More flannel blocks sewn

After leaving work I went just a couple blocks down the street to the Giant Eagle to get some beverages. I walked into the beverage cooler and felt like I was in heaven. It was so nice and cold. After a day in the heat it felt so good I didn't want to leave. I eventually did decide what I wanted.

I opened one of the lemonade's when I got home and it tasted so good! I sipped it while I unloaded more rocks. That pink one - it is a big one and is 22" in length! I am going to use it as an accent where I cut down an overgrown Alberta spruce.

The other rock I found in a dirt pile on the site and had to roll it 30' to get it over to the pile of my other rocks the guys are saving for me. I also picked up six smaller 3 to 6 pound rocks that would work for the shade bed in the back as it is not quite finished because a need a more small rocks.

After resting a bit and getting a shower, I sewed more flannel blocks together - 16 last night. That gives me 45 done

and I still have these to sew together. The blocks finish at 9 1/2". I forgot to measure what I cut the strips at.

I am looking forward to a three day weekend. I plan on mowing my hayfield other known as my front yard and spending a lot of time sewing. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Flannel and rocks

I have my go to project ready for when I am exhausted from the brutal heat all day at work. I laid out all of the flannel I have except for the pink and lavender flannel. Those will be for another time. So here are the nine patch block pieces I have ready to sew together and the 17 blocks already sewn together.

Here is my pile of flannel yardage and the light gray flannel for backing I bought this summer at a great price

and then the always present pile of scraps/odds and ends! LOL!!

My plan is to make one more flannel quilt like this one.

This quilt takes 120 blocks. I made 12 blocks last evening from the pile circled in this picture

Usually I am very bad about keeping track of the number of blocks I make or need; usually I just make a bunch. I want to keep track because I want to change the design for the next quilt so I don't want a bunch of leftover blocks. Here is how many I have made right now.

One thing I do when I sew flannel is nip off a bit after I sew the seams to reduce bulk.

Last night I brought home two more rocks. There are only a few more on site to drag home.

We are getting ready to turn over part of the space to the hospital in the next month so finish work is going gangbusters downstairs. I have to make a list for each room of what is still missing. The flooring is going down in the corridors as well as many of the rooms

The accent wall on the right was painted yesterday. This is the office area for the x-ray rooms

Here is a new x-ray room

Here is the waiting room for radiology. Needs a bit or work! LOL!!

I am feeling better today. Tuesday and Wednesday I was not feeling good because of the heat. I had to leave a meeting and find a cooler place to sit because I was feeling so bad. Today's high is suppose to be 77 degrees so we get a break. Next week we are forecasted to be 89 every day. Thank goodness it will be a four day workweek.


The hospital put in a water and ice machine in the main lobby. I now don't have to haul filtered water from home and I can have ice in my water all day! I have an insulated tumbler, but by noon the ice is usually melted. I will be visiting that machine often! You can also buy coffee for $2.00 a cup. I don't drink coffee. I will just need to find a hot water dispenser for my tea this winter. I may have to go visit the cafeteria for that.

Oh it's hot

Yesterday it got up to 92 so it was hot where I work - very hot. I had brought towels, wetted them, and kept them in the refrigerator next to the freezer compartment. I rotated them from the fridge to my neck to try and get a little relief, but I was exhausted by the time I got home. I went out to the job site at noon and was surprised that the humidity was on the low side which was great. Only 55%.

I went out so the guys could load a couple rocks for me. So of course that means as soon as I get home I have to unload those rocks! LOL!!! Here are the two I brought home last night.

After unloading, I went inside took off my pants and socks to try and cool down. I couldn't drink enough water! I made chicken low mien so I would have something to eat today, took a shower, and went to bed early. I am still tired. Today's high is suppose to be 90, then tomorrow only 77, and for the next week in the high 80's. A couple more weeks of this and I hope it starts to cool down.

Exploring my vintage scraps bin

I have many scraps bins that are an accumulation from making quilts for a long time. How long? Well, long enough that the few scraps that I have left from when I first started would probably be considered vintage! LOL!!! I have also been given vintage fabric and scraps, and bought vintage fabric at auctions and from a neighbor. As much as I think I need to reduce my scraps and I have over the years, I am always glad to have my vintage fabric and scraps when a project comes along and nothing else will do for a binding or a repair.

There was a member of the now defunct MQG that had a vintage quilt that needed to be quilted for a friend. After she got it quilted she asked me if I had some vintage fabric that would work for the binding. We looked thru my stash and found a piece of feedsack that was perfect. This was in 2015.

Then I made that quilt out of feedsacks for a fellow. I used the feedsacks for the front and back then I needed binding. Again I dipped into my vintage fabrics. I used several different prints for the binding because I wanted it to look like the quilt was made with what was on hand.

The other day Swoozie was blogging about the remaking of vintage quilts and it got me to thinking about my vintage fabrics. I knew there was some pieced units in there, but I didn't remember what I had. So what I found was this fabulous hand pieced rail fence style top

This machine sewn four patch variation which I like very much. I think it needs a border.

and there was this long narrow strip

How about this Dresden plate pieces and two templates! I have a notion to put them together

and in the bin there was also a bunch of these triangles. Was the maker going to pair a print with a red triangle? There is not enough for a big quilt so I am going to have to play around with these. They are large triangles - 5 3/4" along the sides.

Also, in the bin are these carefully tied bundles of scraps. It does keep all the scraps of the same fabric together.

Do you collect any vintage fabrics or scraps?

Meantime at work it is going to be a hot one. 92 is forecasted for the day and it was already 81 when I walked into work. I brought my cool towel and a terry towel to alternate with the cool towel. I have a little fridge and I will just keep rotating from the fridge to my neck all day. On the ground floor the A/C is running and the workers are trying to get some of the area ready to turnover to the Owner. Have you ever seen the inside of a CT machine? The covers are up while the electricians wire the machines to the service so here is what's under the cover. These are two different CT machines

Then each of the CTs have a room just for all the electronics and controls! Here is part of one room

This is the view from my desk this morning. Just like the 4th of July!

6th, 7th, and 8th finishes for 2018

I was happy to get the remaining three baby quilts bound this weekend. Here are pictures of all seven.

It is nice to have a bit of a stash of baby quilts all ready to go. The second picture is all the ones I have which includes one that was done last year.

I was asked how I get the rocks out of my car so I took some pictures of the rock removal for the rocks I brought home Friday. I put another blanket over the back bumper, scoot or roll the rock toward the back, and put the wheelbarrow next to the bumper.

I then pin the rock to the bumper, hold the wheelbarrow tight to the bumper with my thighs as I slide it down the slope of the wheelbarrow.

Sometimes it just slides and other times it falls! LOL!! If the rock bounces and moves the wheelbarrow, I usually end up with bruises on my thighs which I have now and will not be showing you. LOL!!!

I wheel the rocks, one at a time, to the place that I think I will be using them and dump them.

Here is the back Lenten rose bed that I think I almost have enough rocks to edge this bed. I am waiting for cooler and less humid weather to happen before I tackle this bed.

I kept busy all weekend and never left the house - not even to check to see if I got any mail. Did dishes, laundry, cook a chicken in my new pot, and baked some cookies for the guys that have been loading rocks for me.