Design Wall Monday

I can finally start linking up to 

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts again.

We finally got our desktop computer back last Monday, after more than a month away being repaired. I had figured out how to post blog updates, along with photos with my tablet, but I was not able figure out a lot of things, like how to cut and paste links.

Anyway, here I am! I'm not sure anyone even missed me :) I don't get a lot of comments on my posts so I don't really know how many people actually read them, but that's ok. This blog serves as a kind of journal for me, allowing me to keep track of what I am doing, how I am feeling and how things have changed, or not, through time. Any comments are gravy. I enjoy them. Some have led to great conversations, friendship, advice, all of which I appreciate.

So, I've been busy sewing. Over the weekend I completed the covers for Son's gaming chair. It really is a comfortable chair. He found it second hand and even though it is in good shape he wanted it to be more 'him'.  

"Mom, can you recover this chair? 

And, can it be camo?"

 He chose this lime green cotton twill camo from the Realtree Store. 

Since it is twill it should hold up well, I think. 

I made the covers so they could be easily removed for washing. I hope he likes it.

Speaking of chairs, Husband's recliner had been causing him to have back pain. Mine was starting to have some issues as well, so we decided it was time for something new. We got a love seat with a center console this time. We had to do a little rearranging of furniture, but it does take up less space than two recliners. I have my little sewing bag and hand cream stashed in the console.

I'm not sure I'm using this space as intended, but the TV remote, sometimes my cell phone and my stash of Peppermint Patties fit nicely!

One last thing...

I will be starting a hand applique project soon. Snow Happy Ornaments is a pattern for twelve snowmen meant to be ornaments, but I am enlarging some of them and using them to fill the spaces in a six-paned window frame. If this turns out well it will be a fair entry in the Old Window Frames category. 

I will be using wool on flannel. 

 I am trying to decide if I want a light or dark background. The fabrics are the same in both photos, I just turned the bundle so I could see how all the colors looked with both fabrics. I like both and think either will work, I'm just worried that the dark blue will be too dark with the pastels. I guess I could make up two blocks, using each background and see which I like best. OR, I could make half with the light background and half with the dark and alternate them in the window frame, or put the lights (day time) on top, darks (night time) on the bottom. 

Or, or, or. Husband and I were having a conversation earlier today about how we both tend to overthink and second guess too much! Think I am doing that with this project? 

Just a little!

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Christmas day being with the people you love.

We are up before the sun. The chair where I sit is by a south window and faces east so I get to see the sun come up. It was beautiful today.

  

My thoughtful husband thought I needed these cute ornaments. The one in front plays a little tune when the drawer is opened.

Aren't they cute?!

Foggy Frosty Morning

I woke up to a dense fog advisory notification on my phone. We have a laser light that projects red and green dots on our house. I love how it looks when it's foggy.

Once the sun came up I was able to see the fog wasn't as dense as I thought. It did freeze which makes things look pretty.

The sun is shining so this won't last long.

Yesterday I made this cute little snowman ornament. 

We don't decorate much for Christmas. I like decorations and used to put out things each season when my son was small, but I was also busy and didn't get around to putting things away in a timely manner. One year I bought a tree that could be planted outside later. It was in the house until March, decorated for Christmas, then Valentine's day, then St. Patrick's day. It did not survive. Anyway, I don't decorate much now. Husband turns on the laser lights and the little fiber optic tree sometime after Thanksgiving. We got this pretty light up Santa last year. It works kind of like a lava lamp. When the light is turned on glitter swirls and the light changes color. Very pretty at night, but does not take a good photo so this one was taken during the day.

Notice the cute little sewing machine ornament Husband thought I needed. He is so thoughtful!

Finally

This blog post is coming to you from

MY COMPUTER!!!!

That's right. When out doing our Sunday morning shopping, I received a message that our computer was ready to be picked up. They fired it up in the store to make sure we thought everything looked ok. It did so we came home. I turned it on and could not connect to the internet. I was asked to enter the security key which is when I discovered that neither the mouse nor keyboard (both wireless) were working. After a frantic, frustrated call to the tech people, double checking cables were plugged in (one wasn't) and some messing around, we were set to go. YAY! It took over a month, many long minutes on hold, and lots of 'we aren't sure....' type of conversations, but we finally have our computer back. 

Now we are trying to remember how to do certain things again. That is NOT a complaint, we are happy to have it back.

Meanwhile, I have been keeping busy.

I got a request from the granddog Pokie for more bandanas.

 Six reversible bandanas were sewn up in no time. I tried to cover the holidays and likes of all of them.

I can take these to Pokie next week. My son's GF is having kidney stone surgery. Ironically, it is the same surgery that FIL recently had. Hers isn't quite as large, but will still involve a stent. She is on heavy duty pain meds and isn't allowed to drive, son can't drive (physically disabled, visually impaired) so I have been asked to help out with that. I am happy to help out. 
I am preparing some handwork for the waiting times. Hexie sewing and dishcloth knitting.

I have always taken something, usually knitting, with me to work on if I know I will be sitting and waiting for any length of time. Son used to hate when I took my knitting to his ball practices so I asked him if he would prefer that I brought hand sewing instead. He laughed and said he didn't care. My knitting in public doesn't bother him anymore. :)

I thought I was finished with the blocks for the Disappearing Double Pinwheel, but when I counted them I found I was short two. Rats. I am almost finished making those. I will save this until Retreat in January where I will have lots of floor space to lay it out.

I hope you all are finding Peace and Happiness this Christmas season.

Waiting

My FIL had surgery yesterday to remove the last large kidney stone plus some fragments left from the first surgery. It went well. He is supposed to be released today to go back to the nursing. SIL made the arrangements and let us know that we may need to pick him up from the hospital as she had an issue that may affect whether or not she can do it. Waiting to hear. 

Husband had some farm work he wanted to do today but isn't because it is something that needs to be finished once started. Today is Sew Day but I didn't go since we weren't sure when or if we would need to go to the hospital. 

So, while I am waiting I am having a Sew Day by myself - not much different than any other day ;) I am working on this never-ending pile of units for the Disappearing Double Pinwheel I started at the last Sew Day. 

I ran out of bobbin thread right at the very end of a seam - that was lucky.

As for the computer, we have been notified that it has been repaired, tested and shipped back to the local store. Once there our files will need to be put back on our computer. They were not able to tell us when we could expect to pick it up. It will be one month tomorrow since we took it in. More waiting. 

Snow

We got about 2 1/2" of snow last night with a small possibility of more later today. 

I made a few more bowl buddies recently for Husband to gift.

I love the tire tracks. I used that for the motorcycle quilt I made a few months ago. It works well with the tractor fabric too. I also made two buddies using horse fabrics, but those got gifted before I took a photo.

I made a big salad for lunch today. The tomato had a little surprise!

I have never seen seeds inside a tomato sprout. 

I am still adjusting to the tablet. I will be using it for a while, I think. I have been tracking repair progress on-line, now that the computer has been found and entered back into the system. I hadn't noticed any progress for a week ago so I called today to check on it. A new mother board has been ordered but that was all they were able to tell me. No idea when that will be delivered, no idea how long any of this will take. We took the computer in on November 20th. We are definitely ready to have it back! Trying to be positive here - it is fixable and still under warranty so there should be no cost.

Design Wall Monday

I have been working on this...

The Disappearing Double Pinwheel from Missouri Star Quilt Company's Block magazine. I thought it would be a 'quick' project. And, I guess it is  compared to the paper piecing projects I like to do that take so long to complete. I started it on Thursday at Sew Day. I have 22 more blocks to make. The pattern calls for 42 and makes a good size quilt - 81 x 93, or something close to that. 

I was conncerned about the lighter fabrics, but after looking at the photos I think they may be ok. If not, I have plenty of the fabric I bought for the border so I could replace them with that. 

The computer is still being repaired. I am so frustrated with that whole situation! Husband is using the tablet more. We find ourselves having to share which means having to wait! The tablet just isn't the same. I like the bigger screen of the computer, it's faster and just easier to use. I miss my computer :( 

Beautiful

start to the day...

Yesterday looked like this...

Design Wall Monday

To see what other quilters are up to go Small Quilts and Doll Quilts. 

I am playing with scraps today. 

I found a free pattern - Scrap Bag Star - at www.merrymayhem.com under the Freebies tab. 

I am gifted lots of scraps and cut of triangles from all my quilt friends. I wonder if they secretly think I am a little crazy yet they all hand me baggies of scraps they have been saving since the last time they saw me. :)

The block finishes at 24 inches. Mine will be slightly small since I am using triangles that are slightly smaller, but I want to use up those gifted triangles. 

I spent the weekend consolidating and reorganizing. It's been nice to discover thing I forgot about.

I have notions in several rooms throughout the house that need to be in one place. I will be taking duplicates and fabric i no longer want to Sew Day on Thursday. I have lots more to do but its getting better.

I received a call about the computer a little bit ago. It was checked in today at the right repair center. I am convinced it was lost. I am now able to track it on line. The young man who called was not able to give me any other information, such as when to expect it to be repaired and returned. This has been a frustrating experience.