Who needs a grocery store

We did grocery shopping at the auction last night LOL   there is a guy there that has a small store and he always brings food to sell. some things are out of date so you have to be a bit careful. but we usually wind up with something. 

Last night it was 8 oranges, 9 bananas, 2 huge sweet potatoes and a pineapple pie. spent $8.50   not a bad haul.

There was absolutely nothing there in non-food stuff that interested us so we went home after only 2 hours. it was raining when we left home and by the time we left the auction it was sleeting....the slushy kind of sleet/snow mix. good thing we only live 3 miles away. i was fearing this morning but there is nothing on the ground but wet....but it is still raining now. i guess our temperature was just warm enough for it all not to ice up. thank you, God.

I have been seeing robins....i am so ready for spring. 

I have company coming to the studio today so have to get over there and turn the heat on, vacuum the floors, and get started with my day. since i finished my Comfort and Joy quilt top....i am starting the other one that i got from the same folks...called Glory Garden. lots of spring colors with flowers and birds. going to use more of my wool felt. i hope this one puts a good dent in my wool felt stash. 

Lately i've been seeing a few new 'faces' have signed up to read my blog.....i thank you, people. glad to know someone is reading. hope i can keep you entertained enough to stay a while. now i better get my boots on and get to work. talk to you...

later

Get 'er Done February Challenge...done

This year JudyL at www.patchworktimes.com  is having a new challenge. each month you list 4 things that you want to accomplish that month. could be a UFO...could be some piecing or embroidery...could be some closet cleaning. just list your 4 projects and be accountable.

I am done for February...woohoo!!

1.  customer quilt finished.  i actually had a different quilt on the list....but had to order batting for that one....so i substituted this one. i'm ok with that.     DONE

2.  Piece disappearing 4 patch blocks with won fabric....DONE

3.  Finish piecing Retro Lines top....DONE

4.  Piece battng pieces together to make usuable battings for other quilts....DONE    i actually made 2 battings for a good size couch quilt. still have more battings that i can put together.

Now i have to think about March and what i want to accomplish there. i have lots of projects to choose from. but now i have to work on a customer quilt...better think about this...

tomorrow

ok...tomorrow is here....my March get 'er done list is...

1.  quilt and bind this customer top. it gets clamshells...using boards...should go quickly....famous last words. LOL

2.  Trim these flannel nursery rhyme blocks and piece them into a top...maybe 2.

3.  Sew these batting scraps together into a usable batting. i have 2 large trash bags of them. i got them in a sale where i bought everything offered. see how she nicely tied them up? should get 3 or 4 good batts from these.

4.  Tackle this box of strips....leftovers from bindings or blocks or whatever. i could probably make 1000 strip blocks with this tub. let's see if i can get 100 twelve inch blocks done in March. who wants to take a guess on how many i'll actually get finished?

That should keep me busy for a while. got to gear up...March starts ....

tomorrow

Disappearing 4 patch

My friend, Marilea, gave us this pattern at our last class. it is so quick and easy and i really liked it....so i had to make it. i used my pack of 10" squares that i won at our Christmas party.

The squares with the most contrast look the best...and is the way that her pattern read.

But i wanted to use all the squares that i had. but i didn't get the proper contrast in some of the darker blocks. poor planning on my part.

One day i hope to learn to look at the big picture and think on it some before jumping in and doing stuff. sigh!!  probably won't happen soon. i think i need a note taped to my nose.

The blue border is the piece of yardage that i got with my won squares. the only piece i added from my stash is the small light colored border. so, fabric in...fabric out....within 2 weeks.  how cool is that?  doesn't happen often. LOL

It will join it cousins in the to-be-quilted cabinet...awaiting it's turn for quilting completion. now....what to do ....

tomorrow

Forced to sew

On Wednesday, we got part of that storm that came through the Midwest. we got 18 hours of sleet and a bit of rain mixed in. and the temperature has stayed in the 20s since then. as you can imagine....that makes for lots of fun.....if you're a kid and have a sled. if you are retired and have nowhere to go....well it just keeps you indoors. our driveway is rather steep so it is sledding heaven.....if you were so inclined.

So i have been forced to sew for 2 days now. today i made 36 five inch crumb blocks....and about 50 12" trip around the world blocks. and did some hand applique on a couple blocks on the Comfort and Joy quilt top. yesterday was more of the same....with some computer time thrown in the mix for amusement.....and a nap. LOL

Now, some of you might say....that is just the right time for cooking.....or vacuuming....or cleaning that hall closet. i MIGHT have given those options about half a seconds thought....but not more than that. why spend time thinking of things like that when i could be sewing.

But now we are both a bit bored. and are going to take our life in our own hands and venture off of the homestead tomorrow. the truck is in the barn....so we only have to get ourselves down the driveway to the barn. and then slide down the driveway.....around the curve....and out onto the street. the streets have been plowed....so once we get off the property we are home free. 

Now, i am thinking....do i just put on my big girl panties and my shoes with the best tread...and hike down the driveway. perhaps i can sit down and slide down...maybe not...i probably couldn't make the curve and wind up wrapped around a tree. i need boots with spikes. too bad i don't ski.....i would have equipment to handle this. i guess i'll just figure it out tomorrow. because there is going to be an adventure day....

tomorrow

Coffee filters for quilt making

My friend, Marilea, finds lots of cool ideas for us to try in our quilting adventures. 

I quilted up this litle sample for her to show and sell her patterns. a paper coffee filter is used for the foundation to paper piece the circle. cool

I did some feathers in the border and some simple curves on the white background.

Cross-hatching in the middle and curvy lines in the arc pieces. reminds me of a Dresden plate.

The back was a pretty batik.

She had a class on this method yesterday. hope she sold lots of patterns.

It's always fun to quilt up Marilea's creations. perhaps she will give me something else exciting to quilt ...

tomorrow

Canvas tote

Here is my canvas tote that i got at auction Monday night. it is a nice size and can hold lots of stuff. i think i paid like $3.50 for it.

There is another little nameplate holder on the short side, too. The frame is metal. the only way to make it better would be if it had handles.

My tote was filled with fabrics. these are the only pieces i kept. the brown and blue stripe are cottons. the blue on the bottom is an upholstery fabric and the dark blue is a flannely type...could be the backing of a kid quilt. the other fabrics that were nets and lace and shiny things got donated to a lady who works at a daycare. says she will make dress up things for the girls. great idea.

You never know what will show up at auction night....it is always an adventure. looking forward to next Monday night.

But not looking forward to tonight...supposed to get ice.  guess we won't know for sure till...

tomorrow

Spent $11

We wound up at the neighborhood auction tonight....and spent $11.  

...a case of orange soda
...2 humongous sweet potatoes
...a bag of peanuts in the shell....1 lb.
....3 lb bag of green apples
...and, a canvas square tote with fabrics in it. 

cheap entertainment. and we even had dinner there, too. cheeseburger, chips and a drink.

cheap date. LOL

the apples will go in the dehydrator tomorrow and the sweet potatoes will become baked fries for dinner tomorrow. 

Do we know how to have fun... or what.  LOL

later

Sewing machine score

A lady at my quilt class on Monday gave us the name and number of a man who was selling all the fabrics, yarn, thread, etc from his mother's life long hobby. she could no longer  work at it and they were cleaning out the house.

I went over there and scooped up all the goodies.   14 boxes and 7 large black trash bags worth of stuff. fabric, yarn, thread, lace, patterns, magazines, etc, etc.

Then he said he had sewing machines to sell, too. the first i looked at was a Singer from the 50s in a nice cabinet but he wanted almost $200 for it and i didn't think it was that special.

Then he said he had another upstairs that i could look at. i fell in love with it at first glance. it looked very unusual. when you pull those 2 handles in the middle......

A chair comes out.....how cool is that.

And along with the chair having a nice padded seat....it also lifts up and has storage. all that stuff came with it. LOL   along with the 4 drawers being full of stuff.

The right side folds down...

And the left side folds down. needs a little dusting, huh? that blue line in the front is a measuring tape. i am assuming it was there when the cabinet was made. pretty cool.

Never heard of this brand of machine. Electro...something. can't read it quite. needs a bit of cleaning in the letters. all kinds of knobs and buttons to push. don't know if it works....don't care. don't have a book on it. gonna do some research on it.

When i asked how much he wanted....he said make him an offer. i offered $50....he said he would take $60....and it was mine. 

The whole back of my truck was filled with boxes and bags of stuff and this machine. but now i have to go out of town in the morning and can't play with it...

tomorrow

Piecing batting strips

One of the projects on my February Get-er-done list is to put together my batting scraps and create whole useable battings. today i pieced together about 9 pieces and made a batting that came out 70" x 95".

I had 5 long strips that were 95" long and ranging from 7 inches to 12 inches wide. so i put those together first. i used my embellishment machine....7 needles....no thread. the barbed needles pull the fabrics together just as if they were sewed.

There is the first side done

Then i flip it over and go over the back side, too.

Ta-da!!   a piece of batting that is 70" x 95" and completely useable for my next quilting project that can use this size. the color is off but this is made from the same pieces. i don't know if it is my camera or me....we don't seem to play well together.

I had been trying to use these pieces for some time...putting them in wallhangings or small quilts but they were adding up faster than i could use them up. finally decided to sew them all together and that would be more efficient. so....one cotton batting ready to go. i still have about 6 more cotton strips that are about 75" long. but not enough for a wide batting yet. will keep those till i have more to add.

But i do have enough poly batting pieces to do this again...

tomorrow

Retro Lines

I don't remember the name of this fabric line. i got it at a quilt show...naturally....some time ago.  there are 5 different pieces....i got 1/2 yard of each...in greens and browns. 

My intention was to make a bag or two....she had some in her display that were gorgeous. but i cut them in 2 1/2" strips and made a quilt instead.

I love the strips with the circles...they look like washers.



And there are luggage tags and numbers

And different buttons. just a cool fabric. almost a graffiti type.

It turned out to be 61 x 79" .... i cut the same fabric for the binding. just have 2 strips left....they will go in the strip box and wind up in a string quilt one day.

Now it will marinate in the to-be-quilted cabinet until its turn to be quilted....some day.  not....

tomorrow

Oriental Treasures, block 1

This is a small wallhanging pattern that i bought at some quilt show ages ago. it is its time to be completed. i decided to try needleturn applique on this one. whew!

Here is the pattern. there are only 6 little blocks with minimum pieces...piece of cake...right?  hahahahahaa

I have the first block finished...the flute player. he seems to be listing a bit to the left. didn't get him too straight. i always seem to have trouble getting things to sit straight. i gotta get out the glue stick.

I've never done the needleturn applique before....i usually just do fusible. i got the tree and branches down ok. larger pieces are easier. when i got to the flute players shoes...sheesh those were tiny and hard. by the time i got to his hands and the flute and the inside of his sleeves.....i got out the fusible stuff . my fingers could not do those tiny pieces. how do you do that? 

I will soldier on for the next 5 blocks...doing the needleturn wherever i can and fusing those tiny pieces. otherwise it will never get done. and i do want this to not be a UFO forever. so, i will start the next block...

tomorrow

Back to Square One - Clue 2

I have clue 2 finished for the mystery quilt that Judy Laquidara and Vicki Welsh are hosting. here are my parts.

4 of these

1 of this

4 of these

Quick and easy. ready for the next clue. no idea how it all goes together yet. there is a medallion in the center. could it be that yellow and green star?  seems like it would be more than that. hmmmmm

Got to wait....not till tomorrow....got to wait till...

next month

Hurry up next month