PASTA CRAB SALAD MY WAY

 Tuesday this week i found some imitation crab in the freezer and thought that would be good for hot days so i put in frig to thaw.....Knowing i had to cook something for my supper tonight i got that out and made a crab salad my way early this morning....Cukes, pasta, red pepper and spices and of course crab....i had to have some so my breakfast was a big bowl of pasta crab salad......i controlled myself with ingredients so i wont be eating it all week....most of the time i make 2-8 oz pkg of crab but 1 was just right with a big handful of macaroni, cucumber and 1/2 red pepper....didn't have celery  and i didn't want onion this time did have celery seed, garlic powder and dill....I used to think you had to follow recipes to the letter but somewhere along the way i figured out to experiment.....I think it happened when i started watching cooking shows on TV..

Didn't make it to the sewing room yesterday. weather aches got the best of me when we had several storms with the huge low pressure that is still passing over us...spent more time laying down...They say same set up for today as yesterday so have to be watchful of more....stay safe....more later...

UP EARLY THIS MORNING

 

Yes i am up early this morning...have some things i want to get done before my son comes.... He will stop by after his business appointment with my list of groceries he picked up for me.....It would be so much better if we had a grocery store in town but we dont....i miss getting my own groceries ....i used to almost make out menus as i shopped with what i bought and pretty much stuck to what i thought about cooking later on....

My little old lady machine is now over 60 years old ...that's her in the picture...i bought her back in the 60's...at the time she was top of the line Neechi machines...But now she is like me old and wore out....i have to oil her quite often and being its been awhile since i last sewed she probably needs a little prodding....Is there anyone still sewing on one of these???...This picture is when she is cleaned off but right now i have it piled high with scraps diffeerent sizes doing leaders and enders....i should get pics of the table beside the machine with all the piles of different quilts started...maybe i will if i dont forget it...

Ok gotta get bills ready for him so he can mail for me and just get started......more later....

CHECKING QUILT PATTERN IDEAS

 While I was checking what i have in the quilt pattern idea file i was looking at this one....There isn't any measurements but wouldn't be too hard to make up ....It could be themed or just scrappy....make a good potholder or runner too.....i will look into this more at a later time....

Here is a sample block i made some time ago with the idea of a whole quilt....that seems similar of the block i showed today... I only know the name 'Dewey' for this block  i found in one of my quilt mags...not sure if that is the whole name of me shortening it to suit me lol...I did follow a pattern for it but couldn't tell you where it is today....being me i didn't write things down....it was fairly easy block and made at least 10'' one....

I'm trying to make up my mind if i want to get a nap in this morning or stay up....i couldn't sleep only 3 hrs last night...i can still be productive if i nap a couple hrs then up rest of the day.....more on this later....

READY FOR BINDING

 

last night i quilted the blue runner on the left in the pic

 but the others ones were sitting there staring at me so i just went ahead and did them also....I dont know how old the one with the pink in it is...it was an experimental block is all i remember about it.

In the back is a potholder in reds and another one beside it in a green star...

I may have plans for the beige bordered one....its about the size i need for a pillow in my computer chair so i should make a pillow out of it...i might have a pillow already stuffed could be about the same size....i am so short i need a boost lol....

Not sure if i will get to it today or not....having one of my weird days where i cant keep my mind on one thing very long.

While back i got some quilt tops out of the closet to analyze them and there they sit so i should put them back and only get one out at a time....I get overwhelmed at times how much stuff that is waiting to be sewn...

So stay tuned never know where i will lead you next ....more later.

ON THE TABLE

 

When checking my dining table where the machine is i found this runner that needs batting then quilting....i am thinking of working on it today.....At the moment my back feels pretty good even though i have been up since midnight after 13 hours of sleep.....I will take a pain med before i start to help and maybe i can get something finished.

Later when i am fully awake i will do the pickles if i am still in notion .....its funny how a person can be ready one minute to do something then in the blink of an eye be so down and out about doing it.....That happens to me a lot....most of the time it has to do with pain....

I found i have several small quilt tops that need analyzing to check if size remains or can go bigger....or if i want them to....at the time i got them as far and then i forget just why i made the dimentions  that i did...i hate that.

Ok its now 5 am and i need some breakfast before i do anything....been scouting on computer for ideas so now its time to work while the energy is there.....more later.

MAYBE 2 MORE

When my son came with my groceries....i had him get me 3 more cucumbers....i had brine leftover from my b &b pickles so i decided to save and use it to make a couple more pints...If later i decide not to do it that isn't so many that i couldn't eat with meals...All depends on what the body decides it wants to do and any pain med i take at the time....Things can change so quick it does not pay to plan anything for sure...

I have also been really going through my sites that i like for quilting trying to get the urge to sew something....i havent been to the sewing room yet but i know there are 2 bags to finish in brown/rust tones and a navy/red one to do too....A string quilt top needing the last 2 rows and a 1-2-3 quilt top half done.....some small pieces sitting at my machine to quilt....now if i could just get started...

I have a folder on my computer saved with pics of ideas for patterns, colors and ideas for future quilts.....going to check it out been saving more so should be lots to look at....

So glad i dont have to go out with all the recalls for food and health problems out there just waiting to happen....with my immune system i could get pretty sick and i dont want that...more later....

I  

I DID IT~

I had 5 cucumbers given to me yesterday and i was thinking some bread and butter pickles would taste good but i hadn't thought about making them in a long time....guessing maybe 10 years ago....i made a small batch and forgot to rinse them in the making and they were too salty....

Yesterday i got the urge to try again.....i was worried about my a-fib getting in the way and i might have to stop but i did them anyway.....i did have to rest all i could sitting down my legs and back were screaming..By the time i got to the end i was glad i didn't have anymore....i made 4+ pints with onions.....They looked really good and they all sealed which made me happy....today i had to try and see if they tasted good....i took a bite of the open jar in the frig and it brought back memories when i used to can veggies by the bushel....i think i made a good batch...

I left my mess of pans and bowls and went to bed as i was having trouble walking by the time i was done and i needed sleep anyway...its the only way i get relief with my legs and back.....

So when i got up tonight i got the kitchen straightened and everything put back in order...i most likely will be up all night again or if legs act up will go to bed early...i am still really tired from all the exertion but i am glad i did it...more later....

 

UPDATE ON HEALTH AND SEWING ATTEMPT

 I basically have been off the computer since i was last here....my health was not very good and i was not doing much sewing of any kind.....Had a thyroid imbalance that made my A-fib react making life turn upside down for awhile along with other problems....my legs arent any better as is my back that is what stops me sewing.

I am almost house bound not trusting walking  where i am not use to which does not bother me unless its really some place i would like to go...

I have lost 90 lb over a period of maybe 6 years really with attitude if i lose ok if i dont ok....No pressure seems to work....

I have been washing and ironing fabric when i feel like it hoping to spark some sewing fever.....i have been visiting blogs and sites i used to go to for sewing and that has helped....so i am going to attempt to start in sewing again.....I wonder how many times i have said that lol....

I have been downsizing my closet getting rid of 4  sizes in clothes, but i am finding not so easy to replace them with things i like as they dont make them anymore....

I am going to make a point to do something in the sewing dept each day even if its just to thread a needle....its too easy to just give in to autoimmune diseases and not do aanything....wish me luck.....more later....

WASHING FABRICS, SORTING, FINDING SURPRISES

 

This is a quilt i started years ago, left it to find a border....well on my table of fabrics to be washed and put away i am finding quilts mixed in with them ...this is one of them....on top of it is what i think i will use as a border for the quilt....hard to tell but the pattern is courthouse steps and the blocks are a mix of the colors shown I call it Jungle quilt....before i get back to that i am trying to get all the fabrics washed up and put in my cabinet....the years i wasn't sewing i kept buying fabric and tossing it on the table....now i am back to sewing again and need the table ...this has been what i have been doing lately washing fabrics....

I did do a Christmas swap in the quilt group i belong to and finished that...My son will mail it out for me next Tuesday....my leg and back problem keep me from climbing steps....

Baby shower coming up  and i have to figure out which 2 baby quilts i will send....got 3 pieces of flannel for  receiving blankets to make and i have cut out 2 lap or burp pads to quilt....also have  a Christmas table topper to quilt and a couple other things waiting to be done.... now if my health will co-operate i will be happy...

I work very slow now so i get aggravated at myself for not getting as much done as i think i should......more later.

GETTING BEHIND AGAIN

 This past week has been hard on my health...first not sleeping then when i got some sleep it was for 12+ hours with pain in various places keeping me up and down all week....

I have to get busy though i have a Christmas swap to meet, i do have my idea all ready to go ....then i will be a great grandma next Feb. so i want to make some burp and lap pads for the new baby and i ordered a couple flannel pieces for lightweight swaddling blankets...and of course there is the pieces i put together for table runners and table toppers and potholders that are waiting to be quilted....

Each time i am down i get farther behind in my projects and of course housework...i think i mentioned this before but i have a big white worn spot on my cutting mat where i cut all the time....i have to get that turned around to the back so i can use the green part again....i think the white spot is dulling my blade when i cut....but there are 3 stacks of very small yardages at the back of my table on top of the mat to move plus all the other stuff stacked there...probably at least 4 hr job which in turn will wear me out completely...i may get in there tonight and work on it then maybe not.....more later

BAKING ROLLS TODAY

I woke up early this morning after crashing yesterday....I had to make a trip into the city for labs and by the time i got back home i was wore out...so i just went to bed and slept for about 12 hrs....but keep in mind i only got 2 hrs sleep the night before....anyway when i woke i made cinnamon rolls for the freezer....i like having rolls for breakfast so i can get one out at a time and have rolls all month long....i get so tired of the other breakfast things so this seems like a winner....most likely i will end up having 2 before the day is done lol...

I have Scleroderma, Sjogrens, bad heart with A-fib and arthritis to narrow it down to these major health problems so i have terrible fatigue along with my pain problems so to spend 4 hrs doing these rolls is a major event lol.....

After i rest a bit i want to do a couple loads of clothes and by then i will be ready for a big nap lol... of course there is the mess in the kitchen from cooking and by then supper to think about so that about takes care of my day today.....more later

 

SEWING IS SLOW BUT POSITIVE

 Yes the sewing is slow but positive....what i mean is it gets done when i am feeling like i should and can sit at the machine for a length of time.....the picture at the left is of some scrap i saved years ago when i was making some baby quilts....Why i saved them is beyond me...i think it must have been because of the colors....i seem to be partial to solid pastels for some reason. Anyway i threw them together to get them out of my clothes basket of blocks and this is what resulted....It's only 13 inches square but useable....i need all the practice i can get machine quilting so it was good to practice on....

I also have a couple runners sitting by the machine set up for quilting on my dining table that need batting so i can quilt them for more practice made from scrap on the table....and by my other machine in sewing room i have several potholders waiting to have batting....I made new batting from scrap for a couple bigger pieces but now i have to dig for more pieces to make for the potholders....that is like a jigsaw puzzle...i have so many differences of thickness of batt pieces to match up....I do have a 45x60 batt i could cut into but that will be last resort and probably sooner than i think.

Today i hope to get in and sew....this last month has been hard on my health but i am always trying to work my way to sew....sometimes its ok other times i just give in and rest....for now its a go......more later

MORE SECTIONS TO 1-2-3

Today i started sewing the small block to the bigger square to make a bigger block and i needed 2 each of those by 9 rows to add to one of the sections posted in pic.... i got those done and i also had to do the same to the smaller section...when i was going to put the 2 sections together i started questioning myself....so i laid it out on the couch and found i was ok but i am going to add a safety pin to each section where they are to be joined as i still have 5 rows of blocks to add to the smaller section for length...if i move them i will surely mix them up ...the pins will till me where to match seams....

I had to quit because of my back and it was getting late for supper....i had some leftover bbq chicken leg and thigh and i fixed a bowl of salad and called it supper...it filled me up.....its getting late and i have been messing with sites for quilt ideas and now i am very tired....more later

SMALL QUILTING

 

Yes its small quilting compared to a big quilt but for me its a milestone after being away from sewing for it seems years....i made it through a week of sewing on quilts and quilting some of the things sitting by my little machine that i use to quilt.

The picture has the latest ones i did...last night. I am kind of resting my back it got in an uproar other night when i was in the sewing room at 3 different times sewing....too much i guess for it.

I was checking in my clothes basket of bags and found 2 different sections of a 1-2-3 quilt that i have described in an earlier post...i had these bagged up along with 21 half made blocks...so i will be working on putting that together in another post in the future.

It seems i am going in different directions all the time with the sewing...but ihave so much to do i will never get caught up.... more later

2 THINGS QUILTED OFF THE PILE WAITING

 

Last night before i went to bed i decided to see how tempermental my machine was i use for quilting ....of course she was very....So i  messed with it and got it to quilt so i decided to quilt a couple little things off the pile i have waiting to be done...

In the picture are the 2 items i did...i used the odd size leftover squares i had so they would not get mixed in with the reg sizes i use....i even picked the uglist back and binding i had lol....they are for me so it doesn't matter...

Today now i have to leave the sewing alone as i have a lot of house work to do  and some laundry....Dont know how much i will get done but every little bit helps...

I have a big pile of pinks, salmon, peach fabrics on the dining table to wash up and put away i hope to get to this month....but first i have to concentrate on an important chore i have to have done in 3 weeks....ok off to the kitchen first.....more later