The middle of August....

 Still working on outside stuff and sewing.

These fabrics were in a tub together. Never had a plan. Yesterday Karen told me about a pattern from cluck cluck sew. Fat quarter shuffle. I cut all the strips I would need and started sewing blocks.

Hmmmm. Not very impressed. 

I did all of the blocks of this type and started to like it better. 

Today I will sew the other set of blocks and see what I get. 

The hydrant before the new pavers.

The hydrant with the new frame put around it. We were able to just pick it up and move it to where we wanted it. 

The pavers in place. I put locking sand between them the next day. Went with rocks around all the pipe things sticking up. No need to go shopping, all this stuff was piled up in different places here.

The pickets are up. They haven’t seen the light of day in years and years. First in Aunt Meta’s garage and then in a shed here. My mom remembers them from when she was a little girl in the 1940’s. She wasn’t sure when they came out. 

Maddie and Kyle were married on Saturday. We were the only aunt and uncle going to the reception. So before the aunts headed back to Minnesota we stood around and had a visit with them. 

The newlyweds leaving the church. 

We put up a bunch of corn. Mostly freezing it. I’m told that there is a shortage of lids! You can’t find them anywhere around here. I’ve got a small supply of wide mouth, so that’s what I used. We had one last night. Tastes like a can of corn from the grocery store. Nothing spectacular, just the satisfaction of knowing we had put it up ourselves. 

Okay. Back to sewing. 

Summer things...

 All is well here. I’m starting more quilts. Just what I need, more projects!

This Moonstruck pattern is from 1998 in American Patchwork and Quilting. 

There were many false starts and changes for who I would make this for. I finally have a plan!

 The center stars sections are done. I found my cow fabric when I wasn’t even looking for it. I’ll use it for the appliqué cow jumping over the moon.

These are called postage blocks. They require one solid and scrappy leftover 1 1/2 inch squares. It is an 8 inch block 

I recently found a ton of leftover triangles from a previous quilt. To make them bigger I paired them up. They are the roof part. There were lots of rectangles too. They don’t finish very big. I’m aiming for a baby quilt. My small log cabin blocks have grown. 

We are also getting our electricity poles and wires switched around. Instead of 4 poles, we are down to one. It feels so open and kinda weird. But we are liking it. 

long time gone progress...

It has been a long time since I worked on Long Time Gone! Busy with other stuff that sometimes was and sometimes wasn't quilting related. These were the last blocks I worked on before setting it all aside.

One thing I did was go through fabric and put smaller pieces into color piles. I love the way they look. They are getting used in Long Time Gone and then I have more plans for them. That will have to wait for now.

Group shot of what is sewn together.

I started with the blocks that have the smallest pieces. Working my way up to the bigger and easier blocks. This plan is working out so far.

The Goodwill truck was in town, a good time to clean out the basement. I cleaned out another closet with quilt things and reorganized all that. Outside I have been sanding or staining or painting.

The old back door. The whole thing was in horrible shape and ugly and the weather stripping was gone. It let in a nice cold breeze in the winter. But no more.

I love that new door. On one hand, I'm very curious about how well it will keep out the cold. On the other hand, I am in no hurry to find out. The last several weeks have been pleasant for summer. 

The two flower beds out front needed new frames. 

20 years ago this was a sand box that I stuck flowers in. If you got too close with the mower the boards would fall over.

So tractor joe and I went shopping for the new door and wood for the frames. I wanted a mowing strip so I wasn't scraping up against the wood. His plan was to make the frames, take off the old and lay out the new. 

"How are you going to get that big heavy frame over the windmill?"

He had a plan for that too.

You lift it up....

and over....

New frames in place! Now I need to weed. I always thought I would clean them up after new frames were put on. I just didn't know it would take most of the summer to get that done.

The grass was so dry when this picture was taken. We have had just enough rain again to green up the yard. We mowed last weekend for the first time in weeks. 

All my projects that are going to the Blue Earth Valley Quilters and Woodcarvers Expo are finished. We set up this Thursday for the weekend. Until then I am going to work on those little churn dash blocks. It calls for 20-something of them. 

Here I go.....

More paper and fabric that didn't get in previous post

A few weeks ago we had 9 inches of snow. Before it was all blown off the driveway by the snowblower, I stuck a yardstick in for a final measure.

This wouldn't be so bad, but Karen had a granddaughter born and she couldn't get down to the hospital to see her right away. 

I busied myself on the baby quilt I was making. It is made from blocks I won at block lotto last summer.

It's my very first attempt at quilting in a circle on my sewing machine. Except for the starting point with the tight small circles it went well going round and round. In addition to watching the previous sewn line, I had to concentrate on keeping my neck and shoulders relaxed. They were getting sore. It took a big afternoon and then some to finish the quilting. 

It still doesn't have the binding and this should surprise no one. 

And my sister's tree, doctored up in a photo app!

june...

I was able to finish my midwest row by row from last year, and took it to the quilter. 

Carol is still here to help me. 

The May meeting for Gypsy Wife. We are doing two blocks, then the filler blocks, then two blocks and more filler blocks each month. This was the pin wheels month. I love all the different fabrics that are being used. The quilts will all be the same and but the variety will be fun when they are hung together at next years quilt show.

Carol continues to be in the way. I was looking at the ipad and she had to sit on me. Totally blocking my view.

One day I was in the recliner. Ozzy (the dog) was looking up over my head at something. 

Good grief, Carol had jumped up to sit on the cupboard behind me.

My out west row by row got this far. I need to finish three more vertical rows to get this into a top.

Going camping slowed me down.

It was a good four days weather wise. The forecast had 0% chance of rain. But out of the blue a nasty storm hit Friday night. The wind howled and it rained and rained.

We brought our stuff over there in a trailer. We sat in that and played Yahtzee. We were able to stay dry. The tents all held stayed standing and reasonably dry too.  

We did our painting at the studio too. None of us was happy with our birds. They look more like silhouette people sitting on a branch.

Carol was happy to have us home. She wanted to cuddle near me while I sipped my coffee in bed that morning. 

The kitchen was getting worked on. The walls were all fixed up, ready for me to prime and paint.

Carol continued to always be around. Her favorite place was the tray on this ladder. She wasn't bothered by me moving it around to paint.

They left my kitchen sink until the last minute. It was held up with 2x4's. 

I met my cousin Max at the Quilted Forest in Forest City. We promptly bought the kits for this years row by row. I couldn't stand it and started to sew it together.

The cupboards arrived and Carol made herself at home.

I went to toss a towel in the washing machine and there sat Carol.

Carol can found just about anywhere taking a nap. No counter tops or sink yet. They came to measure and thought they would be back on Tuesday to install.

My mom is taking me on a quilting tour. We go will leave Wednesday for Oregon. I'll be in Sisters for the outdoor quilt show next Saturday. We will visit 5 quilt shops, all have row by row patterns. I will be collecting kits at each shop.

Yesterday was clean out the garage and house of old cupboards. The majority of them ended up in my shed. They are mostly empty. 

At least for now. 

I am really trying to fight my hoarder ways. But these just enable me to tuck things away for safe keeping, one just never knows when you will need something! 

a book, a mess at home, and some blocks.......

Me and My Quilts-Exploring the Possibilites

Julie Sefton has a book! A long time ago she asked me to make a barn block from the book directions. I did. Sent it off to her to get quilted, binding, and hanging sleeve!

And I was sworn to secrecy.

Hold right hand up.

I promise not to breath a word of this adventure and what I have done.

I was officially a SSOBB. 

Here is a link to the books blog.....

thefreepiecedbarnproject.blogspot

Here you will find links for all the other SSOBB members and snippet pictures of their barns.

They are all totally awesome!

Slowly each one will be revealed. 

So, while still working on the house, I have made a decision....

Someday when the kitchen is done, I'll hang that quilt on the new wall area above the fridge. Only it won't be a fridge, it will be a closet door there. All this house stuff is taking up so much of my life right now. It is a good kind of stress, at least it will be worth it when finished.

I took a picture of the block lotto mystery blocks that I have done so far.

Old McDonald Mystery QAL

There will be 99 blocks when we are done.

So I am sewing a little bit too.