Checking off the weekly goal list!

Remember this list of weekly goals..........

Sewing goals this week:1.  Finish the borders on Jackson's quilt.2.  Make another chicken block.3.  Piece the backing for Jackson's quilt.4.  Measure mom's Saddle Tramp quilt for batting and backing.5.  Measure Jackson's quilt for batting.6.  Get measurements for curtains so I can BUY FABRIC!!!

Well, since there was absolutely nothing on TV last night (State of the Union) and there was a basketball game to listen to on the radio, I got several things on that list finished.

1.  Borders on Jackson's quilt...........

2.  Another chicken joins the flock............

3.  Piece backing for Jackson's quilt................

This garage sale find of plaid flannel became backing last night.  It was only 36" wide so had to be pieced, but I even got the plaids lined up pretty well.  There is still about 4 yards left, so I checked with my sister and she said pillow cases would be nice.  She also approved the quilting pattern and binding, so this is headed to the finish column.  Of course, it's not on my UFO list since I started it this year.

4 & 5.  Backing and battings measured and trimmed!

This means all I have left to do on the list is measure for curtains!  Then I can just play in the sewing room the rest of the week!!!!  Yeah!!!

So should we thank the State of the Union address or the basketball game???  Of course, I should probably give some credit to Pandora for adding the music from The Greatest Showman to my broadway showtunes station.  

We'll see what the rest of the week brings!

Christi

P.S.  I probably moved faster after shutting Jason in the closet so that I could lay out battings and backings without his "help".

PIP!! (projects in progress)

Not as much sewing got done this weekend because we started working on 4-H basket projects

This is Andi.  She is working on a large basket that will have black leather side handles.  We both loved the base which was filled in with filler spokes.

She actually got much further than this, I just didn't get a photo.  We spent quite a lot of time designing the color pattern she will weave up the sides.

Progress

So, while the government shut down, lots of progress was made on quilting projects over the weekend...........ok, I really don't know how these 2 things are related except that unlike the government, I kept on working!

At our Smith Chapel work day, I pieced the pineapple kit I had received at retreat the previous weekend.  It was my first adventure with freezer paper piecing - used on the top of the pineapple - and I have to say that I liked it!  Amazing, when I have hated any paper piecing method I have tried previously!  I may even try it again!  

The Interloper

I don't know if anyone remembers the short story "The Interlopers" by Saki (yes, I was an English teacher), but 2 men get trapped while hunting on a piece of land they both believe is theirs.........there has been a big dispute over this land.  While waiting in the snow to be found by members of their families, they continue the argument.  Finally, they are found - by wolves..........the moral makes you question who the true interlopers are.  Anyway, I have been thinking about this in regard to Jason 2.0.  I'm sure Cici believes he is the interloper as do I much of the time.  We are about ready for the wolves to find him.

He found his way inside the washing machine this week.

Aloha! from Quilt Retreat!!!

So I'm still doing good at one of my New Year's resolutions...........my fabric scraps are getting cut up and stored appropriately, BUT I haven't been blogging like I intended too.  I guess 1 out of 2 isn't bad..............but, I'm hoping for better.

This past weekend was our quilt retreat at Sew Sweet Quilt Shop and retreat center in Brunswick.  It was wonderful.  We tried to think warm thoughts and get lots of sewing done while having amazing fun!

Here is a photo of the grass skirt competition!  There was also a family feud game, strip poker (2.5" fabric strips - I won the pot twice!), door prizes, Hawaiian quilting and freezer paper piecing demonstrations,and lots of great food!

A Christmas Miracle

On Christmas morning, after the presents had been opened, admired, and the majority of the debris cleaned up, the Hubs went out to check the pigs.  Pretty soon he was back with a wet, dirty, Christmas Miracle for us.  He had the saddest looking, but loudest purring yellow kitten in his arms and we all thought is was our missing Jason! 

Here is is post-bath.........which he purred through!  He was extremely thin and seemed smaller than we remembered, but it was hard to tell much with the condition he was in.  So DD sat with him and gently rubbed him dry.  Sometime during this process, she realized that he didn't have any front claws (our Jason still had all his claws when he disappeared).  So, we started looking closely, comparing photos with the cat we now had, and it looked like Jason, but he didn't have the same little crook at the end of his tail anymore.  So DD immediately jumps to the assumption that whoever had him de-clawed had the crook in his tail fixed too!  (Yes, she did make us put out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer!)  He acts like Jason, meows like Jason, and is an extremely loving cat.

Happy New Year!

It's 2018!  I took down the old cat calendar and put this one up this morning.  Then was removing my 2017 quilt calendar and realized it had a whole special back section with the patterns for all of the quilts in the photos each month!  Bonus!!!