Last Batch

Last batch, batch number 8.  Now I have my total of 140 blocks to assemble for my bow tie quilt, which if my calculations are correct, will result in a quilt about 60" x 84".   

Oops!

I'm sure that I had more than plenty of warning if I had read it, but I didn't and I only have parts 1-3 of Roll Roll Cotton boll printed.  I was having problems with my printer so was just using the instructions from my computer when I was finishing up my first RRCB.  I wonder if I can wing it if I get right to it.  It's a good chance.  I have the first one to compare it to, and I have quite a bit of it already done.  I think it's worth a try, but it is a big OOPS.

Mother Nature and Bow Ties

Being a woman of the suburbs, brushes with mother nature are very exciting to me.  I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing the Sand Hill Cranes.  This morning this big guy (I don't know he may be a hawk) decided he liked visiting our yard and sitting in our tree.  He was here at least a half hour.  I didn't go outside, as I figured he'd be long gone, so these pictures were taken through the window and the screen.  Sorry about the quality.

I sat by the window with my camera and was able to get him when he flew off.   If anyone is knowledgeable about birds and can tell what kind he is even with the bad pictures, I'd love to know.

This is my next to the last packet of bow ties, only 20 more, I'll have my 140, and I'll be starting to assemble my quilt.  I'm anxious to see it.  I think that is a lot of why I enjoy quilting, because I want to see how it turns out.  My brothers were here last night and left this morning, it was certainly good to see them.  This afternoon we are taking one of my DGD's to the doctor.   My granddaughter in law and the baby, Mackenzie, are off on a 2000+ mile ride to get together with DH and daddy.  I'm so proud of Marcy.  She is certainly going to be a super woman after such a long grueling driving trip with a 20 month old.  Yesterday she left Memphis, Tn. area and drove about 700 miles, leaving about noon and driving until about 11:30.  Today, she is not going to try to drive quite so long or far to give her and the baby a little break.  My Grandson, Nathan, just graduated from boot camp.  I'm very proud of him, too.  While he was there he had pneumonia, plus his poor feet have been and still are resembling hamburger, or so it sounded when Marcy was telling me about how they still look.  He still graduated second in the group in physical training, quite an accomplishment.  He is going to training now for something to do with linguistics.  I'm very proud of them both, and of the baby for enduring the riding mostly in good spirits.  I'm so excited for them to be together again, and to have their own home together after being apart and living with others for the past several months.

Even More Blocks

My daughter and her husband caught strep throat from his daughter, so my brothers decided to wait until Monday and not possibly get it, too.  So, did I take advantage and get the house looking its best, no I made more blocks.  I have 24 out of 35 of these now.  I also realized that one of these equals 4 of the bow ties and at some point I may have to see what kind of chaos results from mixing them.   I also have enough paintbox blocks for a quilt, and they would also equal into the same size.  I probably won't mix them, but I have to look and see what it would look like.

I think I must be brain tired as the last row seems to have had a mind of its own. 

More Blocks Done

The doctor called and changed our appointment from Monday to tomorrow, and my brothers are visiting over the weekend, so I decided to do another batch of blocks.  This was supposed to be mostly pink, but it didn't work out that way.  I got into my long quarter yards, and liked these fabrics too much to go on looking.

I was on a roll so I did batch number five of my bow ties while I was at it.  I was still in a pink mood and was thinking great, pinks or reds or greens coming up.  What a disappointment.  The only reason that one odd green is there is because when I started sorting things out I had a duplicate of one of the fabrics.   I'm sure the next batch will be something other than blue or black or purple, at least I think so.

Keeping Up

Second week, second set of blocks.  Check.   Keeping up to date with Crazy Mom Quilts quilt along.

At least one bow tie block done a day.  Check.  Fourth batch of blocks done.  Sixty-eight done, seventy-two left to go, "but" they are cut out and waiting for me.   DH had his heart cath on Monday, and did well.  One blockage, but not bad enough to do any surgery.  We'll find out more next Monday when we go to the surgeon about his leaky valve, and a few days later when we go to his follow up appointment with his cardiologist.   Oh, I have my cheddar fabric, but I haven't started my cheddar bow ties yet.  That one, with Bonnie Hunter, doesn't really have a set time line, so I'm not officially behind, but I need to get started.  Oh well, two out of three, not bad, and usually I'm worse.

No Quilting This Weekend

Didn't get any quilting done this weekend, although some projects were calling my name.  I was thinking that I had until the end of August to do the pillowcases that I had promised to Carol at Brown Quilts.   Luckily, I thought I'd just take a look at the email to double check, and oh-oh, it was August 1st.  I hurried up and did two pillowcases and got them in the mail, (then I realized that she only lives about 15 miles from me, so if worse came to worse, I could have delivered them myself, lol).   I figured while I was at it I might as well do the 7 pillowcases that I want to send along with the baby quilt that I'm working on.  So, no quilting, but i did get 9 pillowcases done in the last 2 days.  My new quilting buddy Ruth, is coming over one day this week to do pillowcases, but I can show her how and I can work on my bow ties, or my 36 patches or my RRCB string blocks,  you get the picture, I'm not without projects.   Hope your weekend is good.

I Need Another Project (Not)

Let's see, I have my second RRCB, my second Paintbox, my Iowa (Carolina) Christmas, the last half of Amy's BOM sampler from 2010 and a couple of other quilts to finish, not to mention the baby quilt that I have in progress.   I have the top back and batting ready for the baby quilt, but can't finish it until I have a definite birth date.   Also, I have 10 pillowcases to do by the end of August at the latest.  Sooo, what did I do.  Yes, you are right.  I started 3 quilt alongs.   I have already blogged about the Summer Bow Tie Quilt Along, and I have Cheddar fabric coming today for Bonnie Hunter's Sister's 2011 Leader/Ender Challenge.   So, of course, I needed to start another quilt along, as things come in threes.  These blocks are my first six from Crazy Mom Quilts 36 Patch Quilt along.     The only good thing is that I'm using up lots of scraps.

Baby Quilt

Here are some blocks laid out on my "design bed".  I have a small design wall, but sometimes the bed just works better, and the blocks don't get blown off by the fan.  I hope that this gets a lot better when it's sewn together.  I think as usual, my idea of a baby quilt is more like a small child quilt (maybe not even that small)  It will be a little under 42 inches by 54 inches finished.   I don't plan on a border, and I plan on using a red binding.  A long time ago I saved a picture of a quilt that I liked and that looked easy in my folder "Quilts to Make", and this is my take on it.  The one I got the idea from was green and red with plain blocks.  I would show the picture, but I don't want to offend someone, since I can't remember where I saw it. 

More Bow Ties and Shopping

Sixteen more bow tie blocks done.  That's 52 out of 140.  Not too shabby of a beginning for a perpetual holder upper of the slowest. 

I kitted up the blocks into 8 batches each, enough for 140 for me and 140 for Ruth, my quilting buddy.  She pitched in some scraps too, but she doesn't have nearly as many as she is fairly new to quilting.  She has 3 quilts under her belt now.  These were all from scraps, and I 'think' that all the bow tie fabrics are different.  The lighter background fabrics are scrappy, but there are a lot of repeats.   I was more than happy to share, as I need to get the scraps down.  I can hardly notice a difference, except that the trash cans have lots of tiny scraps, and I have these bags to show for it. 

Some fabrics from the shop hop that Ruth and I went to Friday, instead of sewing, which we had intended.   The top 4 are for pillowcases for my nieces little ones, each will have the top fabric, and the next 3 will be for the cuffs which will be different, and have names if I get myself busy.   The bottom 2 are for a pillowcase for her oldest girl, and she has another girl who I will pick fabrics for soon.   Their mama, my niece is expecting number eight next month and I need to do a baby quilt for their new baby boy, and I thought I'd send each of the others a pillowcase.

More shop hop fabrics.  The 3 on the left are just because I don't have many oranges or reds, and the light lavender for backgrounds.  The middle two, more pillowcase material for my nieces youngest son, until next month, lol.  The right top just because I liked it, and the bottom right is a panel that I thought would be good for a quick baby quilt some time.

These I got last week when we made a dry run for the heart cath that DH didn't end up having.  The blue is for a pillowcase for my nieces oldest boy, and the green for when I need more scrappy greens.  The purple, just because I really loved it.   It seems like a lot of fabric, but it was all half price and will be largely gone in pillowcases soon.   We went to several doctor appointments this past week, and DH is having another blood test Tuesday.  If his levels are down to his normal levels (his are always elevated) then he has his heart cath the following Monday.   Then, it looks like for sure one heart surgery and maybe two, but the doctor was very reassuring, and it seems like the right thing to do.   Hope you are having a good weekend.