The Newest Year

Happy New Year everyone! My hope is that each and everyone of you has the best year ever!

I'm looking forward to this new year, with anticipation of clearing out my head and my sewing space and diving in full force to my sewing, embroidery and macrame. I have several things started and several other things in my mind to do. I'm going to spend time tomorrow listing what I have started, what I want to do and what I need to finish.

I need to let go of 2017 with all of it's roller coaster rides emotionally. I'm hoping that 2018 will be a little boring so that I can color my world with fabric and threads.

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve...mine was spend recuperating from a wild party night on Saturday! I won't be doing that again too soon! See you all next year!

Sadie a few months back.

What the heck is going on???

Smokey morning. The smoke has since left town. Thank the powers that be!

New baby. This is Sadie.

This is Sadie a few weeks later. I need to take some more recent pictures. She's a LOT bigger now. Nineteen pounds at 12 weeks!

My grandson...first day of kindergarten. He's an old pro at it now and ready for college. Oh wait! That's me and my wishful thinking! He's a terror, but damn I love this kid!!!

I have been soooo absent! Life has literally gotten in the way of my life! My daughter, her boyfriend and his son have moved in with me. We are trying to purchase a manufactured home for the other piece of my property for them to live in. They will be leasing with an option to buy from me. That's security for me in a number of ways. My daughter is finishing up farrier school this week. She has gotten good reviews from her teacher and is looking forward to a career of hard work but something she loves. She added to our horse population by two last week. She found a family with about eight kids and two horses that they could no longer take care of and bought the horses from them. So now my grandson has his own horse!

After losing my two dogs in May, I went through a pretty deep depression. My friend breeds German shepherds and I bought one from her. Sadie is a mixed blessing...One of pure bliss from puppy kisses and cuteness, the other from pure exasperation from cleaning up mistakes in the house to vet bills removing embedded foxtails! She is a smart quick to learn and please me pup, with some stubbornness and 'dogged' determination in there as well. She loves her older siblings, but the feeling is not mutual. They all look at me with that..."MOM! She is a pest" look!

Sewing happened for a second. I did try to get back into it the other day, but since I had a party for my daughter's birthday and cleaned house for it to the point of everything not party related being put away away, all my sewing stuff is tucked in. It's so hard to get it out as I am sewing. I give up when I can't find stuff. UGH! Soon my friends, soon! I feel the itch coming back.

More soon, I hope, I will try, I promise!

Little by Little

I just cannot get with it!
This weekend is a big one for me and my daughter.  (sniffle, sniffle) My youngest one, is turning thirty on August 1st, and since everyone works weekdays and she lives two hours away from me, we are doing a big camp out birthday party on my farm. I think it will be a blast. She has friends coming from California, and friends coming from around here and her boyfriend's sister and BIL. Everyone is bringing their best camp faces. Sorry, I'm sleeping in my bed! My camper will be loaned to whoever doesn't want to sleep on the actual ground. That could be four people maybe. Then there are people who live close by, but we are trying to avoid anyone leaving the party after partying...if ya know what I mean.

So...there's that. I'm going to pickup some food tomorrow in preparation. Hamburgers, hot dogs, I found an intriguing recipe for cherry tomato salad, I'm getting the ingredients for that. Of course, potato salad, watermelon, ice cream and cake. Everyone is bringing their own alcohol beverage. I'll have cold things for the kids. Oh! Plus S'Mores ingredients, because camping ain't camping with out the S'Mores!

On the sewing front, I haven't gotten over the slump I have found myself in. One day I thought I was getting into it, I made two and a half boot blocks! Alas, paper foundation piecing and I DO NOT play well and I had to give myself a time out. The bottom portion of the boots are paper piecing. I have to watch a video on how to do that or it doesn't get done. I proved that to myself several times with that last half a block. Yesterday though I bit the bullet and sat down with youtube, my half a boot block and a purse full of determination and got it done! I was so proud, and patted myself on the back. What a goober I can be when I really try. Mind you, these are blocks that were supposed to be done by me for April's RSC 2017...I am that far behind!

 This first one is so cute with the birds

 I couldn't not do this one with the batik fabric. I think everyone needs a pair of boots like this!

This last one is my nemesis! 

I will continue to do the boot blocks until I have made thirty, then I will set them in a fabric that will make them pop, finish it up and probably give it to my daughter who is a down and dirty horse woman. (That's my baby who is turning 30...sniff, sniff!)

Who by the way has the boyfriend, Brian, who is the ace carpenter putting up my catio. They did come weekend before last to work on it and the rest of the farm for me. I am not able to do the heavy stuff and when my former husband turned tenant moved here, he was taking care of a lot of the stuff, but he is not in the best of physical conditions and is limited. So the young-uns came and did a lot of clean up and rearranging. I need to put a couple hundred bales of hay away for the winter. I'm also going to be putting a NEW mobile home on my other property and the kids will be renting it from me. That way I will have someone to help should anything go the wrong way. 

Okay I got sidetracked there. Catio progress:

 There is wire on both the side walls and this side has the door with a custom lock, which is hard to see. It's there, believe me.

They had pulled a wall down from the pole barn that wasn't needed, and the wall matched my house. So Brian cut that up to use on the top side boards instead of putting wire there too. I think it adds to the cuteness of the whole thing and ties it right in to the house. We have the floor to put in after weed block goes down, some clear silicone caulking around the connection between the catio and the house and paint, then the cats can move in. Brian wants to put some walkways and shelves for the cats too. I know the cats are getting anxious. They keep getting up in the window that leads out to the catio. I think they are making plans for what they will do when they are out there!

My neighbor directly to the south of me flagged me down the other day and asked if he could rent some of my goats to eat a lot of weeds next to his house. I told him no, but he could use them to clear the yard that is overgrown. I know it is fully enclosed, because he used to raise turkeys back there. So I gathered two of the goats and we walked them over. They have been there for three days now. They have a lot more work to do. Another neighbor to the northeast of me came by and asked if it would be okay for him to dump his grass clippings in the goat yard. He's been paying $5 a week to drive the clippings 10 miles down the road to dump them! I told him fine, he would be their favorite person then! So my food budget for the goats has gone down for a while. YAY!

So that's the haps for the last month and a half. (Well, actually, the last two weeks, nothing happened much before that!) Thanks for still hanging in, even though I am a little lax about posting!

Spoiled Cat-ios

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My "Kids" came to build a catio for my two spoiled boys. It's got a good start and I tell ya what...if there's a hurricane, I'm taking shelter in it, because my daughter's boyfriend built it to last, maybe even longer than my house!

Those two windows are in my bedroom. In the last picture, the other window closest to the corner is my bedroom as well. the catio is 8' x 8'. There will be shelves and a cat friendly garden in there. I may even put their cat tree in, or another one more closely related to outdoor trees, so they can practice being cats. There will be a wood floor in it for ease of cleaning, and the piece de resistance: I was given a...ahem...cat house...with a heated floor! I think I will paint the little house the same color as mine and then do all the wood frames white, so it kind of blends in with my house.

Next week I will be having my "grandson" (daughter's boyfriend's son) staying with me. They have business out of state and they don't want to drag him all the way out there to be bored. He's only five (wish me luck), but what could be better for a five year old than to stay at O.G.'s  (O.G. stands for Oh Granny!) farm for four glorious days of chasing dogs and goats and snuggling up at night with O.G. watching kid movies? I'll be the one snoring! I have figured out a few points of entertainment for him, he is an extremely lively five year old. Or should I say he's a typical five year old?

Sewing has happened!

but not much. This is May's block for the Sun, Sand and Sea BOM. I have June's block to prepare and put together. I'm hoping I will be able to get to that before the boy comes, I know I won't be getting much sewing done while he's here!

I did get two boot blocks finished for April's color of the month for the RSC 2017. That month was multicolored fabrics. I had started doing so many blocks for that challenge and I will get caught up, cuz, well, scraps!

My other daughter has been helping me organize the sewing room and that has helped tremendously. I can actually see the surface of my cutting table! It's a miracle I tell ya! I was able to find things! It's amazing. And then in another month or so, I will be moving all this furniture into the front room, removing the carpeting and replacing it with wood. I am also taking out the spiral staircase and replacing it with a normal staircase, and moving all my sewing, crafty, weaving stuff to my loft where there is a ton of natural light. When all that is done, the front room furniture gets moved, rug comes up, etc., etc. Then I do the same with my bedroom. I also want to put tile down in the bathroom. There are those 12" squares in the bathroom now and any water that gets on them soaks underneath and has started curling up the edges.

So that's it in a nutshell for now. When I start all the other projects, I will post pictures. This summer will be fun! What are you all up to this summer?

Here, Not Here

I have been absent. This is a hard post for me and it has taken me a while to write this.

The Tuesday after my daughter left for home, I was putting things back into place (you all know how it is when you have company) and just trying to stay as busy as possible so the quiet of the house wouldn't get to me. I heard a funny noise in the dog yard and looked out the window and thought it was just my German Shepherd being goofy. Then I saw my other daughter's dog look funny and then go running out there. I thought I had better investigate.

I got out there just in time to see my Shepherd hovering over my 13 + year old Jack Russell and biting at her. So I yelled at her I can't repeat the words I yelled. She immediately dropped her and I ran over. My little Tootsie was limp, I thought she was dead. I picked her up and ran in the house with her, kicking at the shepherd as I went by her.

I called my daughter and told her to get over here, I need help. She came and in the meantime Tootsie kind of came around. When my daughter got here, she found a vet close by and we went down there. Since she was in shock and the doctor didn't want to move her too much, because of where her obvious wounds were, she gave her pain meds and a muscle relaxer to make her comfortable through the night. I got NO sleep. I set Tootsie up in a box with soft stuff to cradle her so she wouldn't move too much, but she would yip on and off all night.

We took her back in the morning and left her so the vet could check her over more thoroughly. When she called me later that morning, the news was not great. Basically she could fix everything, but Toots had a chipped vertebrae and it was dislocated, plus some muscle damage and the wounds. The doctor said she would always have problems with her neck and I was thinking as old as Tootsie is and still being the jumpy active little goof ball she is, I could not put her through all the pain of surgery knowing that it all would not get her back to what she was before. I told the vet that we would not be making her suffer.

I called the kids, told them what was going on and my youngest told me to wait until she got over here from Seattle. (Two and a half hours away) She had been with this dog half of her life and needed to say goodbye.

In the meantime, the shepherd has been locked up in her kennel with only the bare necessities. I couldn't even look at her. She has had this penchant for biting other dogs and had sent my daughter's dog to the vet last year. This was her third strike, so Monday, I had the vet euthanize her. I couldn't pass her on to someone else with a clear conscience, nor could I ever take another chance with the other small dogs on my farm, or the neighbors who walk their dogs across the street. She had to go.

So I have lost two of my dogs within a week and I am trying to adjust to life without. It's hard, it's sad. it's maddening. Luckily, I have my Max, who is an absolute clown and Bella who is just a sweet little shy girl. They have been hanging pretty close to me and being a really great support system. Plus, I get calls for all my family  asking how I am doing, letting me know they are here for me and care (a lot!)

I will be back, as soon as I can get myself up to quilting some more. I think that would be good therapy for me.

New Month, New Things

Since I last blogged here, so many things have happened! A new month, I have marked another year on my calendar of life, my oldest daughter has been to see me and has gone back home. (Boo, sniffle, sniffle)

There was NO sewing at all done the last ten days...another boo sniffle, sniffle, but that was for a perfectly fine reason; my daughter was here. I went completely off my diet. We had a barbeque the day before my birthday and that started the ball rolling. Since my daughter is a foodie of sorts, she and I continued to eat our way through the week.

We did a lot of exploring. Mainly around here, one beach and a lot of stores. I did manage to spend a ton of money at JoAnn's Fabrics, because I had a coupon, so...I had made her the surprise gift of a mermaid afghan. She showed it to everyone on her Facebook page and I got three requests for one! These are all women who have grown up with my kids so I am making them each one in their choice of colors. (Guess what I am doing for the next couple of months!!!)

Today I woke up, made my coffee, and crawled back in bed to watch my favorite program...CBS Sunday Morning. I can't start my Sundays without that. Afterward, I got up and started sorting out the recyclables, and took them out, then took the compostables, then the garbage. Came back in and washed my dishes. Then I went out to feed the outside critters. After I got them fed, I filled up the gas tank on my riding lawn mower, plugged in my favorite music, put on my headphones and mowed about an acre and a half of knee high grass and weeds. The horses can't keep up with the growth and I have to have it at a low height come summer time when it dries out and everyone is doing their fireworks. I'd like to keep my house!

Tomorrow I am going to plant my vegetables finally. I still have seeds to start inside the house. It's been way too wet outside for seeds and still pretty cold, so I think I can start now. I definitely have to get the plants in the ground, they hate their little pots they are in and I have to water them pretty often to keep them alive.

I can now start the processes I planned on for when I got my balloon payment from my house in CA. I am going to get those dentures that snap in! Buy my RV finally! Build an enclosed patio and a catio next to it, put real stairs to my loft instead of the metal spiral staircase. (I can't get up and down that thing very well). I am moving my sewing room up there so I have space and...I am putting wood floors downstairs so I can keep the house cleaner with all the critters that live inside with me. Rugs are a big no-no with these dogs! Also, I am going to start looking at modular homes to put on the other parcel that I own, so I have a good income from renting that out. Plus, both of my trucks need to see the doctor! Ack! Can you say, " the rest of May is full of appointments?"

Sorry this is a picture poor post...I am on a new faster computer and I haven't gotten any pictures on it yet!
Wish me luck! I will be posting some sewing soon. In spite of all the things I am going to be starting on, sewing will be my grounding. Something tangible to hang onto, while all the craziness starts!

This Month...

I know there was an April here somewhere. It flew by. (Yes, I know, it's not over yet, but it might as well be)

Spring sprung. With a vengeance. I hit the ground running April Fool's Day and I haven't stopped yet. I got some crocheting done, a lot of it and very little sewing. The crocheting was for my daughter who will be here Friday morning for a (too) short visit. Some years ago she had mentioned that I should make her a mermaid blanket, not knowing how long they actually take to make. I kind of laughed it off, but then when I was thinking about what to do for her birthday, it occurred to me she wanted the blanket, so made it. Of course, her birthday was two months ago...so I made it for when she comes to visit for my birthday. Plus, I made her a really cute pillow case too.

I also got the block for April done for the Sea, Sun, Sand mystery block a month. It turned out fairly okay. I am no expert at applique. I need lots of practice. Plus the Heat n Bond doesn't want to work too well for me. I have no clue what I am doing wrong there. But I am getting practice in.

I will catch up with my RSC 2017 next month after my daughter has left for home. I know I will need to keep myself really busy, because after she leaves this place is going to be awfully quiet and empty.

So here is what I did do...the colors are all pretty funky...inside pictures on a dark and gloomy day.

Stay tuned...next month is going to be full of stuff!

Sun, Sand and Sea BOM 2017

March's block(s).
YAY! I finally got it done. Well, it was done a couple of days ago and then life took over. GAH!
I couldn't figure out how I wanted to finish it, then it got down to the wire and I had to do something. I did  a little hand stitching, and a lot of machine stitching. It's not my best, but I learned from it. One thing I learned was that I needed to throw out all of my Steam-A-Seam and get some new stuff. Then don't wait so long to use it! I had to iron, then re-iron the pieces, they wouldn't stick! So everything is sew down in one way or another!

I think I will put this up in my bedroom or bathroom to remind me of the sunny beaches I used to live by. It may help me get through these long, dark, PNW winters!!!

The Last...

Saturday.

I was getting pretty panicked that I wouldn't get through my goals for our red month in RSC 2017. Red seems to have wanted to be my nemesis for some reason. I think I used up a half a spool of thread ripping stuff apart! Meh!

It finally all came together and the last few days I have been crocheting like a mad woman, trying to get a project finished up for my oldest daughter's visit at the end of April. This is the pile of what I have done so far. It's one of those Mermaid afghans. Last year she had sent me a picture and told me since I have all this time on my hands I should make her one. I snickered, and said something like, "Oh sure, I'll get right on it." (In a snarky tone. So she isn't expecting it.)

She called me yesterday to let me know that even though she is miserable at her job (just because of the way some administrators do their jobs) she is working solely for the fun. As in, every time she can take extra days off, she is going to do it. That being said, she has extended her stay here with me for a whole extra four days!!! YAY!

Of course, she made me promise a day in Seattle, She loves Pike's Place. I'm going to check on the construction that is going on. Last time we visited, it was a total pain. (My back, feet, head) No place to park...yeah, that's typical, but then we had to cross the street to avoid construction, then cross back over for more, then back again. I know it's necessary, but really?

So in between sewing blocks, frantically crocheting and feeding critters outside, the room mate and I started really going to town on the garden. It's roughly a 35' by 35' plot. He borrowed a rototiller for the tractor and tilled some under, then I got a "potato Fork" and started picking up rocks. We have rocks...it's rock city here, and I'm not talking be-bopping type music here! I pulled two wheel barrows full of rocks. There are still small ones that wouldn't stay on the fork, so I have to go out and sit on my garden seat to get those. UGH! (I really wanted raised boxes, but that gets expensive. For next year, I am going to start making the raised boxes a little at a time.)

It was good exercise, and I slept good that night. The dogs did too, cause even though the little ones were in the dog yard, they could see us, and the two big guys were allowed out with us. I keep the little ones enclosed, because it's amazing how fast an eagle or hawk can swoop in and pick one of them up. No way do I want to do that!!! (They already took a cat of mine! :( )

So here are the last blocks of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge for March's red...

This was my first pain in the @$$. (Sorry!) I think it isn't quite square, and it's definitely under the measurements of the other QAYG stripey blocks, but I will just adjust everything down to the smallest one when all is said and done.

My boots in red. I'm still loving the boots, but my least favorite part of ALL of the blocks I am doing is the foundation piecing for the heel and foot part of the boot. I am just not getting it and it is a whole new learn it again session when I do the three boots for the month. But, hey! What else do I have to do???

I'm off to see what the rest of you lovely people have done this week. Join me over at Angela's blog, for the party! http://superscrappy.blogspot.com See ya there!

Seeing Red!

As we all are this month at the RSC 2017.

Well. I've been in the sidelines. I have sewn, a lot! I got so many red scraps taken care of. I still have a ton. And three more planned blocks...the boots. I may get to them this evening. I have been sewing all afternoon. I sewed on and off all week. A lot of off though, too much to do outside of sewing.

I'm going to finish up the boot blocks and then take my machine in for it's spa day, or week, what ever it takes. The poor thing is in desperate need of a tune up. I have put more mileage on it this year than all the other time I have owned it.

So without further ado... the RED...

This one was one I did years ago, 2013 I think. I decided to throw it in, instead of throwing it away. I'm not in love with it, but when you take blocks like this and add them in with others they turn out okay.

These are my contribution of Tula Pink's blocks from my 100 Modern Quilt Blocks book.

 Then my Wonky Log Cabins.

And two of my three quilt as you go strip blocks. I don't know where the first of the three went. It's probably in the RSC 2017 storage bin. I'll find it and get it listed next Saturday with the boot blocks.

Now I'm off to see everyone else's pretties!

Just a Quick Note

I was bored today, because the only thing I needed to do was clean (which I didn't do, cuz I'm retired and I do what I want!) I did wash my bedding and ended up fussing with my washer, because it's a lemon!

Anywho...I got out these patterns from Craftsy for mini's and did ONE. I have to say, I am in awe of all those quilters who do mini's. I did this one, I'm fairly proud of how it turned out. My accuracy was pretty good. I don't know how many more I could make. This was a challenge for my arthritic hands, but it was fun at the same time.

It's a little hairy, kind of cock-eyed, but overall okay. I need to trim it up a little and add a binding to it. It will finish at 2 inches!

Second Month...Where did the Time Go?

February is almost done! I guess I don't need to tell you all that. You know what day it is!

I did a few more blocks in the color of the month and I am all ready for a new color. I was looking back through my blocks and was getting pretty bored with the same ol' scraps showing up in block after block, But better in blocks that will be turned into quilts eventually than to waste away in a plastic container in the back of my closet!

Since it's a short month, it felt like it went by faster. I kept thinking I've got to hurry up with my blocks, there aren't as many days! Here are the last of my blocks for the month. I got quite a few Tula Pink blocks done from her book "City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks". I had more planned, but was running out of the variety of scraps needed to do them any justice, so I relegated the others I chose to the month when we do greens. I got my three boots blocks in this months colors, two Wonky Log Cabins and three QAYG strip blocks. By the end of the year I will have a boatload of quilts to finish! That should get me through next winter just fine!

Without further ado:

The last two Tula Pink blocks for this month.

Two more cute Boot Blocks!

I still love the boot blocks to pieces. I am still struggling with the foundation piecing. I haven't fully absorbed the technique. Each time I do them I bring up a video that shows in great detail how to do the piecing. The video I found to be the best for me is Teresa DownUnder on YouTube.

I can't wait to see what everyone has done this week, and then, I can't wait to see what the next color is! See you all at Angela's place!

Better Late Than...it is still Saturday after all

I got a lot done this week, but not a lot to show for it. My main goal was to get to my WeightWatchers meeting on Thursday, which I did. I'm down 23.8 pounds!!! I'm so happy...only a lot to go! It's okay. I'm hanging in there, and not feeling deprived, unless you are talking about mashed potatoes!

I actually woke up fairly early one morning by mistake. I let the dogs out and noticed this pretty reflection on my truck, so I went out to see just what it was...

I think this is only the second time in two years I have seen the sunrise colors!

I started a class I signed up for a while back at Academy of Quilting. It's Celtic Knots. I choose some pale yellow background and a deep red for the knots. There isn't much to show for what I have done on it so far. The teacher did say, this is slow going, so thank goodness it's an on demand class and not one that stops after a certain amount of time! I know I am going to love doing this, but my learning curve has been, shall we say...fun? I have arthritis in both of my thumbs, so I can only take so much hand sewing and the Celtic Knots are all hand sewing! Still, I am liking what I am doing. I will send along a picture after I have turned a few more corners.

So for my sea green, teal, blue not blue, green not green this week, I have only two blocks to share. I plan on doing a bunch more today. I'm getting there, just slow going because of other commitments.

My second wonky log cabin. (I'm doing two of these a month.)

The first of three boot blocks. I was feeling bad because I really wanted to get these done, since I am so enamored of them. One evening I decided to go for it while I was cooking dinner. Big mistake. I wasn't concentrating on either very well. Dinner was fine, but the poor block got ripped apart a few times because I wasn't paying attention. Today I will attempt the other two and pay closer mind to them. Plus I want to get out my ten inch string blocks. Wasn't it me that said I didn't have much in this months colors?

Yesterday, I needed to go get chicken food. I stopped by JoAnn's on accident. Well, geez! I had a coupon that was burning a hole in my pocket! I came home with yarn! YARN!!! I'm going to make my oldest daughter one of those "lapghans" that are the shape of mermaids' bottoms. She keeps telling me I need to make one for her and her birthday is coming up, quick. I don't know if I will get it done in time, but I am sending her flowers, and then when she comes up here for my birthday I will give her the mermaid blanket. I'd rather see her face when she opens it. She will be totally surprised. I did get a few other things at JoAnn's, but just little trinket things, stuff I can use...like I don't have enough stuff already!

And because I don't think I have shared my boys much, here's the poor stressed out kitties, Dusty and Levi:

Dusty

Levi

I couldn't make my bed because these two had taken over. I really wish that the two of them would relax!

A Little Afternoon Posting

I'm slow today. Slow to get up, slow to feed my outside critters (and boy did I get told about that!), slow to just about everything today. For some stupid reason, I couldn't sleep last night, so my brain is really fogged in.

I did get some Tula Pink blocks made today, I made some last night and I think the day before. I also found some blocks I made in 2013, that matched up with what I'm up to in the RSC, so I pulled those out and added them to my pile! Seeing as there are something like 29 Tula Pink blocks I chose for the sea green, turquoise, not green or blue color for February. I think my colors are way off the mark, but hey! I'm using up scraps!

These were fun, until I got to the one on the lower right. I had to recut some of the blocks, because I didn't get a measurement right or sewing right or something...the strip sewn to the next strip was off a good 1/4". Now I have extra block components to make into something else.

These were all straight forward and easy.

These are the blocks from 2013.

I went out yesterday and picked up a few things. One was a package at the Post Office. I hate going there. There is always a long line, the people don't hear half of what you say. I think that while you are talking to them they are planning what they are going to do on their lunch break! I had gotten an email that stated a package I was expecting had an attempted delivery. (The mail carrier can't go through my gate...no biggy...it's all mud at the bottom of the driveway anyway and I would be pulling them out of it) The email also said that I could pick up my package at the office as stated on the slip the carrier left for me. When I went up to the mailbox to get the slip, it wasn't there. I went into town anyway and the clerk told me, oh no it won't be here. Those emails are deceiving. I asked her to go look anyway, she did, the package was there. Okay, done with that!

That package was a light for the sewing machine that I read about over at http://aquilterstable.blogspot.com. Debbie was saying how great this light is and I have a lot of trouble seeing past all the shadows on my machine. I ordered it and put it on last night before working on some blocks. WOW! What a difference this little light made! It was easy to install, although had I thought it out a little better it would look less like spaghetti at the machine! But I love it and I think that is what counts!!!

I also picked up a new file cabinet. I'm trying really hard to get organized, so I am not swearing every time I go to look for paperwork I need or something that is equally as important to me. This is a cool cabinet. It's the regular old metal type but it has a smaller drawer on top that I can lock. I can keep special stuff there! Now, I just have to make myself go through all my paperwork and start filing! YAY! (not)

Back to RSC...sorry. Here is my Wonky Log Cabin. I have only made one so far. I will make another on of these days.

I joined a group on Facebook, "Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends Block Of the Month". I figured what the heck? I wanted to sew, so I shall sew! This is only one block a month and I will learn new techniques. I thought the first block was so cute. I haven't done applique before and I had never done any Dresden Plate type stuff either, so there I go! I loved it!

And because I think I haven't bored you all quite to tears yet...the before and after of my very first snowman!

Before...

After.

It's okay, he was kind of evil looking anyway!

See you all over at Angela's!

The Last Saturday of January Purple!

Joining the Rainbow Scrap Challenge hosted by superscrappy.blogspot.com is the best thing I have done since moving to Washington! I am having such a fun time, and I am getting so much sewing done...AND...I have also conjured up enough energy to start really going at my reorganization of my sewing room. As I have been sewing, I have formulated in my mind what would work more efficiently for me. Friday I worked on it and got some furniture moved around so my room mate could fix my old (really) shabby chic cabinet to the wall so it's good and sturdy. Then I will have lots more space to stash my goodies.

This month flew by in one way and in another it didn't. I love purple, love it so much everything I buy for the critters outside (buckets, pooper scoopers, lead ropes, etc.) are purple. Always have loved it and always will. BUT...I think I have had my fill of purple for now!

I can't wait to see what our next color will be in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

I have to say again how much I am enjoying this process. I am learning a lot of stuff! About me, about my machine and about new ways to do things. Can I say thank you big enough to Angela for facilitating this challenge? It has gotten me in touch with my machine and my fabrics, and I needed this gentle shove in the right direction.

What have I learned? Well, I believe the most important lesson is to take a deep breath and think about what it is I am about to do. I broke a needle and bent one and thought I had broken my machine, because I was just in too much of a hurry.

I went through my machine feet to see if I could find the right 1/4" foot. Yep, I did say the right one. I thought I had it, but my blocks were not very accurate at all. The foot I ended up with was indeed the actual 1/4" foot I should have had to begin with. That one came with the "no time to be in a hurry" lesson. I have to make sure that my needle is in the center position in order to save my needles. Twice...twice I forget to put the needle in the proper position when I turned on my machine. I now have a note as big as life under the presser foot to remind me that I need to change the settings.

Another lesson was the "shrug my shoulders and say oh well" a lot, or get out the seam ripper and think about what I am doing, while I'm ripping out the same seam over and over. GAH!!! Oh yeah, and have fun!!!

The magazine where I found the boot quilt came in handy. I did start on the boot blocks in purple. I was saying eek a lot when I was making this. I loved how they turned out, they are so dang cute! There is some foundation piecing that goes along with this block and that is something I have never done before. In fact, I never knew what foundation piecing was going in. So another lesson learned and another technique learned. I have a lot of practicing to do with that to be honest. I've done okay with it, but boy does my brain get turned around a lot in the process! Egads! I'm sure after watching a few more videos and some snipping and ripping I will get it down. This is where Smitty over at CatPatch is a good teacher...Smitty says, "Furrst, you should read over all of the instructions before beginning."  I made a few tries before I actually found the instructions I thought were missing. Can you say Frustration?

So, I have gone on long enough...here are the blocks I made this week:

These are the rest of the purple blocks I did from Tula Pink's book. Lots and lots of the same fabrics, but those were the scraps I had. I used half a shoe box sized tote full of scraps. I'm really pleased with how they turned out for the most part, but like I said earlier, the blocks are definitely not accurately sewn, I will have to do some finagling to get them sewn together with future blocks. Oh well, I am looking at this as a learning thing.

These are my first blocks from the boot pattern in the magazine I am so smitten with. I just love how these turned out. I can't wait to get all the blocks done and set together and into a quilt sammich! I may gift this to my horsey daughter...or I may keep it myself, we'll see at the end of this journey.

Thanks for reading this far. I know I can go on and on sometimes, but it's generally when I am super excited about something.

RSC - January, 2017

I'm really getting into this!
I decided that since I already have Tula Pink's book "100 Modern Quilt Blocks" I would put it and my scraps to good use, and what fun I have been having! I am struggling with my accurate seams though, so the blocks are going to have to be "fixed" to fit into a quilt gracefully. It's all on my learning curve. (Wouldn't you think that I should be able to do an accurate seam after years of doing this???) Even with glasses my sight is not great. It's time to get back to the optometrist and get these things checked again I think!

So far I have ten blocks done and four more to go. I should be able to handle that. What I did, was pick out the blocks in the book that looked "purple-ish" to me and listed the pages. I labeled the blocks so I could put them together in order, somehow. I haven't looked to see how Tula explained the setting of the blocks in depth yet. I figure I have plenty of time to look into that. I have been wanting to put this book to good use since I bought it three/four years ago, and this is really fun to do it this way. Gave me a purpose!!!

I went to pick up a prescription yesterday and there was some glitch in my insurance coverage, so I had to wait a bit. Luckily, it was one of the less expensive meds that I take so I just paid cash for it, instead of waiting for the insurance cards to come in the mail. I had to wait for a half an hour for them to fill the prescription, so I shopped while waiting. Danger Zone!!! I found two quilt magazines I hadn't seen before and since they are one of my addictions, I bought them. One had this adorable quilt top in it and it gave me more ideas for blocks to make with my scraps for RSC.

Aren't these boots just the cutest?!? I squealed when I saw this. I can't wait to get started on this now.

I spent a good part of the day out Thursday. I went to my WeightWatchers meeting in the morning and had a list of stuff to do when I got into town. Post Office, prescription, windshield wiper blades, groceries, whatever came to mind. My driveway and parking lot is six inches deep in mud, so I have to park at the top of my property to be able to get the trucks in and out. Which means a hike both ways from the house. (good exercise, by the way!) It's a pain in the neck, because I can't just walk the short distance from my house out to my truck and back again. Oh well, I don't usually leave the property that often anyway. I ventured out again Friday, because I found an Ulmer Quilting frame for sale on Craigslist. That will be a good one because it folds up to a fairly small piece and I can do my quilting by hand...on some stuff, not all. Anyway, this is a practically new frame for a good price. Then I stopped at JoAnns Fabrics, because I am getting low on fabrics. Yeah, right! I'm stopped at JoAnns, because I can't pass by it, I had to stop, it calls my name...and I have a coupon, so I saved money! Right??? I ended up only spending $40, which for me in JoAnns isn't bad at all!

Today I woke up early, 6:30! Dang, that's early!!! I got up, went on the computer for a while, got dressed and went out to feed my horses and goats, geese, chickens and rabbits. The mud has dried out enough for me to use my riding lawn mower to haul the trailer with the hay to the other side of the property. Hauling that in the wheel barrow is hard! After making sure they were all fed and watered I went in and got my breakfast together. I started organizing my sewing room again. I sorted out some scraps that were hanging around after my Christmas stocking sewing frenzy. Then put a few other things away. I got to thinking about how my seams are not working right for me, so I started going through the feet for my machine to see if I could find one where I can more accurately measure the seams. I find one and tried it out and since I wasn't working with a full deck, (remember what time I woke up?) broke a needle, then dropped it into the bobbin encasement. AAARRRGGGHHH!. I took the plate off and took the race apart and started searching for it. I found it, pulled it out and then decided it was a good time to clean out that area. After I put it back together, I got out my book and read how to not break my needle again. I did a test swatch and finally got a 1/4" seam!

Okay, that's enough out of me. Thanks for reading this far! I'm off to post this and read/see what you are all up to.