"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11 (NIV)

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Doodles.....

What do I do when I'm bored or need a break from what I'm doing at work (and this week that is lots of research looking for specific information) -- that would be sketching (aka doodling) new block designs.   I usually use bits and pieces of paper to sketch on, but as you can see here I'll also use white boards in my office.

I hope to test this block out this weekend to see how it looks made up.   Just gotta draw up the PP'd pattern for it first then I can make it.

Gratitudes:

1. Car registration is in process, 2 steps done, only the final one to go.

2. Insurance is in process of being transferred to TX and doesn't look like it will be as expensive as I feared.  (Still double tho what I've been paying.)

Monday, August 29, 2016

2 rows forward.....1 row back

Oh wait that was steps in the original.....lol.   Altho in this case I'm feeling like it is very apt.

Putting together the top for my contest quilt has meant very carefully putting together the alternating rows of sashing and blocks so that everything goes together ok.....well it didn't work quite like I'd thought it would yesterday.....I still ended up with a boo-boo and frog-stitching on the horizon to fix it.   Can you find the oops?

Planning on finding some fairy frost when I'm out row-hopping this coming weekend so I can get this finished and then get it quilted.   As I look at it, I need to also replace the light green at the bottom because those sashing sections can hardly be seen, which won't work for inline voting in October.   So I need two colors of the fabric yet.....if only I could get my fabric room excavated!

Gratitudes:

1.  Swelling is down

2. Budget is looking better as I get closer to getting bills paid off.  =)


Sunday, August 28, 2016

Finished Test Blocks

Finished up two test blocks for use in future months of the F2F swap that I'm a part of this year.

I used RWB fabrics and these test blocks will end up in a couple of future American Hero Quilts that I'll be putting together with the blocks I'll be receiving when it's my month to receive blocks from the F2F swap.
Gratitudes:

1. Working AC to help keep the itching on my leg under control.

2. Swelling going down in the one foot some.

Test new designs

Saw a block design on some blog that I can't remember now, but I sketched it out so that I could take and play around with it.  My intent was to not only make one for me, but to use if for some of my F2F blocks for the remaining months.

Well I've done that, but in doing so have realized that I can not PP the entire block section because I don't have paper that big......lol.   So I'll be PP'ing the triangular section and then adding the strips to them.  

The fun part will be in "squaring" up the triangle sections to the block.

Gratitudes -
1. Unexpected checks in the mail.

2. Insurance here is active on 9/1....I'll be able to get in and see someone about the platelets and the itching and edema that is driving me crazy.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Getting Ready To Quilt Again

Things are finally getting together enough that I can start to think about sewing again.

First thing tho that needs to be worked on is my quilt for the Modern Quilts design contest.  Last night I laid out the blocks and sashing sections.   And confirmed what I'd been thinking - at least the yellow set (far right, bottom) has to be remade because you can't even tell what color was used.  Now to figure out where the tote with the fairy frost fabrics is.......

Still working on a name for the quilt and thinking I want something that gives a hint of Star Trek since the PP'd sashing units unintentionally came out very similar to the communicator badges on the show.  Maybe something like "Quilting.....the Last Frontier".    Any other ideas for a name?




Gratitudes:
1. I have multiple ways to get to work - a good thing when traffic on the freeway is at a standstill like this morning.

2. There was no rain yesterday!


Surfacing from unpacking....

I'm finally digging out from under at least some of the many boxes and totes that I moved (and that the mover who loaded the truck griped about...but that's another nightmare all together).

The kitchen is pretty well in shape.   Just need the maintenance man to get his tail out here and re-key the storage room so i can move boxes out there that need to be gone through.  There are at least 4 of kitchen stuff that I don't have room for.  The boxes that can be seen in the kitchen and the ice chest all need to go out into the storage unit that I can't get into because it didn't get rekeyed and they didn't give me a key for.  =(

The boxes you see at the far end are in what is officially the Dining Room....but I'm using as my living room.  Most of those boxes are books or papers.   All of which have been in storage the last 10 months and I need to go thru!


Next up is the living room, which I'm using as my sewing room.  About 80% of it is done.   Have stuff I need to put into the recycle barrel but have about run out of room till it's emptied this week.   Which of course means that i need to figure out what day of the week that happens on.   Other boxes need to go outside to the storage room as well till I can figure out what to do with the contents of said boxes.

East wall has my desk which has my computer and the sewing machine.  Also there so I have them in mind are the pics where I'm keeping track of the bills as I work to pay them off.

On the west side of the room is my wooden bookcase and one of my 'regular' book case.  In the bottom left of this pic you can kinda see the wooden cart the woods class built for me last semester.   This is what I'm using as a cutting table.



Next up are a couple of shots of my "fabric room".  =)   The first one gives you an idea of what it was like through all of it when everything was unloaded from the moving van.  I count myself fortunate because the totes were / are only 4 high.....last move they were stacked to the ceiling and were over my head.   It was interesting to try to safely move the big totes that were an arms length above my head!  This time it is just a matter of shifting them around and room-to-room.









In this shot you can see the east side of the room where I'm starting to make some progress.  All of the xerox boxes will go along that wall, but to do that I have to first "excavate" it.  That is happening slowly.

The totes will go along the south wall and down the middle of the room.  The west wall has a chest.  North wall will have another set of metal shelves most likely.

Gratitudes:

1. Nothing was broken in spite of the mover's best attempt at lousy loading of the moving van.

2. Two paychecks this month (1 1/2 months worth of pay)!