|
Post by choney2 on Mar 13, 2023 9:45:37 GMT
Good morning and Happy Monday!
All crafters are welcome here as we discuss crafting, life and our weight loss journey. Crafting includes actual hands on crafting, such as crochetting, knitting, sewing, quilting, needlepoint, painting, jewelry making, etc.....plus reading craft catalogs, craft blogs, watching craft you tubes or other crafting videos, chatting here about crafting,chatting with another person about crafting, reading craft emails, thinking about crafting, organizing crafting supplies, going into craft stores or the craft aisle in a store , attending craft fairs,or any other activity that inspires or directs your mind toward a crafting activity- even visiting us here to join in our posts!! There are plenty of days in which the closest we get to crafting is a visit here, so even if you have no time to craft, we would love to hear from you. We welcome newcomers to our friendly discussion! So glad you are here!! Please feel free to stop in and say hello!!
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 13, 2023 9:56:42 GMT
CJ- 49 degrees is not a bad temperature for March, which can be such a temperamental month with weather swings!! I am sorry that the time change impacts you so badly- it does me too. As I have gotten older it seems to take longer each time we change the clocks to adjust to the “new” time. I hope that you slept well last night and feel like getting some quilting time in today.
Ruth- the combination of white and teal is so pretty!! That yarn sounds lovely, I wish there was a Mary Maxim store nearby so I could purchase a skein of that yarn to see how lovely it works up. Many years ago there used to be a Mary Maxim store near where my DSIL and DBIL used to live. It’s been closed for a long time however. Have you rescheduled your visit with DD?
Wish I had been able to sleep an hour or so more. Perhaps tomorrow when I anticipate schools will be closed. I did get to work on the quilt yesterday and the blocks are going together easily. I should be able to post pics of the simple blocks tomorrow. I did also get a good chance to look at the fabric I purchased for the quilt back and I do like it. This quilt will not be super colorful- basically monochromatic in the blue family, but will be pretty enough.
They have upgraded my snow totals…now over a foot is possible. Again, just hoping I keep my power…
See ya later! G
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 13, 2023 21:44:47 GMT
Crazy day of babysitting! Both “littles” were a bit testy and I was super tired, all in all a not so good combination. Looks as though the storm will not be as severe as originally thought. Still hoping that schools will close but it does not look that way.
|
|
|
Post by cj59 on Mar 13, 2023 21:54:28 GMT
Hello - Hope you are doing well today. It was cloudy and in the higher 40s, a bit warmer than yesterday.
Ruth - I bet those teal and white fabrics look beautiful together. I'm glad you ended up liking the shawl colors.
Ginny - I'm glad to hear the storm won't be as bad, I sure hope you don't lose power. I look forward to seeing some pictures of your quilt.
I finished making the blocks and table runner using the Harrisonburg pattern. I would not want to make a whole quilt of those blocks - it was a lot! But I'm glad I was able to support the museum and make a few blocks.
I'll have a few weekly blocks coming up and hopefully the monthly basket blocks. I need to get back to making those bitty house blocks and I have one larger quilt I'd like to get made before the end of the month.
Hope you all get to do some crafting today. Take care!
|
|
|
Post by gramma15 on Mar 14, 2023 4:02:44 GMT
Ginny, I'm sorry that the little boys were not in a good mood today and especially since you were tired. It's hard dealing with toddlers that are out of sorts.
CJ, I'm glad to hear you got those blocks done. They're going to make a wonderful table runner. Are you planning to quilt this?
Today has gone pretty well with only a little bit of aggravation trying to get into online internet sites. I also found out that dh's $106/month allowance for food/otc's and utility bills allows him more choices in otc's that he can choose from online. I definitely don't have the same things available to me.This is from our advantage plans.
I was able to get in some crocheting time this morning and will have more yet tonight. I also bought dh a cell phone. He hasn't had one until now but decided he needs a very basic one in case he needs to call me for some reason. I thought it was a great idea so went to the tracfone site and found one for him.
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 14, 2023 12:25:16 GMT
Good morning!
Ruth, glad you were able to get a Tracfone for Dh- yes I think it’s a good idea for him to have one. I hope that he is comfortable with using one and will call if necessary. Best yet- let’s hope he never needs to use it, but it sure is reassuring to know that he has one. Great news regarding the allowance from his advantage plan. Always nice to learn that you have a better benefit available than originally thought. Were you able to spend more time working on the gingham afghan?
CJ- guess you are too far south to get any of the sloppy weather - about which I am glad for you. I can imagine all the cutting and piecing for the Harrisburg blocks would be frustrating. But it’s a beautiful quilt, and I am sure the table runner will turn out beautifully. I was wondering what happened to the bitty house quilt!! It’s been a few days since you mentioned it. It’s what is so great great about quilting, the blocks (including those basket blocks) are so cute.
I did get to Bible study last night but admit I was very tired. Thankfully I knew that if there was school today it would be on a 2 hour delay- DSIL informed me of that last night. All the schools closed for the day- announced this morning. An interesting point from last night, my governor declared a state of emergency for the entire state today- we were remarking that that should automatically close all schools (State of emergency).. right now its a pretty snow, and I heard that it did snow heavily overnight. This evening the wind is supposed to start, and I am concerned about losing power then. Right now it’s just a very pretty snow.
I did go back to bed this morning- after getting up early as though I was going to babysit today. Then I looked out the window and saw the amount of snow- then started looking on the internet to see if schools were closed. I made a cup of tea….read my devotions and went back to bed. The extra sleep was badly needed and perhaps I can start to readjust my body to the time change. I am moving slowly today….but once I get showered I will get to work on the quilt again.
Take care….have a great day crafting. G
|
|
|
Post by cj59 on Mar 14, 2023 19:58:58 GMT
Hello Ruth - I hope your DH will like his Tracfone. For years, that was the only phone I had except for a landline. Now that I don't have a landline and have a cell phone, I still keep up my Tracfone as a back up. I like to buy the $99 One Year Service card when I can find it, but I've had trouble getting it recently. Ginny - I hope you are still doing alright and haven't lost power. Hope you get to work on your quilt. It's very cold and windy here today, but sunny. I ran the furnace for a while last night trying to get ahead of the cold that I knew would be in the downstairs. I did have to turn it off when I went out this morning for groceries. I don't like having it run when I'm not home. Since I did my shopping today, I don't feel like doing any quilting. I probably only slept about 4 hours last night. I never sleep well before I'm going to go out and I knew I had a lot of groceries to get today since I needed to stock up again. At least I have plenty now for several weeks. It's shocking how expensive groceries are now. I feel like I spend so much money for just one person. I can't imagine having to feed a family. Take care
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 14, 2023 20:59:26 GMT
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 14, 2023 21:10:55 GMT
Well, so far so good but the high winds are going to start shortly and run through the night. Think we got about 6 inches of snow, and right now the temperatures are above 32, but I think that will end soon and the temperatures will drop.
So I did get some work done on the quilt, above are the squares laid out as they will be when I sew them together. The colors do not come through well, but at least the blocks are done. One block I have to make a minor repair to, and that should take me about 5 minutes to do. Think it will be nice when the corner stones are in the corner and the borders are in. What strange directions- which I was eventually able to make some sense out of.
CJ- so sorry that you were not able to sleep well last night!! Sorry that you are so stressed by running errands like that- between bad drivers and negotiating stores, it’s a headache for sure. I hope you are able to catch up on your sleep this evening and rest well. The good news is that you will not have to get to the store for 2 weeks. And I hear you, it’s gotten so pricey. I do not think I want to know what my Dd#1 food bills look like, with 4 children.
Ruth, how did your day go?
|
|
|
Post by cj59 on Mar 14, 2023 21:46:35 GMT
Ginny - Your quilt looks great. The fabric has a nice light/dark contrast between the alternating blocks. Hope you can get it pieced together soon. I really have trouble following the directions for their 3 Yard Quilts. Something about they way they are written just doesn't click in my brain. It's too bad because I love their quilt designs.
I hope your don't lose power from the wind and snow that has fallen. It's so windy here and tomorrow is supposed to be worse, I'm hoping not to have any problems.
|
|
|
Post by Ruth on Mar 14, 2023 22:02:47 GMT
Ginny, the blocks are beautiful and the way you have them placed is great also. Yes with the cornerstones and border it will look even more beautiful.
CJ, well now you can give a sigh of relief that the shopping is done for now. I don't like going out either and my area is much less populous than yours but we still have crazy drivers to contend with. And yes I agree that the prices are now ablsolutely ridiclous. We've certainly changed out way of eating now that everything is so costly. I still see people in grocery stores just picking up expensive items without even checking price and I'm amazed at what they buy.I'm sorry you didn't get enough sleep and hope you can get more tonight.. I hope and will be praying that neither of you will suffer any wind damage or power outages.
Dh and I had to make an unexpected trip to the Ortho center. Someone called and wanted dh to come in so that he could show dh the mri images and explain the whole situation. Basically he needs surgery but they won't operate because he smokes. He's actually tried many times to quit with little success.
|
|
|
Post by Ruth on Mar 14, 2023 22:19:35 GMT
I just got a FB message from my dd with a picture of my oldest great grandchild holding his mother's surrogate baby. My dggs looks like he really likes the baby and maybe won't want to give him to the bio parents.I guess she prepared him for this.I didn't know that surrogate mothers would be able to keep the baby for any length of time even a few days. I thought that either the bio parents or someone from the surrogacy company came and got the baby right away. I imagine she gave birth at home as she is a great advocate for home birthing. Personally I don't see how any woman could go thru a whole pregnancy and care for the baby for days after it's birth then give it away.I sure isn't anything I could do.
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 14, 2023 23:38:52 GMT
I appreciate your kind thoughts about my quilt…I am looking forward to assembly and finishing the quilt.
CJ- so you are in for the wind also. I will pray that your home comes through the high wind just fine, thankfully the trees are not heavy with leaves so damage to them ought to be minimal. Rest well tonight, now that all your shopping is done! Bet you will be back into your quilting ways tomorrow. This pattern I am working on has some glitches in the directions which, thankfully, worked their way out and I was able to make sense out of them even when the directions were clearly not 100% correct. If there is a design you like give it a try again!!! Also if you hit a snag, give fabric cafe a call. I remember having to call them once (a few years ago) and they were super helpful over the phone. That is always a possibility that they can give good advice to you regarding their patterns.
Ruth, like you, I cannot imagine giving up a baby I had carried for 9 months. Prayers for DGGS that he can accept the situation and also for the new little one- that he or she is raised in a loving home. I am glad that Dh was able to get an explanation of what is causing him discomfort- but it’s discouraging that the procedure cannot be done if he still smokes. It’s a very difficult habit to give up- I know my DBIL has not been able to and he has tried for many years.
Will chat tomorrow….and hope we all make it through the night ok G
|
|
|
Post by cj59 on Mar 15, 2023 19:53:45 GMT
Hello - Hope you are well today and the weather is alright. It's sunny here, but very windy again. I think the wind is gone tomorrow and it gets warmer - yeah! Ginny - I'm glad you haven't had any problems at your house from the weather. Hope everything went well last night. Thanks for the tips on calling Fabric Cafe. I think the main thing about their patterns I have problems with is the directions are all "smushed" together on one page. I understand this is part of their plan for an easy quilt, but I prefer a pattern that is more spread out. It's almost easier for me just to look at their pattern and see the design and then figure it out for myself Ruth - I'm sorry to hear your DH needs surgery that he can't get right now. I'm sure that has to be worrying for you. Hope things will work out. I'll wish the best for your DGGS too. Both of the weekly patterns from Pat Sloan are out and they are a bit involved and include lots of half square triangles. I don't mind making those, it's just all the trimming of them. I do have some fabrics picked for the Holiday Hoopla block - it's a tree pattern this week. And I think I know which of my fabrics I'll use for the Sweet Childhood Memories block, so I hope to get them all cut and pressed soon. Take care
|
|
|
Post by choney2 on Mar 15, 2023 22:55:54 GMT
CJ- those blocks with a ton of HST’s are sure pretty but are a pain in the neck to cut and sew. Yes trimming them is the most challenging part, and I know you are used to dealing with them. Grit your teeth and get it done- think you will be glad you did when its all over with. Yes aI am going to agree with you that Fabric Cafe directions are condensed. I read through these 3 or 4 times and really followed them to the letter. I gotta say that I had a similar difficulty with the cotton cuts directions (PMQ) where they really went for the bang for the buck regarding verbiage and directions. I gotta say, that while there was sort of a mistake in the fabric cafe directions, they had the quilter cut six, 3 inch WOF strips and then two, 3inch WOF strips (WOF is width of fabric for non quilters and we know there are many reading this thread who do not post!). So that is what I did. They actually had them labeled differently, but part of the same line of directions. So I cut the 6 strips, folded them together in my labeled zip lock bag, and then did the same with the 2 strips- also 3 inch WOF. I folded them together and added them to the same zip lock bag. It all seemed to make sense to me to put them together as long as the bag indicated that the 6 strips and the 2 strips while identical- had a different purpose. Well when it came to assembly, a grand total of 8, 3 inch WOF strips were needed- it was obvious that the 6 strips would not do it. I made the decision to use the 2 additional strips and just decided to wing it in case I needed more fabric. Obviously that was the right decision, and the blocks are all done- plus any additional fabric needed for a border has been cut and is marked in its own bag. Gee just took a lot of words to say not very much. Anyway, CJ, the directions are not bad (this is my second fabric cafe quilt) but this glitch did throw me for a few minutes. Once you read their directions several times, it does seem to make sense and actually I am now shocked that I am down to finally joining the blocks adding the border and then I am done!!! Another thought- you are really used to Pat Sloan directions- someone elses directions might feel awkward. Just think if we got our minds used to fabric cafe directions we might be crazy in the head.
Ruth, how did your day go? How is the gingham afghan coming out?
Last day babysitting for the week!!! Yay. So thankful that we kept power through the night and the wind, while it was absolutely windy was not quite as severe as anticipated. It’s still pretty windy out there…got a walk in after dinner this evening. one benefit of the time change.
Might check in later on to see if our Ruth has stopped in to say hello.
|
|