"Found" Time for Quilting and Sewing!

To my great relief, I was not assigned to a jury Monday.  It was largely a matter of luck.  They needed 12 jurors and one alternate.  I was number 51 on the qualified panel, and all the positions were filled before they got that high.  Based on what little they could tell us about the case at that stage of the process plus what I learned by searching online for information later, I know it would have been a very difficult case to hear.

So, I was able to sew with my Tuesday group and continue working on my Sue Garman project.  Today, after the Quilt Club meeting, I stayed a couple of hours to help stuff and stitch up neck pillows.  These will be for sale in our February quilt show’s boutique.  We ran out of the stuffing so I brought several home to finish. 

I also handed in my anti-ouch pouches for the month.  I finished two more bringing my 2015 total to 102.  I picked up some more kits to make, but probably won’t hand them in until our January meeting.

"Need" Had Nothing To Do With It

It’s no secret that I love using vintage straight stitch machines when piecing, and I already had three such machines (two 301s and a Featherweight) in my “herd.”  I just think these old machines produce a very pretty straight stitch, and with their narrower feed dogs I get better quarter-inch seams.  Recently Bonnie Hunter started touting the virtues of the old Singer 404s, so when I had an opportunity to acquire one at a reasonable cost Friday, I caved.  Here she is. 

She sews fast and has lots of power.  I really like the way she handles and was pleasantly surprised to see that, like the 301 and Featherweight, she has an aluminum body making her lighter than the all steel machines.  What I like best about her is that her bobbins hold more thread than my Featherweight or 301’s bobbins.  And I wasn’t entirely bad; I worked a trade for the 301 that I didn’t use, so at least the herd didn’t grow.  I think I’ll leave this one at the “Club House.”  

Between my Tuesday regular sewing with friends day, the monthly applique gathering and a last minute decision to join in on the group Friday, I had the fun of sewing with quilting friends three times last week.  Good thing.  I’m to report for jury duty early Monday morning and may not have an opportunity to join the fun this week.  We’ll see.  I kept hoping that all pending cases would plea bargain out, but the message at the call in center said we had to come in.  

100

After I finished adding the borders to Texas Tumbleweeds yesterday, I decided it was time to finish the last 8 anti-ouch pouches so I could complete my 2015 goal of making 100.  I have a few more kits and may or may not get some more completed for this month’s quilt club meeting.  Time to play!

A Flimsy and Some Task Completions

Texas Tumbleweeds, a Bonnie Hunter pattern I started at a workshop in February, is a flimsy and I can add it to those waiting for their turn for quilting.  I really liked making this pattern and it did help me bust some stash.  It's from Bonnie's book More Adventures With Leaders and Enders.

In August I posted about a broken window.  Wednesday its replacement was finally installed.  It was quite the adventure as the installers broke three replacement panes before successfully setting this one.  We ended up having to brutally chop back a shrub in order to make it easier for the workers to get to the opening.  I’m not sure who was more relieved to see this task completed.  I strongly suspect the glass company lost money on this job.

Our bottle bush has started blooming again.  It likes our milder temperatures these days.

For the better part of two weeks, my mind has been consumed with making health care decisions relative to my birthday next month and the loss of my company sponsored retiree benefits.  To this point my decisions had always been straight forward no-brainers, and this turned into a time of information overload.  Fortunately, I was able to tap into some community resources to help me understand my choices and yesterday I finally closed in on my last decision.  Now I am in wait mode for confirmation from the various companies and agencies involved.  With that chore done, maybe I can resume quilting with a clear conscience and less muddled thoughts.