The stash has seen a small change this week with the completion of four masks, bringing my total to 48. Another spool ran out, so I’ve used 19 spools for the year!
One. I finished one farm block this week, and even that one needed surgical repair before it was finished. Isn’t it funny how we don’t notice a turned piece until we’re pressing? Fortunately, it was a corner piece, so ripping and resewing took but a few minutes. It’s called “Quilting Day.”
We had appointments this week: speech evaluation, specialist, and TWELVE parent teacher conferences (9 for the Assistant, now a sophomore in high school). I don’t particularly enjoy appointments: too many decisions, the time it takes to drive to and from, the anxiety I work myself up into even when I know everything will be fine. (For example, my children aren’t brilliant, but they are respectful and kind and work hard… usually… so of course conferences are going to be quite nice.)
I did finish all my scrappy blocks from my 2.5” box (which is not nearly empty, but I ran out of gray fabric for the alternate blocks) and even pressed them! I’m excited to start piecing them together and see what kind of scrappy chaos I end with. I can’t remember that I’ve shown much of these, as they are a kitchen sink variety and not color specific.
The masks for the month are also finished, but I didn’t finish the sewing I should have for my brother. The pieces are silk, have curves, and I have one shot to get them right. I will try to finish at least one next week (they are cloaks for his Infant of Prague statue).
This week, three finished masks moved the stash report in the right direction. I’ve now finished 44 masks this year, a far cry from last year, but we already have a “stash” of masks.
Whew! The day filled up rapidly this morning when the tree trimming crew showed up with two kids in tow. No problem, my kids can play outside with their kids, right? Yes, but that requires supervision. Children unfamiliar with the farm with my kids, who don’t always follow the rules, can be a dangerous combination. So I’ve spent the morning outside, grateful that three problem trees will soon be gone. Watching little people is a small price to pay.
BJ is recovering as usually, slowly. I could use a few extra nights of sleep!
I finished the apple processing earlier in the week, so we finished with 47 quarts of applesauce and 12 quarts of apple juice. I’m glad to be done with the massive amounts of canning for the year. All I have left is a shelf of frozen tomatoes.
I did a little sewing. Masks? Of course. Three done, four to finish. My farm blocks were not prolific this week, so only two blocks are done.
Another hexagon flower received its brown “path.” Today, while outside, I’m basting for next week’s flower.
Well, my weeks are not quite right. I counted the first two days of the year as a week, so I will have too many weeks at the end of the year. I had to check today, as I couldn’t believe there were only nine weeks left to 2021. There are more than that. Whew!
Last week, I thought many times about writing my Sunday blog but never actually sat down to do it. Alas. So we’ll have two weeks of reporting today.
I broke my resolution to only purchase 20 yards of fabric this year. Vicki Welsh’s mystery packs tempted me too much, and of course she put in an extra piece or two of fabric, so I am wallowing in riches. Her fabric is beautiful and a lovely treat to myself after BJ’s flare last week (little did I know we would have another yesterday). I have masks to make this week and I have still used more than I purchased or was given for the year, so the stash report is still moving in the right direction.
Oh, hello, there. I wasn’t sure I’d have a chance to write a blog today.
The story goes like this: I ordered 160 pounds of apples to can. We love homemade applesauce as well as juice made from the cores. With nine people )n the family, we can put away dozens of quarts and still not have enough. Thursday, I picked up the apples and got flu shots for the remaining three children. Friday, Spunky and I processed 80 pounds, finishing the day with 19 1/2 quarts of applesauce and five of apple juice. I even (gasp) had everything washed and tidied before bed; usually I’m too exhausted to get everything wrapped up. I was looking forward to today for canning and sewing.
Unfortunately, about 1 am, DH discovered BJ was running a fever. Things when downhill from there. Apparently getting his flu shot triggered another flare for the little man, only nine days after the start of the last flare. Well, then. No canning and no sewing today.
We managed the fever with ibuprofen for about 12 hours, but this afternoon his temperature when from 103 to 105 in 20 minutes and, before his steroids kicked in, the thermometer crossed 106! Needless to say, no sewing yet today, and it’s almost 9 pm.
I did find my farm blocks from last week and made a few more this week. This is what happened when the bills, school stuff, and fabric all end up on my cutting board!
I really thought I had more farm blocks, but I suspect they are under a pile or hidden cleverly. I hope to find them for next week. This little blue acorn isn’t quite green. I’ve picked most of the blocks I need to finish the quilt, so I cut a block from each book, sew them up, and cut another round. I have most of the 12” blocks sewn up, so my blocks will be mostly 6” for a while.
I finished one more green hexagon block this week. The brown rounds aren’t quite as exciting as the colorful ones, but I know when it’s time to assemble the quilt, having worked on the browns now will be quite a treat.
I’ve sewn together all my 2.5” squares into 4-patches and triangle edges (it will make more sense later). Correction. I have all the ones sewn for the blocks I need. I still have many 2.5” squares, but they’ll have to turn into something else.
This week was another mask-making week. I finished another six masks, for a total of 41 for the year. The kids now have Halloween masks (I think Spunky still needs one, but everyone else is situated). I tried a new elastic and a new nose piece. The nose piece is beastly hard to sew around, so I need to think about modifying my pattern or "installing" the nose piece in a different manner.
One more spool bit the dust in all my sewing, for 18 empty spools for the year.
September zipped by. I honestly couldn’t remember what my goals where when I sat down to write this post.
1. Scraps: trim, make blocks in orange: hexagons, Modern Vintage blocks done, and farm blocks. I’d also like to finish the Modern Vintage quilt and cut the rest of my 2.5” scraps into squares, blocks, and triangles. They aren’t nice enough fabrics to sort into something organized, so I’ll make a kitchen sink type. Done. One large hexagon, finished the Modern Vintage quilt, made more farm blocks. I did cut up all my 2.5” scraps and made a plan.
2. Masks. Never done, but yes. I have a round of Halloween masks to sew up for my kids still.
3. Do the first sewing for the Macaron Mystery.
October will probably fly by too. I’m grateful the kids have a few days off. Full weeks of school are, quite bluntly, exhausting.
1. Scraps: trim, put brown rounds on a few more hexagons, sew some new farm blocks and sew some small blocks into sets of four. Maybe I can put my 2.5” squares into 16-patches. We shall see.
2. Masks.
3. I’d like to do the next step on the Macaron Mystery when it comes out.
4. Sewing for my brother.
from the room of Zana’s Ninis, katie z.
