Next Quilt waiting in the wings

The stars are still out and the air is cold. I think the cold is here to stay for awhile. We are to get to 52*F today, but over Thanksgiving the temps are to drop drastically. Today I am going out to mulch up the last of the leaves that have fallen off the trees or blown in from the neighbors because they don't do them. The piles in the sewing room to get done before Christmas are unbelievably high and the time is running out. Maybe after the last run through the yard today I can stay in and get something done. I do need to get out and start walking some. I love walking when it is cool and crisp outside. As you can see these blocks were given to me and they need to be made into a quilt top before Christmas. I plan on going to get fabric this next week to make it all come together. My Mother started a Broken Dish quilt blocks and she lost interest. Lots of green and aqua in the blocks I might find a brown to sash them with and make a couch quilt for my stepson's family. The element being not sure of time. I have stayed away from th sewing room the last few days and wasted my time so have to make up for the lost time now if you ever can. Chris Well Blogger wouldn't let me upload the picture. Will try later. CRW

No pictures nothing going on

Sorry to say nothing to report other than with all the furniture moving I have done in the last couple weeks some things are not in great places. I have a wooden crate shipping box that is old. I have used it for several things over the years. Well It is in a bad spot in my bedroom and in the night the other day I got up to go the the facilities and walked right into the end of it in a have dazed state and I broke a toe. I tried to put a shoe on yesterday and with the seam in the sock I had on it was quite painful. It is all black and blue and swollen. I do have to go do some errands today and I think it is to cold out to go barefoot. So I will have to endure the pressure on the toe. I did find a better seamed pair of socks to wear. Such a little part of the body and it hurts so bad. I did some sewing but I lost interest after a little while. It is gloomy today and a lot cooler than earlier this week. They talked about snow flurries with rain mix, but last night said it would be south of us for this round. Stay safe and watch were you are walking. Advise said way to late for me. LOL Chris

Two different looks

Here is the look with both the sets of dishes I have. I think it works both ways

I plan on using the place mats a loty in the future with these dishes.

Chris

Got sidetracked

Today was a sidetrack day. It rained and we were bored with what we both were doing. Jeff started these Squirrel feeders. He has a friend that feeds the squirrels all winter.

This is a closer view. The little chair is where they sit and the screw is where the ear of field corn screws on. They are then attached to a tree or a pole. He made two of them.
I am having Thanksgiving and I needed to make some place mats for my table. I cut out 12 of them to match between the two tables.

They are reversible. Print on one side and homespun on the other.

No fancy stitching or anything unusual about them. I used flannel on the inside for a little stability and also if the plate is warm it won't harm the table top.

I made 12 napkins to match the print side. I have enough to make 12 of the homespun, but not sure I want to turn more 1/4 inch seams with the homespun. I am sure I will before I am done.
This next week my sister is coming to visit. She hasn't been here for a couple years. Her husband was sick and she couldn't get away. He passed away two weeks ago so she feels she needs to come visit her Mother. Also me. Hope to enjoy the visit. Chris

I started quilting

I have a START. Only a start. this is going to take awhile. I see I have a thread that needs cutting. Lots of starting and stopping with this quilt. It is about 101X120 inches. I am quilting in sections then sewing the sections together. I am not that good at wrestling that big of a quilt through the hole in the sewing machine.

I think it looks masculine. They are scraps that are not the most pleasing to me that I would use them in another quilt where they would be more visible. One of these days I am going to run out of scraps.

This needs to be done for Christmas so I need to get going on it. I need to piece and quilt another one also for a couch. My stepson and his wife like the quilts I make and I haven't done anything for them. Their kids have quilts, but they don't. I have parts and pieces done for their quilt so need to spend a lot of quality time with the sewing machine. Today it is raining. I got all the outside work done yesterday so I am in for the Winter. I hopefully can get several hours a day at the machine. It is 5:13am here so I am off to the sewing room with the lights on and see if I can get several hours in today. Happy Sewing. Chris

I am so busy and nothing done.

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you are constantly busy, but nothing is getting done. Well that is my week. The phone rings off the wall and no more than place it down and it rings again. My son calls with a drama and then my Mom is on the phone I don't know what to do with myself. Last night I went to the refrigerator and found I had placed a hamburger pattie in the fridge to thaw two days ago and forgot I placed it there. Not sure what I ate in the mean time, but this is the way it goes around here. I had an appointment for Jeff to remove stitches from the procedure he had done two weeks ago for skin cancer. We got done with that and got home only to have to go out and do some more yard work. The nice days are leaving us and it all needs to get done. Stupid me I forgot gloves while doing it and I have small cuts all over my hands. They feel like a papercut does and not fun to place your hands in cleaning water. I have got a quilting project in the process. I stopped and cleaned my machine and oiled it. Boy it was overdue. I then got a bobbin wound and the machine threaded and the first seam I stitched I got a pucker in. I haven't done that in a long time so had to rip it out and get it resewn. Today isn't my day either. I have to go to an appointment with my son at 10 am. I think I am going to sew until about 8 am and get into the shower and be ready when he gets here. Earlier in the week we went to Rockford to see Jeff's Mom. She is 95 and recently moved to and assisted living faucility. She was glad to see us. That took a big chunk out of my day. I have been having so much hip pain lately and I think I finally figured it out. Besides getting old and not at an ideal weight I have been sitting wrong at the sewing machine. I have my left foot flat on the floor and my right foot on the machine foot controller. I find it slides and I strain to keep it under control. I noticed when I drove the van the other day I was uncomfortable too. I read in a magazine to place a book or a platform of some kind under the left foot while using the foot controller. It balances your hips with the weight and pressure you place on your feet which all reflects in the hip position. Today I have a large telephone book that I think I am going to place on the floor and adjust it to the position I need and see if it helps. As a kid I would always sit on one leg. Well I did it as an adult until recently and then wondered why my granmother would yell at me. I think I found out why she thought I shouldn't do it. The leg I sat on was my left leg and my right hip the one that is bothering me was off balance. Right now I am sitting with both feet flat on the floor to type. It feels funny because I am placing pressure more evenly on my hips. What do they call that "ergonomics"?? Big word this early in the morning. If you are in pain stop and think about what you have or haven't done and try and retrace your steps and correct the things you are doing wrong. I plan on trying to get more quilting done today between appointments and doing everyday things. Chris

Off to my Son's for the day

My son is divorced and he has to have somethings done to his house. So Mom gets to go. I have my dishes done and the garbage cleaned up and all ready to be on the road. It is about 32 miles away. Jeff will be here by himself for a while, but I think he will be ok today. Our neighbors are home during the day so I will feel ok with going. This is an oil painting my MIL sent for us. They were bought in Mexico about 40 years ago. They had a condo in California at the time and they had to be shipped back to Illinois which was exspensive. She has gone to a assisted living place and can't have them there.

Not really my style, but it is a nice painting. So it is up on the living room. It is about 30X32inches. Have more quilts to get done before Christmas. So I am off to get the rest of my stuff together to get some windshield time. Chris