I've done it once again!!! Drat the luck!

Actually it isn't luck - but skill - and apparently this is one skill I REALLY need to work on!

Problem - piecing - ok - not great - but ok - as long as you don't check on all the chopped points!
BUT when I go to put on the borders - they are soooooooooooooo bloomin' friendly that they will stand right up and wave "Hi there!"

What to do? Definitely the borders have to come off.  And definitely the measurements are QUITE a bit different between the edges and the center - and FTM each edge!  And, No - I don't want to average the 3 measurements!  I just want to "get it right!" or at least reasonably within the ballpark.  Right now one is in Fenway park getting up to bat - and the other end is playing football with the Dallas cowboys!  Ugh!

Of course, this brings up the interesting question - do I REALLY have to take all these blocks apart again, re-measure, re-trim, and then re-sew - and pray one heck of a lot?  And why do I feel that the answer is "Yes!  Silly girl!"

so - considering that I try REALLY hard to measure when I slice and dice, try REALLY hard when I stitch to keep that 1/4" there (knowing that this does not ALWAYS happen!), what else can I do?  Suggestions?

Somewhere in the World Begins a Retreat Today....

BECAUSE I haven't done diddly squat this past week - other than straightening the sewing room (VITAL!), slicing and dicing the leftover blocks, fabrics, strings (VITAL), and sewing up both strings and then crumb blocks (NOT VITAL at THIS point!), I decided to declare this my retreat weekend (along with any other retreat weekends around!).

Celtic Solstice - needs borders - and it's time is TODAY!!!!
Yeehaw!

For today I want to focus on my Celtic Solstice and get that flimsy DONE DONE DONE! (but NOT quilted!)  I also would like to get my table runner backings ready to go (some piecing required!) and batting and backing put on the blocks so they are ready to quilt tomorrow!

STILL haven't decided on what I want to do - probably SID and echo that in the larger squares.
Sure would like SOMETHING that would remind me of cinnamon sticks -
although that would be more than a bit obvious, ya think?

Halloween comes early this year - LOL!
Would still like to do Witches Hats - (I'm biting the bullet with FMQ!)
and may do that on the border although with FMQ (I definitely need the practice!)
while the center would use the walking foot with some Stitch in the Ditch around the white part -
or maybe just X it!  Not sure yet!

Center I want to do snow whirlies (FMQ) and on the border I think something like snowflakes all around
(probably FMQ as well tho probably can do with Walking Foot)

Mind you - this is with all the other stuff I want to get done today!

Anyway - THIS weekend or at least Saturday I am focusing on these runners.

Sunday is get it together day for this quiltlet.
IF I have time (doubtful) I will X through each of the squares.
It just seems to beg for it!  Although I COULD change my mind!  LOL  (I seem to do that a lot these days!)

Along with this - on Sunday I would like to get the Nines and Dashes quilt done.  I think I am going with the touch of yellow (the lemon - not the golden) and the rose fabric.  Binding will be the darker purple.  I tried the darker for borders and it is just too dark for me.

The Improv placemats - I did NOT like the way I had them - so am re-doing the applique - and think it will be cute, cute, cute!  Hopefully!  Will work on these tonight (AFTER I finish Celtic Solstice and getting table runners ready!  Otherwise - it is evening in front of Netflix work!)

And as per usual (and hopefully to be FINISHED soon!) my Leader Ender project is from Bow-Da-cious by Bonnie Hunter

I Refuse to Drift Today...... Oh no - another WAIWO????

Drifting seems to have become somewhat my  specialty - lay out plans for the week - then go every which direction to KEEP from accomplishing them!

At any rate having had a somewhat un-boring day today (doctor's visit I had forgotten about - never mind that we rescheduled yesterday for today!), visiting the vampires, and getting a phone call from my doc about an appointment with another doc that I never made (oops!), some news I didn't expect :( and basically playing the rest of the day on Criminal Justice (uh - did I say that????) I find that I not only did not accomplish a thing on my week's list - BUT I didn't win the case in CJ either!

In other words - I drifted!  I let outside forces determine my actions and when I DID have the chance to do something I theoretically (that's the word, alright!) wanted to do, I refused - and took a nap instead!  (OK - the nap WAS good - and needed!)

So - what's to do about it?  Continue to drift?  Return to the WAIWO daily accounting of what I need to do and go from there?  Ugh!  Not sure!  And I want to find a happy medium.  Not necessarily a medium anyone else would agree with - but one with which I feel fair-to-middlin' content!

List 4 on a daily basis?  Uh - yeah, right!  That's how my WAIWO list evolved!

List everything on a sheet of paper.... uhm - stop right there!  I LOVE paper and I especially love listing things on paper!  I could list everything for the next YEAR on paper - and when I looked up, I'd be surprised it wasn't all done!  So - that's out!

List 4 still seems my best option.  Essentially - so bear with me folks!

This is my TOMORROW list....

Yes - it's cold here!

HOUSE 
Do the WHB (Weekly Home Blessing - or clean the joint up!  Remove those dust elephants!) for 1 hour.  (It ain't clean - but I can sure breathe better!)

EDUCATION
Pick 4 areas to work on today.  (and my choice is???......  Religion, Russian, Math, Life Skills - as in the Paper Monster!)
Work on those 4 areas for 4 hours MAX - then stop!

KITCHEN
Make regular bread
Make Challah
Make Coffeecake for Sat. breakfast
(IOW - Use that bread machine!)
Lemon Pudding Cake can be made in a Crockpot - do it!
Invest in a turkey breast or chicken - whichever is cheaper by the pound - that's for dinner and veggies include green beans (frozen), cauliflower (dehydrated), tomatoes and zucchini (dehydrated - both of them).

Celtic Solstice - I want to put the borders on today!

QUILT
get runners ready to quilt
Celtic solstice - get those borders on!  Finish that Flimsy!


In case you can't guess, I can't count!  AND have delusions of grandeur to boot!  SO far the list is the FAB 10????  And I'm setting up posts for the weekend too!

New String blocks

Down to just one big box of fabrics to be gone through!  YAY!!!!
Plastic bags are full of scraps of a specific color (ie, one all green scrap bag, one all pink, etc.)

Because I'm cleaning up - picking up, putting away fabric and otherwise aiming to make neat an awful mess when in reality I'm probably making a WORSE mess....  I spent the better part of Sunday and Monday sorting stuff out - particularly the 2 BIG boxes (sewing machine size and bigger!) of scraps.

Using Bonnnie Hunter's Scrap Saver System, I sliced and diced my way through, setting aside anything that looked like a crumb or a string, until I had relative decent piles of 4 1/2", 3 1/2", even some 3" which can metamorphasis into 2-1 1/2 inch strings by sewing up BOTH sides and slicing down the middle!, as well as 2 1/2", 2", 1 1/2 inch strips -

Strips have for the most part been pressed and put away in big plastic bins and drawers according to size - but you can see a couple of short strips here  (one that is 2" and one that is 2.5" that will get cut down eventually into the appropriate sized squares) 

Crumb bin with the tiny red diamonds next to my 1.5" squares.
I store my squares in clear bins in my sewing room -
these are just my sorting "temporary" bins

and when the strips were too short, dice them into squares - 4.5", 3.5", 3.0", 2.5", 2.0" and 1.5"

String block - I think this one is 3.5" and was made for a specific pattern.
It would have helped A LOT if I had labeled the bag these were in with the name of the project!!!!
This string block was stitched to the foundation paper which keeps it from stretching -
and which at present is still on the back of the block.  Block has not been trimmed yet but
that's the next step!  Right after I figure out what project this one goes to!

String blocks for Jamestown Landing - 4.5" blocks of lights!

String blocks for Charlotte's Baskets - 5.5" blocks - I'm doing pastels.
All pinks have been made.  The next one to do will probably be blues -
I have more of them anyway!

then blocks with any "leavin's" going into the string

Crumb blocks - END of the line!  From here it goes into a bin (Nestle Quik can)
and dumped when it gets full into a bin at the quilt shop.
From there it all goes to a lady who makes doggie beds for a shelter!

or crumb pile (end of food chain!).

Yesterday I decided that rather than try to pick through for various colors, etc. or sort out - only to have them tangle up all over again, that I would sew the strings onto the pre-prepared foundation blocks (telephone paper I cut to size!) for the next 2 LONG projects I want to work on.

Foundations blocks were 4 1/2 inches (Jamestown landing by Bonnie Hunter)

and 5 1/2 inches (Charlotte's Baskets also by Bonnie Hunter except that I modified the color arrangement a bit mostly to go with what I had! and went with pastels - all pink, all blue, all green, all yellow, all purple with one left over which will probably be a combination - or maybe it will be something all different - no idea what at this point! - should make the baskets POP!)

Design Wall for Week 4, Monday, 01-27-14

Nines 'n' Dashes - used to be known as Lilacs in Bloom (which is a DIFFERENT quilt!  hmmm!)
 - I HAVE added a border
but not sure I will keep that border or put a different one on.
The NEW border (will hopefully update picture) makes the quilt look awfully dark!

Improv placemat - have had fun/frustration with these!
Hopefully I will post an updated picture!  ALMOST done!

Antz - aka Peggy's picnic tablecloth!  It's time!
Applique!

Bow-da-cious - I'm doing connector blocks in a variety of colors

Celtic Solstice - will be adding borders this week
and getting it READY to be quilted!

Swap sampler blocks - this is an oldy (already sent I believe!)
It's time!  This swap will be completed this week!

Underground RR - IF I get the Celtic Solstice done when I think I will (hahahaaa!) and
IF I find and put in the mail all the swap sampler blocks - THEN it is UGRR time!
Sashing - Flying geese and square in a square!

Holy Toledo!  Not sure I will keep this pattern or not!
Regardless - this is the "followup" if I prove to be superwoman and get all the other stuff done!

THEN - I will update my FAB 4 list, the NU fer 2 list - and begin a NEW quilt!

Stash Report for Week 4, Sunday, 01-26-14

Butterfly block sent in a swap eons ago - and - oops!
 I forgot the antennae!

01-26-14 -Week 4 - ALMOST - but not quite done yet! :(  So the stats are the same as last week:

Used This Week:0 yard
Used This Month: 3 5/8 yard for January
Year to Date: 3 5/8 yards

Added This Week: 0 yards
Added This Month: 0 yards for January
Added Year to Date: 0   

Net Used for 2014: 3 5/8 yards

Menues for WB Sunday, 01-26-14

SUNDAY
B:Baked eggs with cheese (aka toad in the hole)
L:Cream of brussel sprouts soup, Caraway muffins
D:Mexican turkey hash, spinach salad, warmed corn tortillas, salsa

MONDAY
B:Kasha
L:salad in a jar, Split pea soup
D:Honey Dijon fish, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, baked winter squash

TUESDAY
B:Waffles
L:Salad in a jar,
D:cheeseburger casserole, baked sweet potatoes, spinach salad

WEDNESDAY
B:McMuffin with turkey sausage, poached eggs with English muffins
L:tossed salad, egg salad sandwich
D:leftovers

THURSDAY
B:Bulghur wheat and apples
L:salad in a jar, lo casserole
D:Cheese blintzes, salad

FRIDAY
B:Popovers
L:lo lunch menu items
D:Chicken pepper skillet, salad

SATURDAY,
B:Coffeecake
L:Crock lentil stew, salad, challah
D:pizza, salad

SUNDAY
B:Omelet - cheese, mole peppers, mushrooms in omelet, toast
L:Grilled cheese, tomato soup
D:leftovers

Goals for WB Sunday, 01-26-14

Actually this was SUPPOSED to be of the river (you can barely see it - in the distance) -
but then, anymore, the orange and white barrels are part of the local scenery too

GO AND DO

• DONE Library (books and DVDs return)
• DONE Toes in the Sand class on the 26th
• DONE Dr's office
• DONE groceries

HOUSE - 

• PAPERWORK - a mountain of it! work on at least an hour a day
• ZONE 1
• Front porch
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Side Porch 
• Entrance - Tuesday  
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Back Stairs - also Tuesday
•  DONE WHB
• Dining Area - Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri
• DONE WHB 
• ZONE 2 - 
• Kitchen
• DONE WHB on Fri - 
• ZONE 3 
• Bath
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Laundry Room
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Sewing Room
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Study 
• ZONE 4 
• BR - 
• DONE WHB on Fri
• ZONE 5 
• LR -
• DONE WHB 

GARDEN - 

STUDIES -

• RELIGION
• Tu b'Shvat
• DONE Complete lapbook
• DONE Check on last fall's Rosh Hashanah (vacation month - Sept) and plan
• SCIENCE
• World of Plants (WOP)
• DONE Finish all of Unit 3
• DONE Lapbook Unit 3
• Coloring Book (college level) (CB)
• THE EARTH
• EXERCISE
• MATH
• DONE 80
• DONE 81
• DONE 82
• RUSSIAN
• Daily review
• DONE Lesson 5
• DONE Lesson 6
• DONE Lesson 7
• CREATIVE WRITING
• Writing Strands 
• LIFE SKILLS
• DONE Review over all organizational books on paperwork 
• MUSIC
• ART

KITCHEN

• SOUPS (serving kept out for Monday - freeze the rest)
• DONE Bean soup
• DONE Curried Chicken and Rice Soup
• BREAD
• DONE whole wheat bread 
• DONE Challah
• DESSERT FOR SHABBAT
• DONE MAKE MENUES for the week (do Monday)

QUILT

• DONE STASH REPORT (Sunday)
• DONE DESIGN WALL (Monday)
• DONE BONNIE H. ARCHIVE NIGHT (Tues)
• DONE SLICE AND DICE NIGHT (Wednesday)
• DONE OPEN SEW or Retreat! or just play! (Friday)
• PIECE 
• SEVERAL DONE String  blocks
• DONE Straighten sewing area
• Celtic Solstice
• AArgh!  Has to be removed - try try again! Borders!!!

THIS Week's Doin's.....!!!!

Celtic Solstice!  Center is put together!
(Of course, the borders, quilting and binding have yet to be done -
but that will be over the course of the next few weeks!)

Interviewing fabrics

I'm interviewing fabrics for the border on the  dashes quiltlet.  It's big enough for either a table topper OR for a baby blanket!

Regardless - this is the way it was....

I like it - and had originally intended that it NOT have a border.  BUT maybe it's because I've been concentrating on borders for a bit, BUT I think it needs a border!  BADLY!  Not really a fancy border (although I AM making some small cornerstones for it!)

Question is - what color!

I don't have any more of the blender purple.  And when I tried to add another go-with purple- this is what I ended with....

It makes a definite statement - BUT.... altogether it overwhelms the quiltlet in its darkness!

I thought of PINK - which I do love, btw, but if I decide to turn this into a baby quilt - my son would have a cat fit (no relation to Scrappy cat sitting beside the quiltlet!) if I gave it to them for a son!  and besides I'm out of pink!

Finally I decided on multiple borders...  the first being either a WOW (made the white in the flowers look drab and dirty!) or an unbleached muslin - and may just have enough for an 1-inch border all around.  Then I re-interviewed pink - nyet!  I tried green - um, it was ok - but outside of not having really enough of the green it still made the quiltlet darker than I would like!  Sooooo - because there is just a hint of yellow in the flower pictures, I interviewed 2 yellows.  Not much would be showing - no more than just a tiny strip - but one is more golden than the other.  

So - what for the outside????  Well - something you may or may not have realized.... there are 2 flower fabrics there!  One is with the larger pink roses and one is with the tinier purple viney flowers (which I do NOT know the name of!)....

As a rule I like to put a darker fabric on the outside to make your eye be drawn more towards the lighter center of the quilt.  And a lighter purple just would NOT do!  BUT an exception to that is when I use one of the focal fabrics in the quilt - divided of course, by mini borders, so you have that tiny bit of break there!

So now, pre-viewing each of the fabrics mentioned....

Flower/Rose outer border with golden yellow strip and UB muslin

Viney outer border with golden yellow strip and UB muslin

Rosey outer border with a bright yellow strip and UB muslin

Viney outer border with bright yellow strip and UB muslin

So - what do you think?  Although when I was taking the pictures I was about equally in love with all the possibilities - right now I am thinking of the rosey outer border.  As for the strip - um, I like bright colors - but not sure but what the golden would be the better choice.  Regardless, DEFINITELY the unbleached muslin!

And, of course, what was I SUPPOSED to be doing?  Getting ready to machine quilt up a storm on those table runners!  LOL

Flimsy ALMOST finish - an Update

Celtic Solstice - the center is sewn together!
I still have the borders to put on
 - then of course, quilting and binding
BUT - I LOVE IT! 

Design Wall Monday - 01-20-14

I have also listed all or most all of these for last  weekend (the retreat) - which, considering everything I am extending to next Friday - probably!  SHOULD I get most or all of these done by Monday evening - I will post then what was done and then continue working on the rest.  I will add more ONLY if I run out of things to do (hahahahahaaa - picking myself up off the floor now!)

Cinnamon Sticks table runner.
Not sure what kind of quilting pattern I will do -
would like to do something complementing the name

Halloween table runner -
I STILL would like to do witches hat -
but don't think I can do that with the walking foot

Snowpeople skating table runner
would still like to do something either swirly like a snowy wind
OR  something like snowflakes

Nines and dashes -
definetly walking foot and big Xes.  I think it needs another border first - dark purple?

Improv placemats - this one has been done -
I'm hand appliqueing fruit, cups of tea, bon-bons and/or dishes on them

Bow-da-cious - my leader-ender project
although most of the pink connectors that I have are done -
I still have connector blocks to be done in greens, blues, reds, yellows, oranges and purples

Celtic Solstice -
I hope to get the blocks sewn together and then maybe quadrants

Underground Railroad quilt - all blocks are DONE!
Now to work on the Flying geese in the pieced sashing!
With luck, I may be able to work on the square in a square cornerstones as well!

My Scrappy blocks!

For WB 01-12-14 - well, that didn't happen!  I think this now becomes a MUST!!!! that is, a must IF I want scrappy blocks done!  I am hoping for 15 - 30, depending on what I decide to do with them!

For WB 01-05 - no scrappy blocks were made.

Menues for Week 3 - WB Sunday, 01-19-14

Some of these are repeats of last week - some aren't.  Soups, casseroles, etc. extra like usual will be frozen.

SUNDAY
B:Baked eggs with cheese (aka toad in the hole)
L:Cream of brussel sprouts soup, Caraway muffins
D:leftovers

MONDAY
B:Kasha
L:salad in a jar, Split pea soup
D:Oven fried fish, baked potatoes, coleslaw, carrots

TUESDAY
B:Waffles
L:Salad in a jar, tomato and greens soup
D:chicken stroganoff, baby carrots, green beans

WEDNESDAY
B:Poached eggs with toast
L:tossed salad, cheese sandwich
D:Hoppin' John Soup, corn muffins, tossed salad

THURSDAY
B:Rolled oats, raisins and apples and maple syrup
L:salad in a jar, lo casserole
D:turkey piccata, pasta with romano cheese, baked squash, greens

FRIDAY
B:Popovers
L:lo lunch menu items
D:Asian Honey Chicken, brown rice

SATURDAY,
B:Coffeecake
L:Brunswick stew (made with chicken instead of squirrel)
D:Perfect pot roast, salad

SUNDAY
B:Omelet - cheese, mole peppers, mushrooms in omelet, toast
L:Grilled cheese, tomato soup
D:leftovers

Stash Report for Week 3 - Sunday, 01-19-14

First of all - a finish!

Baby Quilt #1 - Walking foot quilted and bound = 3.0 yards
the Flimsy was reported in MY Stash report several months ago (6 months at least!)
which leaves only 1 5/8 yards for January!

And there is a FLIMSY finish as well!

Cinnamon Sticks Table runner - 2.0 yards!

...........................................................................................
01-19-14 -Week 3 - 
Used This Week:3 5/8 yard
Used This Month: 3 5/8 yard for January
Year to Date: 3 5/8 yards

Added This Week: 0 yards
Added This Month: 0 yards for January
Added Year to Date: 0   

Net Used for 2014: 3 5/8 yards

Goals for Week 3 WB Sunday, 01-19-14

GO AND DO

• DONE Martin Luther King day
• OOPS!!! DID  NOT GET A CALL FROM THEM! Dr. office
• Hair (eventually my hair WILL get done - HONEST!)
• DONE Library (books and DVDs return)

HOUSE - 

• UH HUH - YEAH, RIGHT!  PAPERWORK - a mountain of it! work on at least an hour a day
• ZONE 1
• Front porch
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Side Porch 
• NOT DONE WHB on Fri
• Entrance - Tuesday  
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Back Stairs - also Tuesday
• DONE WHB
• Dining Area - Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri
• DONE WHB 
• ZONE 2 - 
• Kitchen
• DONE WHB on Fri - 
• ZONE 3 
• Bath
• DONE Zone
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Laundry Room
• DONE Zone
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Sewing Room
• DONE Zone
• DONE WHB on Fri
• Study 
• NOT DONE Zone
• DONE WHB on Fri
• ZONE 4 
• BR - 
• DONE WHB on Fri
• ZONE 5 
• LR - 
• DONE WHB 

GARDEN - 

STUDIES - 

KITCHEN

• SOUPS (serving kept out for Monday - freeze the rest)
• BREAD
• DONE whole wheat bread 
• DONE Challah
• PRESERVE (these are made from "winter fruits" - oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit
• Orange marmalade
• 4 fruit jam
• Sweet potato paste
• 3 fruit marmalade
• Orange Jelly
• Cranberry conserve
• Apple ginger jam
• DESSERT FOR SHABBAT
• DONE Rice pudding!
• DONE MAKE MENUES for the week (do Monday)

QUILT

• DONE STASH REPORT (Sunday)
• DONE DESIGN WALL (Monday)
• BONNIE H. ARCHIVE NIGHT (Tues)
• SLICE AND DICE NIGHT (Wednesday)
• FINISHINGS - Bindings, movies, spiced tea, hot cider or hot chocolate (Thursday)
• DONE OPEN SEW or Retreat! or just play! (Friday)
• PIECE 
• DONE and still going LE - Connector blocks - Bow-dacious
• Quilting  - as many as possible!  
• All table runners Quilted 
• Halloween
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Snow People
• Celtic Solstice
• DONE Sew it together!!!!
• DONE - borders sewn - not attached! Borders!!!