Wednesday Weather Report #115 - 7/31/19

It's hard to believe that summer is half over tomorrow.  Boo!

We had a slow, wet creep into summer, then it got dreadfully hot several times and now we are finally getting comfortable. I would like to think it will stay comfy but that's not what generally happens in August...

July 24-30, 2019
75 - 76 - 80 - 82 - 82 - 84 - 76 F

And now to share the hexies I worked on during my vacations. That's right - 2 camping trips to 2 different parts of the Adirondack Mountains: 10 days by myself around Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths and then 4 days with the family near Inlet. It was a lot of driving (5 hours each way) but not such a struggle in the new car or with the mountains as my destination   :)

One of the first things I finished was sewing the bottom row of 4 blocks onto this kaleidoscope doll quilt. When I got home I measured it on the doll bed and it definitely needs another side row of 5 blocks so that's what I'll be working on during the fair in a couple weeks. The size won't be perfect for the bed but I have to work with the 4" block size and make the best of it.

Next I worked on these Salt & Pepper blocks. I haven't worked on them in quite a while so in case you don't remember the story: After my cat Pepper died I was quite upset and kept trolling Pinterest with no purpose in mind. This block kept coming up in many different forms so I felt it was a calling. My bloggy friends named the project.

The central 1" hexies are always white on black fabrics and the 1" jewels (my absolute fav hexie shape!) are always black on white fabrics. Not shown is the 2" diamonds made with burnt orange fabrics. Generally I only use the white fabrics once, unless it can be fussy cut several ways, but the blacks and oranges can be repeated. Considering that this is to be bed sized and I am only using the white fabrics once, I am kinda considering this a "lifetime" project since it'll take me that long to find so many white fabrics. With these blocks I now have 36 completed and 14 needing the diamonds for a total of 50 blocks. I think I have another dozen sets of white jewels already cut. I best lay out the blocks to see how many more I need. Or maybe I shouldn't find out just how many more I need just yet...

Last but not least I worked on this new doll quilt. Before my trips I only 1.25 sections of the colored hexies done. Adding the sashing after completing the first 2 sections was a PITA so now I'm adding it as I do the colored hexies. I measured the quilt today and I think it might be too long for the bed, this quilt might have to run across the bed and not down it. Oh well.

Why, do you ask, am I working on so many doll quilts again?? Well, I was asked to do another trunk show this October and I can finish a doll quilt much faster than a bed quilt. I was told to bring "everything," finished or UFO, but I would like to have as many things "finished" as I can so I'll hit up the UFO shelves as soon as these 2 doll quilts are done.

Don't forget to link up your weather post or tell us about your weather in the comments...

Feline Friday - 7/26/19

Did you figure out that Momma went on vacation last week without me? Horrible, huh?

At least GrandMomma and GrandPoppa kept my kibbie bowl full and provided lots of scritches.

Before Momma left I snoopervised the packing of the new car. It didn't pack quite the same as the last car so Momma will need to perfect her technique. I know she'll get it eventually.

I found the best viewing spot! If I were a car-riding kind of cat this would be MY spot - front and center!!

Wednesday Weather Report #114 - 7/24/19

I'm caught up again!!!!

July 10 - 16, 2019

July 17 - 23, 2019

January 1 - July 23, 2019

Don't forget to link you up your weather quilt/project in the comments or just tell us how you survived the heat wave this past weekend....

Feline Friday - 7/19/19

Is.
Too.
Hot.

Need.
Summer
Coat.

Wednesday Weather Report #113 & HeLP - 7/17/19

Sew, while I thought I would have a very special weather report this week, it appears that I have pictures for neither a weather report nor a HeLP. Oh the shame and agony. 😟

Please free to add your weather report and HeLP links to the comments and hopefully I’ll have proper photos to share next week...

Feline Friday - 7/12/19

Hey Momma...Are you sure there aren't any more chicken-n-waffle treats in this bag that you threw away?

Hey Zorro...Do you know you just dumped 2,327 paper hexies to look for treats that aren't there cuz you already finished the bag of treats?

Happy Friday!

Wednesday Weather Report #112 - 7/10/19

We might have been deluged with several rain storms over the weekend but now it's warmed up enough that the puddles I had to mow around last week are now deeply cracked and dried out clay. Ugghh. Mother Nature is off her meds again!

July 3 - 9, 2019
79 - 83 - 85 - 73 - 70 - 74 - 79 F

July 1 - 9, 2019

After finishing stitching the Mr Serious top together I kind of floundered around my curio cabinet of hexie UFO  projects for a week or so, testing the water with several projects. Then I was asked to give another trunk show and (doll) bed turning in October which got my juices flowing so I started a "new" project. I've had the pin saved for some time but I still had to pick fabrics. I had recently purchased 2 mini-charm packs of the 2019 new Grunge fabrics and it appeared there would be two of each fabric in the pack. It was the perfect option until I realized there really was only two of the first couple of fabrics. Never fear cuz I have a box of Grunges to pick from and so I did.

I even doodled the design up in EQ7
with similar colors to what I would be using.

 As I started to stitch at Hexie Club last Friday it appeared that this project was going to be wayyyyyyy too big for a doll quilt. In fact, when I got home and remeasured it, the quilt will be fine, it's just the papers are four times as big as the last papers I was using and my brain was playing tricks on me. These are 1" papers and I really do prefer the smaller ones. On the plus side, tho, this is coming together quite quickly as I've only worked on it since Friday night and maybe only for an hour or 2 each day. 

You'll notice that I haven't quite finished the right side the same as the EQ diagram. It's not that I still think it's too big, it's more like I am considering having the "center" of the design more to one side than in the current diagram. It will be easy enough to add the "missing" bits when the rest is finished than to wish I hadn't put them on and need to take them off.

Don't worry - I have several UFOs and another NewFOs packed for my pending vacation!!! Those UFOs will get tackled soon enough.

As I have mentioned recently, I chose not to re-up my linky party software so please feel free to add your link to the comments below or just tell us about your weather. Are you finally warming up in the northern hemisphere or finally cooling down in the southern hemisphere?

Feline Friday - 7/5/19

Sometimes one just has to let it all hang out and relax -- especially on this four day holiday weekend!

It's also Momma's first no-housework-Friday of the summer. She doesn't have to work at her day job on Friday's in July and August, nor does she clean house. The only exception might be mowing the weeds lawn. Her Fridays off are usually all about sewing and today she is quilting my pawtrait. Woohoo!

Reminder - Momma let her linky party software subscription expire but she would love for you to link your Feline Friday post in the comments.

Wednesday Weather Report #111 - 7/3/19

Now these are some nice summery temperatures!!

June 26-30, 2019:  85 - 81 - 85 - 80 - 70 F
July 1-2, 2019:  76 - 78 F

Last year, July 1st, was 92F. This year was wayyyyyyy more comfortable.

 

I also finished the last basket block. I had hoped to find more of the brown basket fabric to do something in the borders but it looks like I used it up on something else. Time to come up with another plan...

I think the baskets are more obvious in the design on the left but there is a cool 3D design on the right. I can certainly make another quilt with the 2nd layout (it takes longer to cut out all the fabric pieces than to stitch them) so I guess I just need to pick one and run with it. The third, un-photographed, option is to put the baskets on point by adding large corner triangles. I might end up doing eeny meeny miney moe unless inspiration strikes before the weekend is over...

The Bibliophile Files - 7/2/19

I think I had an ok reading month - I finished 5 books and I'm nearly through a 6th. Being able to link my phone (and therefore my audiobooks) to the new car helps make some steady daily  progress while I drive to work. Vacation is coming soon and that means lots of listening time in the car, while climbing mountains and while sitting at the campsite. Woohoo!

I'm still working on my "calendar" challenge. Someone asked me to describe my challenge but I haven't had time to type something up. The quick version is that if you spell out the months (74 letters) I will read a book where at least one of the words in the title will begin with one of the letters spelling the months of the year (I highlighted the appropriate letters in the titles below). That was probably as clear as mud so I'll work on getting something better for the next Bibliophile Files. In the meantime, I would appreciate books with a word in the title beginning with E, R and U.

FINISHED
     The Girl Before - I call this kind of book "Then & Now" since I don't know the official library term. It's a fantastic story of 2 women who lived in the same apartment but years apart. One survives and one doesn't.
     The First Time She Drowned - Cassie, the daughter in a dysfunctional family is dumped into a mental institution for 2 years. After her release on her 18th birthday she has to learn to fit in at college, learn to make friends and learn to deal with her family - which is still quite dysfunctional.
     You -
     Rusty Nail - A good story but I have no idea where the title came from.
     Johnny Get Your Gun -

IN PROGRESS
     on my home stereo - Cemetery Road
     on my iPhone - Olivia Twist

I chose not to renew my linky party software so I'm hoping that anyone wishing the linky was still here will leave their link or book titles in the comments.  If there is a big uproar to this change in procedure, I'll consider paying for the software again. I'm also still open to other suggestions.

As I've said in the past, it's now your time to link up and anything counts: magazine, novel, quilt pattern or cereal box.