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.
