Staying on task

I have been following my plan of getting at least two elements done on the DWR quilt every day. Yesterday I got one melon and one center done. Here is what it looks like from the back. The woman that owns the quilt bought the backing.

I did get three of the 16 patch blocks sewn together. I used 2 1/2" strips so these will finish at 8". I should try to sew together a few every day.

DWR quilt progress and a question

Yesterday was a struggle. I just could not fall asleep Sunday night so the lack of sleep showed it's ugly head yesterday. It was hard to keep my eyes open yesterday. Despite being tired, I did manage to get some quilting done on the DWR quilt. I needed something easy to do so I continued on stitching a line of quilting at the binding edge. Yes, I know it is weird that I already have the binding on this quilt. I sewed it on once I got the melons at the outside edge quilted. I am half way around the quilt with this line of stitching. When I sewed this block back together the floral fabric was just a bit small so I added a piece of solid to make it bigger. I just happened to stop quilting here yesterday at this spot.

I did struggle with getting a few things done around the house - washing sheets, cooking - so I didn't quilt either. I didn't go out and water the plants; I was just too tired. I will have to water them tonight being that we have another 90 degree day and no rain in the forecast until Friday.

Here is a picture of the two baby quilts and the Gee's Bend quilt that I pin basted this past weekend. I made the baby quilt tops earlier this year out of scraps. That didn't make a dent in my scraps.

Question - on the new blogger format when I go to approve a comment that comment is not being copied to my gmail. It did on the old blogger format. Does anyone out there know what I need to do to make that happen? I like the private side conversations that I have with the ladies that comment when I reply that are not posted for all to see. I would appreciate any help I could get!

Here are pictures of the kids on the quilts. They were a big hit and much appreciated by the entire family. The little boy said he like all the details.

Got some stuff done

First items to get done were pin basting two baby quilts and finishing pin basting the Gee' Bend quilt. I forgot to take a picture. I decided to start sewing together the strips I had cut May 2 and 3rd that were hanging on the design wall.

After sewing the strips together, I pressed and sliced them for 16 patch blocks. Here is my stack ready to sew. There are around 122 blocks to be sewn together.

Here is what the design wall looks like now. The bits and pieces of the marron and navy strips are sitting on the table. I sew these together after I get the 122 done.

I hemmed this top for one of the guys at work. I could only take it up an 1" because of the label. The label is printed on. He has another shirt that needs shortened, but I didn't have any navy blue thread.

I even did my mending!

I did get 3 more centers and 4 more melons quilted on the DWR quilt.

It was either too humid or too hot to work outside this weekend. I did enjoy fireworks from the comfort of my air conditioned living room courtesy of my neighbors. One household shot their fireworks off Friday night and the other household did their's Saturday. The only outside work I did was to stick two of my litrope plants back in the ground that the neighbor's cat dug up and give them and the flowers a drink of water. Here is what the front looks like looking toward the street. When driving up the cul-de-sac you can't see that center bed. The ornamental grass blocks the view so it is like I have my own secret garden in my front yard. This fall I will have to transplant a few things so I can fill in that empty spot in the middle of that center bed.

DWR progress and the squash

I was happy to make more progress on the DWR quilt. I got one melon and two centers quilted yesterday. So now I have 48% of the melons quilted up from 43% since Monday, and 25% of the centers quilted up from 15%.

I labeled two quilts last night to give to a lady I work with. A friend of hers was found to have cancer when she was pregnant with her second child. She had to undergo an emergency C-section then 4 more surgeries right after she had the baby including a tumor on her brain stem. The doctor's opened her up and cannot do anything about the cancer in her lungs. It is just a matter of time before she passes. She also has a 7 years old. I told my co-worker that the kids need quilts. She got me their names so here are the quilts for them - they are laying on top of the Gee's Bend piece that I still need to finish pin basting.

This is why I have a stash of baby quilts! Looking for suitable quilts last night I realized I need to make more. I don't have any pink girly quilts and overall I only have four more quilts in the stash. Yikes! I can't believe that they seem to find homes so quickly! I know I have a couple tops; I will have to dig those out and get them pin basted. That will at least be a start!

My deck garden is doing well. Last night I saw that one of the squash is hanging off the side of the pot. It will be fun to watch it grow.

I am looking forward to another 3 day weekend. You all have a safe and happy 4th of July!

DWR progress and a question on the new Blogger

I managed to keep my daily goal of two melons or one melon and a center quilted every day. I got a melon and a center done yesterday.

The plants needed a drink of water, but I only managed to get part of them watered. With just standing there and watering the sweat was rolling down my face. I just couldn't take it any longer so the rest of the plants will get their drink tonight. The Shasta daisies are blooming out front and it looks so pretty when I drive up the cul-de-sac and see them.

I have started looking at the new Blogger format this morning. I went to post and can't find the button to get the page for a new post. The old Blogger has a button

Where's the new post button on the new Blogger? I clicked on every icon to try and figure out what they were for and never found a new post button. Help!

DWR quilt and more bush wacking

I worked on the DWR at lunchtime and when I got home from work. I had figured out that in order to get this quilt done by the end of August I need to quilt at least two melons a day or a melon and a center a day. I just need my fingers to hang in there! Yesterday I got three melons quilted; that gives me a little cushion in case I have a day that I can't meet my daily quota one day. Just so you know what I am calling a melon, I circled that area in this photo.

At 7 p.m. my neighbor called and asked if he could come over and work on cutting down more of the bushes in the back. He said I didn't need to help, he just wanted to get some exercise. He is trying to get his core strength built up for when he has back surgery. I said sure and got my little electric pole chain saw out and extension cords for him. He is treating my backyard like it was his and has done a marvelous job of cutting the stuff down and hauling it farther down the hill than I ever could. He can also flip the branches up into a pile that I would never be able to do. Here he his starting on the right side of the yard.

The after

The middle to left side of the yard where he limbed up the trees

and the side yard where he limbed up the neighbor's tree that hangs over on my side

I did end up going outside and helping move the branches over to where he was dragging them down the hill, picked up sticks, and gathered up the extension cords. I didn't want to get sweaty last night, but I did. It looks so much better! I will have to get out there and rake up little sticks and use the weed trimmer to clean up the ground stuff; something to do over the 4th! There is a bit more I plan on trimming up, but he got the worst of it for sure!

I also worked in my deck garden. I needed to thin out the bok choy and cut off the leaves on the squash that are below the growing squash. I read somewhere that is what you are suppose to do so I am trying it. The one squash plant is doing better than the ones in the new garden area. I don't think the ones in the garden are getting enough water and the dirt is more compact than the potting soil I used for the deck plant. I know next year I will dig a hole in the dirt and add organic matter and some potting soil to give the plants a better chance.

Got some stuff done!

I got some stuff done this three day weekend! I got the last four boxy pouches done. These were not on my current UFO list so I don't get to cross them off, but they are done nonetheless! I have made more than 150 of these - some gifts, gave some away, sold a few. I still have a big bag of them at the ready. They do make a quick gift.

One of the IT guys wanted 13 masks and the building division manager wanted a skull mask for a friend. I made two skull masks just because I couldn't decide which fabric I like better. Got those made.

Worked on the DWR ring quilt a bit. I finally laid it out to try and figure out how much I have done. I have 40% of the melons quilted and 15% of the centers quilted. I have set a goal of getting this done by the end of August. Let's hope my fingers hold up!

The Gee's Bend top is squared up and I have stated pin basting it.

Outside I got the entire yard mowed in a single session. That wore me out a bit! I spent a few hours weeding as that task was on my to-do list. I cleaned out the remaining weeds, gave the mugo pine a trim, and got the litrophe planted. I could use some more plants, but I think I will let these grow and maybe split them in the spring.

I worked on the big center flower bed and got the weeds pulled. It was so humid it was hard to see thru my glasses with the sweat dripping. It looks a whole lot better. I still need to give the mugo pine in this bed a trim and crawl underneath it to get a few weeds. Here are the before and after shots. I have more weeding to do and that will have to wait until 4th of July weekend.

I have a bare spot in the middle of the bed where two coneflowers use to live. They didn't come up this year. I will have to find something to plant there. I don't want to transplant anything right now while things are blooming and it is forecasted to get into the 90's.

My deck garden pots are doing well since I seem to remember to water them! LOL!! I need to thin out the Bok Choy. When I watered this morning I saw two yellow squash growing!

Tonight I will check the plants in the garden area to see if any squash is forming on any of those plants.