CATCH UP TIME

Catch up time....I have been sewing off and on since my busy week with health things....Yesterday i finally finished the cosmetic bag i have been working on since about 3 weeks ago....all went well...so well it was scary thinking i forgot something lol....i probably should have worked on the other one that is waiting to be quilted and it too would have been finished....oh well it can wait for a bit....i hope to get these bags to my daughters this next week so she can put them in her shop where she does nails....just right for cosmetics so maybe they will sell in time for Christmas presents....

I also finished a little doll quilt so it could be packed ready to give to a needy girl for Christmas...my other daughter will pick the box up and take it to her church for distribution....that obligation is finished....yay....

Now i only have one more obligation....my quilt group swap box for Christmas to finish up....trying to get them all done before this next scope test in case they find where i am losing blood and have to put me in hospital to fix....i want all things i have to have done finished before that....i wish all that was over....

Today i have plans of working in sewing room...figured out a way to gain more space in the room so will work on that if i can find some muscle.....more later.....

SPENT THE DAY AT THE HOSPITAL

I spent today at the hospital  for 5 hours getting a blood transfusion because of my anemia....Yesterday i had an Endoscopy done so its been a wild 2 days....I am very tired from all the action...I hope the transfusion helps the anemia enough that i dont have to have more....I stayed with my daughter for the last 2 days as she is closer to the hospital than i am and less driving time...

Before i came home my daughter and i did a little shopping for items for a box i am donating for a child for Christmas.... i knew i wouldn't have time to do it any other time before it had to be turned in ....i think i have enough things now except a stuffed animal...i thought i would make a little quilt to finish off the box....shouldn't take much time to do....

Earlier in the week i spent the day making blocks and straightening up more on the table....i will post a pic maybe tomorrow if i am not too tired...

That is about it for me...going to bed early...sure hope i rest good....more later....

CONTINUING SQUARE IN SQUARE BLOCKS

Here is a quilt i made years ago from some small square in square blocks, all pastel for my nephews baby...i always liked it but was tedious to work on...so here we go with another one like it only scrap....

After digging in the box of triangles yesterday and sorting them into proper stacks i found some little ones that were cut from 1 1/2 in strips...today i worked on them and it took a 2 1/2in square to make the square in square block that will measure 2 3/4 inches when finished...THAT IS TINY!...well today i made 24 of those little blocks so far...i have almost a full box of 1 1/2 inch strips i can keep adding to make a bigger quilt but it will take a lot...

The pinwheel blocks i was going to make kind of went by the wayside for now...the triangles for them are in a bag put in the clothes basket of blocks for now...that will be another day but there is quite a stack of them also...i guess block making never ends as long as i have ideas in my head...lol...

Got errands to run this afternoon before the rain starts so i better got going....more later.....

WORKING ON 2 QUILTS AT ONCE SAVES TIME?

While i am on the lookout for fabrics for triangles for square in square blocks i am also looking for triangles the same size for this quilt...it has a little smaller center than the ones for the 9 patch quilt but will be right size when trimmed to fit in this quilt...i need all pastel and med colors for this one so i can cut double amount and work on both quilts....confused??...hope not....

I also need to dig in the triangle box i have full of them different sizes...i may have some right size for both quilts and here is a tip for those who make strings...save those triangle ends and little triangles for the corners of your string quilts...makes better looking centers when 4 are put together...creates an hour glass effect....

I made my grocery delivery gal a little happier yesterday....she got to pick something from my box that has runners etc. in to use in her home....its the least i can do for all the grocery items she helps me with....last month i gave away a bag of potholders and small items to the place where my daughter works.... i had an overload of things....its good to get my work out there and make good public relations...who knows maybe a sale or 2 down the road.....for now i have to get to work on my obligations for Christmas gifts for my groups....more later....

BEEN ON THE GO THIS WEEK

Yes i have been on the go this week...one not by choice....had appointment with the gastro doc....set up times for the scopes to find out maybe why i might be losing blood to cause my anemia....I am not so sure that is what is happening...i know i am not a doc but i take a med that is notorious for malabsorbtion and i think my food isn't getting digested well enough to make blood...the gastro doc also mentioned that so i think i have the right doc in my corner...my primary doc thinks otherwise...so we will see...

Two days later yesterday in fact my granddaughter called and wanted me to go shopping with her in the city....i was tired but we dont get an opportunity to see each other very often anymore being she is living out of state...so i went....we had a great lunch and visit and i did get some things i forgot the day of the dr. visit so it worked out well even though i came home and crashed lol....but it was a good day....

I worked in some time in this week washing and ironing new fabric again....got 10 washed up and today i plan on doing more......i spent a lot of time in sewing room trying to organize my strips into their proper containers again to get things off my table so i can have room to work...and i have a mountain of fabric piles to put away in the cabinet that i am finally done with working on projects...so my time will be put to good use once i am in there...

This about catches me up for now....so its on to sewing for me....more later.....

THOUGHTS OF CHRISTMAS TREES AND ANGELS

Today is Monday again...a new week, one week closer to Christmas...I have been on sites looking for ideas for Christmas gifts...while there i found the most gorgeous Christmas tree all decorated in golds....It almost makes me want to put up a tree this year....I lost interest in Christmas decorating after my husband died a few years ago but today i thought about putting up my little tree but not the 8 ft. one we used to put up....who knows i might even get my angels out that i made years ago with ribbons and lace...

I have to wash up some white printed fabric today then i can start my Christmas project for the swap i am in...i have been dragging my feet this past week....my shoulder is acting up from so much hand sewing and ironing action from an old injury to my rotator cuff accident i had years ago....i hope i dont end up in physical therapy again to  get it to calm down....

As i said i have been hand sewing on the Grandmother flower garden No. 6...the last one i think lol....i only have 3 more rows to go and i will be finished with another top....getting tired of working on this one maybe because i know its the last one lol...

Not much else to talk about today just the same ole stuff with me...the weather is getting into fall now...cool days and cold nights...winter is in the wings ready to take over for a few months....sure hope its not a harsh one this year.....more later.....

FROM STRINGS TO THIS---

On Sunday after sewing all those string blocks i decided to make a top out of some of them....This will go to an orphanage...I'm just sending the top....I don't machine quilt really good as i am basically a hand quilter so i think they could do a better job....

I have enough string blocks for 1/2 of another childs quilt...if i get ambitious and work on more blocks i could have another one for the ladies...I do have another quilt top almost ready to put together in the scrap basket pattern from using leaders and enders method of making blocks....those go so fast...

I am up early today as i have errands to do later and the fact is i didn't sleep all night....wide awake...if this keeps up i think i will see about a sleep study....its getting terrible....

Well i better be on my way...lots to do today....more later....

A WEEKEND OF STRINGS

This isn't the new project i have planned but it is something that was needed...my string box was overflowing again...so i spent the whole weekend so far making string blocks...anything that was too small for a block got made into piano key type for a border or something else later...

I also worked a lot on my granddaughter flower quilt...adding 5 blocks finishing row 14....it wont be long before i have the top done...

I still have the white fabric to wash for the Christmas project i want to make....i think i will add more white fabric for the hexes to the load also...i got through that so fast and there is another quilt top i want to use with the leftover fabric from the flower gardens....just so many ideas so little time and energy lol.....i think i need a crew to help me lol...

Well its bedtime for me but i think i will play a game on the computer before i go...it always makes me sleepy so we will see if it does tonight .....more later....

THINKING CHRISTMAS TODAY

Today my fabric order came with Christmas colors in it for my swap project i am making for our quilting group...I wont tell you what it is but i will show you some of the fabric...i hope it turns out well....I have been hunting ideas for Christmas all this week...havent come up with many yet...sure hope i find more....

So happy my kids returned home from their vacation ok...I am going there later to see them and my granddaughter who i havent seen for almost a year....all my grands are grown and the last one is in college ...they just shouldn't be all grown up yet lol....

Got to make up my mind for the dishes i am taking to the family reunion soon....got lots of ideas for that....guess it depends on how hard i want to work lol....i think cookies will be one of them....the little kids will need a dessert that is portable and cookies are good anytime...maybe some fresh fruit or i might make cinnamon rolls....i guess we wait and see lol...

Well off to the wash machine to do up the fabric that just came so i can get started on my project....more later....

ANOTHER COSMETIC BAG AND CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS

Here is another cosmetic bag i made recently....this little one is like the tan one but they are so neat to make i might just keep making them....I am thinking about taking a bunch of them to my daughter to put in her shop...she is a beautitan and those would fit the purpose as she does nails too..

I have been trying to think of things to make for Christmas gifts this week...In a group i belong to on line is having a Christmas swap again this year....a box filled with goodies...Everyone tries to be unique and each year it gets harder to do that lol....

I also have been working on my granddaughters flower garden quilt which is no. 6 in my series and i think the last one....i will have a lot of solid color hexes leftover since i switched to the smaller posies for the last 3 tops i made....so will have to think of some way to use them...i do have a couple ideas that maybe might work so will have to work the kinks out later....more on this one later....

I am not sure i will ever get my sewing table free of leftover pieces....too big for me to call scrap if i can make other things from them....I have upteen amount of quilt tops that need to be finished so i dont need to make more at the present time....i am so looking for a charity that i can send some to to help them out....some are so specific in what they will take makes it hard when mine arent like what they want...i will keep looking....if you have ideas for me post them.....more later all.....

CAN YOU HAVE TOO MANY BAGS?

Lots have been going on the past couple weeks...i had to go for lab work...an annual thing so i could renew my meds...then the dr appointment....now its more tests as my anemia has gotten worse....It seems its always something when you get past 70...

I have been sewing though, mostly on the flower garden quilt for my granddaughter but been doing a few bags when i could keep my mind on them....the one on the left is about 20 inches square...one day i saw a lot of yellow and different greens in my 2 in stack and thought maybe there was enough for a bag...so that is how that one came about.

Last night i checked the leftover squares i had left and decided that i had enough for a cosmetic bag so i made the one here in the picture.....if i look on the table i probably could find more color combos to use for more bags...

My sewing table looks worse than ever right now...i thought i was making headway in the scrap using but i think i am just creating more mess.....i took one day and made several different blocks as i found scrap that would fit them...so a few quilts gained some blocks...

That is about it for now....maybe i will get out a quilt and put the border on it now that i have the piano keys done for it....i am a little anxious to see what it will look like when put together.....more later....

Finished my cosmetic bags

Finally i got the 2 cosmetic bags finished that i started last week...the first one went accordingly to plan lol...but the second one gave me a little trouble as did my machine...it was like the machine didn't want to run today it kept breaking my thread among other irritating things...but i stuck with it and got them done...

That is about all the ambition i have too today...i did leave all the lights on in there so i will be going back to do a little more sewing...on what i dont know yet...there is a lot i could do if i wanted to lol....

If there is anything good on tv tonight i will probably quit and watch whatever...just that kind of day...whatever happens happens...

not much else right at the moment for comment so all will have to wait til next time....more later....

WIP- FAN QUILT MIGHT GET FINISHED THIS TIME

I have been having back trouble again but did manage to sort through some things in the sewing room....Among the things I found was fabric like my daughters fan quilt...I was lacking the bottom part of the fan but now can make her quilt bigger....she will be happy about that....It will be a bigger bed size now...not sure on border yet...

I was lacking 15 blocks of making it bed size but had the blocks started then I thought ran out of the fabric...so over the weekend I started finishing the blocks so it can be put together...

On Saturday I

received my order for back material and my granddaughters purple  fabric for the border on her flower garden quilt....I am set now for a lot of quilts so I am going to try not to order more fabric for quite awhile....

I worked out my sons scrap quilt...its a vertically brick put together diagonally....confused???....I will take pictures of it when I get the border on....have to make 47 more brick blocks to do that...more cutting for variety in the scrap....

Errands to do today so need to get another cup of coffee and get dressed and get out of here for a bit...2 stores to go to for groceries hope I don't irritate my back again.....more later....

STRINGS AND MORE STRINGS

This is what I have been doing the last couple days when time permitted...digging in my 'string' bin and making 4 1/2 inch blocks to be joined and make a 4 block, block....I plan on making 35 big blocks of 4 to make a quilt...I think I have 20 so far... not sure on border or not there is time to think on that one...I cant sit and make many of these at a time as I start to get nervous and have to quit...

I would like that bin to get down to half before I stop making blocks from it...I only want 1 bin of those things lol....and it doesn't take long for it to overflow....

Well I survived the clean up day lol....I threw out more than I thought I would want to part with and it was a good feeling but very emotional on some things that were my 2 husbands but time for them to go....and now its time for me to go...errands to do....more later....

GRANDMOTHERS FLOWER GARDEN NO.5, 1 MORE TO GO!

Ok here is Grandmothers flower garden quilt top no. 5....I finished this over the winter of 14-15...Like all the others I've done it is hand sewn without the papers inside following the method other than English paper piecing...I am now working on No. 6 which I hope will be done by end of this summer then I can start to quilt all 6 of them....I chose to make all the quilt tops first so if I didn't make it each family member would have a top to get finished but I do hope I am around to quilt them all....

I had a busy holiday weekend...not socially but organizingly (is that a word) busy...I have been working on clearing off the 2 tables I have in the family room that I use for laying out quilts and quilting with my little portable machine....it has been piled high with new fabric ready to be washed and ironed which I spent most of the weekend doing....now to get it put away and the rest of the things off the table...its almost there...

Getting ready to work on my daughters scrappy quilt laying out and preparing it for hand quilting....maybe by the weekend coming I will be able to work on it...I can get a lot done on a weekend for some reason lol.....more later....