Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Company

I have been busy the last few days with company. Had a Christmas dinner on the 29th - ravioli and garlic bread. Then I had made pumpkin pie, butter cookies, peanut butter cups, and chocolate covered potato chips.
Yesterday we spent 5 hours at the mall looking for bargains and found a few.

Friday, December 27, 2024

Still straightening up and new cutting mats

I finally got to the point where my table was cleared off enough that I had a place for this
I bought two cutting mats from Wawak and they have been sitting for two weeks. I was excited to get them out of the box and onto my big table. The price was so good - $24 for one!  
I had to try them out so I cut out some project bags 
I also sent time cleaning off the beds in the guest room for company this weekend and putting together fabrics for making those pouches. I picked fabric that went with the zippers I had on hand and a few I recently purchased. I hung the layers on the design wall which keeps them wrinkle free until I get them quilted
and I have a pile of fabric cut with the matching zippers for the rest I need to make.  I can quickly layer them up.
I continue to straighten up and have been trying to get rid of stuff that I just don't need.

Thursday, December 26, 2024

Christmas is Dec. 29th this year, so what did I do all day?

I kept myself busy on the 25th since I won't be getting together with my son and family until Sunday. I got the rest of the fabric washed and pressed. These were the fabric in the little box. The white fabric is a tone on tone that was marked way down and I added it to my order to get free shipping. What I was wanting was the Moda blue fabric.
I fixed a vest for the same fellow that the replacement zipper was for. It was a hot mess! Someone had "fixed" it at one time and it was a challenge to undo the mess. Here is one side before.
I got the iron on patch off and this is what I was dealing with.
Here it is all fixed. I was able to loosen up the lining so I could sew the patches on without sewing across the pockets so they still can be used. The fellow picked it up today and was very happy!
The rest of the day I worked on cleaning up the fabric storage room and finding fabric for projects. I got the area outlined in blue straightened out.
I pulled this pile for making more project bags and little pouches like this one. I have been asked to make some of the pouches for a retreat in March. She didn't care what color or prints I use so I will have fun with this project.
I also pulled out every reproduction fabric I found. I still have a few more piles and containers to go thru. I can't believe how long it took me to put a dent in the mess and how tired I was! My reproduction pile.
I was also straightening up the shelves in the laundry/utility room. I want space for staging projects. I got a lot done, but I have a bit more editing to do. As I find fabric for projects I can just add it to the box. Here is the before and what it looks like now.   Much better use of the space!

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Zipper replacement, washing fabric and pressing

The fellow that cleaned my chimney needed a new zipper in his coat. He dropped it off yesterday and I got it replaced last night. The hardest part was getting the old one ripped out. He stopped by today and picked it up. He was happy. He then dropped off his favorite quilted vest that needs some TLC.
I have been washing and pressing fabric all day. I also pressed some striped fabric that I washed weeks ago but never got around to pressing it.
Well, I thought I was done with fabric washing and pressing until the mailman showed up an hour ago. LOL!!!
I won't be celebrating the holidays with family until Sunday. It can be hard when they have so many places to go. This way the demand on their time gets spread out. I wish you all a blessed and happy holiday season!

Monday, December 23, 2024

Work luncheon, road trip, t-shirt quilt progress, preparing fabric

Friday was the annual holiday lunch at work. It was Hungarian food which is not to my liking, but I did get a couple perogies, some mashed potatoes, and green beans.
This year's charity was the Boy and Girls Club. I bought tickets, but didn't win anything which is ok. Here is the over-the-top table of beautifully wrapped boxes to choose from.
I did get one of the centerpieces.
Saturday I took a road trip to Shiloh, Ohio, to Country Fabrics. I had never heard of this quilt shop until I had spent some time last week looking for quilt shops.  It is a 1 1/2 hour drive, which is not any longer than when I would drive to Miller's in Charm, Ohio.
Here is the stats for the trip. The roads were in good shape except for some of the side roads.  It was cold, and out in the middle of nowhere!  The land is fairly flat, farm after farm dotted with barns, homes and outbuilding.  I never even saw a cow or horse; I guess they were in the barn trying to keep warm!  LOL!!
The store is BIG! Aisles and aisles of quilting cottons.
They also carry lots of Amish dress fabric, flannel, sewing machines, notions, rulers, elastics, and findings for sewing. There was a big section for wool. This was half of it.
They had piles of flat folds of quilting cotton and flannel. There was a housewares section, toys and games, and upstairs they had Amish hats and bonnets, dishes, hunting stuff, and handmade rugs. Here is the fabric I bought. I didn't know that they were having a sale on fabric so I saved 11% on the fabric. I am now signed up for their email newsletters so I will know when they have sales. I spent two hours in the shop.  They prices were good too.  Kona was $6.98.  I found the fabric priced from $8.98 to $10.98.    There were hundreds of bolts of batiks.  
I loaded up on thread. These spools were only $2.29 each.
They carry Kai scissors. I was able to get the package open and tried out a pair.  Oh, they were nice so I bought them. They had two pair and they were priced differently. I bought the pair that was $5.00 less; same scissors just priced differently; maybe there were an older pair and the newer ones are more expensive.  
I had bought these Havel scissors to keep for clipping thread at the sewing machine, but they have a micro serrated edge and I never get a clean cut. They were driving me crazy. The Kai cut so nice!  I will keep the Havel scissors next to the iron.
When I got home I got something to eat then took a short nap; I was tired from that three hour drive!. I then had to unpack my goodies and spread them out by color on the utility room floor along with all the other fabric that I had been buying.  The reds were already in the washing machine.
The mailman showed up with the replacement fabric from Handcock's so that went in the washing piles.
I needed to get the t-shirt quilt pin basted so I could get it off the big table. This is where I keep my pressing pad so that quilt needed to get pinned. I got most of it pinned on Saturday afternoon/evening and finished it Sunday morning after I got back from the grocery store.
I put stuff away, made two different soups, and did dishes. By 10 a.m. I was downstairs starting to wash fabric. I had a good rhythm going - wash a load, toss it in the dryer, get another load going, press as loads washed and dried.  Here is what fabric is all prepped and ready to use.
What still needs pressed.
What still needs washed. I think I put a pretty good dent in it!  
I am rearranging some stuff and getting boxes labeled with the projects and quilts I want to make. I will put in the boxes the fabric, pictures, etc. for each project.  I got a start on it yesterday and will show you my progress tomorrow.

Friday, December 20, 2024

7th finish for 2024

The pink quilt is done; I got the label on it last night after the party. It finished 88.5 wide by 94.5 long. Not the greatest picture; sorry for the wrinkles. I should have spread it out overnight. Oh well.
After work we had a little gathering at one of the local watering holes. For food we had pizza, cheese stuffed pretzel bits, and giant cheese and bacon tots. I love these tots!
When I got home my neighbor stopped over with a tray of cookies for me. Her Mom usually made cookies at Christmas, but since she passed away a few months ago Nichole decided to bake the cookies this year for her family. I took my tray to work or I would end up eating them.
I received a couple tops at work. I am going to get a zipper and change the hoodie from a pullover to a zippered front.
This weekend I plan on working on the t-shirt quilt and wrapping presents. I may take a road trip depending on the weather. Have a great weekend!