Judy's (PWP) "Muesday"!

I am NOT in favor of getting sick, then getting UN-energized and with a holiday thrown in - because SOMETIME I have to pay the piper - and personally, I'd rather the piper was paid bit by bit than all at once!

This morning I had a dress try on.  Note to self - STOP EATING!!!!  Seriously!  While I was sick - the ONLY things that seemed to agree with me were definite carbs - of the crackers/bread variety!  That and icy fattening beverages!  Now you KNOW where this is heading don't you!  Yes - I COULD fit into the dress that was ordered - BUT - I would rather lose 5 - 10 pounds to get remotely back to where I was!!!  Provided, that is, the 5 - 10 pounds comes off where I want it to!  And not some place new and different!  And wierd!

Drive to Sturbridge and back was GORGEOUS!  Glad I went!  Although it would have been nicer if I had scheduled it on a day when Nathan and Lynn were available!

LOL _ on Nathan and Lynn - lol - he said something about finishing up things and I burst out laughing.  His comment at that point was "don't you think I will get this done pretty soon?"  Uh.... this is NOT a  question I want to answer!  And I KNOW he is busy!  However....  all that aside - I also know that he (like ....uhm....er.... me!) tends to underestimate the time something will take and overestimate his abilities to accomplish something!  I am HORRIBLE at this!  And he learned quite well!  So I REALLY hate to even consider answering his question - only now, because I TRIED unsuccessfully to evade the question, he knows....!!!!!

On the schedule – GARDEN – REPLANT those Peas, spray everything with stinky onion/garlic spray, set Pfred the big bird back up (and hope he scares the other birds away from my veggies!).

HOUSE – clean back steps, side porch, front porch, my room and laundry room. Spend at least 15 minutes decluttering my living room.

PAPER – self explanatory! (Essentially! – actually my goal is to not be buried beneath it!)

SEWING – two-fold – take stock of what I need for summer – and scrounge what I can sew up for that. Finish that mini-quilt, work on project for tomorrow’s class (hopefully up through remaining Block A sewing today ’cause tomorrow I want to work on Sewing Block B and sewing the blocks together).

An Owl named Pfred!

In honor of the 4 beds of missing peas (unless you count the remains scattered throughout the cabbages, potatoes, etc. - several beds away) and the missing cabbages (also scattered a bit of everywhere) and the 1 empty bed of beans (first up - now gone - with big ploddy holes where the plants used to be) - I decided to add Pfred!  Now Pfred has a job - to horrify and otherwise terrorize all the birds!  At least that's what the salesman said (it didn't help that the salesman was a gorgeous hunk!  Price was certainly not THAT expensive - although..... no Pfred would have been cheaper!)  Personally I'm not so sure about that!  Supposedly he can sit in the middle of my row (bed) or on a fence post (won't straddle my T-posts - though I wouldn't necessarily want to either!)  Supposed to scare the what-for out of the birds.  I think he looks adorable  with great big eyes and a swivel around neck. 

Design Wall in progress Monday - 05-28-12

Hah!  It IS Monday! 

Re design wall - I'm in process (eventually) of re-doing my design wall(s) - involving shelf brackets (2), flannel backed tablecloths (3-4???), skinny rods and a sewing machine to sew a sleeve on/through/whatever.  This was something suggested by a friend - and should work - and will work to create not only a somewhat almost stable but also a traveling design wall (to take to class). 

So - all I have to do is get the tablecloths and those skinny rods (which name escapes me until 2 or 3 AM when I'm sound asleep).  IF the stores are open - then today I will have at least ONE new design wall.  If not - then I'll post the results on tomorrow's!  Pictures of the process forthcoming (as soon as I get out the dustrag and broom!)

Stash Report for 05-27-12

Nada new to report - I sewed up a storm until after class Wed eve (Irish Double chain - can hardly wait until it's done!) - though mostly getting ready for the class!  And of course I had my Weave It to Me class last Sunday too.  Then Thursday I decided to spend at least part of the day in the garden.  It would have been nice if I had remembered DRINK FLUIDS!!!!!  and DON'T SPEND THE WHOLE TIME BENDING OVER!!!  Result - OH my!  I was sick - and it hurt to move.  The old fee-fi-fo-fum nursery rhyme kept coming to mind - especially the part about grinding bones!  All I could do really was sleep - for almost 2 whole days. with a lot of sleep all the way up to today.  That and drink liquids - not much on the solids - but lots of liquids.  And of course visit the little room out back (actually off the kitchen).

Actually though - as of last Wed evening - the double chain is really coming along, so is the Weave it to me (only lacking the "easier" rows and sewing it together)

And of course - I am sooooooooooooo glad that the yardage does NOT include rulers - since I came home with 3 more I absolutely HAD to have (one for a double wedding ring quilt - the tiny pieces, and one for a class later this year). 

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used This Month: 3.0 yards
Used Year to Date: 46 yards
Added This Week: 9.50 yard
Added This Month:9.50 yards
Added Year to Date: 24.67 yards
Net Used for 2012: 21.33 yards

Rulers .... I'm not saying.....

Stash Report for 05-20---- uh oh, it's the 23rd! 2012

Almost is once again the word!  So close I can taste it!!!!  Now if I could only make up my mind on the Sweet Treats quilt, figure out WHERE I stashed the quarter square triangle that goes with the Ohio Star on my mini quilt, finish up the Row x Row....  I'd have a bunch of finishes to report!  Well, maybe this week!!!!!

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used This Month: 3.0 yards
Used Year to Date: 46 yards
Added This Week: 9.50 yard
Added This Month:9.50 yards
Added Year to Date: 24.67 yards
Net Used for 2012: 21.33 yards

The ADD part was for a class I am taking - Double Irish Chain.  I already had the center fabric - a GORGEOUS floral - and the New fabrics are an absolutely luscious burgundy/mauve and a snow white.  Yum!  (I had a lot of white - BUT not enough of any one pattern and actually not enough even all added together EXCEPT for my backing fabric!!!!  Re the Mauve - I had NONE!  I DID have a gold fabric - but the mauve looks so much more striking with this!)

Today.....

Geez!  I have SO much to do!  and it is Saturday.  Oh my!

So - I am trying to finish up Threadhead Mini Sampler blocks - I think I've got all the problem blocks un-problemed.  Hopefully.

Also hope to finish up Zone 2 household stuff - maybe.  This means polishing cabinets, (stuff already straight in them), cleaning my refrig, emptying the dw and reloading it.  Re-polishing counters, and - gasp - sweeping and scrubbing that floor.

Also hope to get the smaller shelving up.  Hoping.  Then will move into the laundry room and move all my pantry stuff in there and redistributing everything else in the big room.  Hoping to get this done BEFORE I sweep and scrub that nasty - uh - nice kitchen floor!

However - MOSTLY I intend to work in the garden - at least 2 - 3 hours worth - which means keeping mosquitos and those blasted gnats at bay.  Definitely!  Also need to water garden - even with the monsoons we've been having - the back half of the garden while getting enough sun - ends up in drought because of nearby trees preventing water from hitting the ground.

Re paperwork - I've been ignoring that - and can quite successfully ignore that another day!

My Underground RR update!!!!

And ANOTHER block done!!!! 

This is a tad different from the book - because I grabbed the wrong large square - and used that!  However I am NOT going back and change the brown viney thing to bluegray - not at this time or in the forseeable future!

This leaves Wagon Wheel - and Drunkards Path - both of which I am doing applique! and both of which I hope to finish up today!  Yeehaw!!!!

Gardening - or how to feed the wild birds and beasties!!!!

Ugh - I just came back from my second sojourn in the garden this week.  We've been having monsoon rains and chill weather.  Even so - it would have helped a LOT if I had watered my greenhouse plants (which are ok - but definitely NOT happy with me - understandably!)

Now my strawberries look fine and are berrying up just great!  My horseradish plant is HUGE. And my Asparagus (all 4 plants out of 25 - and I'm NOT counting the first 25 of which 2 survived SOMEPLACE!) was quite good and is now going to seed!  The Rhubarb (one out of 5 - I - um - killed two others - late evening and having a hoe in my hands - BAD combination!)

Let me explain - with pix - sometime eons ago (April???? maybe even March) it was warm and the calendar said for THIS region - go ahead and plant peas.  So I created my bed for peas.  and one for beans as well as 2 for salad crops, coles, greens.

Planted it - watered it maybe twice (it was very dry at this time) - and then we had a cold snap - even a freeze! (which wiped out most of my sweet potatoes - more on that in a bit).  Eventually - somewhere around the last part of April I had ONE pea sprout.  ONE mind you!  Of the gazillion I planted!  A week later I had almost a goodly number - in THAT bed.  Mind you - there are 7 beds devoted to peas - with 2 being planted AFTER frost time is over (and the monsoons stop long enough for me to wade out there)


As for the REST of the beds (there are 6  4x4 beds - but 2 not planted in - so that's four more planted....)

So now - I don't know for sure what to do.  It IS late for planting peas - PLUS I know that if I did - EVERYTHING would come up - from this year and obviously the previous years (despite having planted in different beds the previous years) and it would be a royal mess! 

Now it is time to get the beans in.  Unfortunately beans have a nasty tendency to rot in cold ground (cold snap and monsoon - remember?) so I still have to put up the fence there - which is looking sad at the moment

Same situation for Sweet corn - and I suspect tomatoes/peppers/eggplant this week -= it has just been entirely too cool for them. 

Just like it was really too cool for sweet potatoes (which I knew WHEN I PLANTED THEM!!!!) and the poor dears have a tendency to croak.  I really feel guilty about this!  And royally ticked at myself because I KNOW better!

I planted potatoes and root crops - and don't really expect MOST of the root crops to make their appearance yet - since they like to sleep late.  This includes such things as Hamburg parsley, Parsnip, Salsify, Scorzonera.  However I DO have some beets, and a few radishes (to mark the rows) have appeared!  Also the birds haven't figured out where these plants are yet. 

Re the potatoes - the look great!  Weedy - but great!

And then there's the salad section - or should I say Onion patch?  Re lettuce and such - it is REALLY tiny and virtually non-existent in part because of the weather and in part because of the rabbits!

Finally there are the cabbages and coles.  They looked REALLY nice all planted out - a LOT of everything.  That was up until the birds discovered them - and as per usual played dive bomb the plant - snipping the tops off and dropping them in various other beds.  This is all that I have left - These are mostly cauliflower, a few broccoli.  My brussel sprouts, red cabbage, and all the cabbage and collards are gone!  However I still have some seed left - and will plant out in the garden this weekend and grow them from there for fall plantings.  Still and all - I am NOT a happy camper!

Thoughts for next year - Get the greenhouse going earlier.  Set ALL fences, etc. in place.  Make sure all fertilizers are on the ground at the proper time.  And DEFINITELY get bright and shiny stuff to wave in the wind and to throw the birds' attack patterns off!!  Either that - or resort to the beer can garden again - which is always hard since I don't usually drink beer!

The Design Wall on Monday.... - No! It's Thursday, isn't it!

Geez - I loused up - at least - in part on purpose - although it would be easy to do so accidentally. 

My walls are {{{{{CHANGING}}}}}  But actually that's probably a good thing!

On the big wall are elements of Sweet Treat.  And one lonely row of Double Duty (this is just the top half, mind you!) - the reason for the change - Double Duty now has setting triangles and is in process of becoming "attached"  - but I'm not posting pictures this week of new changes - mostly because I don't have the other "blankie" strung up for an additional design wall.  Besides - I am HOPING to get that doo-dad at least mostly finished this weekend!  So gaze at last week's offering - and go from there!

Instead - on the design wall are the Sweet Treats quilt - which I am sooooooooooo behind on.  Wierd looking hanging thingies are in reality blocks that I have to "fix" (someday I will learn to sew STRAIGHT seams! and not gigantic ones at that!) Why did I hang them up?  Because I'm not really sure I like the color arrangement yet - and keep playing with them (which is why I'm behinder than otherwise)  Oh yeah - I also discovered I can't count - I have an extra block!  Anyway - this is my "take" on the May colors - and sashing will be white (although I think I like the pale blue of the flannel sheet better!)  Hope to get this one also done this weekend.  Hopefully! 

Re the Weave it to me - I was wrong - class is NOT this Sunday = it is a WEEK from this Sunday (YIPPEE!!!) - and I want to have that one done done done!  Mostly because I want to spend the next 2 sessions doing some applique across them.  Thoughts there are to applique vining flowers across the "lattice weave" and/or to have kitties and puppies playing hide and seek behind the lattice with birds and butterflies making their appearance as well!  LOL - this is funny - this quilt has gone from a rather maligned "it has got to be boring quilt" to one I'm excited about - and that I LOVE the color play in!

Oh yeah - can you see the "oops" in the second row?  I didn't notice until I was uploading my photo into the folder!  So - guess what I will be doing this evening!

Other quilts involve the mini Threadhead sampler - which hopefully I will finish today - and will post a picture then!  Was soooooooooooooo embarrassed - I was following along faithfully - and talked with my dd Wendy - who mentioned 2 (not 1 like I did) 9 patches and FOUR (yup, I did only one) four patches!  TG the basket was only one - although I did have to search everywhere for the pieces for that and the churn dash that I had "just had in my hot and grubby hands" - searched 2 hours, gave up and went to bed.  Next morning I headed to quilt shop (where I live) - and lo and behold - out of my Underground RR top fell all the missing Threadhead pieces!  Geez!  so no I am pinning and labeling EVERYTHING and trying to track everything through when I take it in my hands.  Is this a thing of getting "more mature" as time goes on?  I wish!  I've been this way since I was in elementary school and definitely have NOT improved any!

Anyway - I did the rest of the TH pieces and have attached all the thises and thats and now only need to finish up.  Picture will be posted when I am done.

Items NOT touched this week - include Arizona Skies, my shoe fly and the re-do on the Paper piecing.  Sigh!  This last one while a delight (and falling apart - I forgot to lock the seams!) is hanging around my neck like a millstone - and needs to be done!  NOW!  TODAY!!!!

NEW class - Irish Double chain -= and I had pre-cut all the fabric - so was able to get quite a bit done.  Still - no design wall for this one (I ran out of DW's! LOL)  Will take pix probably on Monday - IF I finish one of the other quilts!

AND TA-DA!!!!  Home to me!

My Row by Row - which the other ladies did miraculous things with!  This is part of the swap I'm so behind on! 

BEST OF ALL!!!!!  Home to me from Canada and my dd Wendy - came my Carpenter Star!!!!  OH MY!!!!

By the way - the rows and lines ARE straight - just not on my bed!  Will try to get a better picture of that!  Also am sending a more detailed picture of Wendy's gorgeous quilt work on the star itself!  She truly did a fantastic job - completely outdid herself! 

I showed the quilt to the ladies at the post office when I got it - and the long lines and postmistresses just were totally wow-ed!!!!  I also took it to my quilt shop - and then the next day to quilt class (also at the shop - EVERYONE loves it - and even Maureen who is very good at quilting said that she couldn't even come close to the quilting job that Wendy did!  I just love it!  I only wish that the photos showed up better the quilting that she did!!!!

Stash Report for 05-13-12

Man!  I have 2 (yup TWO) flimsy's just about ready for final quiltling!  And with 2 more not far behind!!!!  One is the Threadhead Mini Sampler, another the sweet treat (well, it's a bit farther back than almost done - but not THAT far!), a third - the Weave It to Me!  AND I have another block in Underground RR just about done as well - leaving only 2 more blocks, sashing and cornerstones, and all the borders in the world (can you tell I don't like putting on borders???)

HOWEVER the word is ALMOST - and almost is NOT completely done!  So - for this week....

Used This Week:  0 yards
Used This Month: 3.0 yards
Used Year to Date: 46 yards
Added This Week: 0 yard
Added This Month:0 yards
Added Year to Date: 15.17 yards
Net Used for 2012: 30.83 yards

And I am soooooooooo glad I didn't buy the fabric I saw yesterday (just darling!  and I didn't have enough in spare cash at the time!)  AND am so glad we don't count rulers on this one (found the CUTEST 4.5 inch square ruler!!!!)  Did also buy 8 clear plastic shoe boxes - for squares and rectangles - I am tired of fighting with my odds and ends!!!!!  My strips are just fine and all organized (thank you, Bonnie!) but the squares - oh my!

Design Wall Monday - 05-07-12

YAY - I think I have the cord for the camera to computer - at least I have a cord that fits properly into both camera AND computer.  Let's hope it is the right one!  Now to figure out how to upload pix - cause it didn't show up automatically!  So I have to figure out what drive!

Anyway - all this to say - HOPEFULLY I will have pictures of quilts - past and present to put on my blog!  Hopefully!

Design walls - and I'm short three! - (1)my big design wall - my poor Double duty is still there - didn't get to it last week.

(2)  The interior lid on the top of the shoe box - I move this! theArizona Skies (really known as Tequila Buzz - I just like my colors better! LOL) - I STILL have to take some of my blocks apart and probably re-size a bit!  THEN it will be all systems go!

(3) the portable (top of the plastic chest) - Weave It to Me - Looking really cute - ready for more strips - AND sewing strips together - definite progress made!

(4) over my sewing machine - Row by Row - I do NOT like the way I did one block - am re-doing it.  It is the only one I have left - no major problem - BUT I forgot to lock the seams!~  Therefore.....

(5) (On the inside lid of the large shoebox/bin I keep this on in - Sweet Treats - this is a quilt-a-long that Judy is doing - so far I'm up even - so far!  Oh yeah - my take on the April color palette was slightly different from Judy's - hence the pink and purpley things!  This is what showed up on my computer.  Sorry no red - and I had to really for the orange - my stash is sadly lacking in the tones I needed for that!..

There really should be 3 more.....

(6) Currently sharing the one over my sewing machine -  Joan's Mini Sampler quilt - I'm behind on this one..... 

(7) On the inside lid of the box I store this one on - Churn  Mill Dash - this is one I've long wanted to do!!!!

(8) On the inside lid of the box I store this one in - and sometimes over my sewing machine -  Underground Railroad

Apparently I sew/piece about like I read - 6 - 8 or more at the same time! LOL

Stash Report for 05-06-12

A finish on a flimsy this week - table topper - was 2011 New Year's Mystery quilt from About.com - ABSOLUTELY cute!

Used This Week:  3.0 yards
Used This Month: 3.0  yards
Used Year to Date: 46 yards
Added This Week: 0 yard
Added This Month:0 yards
Added Year to Date: 15.17 yards
Net Used for 2012: 30.83 yards

Preserving Kettle - 05-02-12

Am taking stock of what I have, what I have planted, and when it is sort of due to be harvested and marking that on my main calendar so I can be on the lookout for it.  Also am trying to determine whether the item is to be canned, dried, preserved some other way and whether pickles or jellies get made from it.

State of the Garden - 05-02-12

Hmm - this was SUPPOSED to be a Tues post.....  Oh well!

In reality - it rained yesterday and somehow I thought it would be dry enough today I could go take a look-see.

PLANTED:
PEAS (Sugar pod: Golden Sweet, Oregon Sugar Pod, Carouby; Snap: Sugar Snap, Sugar Anne snap; Regular: Telephone, Lincoln, Green Arrow, Asparagus)
ONIONS: Red sets, Yellow sets, white sets, shallots
CARROTS: Danvers, St. Valery
RADISHES: Mixed Rainbow,
SALAD: French Endive (mixed)
MUSTARD: Tendergreen
LETTUCE: Lettuce Blend
POTATOES: Blossom, La Ratte Fingerling, All Blue, German Butterball, Marris Piper, Yellow Finn, Purple Viking, Desiree, Mountain Rose, Sieglende
SWEET POTATOES: Beauregard
SCORZONERA
SALSIFY: Sandwich Island Mammoth
HAMBURG PARSLEY
PARSNIP:
KOHLRABI: E. White, E. Purple
TURNIPS: Purple top, Golden Ball, Rapa di Milano
BEETS: Chioggia, Golden, Italian, Ruby Queen, Detroit Perfected, Crosby, Detroit

TRANSPLANT: COOL SOIL:
BROCCOLI
CAULIFLOWER
CABBAGE
COLLARDS
BRUSSEL SPROUTS
SWISS CHARD

TO BE PLANTED: COOL SOIL -
KALE
LETTUCE (more - x 2 x sections
CELERY
SPINACH
SWISS CHARD

TRANSPLANT: WARM SOIL:
TOMATOES
TOMATILLOS
PEPPERS (SWEET)
EGGPLANT
JALAPENO PEPPER (1)

TO BE PLANTED: WARM SOIL:
CUCUMBERS,
PEAS:Speckled butterpea and Dixie Speckled Butterpea
BEANS (all)
OKRA
SWEET CORN
SUMMER SQUASH
ZUCCHINI
WINTER SQUASH
MELONS
WATERMELON
PUMPKIN