My first two strips are sewn together. I had hoped to accomplish more, but I was called in to sub at the last minute today.
I have to admit that my fingers are a bit sore from all this hand sewing, but that's probably because I've spent so many hours hand sewing each day. I'm also sewing through multiple thicknesses. It looks like it is possible for me to finish my quilt within the next week, and that's exciting!
My strips are all made! Now it's time to sew the strips together. I'm really loving this pot holder quilt technique!
Tatting didn't happen today. Dave and I did get the plants we planned on purchasing today, plus a few extra. I planned on joining our Tollway Tatters meeting when we returned home, but I couldn't get an Internet connection.
Instead, Mom and I went grocery shopping, and Dave planted potatoes. After lunch, Dave roto-tilled the garden beds in preparation for planting our new trees and bushes. We then spent quite a bit of time determining where the plants would go. We've decided that we do need a few more plants to fill the spaces, but that will probably wait until at least next week.
With a few minutes to spare here and there, I managed to finish the fifth strip of my patriotic quilt. I only have three strips left to finish, and then I can begin joining the strips. I realized today that our seniors only have two weeks of school left, and they're the ones most interested in seeing my finished quilt. Can I finish it before they leave school? I'm going to give it a try!
Yesterday was Drive Your Tractor to School Day, a huge celebration of our farming community that happens every Spring. A huge breakfast is served (bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, hash browns, coffee, juice, milk), and then the students and staff gather around the flag pole to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The students then drive their tractors down to the elementary school so that all the younger students can see the tractor parade and have their pictures taken next to these huge machines. Middle school and high school students get to see the tractors again in the afternoon.
Our middle school science teacher heads the FFA and has carried on the tradition that started many years ago. Since he is part of all the activities, a sub was needed for him in the morning. So, I spent the morning with middle school students, who have more energy than you can possibly imagine. I was worn out by the time my normal lunch duty was finished!
I didn't have the brain power left to concentrate on tatting, so I finished up the fourth row of my patriotic quilt. This is going to be much larger than a normal lap quilt and smaller than what I need for our bed. However, it can be a topper. Maybe I'll just give it to one of my tall relatives!
Dave has been busy working on the landscaping in our yard. He has been trimming dead branches and taking down dead trees so that our yard looks neater. However, that means that we are losing some of the character that we love. So, he placed an order with a man we have been purchasing from for years. We're heading out this morning to pick up our order. If I make it to our monthly Tollway Tatters meeting, I will most likely be late. It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend, perfect for outdoor work. I, of course, will sit and observe while Dave does all the work. I might even sit and tat!
So far, so good! I now have three of my eight rows sewn together.
We had a beautiful day filled with sunshine, which made it difficult to take a good picture of my progress on Renulek's Spring Doily 2026. I'm 1/4 of the way through round 17. I really like that the rounds in this doily have been easy to follow. It's nice to not have to follow step by step instructions for each round.
I have two strips finished on my patriotic quilt. I'm going the combine the blocks for each strip before joining the eight strips together. That way, I can still make changes to the arrangement if I want to.
I'm really enjoying this pot holder technique, and I'm having great fun looking at possibilities for future projects!
