Progress made

I got a few more handles pressed last evening. The pile grows!

I ahave 34 more to press out of the 138 that I cut out last weekend.

The coneflowers are looking good especially with the rain we have had this week.

I have a friend coming to sew for the day on Saturday. I will probably work on tote bags. Have a great weekend!

More handles and poor daisies

Posting pictures of the press handles - not very exciting. I did get a bunch pressed and still have a pile to press.

The Shasta daisies are starting to shrivel and fade already.

We did get a half inch of rain yesterday and the temperatures are cooler. Only 74 today! More rain is forecasted for Saturday which is fine with me.

Getting started on handles

I got started on pressing the handles for all those tote bags. I cut them 4 1/2" x 27" then press in half, then each side to the middle so they end up a bit wider than 1".

I need to spend some time every evening pressing and work my way thru the pile of 138 handles that need made for this round of tote bags.

Road trip and working in the studio

I went on a road trip to Warsaw, Indiana, with the band on Friday. It was a five hour drive to the venue.

I had left the house at 8:25 a.m. on Friday and got home at 2:45 a.m. Saturday. The park we played at was beautiful, but it was just too hot to walk around and take any pictures. The band was very well received and we did sell a lot of merch. Here was my view to the side of the stage and of the merch booth.

We saw this funny looking Tesla on the way to the venue.

Saturday I was up and moving about 9. A co-worker/friend stopped over around noon to pick up the baby quilt, her pants, and a belt I had redesigned. I got the belt done that morning and forgot to take a picture. I spent some time getting labels on two other baby quilts and got them boxed up for shipment along with the 4th of July tutu. Took them to the grocery store for mailing.  I was glad to get that job done.

The rest of Saturday I just cross stitched and puttered around the house. Sunday I got out and watered the plants even though rain was in the forecast. The plants got a good pre-soak before the .55" of rain from two different showers.  I felt bad for the neighbors who were having a graduation party. The second rain was about 4 p.m. and it didn't last too long so the party continued.

I saw one of the does with her twins and the other fawn Sunday. Don't know where the other doe was.

My brother and SIL like to go to garage sales. They got this box of mostly drapery fabric for free.

I cut tote bags for the merch booth all day Sunday and now have 69 bags to sew up. I used all of those bags I made last week for the show in Warsaw. The only fabric I didn't use was a piece of lightweight rayon and a fuzzy fabric. The next show isn't for a couple weeks so I have time to get these made.

Tote bags and Shasta daisies

I sewed like a crazy woman and got 17 tote bags and 4 drumhead bags finished. I now need to cut more fabric for the next batch of bags.

The heat is really cooking my poor flowers. 90+ again yesterday and the same today. The Shasta daisies have bloomed about two weeks earlier than usual.

They will look nice for the big graduation party this weekend. On Sunday, one of the neighbors got permission to close down the cul-de-sac and are having a big party for the twins boys. Sounds like they have a lot of activities planned. I will have to make sure I do what I need so I don't have to leave the house on Sunday. I am taking a day of vacation on Friday so I will check back in with you all Monday. Have a great weekend!

Tote bag prep work

I now have all the tote bags that my friend and I worked on a few months ago all prepped and ready for the final assembly. I got the raw edges at the top where the handles attach, pressed down 2" and then folded and pressed it to be 1" wide. Next I put a mark where the handles go when I stitch the handles on.

Here are all the bodies and handles waiting at the sewing machine for assembly. I think there are twenty.

Keeping busy

I got the info I needed for the baby quilt label so I took care of that last evening.

I was digging around to find a boy baby quilt for a new arrival in the family. I am a great aunt again. I found these two quilts.

I think I will sent the tan and blue linen quilt since it is a bit more special. I printed the fabric at a workshop the time I went to QuiltCon years ago. The dark linen fabric came from a pair of Irish linen pants that belonged to a neighbor of mine. I don't think he ever wore them. The fabric is beautiful.

I started a new cross stitch piece. I had it already kitted up and have been wanting to stitch this for a while. Octopus's Garden by Blackbird. Here is my little start.  The fabric doesn't show the right color.  It is a soft blue/grey linen, but it looks grey in this picture. 

I received a box of fabric I had bought from Wanda of Exuberant Color. She is de-stashing some of her fabric. I thought this bundle would be great for baby quilts which I need to get some made to have on hand.

I also bought this crane fabric which I will make into a couple of project bags. The fabric is so beautiful!

Then Wanda included a few pieces extra she though would be perfect for project bags and I can't wait to make those! The prints are fabulous! I will be able to get one large project bag and maybe a small one out of each piece.

We got two storms yesterday so I didn't have to water last night. I am sure all my flowers were happy to get rain water instead of tap. The Shasta daisies are coming along. It is too bad they will only last about two weeks. I swear this year as soon as the blooms die, I am going to trim them back and see if I can get a second bloom. I wait all year for them to bloom and they last such a short time. The plants are in different stages of blooming right now.

4th finish for 2024, trip to PA, babies everywhere

The baby quilt is finally done! I do need to put a label on it, but I need to get more information or otherwise that would have been sewn on yesterday. The quilt is 43 X 48 1/4.

On Friday I drove to Meadville PA to meet up with the band for a gig. The band was coming from two shows in Wisconsin. They couldn't swing by and pick me up because of the time, the roads they were taking and there was no room in the van. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive and I was happy that I found the place. We had a good crowd and decent sales. I had left at 12:30 P.M. and got to bed at 12:30 a.m. I followed the van on the way back which was easier than trying to navigate the scenic route I had taken on the way over.

I saw both mom deers this weekend. My neighbor said his wife saw the moms fighting last week. I guess they don't like sharing the space behind the houses. The yellow outlined area is the wooded area behind my house where the deer stay. The yellow X shows how close the metro park is located.

There was also this groundhog and its little ones that ate their way across my back yard.

On Saturday I only had enough energy to mow the front and one side yard. I spent most of the day doing counted cross stitch because I was so tired. Sunday I did finish the baby quilt, hemmed a pair of pants for one of the ladies I work with, and got 34 handles made for more tote bags.

I got oatmeal cookies made Friday morning for the band and 9 tote bags made. I am just keeping up right now with the tote bags. There were some left from last year, but we have been going thru them fast.

I have been trying to water every evening to get all the plants well hydrated for the heat wave this week. I even watered the Shasta daisies out front which I haven't been watering.

Tote bags and flowers

I pulled out the tote bags. I need to try and get a few made for the show this weekend.

I had to water the flowers last evening. The lavender smells so good and there are lots of bees!

I am taking a day of vacation tomorrow so I will catch up with you all on Monday! Have a great weekend.

Binding progress

I was tired when I got home from work. The allergies are still hanging on draining my energy and plugging up my ears. Overall, I do feel a lot better than I did a week and a half ago. I did manage to get the binding on the baby quilt. I still need to stitch the miter corners which is a job will take only a half hour at most.

I also finished this little sampler. It measures 5 3/4" x 6 3/4".

Feeling bad and math don't mix

Last week I made two covers for my nephew. The one for the keyboard I got right.

The one for piano - well, did I ever figure the length wrong! I was not thinking right with feeling so bad.

It was easy to fix by adding a piece. I know where I went wrong.

I didn't have a lot of time to sew yesterday because I had a dentist appointment. The hygienist said my mouth was boring. She couldn't find anything interesting that needed her masterful touch which was a good thing! When I did finally get home, I got the last little bit of the baby quilt quilted and washed sheets.

Tonight, I need to mow and at least get a start on the binding for the baby quilt.