June Recap

Today is June 30th and boy has it been more of a whirlwind than the previous months. 

These were my goals for the month.

1.  I showed you my fabric choices and inspirational photo.  I am pattern testing so I cannot share any more.  I have a deadline.  Eeek!  It is good for me though.

Meet Tropical Shores Tubix a pattern by Quilt Sue or as I like to call her HRQ (Her Royal Quiltiness) who blogs over at  Quilt Times. 

Quilted and bound even! 

2.   I have my Farmer's Wife blocks I would like to get at least 10 done this month then I would only have 19 left.  I only finished 4 this month.  With lots of work, and trying to get the Tubix finished, and cleaning up the garden after I severely neglected it.

3.  The Aurifil Block of the month has already been posted!  The June block was fun.

4.  The Red and White Drunkard's path.  I didn't get any more blocks sewn for this. 

 5.  I came up with an idea for my flying geese so I have still been using it as a leader/ender project.  I tried my idea and was not thrilled so considering some other options. 

6.I have an idea and some fabric for the Round Robin.  Found some fabrics but my block so far is measuring at 17 inches UGH!

7.  I would like to get another couple of the Green Tea and Sweet Beans blocks finished.  Nope not even one stitch.

8.  Finally I joined the Monroe County Quilt Guild.  Just in time to enter the Autumn quilt show.  I also decided to try the quilt challenge. I have been playing with some ideas.  I may have to wander down to the historical society to get some more ideas. 

These goals did not include the 2 blocks that I made for a Block sew along for the Designer Batik group that I belong to on My Quilt Place they were a stretch and the next one is paper pieced!

I only had the opportunity to listen to 4 books for the month of June for a total of 37 for the year.  I have discovered some really fun authors, and learned some new things which is important.


How was your month?

A Little of This and That

I have been busy and between my crazy work schedule, the in-laws and the outlaws we have been spread pretty thin.

Wednesday last week was supposed to be my day off, but my Tuesday night turned into not getting home until almost 6:30 am Wednesday morning.  I had planned on doing some grocery shopping but after showering and unwinding I fell into bed and was woken by DH at 4 pm, saying get up and get dressed we have to go.  Our 3 year old Husqvarna Commercial Grade Zero Turn Mower had broke down and we had to go to the tractor store to pick up parts.  This is the 2nd mower we have had, one was replaced, and it is the third breakdown in three years since it was originally purchased...with only 99 hours of mowing, which is not much for a commercial grade mower Especially considering that a lawn service would put that many hours on it in 2 1/2 weeks. 

All I could think of is thank goodness it was DH using it when it went kaput instead of me.  I would have never heard the end of it.

After going to the tractor store and them deciding they would come and pick it up and service it we headed to pick up some staples.  You know you are busy when you run out of dish soap, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.  By the time we got home, it was late, and I had to be to work early in the morning.

Thursday- I thought (I have been getting done early) that I would stop at the LQS (needed some binding and machine needles), go to the bread store, and stop at the butcher shop on the way home.  Yep that plan fell through.  We were not finished until well after 4 pm and after 1 1/2 hour drive home about all that got accomplished was a night out to dinner.

Friday mission accomplished. After working a couple of hours in the morning started with my stops.

LQS- Material Girls in Dearborn, Michigan to pick up some fabric for binding and some sewing machine needles.  I had heard that if you are going to FMQ sometimes a size 14 needle is better than using a topstitch needle, and since I am still fighting with the thread breakage on my other quilt I thought hey it is worth a try.  I hadn't been to the store since they expanded and it is nice.  They are one of the few quilt shops nearby that has a large selection of batiks. 

I also purchased a fabric pencil eraser and a couple of yards of a solid.

Bread store, butcher shop, grocery store.  Home unloaded groceries, put them away, cleaned and prepped my fruits and veggies, and when DH came home he helped divide and package the meats from the butcher shop. Then the call from the MIL came.....

Her air conditioner is not working.  It is 8:30 pm.  I am forced back into the car to go to her house to repair the A/C.  DH is not happy because her little bungalow type house looks like it could be on an episode of hoarders.  Between the MIL, the two SILs and a niece the basement is packed to the point where there are goat trails to walk, and there are two rooms which are stacked floor to ceiling, front to back with boxes, bags, and what not that you can barely get the  doors opened.  So to get to the A/C where it was blowing water all over was a trick in itself.  DH discovered that the pipe that vents the A/C was full of dust, dog and cat hair.  Once he cleaned it out it seemed to be working better. 

Saturday I finally had time to sew and Finn showed up to collect his sandbox, and his new sand toys that we bought him.  He loves being outside and everything is "What's that?"  I finally got some sewing done in the late afternoon.

I always thought things would slow down after the kids moved out but it seems that life seems to be more hectic on a yearly basis. 

Bali Hai

I feel in such a tropical mood.  Yep I am sporting the coconut bra and grass skirt,

in my mind that is, and listening to Bloody Mary sing Bali Ha'i.

                    

When I volunteered to do a pattern test for HRQ (Her Royal Quiltiness) Quilt Sue at Quilt Times I decided to use some color inspiration.  I decided I wanted tropical!  Kind of tropical seas with the blues, aquas, greens. 

I started with this image from design seeds.
Pulled and auditioned these fabrics.

Threw some out, and added new ones.

Including what I thought would be a bubbly border.

 Pieced a backing from my stash.

And Out came Tropical Shores Tubix.

I even quilted this one on the domestic machine using Aurifil white thread.  Can you tell I am in love with the colors, and even my quilting on this quilt and so wish I had a more beachy place to photo the quilt than my back lawn.

Oh and that sense of foreboding I had was all for naught!  Everything came out clean and white.  Even the spot that I dropped a bing cherry pit onto the white border late last night while I was trying to finish up my binding!

Foreboding

For  bod  ing-  noun- : a feeling that something bad is going to happen

Definition from Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary.  That is the dread I have been feeling all night and for the last couple of days.

Why?  Do you ask?  The last couple of days I have read blogs where people have talked about fabric bleed.  I am not a prewasher and I haven't had any problems before but for some reason I have this feeling that I may not be so lucky this time. 

 Reason 1.  I used a pink sewline pencil to mark my quilting lines. 

It was not coming off with the eraser even with the light lines. 

Reason 2.  I threw the quilt into the wash on cold with a few  color catchers.

I went into the laundry room and a couple of the color catchers were caught alright.  In the door of the HE washer and they were looking very color saturated.

I guess time will tell how bad it is. 

My Secret Talent

The weekend was a whirlwind.  I definitely need more hours in my day.

The boys were in the Strawberry Festival Parade so of course we had to go.

The best part of the parades around here are the Shriners.

The cowboys and the bank robbers.  See the stage coach?

Then there was the wheelie car which sprayed water all over the place.  It was hot so it was very refreshing. 

We had time that I could work on making a back for my quilt, get it sandwiched and start quilting.

Today DH brought me home a surprise.

The local parochial school was throwing away several pianos.  Before this one took the ultimate dive, DH asked them if he could have it and so they just loaded it into the back of a truck with a lift gate for him, and he brought it home.  The MIL asked why does she need a piano?  DH explained because she wanted one and she can play.  It is always nice to have a talent that not everyone is aware of all the time. 

Do you have a secret talent that no one knows of?

Take a Deep Breath

Wow it has been over a week since I last blogged.  Can you say B U S Y.  Working a lot, and yesterday was my first day off and I thought I would be able to sew.

My favorite saying....which is so true in my life.  Man plans, God laughs.  According to Wikipedia it is an old Yiddish proverb.

We have had crazy critter days.  Caught a Big huge raccoon in the ancient uncle's chicken house.  The next day there was a fox hit and injured outside our home.  I am surprised that after laying up in our wood pile out in the field that it did not decide that the "kids" (young chickens) would be a tasty meal.  DH found it, when he was staking up some of the smaller trees on the property, almost walked on it. It skedaddled across the field, into the neighbor's yard by their pond.  The Ancient Uncle saw it get hit by a car and thought for sure it was a deer so he came speeding over on his golf cart and saw it scoot out from under out front porch along the side of the house when he lost it.  Unfortunately while he was on the hunt for the "deer" he thought he saw  he ran over my roses in the front of the house. Grrr.

This is my Ego plant well I have two actually.  They are climbing roses and they are called the Colette Rose.  Luckily it was only one small shoot that was broken and a couple of buds which were damaged. DH has been charged with finding something to make trellises so they can be tied up to begin their climb. 

Last week one of the days after work I went and obtained my CDL permit (Commercial Driver's License) with several endorsements.  I submitted to a local business, and was called in for an interview Thursday.  After the interview I was sent to have a physical and drug test, which I passed.  I came home, cleaned, did dishes, and made dinner, then headed off to quilt guild.

Friday morning, decided that the chicken house definitely needed to be cleaned, at least their porch.  They are dirty birdies.  I weeded in the garden a bit.  My Sweet Williams are gorgeous.

Yep there are weeds growing in my flowers you can see some clover and a determined maple tree attempting to grow.  I didn't have a lot of time because I really needed to get some sewing done, some squares cut and to the post office today.

I made 10  nine patch blocks for Missy at Missy's Homemaking Adventures for a prayer quilt for her uncle who was recently diagnosed with cancer. 

I got my charm squares cut and made it to the post office with plenty of time to spare. 

I then spent a couple of hours rewriting directions for a couple of quilt blocks for my mother.  I wish that we lived closer so that I could just run over and show her how easy they are to do at times. 

I tried a new recipe for baby back ribs.  I started out with a rub and baked them in the oven for 1 1/2 hours then moved them to the grill for 30 more minutes.  They were good, but I really think that I should have baked them longer.

I also used my last jar of green beans that I canned in 2012.  Which means that I need to plan to can green beans this year.

Yes I can my beans with some onion and well cooked bacon ends.  Just like my great grandmother used to make. 

I finally had some time to work on the quilt that I am pattern testing and got part of the borders on.

See my bubbles?  I have 2 more borders of that then another border in white and the flimsy will be done.  I am looking forward to quilting this one even.  If you would like to see the quilt made by Vicki visit Quilt Sue at Quilt Times.

 Tomorrow the little boys are going to be in the Strawberry Festival Parade and they want us to come and watch, there is definitely some dirt to be moved and planting to be done, all to end with dinner at the oldest daughter's house for father's day.  It was so nice to get to sew today.  I hope I have some time to sew again this weekend. 

Where the Heck Did That Come From

I had a whole day off.  No running for the family.  Simply a day for me to do what I wanted.

I finished up folding all of my batiks!

These 3 cubes on the end hold the batik yardage, and fat quarters. 
This is what it looked like at the beginning of the day.

While folding these I found these.

These are hand dyed not batiks. Where they came from I don't remember.  I know I didn't buy them so I more than likely "won" them during a blog hop. 

I sketched out the different blocks necessary for my farmer's wife blocks for the month and threw together this one. 

 

I then went on my shopping expedition.  My favorite quilt shop is The Quilt Patch in Tecumseh when I need batiks.  While it is only about 35 miles away it is all back country road driving so it is about an hour to get there.  The Quilt Patch does not have much of an online footprint, but they have a very large store with samples, patterns, classes, lots of fabrics, wools, flannels and they even have some shot cottons which I am currently in lust with, but I did not buy. :(

This is what I picked up.

Fabrics for my pattern test.  The one with the circles is going to be a border.

A bright yellow batik for the Batik blocks I have been doing with the group.  Gray batik for a background for another project.  I need something easy.

Some happy yellows and black on white or white on black fat quarters.

Not a bad day overall.  Now off to bed 4:30 am comes early.

Jury Duty Free

I was scheduled (once again) for Jury duty for Monroe County.  I was on Jury duty last year for two months and I was scheduled to be on Jury duty once again for the month of June.  I called Sunday morning and I have officially been dismissed which meant.....I could sew!  Yes I an doing the happy dance.  While I know that you can request to be excused I feel that it is part of my civic duty to participate when called.  I want a jury of my peers if I ever would have to stand trial.  Not a jury full of retired, or unemployed, disenfranchised individuals.  So I serve even though 3 months in a year is pushing the envelope a bit. 

My sewing I worked on?

I worked on my quilt test. I am 2 blocks short of being finished.  But I don't have the color I want so that means a shopping trip.  Darn!  Sorry no pictures I will just leave you with my color inspiration.

I finished my Aurifil block of the month.

Then I tackled the block for the Designer Batiks group from My Quilt Place which was the recently selected block.

I think it turned out alright and I love the movement that it has.  I then wrote up the instructions- with almost all necessary illustrations and/or pictures, step by step for my mamma and e-mailed them to her. 

Tuesday I had to work far away, but we finished in a very short time so I was home by noon even with the 1 1/2 hour drive.  Since the above block was quite frustration for many people they chose another block to work on while someone drafts a better pattern and instructions.  (Not me!).  So I worked on that block.

It is called Carolyn's Star and it is from Quilters Cache.

Not too shabby for the first couple days of the month!  Tomorrow will be a shopping trip for some fabric, and maybe some Farmer's Wife blocks. 

Welcome to June!

June Goals

June is another busy month.  I have decided once the weather breaks and it is nice and we have a lot of outside work to do, that is about the time all the family needs us to do something too!  So far we have installed 2 air conditioners, cleaned up people's yards (OK it was a win for me because there was rhubarb ready to pick so score for me!), there is a shower that needs to be replaced too.  That is just for the first couple of days of June.  I am also working a lot more so not much sewing time so my goals are going to be kind of light.

1.  I showed you my fabric choices and inspirational photo.  I am pattern testing so I cannot share any more.  I have a deadline.  Eeek!  It is good for me though.

2.  I have my Farmer's Wife blocks I would like to get at least 10 done this month then I would only have 19 left.

3.  The Aurifil Block of the month has already been posted!

4.  The Red and White Drunkard's path

 5.  I came up with an idea for my flying geese so I have still been using it as a leader/ender project.

6.I have an idea and some fabric for the Round Robin

7.  I would like to get another couple of the Green Tea and Sweet Beans blocks finished.

8.  Finally I joined the Monroe County Quilt Guild.  Just in time to enter the Autumn quilt show.  I also decided to try the quilt challenge.

This is the fabric which must be incorporated into the quilt.

Plenty to keep me busy.  That does not include all the quilts that I need to quilt and bind.  Oh and my book count for the month of May was only 4.  Which is a total of 33 for the year.  Not bad for listening while I work.

Do you have any big plans for June?