Goodbye JUNE !

Well, I guess this year is half over now...........wow, time sure flies when you're ........ gettin' old !

Anyway, time for a progress report
PINWHEEL QUILT---day two:

I got up and got right to work, after morning coffee, Bible reading, and bed-making, that is.  I laid out yesterday's squares to be cut in half diagonally.  I found that placing five per row, in two rows, made it quick to cut apart.......or so I thought.  Later, when piecing other sets, I cut all cuts without moving anything........cutting on all marked pencil lines (after the stitching, I mean) .  Then I picked up the triangles and pressed them open.  I also changed my trimming up procedure.

For these red pinwheels, I trimmed all of my half-squares on all four sides, and then pieced the pinwheel blocks. 

For these yellow ones, I trimmed the two sides of the half-square that are caught in the seams, and then after piecing the block, I trimmed that finished block's outside edges, to make a neat 6 1/2 inch block.  I think I liked that method better.  Look at the photo of the yellow blocks being pieced......it's funny.....the pattern calls for some of the blocks to purposely have one odd background triangle. 
The quilt pattern also actually called for the alternate blocks in the design to be pinwheels, pieced from two very similar background fabrics........Jodie and I discussed it and said, "what's the point of doing all that piecing for no contrast?"  So this top will have whole alternate blocks using some of one fabric and some of the other.

Anyway, what I started to say was that as soon as I started working on half-squares, I remembered that I had missed "APRON TUESDAY", so I had to stop and make atleast a couple of aprons.   I got out these two pieces of fabric, and made vicey-versey aprons.  There is a married couple at the home that share a room, and I may just give these two aprons to them.....thought it would be easy on the launderer, realizing that the matching aprons go to the same room.

Now, a little bit more comment about irons.  I was a little bit embarrassed yesterday to show that I had bought such an inexpensive iron, but hey, let's get real.........I've always been a Black and Decker kind of girl !  Actually, my favorite irons are those old black and chrome General Electric HEAVY irons, but you have to get lucky and run across one of them at an estate sale. 

But I bought the second cheapest iron that Wallyworld had, the cheapest not having a non-stick soleplate.

Let me tell you, I REALLY LIKE THIS IRON.  I had not used the steam feature on an iron in awhile, because I don't like to take the chance of distorting my patchwork, but I found steam to be a very good friend while making the aprons.  I double-turn all the edges for hemming, and I like to iron them in place before I stitch the whole thing at once.   Usually, the pressing comes out before I get to the stitching part, but thanks to the steam, I was really set today !

And I realized, finally, why my iron is always toppling to the floor !   It used to be blamed on my other cat, Mimi Louise, jumping from the ironing board, but China doesn't do that.  But this ironing board was here when I moved in, and I think that it's from the 50's or something. ........... funny, but it's made by Procter-Silex,

too, just like my new iron !  But,MAN,  IT WOBBLES.......TERRIBLY ! 

Today, I got smart, once I realized the problem, and parked it against a wall, with a prop under one foot for stabilization.  BECAUSE.........I can't use my silicone thingy the way I intended (to let the iron lay on it).......the booklet that came with the iron tells you to always set the iron upright on it's end, even when storing !  But I CAN definitely use it for traveling back and forth to quilting days, and I won't have to wrap the hot iron in a towel.......just place the silicone thingy in the iron's box before putting the hot iron in there.

So, well, I still am really pleased with my new purchases AND today's progress.

EDITED for progress......Good morning friends !

Not alot of crafting going on over this-a-way, but I did manage to get a couple more aprons made yesterday......in between all the other activity-----bill-paying, selling things on the radio, visiting with family, shopping, cleaning !

I had hubby take a photo just now, since the last photo of the aprons just looked like a pile of fabric.   Yes, JoAnn, that is the fabric leftover from your mother's quilt.  I haven't been able to bring myself to use it in any quilts, and thought that because these are going to nursing home patients, this fabric would be totally appropriate.....THANK YOU !

It's just a very simple apron that I copy from the ones that I make hubby.  I never used a pattern.......it's just a  rectangle, with curves to narrow it for the bib.   I cut 2 1/2 inch strips across the width of the fabric for the neck strap and the ties.  I cut one strip in half for the ties, and one strip in half for the bib strap.  The apron itself is the width of one side of a width of folded 40 inch fabric, so I cut 2 aprons at a time, and 3 strips.   I sew the strips inside out with a 1/4 inch seam and turn them, and just hem all edges of the apron, then attach the straps at the appropriate spots.

Lastly, I sew a label inside the bib (when I remember) so that the patient's name can be written and the laundry will return it to the right person.

It's no big deal, I know.  Hubby uses these for every meal since his strokes, and is wearing them out.  While making him some new ones, I ran across bigger pieces of fabric that would be appropriate for ladies too, and since I see my friends often at the home, I thought they could use one too.  I hope to get one made for each of them, (men, too).

On the family front, there's a little BIG news.  When I came home on Wednesday after being out, the hubby said, "guess what happened while you were gone?"........and then he started crying !   I thought, "oh no, what's happpened.......I had to go out, oh, why did I leave him?"    He says, "no, it's good !    I had a call from my niece, Judy !"  Well, he has been trying to locate this particular niece and her two brothers since we came home over a year ago........I guess they're the last close family members for him to be reunited with after 30+ years.  We've sent out letters and had them come back.   Apparently, she had called a family member this week, just to see how things are going, and that person told her we were back.  She called someone else and got our number !   After talking to her uncle, she called the two brothers of hers, and by evening, hubby had had a call from all of them.   I told you it was a glorious day, didn't I? 
Praise the LORD !

Now, on to quilting !    I've just remembered that Autumn Taylor turns 2 years old next month !   She came over yesterday, and the two of us played dollies with the new quilt I'd made, and I think that I need to make HER a little quilt of her own.   Hopefully, I'll spend today in the sewing room starting that little project.  Have a wonderful Saturday everyone.........you too, Wanda Gayle !

Thinking of making it child-sized........possible layout.

Busy day !

I got up and washed all the Sunday dishes that I refuse to wash on the Sabbath, and started the laundry, even though I had to sneak things on and off of the clothesline due to the weather.  I cut out an outfit from an old doll-clothes pattern that I had saved from WAY BACK, nearly 30 years ago, when MY little girl played with me dolls. 
This baby doll that I bought second-hand, has a muslin body that comes all the way to her hands and her feet, so I was blessed that this patten included a long-sleeved top and pants.  She really needs a bonnet or hat, doesn't she?

The doll was found

at a local second-hand store, and it says da-da (with a stutter sometimes), night-night, I love you, and she giggles.  It's tiny, 12 inches, and Allyssia just loved it and tried to mimic it's voice.

During the making of the outfit, I heard the neighbor mowing his yard, and I thought that I should go and mow near the mailbox, so he could tell where I start and stop (he's been away for awhile).  I had to stop the mower for some reason when the hubby hollered at me, and then it wouldn't restart.  So I just headed right back to the sewing machine.  In a little bit, I heard the mower restart, and knew that hubster was waiting for me to come back to it.  He mowed last week, but then he fell again, this time at Church, and has been moving from the walker, to his cane, and now to a painful limp, so I had to take over the mowing chore.

I finished the yard, finished the outfit, and then made two aprons for the hubs to wear when he has his dinner in the recliner.   After visiting with family for an hour or so, I decided to cut out and make an extra couple of aprons for 'whatever'........good thing to have on hand.  The picture's terrible, but that's two of the purple aprons, and two tan and black for hubby.

I forgot to mention the other day that I had put out a 'garden'.  This is it folks....

.....it consisted of two tomato plants, and 5 marigold plants (the 'stink' of them is supposed to repel bugs from the tomatoes)  Yesterday,I found a volunteer tomato plant growing out at the mailbox garden, so I transplanted it today, to right in the middle.