End of the month

Today was update day.  I updated my UFO list, as disappointing as it is.  I know the numbers are supposed to go down, but mine are going up…

I updated my project of the month page… I only made one in July but I’ve a head start on August with two samples made, and I have a few ideas I want to try which will I’m pretty sure motivate me. 

And I went to the Doctors… she had some good news for me.  She wants me to try weaning myself off the prednisone again and see what happens.  I will gladly, and will keep my fingers crossed that it goes well and I’ll be done with it… fingers crossed!

Disappointing blog hopping

I was blog hopping this morning while waiting for the washer to finish washing… I found a cute block on a blog with a link to the tutorial on making that block.  It’s perfect for some fabric I have so I clicked on the link. 

While the page was loading, I figured it had a lot of pictures since it was taking so long, I accidently clicked on a link which took me away from the page I was trying to view.  I hit the browsers back button, but that didn’t work.  It was one of the pages that insists you stay there, and when I closed the page, it popped back up again. 

So I closed all the browsers and let the virus program stop the pop-ups and tried again.  I went to the URL and put down the mouse and let the page load fully before I touched it again.  I went to scroll down, and the cursor touched something and another ad popped up and refused to go away. 

Now I don’t really like blogs that have ads, but I tolerate them.  But this was pure annoying.  I tried one more time and let the page fully load.  I used the arrow to scroll down rather than risking the cursor touch anything at all, and did a screen shot of the block.  I’ll figure it out myself. 

And now I’m going to make sure that no one has that kind of problem reading my blog.  Make sure the links are not where you can accidently click, and promise again that I will NEVER have ads on here.. Never ever!

Sunday happenings

Here’s what I’m doing today… binding the 2 Marges’ Pinwheels and watching the Olympics at the same time. 

Janet's Quilts transformed

Take a few out,

put a few new in,

and add some here and there

and it’s done. 

Well as far as I can go until I get a backing.

Opening ceremonies

I watched every minute and I loved it all.  What was my favorite part…  I can’t really say.  I loved all the pictures of the United Kingdom, so many times we said "we’ve been there!"  I loved the children’s bedtime scene, I loved the love story, I loved Bond and the Queen. Loved loved loved that she jumped from the helicopter.  (And don’t tell me she didn’t!)   I loved Sir Paul, especially when he choked up starting his song… I loved the torch ceremony, very moving in my opinion. 

And unlike most quilters who did hand work during the show, I worked with Jack.  A friend sent me some spare blocks left over from her Janet’s quilts, yes quilts.  She knew I had a smaller one which I’ve called Janet’s leftovers, so she thought I could add hers to mine.  But hers are so different than mine, I have to do a little rearranging so they don’t stick out… That meant doing some ripping.  And as spellbound as I was to the TV it took me 3 1/2 hours to take out a just a few blocks. 

What DID I do?

In response to my post from yesterday and all the emails and comments I got, I did both.  I took care of my To Do list…. well most of it.  And I read… and read and read and finished the book.  I loved it! 

What was it?  California Schemin’ by Kate George.  I really enjoyed it a lot, and would have read it in one sitting if I didn’t have other things I wanted to get done!    

What do you do when…

What do you do when you’re reading a good book and you have a thousand things to do?  Do you read or tackle your To Do list? 

I’ll let you know.....

UFOs

Very interesting post on UFOs at Quiltmaker today.  

Here are a few of my favorite lines, and my replies

This is Part 1 of an informal series on UFOs (UnFinished Objects). Most of us have them. Some of us are plagued by them. Almost everyone would prefer to have fewer of them.

Not me, I seem to enjoy creating them, the more the merrier, at least that’s what I keep telling myself.  I started the year with 51 UFOs and one WIP…  now… sigh…  well I’ve finished and/or donated the tops of 25 but now have 55 UFOs, yes the number went up not down. 

A word of caution: Don’t be overwhelmed by the list. It’s just a tool. You have the list—the list doesn’t have you!

Oh I’m not overwhelmed, I seem to enjoy adding to the list… I think it’s a disease, incurable for sure. 

Beginning with just one or two UFOs on the list, ask yourself why each became a UFO. Some of the possibilities:

I love the excuses reasons she gives, some of them just tickly my funny bone to hysterics.  But then she said the one.. the one that I use as my excuse reason, only because it is true!

You got sidetracked with more interesting new projects

Sidetracked, more like railroaded… the new more interesting got to see how that would work and then …..I have all the blocks done and laid out on the bed and oh that’s how it looks, nice, but what’s next… and THAT is why I have so many dang UFOs. 

I had a buyer....

I got a phone call from a local lady who has purchased quilts from me in the past.  She said she was hoping I had a finished quilt she could purchase for a nephew’s wedding next month.  I asked her what size and she said queen or king and I thought of this quilt right away.

I described it to her, told her exactly how it was made   etc and she said “So how much?”  Now.. let me first tell you, this lady has bought quilts off my bed, very obviously used since they were on the bed, and didn’t balk at the price.  But this time I told her I wanted $500 for the quilt and she literally screamed at me, “but it was free to you!” 

Let’s see… free to me?  Yes, the triangle squares were all given to me, true, no cost in making the quilt top, except for my time.  It is a 90 inch square quilt, and it took three yards of backing fabric at $19 a yard.  The quilter did a fabulous job at putting it all together at the cost of $192.  I will probably spend a billion hours, give or take a few, putting on the binding, but my time isn’t worth anything.. 

So the total cost of this quilt out of pocket cash expenses was $249 plus my worthless time, I don’t think $500 is enough… the price just went up to $600 and I sure hope she doesn’t change her mind about not wanting it because it might go up even more if she calls me back. 

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the man I love more than life it’s self.  You have made me happier than I ever knew was possible. 

No internet

When I got up this morning I had people sleeping in my living room, so I couldn’t check email.  Then I had a few errands to run and when I finally got home, no internet.  I finally got back on line a little after 2:00. 

 So what did I do to keep busy?  I made myself a rainbow, that’s what!

Are you a Fabricaholic?

Front and back say the same thing.

I will be taking orders for this T-shirt through now and August 5th.  Delivery will be around October 1st, maybe sooner.  Send me an email at quiltersretreat@hotmail.com to order yours.  Please include your color choice, long or short sleeved and of course size.  I will also need to know your post or zip code to calculate postage. 

Short sleeve T-shirts
White, Navy, Purple, and Red up to size 5X
Small to XX-L are $20 and larger sizes are $2 extra per X (XXX-Ls will be $22, etc.)

Long sleeve T-shirts
White, Navy, Purple, and Red up to size 5X
Small to XL are $25 and larger sizes are $2 extra per X

Postage in the US would be $6 for one shirt, additional postage for more than one. Additional postage if you are out of the US, which I will calculate when you order.

ALL profit from these shirts will go to Relay For Life.  Once you order I will send a PayPal invoice and you will have until August 10 to pay.  I will not order shirts which are not paid for. 

Colors

Newton originally named only five primary colors:

Later he included orange and indigo 

Someday I’m going to make an orange and indigo quilt.

Right now I’m going to work on a different rainbow quilt. 

TGIF?

Well it’s Friday, that’s about all I can say about it.  I haven’t gotten anything done today, working on this that and a little bit of everything and a lot of nothing.  I finished two projects this week, but now I can’t decide what to do next.  I’ve made two of my projects for August, maybe I’ll make another one of those.  Or maybe I’ll make another Road to OK, my July project… decisions decisions.  OR, I have this scrappy border I didn’t use that I could take apart and make something else… hmmmm… I like that idea, maybe. 

Another retreat sample

This is what one 40 strip pre-cut package will make of a quilt I am calling Area 52.  I have scraps left, but not enough to do anything with.  I will buy borders and backing next time I head to Lancaster.  This was made using one coconut flavor Bali Pop.

Now I am finished with retreat samples, I think... 

Yesterday and today

Yesterday I finished another strip quilt, another sample for the fall retreats.  I’m showing this one on here because log cabin has always been a favorite of mine, and well.. because I really like it. 

Now I remember the old saying about log cabins, don’t make your strips too big.  And to me, 2 1/2 is slightly too big, but that’s what comes in a pre-cut pack.  And I don’t necessarily love pre-cuts, but that’s what we’re using at the fall retreats so even though I have plenty of stash I could cut up, I’ve used a few pre-cut packages. 

This log cabin was made of just 40 strips.  But, not all 40 came from the pre-cut package.  I loved the teals and blues in this package, and it only came with a few yellows, so I supplemented the yellows, getting this stack for this project (and my stash) back in June when we went to Lancaster shopping.  The teals and blues and a few yellows came from this Tonga Treat, and the blue I purchased for borders and backing.  I kept close count of the strips I used so I could honestly say I only used 40 strips… and I did!  I even have some left over strips which I will use for a scrappy binding. 

So the quilt center, the log cabin part, was made using 40 pre-cut strips.  The borders were not included in that number and the binding was! 

I’m pleased with it!. 

Today I’m starting another strip project.  Well I hope to as soon as I recover from my visit to the vampires at the clinic… I think they took a gallon and since it was a fasting draw, I felt a little woozy as my life was sucked out of me… nothing a good lunch won’t cure, LOL! 

Visitors

I’m OK, honest!  And I thought I blogged yesterday, just forgot I guess.  I’ve had visitors off and on the last two days, all family, MY family.  That’s a very special thing to me because I am not that close to my family, well not as close as some families are. 

Sunday I saw my brother for the first time in nine years.  I thought it was eight but he informed me politely that it was nine, and I have to take his word for it… he’s younger than me so his brain is sharper, (so he thinks)… It was an interesting visit, we had a lot to catch up on. 

And yesterday, I tried very hard to get caught up on my work, retreat work and sewing work, but one thing or another interrupted me and I didn’t get anything done but two loads of laundry and a very nice visit from my sister Kathy and her daughter Cole.  Now I’ve seen Kathy a lot more than my brother, but we had lots to talk about and catch up on too.  Kathy is on facebook so I keep up with her that way and she calls me often, but nothing beats a face to face visit.  (I don’t call her because she does shift work and I never know what shift she is working and/or when she is sleeping!) In person hugs are so much nicer than virtual hugs.

Now back to sewing, I’m working in retreat project  number 7!

Mystery solved

This one is called Janet’s quilt. It’s quick, easy and I’ve made three!

It's Mystery Day!

Mystery day on Mysteries For Relay and the ladies are sewing up a storm.  I sure hope they enjoy this one as much as I do! 

I’ll post photos later in the day so you can see what they are making, but not until the mystery has been revealed on the group!

Quilt exchange day!

Today I want by the quilters to pick up and drop off quilts… imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw this hanging!  This is what I’m calling 2MargesPinwheels.  My friend Marge made the triangle squares and I put them together into this quilt.  Jackie performed her quilting magic on it and now all I have to do is put the binding on.  It's a 90 inch square, so I'll be adding that binding for quite a while!

I dropped off five to be quilted, four are retreat samples and the fifth is the ugly strings I posted about a few days ago. 

And that doesn’t put a dent in the UFOs waiting to be quilted!

You know you need a break when...

You’re chain piecing,
and you lay down the next strip
and sew it…
without the block you were supposed to add to it.  

Why didn’t I blog yesterday?

Kathy wanted to know why I didn’t blog yesterday…. I guess I just plain forgot.  I had a busy day, running errands, lunching with a friend and then more errands.  When I got home and got all the groceries put away I got hit with a whopper headache and I did little of nothing until I crawled into bed at 9:30. 

Then I woke up this morning in panic mode, too much to do.  Tuesday I sent out my first 100 day email, announcing to the first group of fall retreaters that their retreat was just 100 days away.  That’s put me in that panic mode!  Less than 100 days to get ready for a month long retreat for me.  Yes, a whole month, well almost, I will not be coming home between retreats this year. 

So less than 100 days to get serious about retreat projects, six are on the way to the quilter tomorrow.

Time to get serious about packing, piles are getting higher and wider in the sewing room. I sure hope everything I need for four retreats will fit in my Escape. 

Time to get serious about packing personal projects, what can I do to keep myself busy for a whole month!  Do I take UFOs or start making more? 

Building a new log cabin

It’s been a while since I made a log cabin quilt, and the urge was getting to me.  I had these Tonga Strips left over, and some yellow’s to coordinate, and couldn’t decide what to do with them.  I looked on line, played in EQ and kept coming back to good old log cabin. 

I’m using a Timeless Treasure Tonga Treat called Island Punch, with tropical teals, blues and yellows.  So far I’m loving it! 

Happy transplants

This spring, or was it early summer, we transplanted a bunch of lilies, iris and black eyed Susan’s from a garden that was overgrown with a weed we couldn’t get rid of.  We carefully made sure all the roots we planted had no trace of the weed root and put everything in two new gardens.  The iris had already blossomed but it was too early for the rest of them, and they probably shouldn’t have been transplanted when they were, but we had no choice, the weed was killing them. 

The tiger lilies blossomed, although fewer flowers on each stem, and the stalks fell on the ground with the heavy flowers.  The stargazer lilies were showing no signs of budding.  I watered, kept an eye on them, watered and kept hoping.  Then all of a sudden, buds and then

hot hot hot

Time of day

Temperature in my living-room, thank God for air conditioning.

And the temperature outside in a shaded area off the deck

Thank goodness we don’t have to be outside in this heat.  If you must, please stay cool!

Hot hot is it?

TOO hot.  It’s hotter than heck here.  Last night we went out and watered our new gardens, hoping to save the newest perennials from the heat wave.  I had six new plants to add so John dug nice holes, and worked up a good sweat, and then even did some weeding.  We’d just finished when the plant lady (a.k.a. Cheri) drove in the driveway with more rejects from work.  Unfortunately two of the plants she brought with her were beyond saving, but the dirt in the pots is good so the soil was dumped in the garden.  The other two are sad looking, but I think they are begonias and I think they will live in a bigger pot… so as soon as it cools off some I’ll replant them into nice pots and let them grow on the back deck… I hope. 

Yesterday I finished the center of another strings quilt.  This one is quite pretty if I do say so myself.  But I ran out of one of my primary colors, and don't have anything leftover for borders, so I think it will never be finished... poor thing. 

Oh My!

I never knew a pile of scraps would bring on so many emails, phone calls and in-person comments.  Last night at a family dinner a non-quilting sister-in-law asked me why I hadn’t shared the photo of the quilt that went with the scraps. That was the comment that convinced me to show this quilt rather than keep it a secret as I had planned. 

This quilt was made from what some ladies called ugly fabrics, with the exception of one, which was a scrap of mine. 

I don’t think they’re ugly anymore.