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.

A few pinwheels...................

I sewed a few of the pinwheel blocks yesterday (12") but mostly was reading yesterday.

I'm officially done mowing my grass, forever.  I had a battery powered mower and the charger got caught on the rope on my garage door and was yanked out of the socket and cracked when it hit the cement floor in the garage.  The mower was 25 years old and the company no longer stocks parts for their mowers of that age.  I had intended to quit at the end of this year anyway.  A neighbor on the street behind me mowed my grass with a riding mower the morning of the day I got my new pacemaker.  I had never met him before.  I had asked the neighbor next door if they would finish the season for me and I guess they told him I needed help.  I went out to talk to him and thanked him and he said this is what neighbors do, help each other.

Triangles.........................

Starting with the end of the day yesterday, last night I sewed 60 triangle squares, 12 each of 5 combinations.  The first group sewn last week have been pressed so I can start making the pinwheel blocks with them.

This is the same pile flipped over.  Whenever I feel like turning on the iron I will press these for more pinwheels.

Also last night I finished the dishcloth currently on the needles.  I used 3 small leftover pieces of yarn and then finished with a partial ball of yarn which has now created one more small leftover.

Sometime in the past year (or the year before) I made 2 sample blocks from the Weathervane die.  Yesterday I made a list of the size strips I need to cut to prepare for the die cutting.  I'm one step closer to actually making a quilt using this die.

There isn't any pain with the pacemaker replacement so I feel completely normal.  I just have to be careful to not lift anything over 10 pounds.

All is well........................

Photo: Philip Jacobs Papaver in a nice soft color combination.

All went well with the pacemaker replacement.  We arrived about 20 minutes early (2:40 p.m.) and within 5 minutes they had us heading to my room.  It was like an emergency department room with a pull curtain but had its own private bathroom and closet.  I was prepped in that room and then wheeled down to the surgical suite for more prep and then the surgery.  I was back in my room in about an hour and they brought me a meal.  (I hadn't been allowed to eat or drink anything after 7 a.m.)  By the time I finished my meal it was checkout time.  Another hour and I was home.  The worst part of the whole thing?  Not being able to drink any water for 10 hours.  Restrictions are no driving for 2 days, no lifting anything over 10 lbs. for a week.  Also taking it easy for 5 days which for me means catching up on my magazines and sewing blue triangles.

Sorting scraps.............

Yesterday was a day of waiting for the phone call that would tell me when my pacemaker replacement surgery would happen.  I was disappointed to hear it is late afternoon today.  I really wanted a morning appointment.

I couldn't settle down to any project so I decided to clean up all of the little piles of scraps in the main floor studio.  They needed to be sorted into like types.  I ended up with Kaffe's, African, batik, misc. prints, and scraps left from a project (that I want to keep together).  The Kaffe scraps will go into the bag with the other pieces that I am making wonky blocks from.  The African pieces will go into one of the African scrap boxes.  I have a bag of small batik scraps in the basement where the batik pile will go.  I'll do some more clean up this morning.

 

Second finish for September 2024................

This was a fun and fast quilt.  It doesn't have an obvious focal point so it is going to look great crumpled up on the sofa.  It's just a celebration of a favorite color combination, pink and green.  It's a combination of Kaffe collective and Tula Pink fabrics.

It is 59" x 82" and has Hobbs 80/20 batting in it.  It was quilted by my longarm friend Robin Diaz.

I think the Kaffe Fassett Hydrangea fabric was perfect for the back.  The binding is one of the larger Kaffe prints but it works well as the edge finish with more than one shade of green and also includes pink.

Tomorrow is my pacemaker replacement unless the dr./hospital changes it.

 

Binding progress....................

In two sessions of hand stitching yesterday I finished one short side and 2/3 of the second long side.  (One long side finished Sunday.) 1 1/3 sides left to do.  I want to have this done and photographed by Wednesday.

I had pulled all of the dead pansies out of my porch pot after one of the hot spells.  I was surprised to see these two pop up a few weeks later.  They are officially Johnny Jump Ups, also called Viola, and they were planted in the center with all of the large yellow pansies surrounding them.  The chipmunk has dug through this pot so many times I'm surprised these have survived for almost 2 weeks now.

Most of Sunday's rain missed us and more predicted today.  I had just under 1/4" in my rain gauge.  I hope we get more this time.

Time for a binding............

I chose the binding fabric for the pink/green triangle quilt about 2 weeks ago and thought I needed to get busy and cut it.

I decided the binding just needed to blend in and not be too obvious.  I started the hand sewing and have one long side done.

The Redbud trees aren't happy with a dry summer again and there are many branches with yellow leaves.

There are lots of leaves on the ground too.  I have 6 Redbud trees in the backyard so the final mowing this year should chop a lot of leaves.

 

A Cleanup day..................

Last year in June I moved my Kaffe Fassett fabrics up to the main level.  The two green bins are where I return pieces I have used recently, planning on working them back into the shelves where they belong some day.  Well that day was yesterday.  it took over 3 hours because the bins were full.

As I worked my way through the piles I found 3 more dark blues and one more light one that I may use in my blue pinwheel quilt. The piece on the bottom left is my very last piece of this older print.  It is about 9" x 22".  I will only be cutting 4 six inch triangles from it and that will leave me a piece about 6" x 9".  The folded fan fabric is a little darker than it looks in this photo.

Later in the day I attempted to clean off table top in my studio.  One of the things on the table was this page I saved from  calendar.  I was intrigued by the white, gray, beige and orange color scheme.  Now that I have a photo of it I can put the page in the recycle bin.  

After spending 2 hours on this project I have half of the table uncovered.  I need to learn how to work faster........

Blue again...................

I searched through the Philip Jacobs prints and found some more dark blue fabrics and then found 2 more Brandon Mably light blue fabrics.  I turned on the iron and pressed them and also all of the squares that I have already sewn, enough for twelve 12" pinwheels.  Then it was die cutting time.

I mixed the new prints in with some others that were already cut, for 5 more sets to make 3 pinwheel blocks each.  I think I'll save this sewing for after I get the new pacemaker on Thursday.  I'm thinking they might like me to relax for a day or two after that.

I did some research: a/k/a looking through Kaffe books and petting fabric for a couple hours.

I also made time to go through my closet and pull 10 items to take to the local thrift shop.  I also had some books for them.  While I'm there it's always fun to look through everything that others have donated.

Fiber fun.............

I made a couple more blocks yesterday after running some errands.  I have lots more short strips, the size in the small blocks, in the scrap bag so I'll continue making the small blocks in spare moments.  I'm thinking of a medallion style quilt at this point.

I searched through my oldest Kaffe fabrics and came up with two more light fabrics.  I have one more in the basement.  Now I need to find a few more dark fabrics and get them pressed and cut.  I haven't turned on an iron yet so I can't start sewing the pinwheel blocks yet.

While out running errands yesterday I found a miniature Chrysanthemum plant for $1.  I briefly considered buying 3 of them and replanting one of my porch pots.  Then I came to my senses and just bought one for my kitchen.

 

Early autumn in northern Illinois.................

The Black Eyed Susan in the crack of the sidewalk is dying back and now I will try to cut it out of there and plant it somewhere else.

I touched the blooms on the Zinfin Doll Hydrangea and they are dry enough to cut a bouquet now.

This is the only Black Eyed Susan still in full bloom.  Since it is so dry here I expect it to change pretty quickly.

I am so thrilled with the growth of this red shaggy center Coneflower plant.  I had a previous one that started coming up a second year and then died.  I planted this one last year about this time after keeping it in a pot from the garden center for most of the summer.

The Sedums are in full bloom and just starting to dry a little.  I think the color will deepen as they dry.

This Hairy Alumroot Coralbell gives me great joy every year.  It is the largest of the Coralbell plants and the blooms usually stand tall all through the winter.  The leaves on the Coralbells never die back totally all winter, and in the spring when new growth starts I trim the old leaves off.

Blue.....................

 

While I was in the basement doing laundry I cut some of the dark blue fabrics for my pinwheel quilt.

After that I mailed packages from my destash sale on WandafulQuilts.  The grocery store is across from the post office so I made a stop there too.  

I spent some time trimming leaves off the tomato plants so there would be better airflow and hopefully sunlight hitting the green tomatoes.  After what I thought was a lot of trimming I could hardly see any difference in the plants.

Last night I paired the dark blues with the leftover light blue triangles and started sewing them.

I had intended to trim the pink/green triangle quilt and cut the binding but instead I was reading.  On my last trip to our local thrift shop I found 3 books from authors I have previously read.  I hadn't read a novel in 4 years. The only books I have read in that time period are quilt books.

Play day 3...........................

I altered 2 of the blocks I showed yesterday and had fun making a bunch of smaller blocks.  I'm only using the scraps in the bag so far.  I need to cut some more black and white fabrics into scraps.

I guess this is the best bloom I'm going to get on the little Flare Hydrangea.  I have been trying to be faithful watering it since the directions said it needed to be watered every week.  I hope the little bush will get larger next year.

My luck with planting flower seeds this year has been about 1%.  All of the zinnias got eaten by bugs, the cornflowers were dug up twice by little critters.  I planted Forget-me-not in this pot and 2 months later nothing had come up so when I found a fifth volunteer tomato plant I put it in this pot.  Then 2 Forget-me-not plants came up.  The first has withered and dried and this is the second one.

This little volunteer tomato plant was pretty frail and it has still produced Sungold tomatoes.

This is 4th of July variety still producing.

Lots of clusters of tomatoes.  These are Early Girls.

This is another Branch of 4th of July variety.  I made use of my short shepherd hooks holding up the long branches.

This is the top of the SunGold cage, 5 feet high.  These are very prolific.

I have a few tomatoes on the Rutgers plants and quite a few large ones on the Big Beef plant.  The squirrels take bites out of any that are near the ground so I need to prop up a branch with about 8 tomatoes on it.

If you are interested, I have a destash sale going on at my WandafulQuilts blog page.

Sunday night fun............

After spending time creating my blog post on WandafulQuilts, I grabbed the scrapbag of Kaffe collective fabrics and had fun with some mindless block creation.

My destash sale is live on WandafulQuilt this morning.  Lots of Laurel Burch fabric and other fabrics and miscellaneous items.

More photos and editing................

More cutting etc. today for my destash sale this week.  I will start writing the blog post on my WandafulQuilts blog today and have it ready to post tomorrow morning.  I'm hoping to get everything sold and shipped before I get my new pacemaker on the 26th.

I found this block yesterday while looking through "stuff".  I should probably make some more of them.  I know I have a bag of small Kaffe collective scraps.

 

Working on destash...............

 No sewing yesterday. I had one more batch of Laurel Burch fabric I had to iron before I could cut it.  Iron, cut, fold, photograph, and package.  That was my day.  I hope to have everything listed for sale on Monday.

Oh, and I also had to water the tomato plants and all of my pots.  We are in a dry spell, no rain in sight.  There are a few areas east of me that are already in the drought area.  We are in the abnormally dry area and will soon also be in the drought area.

Some blue choices...................

I decided to look for some Kaffe collective dark blue fabrics to go with the light triangles.  Most of the darker blue fabrics have other colors in them so I tried to choose ones that had a larger percentage of blue.  One of these is a Brandon Mably fabric and the rest are Kaffe's designs.

I think the one at the top left is Kaffe's and the rest are designed by Philip Jacobs.  I will probably look for a couple more light blue fabrics too and then I'll be ready for cutting.

I had 2 dishcloths almost done so I finished them while I watched Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  I had missed a couple episodes over the summer and last night's episode had millionaire winners.  They were teams of 2 for this season.

Some things I found..................

I did my grocery run yesterday morning and I couldn't settle on doing any one thing the rest of the day.  I started going through things in a bookcase and found these 2 magazines, from 1997 and 1998.  The Beanie Babies at that time were so hard to find because everyone was buying them.  I have given all of my Beanie Babies to the great-grandchildren, a few at a time.  It is so hard to throw pristine magazines into the recycling bin (but I sure don't need these).

Then I was cleaning out a bin on a shelf in my studio and found this box of Kaffe Fassett thread that is too pretty to use.  Pathetic, I know.

Next I was looking through the project boxes in a little shelf unit made especially for the boxes.  I know I started cutting these triangles before May 2011 because that is when I bought my Studio die cutter. From that time on I cut the triangles with a die, and the corners are nipped off the triangles on the die.  These triangles have sharp points so they were rotary cut.  I'm really not interested in this color group any more, rust, purple, green and gold.

Then I decided to open the box of blue and green 6" triangles.  This is the same box the pink (pink/gray quilt) triangles were in.  There were a few squares already sewn, leftover from my pink/blue triangle quilt so I laid out a pinwheel block.

The rest of the blues in the box could be considered light fabrics so I could cut some 6" triangles from dark blues to pair with them and make a quilt top.

I decided to sort through the greens while the box was open and then it was late and time for bed.  Not a wasted day, just a day of miscellaneous.