Fat Quarter Slide--For the Last Time?

Since we're in the trailer now, I have Fat Quarter Slide on our bed. I'm very happy with how it looks here!

You can even see the backing on this pic.

I am so happy with the way it fits in here. I was worried about the size because RV beds are never the same size as home beds. It fits just perfectly! Ta Da! The flannel backing worked just as I had hoped too, keeping it on the bed better than quilting cotton would have. The heat register is on the floor at the foot of our bed, and I didn't want the quilt to slide off and sit on the register. The spread that came with the trailer did slide off, so I was aware of it. It also provided no warmth at all. Now we're cozy.

Thanks,
Lin

Tampa

We have finally made it to Florida! We had to wait for all kinds of things to happen before we could leave. Now we're here and there's no snow! OK, that's pretty amazing to me. It was around Knoxville when the snow disappeared. Coming thru the mountains in Tennessee was harrowing. Fog, rain, temps in the 30s. I didn't like it.

Today we went to the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa. It was built in the late 1800s as a hotel.



The place is HUGE! I can just see Lady Mary Crawley there. There were bits on the tour about how people had to act in that time period. Certainly no spitting, fidgeting, leaving a lady alone. A gentleman had to escort her everywhere. She could not enter a room by herself.

I recommend to anyone in Tampa to see this place. Get a feel for how the other half lived.

Thanks,
Lin

An Old One

I made this when my daughter was in high school. Those are her school colors. I was going to put something for band in the middle, but never did. It is now hanging in one of our bedrooms. I like the braid.

Thanks,
Lin

Fat Quarter Slide---Again

The quilting is completed on Fat Quarter Slide. Here are a bunch of pictures of the quilting. Each square has a different motif. I had to wrack my brain to come up with that many designs.

Pay no attention to the fuzz on the quilt

Thanks,
Lin

I Was Wrong

Bunch of things I was wrong about:

Dryer is coming on Friday. YAY!! I can wash and dry clothes again. I hope. If all goes well. The way things were going on this whole project, I won't count on it until it happens.

I'm not scarce at all. Here I am again!

I'm sure there's other things I'm wrong about too.

I finished the quilting on Fat Quarter Slide and put it in the wash in preparation for it to be the first thing dried on Thursday. Then the dryer didn't come, so I hung it to dry over the shower curtain rod. Good thing I couldn't throw it in the dryer because I have stains. My purple pen didn't come out all the way, and there are some dirty looking spots. It's back in the washer now. Maybe things didn't get completely wet? First time this has EVER happened to me. You?



In September I was Queen Bee, and requested nine-patches. I was going to join another bee and request the same thing, but decided to make these up as is. I added white patches between the nine-patches, and I really like it.

Photo bombed by Trixie

I made four patches of my scraps and joined them into rows for a border. I really like this! Thanks to AccuQuilt for making the 2 1/2" squares so easy to cut. Didn't make much of a dent in my box of squares.

Thanks,
Lin

Scarce

I will probably be scarce for a while. I've been having mucho computer problems. (See how well I speak Spanish?) This computer is going in to the computer hero to be bombed. I will still have my netbook, so I am accessible, and I might get my camera to link to it. We'll just have to see.

Meanwhile, this is what I was working on today:

These are the blocks from when I was queen. I requested a simple nine-patch with no pastels, nice bright colors. I was going to wait and join another bee and ask for the same thing, but decided I would use these to make one of the Christmas present quilts I want to make this year. Voila!

This is the layout I will use however:

Makes a bigger lap quilt.

I have been cutting up scraps into 2 1/2" squares, so I joined a bunch of them today to make a border. I think it really goes with the scrappy nine patches. Need to get busy on my white squares.

Thanks,
Lin

February Bee Blocks

I have my February Bee Blocks all finished. These went together very quickly. due I think, to Cheryl's excellent directions. This is Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs who I pattern tested for. Her patterns go together so nicely, and look so cool.

It's her Scrappy Tiles pattern, enlarged. to about 24" square. She asked for all blues. I hope she posts a picture of all the blocks sent to her.

Thanks,
Lin

Hope All Had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's my new flimsy.

It's called Ribbon Rings from Quilt Moments. I started it last winter in Florida, and just kept plugging along on it. I remember I couldn't decide on the layout, so I did put it aside for a while. Now I find I have enough blocks for two (!) lap quilts, or one queen size. I don't really need six or seven quilts on each bed, so I am making two lap size. This is great, since my goal is to give a quilt to each of the women in our family for Christmas.

I see a feather wreath in each of those white spaces, and ditch-stitch the eights.

The "sister" quilt I made a mistake in putting the blocks together. That's today's job. Then you can see pictures of them together.

Thanks,
Lin

Well....

The laundry room still isn't finished. sigh...

Mr LQ put in the new cupboards and they are great. So much more room! I had such a good time finding new homes for all our things. They all seem happy, and they have been playing nice. I will let them be for a while, and then decide if anything has to move.

They took the dryer away to have the new part applied, and haven't brought it back yet. We went to Lowes today and asked. The appliance guy is there on Tuesdays, so he should be taking care of it then, and we should have the dryer on Wednesday. I've been washing our underwear and having it dry all over our bedroom. We have two full clothes baskets of other clothes waiting to be washed. Running low on other clothes, y'know? I have washed jeans and dried them on the shower curtain rods.

----

In other news, I have completed January's Bee block and sent that off to Christina. I found it interesting to do. Blue is my favorite color, so I had a lot of blue to pick from. She had requested "cobalt or true blue," grays, black and white. Here are my blocks. Christina also requested we press our seams open. I've discovered I do a better job pressing to one side--maybe because I'm used to it?

Yeah, I know it is February. But it remains that I just got January's blocks done. Now on to February's. Also a request for blues. I sure don't see any difference in my blue stash.

My geese were not well-trained. They kept flying in different directions. I had to keep bringing them back to the barn for more lessons. Finally got them to behave.

Christina's directions called for making the geese with HSTs, making them too big and cutting them down. It does make for exact fitting pieces.

I am merrily quilting Fat Quarter Slide. It is getting harder for me to think of patterns I want to quilt each of these blocks, without making dense quilting. I don't want to change the hand of this batting. I've decided I just don't need to quilt the snot out of a quilt. Leave that for the show quilts. I wonder if those uber quilters would quilt a quilt for their bed that heavily. Yeah, I love the look, but not the feel. Give me suppleness any day. 

I've also got a new flimsy ready, and it's friend almost ready. Pictures to come.

Thanks,

Lin

ARGGGHHHH!

You should hear that "arggghhhh" as Charlie Brown night groan when Lucy pulls away the football yet again.

The remodel is going slowly. See here to check out the remodel.

We bought new washer and dryer. The store made arrangements to deliver them on Wednesday (today). Good.

We made plans with a local flooring store to install vinyl floor on Tuesday, the soonest they could do it. Good.

Floor store told us installer would be here about 9:30 AM. Good.

Installer didn't arrive til almost 11. Not good. He spread a coat of leveller (or something to level out the floor's low points). It didn't dry for hours. He thought it should be dry in 45 minutes. 4 hours later, still too wet to continue. Not good.

Washer/dryer supposed to be delivered in morning. Floor guy made arrangements to come back early Wednesday morning, told washer guys after 11.
Not great.

Floor guy finished at 10:45 Wednesday morning. Washer guys come 11:10. Whew. Good.

Dryer vent is in our floor, not wall. They can't attach it, needs a special piece. I got on the phone with the store, he said accept the dryer, they'll bring over the attachment later today. Store called back. They don't have the piece in stock. 3-5 days. Not good.

Then they called back again, said they'll bring the dryer to the store and have an appliance person put the attachment on. OK.

So now I have a brand spanking new washer, and no way to dry clothes. Want to talk about frustrated??

I've spent a couple days in a funk. Seems we move one step ahead and three backwards.

I did wash a load tonight and have it hanging all over. You need underwear!

Not good to sew while I'm annoyed, so no sewing has been done lately.

Thanks,
Lin

Remodel

We're involved in remodeling our laundry room. It is a tiny room, about 6' x 11', with five doors in it. The laundry tub limits the swing of the dryer door. So the laundry tub is going downstairs to the basement. I use it for washing the dog, coloring my hair, washing paint brushes and filling buckets to wash the floor. All except the last, I can easily do downstairs.

We've been in this house 15 years. The vinyl floor is curling at the door ways, and is stained. That will be replaced with new vinyl on Tuesday. The washer and dryer will come on Wednesday. The plumber will be here on Monday to cap the pipes. Between now and then, I want to paint the room. It's my first good chance to do so. Better get busy!!

The washer is a top loader, with a  huge tub. It's so sad that a new washer makes me this happy. Does this mean I'm a grown up? Or that I lead an incredibly boring life?

Thanks,
Lin