Hopeless

I only worked 50 hours this week and got no sewing done! I did get everything moved into my new office/sewing room. That was a lot of stairs for me to do. I counted trips and stairs and I could have climbed the CN tower in Toronto! It probably would have been easier as I wouldn't have had armfuls or laundry baskets full of stuff. My husband is adding four shelves for me this week. We also decided how to make a great cutting table. Pictures to follow in a week or so, when it is ready. The same with a design wall I am planning.

How about a wall hanging that doubles as a toy? I came up with the idea myself. I had purchased twenty sun print squares. I framed them then finished them (birthing, not binding and then quilted) and sewed buttons and elastic loops to go over the buttons to hold the squares together. Then I got a curtain rod (adjustable, so I can make it wider when I want to) with rings with little clothes pin sort of clips to hang it from. If you try this use proper quarter inch elastic. A friend tried it using black ponytail holders, but with the weight of the squares, they are starting to stretch out too much. She is going to have to replace them with the regular elastic.

Now a close-up to see how it goes together.

I did say toy and I meant it. Our oldest grandson loves taking it down and mixing up the way it is put together. Even my husband gets into the act.

How about this?

Or this?

Here is my personal favourite!

One last one that I cheated on. To get the lower squares to hang straight, I had to use some invisible thread to tie them to the top part.

It really is fun to play with! I just realized that I still have over an hour before bedtime, and this blog has again inspired me to get busy, so it is back to basting my rail fence quilt. Hope you have a good week and that we all get lots done!

Long Week

I worked 55 hours this week. Needless to say, it is crazy busy at work. My thumb was too sore from too much sewing on Sunday to do any basting Monday night. We had company for dinner Tuesday night. Wednesday night I was out at Evening Threads Quilt Guild. It was a great night with suggestions on what to do with large scale border prints as well as smaller Jinny Beyer size ones. I got to see what everyone did with their hearts! They were great! Thursday night was Kempenfelt Quilters' Guild. Friday night our daughter came for dinner & stayed most of the evening (significant other still on afternoon shift). Saturday was more work & then shopping for my granddaughter's birthday present. While I was out I got a shelf unit for the closet in the big bedsitting room in the basement that my youngest daughter used to live in. I finally decided, after over six years in this house, that the smallest (8' x 9') bedroom upstairs is just too small for a combined office & sewing room. I am moving everything downstairs. It will take me a few weeks, but I will get there eventually. My husband put the shelf unit together (36" x 24" x 72")as well as a 36" x 36" nine cube unit for extra storage. Did I mention that the closet is 12' long, with two sets of double bifold doors and two lights? Today we drove to Toronto for the birthday party. I am rather tired tonight and so am going to take it easy!

In the mean time, what do you think of circles? I did the following a couple of years ago and decided on Friday to bring them home from the office to take pictures. Now that I am moving into a much bigger room, I think that I will keep them here to decorate my new room.

I love batiks! This was made with a bunch of scraps from a wall hanging I made for my middle daughter a few years ago.

The next one I made from some fabric that my girlfriend gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. She knows how much I love Asian fabric. I wanted to make it as large as I could with the fabric on hand, so ended up having to piece the binding, but I think it turned out looking as if it had been planned that way!

She also gave me a lovely broach, that I use as an embellishment on the hanging. Now that I have it at home, I will take it off sometimes to actually wear myself!

I hope everyone was more productive than I was this week! Happy quilting!

On Track

Wow, it has been one of those weeks. I worked 47 hours at my job and managed to get everything done that I wanted to do at home. The hanging sleeve and label are sewn onto "All About Hearts". My two blocks are done for Block of the Month at Evening Threads Quilt Guild.

September - January Block of the Month Squares

I got the back sewn together for my "rail fence" quilt.

Rail Fence Back (before it was trimmed).

There is some rather interesting fabric in this. I would have loved to do the entire back in, but I didn't have enough. I made due with what I had, by adding some leftovers from the quilt top.

Interesting Fabric On Back

Then I pressed everything, layered it and pinned the whole thing together with about 500 pins. I trimmed off the excess fabric around the edges and this is what was left.

Rail Fence with about 500 pins.

I then put "The West Wing" 1st season on my computer, in my sewing room (because I have seen it before, but enjoy listening to it while I sew), and managed to get 1/4 of it basted. I will continue working on it this week, but am going to be at my job 10 hours a day, so probably won't get that much done. I also have quilt guild meetings Wednesday & Thursday nights. I do get to show my "All About Hearts" wall hanging Wednesday night and get to see what everyone else did with their hearts, so that is will be fun!
Have a good week and enjoy whatever you are working on!

"All About Hearts"

I had a kindred group get together Wednesday evening. Along with everything else, several of the ladies brought their heart challenge project or at least their hearts. I didn't want to fold mine up when it wasn't done for fear of losing buttons. I finally finished it tonight, almost. It still needs a label and a hanging sleeve. I am pleased with the way it turned out. The main body of it is quilted in navy blue on my Sashiko sewing machine, as are the white hearts around the outside. I am also pleased that I did the entire project with material & even buttons out of my stash!

"All About Hearts"

Two more squares for my block of the month club to do next! Then I hope to get back to my rail fence quilt. I am back to working full time, so it will take me quite a while. Please be patient & I will try to do pictures as I go.