Slow Sunday Stitching … aka the Weekend Wrap-up

 

 

 

It’s been a nice, relaxing weekend here at Chez Nana. 

 

Yesterday was a rainy day … and what better way to spend a rainy day than to spend it sewing … so I spent a good chunk of the day in the sewing room.  I have 7 of the 17 rows for DD’s chevron quilt in varying stages of completeness … I started by sewing blocks together to create pairs.  I have 5 rows with 16 of the 17 blocks (8 pairs) … my plan is to sew all the pairs together and then add the 17th block to them all at one time.  I also have 4 sets of 8 blocks (4 pairs) … all I need to do is to sew 2 sets together to create another 2 almost-complete rows.  It’s not going quite as smoothly/quickly as I had hoped … I’m having some trouble getting the pieces to join together properly … most create perfect points but a few don’t … I rip out and try again … I’ll rip out twice but if the point still isn’t perfect, then I’m going to quote Mary Henderson and Ann Dease … if it looks good while riding by on a galloping horse, it’s perfect!  I plan to wait until the rows are fully complete before I press the rows … my iron has an auto shut-off and it’s just too frustrating to have to continually turn on the iron and wait for it to heat back up … easier to just wait and press everything at one time. 

 

When DD and I were discussing some design choices for her quilt, she mentioned the fabric she would like for the quilt back … she was hoping for a gray and white quatrefoil … alas, I wasn’t able to find any extra wide backing fabric.  But I DID find some in standard width … and ordered 2 yards.  I’m going to surprise her with a couple of throw pillows for their bed … it came yesterday.  It’s not quite as brown as it appears in the picture.

 

After dinner, I spent some time piecing together blocks for my Martha Washington’s Flower Garden (MWFG).  It’s slow going but it’s relaxing.  And I’ve got plenty of other quilts to finish (DD’s chevron quilt and my Storm at Sea) and start (T#1’s spiral log cabin, T#3’s quilt [pattern undecided at this time], my miniature pineapple quilt, our Kiss quilt, my Nantucket quilt and my large-block pineapple quilt). 

 

Some of those quilts are new to you all … Friday afternoon, I signed up for a quilting retreat.  Those of you who’ve been reading for a while know of my long-time desire to be able to attend a “real” quilting retreat.  And when The Quilted Fox offered another retreat (their November retreat is sold out and their February retreat conflicts with T#1’s birthday), I jumped at the chance.  I won’t know a single quilter … on Sunday evening.    Now I need to do a little shopping so I’ll have the fabric I need to be able to sew, sew, sew for 3+ days (no, I don’t plan to try to work on ALL of those quilts above … so far, I’m planning on working on both pineapple quilts, the Nantucket quilt, and T#1’s spiral log cabin). 

 

Today, after church, DH and I headed over to Maggiano’s for lunch.  Oh my … yum, yum, yum!!  My taste buds wanted to finish my entrée, but I wisely chose to save a portion … DH ordered something from their buy one/take one home menu … I know what’s for dinner tomorrow night! 

 

As soon as I wrap this up (pun intended), I’m going to link up over at Kathy’s Quilts. 

 

And then I’m going to put in some more time with my needle and thread on my MWFG … out on the deck, I think, as it’s quite delightful outside this afternoon. 

 

Have a blessed Sunday!

Kathy

This and That Thursday

 

I was able to spend a nice chunk of time in the sewing room yesterday.  I’m sewing blocks together … pairs of blocks, and  I’m about halfway through.  Of course, when I’ve pairs sewn together, it’ll be time to take those pairs and sew them together to make rows … and then I’ll have to sew the rows into a top.   

 

I have to admit that when DD suggested changing from the herringbone design to a chevron design, I was a little concerned how it would turn out … but after I laid out several blocks, I have to admit that I think it’s going to be beautiful.DD did a little searching and determined that she’d like to add borders to the quilt … a narrow dark inner border with a “medium” outer border (using the darker gray from the quilt top).  Here’s her inspiration for the border (source: https://www.threadbias.com/projects/hst-chevron-quilt)I have enough of the darker gray for the outer border (and binding) and ordered the dark for the inner border last night.  She chose Kona’s Pepper … it’s almost black without the harshness of black.  While the fabrics and design are not what I would choose, I’m really enjoying how these are coming together and looking forward to getting back into the sewing room today. 

 

I didn’t spend quite as long in the sewing room as I had anticipated … I got a phone call asking if I wanted some T-time so DD and DSIL could have a date night.  As you all know, time with my Ts will always trump time in my sewing room, so my answer was yes.  I was rewarded with seeing the 4 of them play together.

 

Thankfully we didn’t get any of the awful storms they’d forecast … we had some heavy rains and strong winds … and now we’re getting the cooler temperatures.  We’ll definitely have the windows open today … as soon as it warms up enough. 

 

Hope you all have a fantastic Thursday!

Kathy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday … and that means it’s Hodgepodge time!  Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond hosts our weekly fun.  Why not join in … just click the button above.

1. I've read several posts and status updates recently describing end of year school field trips. Do you remember taking school field trips as a kid? Where did you go and do you recall a favorite? For any parents responding today, have you ever chaperoned a school field trip, and if so where?
I don’t remember taking any field trips back in the day.  And as a single working mom, I was never able to chaperone one of DD’s school field trips. 


2. What's something you're tired of seeing online?
I have Adblock Plus installed on my laptop, so I’m spared all the annoying ads online.  What I’m tired of seeing are all the political posts on Facebook … and we’re still several months from the upcoming mid-term elections. 


3. June is the month for roses. Which of the following expressions would you say has most recently applied to your life-'everything's coming up roses', 'there's no rose without a thorn', 'came out smelling like a rose', or 'wearing rose-colored glasses'?
I tend to wear rose-colored glasses.  And speaking of roses:


4. When grilling outdoors do you prefer gas or charcoal? Who does the grilling at your house? What's the last thing you ate that was cooked on a grill?
I prefer charcoal, but it’s just so much work and takes so much time, that we use our gas grill when we grill outdoors.  DH is our griller, although I will grill when we’re going to have chicken (as he doesn’t have as good a handle on the concept of removing the meat the moment it is done that I like when grilling chicken … dry overcooked chicken is not a favorite of mine ).  The last meal we had from our grill was burgers and my mom’s potatoes … Saturday night when the littlest two grands were here. 


5. Are you afraid of the dark?
No, not really.


6. Share a favorite song with a number in its title.
This wasn't easy.  7x70 by Chris August … I love the promise of hope.

7. "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."(C.G. Jung). Do you agree? Why or why not?
Oh yes, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that there is a lot of truth in that statement … and that the DH’s idiosyncrasies that frustrate me most are the very same ones that I struggle with myself.


8.  Insert your own random thought here.
DD has confirmed that she'd like to go with chevrons.  So today will find me in the sewing room, sewing together all those triangle blocks ... perfect way to spend this rainy day.  Feels like I've been working on this for the longest time ... looking forward to seeing it come together ... and to get to the best part of all, the hand quilting!    

Thanks for stopping by!
Kathy

Tuesday’s Trivialities

It’s been unusually warm (or hot for most people) here lately … hitting the 90’s frequently.  Between the rain that’s been in the forecast every day and the humidity, we’ve had to keep our windows shut and the air conditioner going.  But there’s some relief in sight! 

Of course, this relief comes with a bit of a “price tag” … a front moving through today that will bring unsettled weather, including tornados.  This is another large front that is affecting multiple states. 

I did a walkabout in the garden last night.  We have two zucchini plants … one is looking good and has a couple of blossoms.

The other is looking better than it did even as recently as a week and a half ago, but who knows whether we’ll get much zucchini from it. 

We have had a teeny, tiny tomato on one of our plants for a few days now, and I finally was able to get a halfway decent photo of it.

We’ve got several blossoms on several of our other plants, so we should be having plenty of BLTs this summer!

I planted some marigolds and basil in the garden while I was out there … I’ve read that they’re supposed to help keep pesky insects away.  I don’t want to use chemical products on our veggies … even the supposedly “safe” ones.  We’ve been learning, years down the road, that so many things previously considered “safe” aren’t so safe after all.    I don’t want to take any chances with our garden.

No update from DD on how she wants those triangle blocks set, so I’ll continue to work on my hexies. 

Have a terrific Tuesday!
Kathy

The Weekend Wrap-up

It was a busy weekend, but thankfully (for you all) this wrap up won’t be too long since I pretty much covered Saturday already.

Sunday we got to cheer on our swimmers live and in person.
Here is T#2 swimming the 50-meter backstroke (in the second lane closest ... in the orange cap) … quite well, too.  She dropped a huge chunk of of time off her personal best.  Forgive the poor quality … all I had was my iPhone and we were a considerable distance from the pool. 

I trimmed triangle blocks Sunday morning before we left for the swim meet … and I am 4 blocks short of having all my triangle blocks trimmed!  I really only need one of those blocks to have enough to piece together the top, but I’ll trim all 4 – just in case.    I think DD has decided on chevron, rather than herringbone.  I wish I had known that sooner rather than later because I have an easier way of making a chevron quilt than dealing with triangles (and trimming).  But it’s not a big deal … and tomorrow I’ll start piecing the top!  Since I’ll just be sewing together squares, it shouldn’t take too long … although I’m not sure about that as I’ll be piecing together 324 blocks (I’ll set them 18x18 to make a quilt 99”x99” … their bed is a queen-sized bed but it has a very deep mattress). 

In the meantime, I plan to spend my afternoon working with my hexies, piecing blocks for my Martha Washington’s Flower Garden.  I have enough hexies basted for 24 more blocks which should give me a total of 50 blocks … at some point, I need to lay these out and determine just how many more I need … I’m thinking that I’m about ready to start putting these together and making a quilt out of them.  Hopefully all I’ll have to do after I piece these 50 blocks is to add the connector hexies and make the half blocks to fill in the edges/sides.  All this is brand new to me … I’m just figuring it all out as I go. 

Am I the only one who was caught unawares that yesterday was the start of June?    June!  Feels like it should only be the end of April to me.  Where in the world is this year going?

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
Kathy

Cheering on the Swimmers … Long Distance

 

T#1 and T#2 are swimming this weekend, but Nana and Papa had to stay behind to watch the two little ones.  This is a large meet, with no crash room, so expecting the little ones to sit through a long afternoon on the pool deck (especially a little one who would be skipping her nap) is asking for trouble.  Daddy had to work today, so Nana and Papa got drafted to watch the littles.  While we love the time with the two littles, we miss being able to cheer on the swimmers … so we’re following along at home, thanks to our Meet Mobile App.

 

I’m taking advantage of the down time (T#4 is napping and T#3 is having some quiet time) to get back to work on trimming my triangle blocks (for DD’s quilt). 

The stack on the right are the trimmed blocks as of this morning.  The trimmed stack is now about twice as high as the untrimmed stack … so I’m making progress.  The job was made MUCH easier thanks to my Bloc Loc ruler!  I cannot imagine how tedious (and inaccurate) the job would have been with a standard square ruler.  I wonder … will trimming these blocks count as Slow Sunday Stitching?  I’ll take some hexies with me to work on during the swim meet tomorrow.

 

I realize I forgot to show you what I got for Mother’s Day … from DD and her family.

I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed.  (The Willow Tree figurines were gifts from them on other occasions.)    

 

We’ve got rain in the area … wonder if we’ll get any today.  We’ve had rain in the forecast every day, but I’m not sure we actually got any here … although we did drive through rain on our way to St. Louis yesterday afternoon as well as on our way home. 

 

Have a spectacular Saturday!

Kathy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

After a break from the Hodgepodge (the Hodgepodge requires some heavy duty thinking, and that’s just something I don’t do when at the beach!), I’m baaaaack!

 

1. What news story are you following right now?

Between being at the beach for a couple of weeks and a busy weekend upon our return, I haven’t seen the news to be following any stories.

2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get?

Another week at Hilton Head? 

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is the one side dish you hope is on the menu?

We had burgers yesterday at DD’s to celebrate T#2’s birthday.  If we’re going to have burgers, I prefer them cooked out on the grill, but if we’re going out for burgers, my favorite place has got to be Five Guys.  Love me a little bacon cheeseburger and a little Cajun fries!  Yum!

4. How have your priorities changed over time?

I used to be so fastidious about keeping the house neat and tidy.  The minute I’d see a smudge, I’d whip out the cleaner and cloth and take care of it.  Now … not so much.   

5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents?

I remember a candy dish filled with lemon drops.  Playing shuffleboard in their basement.  Leckerli and chocolate spritz cookies every year at Christmas. 

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example.

I’m a woman, therefore I multitask, right?  An example?  How about yesterday:  getting caught up on my recorded episodes of NCIS, doing laundry, checking email and Facebook on my iPad … all while hand stitching. 

7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May?

Low: leaving Hilton Head.  High: returning home to my favorite people.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Hard to believe … but the Queen of Random is having trouble coming up with a random thought today.