What a weekend!

I got the Millennium quilt all pinned this weekend - now to get it quilted. Here is a picture of my extra hands. I worked in a shop decades ago that made custom drapery and we used bricks covered with a layers of fabric to help hold down the fabric while you pulled it to the other end of the table. I when home and made these with a layer of batting, some old drapery fabric, and just whipped stitched them together. They are just a great free tool. I use a worn wooden yardstick to help me smooth the quilt out and reach the center. I tapped my backing down to the table, spread the batting - smoothing with the yardstick, then repeated with the top. I also lightly press the top on top of the batting just to smooth it down nice before pinning.


I had to piece together my batting because this quilt is so big. I have a nice stitch on my machine that goes in zig zag pattern, but it takes three stiches one way then three the other. Using this stick the batting doesn't bunch up and form a ridge where the two pieces are joined.


Ready to start pinning.


It's all pinned!


Can you believe I still have some safety pins left after putting over 1100 in this quilt? I was worried I wouldn't have enough.




My co-worker had lots of help moving Saturday so I really didn't have to do too much. I knew they were going to get pizza for lunch so I made a batch of my Gene Simmons best oatmeal raisin cookies he ever tasted cookies for dessert. They ended up being both a mid-morning snack and dessert. Everyone seemed to like them - even the fellow who perfers his oatmeal cookies without raisins could not leave them alone.

I ran into my neighbors on Friday night and they are loving my yard. Loving it so much Rev. J sweet talked me into helping them out with their yard. He is so busy with the church and his wife, who loves to putz around in the yard, works and is hightly involved in the church have not had the time to do much at all. The front is not too bad so I transplanted some hostas, planted some cora bells, and planted the containers with annuals. Their sweet peat is coming this Saturday and of course since I have a wheelbarrow I will be helping to spread that around - helping? no I will be doing it all. Wanda, I need to go back and read the e-mail you sent me about saying no! They are such nice people and have welcomed me into their family so I just broke down. Mrs. J, who started telling her mother-in-law (Mother J) all about what I was doing, said she wouldn't tell he anymore about the yard, because now Mother J wants me to come to her house! No way!