T-shirt quilt progress, yardwork, and a happy camper

I forgot to take a picture of the t-shirts hanging on the design wall, but I will show you some challenges with the few shirts I have left to interface. Here is the one sleeve area of this t-shirt. If I would try and trim the shirt to the design there would be very little background area. They had cut off the sleeve and just left a tiny bit that I had to remove.

There was extra fabric at the bottom of the shirt so I cut that off, cut it in half and used it to fill in the sleeve areas. Here I laid the t-shirt on top of the scrap and cut the scrap to the shape of the sleeve curve. I also make a little mark so I knew where to line up the two pieces for stitching. This is where the knowledge of developing techniques for impro piecing comes in handy!

I flipped the scrap on to the sleeve curve and now it is ready for sewing.

All sewn. Looks like a hot mess, but wait

Pressed

Now you can see how I have enough fabric to cut the design out all the way to the edges of the t-shirt.  I had to do this to the other sleeve area too. 

Now on this shirt you can see there is no extra fabric at the bottom.

The armhole on the right had a buckle in it and would not lay smooth. I took out the stitching, recut the sliver of sleeve fabric, then sewed it.

So now I have enough fabric to square up this shirt when I go to cut it.

Then there is this shirt that was a tank top that I will have to add fabric to the armhole and neck areas

and this piece that they cut way to close to the design at the top

For this one I am going to add two pieces - first the yellow outlined area then the green. I will have to sew very close to the design, but with some small stitches to make sure it is secure, I think I can salvage it. This is why I don't like people cutting up the t-shirts. It makes extra work!

I did get outside for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday to start on the yard clean up. The flower bed next to the house looks pretty good and the daffodils are blooming.

I worked in the center bed too. Cut back the lavender, cleaned out leaves, started the mugo pine's trim, and cut back the dead flower stalks on the coneflowers and Shasta daisies. The big job will be cutting back the row of ornamental grass in the curbside bed, digging them up, dividing them, replanting and transplanting them along the property line.  Forgot to take a picture, but believe me digging up 7 ornamental grass plants will be a job and a half!  LOL!!

My sister sent me a picture of my nephew with the quilt I sent him. He is a happy camper.

Friday the plumber is coming back to install a new hot water heater. I must have been brain dead when I picked the date, because I thought I had another week to get the floor finished in the laundry room. It is so hard to keep track of what the date is; it keep changing! LOL!!! So now I have four evenings after work to get the floor done. Yikes! Doesn't look like much sewing is going to happen this week.