A little magic trick....................

New layout!

Yesterday morning it dawned on me that I could move the column on the right over to the left side and that would keep the blocks in order.  I like this layout so much better.  I sewed the top together last night but haven't pressed it yet.  I need to decide if I'm going to add a border to it, one of the large floral prints.

This is the layout from yesterday for comparison. 

A layout, maybe not the final.........................

I had a plan....since there are 10 different combinations of fabrics and there are 5 blocks in each row, all I had to do is design the top 2 rows and then offset the next set of 2 rows 2 blocks to the right, and repeat for the third set of 10 blocks. Now when I see the photo I can see I have a diagonal path of the plainer prints and the busier prints are also grouped together.  I could say I did that on purpose to give it a focal point....but I didn't.  I have to decide if I like it the way it is, or do I want to change it.

The two little neighbor girls are getting a makeover for their bedroom.  I had been planning on giving them some larger quilts since they only had small quilts from me before.  Their mom told me what she had in mind and I showed her several choices.  She chose these 2.  Neither of the quilts is a twin size quilt but instead they will be used as toppers, or folded at the foot of their beds.

These 2 quilts were sold at the beginning of September.  That makes a total of 8 out of my guest bedroom and into new homes.

3 blocks and quilts gifted.....................

Yesterday turned into kind of a social day so I only got 3 blocks sewn.  The 2 light fabrics on the left haven't been used in the previous 27 blocks but the one on the right is a repeat.  I now have 30 blocks.

A friend in town has lost several family members in the last year so I told her to come over and pick out a quilt.  I asked what her favorite color was and she said green.  I pulled out the one on the left and she loved it.  Then I pulled out the one on the right and she loved it more.  She couldn't decide which to take so I gave both of them to her.  They both have green prints on the back too.

I had a surprise visit from my niece last month and I sent home the one on the left for her and the one on the right to her son and wife.  The 2 nieces had each gotten 2 quilts and their brother had only gotten one so I needed to even things up.

I have 4 more I'll show tomorrow that left my house last month.
 

Cleaning up................

In another attempt to clean off my sewing cabinet I came across these 3 Liberty Lawn prints I purchased a few months ago.  They are designs by Brian Wildsmith.  He illustrated many books and I have a favorite.

I love the illustrations in this book so much that I have never shared it with the little ones in the family.

Can you resist this cute face and those leaves and stems?

Here is some more of the foliage.  I love the hollow leaves and all of the dotty paint splatters in the background.

And then there is the tortoise.  I also have a book Illustrated by Brian W. about squirrels that I bought second hand that has some really nice illustrations.  If you do a search for him you can see more of the illustrations.

Yesterday was errand day since I was no longer restricted from driving AND could take a shower and wash my hair for the first time since the pacemaker replacement surgery.

 

9 of 27 blocks..................

I turned on the iron yesterday and pressed the rest of the pinwheel blocks that were sewn a couple nights ago.  There are 3 alike of each of these on the design wall.  I have 3 more blocks ready to sew.  I still haven't decided whether it will be a 30 block quilt or a 36 block quilt.

Phone shopping was on my list yesterday.  I have an app on my cellphone that sends transmissions to the doctor's office from my new pacemaker.  The phone I currently had is 6 years old and the operating system (OS) would no longer be be compatible with it and there were no updates available for it.  I had been thinking about upgrading anyway so this just pushed me to take care of it.  This phone is a little larger than the previous one so the small phone/wallet style purse I have been carrying will not work.  More shopping............. 

September 2024 monthly recap.............

I had 2 finishes in September, both quilted by Robin Diaz.  The one on the left reminds me of graffiti and is mostly e Bond's fabric lines (Glyphs, Ravel, and Root) with some of the dark narrow strips Marcia Derse fabric.  It is 59" x 79".

The one on the right is Kaffe Fassett collective and Tula Pink fabrics.  I love pink and green together.  It is 59" x 82".

I have 28 finished quilts so far this year.

I only finished one quilt top in September.  That is good because I have only made 24 new quilt tops and that means I have made some progress with finishing the backlog of tops.  This one is 66" x 79".  It is called Memories -1956 because it reminds me of the pink/gray trend when I was in high school.

I still have 32 tops waiting to be quilted.  Some I would rather sell than finish.  Others I want finished.  19 of them are in the small category (up to 66" in length) that I should be able to quilt myself.  Only one top is in the large category (longer than 81").  The rest fall between 67" and 80" on their longest side.

So on I go, making more tops.....why?.....because it is the most relaxing therapeutic thing I can do other than knitting dishcloths.  It gives me a chance to use my artistic side and experiment with design.  That's way more fun than cleaning the house every day out of boredom.

Pinwheels and vintage cookware..................

I turned on the iron on my little ironing station in my main floor studio.  First I pressed the 12 pinwheel blocks I had sewn the night before.

Next I pressed all of the squares I had sewn a couple nights ago.  I went ahead and sewed the pinwheel blocks too but didn't turn the iron back on to press them yet.  Now I have 27 twelve inch pinwheel blocks and it is time to decide what size quilt I am making.  5 x 5 isn't an option because I don't make square throw quilts.  That leaves 4 x 6 = 48" x 72" and maybe would get a border.  Three more blocks would make 5 x 6 = 60" x 72".  8 more blocks would make 5 x 7 = 60" x 84".  I have enough light triangles already cut for 7 more blocks and would just need to cut the dark ones.

While I thought about that I baked a pan of brownies, Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Brownie mix with added dark chocolate chips and milk chocolate chunks.

I use my 65 year old Foley 8" x 11" pan instead of the 9" x 13" standard cake pan.  I use 3 eggs with the mix for a cake like brownie and then bake in a smaller pan for a tall brownie.  I did a search for Foley bakeware and only found one Etsy store that had this pan listed but it was already sold.  I found a replacement lid on ebay.  I have used this pan for so many things over the years and love the size.  The snap on lid is great too.

If I had been thinking about my post a little earlier in the day I could have done my monthly recap but at 11 p.m. (Sunday) when I am starting to write this, it is too late for it so that will be tomorrow's post.