No New Stuff

I helped a friend with some sewing today, so I didn't have much time to work on quilting.  I did start putting the sashing on the RWB blocks, and hopefully will have the top together soon.  I spent a good bit of time studying the pattern of the next triangle for my DJ quilt, and it has some hurdles, for me anyway.  No pictures today...maybe tomorrow.

I'm Baaack

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted!  I prromise to do better.  Even though I haven't been posting, I've been keeping up with reading.  That's how I start and end each day!  I love blogging - I've just been exceptionally bad at it.

I still don't have my RWB quilt top put together, but it's getting there.  I love the way it looks, and I can't wait to have it complete.  I've also started putting my DJ rows together.  The rows aren't sewn together, but I wanted to get an idea how it will look.   I bought the fabric for the sashing, and then wasn't sure I wanted to use it.  I was really afraid that it just wouldn't work.  I thought about it for days and finally decided to try it.  Once I put two rows together and had them side by side, I really liked it.  What do you think?  That color isn't used anywhere else in the blocks, and I really think it just pulls all of it together, and emphasizes each one.

The color of the blue in this last one is the closest to the true color although everything else looks yellowish.

If you notice in the picture, one of the rows has wider sashing than the others.  I had 3 done like that, then realized they weren't going to fit together with the side triangles.  You know, I think I have a hex on me that makes me do things wrong at least twice before I get it right.  I took the first row apart, trimmed the sashing, then put it back together.  I did the second one, and realized after putting it together that the blocks were in the wrong order!  Took it apart again and put them in the right order, then noticed that the first block was also in the wrong order!! What a pain!  But if they're in the wrong order now, they're staying that way!  But anyway, I still have to fix that one row, and hopefully, this time, I'll get it right the first time, or rather the second time (which it will be!).  So I'm working hard on my triangles and like the way they look.  I'm studying one that looks a little complicated, but I think I'm ready to put it together tomorrow.  If so, I'll show you soon.

Out For a Walk

If I'm good, maybe I'll get a post finished today, Thursday.  I'll interrupt my typing to go for a walk, but I promise I'll come back and finish.  I must get out and get some exercise.  I've become way too sedentary, and unfortunately, my favorite 'activity', quilting, doesn't get me moving at all.  I've often thought how nice it would be to have one of those nifty sewing centers where I could cut, sew and iron without getting up.  In reality, I think my setup is better for me.  I do my cutting on a dresser, which is very stable and just the right height for me, my sewing is on a 6 foot table, and the ironing on a small ironing board in the bathroom!  I know, the bathroom?  Well, the door is right behind my sewing chair, and the small portable ironing board has to be on a counter.  The bathroom's large with a long counter and an electrical outlet right there.  (and since it's between 2 seldom used bedrooms, I don't often have to take it down)  This keeps me getting up and down a good bit.  But that's still very little activity, so I'm off for a walk.

For various reasons, I didn't have much time to sew today, so no progress on any of the projects I currently have under construction.  However, since I need a pincushion (that I'm not ashamed for anyone to see), I made a one this afternoon.  I just wanted a little one to put by my chair where I work on hand sewing.  So what do you think?

BTW, if you haven't voted yet for one of the 5 in Barb's giveaway of a GO! Cutter, don't forget to go and vote and please consider voting for SewMeow. 

Pincushions

I have been trying to get a post together for days, and sit with this computer in my lap and don't seem to have a thing to say.  So I hope this won't be too boring.

I haven't worked on my SBS quilt, so I put on block together yesterday.  The pictures not very good, and in fact, I think I'll remake it because the center quarter square triangle squares don't have enough contrast.  Looks a little blah.

Do you remember the old pin cushion I told you about recently?  Well, even after I had received the lovely one from Lynda I still had my old one on my sewing table.  I stuck a needle in it and it went all the way into the pincushion.  I thought I could make it come back out, but when I pressed on it, my finger under the bottom got stuck by pins in 2 places.  I figured since it was no good anyway, I'd take it apart and get my needle out of the top and the 2 from the bottom that had stuck me.  I snipped it apart and poured out some of the filling out (I don't know what it was), and 5 needles fell out.  I was amazed.  When I gingerly put my finger inside I could feel others, so I found a shallow bowl and poured it all out.  Would you believe there were 61 needles in that little ball?!  I had always wondered what became of my needles as I finished projects, but never dreamed they were being "eaten up" by the pincushion! 

Still on the subject of pincushions, I made myself one since I do need to have more than one, but I'm not going to show you because it's really pretty bad.  I'm still going to count it as a June finish, but no one will ever see it.

I've kept myself very busy with sewing.   My red and aqua blocks are all done and I've started quilting them using quilt as you go.  I'll show it when I have a little done.  I've been steadily working on the triangles for my DJ quilt, and they are very different from piecing a block.  It's not really harder, just different to try and shape a triangle instead of a square. 

I've also made a lot of progress with the Red White and Blue swap blocks.  I've finished all of those I received in the swap and I'm making more to complete a bed size quilt.  Here are some of the latest completions.

End of May

I can't believe it's the end of May already, and that this is a holiday weekend.  Oh well, we have nothing planned except to stay at home and maybe a cookout for the two of us.  Hopefully, our younger son will be home some of the time.  I have lots of sewing to do no matter what.
I've been working on the blocks from the Red White and Blue swap, and they're so nice.  I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do with them, but there's certainly no rush.  It's not like I don't have lots of other things to work on.  Anyway, this is what I did today.

I have the blocks ready to quilt from the Red and Aqua swap, and I'm going to try doing 'quilt as you go'.  I have the first block all ready, and had decided on a design for it, but realized as I tried to mark it that the stencil is way too small.  I don't want to get anymore ready until I know if this is feasible or not, so this project is on hold until my new stencil comes in.  That's ok, though, because there's always the DJ, DWR, Red White and Blue, etc., etc...

Normal Again

Life has been a little topsy turvy lately, but I'm still here, sewing as much as I can.  But, starting last Wednesday, we spent a lot of time celebrating the marriage of a friend's daughter.  It was an Indian wedding, and the celebrations go on for days.  Wednesday was a dinner at the home of the bride's parents to meet all of the family members who had come long distances to the wedding.  Thursday was a luncheon for the ladies, where the decoration of the bride was taking place.  If you click on the picture, you can see how intricate the designs are on her hands.  Unfortunately, you can't see the foot that's completed. 

There was also a second young lady who decorated the hands of the guests, of course not nearly as complex as those for the bride.  The designs are done with henna, and last for as much as two weeks.  This is my hand, with my design slowly fading away.

Thursday was a second dinner party at the home of the bride, and Friday a dinner at the hotel where the wedding was to be held.  Saturday, after a breakfast for all the guests, was a Catholic wedding, followed by lunch, and then mid afternoon, the Hindu ceremony.  Early evening was a cocktail hour followed by dinner and reception.  It was an amazing, beautiful, wonderful, exhausting 4 days!

So in the sewing time I've had, this is what I've been doing.  I've started on the triangles for the DJ quilt, and have completed 4 so far. 

When I made the blocks, I just picked any one of them to make, but with the triangles, I'm going straight around, just as they're printed in the book.  They haven't been too hard yet, (and not as wonky as they look in the pics),  but I'm only on the fifth one. 

Pictureless post

My husband and I are on our way out of town for a wedding on Saturday.  So far there have been 2 days of parties, and one more to go before the wedding.  There's been no sewing going on now for 2 days, and 2 more to go!  I'm in withdrawal!!