Hello!! Just a quick note to check in with you this fine morning. We had a sudden thunderstorm last night which was fun. However when we have a quick change in barometric pressure, that triggers a migraine which was the not-so-fun part. This morning I am moving a bit slow and thought I would post a bit about what I am working on.
This week I made a few more placemats for our local Meals on Wheels chapter. Our guild is collecting them but hasn’t yet hit the number they are hoping for. I made five of them in February and am always happy to make more!I happened to have a stack of strips (2 1/2″ x 5″) leftover from the coin quilt top I just shared. This made it super easy and fun to whip up a small stack of mats.
For each mat, I used a different stitch on my Janome to quilt them. It was nice to try out some of the stitches and see what I preferred.j
Yesterday I shared this on Instagram. I am making a simple whole cloth quilt for our guild’s community service group. They have an abundance of fabric and when I was last there, I picked up this cute print to make something for them. It is an older fabric from Blank Quilting Co. It seemed better to just leave it whole and quilt it as is. I will finish this up today so I can bring it over tomorrow to the work-day. These dinosaurs are so dang cute and will make a child happy some day!
I will close with this cute picture my husband took the other day. He has been working on getting our irrigation water going for the spring and summer. When this sprinkler was running, the geese came right over for a drink. We have not seen them use this as a drinking fountain and found it so funny. Even more so when the geese gave us a stern look after he turned off the sprinkler. Hahaha. Silly goose!
Hope you are all well and happy!! What are you up to this week? Leave me a quick note so I know how you are doing.
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My four year old grandson loves dinosaurs. When I saw this, I thought, “How smart to leave it whole!”
It was an ah-ha! moment for me. Thank you.
I also loved the placemats, great way to use those scraps.
Hey Torry, Thanks for your note. It sort of validates my idea of leaving this fabric whole. I feel like the little ones who would want a cuddly quilt like this might enjoy having the whole picture of these dinosaurs rather than a chopped version. Plus it was fun to do!!
I love commenting on your posts, as you often reply. I live in Washington and hope that someday we can meet. Right now, I’m working on a ton of projects and feeling very creative, but there have been times when I have read your posts to give me a creative push! I just made Spiderman masks for our grandson. He had a paper one and I thought it might not stand up to daily use, so I used a red t-shirt and black fabric paint and a craft interfacing. Turned out cute, but when I made the pattern, I said to my husband, “Before the web is painted on, it looks like an alien!” So I bought a green t-shirt and made alien masks; I used glow in the dark paint for around the eyes. Super cool and grandson loves them. I bought the t-shirts at a Goodwill for 99 cents each and made several from each adult t-shirt. 100% cotton knit, so gentle against the face. Next up, a cat mask to go with the cat pillows I’m making. Playing dress-up is so fun for the little ones. (Almost as much fun as being the grandma doing the gifting!)
Hi Bernie – it always makes me so sad to hear you have a migraine, but you seem to always keep on going! I would love to make some placemats if your guild still needs them. Just say the word and let me know sizes etc. And that whole cloth quilt is going to make someone very very happy!
Wow! Barb, what a generous offer! I would be thrilled if you want to make placemats. We aim for approximately 12” x 18” and the design is up to you. I have been using scraps and orphan blocks. Thank you so much! Take care. 😊
Having had a headache (not a migraine) all day, I can sympathize with you, and knowing, from having seen my mum over many many years, and now my youngest suffer terribly with them, with multiple side effects, I do feel for you. Great comfort quilty items, but those Canada geese! They made me smile and even tell my husband about them drinking out of the sprinkler. Smart Canucks!
Haha, we laughed at those silly geese too. I like having them around. We have tons that stay on our property because there is a large pond. Right now there is a family on the pond and mama is teaching the goslings to swim. It is so cute but she only lets us watch from great distance or they hide.
As for my head, it has been quite frustrating lately. Such is life. Weather changes aren’t something I can control so I have to just deal with it. Know what I mean??
Take care Sandra. 🙂
Hi Bernie! I just wanted to tell you again how much I enjoy your blogs. Each one is delightful and a great way to keep up with your goings-on.
Everything is well with us. We’re vaccinated and ready to go!
Lotsa love to you and yours!!
B2
Hi there! Thank you for leaving a note. So glad you and Randy are vaccinated – Julia has her second shot today. Ray and I go next week for the second injection. It will make things safer, that’s for sure. Nice to hear all is well with you. We are doing the same. Life is good and with the vaccines, should be better than good! Take care. Love, BIII
Just curious…What was your favorite decorative stitch on the placemats?
Susan, I think my favorite is the curved zig zag stitch. Some people call it a serpentine stitch? On my Janome it is number 09 in mode 1. I widen the stitch to the highest I can. It looks really nice. 🙂
I have been working on three quilts, finished the first one and it’s ready for delivery to the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum for their gift shop. I’m sewing the binding down on the second quilt and have the binding cut but not sewn on on the third quilt. Next, I have fabrics set out for a kid’s quilt for the 20 month old son of a woman here in town.
What a nice list of projects Carol. It is so nice to have the satisfaction of binding a quilt, knowing you just completed something so pretty! Plus I enjoy sitting and hand stitching the back down on the binding. It is a peaceful task. (I do not enjoy connecting the two ends of the binding though. I don’t know why but it isn’t easy for me!)
I totally agree about closing the gap on binding. That’s why I just make a simple fold over the one end and when I stitch that area, I make sure the fold is straight and everything is nice and tight. Looks good, and no frustration!
Hooray for some rain! I’m sorry that means that you got a migraine as a result, and I hope it passes easily for you. The placemats and whole cloth quilt look fun; which stitch did you prefer the most? I’m getting started quilting a project that is going to take me 6-8 weeks to quilt (that’s my current guess); wish me luck in sticking with it and getting it complete!
I am better today, thank you. Clear and sunny so that helps. I think I like the Janome version of a serpentine stitch the best. A gentler zig zag. Good luck with your quilt. That is a long time! Do you have a deadline that will help drive you to finishing it? How are the house reno projects coming along?
Great work on those placemats! 2 guilds I belong to here in Alberta also do placemats for meals on wheels. I am often surprised and delighted at how nice those leftovers go together!
Stay safe and sew on !
Glad you had a thunderstorm! We are anticipating a day of rain – 100% chance and it’s already thundering. We had planned a drive to pick up some wood for my husband to do his projects but are considering waiting till tomorrow. I “crutched” my way into the sewing room yesterday and just looked around longingly- lol! I can’t wait to get back to it.
Those dinosaur faces are so darned cute. 😁
I bet you are so anxious to get back to normal. These little setbacks can be so annoying – hopefully, your foot will be much happier once it heals. I love the sound of thunder but it didn’t deliver much rain at all. Just enough to rinse some dust off but that’s about it. Sigh. Hang in there Linda, you’ll be up and around soon!!
Cute dinosaurs! That will make a darling quilt, and would have made a fabulous backing as well.
What a lovely group of projects to be working on. The goose is definitely silly. Happy weekend to you,
Sorry about the migraine–no fun. Hope it was short-lived. Cute mats!