Keepin' busy

 

I had quite a few squares left over from my most recent wall hanging quilt, so I decided to make them up into four patch blocks. I'm not sure if they will stay this way, or if I will try some different ways of cutting up and re-sewing to make different block designs. I really think a four patch lap throw would be great!

The first two rows of Joanne's quilt are sewn together. I think I'm going to sew two rows at a time and then join the pairs. It's a little too warm to have a quilt resting on my lap!

While doing some reorganizing, I found two charm packs that I thought went well together. Again, I'm starting with a four patch, but I'm not sure if this is the way they will stay.

This afternoon, Mom and I made fairy wands. I watched a YouTube video and thought they would be fun to make. I found a kit on Amazon, which was much less expensive than purchasing some already made. They arrived this afternoon, and we put them together in almost no time.

Many of our flower pots now have fairy wands in them. The sure do sparkle in the sun light!

Oops! I did it again!

 

I started my day off right by baking a loaf of bread. This time I chose to bake it in a bread bowl I purchased on Etsy. The bread turned out great, and I love the bowl.

Once the bread was finished, I worked on piecing squares for my next quilt idea. Mom and I hadn't gone on an excursion in a while, so I asked her if she was interested in taking a little trip. I didn't need anything, but we met daughter Carol at Michael's, and then went on to Hobby Lobby. We went to Cozumel (Mexican restaurant) for lunch, and then headed home. 

There was plenty of time left to craft. However...

I got caught up in reading, and spent the rest of the day lost in a good book!

The last strip

 

It has taken me all week, but I finally finished putting together the last strip for Joanne's quilt. I'm using the heat as my excuse, but the truth is I've just been lazy!

Another reading day

 

Today was uncomfortably hot and humid with absolutely no breeze until late afternoon. 

Dave and I spent the morning getting my sewing machine tuned up. With lots of road construction going on, it took us over an hour to get to the quilt shop. Luckily, they were able to service my machine while we waited. It turns out that the piece I broke was unnecessary. It was some sort of brake to keep the bobbin from spinning when I stop stitching. The man who was working on the machines told me that I would never sew fast enough to make that brake spring necessary, so I didn't need to buy a new part!

I did put my sewing area back together after lunch, but I had no ambition to do any crafting. Instead, I sat and read the rest of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery, and I'm ready to start her next book.

My sister is coming down to visit tomorrow. It's supposed to be another hot and humid day, so I'm pretty sure we will simply enjoy each other's company!

Ornamental

 

This is the pattern I messed up the other day. It looks so much better in tatting thread! The pattern is "Ornamental" from Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The thread is size 20 Hakelgarn, hand-dyed "Harvest Moon" from LadyShuttleMaker.

I have the next set of blocks ready for joining. While sewing the binding on the last block, I managed to break a piece on my sewing machine. I called my not-so-local quilt shop (it's about an hour away) to find out when I could get it serviced. Dave and I will be taking my machine in tomorrow morning. I'm hoping they can replace the broken piece and tune my machine while we wait.

Since I only had one block to finish, I pulled out a back-up machine that I had planned to give grandson Nick. He asked me several months ago if I would teach him to sew. Naturally, I said yes. I immediately started searching for a machine for him. I found a used Bernina that fit the bill. Luckily, it came with a walking foot. So, I finished binding the last block this morning. The bonus is that I'm confident that I'm giving Nick a machine that runs smoothly and will hold up for years to come!

Another strip

 

Another strip of Joanne's patriotic quilt is finished. I thought I might get started on binding the blocks for the next strip today, but it didn't happen.

I almost finished a bookmark today, but I wound up throwing it out. I was working with perle cotton, which I really don't like for tatting. From the first ring, I knew I wouldn't be happy with the results. Near the end of the bookmark, I made a mistake. I thought I knew what I had done wrong, so I carefully untatted and "fixed" my mistake. However, it was still wrong. I saw that I had made a mistake four rings back. I started to untat again, and the perle cotton just shredded. Yes, I could have cut out the mistake and added new thread, but I disliked the look so much, I just threw the whole thing away.

Tomorrow, I will start the pattern again with thread I like!

Curds & Whey

 

Have you noticed that I've been finishing off each skein of hand-dyed thread with Mary Konior's Curds & Whey? That's because this is a simple one shuttle pattern that looks good no matter where I end it. I've even been saving small pattern repeats to use as embellishments. Where or when I use them has not been determined!

I wasn't really in the mood to sew yesterday. Another book has caught my interest, and I wanted to be lazy and have another reading day. However, I also have a strong desire to see how this quilt is going to turn out. So, I spent the better part of the afternoon binding the next set of blocks.

I've watched videos on yet another way of attaching the binding, but the finished look is different, so I won't be experimenting with this quilt. I do have an idea for my next quilt!