Clamshell Project is Quilted, At Last

After all the trouble I encountered trying to quilt my clamshell project, I let it rest for two weeks.  Fortunately, I was able to finish quilting it Saturday with a minimum of drama and it is now ready for trimming and binding.  My plan is to pull out my cutting table later this week and possibly pin baste my next project.

These are the hexagons I completed this week.

This is how I envision they will be used in the next border.  I need to make eight more before I can determine their final placement.  

Everyone is happy that we have had a mild cool-down with highs expected in the 50s this week.  Last week included several days in the mid to high 80s.  There are only minimal chances for rain.

 

Hexagon Flowers and Anti-Ouch Pouches

My take-along project for stitching Tuesday was the set of anti-ouch pouches I picked up from Guild last month.  I finished up the work on them over the weekend and I have 15 to deliver to the Guild meeting on the 19^th.  Maybe that will give me enough rest time to keep from burnout when I pick up more kits then.  They are a good project for those occasions when there’s a lot of distractions.

 

I also prepped several hexagon flowers for hand stitching, but only managed to finish two.  The prepped sets will go with me today for my monthly neighborhood stitching group.  They are another good project for situations with lots of chatter.

 

We actually had some much-needed rain last week, approximately 2/3 inches.  This week is predicted to be dry and warm with highs in the mid-80s through Saturday.

No Snow, Lots of Work on Several Projects

The winter weather event that we had received so many dire warnings about skirted our immediate area.  Areas a few miles to our east were not so fortunate.  Our city had pretty much shut down in anticipation. Schools were closed, my Tuesday group did not meet, the church office was closed, Bob’s doctor appointment was changed to a teleconference, etc.  When we went out with the dogs after 9:00 Monday night, we could see a few tiny flakes, but by the morning the roads were dry.  Apparently enough did land on our roof to result in interesting icicles on our rain chain as temperatures rose above freezing. 

I’ve added the first border to my Kim McLean project as well as a few more hexagon flowers which will go on the next border.

The center of my clamshell quilt is quilted and work has begun on the border.  Bobbin tension issues are definitely making progress sporadic. I’ve tried just about everything I can think of:  rethreading, oiling, de-linting, changing the needle, adjusting the tension and even giving up on regulated mode and changing to manual.  The last change seems to have helped, but it still is not entirely behaving itself.

And, needing some instant gratification, I made two potholders to go with the two aprons I made for my friend.  I gave the batch to her Thursday at my applique group and she seemed quite pleased.

 

Will it Snow This Week?

My collection of hexagon flowers has grown. 

Also, I joined the nine blocks that will be center of my Kim McLean project.  Progress is slow, but it is progress. I will need to pull out the cutting table and start working on borders this week.

Last week was filled with errands, some rescheduled from the previous week due to the threat of bad weather.  The big question for this week is also the weather.  We made an unscheduled grocery run Friday instead of today and hopefully we are set for whatever occurs.  Bob even insisted on getting food that could be cooked on a grill if we lose power, although the news media assures us that the grid is expected to hold.  At any rate, while we didn’t have to get up any earlier than usual, I had to be dressed and functional, extra early each day.  A bonus from all this cooler weather is good sleeping weather snuggled under extra quilts. 

 

Handwork and Quilting Progress

 

This hand-pieced clamshell quilt is my current machine project.  Work has been slowed by thread tension and bobbin issues which, I hope, have finally been resolved.

 

My handwork has been focused on making hexie flowers from Kaffe fabrics for my Kim McLean project.  I think I need 13 for the border.  Working with these fabrics is fun and my current take-along for Tuesday sewing.

 

The only completion I can brag about this week is this 1,000-piece puzzle that Julia gave me for Christmas. 

We are expecting a handyman to come Tuesday.  Smoke detector batteries need to be changed before the chirping begins.  Neither of us belongs on a ladder. 

We were very fortunate with regard to the winter weather last week.  No icy roads in our immediate area, but we did get 2/3 inch of much needed rain.  Many of the bloggers I follow had their hands full dealing with snow.  The pictures were pretty, but I didn’t miss the hassle.

Another Apron

I finished another reversible apron this weekend.  It is for a friend who provided the fabric and said she would make a contribution to the quilt guild’s boutique if I would sew it for her.  There are some small fabric cuts left and I am considering making a couple of hot pads out of them.

I also managed to pin baste a quilt and clear off the quilting machine so I could work on it.  The result?  A mountain of projects-in-process precariously balanced on a small table desperately needing to be addressed.  This is a continual process in my sewing space.

Winter has arrived with lows in the 20s this morning.  One business, a quilt shop in Llano, has already sent out emails saying they would close Thursday due to the possibility of bad road conditions.  We got our grocery shopping run done today, so we should be set no matter what.  Fortunately, nothing is predicted to happen tomorrow that would keep my Tuesday quilting group from meeting.  It feels like forever since we have been able to gather.  Christmas and New Year's falling in the middle of the week certainly messed with our schedule.

I don't always choose a focus word for the year, but this year "intentional" keeps crossing my mind.  I would certainly accomplish much more if I were better about being intentional in how I spend my time.