A busy half day vacation

First thing I got into was wrapping the vest while I waited for the service man. I looked around the house for a box and found a black box that I stored my rubber stamps in. I needed to recover the lid with some black wrapping paper to cover up a logo that was on it. I had stopped to get a package of tissue paper for the inside. I had the dotted wrapping paper then looked for some ribbon. I dug around the box I keep sewing supplies and odds and ends. I found a piece of ribbon that was originally for putting on a hem. It worked just fine to finish off the package.

The A/C service man showed up about 1 p.m. and he got to work trying to figure out what the problem was. After a bit he came in and told me there were leaks at the factory joints in the condenser. The condenser is that unit that sits outside. So that means I need a new one. The manager said he could get a new unit and they could install it on Thursday. That means I have to take a day of vacation, but I won't have to be concerned next year about the A/C working! The blue arrows are pointing at some of the leaks

The condenser was also leaking at this valve.

So while the service man was doing his thing, I worked on the 4-patch vintage quilt. A good pressing was in order. I pressed from the back and oh my the maker was more into design than technique. I wonder why this top was not completed. Maybe because it got so out of kilter they gave up?

I needed to take off the bottom row of 4 patch blocks and ripped the blocks off about half way up on the left side.

I laid the top out as flat as I could to see where I needed to take in any areas that didn't lay flat. The first area I fixed was along one of the sashing strips.

I ripped out the stitching along the strip, took in the center seam of the 4-patch, then took the excess out of the strip.

Once I sewed it back together here is the result - much better!

Next I worked on three places at the sides that were keeping the top from laying flat. Look at the excess fabric here!

I ripped out the seam as far back as I thought I needed to be in order to make the worst of the excess fabric disappear

I laid the sashing fabric over the pieced block making sure I had a quarter inch turned under on the sashing and it was nice and flat. 

Next I put a piece of tape over the open seam

I folded the right sides together at the tape. I ran a pencil line along the ridge that the tape made and then sewed the seam along that pencil line.

I trimmed the excess fabric, flipped the top open, gave it a light press and here is what it looks like now. I did this in two other places where there was so much excess fabric the top would not lay flat.

There is still a bit of fullness in this top, but it lays a lot flatter than it did! I can work the fullness in when I quilt it.

Next I need to straighten out the bottom row a bit. You can see how it curves. This is where my skills for improv piecing will come in handy. I will post pictures of how I fix and sew this row back on when I post again on Friday since I will be off tomorrow.