Sunday check-in/guild meeting

Another Sunday rolls around---lunch has been made (yum! chicken quesadillas with black beans and corn), eaten and cleaned up after, a load of towels are in the dryer, a fresh batch of iced tea brewed, groceries bought and put away.  I'm ready to sit down and blog---and then sew, LOL.

Friday I got my 1st HO HO HO challenge project completely pieced, binding cut, backing sewn---ready to pin.  I had also cut out the 2nd HO  HO HO challenge project while I was at the cutting and trimming detail and have not touched it since Friday evening.  Actually what I ended up doing to take me up to bedtime was seamed the backing----FINALLY!---for my Popsicle Sticks queen-ish sized quilt, finished up almost a full year ago.  Last spotted HERE.  Since we had guild on Saturday and Denise the friend who I had talked to about quilting it would be there I wanted to hand it off, along with the roll of king sized batting that was waiting as well.

Time takes a toll on a hanger when you have a big quilt top and then 10 yards of backing fabric looped over the same heavy duty hanger.  It is amazing that the hooked top has not completely straightened out but I can tell you the hanger bar was extremely bowed!  I broke it trying to straighten it up or I would show you.  DJ when pressed into folding detail said "where did find all this stuff?"  I took it to mean "where have you been keeping this" as he had never seen it.  3- 3yd sections of WOF minus selvage fabric is a LOT of fabric to try to fold up.  I think that is what prompted his remark, not sure.  But the answer was " my bedroom closet where it has been for almost a year."   Free Spirit Habitat dots on an aqua background that I had gotten from Thousand of Bolts.

As I mentioned, yesterday was Friendship Quilters guild day.  I had two objectives besides being there for the program and to do my secretarial duties

• deliver that quilt stuff to Denise 
• another friend had asked on Facebook about Orvus Soap.  I think she has moved recently and hers who knows what box and she just needs a little bit to wash a very special project.  She put out a call for it and I responded.

You see, I have a huge 7.5 lb jar of this stuff from the Farm and Fleet Store in our old hometown in Illinois.  It moved down here with us clear back in 97--in a few days we will hit our 16th anniversary of our move.  It is, of course, an agricultural product low sudsing, phosphate free for cleaning cow's teats before milking, I am told.  I had suggested that she try an agricultural supply place if there was any in her area but I would bring it with me if she wanted to come by the meeting place, with a jar.  LOL  I shared.  I had first met Diane years ago before Friendship Quilters had formed and I knew she had been a guild member so it was old home week.  I spotted a few folks hugging her when she came in, like old home week!

The program really was an outline of the cool things they have lined up for us for the Christmas in August sew-in.  Last year I made my iron caddy there and did an Heirloom spool but we did it in July, LOL.  They did all kinds of things like yarn scarfs, folded ornaments, wool and heirloom projects, pitty pat slippers, kindle covers etc.    I hope to do a mug rug, mug carrier, and decorate a plain mug---a complete set.  I am also signed up for the microwave bowl cozy but I should have also signed up for the magic Christmas stocking too.  I so want to replace our existing ones!  Email firing off now to the teacher!

We had a guild raffle table again this meeting----this is the fund raiser to help pay for our lunches at the sew-in dates and the next one coming up is Christmas in August.  I won the mystery grab bag this time!!!  I tell you, the girls really pack these with goodies.  First, there is this cute bag (burlap) that I could have used to stick that quilt top and backing in instead of the two handled brown paper shopping bags I did use.

And here are all the goodies that were in there!!  I hit the motherlode, I'm telling you.

There is about a 2 yard section of that Debbie Mumm print that would make great placemats and make me a new apron, maybe.  A sweet pillowcase kit from an area quilt shop---pink mouse ballerinas, too cute!  Needles, needle threader, pins.  I need some of those flat head pins for a project so that came in handy.  Dresden plate ruler, scissors, 2 tape measures. Gutterman thread, some perle cotton. Craft fuse that might come in handy for a purse.  Applique baby quilt book, and more batting fuse tape!  That will definitely come in handy.  That purple thing that looks like a scalpel is a seam ripper, I am told.   I am sure that I will goof up in some way sewing, soon enough, to have to give that a whirl!  Also a luggage tag made with red hat fabric along with the pattern and template for making more.  Purse sized tissues, envelope opener---can't find mine so that will come in handy too.

Jane and Terri had to make a trip up to the Ashville Quilt Shop shortly after guild to pick up their Block of the Month packets.  Normally they meet the 1st Saturday of the month but that was the 4th of July extended holiday weekend so it was backed up a week to the same day as guild.  We stopped for lunch and Jane drove on up, Ashville being about 20 miles north of Pell City where guild meets on US Route 231.  I picked up a little something I had left behind last time we were there, LOL and with a 20% discount.  I also priced their Janome sergers as I am thinking I would like to have one with these purse projects and such I have been making lately.  I didn't get one but am considering that my birthday and Christmas money from DJ might go towards one, with a bit kicked in from me.    I don't think I got home till about 2:30, maybe?

I knew I probably would not sew yesterday when the day started out.  Once we got home I had those goodies to put away plus my mind was on Hexagons.  Yep, I signed up for the hop following the  HO HO HO one but primarily because I thought it might jump start another project I have already started but I need a "fresh, just for this hop" project as well.  Something not overly involved.   I was digging around in my notebooks looking for a specific pattern I had purchased a few years back as a possibility.

As far as I can see, most hexagon pattern also need a 60 degree diamond and a 60 degree equilateral. I absolutely cannot find my old Sara Nephew (I think it was?) 60 degree equilateral triangle ruler.   I was looking high and low for that in all the possible project boxes it could be in.  I have the Marti Michell version but those measure differently, height of the square differently than the EZ quilting set of Easy Hexagon, Easy Six and Easy Three combos that I have owned for light years.  MM's measure by the finished edge.    For example, a 3 inch finished edge will finish 6 inches point to point and the finished side to side measurement is 5 1/4.  I think I can try making Linda @ Buzzing and Bumbling's coasters with this ruler rather than the Quilt Sense ones that Linda used.  I would try it anyway, just to see.

Also I do not have the instructions for using the Easy Three and was hoping that I could find it online.  (I emailed customer service instead. ) Apparently EZ Quilting site has been swallowed up by the Simplicity site, combined with EZ quilting, Wrights,  etc.   I really do not want to buy another ruler, something suggested in the pattern, when the things I already own should work!!  Now what I did find was a long missing EZ angle ruler---the 4 inch one but still missing is the 6 1/2 inch one, LOL, the in between sized EZ angle.  Always something!

The long and short of it,  I think one pattern I have on hand should be fine if I just stick to the Marti Michell version of measurements and just following the sewing instructions and ignore the cutting directions more or less.  The Easy Stuff will work with any of the designs in a book by Sharon Hultgren in my library, though Easy Three is not mentioned there either---and she designed the ruler, LOL.

Aline turned in this quilt when I saw her yesterday.  I probably should have had DJ go stand in the living room with it.  This is the one she was binding at the meeting on Tuesday.  She finished up but mine is still waiting for me.  I probably should set aside a half an hour or so for a few days in the morning and I would get mine done in no time.

This quilt and 18 others are probably going to be going to a children's home in Gadsden that houses wards of the state.  Nancy and her husband Steve will be moving there soon as his job requires that they live in Etowah County.  She brought the matter to our attention and it is a way Bama Belles can help.  I have just enough finished quilts on the shelf to make it happen too.

And sew it goes------the busy MIND of a quilter whether she is actually sewing or not!  Well, I have some books on tape calling my name so I will finally put pedal to the metal and get going on project two.  I would like to be able to pin both of these by mid week if possible, the church is available for me to sneak over and use the table.  Goal set!