Small projects...........

I needed some instant gratification projects after all of the big quilts I have been working on.  I finished 3 journal covers.

I stitched a few horizontal lines with gold metallic thread on this one.  Next I'm going to make some mug rugs.  Everybody is making them but if you don't know what they are, do a search and you will find all kinds of tutorials and photos.  I found that there isn't any standard size for them. I should be able to use more of my batting scraps for them, the scraps too small for the Swifter.

Cross rows..........

It was a busy day yesterday, getting 5 pillowcases partially sewn for the church group, doing laundry and grocery shopping in the morning.  After lunch was the sewing group with the going away party during it, and errands all the way home.  When I got home I filled the bird feeders and did another load of laundry.  I was too tired to stick with my quilting very long but I got 6 cross rows on this quilt.  This is the one I had so much trouble with here.  The really heavy denim seams wanted to poke up when I was quilting so I knew I couldn't do the cross rows very easily on the long arm.  I'm doing them on my straight stitch Babylock machine.  I'll just do a few rows every day until it is done.

Party preparations......

Today is sewing circle at church and one of the ladies is moving away.  I made some treats for our little going away party.  I usually use Nestle's chocolate chips in the fudge but the last time they wouldn't melt completely so this time I used Ghiradelli brand and they melted like they are supposed to.  You will have to take my word for it but it is melt in your mouth perfect.

Zig Zag done.......

I decided I needed to finish this top yesterday.  If you have ever worked with corduroy you know it makes little fuzzy goobers all over the place.  Then add denim which likes to ravel and flannel that has a lot of lint, and you have one dirty work area.  This reminds me why I don't work with these fabrics all the time and why I like my quilting cottons so much.

The zig zag is holding the seams nice and flat so I am expecting it to be easier to quilt than the one I did last month.  Now I have switch gears and get some little projects done.

More recycled jeans.........

This is the layout for the next recycled jeans and flannel and corduroy scraps quilt.  There are scraps from 3 flannel shirts that I made about 15 years ago.  The corduroy scraps are from clothes for my granddaughters.  This quilt is all about recycling instead of dumping in a landfill.  I know people who throw away big chunks of fabric.  I can't do it.  I love the flannel and denim together.  I was a farm girl with 2 brothers.  That is what we wore as children.  Actually it's still my favorite wardrobe around the house in the winter. 

Since I had trouble with the last quilt like this, I decided to take time to open the seams and zig zag over them with gray thread before I sew the cross seams.  I will also open and zig zag over the cross seams.  This should make it easier to quilt.

It seems that almost everyone thought the quilt yesterday should have 3 borders.  That is probably what I will do but I'll hang it all on a design wall so I can double check and make sure I like my choices of fabric.

Border options....

I started out with 2 borders options, pink narrow, blue wide.

Then I tried 3 because I didn't like the pink inner border next to that pink corner.

Or I could just back it with blue and bind it in pink and call it finished.  Or bind it in a darker blue.

I sat at the car dealer's for 2 hours yesterday and then the tech guy comes in and says they have to tear the dash apart to put in a replacement part for the switch for the blower.  He says another 2 hours. I was sure that with an 8:30 appointment I would be free by 11. I kept repeating 'another 2 hours' and he kept saying yes.  Amazingly in 45 min. my van was ready.  He put 2 guys on the job and they got it done quicker.  I guess if I was running the place that is what I would do all the time to keep people from waiting so long.  I left there and went to a party at the quilt shop, then met a friend halfway between our houses to deliver her serger that had been repaired, shopped at Target and came home.  No sewing........

Trying layouts

Last night I finally got around to making the rest of the blocks for the stack and slash pattern.  My first layout was with every block in exactly the same position with all of the seams from block to block matching.

For the next layout I flipped every other block 1/2 turn.  I wasn't happy with the distribution of the pink so I swapped a few more squares in different places for layout 3.

The top is all sewn together now and staystitched around the perimeter so ends of seams won't pop before I get around to quilting it.  It ended up 54" x 68" so it's a large lap quilt.

I woke up yesterday with a burning migraine.  After breakfast I took 3 Advil and about a half hour later, Dad's caregiver called and said Dad needed to go to the Dr. and that I should meet them there.  We waited in the exam room almost an hour because they were working us in between other appointments.  He was prescribed an antibiotic. After a trip to the pharmacy and then to the assisted living place to drop off the prescription I returned home, almost noon by then.  Today my van has to go to the dealer's to fix the heater (only blows out at face level, not at feet) and an oil change and to turn off the low tire light that comes on the first cold day that my car sits outside (every year).  It is something to do with the air pressure in the tires.  I hope tomorrow is a more productive day.