Happy 50th

No, not a birthday.  Would you believe that this is my 50th post?  I had intended to have a nice giveaway ready for today, but in case I haven't told you before, I'm a terrible procrastintor.  I'm going to do something in a couple of weeks,(procrastinating) if I don't forget!  I'll tell you about it later. (procrastinating)

So far the chipmunk hunt hasn't been successful.  Late last week we put in some electronic devices that are supposed to make a high pitched sound that they don't like.  Well, I heard the little beastie the next evening, but it was running so fast it ran right into the metal part of the "can lights" that go up through the ceiling.  It turned right around and went back the other way.  I haven't heard a thing since then.  Could that possibly be the end of our invasion?  The trap hasn't been sprung either, so tomorrow I'm going to move it to another place.

Yesterday I spent hours working on the DWR piles, and shuffling them around.  One pile is completely moved (the bottom arcs) and the top ones are about half done.  A few more good days of sewing and they'll be done.

Since today was card day I didn't get much sewing done, but I had promised that I would post a picture of a mini teaset.  So here's one of my favorites along with the latest DJ blocks.  You can get an idea of the size of the set since these are 5 inch blocks.  I found the set in an antique store and have never seen another one like it.

Sewing Machine Adventures

I finally took my sewing machine to the shop this afternoon, and I was feeling such separation anxiety!  I had all these horrible visions of being without it for weeks.  After I got home I set up my backup machine and sewed a couple of DWR seams.  I'm going to have to take it all back out because I just couldn't get the seams to the same size.  Anyway, 2 hours after I got home they called from the shop that the machine was ready!!  I couldn't believe it.  As soon as I got it home, I got right to work, and it's making a horrible noise now. It's also still breaking threads, although this time it's in the upper part of the machine, not in the bobbin.  So it's still broken.  On a happier note, my bobbin winder was broken and has been for more than a year. I didn't bother to get it fixed since it happened right around the time that the Side Winder came out, and I've used one since.  It's fixed now and winds the bobbin so much better than what I've been using.  A little good, still a lot bad.  At least I can still use it carefully until I have to take it back in.

Look what the mailman brought me today?  It's a cute little wallhanging I won in a giveaway at Tonya's.  I just love it and plan to put it up in my sewing room to remind me of the friends I've made in blogland.  Thanks, Tonya.

This morning before I took the machine in, I made a block I needed to do for a September swap.  I almost forgot.  Thank goodness for lists.  It's now finished and in the mail.

Enjoying Sunday

Ok, this is what 100 D9P blocks looks like.  I'm finished!  And yes, that's Sponge Bob Square Pants in the background.

I worked on my apron for the swap today, and got it finished.  So that's 2 projects completed this weekend.  Two swap obligations completed.  I feel good about that.

Also, here are my shuffling DWR piles.  They may not look very different, but they are.  My pile of completed football pieces is growing, and my pile of plain arcs is slowly getting shorter.  Hopefully, tomorrow the top arcs pile will be gone, moved on to the next pile.  By the way, the ancient pincushion in the picture is the only one I've ever owned.  It was a Christmas gift to me from the children of a college friend back in the Dark Ages.  It's at least 40 years old. 

Rainy Saturday

We woke up this morning to rain - a typical fall day.  We decided to postpone the chipmunk hunt until the rain is gone.  The temperature and humidity levels are so nice that we can leave the doors and windows open to let the cool air inside.  I love the sounds from outside.  We have a lot of trees in our backyard and even beyond, so we have a lot of birds and see a lot of deer, rabbits, squirrels.  Of course, it's the wooded area that has brought the little beasties to my house.  Can't have everything, I guess.

Yesterday I tried to make a DJ block, and had so much trouble with it that I finally left it to complete today.  This morning I tried again, and failed again.  I struggled with it for more than an hour and couldn't get it.  Finally, I measured all the pieces, threw away the ones that didn't 'measure up', and put the rest away - a project for another day.  I spent the rest of the morning finishing up my swap apron.  Now I really want to keep it.  I'll give it though, and make one for myself.  I'll mail it on Monday, and show it to you later in the week.

So this afternoon, I watched the old John Wayne "Alamo", and worked on the DWR lower arcs.  The top arcs have to have the center melon shape attached, and the bottoms have to have the 2 corner stones.  All of them now have at least 1 corner, and that took almost 3 hours.  Slowly, the piles are moving from one stage to another.  I haven't made anymore circles for several days, but the day will come when they'll just be done!

Unwelcome Guests

Over the last few weeks we've been hearing noises in the evening in the space between the first and second floors of our house.  We really think it's a chipmunk, because we've seen them on the side of the house.  The first time, I was talking to my GS at the front door, and one fell on the porch between us.  It was able to walk away, but I've never seen on move so slowly.  Not long after that we started to hear the noises inside.  We've tried using the electronic devices that are supposed to drive them away, but I've still heard the scratching of little feet.  One went shooting across so fast it ran into the metal can lights that are in our family room ceiling.  Needless to say, one of us has to go.  I can't stand the thought of sharing my house with a rodent of any sort. We've bought a trap which we'll set tonight and see what happens.  The exterminator said the only thing to do with chipmunks is to trap them.  One site on the internet says that if you want to release them you need to take them at least 5 miles away.  Another said to take them across a body of water.  Well, since I live next to the Ohio River and the Little Kanawha River, we may be taking a ride over the river with our furry guests. Wherever, I just want them out of my house!!

I started my apron for the apron swap at Aunt Pitty Pat's.  I love the fall colors, and I think the design will look good.  I can't show you yet, because the swap is really for Halloween, and my partner and I had both stated a preference for an autumn apron.  So, since she and I are the only ones, I'll have to wait until she has it. So here's just a peek at the fabrics I'm using.

I worked on the DWR quilt until my back gave out.  The piles are slowly moving from piles of arcs to piles of 'football' shapes.  I haven't completed any rings for awhile; I'm just trying to get everything to those last steps.  In addition, I worked a little on the Red and Aqua D9P blocks, and now have 72 complete.  This is going to be a good sized package to mail.

Also completed one Dear Jane block.  I really like doing them, and I hope you like looking at them.

Back to Sewing

Several years ago, my grandson was a great Spider Man fan, so I made a quilt and a pillow for him from the many fabrics that were available with the logo.  Later he said he wanted a quilt for his bear, so of course I made one for him.  Last week he said he wanted a pillow for the bear as well.  Fortunately, I still had my scraps, so now there's a little bear pillow as well.  I've tried and tried to get a picture of the quilt, but it's no longer on my computer and I can't get a readable copy downloaded from the site where I get my pictures printed.  Anyway, I do have pictures of the little bear quilt and pillow, and of my GS's pillow.

I haven't done much sewing the last couple of days, but really had a good day of sewing today.  I have a lot of projects that I work on each day, because I get tired of working on the same one.  It takes me longer to finish, but I think I'm a little better with the quality if I don't force myself to work when I'm no longer interested.  So, during the day, I work on the DWR quilt, swap projects, and piecing the Dear Jane blocks.  In the evenings I'm working on hand quilting the D9P quilt or working on an applique Dear Jane block.  When I have a deadline for a swap project, that gets done - I'd hate to miss a deadline.  Here are the Dear Janes I completed today.  Sorry the colors are so washed out.

Time with Friends

I got to spend several hours with my quilting buddy today.  We've really been out of touch over the summer.  She's trying to finish up a quilt that she started at a quilt retreat we attended last September.  She's been having some difficulty making the main block and the alternating block turn out the same size.  So, of course, we graphed the block, measured, cut, sewed and ironed.  We ended up with a good size, so she should be on her way.  It was great fun to spend time with a friend.  She's a good cook and I always look forward to whatever she may have planned for a meal.
 
This afternoon I spent some time on both the DWR pieces and made some Dear Jane blocks.  My disasters with them the last few days has at least made me more careful in my sewing.  I took one apart that was too small, and when I put it back together, it was just the right size.  At least I know my measurements were right; I just can't sew a 1/4" seam.  Hopefully, this will remind me to be more careful.

Anyway, here's a picture of what I've done today along with a couple of my smallest teacups, since these are such small quilt blocks (5 inches).  The porcelain cup is from my set of cups for each month and this is the cup for September.  The pewter cup belonged to my grandmother and is the one that started my love affair with miniature teasets and teacups.  I found the little spoon when I was a kid, and quite frankly, I don't know how I was able to keep it all these years.  I was never allowed to play with the little cup and saucer - just look at it locked up in the display case.  How I longed to have it.  My mother saw to it that it came to me when my grandmother died.

Monday with a Friend

Not much sewing today.  I had lunch with a former co-worker, and then checked about getting my sewing machine repaired. Apparently the repair person comes to the store only on Mondays and works at the store.  So, I can drop off the machine next Saturday, and maybe have it back on Monday.  I hope I hope...

I worked on a DJ block, but had the same result as yesterday. The only difference was that I found where my error was, and remade it to the right size.  I guess I just have to be more careful in measuring the pattern before I even think about cutting.  An eighth of an inch on those tiny blocks can make a huge difference in the size of the finished block.  Right now I'm working on 2 applique blocks - hope they work out better than the other applique I've done for these blocks.

I have 1 swap item that has an end of September deadline, and 4 that have October deadlines.  I haven't started any of them yet, so maybe tomorrow?  I can surely do the 2 blocks that are coming due.

Sorry, no pictures today.

Fun with the Sons

My younger son and his girlfriend were home for a short visit last night.  Our community was having a "Taste of" evening, where we could sample wines from local wineries (I had no idea there were so many), beer from a couple of mini breweries, and delicious food from local restaurants.  I'm not much for beer or wine, but anyone can tell that I love food.  The weather was perfect, the music was good and the company was great.  A wonderful way to spend an evening. 

So today we wanted to take DS2 to a new Mexican restaurant in town and asked DS1 and GS to join us.  We pulled into the parking lot to find that they weren't open yet.  Since there is another that we all like, we headed there, only to find that they also weren't open yet, even though their sign says they should be. We ended up at choice number 3 which was ok, but not great.  Again, though, the company was wonderful, and we had a nice little drive around town!

It's been a dreary day today with off and on rain, and I just don't feel much like sewing.  I made a few blocks for the Red and Aqua swap, and a couple of DJ blocks.  One of them turned out too small (I don't know where I went wrong with my measurements), and I don't much care for the color of the other one.  Anyway, I lost interest for today, and decided I'd be better off not doing more. I don't think I can do too much damage on the hand quilting, so that's to be my evening.

A Finished Object

I found a forgotten UFO when I started making the Friendship bags.  Actually, it was a tote bag I started for myself a couple of years ago.  I got the panels made and quilted, and then quit.  Completing it today only took about an hour. Why do I do that?  When just a little more work would have completed it, why did I put it away and forget it?  Does anyone else do this kind of thing?  I know the original pattern had braided handles; maybe that's what stopped me.  I know that's what originally attracted me to the pattern, but I can't find it anyway.  So now I have this nice new bag, and I love it, and it's no longer a UFO.

So let me tell you about the stupid thing I did today.  I've been slowly making Dear Jane blocks, 1 or 2 at a time.  As of this morning I had 13 completed. After finishing my tote and running a couple of errands, I thought I'd make 1 or 2 for today.  Each day I write down what I make and the color to put into a Word document to help me keep track, and so far I've used the same piece of paper to write them down.  I put the first one in, K3 blue and brown, and then the second, C3.  I had already made that block.  Can you believe that after making only 13 I couldn't remember that I'd already made that one?  Not only that, but since I have used the same piece of paper, there it was written in front of my face.  So it's not just my memory, but my eyes as well.  By the way, I like the color of the first one better than the second.

Sewing and Visiting

Today I went to a stitching get together.  Well, mostly visiting and eating, with stitching if you happened to bring it along.  Since I don't have much that's portable right now, I visited.  I did take some friendship blocks and got a few signatures.  I have to tell you, they look great, almost like the swap button on my sidebar.

As far as my machine woes are concerned, I changed to a new kind of thread and the machine immediately sounded better, and believe it or now, it worked better.  I was amazed.  That doesn't solve the problem completely, because I still get breakage, but now I can predict when it will happen.  So, no matter what, it's going to have to go to the repairman. Bummer.

After I returned home, I worked on the Red and Aqua swap blocks.  I now have half of my blocks finished.  I lost interest in making them, though, so I worked on the Dear Jane project.  I actually have 13 blocks completed. I'm doing it in Civil War reproduction fabrics, but I'm already thinking about doing a second one in some other kind of fabric.  (Can you believe it; second one when I've barely scratched the surface of the first one?)  I've looked at so many of them on the web, and they're all just gorgeous.

Guess what?  This is my 40th post.  I should have had a giveaway.  I'll plan one for the 50th post, so stay tuned.

No Sewing?

Today was cards day, so not much sewing was done - just one DJ block.  I had time for more, but the problems with my sewing machine have gotten much worse.  As I was trying to finish up my one block, the thread breaking happened repeatedly, so I had to slow down to the very slowest speed.  At that 'speed' I  could hear exactly where in the stitch the problem was occuring.  Now I think it's a problem in the machine. What will I do if I can't sew?  I may have to do housework! Or laundry! Or cook! Good grief!

Oh, My Aching Back!

I just have to show you the result of the last 3 days of sewing.  It doesn't look like much, does it?  My back sure feels it, though.  At least all the arcs are completed, if my count is right.  The rest of the work is easier on my back, but is actually more difficult sewing.

The thing is, this was the simple part of the sewing process with short, straight seams.  My sewing machine, however, has started to act up, breaking threads and driving me to distraction.  Of course, the faster I sew, the worse it gets.  I've had to really slow down. I'm not sure what is causing the problem, but I've cleaned out the dust and changed needles, and I'm not sure what else to do other than take it in for a checkup.  Before I do that, though, I want to try another type of thread and see if that's the problem.  What type of thread do you use?  I've noticed a difference in the quality of the thread that's readily available, and feel like I need to find something better.

To give my aching back a rest, I worked on some Dear Jane blocks.  Two of them have some applique which I plan to finish this evening, but here are the others.  They're not really as wonky as the picture makes them look, but I'm not very happy with the red one.  The background fabric I'm using really shows the holes when you have to take out stitches.  Also, my applique isn't very good.  We'll see...

No Picture Monday

I haven't posted since Saturday, and still no pictures to show.  I've been sewing like crazy, but not really anything to photograph.  I repaired a couple of blocks that were just too wonky to use, and it took over 2 hours to complete. 

Anyway, after that exciting work was done, I started serious work on my big quilt, the Double Wedding Ring.  I have about half of the rings complete and already had a lot of pieces cut.  I was a little fearful of running out of one of the fabrics, and figured it might be easier to find more if I don't wait too long.  So anyway, yesterday afternoon my machine and I went into high gear piecing arcs.  I did about 30 yesterday, and 80 today.  I know, that sounds like a huge amount, but it works out to only about 3 rows.  After lunch today, I counted up the number I have done and figured out just how many I still need to do.  I think there will be plenty of fabric, but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to keep on piecing arcs until they're done.  Hopefully, that will be tomorrow.

Last month I showed you my mini August teacup, and promised to show you another this month.  September is half over already, so here's the picture before it's over.

New Project

Hubby and I went out to lunch at a new Mexican restaurant in town.  What a nice treat, but a really heavy meal for the middle of the day. We'll just have salad for supper.
I was able to spend a lot of time in the sewing room today, continuing the work on the Double Wedding Ring quilt.  I have enough made now that I'm really getting excited to complete it.  There's no rushing it, though, or I'll have way too many mistakes.  It just takes a lot of time, a lot of patience, as well as a lot of pins!  As soon as I get more sewed together, I'll post a progress picture.
Since most of my packages this week contained fabric for the Red and Aqua D9P block swap, I decided to get started on mine.  I did a lot of cutting, and sewed up 8 blocks, which of course makes 32 D9Ps.  So, I have a third of mine completed.  The aqua predominates in these, so the next ones I'll make red the dominant color.  I need to go buy more red, though. (Woe is me, another fabric shopping trip.) I've never worked with this color combination before, but it looks pretty good. (Sorry the colors in the picture aren't very good.)

I also started my first applique Dear Jane blocks, which I'll show when completed.  Hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend.

Return of the Mailman

Today I'm sure the mailman loves me. Again he brought me 3 packages.  The first package was from Honeyfork Fabrics, and contained more red fabric for the Red and Aqua D9P swap, and a beautiful piece for Aunt Pitty Pat's apron swap.  The picture doesn't do them justice, as usual, but the colors are just beautiful.

The other two packages were 2 more sets of blocks from the Scrappy Christmas Block Swap.  Only one more to go, then I can get started putting them together.  The sets are quite different from each other but so very pretty. They're going to look great in my quilt.  I have almost enough to make a lap quilt.

My September swap obligations are finally complete and in the mail!  It was such a great feeling to get them done and beat the deadline.  I'll show you the whole mini quilt now, because as far as I can tell, my swap partner doesn't have a blog, and of course, doesn't know who I am.  Tell me what you think.

Mail Surprises

Boy, the mailman was so good to me today. In my neighborhood, the mailboxes are centralized, with regular boxes for everyone and several extra large boxes for the extra large mail!  I checked today and we had a key for one of the large boxes, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't unlock the box.  I knew the goodies in it were for me, but I couldn't get to them!  I took the key home and asked hubby to please go try to open it.  He was back within a few minutes with 3 packages for me.  No problem, he said, just put the key in and it opened right up.  (I knew it would do that!)

So, anyway, box no.1 was just stencils; not exciting, and they're not going to work anyway. They're too small.

Package No. 2, however, was the third set of Scrappy Christmas blocks.  Aren't they great? This set is from Karen McClellan.  Again, these are all fabrics that I don't have and that haven't been used in the other blocks I've received.  Sorry, I should have pressed them first.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Package No. 3 was fabric I ordered from Whittles.  They're such pretty fabrics, and the prices at Whittles are just great.  If you haven't tried them, you should.  From the colors, I guess you can tell which swap they're for.  Something new to start!

This was a good day for sewing.  I got so much piecing done on the Double Wedding Ring Quilt.  I sewed a lot, but it didn't complete any rings - just piecing, making arcs, and making the football shapes.  Tomorrow I should get a lot of blocks (circles) done.  I also made 2 more blocks for Dear Jane, and I'll post some one day when I haven't done any other sewing.  So long for now!

Wednesday Cards

Since today was card day, I didn't get much sewing done.  However, I was able to make 2 more Dear Jane blocks.  That brings my grand total to 4.  I think I still have a few to make.

I've started quilting my D9P quilt, but I have to finish my Summer Mini Quilt today.  I'm having trouble making myself do that last little bit, and if I'm not careful, I may miss my deadline.  So see you tomorrow; I have to work on my quilt.

Pay It Forward

Look at the cute little giftie the Mailman brought me today.  It's such a sweet little calendar, and I'm going to love it in my sewing room.  Isn't it cute?  Each of the larger pieces has one month per side.  I just love it. Terri (here)  is participating in Pay It Forward, and I happened to be one of the first to leave a comment on her blog about it.  The purpose is to do an act of kindness for someone with no expectation of payment or return, just passing it on.  Isn't it a great idea?

I think it's great and I'm going to continue it.  For the first three people who leave a comment on this post, I will make and send a gift within the next 3 months.  I don't know what it will be, but it will be made just for you.  Sound interesting? 

This was my day to breakfast with old friends from work.  We eat at Cracker Barrel, and as you might imagine, I always eat way too much. To convince myself that I'm being 'good', I skip lunch.  We finish our breakfast at 11:00, so you can judge for yourself how big the sacrifice is. Anyway, it's great to see these friends again, all now out of the rat race and loving it.

For a couple of hours this afternoon I worked on my DWR quilt, cutting more, piecing more, and finally adding another circle.  I have enough pieced to complete Row 2, and may do that tomorrow.  My favorite quilt shop has fat quarters on sale on Tuesdays, so hubby and I took a little drive, and I got these to add to my stash.

Happy Labor Day

It's done! The dreaded basting is complete.  The kitchen island was perfect.  The height is right and if my back needed it, I could support my weight against the counter with no problem.  So, now the new sandwich is ready for the quilting.  I'll show it when  it's complete, which could be some time since I'm a handquilter.

I spent a lot of time today cutting and sewing for the Double Wedding Ring quilt.  I'm not sure how much more I need to cut, but I'm going to sew up everything I have and then count.  The number of pieces in this quilt is quite amazing.

I also haven't forgotten about Dear Jane, and made a block for her today.  I machine sewed this one and have decided that I will use whichever seems to work best for each block. For now, that brings my total all the way to 2! 

Sorry it's so fuzzy.  It's really square, not all wonky like the picture.

When I came home from shopping (for fabric) on Saturday, my husband was outside to tell me not to open the garage door.  Apparently, when I closed it on my way out, the spring in the opener had broken.  Boy, am I glad I wasn't around when it happened. I've always been afraid of those heavy springs, wires and chains. So just one more thing that needs to be repaired.  Repairs are never-ending, I guess.

Basting - again

The kitchen island is working perfectly for basting. It's just the right working height, so I've made good progress today.  There's no big hurry, but I want to have it done before Wednesday when my grandson comes here after school.  The kitchen tv is his while he's here; he can watch his shows or hook up his game cube and be right next to all of the drinks and snacks.  Anyway, here's my quilt all set up for basting, and about a third completed.

I think I'm done on it for today, though.  I have just a smidgen of work left to complete my Summer Mini Quilt, and I would like to get it done and in the mail on Tuesday.  That will make two swap obligations out of the way this week.  Then I'll only have one more September deadline to meet.  So far so good.

Pinning

Well, I finally got down to it (literallly) this afternoon and started pinning the quilt. Can't put it off forever. I griped and whined for 2 days, and still no one showed up to do it.  So I started out by making several mistakes.  First I put the backing down right side up, got it all smoothed out and got out the batting.  Fortunately I noticed what I had done and started over.  Got the back down, smoothed it, taped it and put the backing on.  When I put the top on, the backing was just barely long enough.  I can't tell you how many times I measured, multiplied, added and did it all again.  Then I measured and re-measured the fabric then added 6 inches to my measurements.  Before I cut, I added 6 more inches.  I still can't figure out where I went wrong, but at least it is big enough, with no room to spare.

This is where it stands now.  Not very exciting pictures, but at least the work on the floor is done and I can proceed to the basting.  If it works well on my kitchen island, it shouldn't take too long to get it ready to quilt.  Hopefully, my stencils will be here by then.

I found another D9P block swap here, and joined.  I've never tried the color combination being used, but hey, I'm willing to try.  (and see, I've learned how to link to another blog! yeah me!)

Evading the Basting

I've done everything I can think of today to avoid the dreaded pinning and basting.  I think I can baste on my kitchen island.  I know it's wide enough, but there's just no other way to do the pinning other than to get down on my hands and knees.  I'm going to explore having some kind of table made to put in my basement.  It's dry and open and clean (sort of), and would be so much easier on my aging bones.

I pieced the backing for the quilt, and then remembered the Christmas tree skirt.  I spread that on my kitchen island and started to pin. When I was almost finished, I realized I hadn't ironed the piece when I completed it.  So one more instance of having to undo a mistake.  It would seem that I can only learn by making mistakes, and I should be an expert by now, with the number of errors I've made.

To avoid the basting, I decided I needed to piece some more of the Double Wedding Ring arcs.  I ran out of pieces and had to cut more. There's still so much cutting and piecing to do for that quilt.

Then this afternoon, look what the mailman brought me.  Package No.2 (of 6) from the Scrappy Christmas block swap.  The 2 on the top row (Pkg1) were made by Jenn Burns-Dyson, and those on the bottom row (Pkg 2) were made by Brook McLane.  Both sets are so pretty, and I don't have one of the fabrics they've used.

So, I guess I 've deferred starting on the basting as long as I can, so maybe tomorrow...

D9P Completed Flimsy

Well, the D9P top is finally finished. Now comes the part that I absolutely detest - basting. No matter how I do it, it absolutely kills my back. I'll start pinning it this evening, and then try to find a better way to baste than I have in the past.  Maybe on my kitchen counter? I have a large island area, and that may work.  We'll see.  There's no big rush, because I've just ordered the stencils for the quilting. 

Also, since it's now September, I have to check up on my swap obligations, and make sure I don't miss any deadlines.  I'm in a Christmas block swap and the deadline for it is the 15th.  I always like to get mine mailed early, so I started on the block this afternoon.  Honestly, sometimes it seems that cutting one block is harder than cutting a whole quilt.  I'm using the instructions for a quilt, and of course, it tells me to "cut 10 strips of color A", etc. I have a hard time telling what I'm really supposed to cut for just one block.  The colors, of course, are not at all true.

I decided last week to go ahead and make the Christmas tree skirt instead of a table cover, so I worked on that as well.  I guess anything to keep from basting. I didn't have one piece of Christmas fabric to make the whole back, so I found the largest I could, and added edges to make it large enough.  Who cares what the back will look like anyway?  No one else will ever see the back, because the tree skirt is for me, and I'm the one who decorates and undecorates the trees. The front looks good though. I'll post it when it's completed.

Just a Little

Not much sewing going on today.  Card Wednesday is a day I look forward to.  It gets me out of the house and out among people for several hours.  The game is a lot of fun, the food is always good, the venue is great, but I love being with new friends the most. 
I was able to sew for a while, but not long enough to get all the rows sewed together.  So, no new sew news and no new sew pictures.  Maybe tomorrow!

Car Problems

Yesterday was a busy sewing day, but late in the afternoon we had to take our car to our college son and bring his back for a repair - not a major problem, just the stupid windows. They've been the only real problem we've ever had with this car. Hubby got it fixed today, only to find that the state inspection sticker had expired, and it needed to have an oil change. Got that fixed and we have to make a trip down the interstate today to exchange cars again. 

Barring anymore car issues, I should be able to finish the top of the D9P quilt by tomorrow.  It's coming along beautifully. I had planned to put white sashing in this quilt, but when I was ready for it, I discovered that I don't have enough.  I found a big piece of off-white, so that's what I'm using.  This quilt is totally scrappy, and I don't want to have to buy anything for it, except the batting. I even found a backing I bought several years ago for another quilt.  That quilt didn't come together the way I wanted, and I finally quit on it.  I don't think I'll ever go back to it; I just don't like it enough to struggle with it.  Does that make sense?

Anyway, this is where it stands right now. I wanted a border, but not just a strip of plain fabric. It will have a strip to finish it off, but I love the way the half blocks look as a border.  Whaddya think?

Just remembered that tomorrow is card day, my essential socializing, so I may not be able to complete the top tomorrow.  Well, it will wait for me, I'm sure.