Procrastination

I'm really good at procrastination, but then when I can't put things off any longer, I get busy.  And busy I've been!

Jackie asked if I could make some "ugly" sweatshirts for her and her co-worker.  She found a design she wanted online.  Here's my interpretation...

Then I found some snowmen using salt and pepper shakers.  I had quite a collection of salt and pepper shakers, and made a family of snowmen, three for each daughter, and two for me. 

I haven't decorated or put up a tree, but I need to get out my advent calendar and at least do that!  

 Today I got busy sewing microwave bowl cozies for Lindsay's co-workers.  Have to have them done by Friday.  I guess I work best under pressure.

An early taste of winter

They were right on with this predicted weather.  I woke up to 26 degrees and a light dusting of snow.  It was raining when I went to bed, and sometime during the night when the temperature dropped, it changed to ice and snow.  The trees are still fully leafed, and now covered with a thin film of ice.  It's not melting and the thermometer has only inched up one degree in four hours.  I was glad to have cleaned out the heat stove last week and be able to turn it on.  No solar gain today!

I'm missing the spring days when this Western tanager stopped by, but I really love fall.

 Back in May I asked for a yarn ball winder for Mother's Day, and it was nice to use with my yarn stash. 

 I'm caught up with July finishes of donation quilts.  

 

Cloudy, rainy morning

It's an unusual morning with rain clouds.  We got nearly an inch of rain last night!  Most welcome.  Maybe another half an inch this morning, though I haven't gone out to check yet.  I love the cooler fall weather.

I'm still catching up on earlier finishes.  These were all from May.  Thanks to all my friends that keep me in tops to quilt for newly diagnosed diabetic kids.    

We got another 3/8 inch of rain this morning, but now the sun is shining brightly.  No excuse not to go on my daily walk to the post office.   

Hot summer

Some time ago, I took a class with Anne Ravenstone to learn punched tin.  I did learn that it is much harder than it looks.  I had a couple of vintage glass doorknobs that I had envisioned worked with weathered wood and tin for a coat rack.

After I had a garage sale, I decided to spend some of the proceeds and commissioned a coat rack from Anne.  She delivered and added a couple of vintage doorknobs of her own.  

I've followed Susan Lenz's blog for a long time.  Susan makes a case for using all our precious stuff in her video.  She has inspired me to finally incorporate a tablecloth from my paternal grandmother into a quilt.     

I didn't know my grandmother well.  I did hear the stories that she would make all seven of her children, boys and girls embroider before they could go out and play.  Some of my uncles would bury the threads in the yard.  

I decided to incorporate star blocks that online friends showered me with after Dale passed away.  I also have a bunch of doilies, many that I made myself that I would like to use in a quilt.  I have more quilts than I can use...but they at least get used instead of gathering dust put away in a box.  

Still catching up with quilts finished this year.  One from Pat...

 and one from Tove.

 

  

Still not caught up...

It doesn't seem like I've done all that many quilts this year until you don't blog for a whole year, and try to catch up.  

Pat cut out multiple DaChintzy mystery quilts, and this was one of them. 

She also did several jelly roll quilts.  

Tove sent me these.  They are both prolific piecers, and I can't keep up their pace with finishes. 

I gave up on curved piecing my Eclipse quilt.  I had to grow the backing for this one from Tove, also with a leftover strip she had sent.  

I'm lucky to have friends that prefer piecing!  Thanks guys! 

 

Bug season

I'm not a fan of insects!  Lately every time I turn around there is another one surprising me.  I shriek and swear even though there is no one around to hear me. 

There have been big moths here every year.  This year they were darker.  They are bigger than my hand, and fortunately not flying towards me.  

I had to dispatch the black widow spider.  It was at the corner of the garage up by the eaves.  I walk under there in order to hang out laundry on the clothesline.

Pat was working in a series earlier this year and made all these Hungry Caterpillar quilts.

  
 

Baby quilt

One of my (two) nephews was expecting a baby, and picked the fabrics for this quilt.

 I used the Meadowlyon owlets pantograph which although dense, is one of my favorites.  

 I also owed the couple a bed-sized quilt, and I used my go to BQ3 pattern.  They picked the very southwestern Alexander Henry print.  

I had to make some 9-inch blocks as well as the 18-inch blocks because I didn't have enough of the print.  I also put wide borders on two sides. 

Last Christmas quilts

Pat put together a number of Christmas quilts.  She had a lot of blocks from swaps that had been aging!  

Rosie scored some flannel snowman fabric that provided the perfect backing for a number of the quilts.  

Another of Pat's. 

Still catching up with 2017

The grandboys started losing teeth last November and I made them tooth fairy pillows.  Diagram printed from an online source.  

More donation quilts from Tove.  She is a prolific piecer.  This one great for a boy, made from shirting material.

 I made a batch of lefse after Thanksgiving.  I used gold potatoes which worked great, with very few breaking.