Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Tuesday Trivia


I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  my life is nothing if not random, so sharing my life means sharing my randomness.  Winking smile

I posted yesterday that we cleaned carpets.  Whew, that job is over, furniture is back in place, and I’m hoping that we won’t have to do that again any time soon.  At least it was worth it … the carpets do look a whole lot better.  Next on my to-do list: clean the windows.  I keep putting them off … partly because only the bottom halves of our windows drop in for easy cleaning.  Since our house is on a sloping lot, the windows in the back are essentially 2nd-story windows.  We don’t have a ladder that would reach … and even if we did, my fear of heights would keep me from getting up that high to clean those windows.  My rationale is why clean the windows when they’re not going to be 100% clean because I couldn’t get the exerior top half of the windows cleaned.  This year I’m going to see if I can’t find some way to get the exteriors of our back windows cleaned … and get all of our windows cleaned.

The carpets took a lot longer to dry this time, so we had to wait until this morning to get the furniture back in place.  That meant that I had to come up with an alternative to my plan to hand quilt while watching the Blues game last night.  So I decided to work on the piecing for my next quilt.  A month or so ago, I finally decided to sort through my leftover fabrics and discovered that I had a whole bunch of 1 1/2” strips of blue and of white-on-white … enough that I could make a good-sized log cabin quilt.  It didn’t take much arm-twisting to decide that would be my next quilt … I love log cabin quilts (this will be my 4th), and since cutting fabrics is my least favorite part of quilting, this meant that I had to do only a minimum of cutting.  The only “problem” is that I didn’t have any red in my leftover fabrics for the “chimney”.  We stopped at Wal-mart on the way home from T#3’s soccer game last night, and I bought a couple of yards of a pretty red with small white dots.  The fabric was half the price it would be in a quilt shop (and it’s 100% cotton), so I picked up a couple of yards.  Not sure if/when I’ll use it since the majority of the fabrics in my “stash” are colors that just won’t play well with a red …but it was such a nice price that I couldn’t resist.  I was pleased to see that they were expanding their sewing/craft area.  I hope they add more fabrics.  I normally buy my fabrics at quilt shops, but their prices are just so high, their service isn’t always that great, and it’s a 30-minute drive to the nearest quilt shop of any size.  Having a nearby alternative (with much less expensive fabrics) sure would be nice.

I was able to get all the strips cut and pieced together 1 1/2 of the 9” blocks.  Today I plan to get back to the hand quilting of my Irish chain … the end is in sight.  I had hoped to get it done before we leave for Hilton Head, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.  And it’s ok, but now that I’ve got a little bit of a head start on my next quilt, I’m kind of anxious to get some more work done on it.  Oh, the dilemmas!  Ha!

9 comments:

  1. Our windows need cleaning, too, and the exterior of our house needs painting. I'm not about to tackle that myself, though. We'll have to save up and hire someone to do it for us. It's a BIG job! My grandmother used to quilt all the time and I would have given anything if she'd taught me how to do it. She made me a beautiful quilt when I turned 18 and I cherish it to this very day. It's such a wonderful art that I hope never goes away.

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  2. For windows that I can not reach, there is a product that attaches to a hose and you just turn on the hose and wash the windows. It's called Windex Outdoor cleaner. Easy to use and does a good job!
    So glad you a head start on the new quilt.

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  3. Hi there, I can't wait to see your newest Log Cabin-it sounds delightful. I left one quilt at home that needs binding and then in a few weeks will start another baby quilt. I haven't been to the quilt store here yet-I really don't want to buy any fabric. Are there quilt stores on H.H.? I wasn't into quilting when we were there and can't remember any stores; I just remember what fun it was to be in the sun & surf. Have a great day!
    Hugs, Noreen

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  4. It all sounds good. Looking forward to seeing that Log Cabin quilt. I am heading out to the fabric store after lunch today. Haven't been in a while, and it's calling my name, haha. Enjoy your day!

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  5. I remember hanging out of window on the second floor, just sure I was going to fall out. that Windex cleaner sounds like a great thing. I'm anxious to see your quilt too. We want pictures.

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  6. My upstairs windows are easy to clean. I just open the window and sit on the sill so I can reach the top part.

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  7. My windows are easy to clean. They open up from the inside and fold out. I know having your carpets cleaned is alot of work. I think that is why I keep putting it off. Hope your having a good day.

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  8. Cleaning carpets sure is a lot of work but the effort always comes out looking so good! It is a dilemma to wash outside windows on a second floor type thing. I'm trying to remember how I cleaned windows when we did have two stories, I'm thinking I probably didn't LOL :)

    I bet it is always fun to plan and think what your new quilt will be when you start working on it :)

    betty

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  9. We need to do carpets and windows. Not something my husband likes to do at all and I physically can't. I also don't like to pay anyone so I'm not sure how it's all going to get done!
    Glad you found that fabric on sale, sound very nice.

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