Music quilt progress

I did pretty good yesterday between sneezing and getting my steps in. Of course in my head I have big plans of getting this quilt done quickly. In order to get it quilted a bit faster I will not be quilting with line/matchstick quilting. I will be using my go to overall pattern, but I plan on switching up the color of thread. Here is how the quilt looks on the design wall as of this morning.

Here are the blocks that need sewn together. Each stack will make two blocks.

Have a happy new year!

New project

It was hard to get much done since I was feeling lousy with this cold. Every time I sat down I fell asleep. I did manage to fight thru it and get all the blocks cut out. This quilt will have a music theme to it. Here are the black and gray blocks.

I managed to get some of the red blocks sewn together. Here are two sitting at the sewing machine in process.

Here are the blocks so far that are sewn together and trimmed.

I don't usually sketch my designs out, but I did for this quilt. I wasn't sure I had enough of the red music fabrics, but it will work out fine. The reason for the color choice - well, I always buy fabrics with a black or gray background and I just happen to have enough red music fabrics that would work. I was not about to go buy any more fabric! I also have a piece of fabric in the stash that has red and black in it, so I think I will use that for the binding.

The t-shirt quilt - RIP Lemmy

I was a busy time going from place to place in different cities for the holidays. It is exhausting. For Xmas I received an incense holder and some incense

That will replace what I was using which was a coffee cup half filled with sand

I also got a JoAnns' gift card which I now can't find. I think it fell out of my pocket at my son's house so he is looking for it. I feel like an idiot!

I worked on the t-shirt quilt and started quilting it.

Things have changed and I no longer have to get the t-shirt quilt done by Jan. 15. So I am switching projects and I need get a quilt made out of those fabrics I showed last week by 15/16th. I am taking vacation this afternoon to get started on it.

I now have a cold that started Sunday night. It is not horrible yet, but annoying.

RIP Lemmy Kilmister

Pie-palooza

Stick a fork in me, I am done! Here is the first batch in the oven baking. I have a stove with two ovens. This makes it nice when baking. Each oven temp can be set to whatever is needed.

Here are all the pies done. I even made my own crusts! One pumpkin is for my nephew, a pumpkin and pecan to take tonight for Christmas Eve, one pumpkin and pecan to my son's house which leaves me with one extra pumpkin. I sure it will find some takers. I could hardly sleep last night because the house smelled so good!

Between baking pies I made and sewed this label on

went for my walk (it was 63 degrees!), shopped my stash for fabric for a quilt

and after the second batch of pies was done, I got what I could ready for baking a cheesecake this morning to take for Christmas Eve. I got up at 5:20 and took my showers while it baked. It tastes much better than it looks. So yummy and so easy to make!

I won't be posting until next Tuesday, so until them have a safe and happy holiday season!

Iron update - looks like it is in town so I might receive it today! Yeah!!

Cleaning, walking and cookies - oh my!

I took a half day vacation to bake cookies for Xmas. First thing I had to do was clean off the kitchen table and counters. They tend to be a dumping ground. There were groceries that needed put away, piles of recipes and cookbooks, appliances, well you get the idea. After straightening up I finally could start making some dough. I ended up making chocolate treasures, Martha Steward French butter cookies, and almond butter balls.

Between the baking I did three loads of laundry and kept up with cleaning up the dirty dishes for each batch of cookies. I was finally done baking and packing the cookies by 7:30. I needed two smaller containers for giveaway cookies and remembered I still had some containers from some deli cheese. I had saved these to get credit back from the store for recycling, but they are perfect for cookies! One is for the postman, the small one is for a neighbor, and the red lidded one is for the fellows at work.

The weather was beautiful yesterday afternoon - 57 degree in NE Ohio! and partly cloudy - so I had to go for a walk to take a break from cookie baking and to get my steps in.

I dug around after I packed the cookies to find my pie pans. I am taking another half day to bake pies. My nephew loves pumpkin pie so I will make one just for him and another for everyone else when we get together Xmas eve. I will be making at least two pecan pies too.

My iron has been shipped. It is coming from Maryland. I sure hope it comes by Saturday although the estimated deliver is the 28th.

New projects

Yeah! The interfacing arrived!

Let's just say I hate to go shopping so it is so easy to just order stuff on-line. My interfacing arrived for some projects I have in mind. I bought some Pellon 72F which is heavy duty and some fusible woven. These are what the book I borrowed book from the library said I needed.

I want to make this storage baskets which I needed the heavy duty Pellon

And the iron on woven for these totes

I won't be able to start on these projects until my new iron arrives. My trusty Black and Decker Digital Advantage bit the dust two days ago. I had if for almost two years. It was not an expensive iron and as much as I use an iron I think I got my money's worth out of it. I am buying another B&D Digital Advantage as I really like this iron. The steam is decent and for a $40.00 iron and it has just enough weight to it.

In the meantime all I have to use is this crappy cheap iron, but at least I am grateful that I have the means to buy a new iron. I sure hope the new one arrives soon. The estimated delivery is the 28th.

I am going to need this to get thru this iron crises!

Weekend accomplishments

The weekend did not end up like I had planned. I did get the rest of the pouches sewn together, but I didn't get any more cut out.

Friday evening I spent the entire time on the phone with a sister, two brothers, and my son. I had finally received some information in the mail that we had all be waiting on. The information needed to be sorted through so I spent 10 - 12 hours between Saturday and Sunday working on that.

I did get a walk in on Sunday and took more pictures of the neighborhood lights. Nothing says Christmas like a palm tree

or a Christmas tree made with wine bottles

and then the usual lighting displays

On my walk I did find someone had put out this new piece of 4" pipe for the trash man. I remember they had some work done on the house and this piece was leftover. Apparently the new owners didn't have a use for it. I carried it home to use for shibori dyeing.

Nothing says Christmas like a purple hippo

I finally received my replacement charger cable for my fitbit yesterday.

I have become very dependent on my fitbit and was suffering withdraw symptoms without it. I got my tracker charged up yesterday afternoon and went for my walk last evening. Since it get dark so early, many of the houses had their holiday lights on and this house has a purple hippo. Too funny!

Here are a few more homes lite up

After my walk I had a bite to eat then got to work on the pouches. I got two more made. The one pouch has a different fabric on each side.

We are having our company Christmas lunch today. This year's charity is the Salvation Army and they were asking for donations like gently used clothing, blankets, non-perishable food, and toiletries. I gathered up some items - toothbrushes, soap, etc. and I am donating these two quilts

The black, white, and red quilt has some bad memories for me. I have debated on what to do with it for years - destroy it was what I was thinking, but I never got around to it. It is hand quilted, 61" x 73", and I made it around 1996. It is time for it to go out of my life. I hope someone will get some use out of it.

I received a fabulous postcard from Vicki of Field Trips in Fiber. I am not sure I deserved getting one this year, but I love it!. I will hang it on my design wall with the others she has sent me. I didn't think about it until I hung it up with the others that Vicki sends me a postcard with an evergreen tree on it every year. Talk about keeping meticulous records to know this detail - Vicki you are amazing! I now have a forest! Look at them - aren't they wonderful together?

Clint kept me company

I worked on the pouches last evening. Clint Eastwood kept me company. Pale Rider was on TV. I have seen the movie many times so it was not like I has to have my eyes glued to the screen. The first thing I did was to cut out the three more linings I needed. Then I pressed the zipper tabs and sewed them on the zippers for each pouch. This takes a bit of time and is a good job to get out of the way.

I managed to get two more pouches sewn together. I am starting to get in a rhythm so my production should increase. I have no idea how many of these I will end up making, but they will be nice to have on hand for a small gift.