Not Quite Bound-Labeled-Done

Our cold temperatures plus wind chills were severe enough that I wimped out of going to Guild on Wednesday and, instead, spent the day in sweats sewing.  I was feeling guilty until I found out two of my close friends did exactly the same thing.  I guess it’s okay to play the little old lady card once in a while.

Consequently, my clamshell project is almost in “bound-labeled-done” status.  A label must still be attached and then there are those pesky threads to bury.

I also cut border strips for my red and white tumbler quilt.  That’s my next big hand-work push.

The weather here is definitely improving and it’s good to see some sunshine again.  No sewing with friends on Tuesday because hubby has an all-day medical procedure in Austin.  My local applique group meets Thursday afternoon and I’m looking forward to that.

Oh, and the local armadillo is still roaming the neighborhood.  The Animal Control Officer, who lives across the street from us, told me they are a protected species.  They had dug (and re-dug) such a big hole underneath the pad our AC unit sits on that I had to cover it with heavy mesh and weigh it down with big rocks.  Now they’ve relocated to the front flowerbed.  I've named him Arny.

More Progress on Clamshells and Hexies

Four more hexagon flowers have been made for use in the Kim McLean project.

Here they are surrounding the center on the design wall.  Four more and I can move forward with the border.

 

Fabric has also been attached for the binding on the clamshell project.  I may give the Kim McLean project a break and focus on completing the handwork on this one first, provided I don't decide on opting for black fabric instead.  Now that it's attached, I'm not sure I like it as much as I thought I would.

 

And, this tumbler project is getting a good steam pressing so I can remove the papers on the perimeter and prepare to applique it to its outer borders.  Looks like there’s lots of handwork in my future.  I’ve found that this creamer, which never gets used for its intended purpose, is just right for pouring water into my steam iron.

 

Joining the gifted triangles into four patches is my choice for mindless sewing at the machine these days.  I still do not know where this one will take me but I wanted something easy to pick up and put down until I get my next batch of anti-ouch pouch kits at the guild meeting Wednesday.

 The forecast is for another cold week, but so far, no precipitation is expected.

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.