2014
08/14

Category:
quilts

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Pat Sloan Aug BOM

 

The block for this month’s Globetrotting represents Paris, France.

 

P1000531pat sloan block

These are the blocks for this year so far.

P1000533 PS blocks so far

 

I also worked on pillowcases some more, but since I am doing one step on several at a time before moving on, I don’t have more completed yet to show you

2014
08/13

Category:
Life

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Out and about chores

Our daughter called and said she’d be in town at noon, would we like to meet her at the Mexican restaurant.     The following plates were served – looks good, doesn’t it?    It was very good.

P1000526 meal 1

P1000527 meal 2

P1000528 meal 3

The store had called and said my serger was ready to come home, so we went to get it and return their loaner.     A haircut for Dh, a stop at the library, some watermelon and cantaloupe at the grocery store and the afternoon was spent.   I did get a bit of time in the greenhouse, but it needs to see more of me.   It really was requesting water.

 

2014
08/12

Category:
Sewing

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Pillowcase Recap

P1000525 7 more pillowcases

Only finished 7 today.   However I did topstitch the accent piece on about 50.   So next time I’m ready, they will be ready to go.

Recapping how to make a pillowcase.

2″ accent piece width of fabric (wof)

9″ piece for the band – wof

27″ piece for the case. wof     If you find are buying a new print, try finding one where the pattern will go around the pillow.   Because I was using what I had on hand for these (and they are for kids)  I used whatever I thought they might like, even if it went lengthwise.

This is a bit different than the first time I gave instructions because that was before I was topstitching the accent down.

  1. I prewash the fabrics before cutting so I know how it will behave when in use.

  2. Press accent piece in half = raw edges even

  3. Top stitch accent piece to case, raw edges even   (know which side you want next to the band)

  4. Lay the band down right side up (again check if you want it to go a certain way)

  5. Put accent piece with case on it, right side down.

  6. Roll up case inside the band and pull band over like a burrito

  7.   PIN away from the edge is you are serging, otherwise you can pin the normal way.

  8. Sew/serge the band on

  9. Pull insides out and press.

  10. Sew/serge up side and top

  11. Take a large needle and pull starting thread up through the thread on side

 

 

 

2014
08/11

Category:
Knitting
Life

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Widsith Socks heel

It was a warm day with temperatures in the mid 90s.   I did a bit of knitting, finishing the heel and am now ready for the instep and foot part.

P1000520 heel turned

To cool off a bit, we went to Costco.   Now we didn’t really need anything, except to walk for our Fitbits.   I talked him into going up and down a couple aisles and then it was “are we done, can we leave”    I asked what we were going to do when we left.   Since he didn’t have any idea, we spent a lot of time walking up and down the aisles, mostly in the food area, and reading labels.  Some men really don’t like to shop.   We did find a couple new items to try in the freezer section.  One, we tried for dinner tonight was Quinoa, kale, onion, and a bit of oil.      I chopped fresh tomatoes into it.   It won our approval.

This evening we laid out the tiles for the tub surround which when laid on the floor do not look like they will on the wall.   That’s what I like about quilt blocks, you CAN put them on the wall and see how they look.    This is the layout that we ended up with, but I’m still not ready to have them laid this way.    What you’re looking at is 6 tiles high, 3 tiles wide on each end and 5 wide in the middle.   Here are two shots so maybe you visualize.  We took the photo from each end.   And the lighting does not help.

P1000521n bath surround

P1000524 bath surround

And here is the young man putting this tile up.

P1000510 patrick working on mb

 

 

2014
08/10

Category:
quilts
Sewing

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Aurifil Aug BOM

P1000515 Aurfil button block

Isn’t this a cute block designed to look like a button.    It was fun to put together.

 P1000516 Aurifil blocks

All  8 of the Aurifil blocks for this year.   They are being put together to be a Christmas quilt.

 P1000517 bag under serger

This may be a bit tricky to see  because I have a pillowcase in the works.   But it hit me, that some of you may not realize that you don’t need anything fancier than a store bag to catch the scraps the serger removes.

 P1000518 imperfection

Check some store pillowcases.   They aren’t always perfect either.   So if my trim is a bit off on the side, I let it go.  It’s a PILLOWCASE.

 P1000519 tonites finishes

I did grab enough time to get 7 more done today to bring my total to 18.    See, bit by bit, it happens and it really doesn’t take that long.    It does help that my husband pulls the stuffing out of the burrito so the band is right side out.

This morning I did spend about an hour spinning, but it will be awhile yet, before I have more to show.  Spinning is slow, but relaxing.    Now off to get the rest of the steps done tonight.   15,000 daily takes me 1 1/2 – 2 hours plus my normal walking around.   However, it does reduce the muffin top which I don’t want or need.

2014
08/09

Category:
Foods

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Kitchen products

Yesterday I spent a bit of time in the kitchen as well.    So now there are a few jars of pasta sauce and a couple experimental ones of beans.   I would love to get to the point that in the winter or in a hurry,  I could just open a jar and have a fast, healthy meal.  The freezer is full and what if we had a several day outage and I lost that food.   That won’t happen with canned food.

P1000509 canned pasta sauce and beans

I also dehydrate items that sometimes would hit the trash such as celery tops.    ]

P1000505 drying celery tops

Then I blended them    If you’re not careful, you will have powder everywhere, so I put a towel over the blender while blending, then let it settle a bit before opening.    This blender was full when I started it.

P1000507 blender jar

Looking down into jar, see how green the sides are.   This doesn’t shake out, so I just leave it to be part of our breakfast smoothie.

P1000506 lookiing into blender

This is how much I have off 5 of my dehydrator trays which filled the blender.   I add this many of our foods.

P1000508 dehy celery tops

And here is Patrick – the young man who with his father is renovating our bathroom.

P1000510 patrick working on mb

2014
08/08

Category:
Sewing

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Pillowcases – 11 finished

The first 11 pillowcases are done except to pull the serger thread to the inside of the seam.   Here they are the usual way we stack pillowcases.

P1000514 11 finished

Liz, one of this post’s followers posted in her comment that the accent piece stays better after washing, if topstitched first.    Of course it would, but I have never seen it done.   That’s brilliant!   Thanks so much Liz, these are all being topstitched.   This is easy to accomplish while the pillowcase is still flat out.   I topstitched the ones on which I had already stitched the cuff.

P1000502 contrast sewn down

Then on the ones I have not stitched the cuff, I’m going to topstitch the accent piece on to the body of the pillowcase BEFORE I attach all the pieces in the burrito roll.   This way nothing will slip.  It can be a bit of a hassle if the accent piece slips down when you are sewing the pieces all together.

P1000512 topstitching first

So after topstitching, I serged up the side and across the top and then turned them inside out to press.

P1000513 11 finished

Yes they all have some form of green because I started with the green fabrics in my inventory and they can all be serged without changing the thread.  There is a variety from things teens might choose to child ones.

I’d love to see photos of the ones you make.  Your comments encourage me and sometimes make me think.

 

Today video 2 of the health lecture was released for one week

 

2014
08/07

Category:
Life

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Health lectures weekly

I want to share these with all of you since I watched them the first time and benefited so much.   There is a different topic each week and each topic is up for only one week on YouTube.   They are free.      You can register at the following so you will be notified of when the next one goes up.   I have not received any other email from them.

  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/12-weeks-to-optimal-health-healing-registration-12459822665?aff=erelexporg

2014
08/07

Category:
Knitting
Life

COMMENTS:
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Plans changed – sock knitting

Today I went about making my own plans for the day.   I was going to finish a dozen pillowcases, weed in the garden and work in the greenhouse as well as pressure can the pasta sauce I had cooked to preserve.

After a good walk, I started to do the pillowcases and my main serger just wouldn’t cooperate.   So I pulled out the serger that I did not trade in (they didn’t allow me enough value) and tried to thread it.  It chose not to cooperate either.

So off to the machine store to see if the dealer there could figure out what was happening.    She did show me a work around on the one I did not trade in, but my good one had to be sent to the serger doctor.   So maybe tomorrow, I can try again.

I’m wondering if the real problem was that I wasn’t listening and God had another plan.   As soon as we got back we had a phone call and one daughter needed a ride to ER as her back “was killing her”    So, I took her and my knitting.    I did get some knitting done to show you    With the waiting time, I was able to get another pattern and a half done.  So in half a pattern, I can start the heel.

P1000504 purple socks update

Back home, I did get the pasta sauce canned and finished the Fitbit steps

 

 

 

 

 

2014
08/06

Category:
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Tell it to the stars Aug BOM

I did take an hour to spin this morning before life got in the way.   The spinning is definitely an inch by inch project.     Most of the rest of the morning is a blur.

After lunch I started re making the flying geese – all 24 of them.   No I didn’t throw the first ones away as they will be used somewhere.    I worked all afternoon and just finished the blocks for this month on this project.

The new “flying geese”

P1020148 corrected flying geese

Flying geese with  wings

P1000497 fly geese w wings.

The sides added

p1000498 Aug tell it to the stars

Trimming

P1000499 trimming

Trimmed  and all 10 of these blocks are done

P1000500 trimmed

These must be the corner blocks and there as there are only 4 of them.  These are interesting blocks and I’m really curious to see how she uses the  larger triangles.

P1000501 corner piece

I think I’ll try to sew a few pillowcases tomorrow – they give instant satisfaction.