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Post by choney2 on Jul 31, 2023 10:05:53 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, playing a musical instrument,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!!
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Post by choney2 on Jul 31, 2023 10:10:54 GMT
Wow…it’s always an eye opener when the calendar officially clicks over to August, which is where we will be next Monday.
Still lovely weather here, and I know that this week I need to get started on the baby quilt for DGD. A friend called me last night (on the way home from visiting her brother and his family and told me that her DSIL is pregnant again…think its baby #6 for them and the little one is due in January. Mom is 41- and while tired, doing fine.
Sending good crafting vibes everyones ways….and I hope I can open those you tube links later on when I spend some time online. G
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Post by cj59 on Jul 31, 2023 20:43:30 GMT
Hello Everyone - Hope you are doing well today and the weather is nice. It's in the high 80s here and sunny, after some heavy rain overnight. I think all week is supposed to be in the 80s, so that's nice. Ginny - I hope you can get started on the baby quilt this week. Ruth - Hope you finished a bunch of projects this week too. This morning I made the cardinal block and it went together pretty quickly. I like the way it looks. I have a pretty fabric that has a lot of different birds on it, so I think I'll make the robin and the blue jay blocks and maybe put them into a table runner or wall hanging using the bird fabric for a border. Tomorrow is the next clue in the Evergreen Christmas Mystery quilt along, I think it might be the last since we're at the top of the tree, but maybe they are adding something next week. Take care
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Post by Ruth on Jul 31, 2023 22:44:07 GMT
Ginny, congrats to your friend's family. That sounds like a very familiar scenario. Yes you better get started on the baby's quilt. CJ, It's still in the 90's today and it did rain. Tomorrow starts the cooling trend. The bird table runner or wall hanging sounds like it will be very pretty.It's great that you already had a fabric with birds to go with those blocks. I did work on the bonnet last night and some today but it's not done yet. I hope to get it done this evening.
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Post by choney2 on Aug 1, 2023 10:52:47 GMT
Good morning
Ruth- in the past you have mentioned that your summers are very dry, so I am glad you got some rain. That is good news that the cooling trend will begin today for your area. Temps in the 90’s are just plain uncomfortable for most folks. Were you able to complete the bonnet?
CJ, glad that you got rain overnight….so that hopefully your day was pleasant. What a great idea to put the bird blocks into a wall hanging or table runner, sounds so very pretty. It also sounds like you are pleased with how the patterns are turning out, I can imagine there must be several angle cuts to make the birds. Guess I will go back and check out the youtubes to see how they are assembled.
Mondays are usually a bit busy. I worked yesterday and then went to get my oil changed. That went well, except that the dealership told me I needed one (just one) new shock absorber on the back. I questioned why only one (those are normally replaced in pairs). So now I have an appointment with someone else to investigate the problem on Thursday morning. Of course something I really did not want to do. I sure miss my former mechanic who was always my reality check for strange information from the dealership. I had practice at church last night, So between everything going on I did not get any quilting time in.
Some errands to run this morning- then hope to start looking at the baby quilt.
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Post by Ruth on Aug 1, 2023 20:30:55 GMT
It definitely sounds like your day yesterday was busy, Ginny. And, no, I never have heard of just replacing one shock absorber. I'd definitely get another opinion. And I don't think your car is that old nor do I think you race over bumpy roads so you probably don't need them at all. It was aways my dh's "thing" to think we needed new shocks but we haven't had any replaced now for quite a few years. I hope you can get to the quilt today. It sounds like you're mainly thinking of reviewing the directions.
It is 87 right now here so a little higher than they said it would be and is still hot in the house even though I had a fan running in the night to pull in cool air but it's comfortable with the fan running
Well I just now got the bonnet finished. Ran into two major problems. First one was that, even though I thought I chained the same number of stitches the one tie was significantly longer than the other. Then I had a hard time finding the yarn end so that I could pull that longer one out enough to remove some stitches from the chain. THEN, when I was sewing the little seam to close the small part that needed seaming I found that I had put the ruffles on the wrong side so someone is going to be wearing an inside out bonnet. I think that only people that crochet a bit would ever know but I think I might make another. Also you would not believe all the ends that need to be woven in in such a small bonnet.But it is done.
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Post by cj59 on Aug 1, 2023 21:36:52 GMT
Hello Ginny - Hope the second opinion gives you information to help make a decision on your car repairs. I don't know much about cars, but it seems like it would be best to have all the shocks replaced at the same time. Hope you found time to work on the baby quilt today. Ruth - I'm glad you finished the bonnet, I bet it is so cute. I'm glad the fan is keeping you comfortable. It feels really funny to say this, but I've been a bit cool/cold in the house I guess my body was so used to the warm weather that now that it's cooler this week, the AC and fans are making it cooler than I'm used to. I went out shopping today, so I haven't done any quilting. The next pattern for the Christmas quilt along came out today, so I hope to get it done tomorrow. I was a bit disappointed since I thought it would be a pretty star topper for the tree, but it's kind of a strange shape. There is one more week for the borders, and I hope they add something to the borders to add some interest. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjqBK9aAIrwwww.fatquartershop.com/evergreen-mystery-quilt-along-week-four-christmas-star-row-free-pdf-quilt-pattern?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=DescriptionBox&utm_campaign=EvergreenRow4Take care
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Post by choney2 on Aug 2, 2023 17:41:46 GMT
CJ- thanks for adding both links, the youtube took forever to load…but the one from the fat quarter shop downloaded very quickly. Gosh it’s a cute tree, but I see what you are saying about the different shape tree topper. Would. You consider making your own design for the star for the top of the tree? I know you would be just fine figuring out how to do that. Like you, I am wearing a light sweater in the house. But I am SO thankful for cooler temps. Glad you got your shopping done today.
Ruth, We know you - and know you will re make that bonnet, but honestly no one (other than you ) will know the difference. If I were you, I would make another project and move on. Babies grow so quickly and I wonder how long they would wear a bonnet.I am very glad to hear that you are keeping comfortable. Please stay hydrated….
Worked this am and caught up with my emails. Now off to view with video (again) for the baby quilt and quit pushing off the inevitable- starting the quilt G
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Post by cj59 on Aug 2, 2023 21:37:30 GMT
Hello Ginny - Hope you were able to start working on the baby quilt. The cooler weather is nice. I've resisted putting warmer clothes on, since I know it will get hot again Ruth - Hope you are having a good day. This morning I finished the latest row for the Christmas tree quilt and I did change the top to a star block. I'm happy with how it came out. I also had time to make the robin and the blue jay bird quilt blocks. I didn't realize that they were 10 inches and the cardinal was 12 inches, so now I'll need to add some sashing around the 10 inch blocks so they'll be the same size as the cardinal block. I hope to get that done tomorrow and use the songbird fabric to put a border around them for a table runner. I'm thinking about making another table runner with a few of the crab blocks. You might remember I mentioned making one of them a few weeks ago. Even though there are a bunch of small pieces in them if I could just make 2 more I have a crab themed fabric that would work as a border for them. So I'll put that on my list of things to make this month. There are several new quilt alongs starting this month and I need to figure out which ones I'll do. I really wanted to do that Malted Mystery (the one where she gives a sneak peak of the quilt layout), but I've pulled several different fabric choices and I just don't like any of them and I really don't care for the design of this quilt. I'm bummed because I really enjoyed doing her quilt along last year. I have several of her quilt patterns, so I was thinking maybe I'd make some of them while the quilt along was going on, instead of doing the quilt along. Or maybe as the quilt along gets going I might just make some of the blocks. Pat Sloan is doing a quilt along called Chicken Salad and it uses Lori Holt (Farm Girl Vintage) block patterns. I have wanted to make some of these patterns for years, so I figured this was a good time to do it. I ordered some of Lori Holt's fabric and I already have both Farm Girl Vintage books, so I'm going to pick out 12 blocks that I like and make them during the quilt along. I'm not going to use the layout for this quilt along, all that fabric around the blocks is too busy for me. But I'm looking forward to making the blocks. www.ilovetomakequilts.com/chicken-salad-qal.htmlTake care
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Post by Ruth on Aug 2, 2023 23:23:29 GMT
We went out today for dh's doctor app't. He was happy because the doctor did prescribe antibiotics even though he said he though it might be a viral infection. If he hadn't ordered antibiotics dh would have bee dissatisfied with the doctor. We had to see not our own pcp because she had no openings and as it was they told me 3pm and when we got there they said it was at 2 so we were late. Not real late because we always arrive early.Then there were a couple errands one of which was picking up the med. When we got to the pharmacy they hadn't received the order yet.Finally the pharmacy tech called them and got the order. Had another errand that we did on the way too the doctor.
Ginny, yes I've mentioned the dryness here a few times but this year, even though we had very low humidity days, it's rained a lot. It's rained 3 days in a row now and several times a day... we never have rains that last all day like other places.
Ginny, you're right. (don't know why my font size keeps changing) I do need to go on to another project and I did watch a video for and started a little pair of socks. I didn't have time to do any crocheting while waiting because we also had our blood drawn for our annual visit which will be whenever the doctor has an opening in her schedule.
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Post by choney2 on Aug 3, 2023 20:22:59 GMT
Ruth- i am really glad that Dh was prescribed an antibiotic- perhaps the doctor was concerned about a secondary infection setting in based upon however long that Dh was not feeling well. I know sometimes antibiotic is prescribed because I have been sick for “too long” and the doctor suspected secondary infection was setting in. I pray that Dh is feeling better soon- and it’s really important that he is not upset with the doctor. (Helps when they feel like they have been “listened to”). Glad you got your blood drawn….something we all have to do every year.
CJ- that chicken salad quilt is adorable! Not so sure I get the origin of the name, but it’s a cute quilt top and I am glad you are so excited to make it. Congrats on modifying the star block for the Christmas tree quilt- I did not like the star block she had designed for it, and know that there are plenty of cute star blocks that would work. What color did you make the star? Enjoy making the crab blocks! Yes they have a lot of tiny pieces but are so cute. And I do not blame you for not taking on the malted mystery. If it does not make your heart sing, then it’s probably not a good idea to make it. And yes, if you have other patterns of hers find one that really appeals to you and work on that.
Well…….took the car in to have the shock absorber checked out. This mechanic told me that the dealership was just trying to make business for himself and that the shock was fine. He did notice that I needed new tires (the dealership told me to wait until November, but i have been questioning the tires for a few months and the dealership told me “not yet”. Problem is, I was shown this am that one of the tires has dry rot- so next week I get 4 new tires. Not cheap on this vehicle, but at least i am set for tires for the winter.
DD, DSIL and DGS#3 stopped over for awhile. I am going to start cutting fabric now for the baby quilt. Been a long day so far and just got nowhere finding time to quilt
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Post by Ruth on Aug 3, 2023 21:43:50 GMT
I'm glad the mechanic you took your car to was honest and said that you didn't need a shock. I can't believe the dealership tried to get you to buy one. You would think that if they were going to lie to make money that they would have said you needed both but I didn't really think you needed any at all and that mechanic said the same. Now tires, yes they get dry rot. I had that happen when I had very few miles on the tires I had previously bought and I knew the person I took it too was right and not lying to make money. Everything dry rots here.As you said, you'll be set for winter with good tread.
I hope you can get some work done on the baby's quilt. I think I"m going to give up on these little socks I've been working on. I don't know that anyone uses crochet socks or booties because they can buy those nice little socks that don't fall off. Have your daughters used booties or crochet socks on their infants? My experience is that booties always fall off. I do want to make a little pair of the Mary Jane booties just because I think my new grandaughter's sisters would like them. I think they think she'll be a toy for them to play with. Their mother may have other ideas of how much handling this baby gets.The other kids are all setting up a plan for who's going to hold her and take care of her and when.
Well I'd best get back to work. I'm doing a little cooking but, of course, that's nothing new for any of us.
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Post by Ruth on Aug 4, 2023 2:12:59 GMT
CJ, It sounds like you have a good plan for the QAL that you ended up not caring a lot for or didn't have the fabric combos you wanted for it. Yes picking the blocks you like and making your own plan for layout is also a great idea.
Well I tried 3 Mary Jane bootie patterns and they all came out way too big (according to the designers' charts) after just the first few rows. The last one was my favorite and after 2 rows it was supposed to be 3 inches which she said is a newborn size. Well after2 rows it was already 3 1/2 inches and after the 3 rows it was just under 4 inches which on her chart is a 6-9 month size. Well I know I mentioned that when I measured one of this baby's sister's feet when she was born her feet were 4 inches so I'm happy with the size. Besides, babies grow fast.
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Post by Ruth on Aug 4, 2023 19:03:09 GMT
It must be a busy day for both of you. I haven't really accomplished a thing. It's raining again today off and on as has been usual for the last few days. It's 60 degrees right now at 1pm. Dh was worried that August would be unbearably hot and it's only the 4th but so far it's been cool and predicted to be cool all next week also. DH ordered me some yarn and I found it sitting in the pouring rain but luckily they sent it in one of the plastic mailers so It probably is not wet. I haven't opened it yet but it seems well sealed.
I did start a Mary Jane bootie yesterday which the designer said was very quick to make...well not for me. Maybe it will be after I finish this pair and am more used to the pattern. Most of my time yesterday was writing out the pattern as I watched the video.
Today I saw what is probably the most interesting c2c I've ever seen. The original is in Russian but it translates well and is much easier than it looks. It's not really appropriate for a blanket because it has large openings and she did hers with crochet thread but I may try it. It probably would make a nice throw for a couch or something depending on the yarn. I definitely will not be trying it with thread and won't be trying it for awhile...until after I get all the projects done that need to be done first
I hope you both are having a good day
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Post by cj59 on Aug 4, 2023 19:15:38 GMT
Hello Hope you are both doing well and the weather is nice. This week has been so wonderful here having lower temperatures. It was a nice break from the heat. Looks like the higher temperatures come back next week. Ginny - I'm glad you found an honest mechanic who told you that your shocks were fine, but also showed you that your tires were getting bad. I'm glad you'll be able to get some new ones and have safe tires this winter. That Chicken Salad quilt was originally done with blocks of appliqued chickens, that's where the name came from: beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2022/05/chicken-salad-sew-along-big-finish.htmlRuth - Those Mary Jane booties sound so cute and I'm glad the larger size is going to work for you. I hope you'll get to make that c2c blanket some day. Yesterday I finished making the Songbird table runner quilt top and I'm happy with how it came out. I'm not sure when I'll quilt it. Last evening I did some more embroidery on the snowman piece and I'm almost finished with it and hope to get it done today. I always wondered how some stitchers finished pieces so quickly, but now that I tried the backstitch on this piece I see how quick the stitching is. This morning I finished making the other two crab blocks and I was able to put the table runner top together. I like it too, even though some of my pieces don't line up that great. I'm still happy to have made it since blue crabs are so famous in Maryland. I made two red blocks and one blue crab block to put between them. All the monthly blocks will be coming out next week, so I guess those will keep me busy. Hope you get to do some crafting this weekend. Take care
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