Next project

Since I am on a roll finishing vintage quilt tops, I figure why not finish one more. This top came to me in the same box as the vintage rail fence quilt top.

It measures about 60" x 60" so I dug out my vintage fabric and started digging for fabrics that would go with this top. I had saved a couple vintage pieces of fabric that Linda G. sent me for tote bags and they will fit into this quilt top nicely! I roughly cut the fabric and made an additional two rows/columns of four patch squares. The blue stripe came from Linda. The 4-patches are oversized. I didn't want them to be perfect so they would fit in with the rest of the 4-patches and I wanted them to be big enough so there was plenty of wiggle room when I go to fit everything together. I had only done one column, but that still didn't make the top long enough. Then with two columns, the additional pink and blue striped blocks looks more like they belonged than an afterthought.

The plan is to add a scrappy light border using the vintage fabric I could find in my collection plus a piece from Linda

then after the quilt is done, I might dye it in a very pale brown color to tone down the fabric I added. I will have to wait until it is done before I make that decision. Before I do anything though, I need to press the top nice and flat and fix the fullness at the bottom side before I add on the 4-patch blocks.  I think this is going to be a cool scrappy quilt.

I called the heating and cooling place and they are coming this afternoon to perform a leak check. I never had a problem with my A/C until I got the A coil replace last November. I assume the A coil has a one year warranty so it is imperative that we figure out if maybe the coil is the problem.

What a weekend

I got the vest done. It is for the adult son of a friend.

Saturday morning I was outside about 7:30 to do some yard work before it got too hot. I worked in the yard for 4 hours. I cleaned up the flower bed at the curb. Before and after

I pulled the weeds out of another smaller bed and filled the wheelbarrow.

Then I worked on this stump from the pine tree I cut down a couple weeks ago.

I pulled up the weed cover

then went after it with the electric chain saw. I cut it away in sections and after about an hour the worst of it was gone.

I filled the depression with a bag of top soil I had in the garage and two loads of dirt I got from one of the flower beds. Spread the grass seed I had to go buy, sprinkled seed starter on top (because I had it on hand and to hold the seeds in place), watered and now it is a matter of waiting.

I finished sewing the labels on 4 quilts and messed around the rest of the day. I was so tired I just couldn't focus on anything.

Sunday I was outside at 7 a.m. and put 2 more hours in the yard. I work on the center flower bed. I am about 60% done with this bed. I filled two wheelbarrows.

Here is the before and after

My next project was to finish the vest. I did some cooking and worked on a couple smalls, laundry, and packaging up items for mailing. Meanwhile, I had no service on my phone and the A/C was not working right. I think the Freon has leaked out again so the leak seal that the A/C pumped into it in July didn't work. The service man is coming tomorrow since rain is in the forecast today. Tomorrow is forecasted to be 88 and I can't be without A/C. It is going to be bad enough trying to sleep tonight without A/C.

Weekend plans

The number one project this weekend is to get that vest finished. It is pinned together and ready for me to stitch.

I went thru my buttons and found four of two differnt sizes that would work.

The next project is to get some yard work done. The stupid marathon will have the neighborhood streets closed down on Saturday so I won't be able to go anywhere so yard work might as well happen then. Other projects on the list are to fully finish some of those smalls I have been stitching, get them packed for shipping, and putting labels on the pink and black t-shirt quilt, the black and white star quilt, the vintage rail fence quilt, and t-shirt quilt made out of my nephew's band t-shirts. Maybe I can start thinking about what my next project will be; there is always something on the list! Have a great weekend!

Vest progress

This pile of pieces and parts will be a vest by the end of this evening. I touch every piece and did the first steps - sewing together the back and the back lining, sititching in the darts for the front, pressing on the interfacing and stitching the front lining onto the front facing.

I wasted a lot of time last evening looking for my dressmaker tracing paper and the roller thingy to mark the darts. I never did find the paper, but I used this transfer paper I found. I finally did find the roller thingy which I have had since I was in high school and belonged to 4-H! I haven't made any clothes for a while so I had to hunt to find these.

I had to take the time too to make a pot of chili for lunches.

Yesterday at work they had a food truck come. Free food! I got some nachos and a burrito bowl. I saved the burrito bowl for a meal today. I think that will be breakfast.

Covers in action

Last night I got to see those covers I sewed together Sunday in action. One covered the keyboards

the other one covered the drums. They do this to kind of block out the equipment when the opening act is performing.  They also like them for outdoor shows to keep the equipment clean.

I asked my brother how many crew members it took to fold them and he said 4! To think I folded those by myself!  LOL!! He is Gary Clark Jr.'s guitar tech.

Here he is getting things set up after the opening act was done.

I hadn't seen him in a long time so it was good to see him a bit before the show. I rode with another brother and my nephew, Michael, to the show.

I didn't get to bed until 1 a.m. so I took a half day of vacation so I could sleep in. I did have enough time to get started on cutting out the vest I need to get made.

Here are the patches that I will sew on the vest.

17th finish for 2022

The vintage rail fence quilt top is now a finished quilt! I threw it in the wash last night and it came out all nice and crinkly. It shrunk about 2 1/2" in both the length and the width. The finish size is 61 1/2" x 80". It is not perfectly rectangular. The maker had pieced together scraps what she had of the green and gold border fabric and it just wasn't quite long enough at one end. Scraps of homespun fabric were used for the binding along with fabric from two blue plaid shirts I bought at Goodwill.

For the backing, a blog reader and friend sent me the green plaid fabric which was just enough for the width of the quilt. (Thank you Cherie!)I  bought the blue plaid. This quilt definitely needed a plaid back!  Not the greatest photo.  The wrinkles really show up the way the light is hitting it.  

The next project will be that vest. After I get home from work I usually take a walk around the yard. I have been watching my zucchini to see if the one last fruit was going to mature and it looks like I will have one more. The picture makes it look like it is bigger than it really is. It will be ready to pick in a couple days.

Covers, quilting, and a full moon

Apparently the National Guard doesn't read my blog so they didn't show up despite being invited! LOL!!  Since  they didn't show up there was a lot that didn't get done, but I did get some stuff done. I worked on the covers for my brother on Sunday. Look at the nice neat way they are folded coming out of the package.

Then after sewing four together like a giant 4-patch, they look like this.

I took them upstairs to spread them out and fold them. I used a couple of my cast iron pans to hold down one end so I could stretch them out. Here is the one cover which measured 17 feet and folded in half was now 8'. So yes, the covers measure approx. 17 feet by 16 feet! It was almost as hard to fold them as to sew them!

Here are the two covers all neatly stuffed in a bag I made just for them. I took them over to another brother's house and they will be picked up today.

Friday night and Saturday I worked on quilting the vintage rail fence top. Friday night I had no issues, but on Saturday it was a battle. The thread kept jumping out of the bobbin and goobering up. I thought maybe I needed to oil the bobbin, so I did that but still had a problem. I made sure to clean the bobbin casing area out, and the thread was still jumping. I though maybe the thread was the issue - nothing I could do about that. I just keep plugging away and had to stop and fix the bobbin at least once every bobbin. I finally decided to tighten the screw on the bobbin and the last two bobbins sewed without any issues. After a lot of messing around, I finally got the quilting done, made the binding, and sewed on the binding. On Sunday after I got the covers done, I started hand stitching the binding. I ran out of time and have 55" of binding to finish.

On Friday I did find two shirts at the Goodwill to add to the mix of plaids for the binding.

The full moon must have been crushing my vibe since several things were off kilter. First, the bobbin thread issue, my lower level toilet kept intermittently running which was driving me crazy, and the pattern for the vest still hadn't arrived. I ordered the pattern 8/29 and it was coming from a town on the other side of the state. I messed around with the toilet adjusting the water level float, but that didn't work so I stuck a knife in the float so the water wouldn't kick on.  The water eventually drains out of the tank so I think the problem is with the seal. At least I don't have to listen to the water kick on and off. 

Then on Saturday the pattern for the vest I need to make finally showed up. The seller mailed it on 9/2 and it arrived 9/10. I have gotten stuff from California faster! Geeze! At least now I have the denim fabric, interfacing and the pattern so I can make the vest. I will find something in my stash for the lining. Too bad I didn't think about it earlier and get some fabric with a train theme. Oh well. I do have a piece of fabric that looks like a railroad stripe. I haven't measured to see it there is enough, but I will find out tonight!