I have been working on quilt squares. Some were blocks from the shop hop, and some are ones I made from extra fabric we bought. I owned one fat quarter of batik fabric before this shop hop, and am incorporating it into the blocks. I decided I wanted 20 squares. I’ve completed 12 or 14 so far and have a couple in progress.
We spent time with both Jake and Michaela. I took them to the library and got a book about science experiments. Uncle helped Jake figure out how to make an “airplane” from straws and loops of paper.
It flew well!
I took Michaela shopping for personal hygiene supplies. Her mom sent a list, and we got all of the things. We absolutely took our time, and I was very pleased with how she did. She thought about each item and looked at many, many choices and decided which kind or smell she wanted of things like deodorant or toothpaste. Then, I took her for a milkshake. We had a good time. It was a good outing, even though it doesn’t sound glamerous.
This week, all the kids missed 2 days of school, due to snow, and Rob was down for a couple of days after a medical test. (He’s great, by the way!). Everyone was getting a little stir-crazy. On Saturday, Rob and I took Patsy and Jake for a long drive. Michaela had other things to do that day with her Dad. We found a town where the snow was still on the ground and Jake enjoyed getting out of the car and throwing some, throwing sticks into this little creek, and generally running around for a bit.
The sunny, but chilly, day was so nice after the snow.
We happened upon a railroad museum on our drive. I let Jake climb on the railroad cars. He really enjoyed it. We didn’t actually go inside the museum. We might do that another day.
Rob picked up some more boards from the free piles at the wood places. We spent some time chopping them up and now our containers are full again. They work so great to start fires.
In the next 2 weeks to come, we will be working many, many hours with the kids. Their parents are working extra this week and next, and have some appointments. Therefore, we will work extra this week and next. This is good timing, as we can clock in extra hours now to make up for when they are gone over spring break later in the month. I can’t say I’ll have much time for quilting this week, but I will say life is never boring around here!
I wish you were closer as I am trying to teach myself to quilt!! Your blocks are beautiful.
Thank you so much! I am quite rusty, since it’s been a while, but I’m really happy with how they look. Sometimes, I have to rip out quite a few seams before I get them how I want them. And, doing exactly 1/4″ seams helps a lot, too. I can’t wait to see what you make!
The quilt squares are beautiful. Batik fabric is my favorite, and I incorporated some into my last quilt. The free wood is such a great resource. It makes me think of when I had my first house, there was a stone place that put all sorts of stone “scraps” out that you could go through and get… granite, marble, etc. Though they did end up stopping it, I managed to get a lovely, unique walkway made through my back yard before they did.
Thank you. I’ve never worked with batik before, but I’m really liking it. The one piece I had was a fat quarter that one of the kids liked and got me to buy, years ago, so I’m super glad to have found a use for it.
That would be amazing–to get a walkway from all the odds and ends. I’ll bet it was lovely.
Jake sure looks like he had fun. Going for milkshakes is always fun. Glad you are getting some extra hours.
With Jake, it’s all about making sure there are some fun stops for him along the way. I wasn’t sure exactly how he would react to a long drive, but in the end, he did have a ball. It’s good to expand his horizons a bit beyond his normal routine!
Your quilt colors are pretty. I’m looking forward to seeing the completed project.
We spent the week at the lake and had a week of fairly nice weather in the middle of all the cold and rain. We went to an old stone church built in 1767 and the botanical gardens at Clemson University on one warm and sunny day.
I’m glad you got some good weather! That always cheers me up, as it probably does everyone. I love botanical gardens. How nice you got to visit one.
Perfectly straight lines and matched corners! Good job on the quilt pieces. I have been working on the 30-day challenge where you throw away one bag or one thing every day. It has helped me because I am constantly looking for something to give away. This week I went through my quilting stash and found a few things that could be donated. I considered them ugly colors, but someone else might think the material is beautiful. There is much more to do but I now can see the top of my ironing board! No longer do I need to clean it off before ironing. Progress has been made in my mending pile, but there is much more to do.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
If you’ve got a quilting stash, you’ve probably made quilts! Care to share? I’d love to see pictures of a quilt you made on your blog:)
It’s great you are cleaning out things at such a great rate. Even in this small house that I just cleaned out in December, I need to get busy cleaning out again. It seems to creep in and pile up at an alarming rate around here!
That is a good idea. I need to go through my quilts and label which ones were made by which grandmother. Mom is losing her eyesight and may still be able to identify them.
Thanks for the suggestion.
That’s a great idea! It will probably make your Mom feel like she has a project to do, as well.