Some Cleaning and Redecorating, 9-18-23

My free couch is so comfortable but so ugly and I’d like to have it recovered but I hate the curved back! Such an old lady couch, isn’t it? I’ve looked at new couches but all are too deep for me – my feet don’t even touch the floor!!!

Twenty windows in these two rooms and I have two bolts of fabric to make valances but that’s not as fun as a new quilt.

Here’s the quilt I saw on Etsy for $500 –

Here’s the first one I tried – I need different fabric. Oh, gosh, I’ll have to visit a quilt shop!!!

Working on plants every day and making progress – leaving the big ones for last.

On the porch
On left – Playhouse Pumpkin On right – Home To Roost

Remember that seasonal panels are quilted and hung outside.
From my strawberry plants in the tank

And the border that got MANY of you involved enough to comment! I feel like I hit the jackpot!

I think I should issue a border challenge! You loved the Judy Martin border but like me, you’re always ready to start the next quilt and the border sounds boring. I guess we can all agree we need to take a step back and reevaluate – I don’t need any more quilts so why am I in such a hurry to move on?

One of the readers says she starts with a hoarded fabric she loves for the border and has to piece the center with coordinates. Might be a fun idea. Why, oh why, do we hoard fabric? I think it’s because we love the fabric so much that the quilt needs to be worthy of that fabric. I had a piece of our old Wear Warm Clothes fabric and I pieced it for the back.

Reader photos – I forgot where I left off so….

All that cleaning gives me a backache! I should go sit at my sewing machine, don’t you think?

Here’s what I’ve been working on, 9-17-23

Remember last August when I went to Blue Earth to attend a lecture by Judy Martin? And she couldn’t come because she had Covid so her husband presented the program? Well, I took her advice to heart – borders are important. I’ve never been interested in borders because by the time I got to that part I was sick of working on that particular quilt.

And now remember my challenge to you about using hoarded fabric? Here’s my quilt with hoarded fabric and a Judy Martin border.

Hoarded fabric
Center fabric an old Country Threads piece

Another hoarded fabric –

Another finish

I have rarely bought a kit but I did for this one. The fabric is lovely – almost silky feeling however they shorted me two fat quarters so my quilt made only 10 blocks. I ended up with a square quilt, 3×3, which is almost more useable to me.

So….three finishes for you. Now it’s back to the UFOs of which I have many to choose from!

I went to Walmart after church – I needed these things:

Moth balls to keep the squirrels away, fertilizer for some bad spots in my grass and more insecticide spray for my houseplants. I drove Red to church today – the season is changing and Red’s days of going to church will be over for the year.

If you like Little Red and would like one just like mine, a reader sent me an ad from Vermillion, SD where one is for sale. If interested send me an email and I’ll pass the information to you. Red is my Senior Citizen Toy. Smile!

Off to the sewing machine for the evening.

A Quick Post, 9-15-23

Let’s fix the problem of the online store! If you see a pattern there you’d like to order, make note of the name and number and order it direct from me. I have no idea how to fix the online store. The person who set it up is no longer in the picture and since I have no idea how to fix your problem, just don’t try to order there.

We got a bit of rain today so no harvesting happened. My water barrel is once again full and I can start to fill jugs of rain water for my plants during the winter. I figure I use 2 jugs a week – cat litter jugs by Tidy Cat.

When I see something, even in my house, that I think is interesting I want to show you. That goes for this very nicely professionally framed picture of a little dog. I paid $2.00 at the thrift store years ago and the photo is grainy and not in focus and yet I purchased it and hung it on my wall. My guess is that this was someone’s precious dog and a family member had it framed for the owners. The frame shop is listed as The Perfect Edge in Deborah, IA. This was likely a beloved little dog, don’t you think? And this picture was also treasured – enough to pay for professional framing.

And that’s tonight’s blog about nothing.