And the crowd roars ....

because I finally have the quilting done on the t-shirt quilt! I decided to work on the last shirt too and it went quickly. I laid the quilt out on my big table this morning to take a picture, then forgot to take the picture! LOL!!! Here is the top anyway.

I had just enough time to mow the front yard before I went to bed. Rain was forecasted for Friday and the grass was in need of a haircut. I am glad I cut it because it is raining today. We need the rain so I am not complaining at all! I did get a bit more stitched on the stocking. That will be a hobby horse and on the trunk is a candlestick. There was suppose to be a bowl of apples on the trunk too, but I am skipping that part. The apples seem out of place and makes the design too cluttered. SO here is where I was and where I am now.

I have a long list of things I would like to do over the three day weekend including binding and labeling the t-shirt quilt. Let's see what I can actually get done. Have a great holiday weekend!

Lots of activity

I was hoping to get that second to last t-shirt quilted last night, but stuff happened! I did get a little bit more done before my tension went off kilter. I spent a half hour getting it straightened out. By then it was getting too dark to quilt - yes, it is hard to see without some natural light - and I ran out of bobbin thread. Here is where I am at now.

Things that ate up my time last night: 1. stopped at Michael's to get that skein of 931 for the stocking. Of course the drive took longer having to go thru the business section and hitting lots of traffic lights. 2. Stopped at the library to pick up books and CDs I had reserved. 3. When I got home I toted in the garbage bin, picked up the package left at the front door, and checked the mail. I had to open the package which was my frame molding. I bought unfinished so I could stain or paint it.

While I was doing that the neighbor came over with her friend and asked me about the chisel I had for splitting masonry. I looked and looked for it as we talked. Never did find it, but I got the friend enough information to help her out. That shot a half hour. 4. I was hungry and had to fix something to eat; another half hour + gone. Finally I got to sit down and quilt. This morning before work I used that floss I bought and filled in a lot of the trunk. Things are going to start moving slower with this piece because I am getting into the details where there are only a few stiches and a lot of color changes. Those brown stitches at the bottom of the trunk are the beginnings of a hobby horse.  Here is where I was and where I am now.

I am bound and determined to get that t-shirt quilted tonight!

What an evening

I will start with what I actually got done. I had about a half hour to quilt on this shirt. It's not done, but about half the outlining is done.

On the stocking I got a bit farther on the trunk. I ran out of color 931 so I will have to stop and pick up a skein on my way home tonight. Here is where I was yesterday morning and where I am now.

I spent an hour on the phone with my sister. She had a heck of a day at work and it was just too complicated to put in a text. It was nice to talk to her; it has been awhile. While I was on the phone with her, her son was texting me about a project. He wants me to make a padded bag for his keyboard. He sent me drawings, measurements, and a picture. After some back and forth, we settled on the design and fabric. I have never made a keyboard bag so this will be a first! Here is his special keyboard

Then I was on the phone again with one of my brothers about a project for a friend of his. His friend want a fitted cover for his outdoor tap dancing platform to keep the bird poop off of it. A tarp is just not doing the trick. I will be making it out of that car cover fabric. I need to put hook and loop tape on it, but I couldn't order any because someone tried to use my credit card info and I had to close my card. I won't get a new one until Friday. SOOOOO, my brother ordered the hook and loop and had it shipped to me. Crises averted! LOL!!! I need to get his done and ship it out on Tuesday. Here is the platform.

So I quilted a little then went outside to water the plants AGAIN! I need Mother Nature to help me out! It might rain this afternoon and maybe on Friday. Let's hope so! I finally turned off the phone and went to bed. When I got up this morning my son had sent me pictures of Addie Lou last night. She was the sweetest dog. She would just wag her whole rear end when anyone would come to the house and wait to get some love. Addie Lou was at least 12 years old and had to be put down last week. She had cancer.

Addie Lou with her Notre Dame shirt

Decorated for the holidays

and didn't mind modeling this hat scarf combo

She will be missed.

What happened?

I get home from work, sit down a minute or so to cross stitch then the crazyness begins! LOL!! The blue area at the bottom left will be a trunk. Here is the picture of where I was when I last posted this Friday and where I am now.

The mailman brought me my acid free foam core so I can start stretching my cross stitch pieces. The frame molding was shipped Monday so I will have plenty to do over Memorial Day weekend!

Then my brother called and asked if I had any of that car cover fabric I use to make equipment covers. He has a buddy that needs a custom cover. No problem! I have a big roll of the fabric. He is going to get me the exact measurements so that will be one more job to add to this upcoming three day weekend.

I also added to my stash. Everything I got was on clearance and I got free shipping. It has been washed and ironed too! I wanted the tan fabric with circles for the back of the neutral baby quilts. I ordered 3 yards - enough for two backs, but they only had 2 5/8. I will just add a little something to one of the backings - no big deal.

I did watch the crew putting on a new roof at the neighbor's a bit. Did they ever make more work for themselves and what a mess! There was this older fellow that spent hours picking up the old roofing materials and carrying them to the dumpster. Why they didn't put the dumpster in the driveway is beyond me!  There were three young men on the roof - very young.  They looked so hot.  I felt so bad for the one who had to carry the bundles of shingles up the ladder.

I headed to the kitchen and had to package up the chicken I bought to put in the freezer. I had some chicken broth that I put on the stove, threw in some celery and added some of the chicken to make soup. After I got that cleaned up I headed out to water the plants. These 90 degree days are getting old! By the time I got done with watering it was almost 8 o'clock so time ran out for any quilting on the t-shirt quilt.  

What a weekend

First lets start with the t-shirt quilt. I am now 95% done with the quilting. Here are the two shirts left to quilt circled in green. I had to go out and water the plants and get the dishes done so I simply ran out of time to finish this last night. I figure I will be starting on the binding Wednesday after work so I should have the quilt done by the end of next weekend.

Saturday I was up early and worked in the yard a bit. I refreshed my cedar mulch in front of the newer flower bed. I had six bags I spread and then laid out the tarp for storing the sweet peat. I moved 10 loads of sweet peat from the front of the house to the tarp.  I have 8 to 10 more wheelbarrows of mulch to move.  I will be glad to have the mulch out of the driveway. 

There was the fattest racoon sniffing around the backyard. He still moved pretty quick when I opened the window to take a picture of him.

After a couple hours of moving mulch I needed to get in the shade. I decided to clean off one of my tables in the garage so it was ready when the rest of my supplies arrive for framing my counted cross stitch. Flat surface equals catch all so it was time to clean it up!

I had this wooden box that my Dad had made. I really never used it for anything, but it dawned on me that I could keep all my framing supplies like wire, eye hooks, straight pins, etc. in it. I had taken out some of the plastic containers and used those for keeping things so I found some wood in the garage and cut three pieces to make shelves. Everything will now be in one place and stay clean!

After work on Friday I stopped several places to pick up some framing supplies, glazing points, wood glue, a corner clamp, and a tape measure for my neighbor for a birthday gift. I got the table all cleaned up and screwed the clamp on my table. I am all ready for the foam core and molding to arrive then I can get started on framing the five pieces I have.

Saturday afternoon my neighbor's wife threw him a 40th birthday party. I ended up talking to his dad. We talked about all kinds of stuff including the new home he just built. Somehow the conversation lead to talking about when I was looking for a house big enough for my quilting table then to the t-shirt quilt. He decided he might be interested in me making him a quilt with all his baseball shirts. At 78 he still plays and has collected a lot of shirts. With moving he said he questioned why he lugging all those shirts to the new house. I took him over to my place and showed him the t-shirt quilt. He thought it was great and now will be dropping me off a box of shirts to make him one!  The shirts were going to the Goodwill and now he says he will have a quilt to put in the family room.

Time to pick out binding

I didn't get any more quilted on the t-shirt quilt last night. I ended up mowing. The grass in the front keeps growing like crazy! Then I needed to finish mowing the backyard. I only got it half mowed Wednesday night because I wasn't feeling good and it was hot. So now I need to do some trimming to finish it off. After mowing I watered. Somebody turned the furnace on as it has gone from cold to very hot! The poor baby Lenten Rose plants were suffering and I am not sure they are all going to survive. I should have watered them sooner. I did get out some fabric to audition for the t-shirt quilt binding. I am leaning toward the one in the middle. I think the top fabric is too blue, and the charcoal one is too dark. I will let the lady who commissioned the quilt make the final decision.

I got the stitches removed from my leg yesterday afternoon. Thank goodness because they were itching like crazy. I think it looks really good. Give it another week or two and it will be fully healed.

While out mowing I saw I had one California Poppy flower! The California Poppy reseeded itself and I have them everywhere this year in my center flower bed! Once they start blooming it is going to be so pretty.

After the doctor visit I stopped and got sushi for dinner. Philadelphia roll is my favorite.

I did get a bit more done on the stocking. I got 587 stitches done since yesterday. The  blocks are easy and quick stitching.  It was also easy to count the number of  stitches.  There were suppose to be hearts in each of the blocks, but that is just too many hearts for me! There are smaller blocks under the tree in the same colors.  Here is where I was and where I am now.

I have no big plans for the weekend except to work on the t-shirt quilt. Have a great weekend!

Lots of progress

I was off work yesterday with a headache that just wouldn't go away. As long as I sat quietly, I could still keep my hands busy. I turned on the TV, clicked on a movie channel and quilted. If I got tired, I just watched the movie. I now have 75% of the t-shirt quilt quilted! The green circled area is done.

Here is a close up of the pink shirt.

I did get a little farther on the Xmas stocking on Tuesday and this morning. I now have the Xmas tree done except for the details that need added for the candles. Here is where I was and where I am now. It will be nice to stitch with another color!

Quilting and cross stitching

I had calculated my percentage done on the quilting for the t-shirt quilt incorrectly. I was at 45% not 49%. After last night's quilting session I am now at 52% done. I got the little forest green patch done, the teal shirt with adjoin yellow piece and the adjoin piece to the pink t-shirt. That means I had to change the thread four times. It is a good thing I am pretty fast at changing the thread! LOL!!!  Both the teal shirt and the forest green patch are thin, polyester fabrics.  I had no issues free motion quilting either of them.  I just take it a bit slower, straighten things out, and reposition my hands more often because the fabric has a tendency to slide around a bit.

So this picture shows everything quilted in the green outlined area. Tonight I plan on quilting the pink shirt.  That CHEER, shirt is going to take some time to quilt.  I will be outlining all the letters, because that is what I do!

I made good progress on the Xmas stocking too. Here is where I was and where I am now.