inside. We asked where the next shop was not wanting to go 3 miles on the gravel road again. Directions we got were so funny. “Leave here turn right, then go over the bridge and turn right on the black top road(no name) go down that road over 3 little bridges to Avenue City. You will know it is Avenue City when you see the school and gas station, that is the city, then turn right and you will see a big sign with the shop’s name on it. About 8 minutes from here.” We exchanged a 2 lane gravel road to a 1 lane gravel road. We had to pull over for farm equipment to come by. Then we saw the sign, pulled into the drive and there was a Trailor house. We didn’t know if it was a home or shop. It was the shop and cute inside.
We left this morning at 8:30 am and got home at 6pm. Was fun and met some of the most wonderful people around. The smallest towns had the cutest shops. I have marked the ones I want to go back to. We visited 8 shops and didn’t see the same fabric in them over and over.
This was a quilting trip highlighting the smaller less know shops. Find those shops in your areas and support them.
Just remember these few things: 1. Pack a lunch and drinks (we were on the less traveled road and found a sandwich at a gas station to share for lunch. They only had 1. 2. Full tank of gas, 3. Either new or good tires to handle the gravel and things you may have to drive over.
Once we got on the Highway heading home we found truck stops and got gas. Enjoyed the 2 days.
