A Whole Lot of Nothing

I don't know where my days go. I start each day with a list of things to do. Before I know it the day is over and I don't seem to have gotten much accomplished on my list. 

I did spend some time working on this jacket. Earlier this week I decided to add some pockets to it. I like the jacket because it is longer, has embroidery on it and it was almost free. The only thing I didn't like was it had no pockets. Every time I wore it tried to put my hands into pockets that didn't exist. 

I was working in my sewing room when I remembered some orphan blocks I had left over from a baby quilt.

Now it has pockets. I know they don't quite fit the style of the jacket, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to match the denim or the embroidery so I figured why even try to make a match. I'm not trying to make a fashion statement and it will serve me well with pockets no matter what they look like.

I just had to run a quick errand and wore this jacket. The pockets worked great for holding my keys, phone and wallet. 


As I was returning home from my errand I noticed the sky. Once I got home I got a few pics of the storm moving in.

There is some thunder and lightening going on and the wind is picking up, but no rain yet.

Recipe Report

I tried two new recipes this weekend.

First up is Crock Pot Meatloaf. 

I'm not sure where this one came from. It looks like I may have done a 'copy-paste' with this one as there is no website info anywhere.

Anyway, it says to cook on low for 8-12 hours. I turned it off after 7 hours. It tasted overcooked to me. Husband said it was ok. If I make this one again I will try cooking it for less time. I did not make the foil handles.

The second recipe we both liked a lot. 

I will make this one again. 

I have had a similar, if not the same, dish made by someone else before so I knew I would like this one. It came from the Braille Monitor. I made half the recipe since it is only the two of us and I knew it would be more than we could eat in a few day. You can see my notes written in. Notice my note-to-self about the size bowl. I started this in my largest Pyrex mixing bowl, but it got messy when I started stirring it all up. It fit perfectly in my 8" square CorningWare baking dish. I also omitted the cornflakes and butter topping. Just as good without it. 

Today I had a lovely morning with a former co-worker. We met at the local diner for coffee. It was so nice to visit with her. She was the cook at the school I worked at and we spent our lunch breaks together. She had planned to retire at the end of the school year two years ago, but her son had a sudden health issue which turned out to be cancer. She moved half across the country to take care of him. Sadly, he passed away this past winter. We have only been able to get together a couple of times since she has been back. I have missed her. 

Since I was going to be in town I took the opportunity to declutter a few bags of clothes and recycle used printer cartridges. 

Glad to get those things out of my house. Slowly, but surely, I am getting rid of the excess and unwanted.

Monday Making

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

I decided (with some help :) you know who you are!) that I was wasting too much thought and time on the Medallion quilt.

So I packed it all up and put it away for another day.

Then, the gray snowflake print fabric I ordered for the Christmas Tree skirt came so I got busy on that.

It is ready for quilting. I plan to use the red and black check for binding. The opening is the snowflake on the upper right. I may bind just that block where the seam meets with gray so it isn't as noticeable. But, then again, I might not since it will likely be in the back and covered with gifts.

I also spent time cleaning out some kitchen cabinets. 

Baking supplies

Just the candy!

We both have a sweet tooth, but husband really does!

Not finished, but looking better!
I asked Husband why we have so much food. He said he thinks we are afraid we might run out! or get hungry! I think he is the one who is afraid. 
I threw away a trash bag full of expired products. I don't worry about canned foods expiration dates, but I do worry about baking supplies and mixes. We have so much food that does not get eaten. 

I do have something that will NEVER get eaten.

My brother was a bee-keeper. This is the last honey he gave me. It has been labeled and has a special place in the cabinet.

One of the geraniums is blooming.

And, the Umbrella plant continues to show new growth.

This Is Why...

...I have so many UFOs.

I have been trying to find a layout I like for my Medallion Exchange Quilt.

I have spent hours on-line looking for sashing ideas (plain? or pieced?), layout ideas (on point? or straight set?) and just trying to find something that inspires me.

I have laid it out on point,

straight,

with wide sashing,

narrow sashing, 

and on point, wide sashing around medallion, narrow sashing between blocks.

And, now I have decided there is not enough contrast between the lightest gray and the medium gray. They look the same in these last two photos. I also think the design made with the squares near each end of the sashing looks incomplete. And, I don't think I like the colored hourglass cornerstones. I think the sashing or border between the medallion and blocks should be different than the sashing between the blocks but I would still like to introduce some gray, I think.

I'm thinking of doing away with the hourglasses and adding more dark and light squares at the ends to make that look more complete. 

Where the red arrow is pointing? I think there needs to be a dark square there and eliminate the medium gray strip. I think this would make a good cornerstone instead of the hourglass. I also think that purple I used on the other end is too close in value to the grays. Or maybe I should use black sashing with the colored hourglasses for cornerstones. Or would the other idea work better with the borders that have been used in the medallion?Would black sashing make them, and the blocks, then appear to be 'floating' on the black background? 

So, now I will go make up one of those sashing strips with the changes I am thinking about and try and find something for a 5 inch border around the medallion to make it the size that will work with that.

Oh, and I am thinking the setting triangles I will need might be black or darkest gray some with fan blocks to go with the fan blocks used in the medallion. I am thinking some might need some applique to tie-in with the applique in the medallion. 

I am spending so much time thinking and testing ideas that pretty soon I will get tired of it and put it away.  I may never get this quilt together!

Sashing

After I thought about it some more I think a 5 inch sashing might be too big.

So I resized it to 3 inches.

And put the medallion up by it to see how it looked with those borders.

I think I like the narrow sashing better. 

I've already added to the size of the blocks by putting the black borders around them. A 5 inch sashing may just be too much.

I know I am going to have to add something around the medallion to make it fit with the blocks and sashing. I am hoping to only need to add a narrow border of solid black. Or maybe the darkest gray. But, if the space is too big I might have to make a border.

So...Whaddaya Think?

I have been playing with fabric today.

My inspiration...

My rendition...

 I like it.

I have used three shades of gray. The middle of the sashing is the lightest. The narrow strips on each side of the middle strip are a little lighter. The small squares in the sashing and the corner triangles of the colored hourglass are the darkest. I am planning to use the colors used in the blocks randomly except to use the same color for the small squares around each cornerstone as pictured in the inspiration quilt.

I think I will like it more when I get more sashing strips and cornerstones made. The sashing finishes at 5 inches. I am concerned at this point that with the size of the medallion the size of the sashing will make the quilt really big. I like a big quilt but maybe not that big. I might end up with two quilts made from these blocks!

Design Wall on Tuesday

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

I worked on my Grandmother's Flower Garden over the weekend. I got another flower finished.

I don't know how many I have finished at this point. I did cut enough hexies for the amount of flowers I need to make the quilt the size I want. I do know I have a ways to go yet.

I also did some mending/altering over the weekend. While organizing I have been finding clothing items that need some work . I really don't enjoy 'fixing' clothes that much. I prefer to make something than to try to fix something. But, when I visit my son I try to stop in the Goodwill store there and I almost always find things. I hate paying full price for clothes. I don't need fancy, nice clothes so I don't want to spend a lot of money. 

Anyway, I found a pair of boot cut jeans that that had been shortened. I knew taking in the leg seams and fixing the hem would be an easy fix so I got them - $5.00 for a pair of jeans that would have cost around $50 retail. The fancy pockets are cute, not something I usually go for but I liked the way they fit. I also had purchased a zip-front sweatshirt (at a retail store) but found the sleeves were shorter than I liked after washing. I find that a little weird since the sweatshirt itself is plenty long, which I do like. So I cut the sleeves off a too-small long sleeve T and sewed them inside the sweatshirt sleeves so that a little was peeking out. Then I fixed the back yoke seam of a cute tunic top that was given to me. The sheer fabric was fraying and the seam had come open. I folded it back under and used a feather stitch to sew it closed. Easy fixes. 

Yesterday I had a lovely lunch with my lovely SIL. We got caught up on a lot of things. And, we shopped. She likes to shop and we were near an outlet mall. She doesn't like paying lots of money for clothes either. 

I got 4 new tops for the cooler months. I look better and feel better in woven button shirts, but they are hard to find. At WM and farm stores it seems like everything is knit, thin and close fitting and not all flattering on me. These are comfortable and look good and were inexpensive. 

After she left to go to work I went to a nearby fabric store. There I found some ladybug buttons for I project I am working on and a neutral fat quarter. I like to keep neutrals on hand for scrap quilts. I showed great restraint! They had some lovely fabrics, but I really need to finish up projects that I have here and use up the fabric I already have.

Sidetracked Again

So yesterday while I was sorting through things in the never-ending job of organizing my sewing/guest room I came across this fabric that I bought a few years ago with good intentions to make a quick quilt for our elderly neighbor lady. 

Life was busy and I didn't get the quilt made. Sadly, she has since passed away. 

This panel, with coordinating fabrics, is Henry Glass Holiday Homecoming. There are more fabrics in the collection that are really nice. The light gray on the bottom of the pile is flannel and will be used on the back.

I remembered a pattern for a Christmas tree skirt I had seen when I was thinking about using the other fabric. I thought it would work well with the panel squares. The black snowflake print and the red/black check will be the star points. The squares are smaller than the pattern calls for but borders can be added to them to make them the right size. I have ordered a gray snowflake print to use for that. Hopefully this will be a quick project that I can finish before Christmas.

Then I kept thinking about the bag that was shown at the quilt shop. Many states/cities are starting to tax disposable bags. It might be a good idea to have some reusable bags to keep in my purse and car. This bag is made with French seams and has a partial lining at the top. All raw edges are encased so there will be no fraying seams. This bag is meant to be used and washed.

I found the YouTube video, a yard of fabric and got busy making a bag. The pattern can be found at Shabby Fabrics. Scroll down to the very bottom of the home page to Free Downloads. You might want to look around here. You may see another project you like. You can also find the Video Tutorials buttons here. After clicking the Free Downloads button scroll a little more than halfway down to Reusable Grocery Bag. You can print the pattern from there. Go to YouTube to watch the video. There are no written instructions for this pattern, but the video is good. Jennifer does a nice job of showing and explaining the steps and why the pattern is made the way it is.

The bag is just the right size, in my opinion. It will hold as much as a regular plastic shopping bag and is sturdier. Since it is made from fabric is is washable.The video shows how the bag can be folded, rolled up and secured with an optional elastic band that is sewn into the bottom seam. This makes it into a small bundle that can be carried in your purse without taking up much room. I think I need to make some more!

What To Do, What To Do...

EDIT: I started this post yesterday, but got side-tracked (see below for more on that). As I am writing this morning I am listening to this.

Husband says a farmer in the area is having cover crops planted by plane. The plane is flying right over the house when it makes the turn to back over the field. It is very loud. It is before 8:00. Have I mentioned I am NOT a morning person. Good thing being married to an early-rising farmer forces me to be up way before then.

I spotted this lovely hanging off the porch while I as taking pics of the plane.

No wonder I walk through spider webs every time I go out the front door.

I am working - still - on organizing the sewing/guest room.

Here is the room today.

At the door looking in.

I moved the bed which gives me more room directly in front of the ironing board. The quilt rack is in front of the sewing table and will be moved - somewhere. There is another quilt rack that you can't see in the hall. There is too much stuff in this house.

The bed has become the dumping spot. There is a tower of empty boxes/containers that I may or may not use, but don't want to get rid of yet. There is also a stack of paperwork buried under there along with some piles of other things I don't quite know what to do with.

Looking from the corner where the stacked tubs are.

That's a closet over there that needs cleaned out. There are clothes in there that have not been worn in years. I like having that design wall that has turned into more of an inspiration board.

Standing at the window looking toward the door.

I did recently clear off the wardrobe, but now I need to figure out what to do with the stuff I removed from it. My mom gave me that cute rooster cookie jar on top of the wardrobe. I collect roosters and she thought I would like it. I do like it, but I have no room for it anywhere. Hmmm - what to do, what to do?

I am pretty sure that if I were a youngster I would be diagnosed with ADD (notice I left out the H=hyperactive part). I start sorting and come across something and off I go on a different track.

For example, last year my Son and GF mentioned they need a Christmas tree skirt. I found a lovely layer cake and coordinating fabrics on sale last winter with the intention to make them one.

I spent hours on-line, searching Pinterest for ideas. I had an idea to make it more personalized for them, which would involve a lot of work. Then there have been a few tumultuous moments between them and I decided I didn't want to put a lot of work into it in case they split up. While GF would like one I am pretty sure Son doesn't care one whit if he has a tree skirt or not. So I thought I would still make one, but not as complicated/time consuming. Besides, once gifts start being put under the tree it won't be seen anyway. I had made some notes about patterns I found in some quilt magazines. When I came across this bundle of fabric yesterday I spent more time looking at the magazines and on Pinterest, again, looking for an idea. I found a pattern I liked, but it was in a blog post so I spent about an hour copying and condensing it into a Word document. It was still 7 pages with pictures and I decided I didn't want to print it right now. I am thinking of making a pattern I found in another magazine that is a small quilt. I can turn it into a tree skirt by leaving an opening and cutting a circle in the middle. Hmmm - what to do, what to do?

Then I found the pattern I had purchased for Turtle Travels. This is just one place where it can be found. It is partly paper pieced.

It makes a smallish quilt which would be good for a child, but I want to make it bigger. So I stopped sorting and figured out how I would make it bigger and started pulling fabric. Then I wondered - should I keep this all together now? What if I want to use some of this fabric for another project? The light fabric would be for the background so more of it is needed, but the turtles don't need a lot of fabric for each one. Should I go ahead and cut the pieces needed? Would that make it easier to start working on if the pieces were cut? Probably. But, I am suppose to be sorting and reorganizing and decluttering! What am I doing playing with fabric? Hmmm - what to do, what to do?

THEN, in my email, was this. (I think it is a BOM, but I can't remember the website it was on.)

Another idea for the Exchange quilt.I like the sashing and cornerstones.

Wednesday I went on a quilt shop trip with my quilting friends and bought two shades of gray that I think would work for this. Hmmm - what to do, what to do?

I have also been coming across clothing that needs some attention - pants shortened, seams resewn, buttons reattached, holes patched. I can see by the size of my pile that I really don't enjoy doing that type of sewing. I need to take a day and just get it done.

I have lots of projects that just need a little bit done to get then finished - borders added, a row sewn on, quilted. I wonder why I didn't finish them. I guess I got bored or tired of working on them and set them aside. Or some other project came along luring me away from what I was doing. Darn ADD.

See why I am not getting much work done?! But I sure am having fun being distracted!