Finally some quilting!

I sat down and worked on this shirt.

It is not quite done. I have some more stitching to do around the design so there will be lots of starting and stopping. Here is a picture of the back so you can see what still needs some quilting.

It is bitterly cold again today, but tomorrow it starts to warm up. It was -3 this morning on my drive to work. At least we have had no additional snow and the sun has been shining. Take care and stay warm!

What is going on ...

Yesterday was a long day. I got home later than usual and the first thing I had to do was make a cover for my hose bibb/outside faucet. This hose bibb is the original one that was installed in the house when it was built in the early 60's and is not frost proof. I should have done this weeks ago, but I wanted to do it before the temps dropped any further. I got the Styrofoam that was from the new TV I got, some of that aluminum tape, wire ties, and wool batting and MacGyvered a cover together. The batting I stuff inside.

I got a picture of my new shelf in progress. Uncle Frank had a few more questions. I answered those and he said he would be working on the doors next.

I hope you are keeping warm if your in an area affected by this polar vortex. Last night on the news there was a story about 195 homes that had to have their gas shut off because somehow water had leaked into the gas lines. With this cold, I am grateful to have gas and will be happy to pay for it. Here right now, it is -1 with the wind chill it is -22 with sunny skies.

I did what this weekend? I forgot to post this yesterday

I did get some quilting done on Sammy's quilt, but it won't be done this month. I am now at 73% finished with the quilting. The area inside the blue line is what still needs to be quilted.

I got a text on Friday that Uncle Frank had the materials for my new cabinet for the laundry/utility/dressing room/dye studio and he would be starting on it on Saturday. UF is fast so I wanted to be ready when it was done. The room needed a good clean out and paint job. This is the first room I walk into from the garage and it can be a dumping ground. I worked some Saturday then eight hours on Sunday cleaning, organizing, tossing stuff, ripping off baseboards and then finally painting. It will need a second coat and since I still need the room to function, I am only doing one wall at a time. Thank goodness the place where the cabinet is going - on top of the ledge - was the easiest wall to tackle first. Here is the before

Here is where I am right now. The table and shoe caddie will go back with the new cabinet above. I will put on the second coat of paint on tonight.

Along with the new cabinet I think I need to replace the hot water heater this year. Sometimes it makes a lot of noise when it refills. To prep for that and along with the new paint job, I am planning on replacing the flooring. I salvaged some tile and so when the hot water heater gets changed out I want to be ready to stick the tile down in that spot. In order to get to the water heater I will have to take down the wire shelving. Since I am painting, it is a good time to get rid of stuff so I will have less to move later on. I don't have much storage in this house so I keep my dye, fabric paint, art supplies, interior paint and painting supplies, caulk, extra hardware, light bulbs, and wrapping paper on the shelves. I think I will tackle this wall next. Talk about airing my dirty laundry - what a mess! - but it is going to look so good when I get it done! Can you spot the water heater tucked between the furnace and the shelving?

The other side of the room has the washer, dryer and sink. I have drywall above the window that needs replaced, then I need to paint the window trim and install the extension jambs and trim it out so this wall will take a bit more time. The back wall to the right of the washer could use some drywall but that could be a challenge with the piping that goes thru there.

I have so many other unfinished projects around the house I should not be starting another one. The backwall of this room is shared with the bathroom that needs some odds and ends done one which is to add blocking in that shared wall so I can install the towel bar in the bathroom. Maybe that will be the push I need to get the odds and ends done in the bathroom after I get the laundry room done.

Not much to see here

Last evening I ended up doing two loads of laundry and working in the kitchen. I had dishes to do and I needed to make some food for lunches. I made creamed spinach and cooked some mushrooms that had to be cooked or I would end up tossing them. Cooking of course meant more dishes to do!

I got this from my sister yesterday. She works for the county criminal system so she gets to stay home today because of the weather.

Here in good old Ohio we go to work unless there is a full on blizzard and it better be a bad blizzard not just a big snow storm! It was warm yesterday, upper 30's, and it rained last night. Overnight as it rained the temps fell. My driveway is a sheet of ice.

I figured the main roads and heavily traveled backroads would be salted and they were. There was so much salt on the road it looked like snow! The only icy streets were the neighborhood street that the city doesn't salt. The cul-da-sac where I live is one of those. It was a sheet of ice all the way down to the cross street that was salted because it is a hill.

Temps are suppose to drop into the negative numbers tonight. Where ever you are take care during this cold snap!

Yeah it is Friday!

It has been a busy week at work and I have loads to do. I chilled out last evening and only managed to do a load of laundry. I did start cutting pieces for a quilted flannel table topper for a friend that I gave this quilt to for Christmas.

I will improv piece the drunkard path centers of the blocks for the table topper just like I did for the quilt. I have a few pieces rough cut.

I also plan on working on Sammy's quilt. I would like to have at least one finish for January so I am going to have to work hard to try and get the quilting done and get the binding sewn on.

Have a great weekend!

Progress on Sammy's quilt

Yesterday was a long day and I went to bed very early. That meant I was up really early - like a little after 3 a.m.! I sat down and quilted one more shirt on Sammy's quilt. I am now 67% done with the quilting.

I also got most of the dishes done before I left for work. It was snowing hard at 3 a.m. By the time I left for work the roads were snow covered except where there was salt. I turned on the all-wheel drive and headed to work going slower than usual.

New pressing pad

On Saturday I decided to make a new pressing pad to replace my old sad one

I cut the front and back panel off this box my new (still not hooked up LOL!!) TV.

I used some aluminum tape that the insulators had left behind to tape the cardboard together. Once the insulators get down to just a few yards on a roll, they just toss them on the floor. The stuff is too good to waste so I gather them up! This tape is expensive if you go to buy it. I am only using it because it was free.

Next I decided to cover the cardboard with aluminum foil to keep moisture out of the cardboard and taped the foil with the aluminum tape.

Next I added a layer of wool batting - just because I had a small piece laying around - and a layer of warm and natural which I wrapped to the back side.

Finally I covered it with some backing fabric.

I had to try it out so I washed a bunch of fabric that needed to be washed and started pressing it. The new pressing pad is 30" x 47" so it is plenty wide to lay and press the full width of quilting cotton. My old pad was 23" x 58".

Here is the pile of fabric I pressed on my new pad

Using what I had got me a handy dandy new pressing pad!

Quilting and snow

I was off yesterday because of the snow. There was a foot of snow in the cul-sa-sac from Saturday and Sunday's storms or should I say weather events (ugh - fancy weatherman talk! LOL!!). I shoveled for over an hour on Saturday evening with my neighbor lady helping me out a bit and I helped her out. We did spend some time catching up since we hadn't talked since the fall. Sunday I got up to shovel more and there was an 18" drift in the front of my garage door

This is the view from my sewing studio

Another neighbor that is next door and I were out shoveling on Sunday and he got the area cleared out into the street between out drives. The snow plows still hadn't come so I called my boss and told her on Sunday night I probably wouldn't make to work on Monday. I went to bed early on Sunday night because I was so tired from shoveling another 4 - 5 inches of snow. I was up by six and looked out front. My next door neighbor was stuck in the snow. I got dressed and went out to help him dig out. The snow was packed under the car. We got it all dug out and cleared a path to his house. We had to rock the car back and forth and with him pushing we got the car out and back into the garage. My house is the tan one.

Later Monday afternoon I saw Dave out clearing at path down the cul-da-sac so he could get out today. I went out later and walked to the cross street shoveling the snow to clean the path also. The streets are so bad in town they had to close school today. The town that shares the border - well their streets are fine! I don't know what the plow guys had been doing, but I am willing to bet they won't do my street until at least Thursday. Here you can just see the path Dave and I made.

After I would rest after shoveling I did get a little bit done on Sammy's quilt. I am now 65% done. Inside the blue square is what is left to quilt.

It was hard to move that quilt under the needle with as sore as my shoulders are from shoveling. I am still feeling it today!

Yeah it's Friday

I didn't get any quilting done again last evening. The quilt sits in a pile just waiting to be worked on

Everybody keeps saying we are getting snow so my big plan is to stay inside and quilt this weekend. It did snow yesterday and last evening, but we only had about a half inch. This morning I noticed a cat or two must have been out and about or maybe it was racoons...

The other day I did bring home another rock. This one was set aside for me by the landscapers when they were replacing a retaining wall. I had forgotten about it, but grabbed it as the area it was in is going to get a serious cleanup shortly. The rock is a bit bigger than my fist, but it will be a nice addition to the rock edging for the shade garden.

Have a great weekend!

Bought some fabric

I was given some gift cards so I spent some of the money on fabric. All of it was on sale so I got a lot for my bucks! The skull fabric - 7 yards - was only $3.99 on clearance from Hancock's of Paducah. I will use that for backing on a Harley quilt.

Double rainbow

I spent last evening doing odds and ends around the house so there was no progress on the quilt. I did forget to post the double rainbow I saw last Friday on my way home from work. It was pretty cool.

Made great progress!

I did not reroof the mailbox or tile the driveway this weekend Swooze. I spent the weekend quilting on Sammy's quilt and am now 40% done! Machine quilting is hard work and I was tired, but I am happy with the amount I got done. I outlined the area that is now done.

That middle row is going to be the hardest to quilt so that will slow me down a bit.

Yeah it is Friday!

I buckled down last night and got another t-shirt quilted. It was not a big on, but there was a lot of detail stitching I wanted to do. I am now 13% done with the quilting.

I have no big plans for the weekend. I think I will stay inside and get some quilting done. Have a great weekend!

Double digits!

I now am in double digits for the percentage quilted for Sammy's quilt. I am at 12% now with getting this yellow t-shirt quilted.

This is what the back looks like

Winter showed up yesterday. By this morning we had an inch of snow. Not much, but this is the first time this season the roads stayed covered. My trip to work is on back roads and there was one road that was a bit dicey. I am sure will more traffic on that road it will be much better going home.

A bit more progress

I get home from work, sit down for a minute and next thing I know and hour and a half has blown by! I didn't get out of work until a bit later than usual - I was working on hour ten. I did get this small extra piece I needed to add for some length

and I got the dark gray shirt done before I went to work this morning.

I am now 8.5% done with the quilting. I have big plans to quilt as soon as I get home tonight and get into double digits for the amount done.

T-shirt quilt progress, etc.

I got a bit more quilting done. I got the shirt that said SENIORS done so I am now 6.8% done. It wasn't much, but it is better than a stick in the eye! LOL!!

I then sewed the button on my jacket that came off yesterday. This is big for me, because the last button that fell off this jacket - which I sewed on during the holidays - it took me 2 years to get around to sewing it back on!

I also made a couple of labels for quilts. I sewed one on last night to a girl quilt. This quilt is for the 3 year old niece that one of the ladies I work with is adopting.

The other label is for a quilt I gave someone for Christmas and didn't have time to put a label on it. She is bringing the quilt to work so I will spend 5 minutes stitching it on. I brought thread, pins, a needle, and my pair of very sharp scissors!

Harley quilt top and Sammy's quilt

I got the Harley quilt top done this weekend. I really like the way it turned out. It is 88" x 92" - a decent size.

I got started on quilting Sammy's quilt. This one is going to take awhile! The quilt is 95" x 99". I now have 5.7% quilted.

I cleaned out my knife drawer because the knife sharpeners I had ordered arrived. I only needed one, but the deal came with three so I will be gifting the extra ones. I wanted to try the sharpener out to see if it worked as good as they showed it on QVC and it did! This little thing also has another sharpener for scissors so I tried that out and I now have sharp scissors! Yes I used it on my Ginghers and now they are like new. I had one pair Havel scissors that had a bad nick - I accidently cut into a straight pin - and with running the blade thru the sharpener quite a few times, I was able to remove the nick. In the past I have used a sharpening stone, but I could not get the nick removed or get my scissors as sharp as they are now.