Block Heads No. 3, and a Special Visitor!

Today has been a quiet one for me, with no where I had to be.  I've been a little lazy I guess, but I did get the Week 3 Moda Block Heads block made.  It's been so long since I've done much piecing, and I had a little trouble getting all those points to hit exactly, but I did get my ripper practiced up for days to come!  Here's my Week 3 block, again made totally from my patriotic scraps.  And just think, another block comes out tomorrow!

Again, I still have not even practiced with my new ruler foot, much less do any stitching on the practice quilt.  I had the marking on that in such a mess, I just ironed those Frixion pen marks off and started again.  After piecing the back, I finally got it wide enough also.  I guess I did a fair job of stitching all those irregular squares, and now I should be ready to start experimenting, first on just a little sandwich, and then moving onto the practice quilt.  Just stitching all those squares, and then tying and tucking threads, wore me out!  Maybe you can tell from the picture what I was dealing with.  The book suggested spray basting, but I prefer not doing that, so the picture shows a few little puffy places, but when I rub each block down, it seems to be okay; we'll see someday.

Bet you can't guess who paid me a visit last Sunday.  She hasn't been here in almost a year, but I really enjoyed her visit, though she didn't stay very long, and I haven't seen her since.

Here is a picture from last year's visits:  Looks like the same bird, but who knows?  (Notice the difference in the climbing rose and the space behind the trellis; I didn't do anything in my yard last year; this year is already looking much better.)

Last year she stayed several days; I've seen her only once this year so far.

This has been an unusual past several days with the birds.  One day I looked out and saw two Texas Road Runners on my neighbor's roof.  I took a picture, but it didn't turn out very well.  Then another day I looked out and saw a pile of dove feathers, almost in the same exact place as where a hawk was eating a dove last year.  I don't know what killed the big white winged dove this year, but if it was that black cat that stalks the dove in MY yard, he better get ready for trouble!

I had to see my doctor Monday (routine re-check on BP and shoulder), and she was amazed at how well my shoulder is doing.  I asked if I could stop the therapy, but shed said no.  The therapist added two more home exercises I have to do twice a day.  It takes about 45 minutes each time.  I go back to therapy Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  I hope she doesn't keep adding more exercises for home!

The weatherman is saying we will have severe storms with high winds and large hail between midnite and 5 AM, and I'm not looking forward to that!  Right now it doesn't look much like that will happen, but it's not dark yet.   I think maybe it will go north of here.   I cut two bouquets of roses about noon so they wouldn't get ruined.

Looking forward to seeing more pretty things from all of my bloggin' buddies!

---"Love"

Good News! I Made Another Block!

Last Wednesday I decided to take a look at the second Moda Block Heads block.  Not having anything else going on, I decided to give it a try, continuing with scrap patriotic fabrics.  Here's how it turned out.

I had seen somewhere this way of labeling the blocks and decided to go back and take another picture of Block 1.  This way, someone someday will know where this group of blocks came from, if I never get them all put together.  I do plan to do that though.

I'm looking forward to see what tomorrow's block will be.

I've not made much progress on using my new ruler foot yet.  The drawing I showed last week of the practice project just was not satisfactory.  The fabric was just barely wide enough for the measurements in the book, and somehow I must have stretched the fabric at the last corner, and the stitching line was overlapping into the selvage, which I did not like.  I decided to make the needed corrections in the drawing.  Then when I started to make the quilt sandwich, the backing I had chosen shrunk too much when I washed it, and was not wide enough.  I really didn't want to piece it, so I went back to the store and bought a second backing.

Guess what!  When I washed the second backing, it also shrunk too much and was not wide enough! I got upset, and went out and worked in a flower bed a while!  This afternoon I decided to piece the first chosen backing.  I had bought a little extra, so I just fixed it late this afternoon.  Maybe the next time I get ready to sandwich the thing, I can get it done!

That probably won't be tomorrow.  My son is coming to mow, etc.,  tomorrow morning, and then I have therapy tomorrow afternoon, and again Thursday afternoon after church quilting.  Maybe Friday I can get to it.

I'm so glad Spring is here.  The weather has been beautiful this week, and my roses are beginning to bloom quite a bit.  It's been nice having the house open, with just a gentle breeze blowing through.  There's a chance for some storms Friday morning, which I dread, but they are not expected to last long.  We do need the rain, but not wind or hail.  Whatever, I'll try not to complain too much.

The therapy and home exercises are truly helping my shoulder a lot.  My arm still doesn't want to go over my head or behind my back without pain, but it is working much better.   Thanks for all your comments of concern.

Really and truly, someday I am going to get some quilting going.

---"Love"

I Finally Made a Block Yesterday!

A few days ago Ruth of Country Log Cabin Quilts tempted me when she mentioned that she had decided to join Moda's Block Heads Block of the Week.  I normally don't get involved with those things, but I just needed to get started on something, so I decided to look into it.  Well, I may not stick with it for 48 weeks, but at least I have Block No. 1 done.  I decided to use some of my patriotic scraps for this series.  When I say scraps, that's what I mean.  I didn't have to cut into a new strip of fabric at all, just little scraps.  There are 24 tiny pieces in that 6.5" block!

Looks like I cut the point off that lower right red point, but there's really a white star there.

It took me a while to get it done because it's been so long since I've stitched anything, since before November 1!  It's good enough to suit me.

I still haven't tried out my new ruler foot, but I have drawn off the practice project suggested by Janet Collins in her Ruler Quilt Design Book.  She is an accredited Westalee Design Teacher, and I'm so glad I got her book.  I chose to use solid pink fabric for the practice piece, and it took me a long time to draw that irregular design onto my fabric.  I haven't tried quilting in each of those blocks of various sizes.   Hopefully I can try to do some of them later this week.  

Last Friday I went to an estate sale that supposedly had lots of fabric and sewing stuff.  There wasn't much quilt fabric, but here's what I got, including a bag of lace and a few crochet pieces for a project someday.  I really needed all that, didn't I?

Near the top is a Dresden Plate pillow cover with a ruffle; hand quited, and pretty.

I think maybe I can get back to quilting a little before too much longer.  It felt good piecing that little block yesterday.

I go to my first therapy session tomorrow for my shoulder. It's better already, but still needs a little help I think.  Thanks for all your kind concern comments on my last post.

That's about it for now.

Keep on inspiring me with your blogs, but don't be tempting me again!

---"Love"

February, 2017, Continued to be Eventful!

Life continues to be full of surprises; some of them pleasant, some not so pleasant!

My birthday was February 16, which made me almost ancient!  My DIL made Chicken Enchiladas for my dinner, and my son had this cake decorated for me.  He told the girl it was for a quilter and to try to do something that looked "quilty".  Here's the result:  (See the squares at the top?)

A couple of days after my last post, my DIL and I went to Waco for the Heart of Texas Shop Hop and the Homespun Quilter's Guild of Waco Quilt Show, both in the Waco Convention Center.  We arrived at 10 AM.  We decided to see the Show first so we wouldn't have to carry anything we might buy.  It was a very good show, with some very striking and beautiful quilts!  Here are a few of my favorites.

Ring of Fire, perhaps the most striking quilt there!

A bargello; probably my DIL's favorite

My Favorite-beautiful applique and quilting!

Interesting - Can you find the block(s)?

Gorgeous use of vintage handwork!  I AM going to try this sometime!

Historical marker in front of center; Fountain below.

Water flows over the top all the time

It is a beautiful tribute!  May we never forget the cost of our Freedom!

Next we walked the Shop Hop floor.  Vendors were there from all over Texas, one from Arkansas, and one from Illinois I think.  We enjoyed looking at everything, but I didn't need a thing, and my DIL didn't have much money to spare.  I bought a couple of things for her; 3 yards of red "heart" fabric for a backing for her GD's heart quilt like mine, and also a 24" 10-degree wedge ruler.  The vendor had a table topper made with the ruler, and she remarked that the topper would look great on my coffee table; it will be somewhat like a bargello thingy.  We both liked it, so I bought it for her.

For myself, I bought a pattern by Nancy Rink Designs, "Strip It Three Ways".  We saw it made up, and I liked it; don't know when I'll get it made.  Then at one booth, we watched a demonstration of  the Westalee Ruler Foot and various Westalee rulers.  I had been reading about them on Amy's Freemotion Adventures site, and I knew from her blog that the foot would work on my Janome 8900, though I had never really thought I would want the foot, much less the rulers. Yet I was intrigued to see them in use.  They were a bit pricey, and we walked on.  Later on in another booth, we saw a display of them, and they had posted a deal that was not quite so costly.  Okay, enough of this rambling; here's what I bought!

The foot was in the first package; it's on my machine below.

See the notch in the front of the enclosed circle?

I stitched about 10" on a scrap sandwich to make sure it fits my machine, and it does.  I then used the starter ruler to stitch an oval.  I was satisfied with it, but had to quit at that time, and I have never gotten back to it, except to take the picture today.  I think maybe someday I'll be able to learn to use the rulers, and oh well, if I can't, maybe my DIL can.  I just have to make the time, and right now that's not available.  Can you believe that?

We were both about worn out and decided to head home soon.  She left me at my house at 4 PM, and I showered and changed to dress clothes, and arrived at my town's Convention Center at 6 PM for the Annual Firemen's Award Banquet.  It was so much fun to see all those guys I used to work with, but that thing lasted until 10 PM!  I just thought I was tired when we left Waco!  Now I knew what tired really was!  But I wouldn't have missed it for anything!  It was a delightful evening!

The next week was pretty quiet.   My son took me to get 14 big bags of mulch for my rose garden, and we got that out on Tuesday.  Of course,I (we) had pruned and fertilized the roses the week before. Doesn't the rose garden look pretty?  (Sorry it was shady.)  I should take a new picture.  Today, six days after this picture, all the roses are fully leafed out, and two have two blooms open and more buds forming!  I guess the fertilizer is helping!  Also in February, we had 14 days that were over 80 degrees; that always helps!

 I went to church quilting on Thursday, and then on Friday, my DIL came over to use my table to sandwich her GD's quilt.  That's when the fun began again.

We were in my guest bedroom for some reason when all of a sudden I fell.  I don't know what happened; I didn't pass out; I didn't hit my head.  My DIL thinks I tripped over my own feet. I just collapsed in the 15" wide space between the chest of drawers and the Barrister's bookcase full of quilts, in the picture below.  My "rear" exactly fits there!  The bed is about 15" from the bookcase.

I had no place to go so I just crumpled down, feet and legs going every direction!  Scared my DIL to death almost.  The right side of my body from shoulder to ankle scraped down the edge of the bookcase and indeed knocked the glass second from bottom to the floor, but it didn't break.  I was able to get on my knees after a few minutes and pulled myself up with the bed.  I didn't bleed anywhere, but boy, do I have the bruises!

I realized my shoulder and arm were hurt pretty bad, but I was determined we would get her quilt sandwiched, so I kept quiet.  My right lower arm seemed to work fairly well (and still does) in spite of the huge bruise just below my elbow, but I could not, and still can't, raise my arm from the shoulder,   My son insisted and took me to the doctor Monday, and after lots of x-rays, I learned I have no broken bones, but my rotator cuff is messed up, not enough for surgery, but therapy will be necessary.  I guess that will be scheduled next week maybe.

I didn't feel like going to church Sunday, and I couldn't have played the piano for SS anyway.  In fact, I haven't done anything much since I got home from the doctor Monday.  Now I can move my hand just fine if I don't have to reach up or to the side.

I guess we could sum all this up by stating that this old lady is just an accident looking for a place to happen!

One thing I have done is some catching up on printing my blogs for my notebook.  Remember back when APQ closed down our blogs there?  I did manage to print all those before they were deleted by APQ.  I'd hate for that to happen here; it's my record of all my quilts!  I had already printed a lot of my Blogger ones, but I did more this past week.  I think I still have a few more to print.  I hope my kids (and my DIL) appreciate all that ink someday! *giggle*  Have any of you been printing yours?

So that's my February!  And now it's March 1, 2017!  I'm hoping things get better for me.  I did a little thinking and planning yesterday on what my next quilt might be.  I can't believe I haven't sewed a bit since before Christmas!  I think I've read almost every quilting blog online, and a lot of them are really good!  I've really enjoyed reading about all my bloggin' buddies have been working on.   I'm looking forward to trying to get something started soon.  I just have to have something to show in March!

Don't give up on me yet!

---"Love"