Tim was in the barn tonight when I went down to check on everybody and he was hungry – every crumb was gone in the bowl that I leave on the shelf. I never think he’s exactly lost but he could get run over and I’d never know.
Here’s my progress –
A reader asked about what I kept in the little cupboards – nothing very exciting.
Margie, age 93 married to Robert, age 96, sent me this very cute hand towel with a heart appliquéd with buttonhole stitch. Check out the center picture!! Love it! Thanks, Margie CA
And a huge thank you to those who click on the ads – it’s the only income this blog produces which pays the bills to keep it alive. I wish more of you WOULD click on the ads but it’s all voluntary.
When I make those stars I cut off the corners on the flying geese unit – do you keep these triangles and sew them together or do you throw them away?
In the past I’ve sewn them into triangle squares but I think I’m ready to toss them this time. What do YOU do with them?
Reader photos
This unusual vase was a recent thrift store purchase, too – very unusual and will be fun to put flowers in next summer.
Dog owners: have you tried Farmers Dog food? I tried it because Hazel is such a fussy eater. Keeper loves it but he loves most anything and Hazel won’t touch it. I’ve had to cancel the subscription after two huge boxes arrived and are in my freezer and my porch.
Hank is coming for the day tomorrow – it’s going to be very cold but he and Keeper can play inside. I’ll be sewing red stars.
Sandy your quilt is very pretty. You must be so proud. Currently I have started working on a preemie quilt (36×36) so very manageable. Our quilt guild has a challenge for the February meeting and this year’s theme is “at the zoo”. My quilt has two bears and then some bear paw blocks. When I am done I will send a picture. I have been able to quilt for 30 min a day for the last three days. At that point my knee says that’s enough. It feels so good to do something.
I’m so happy that Tim showed up again, hope he stays in during the really cold weather coming. Sandy, I love your quilt! So much work and the other quilts by Jeannie and Emily are lovely as well. The cross stitch pieces are so pretty and I, too, would love to see the kaffe star quilt behind the angel pillow! Li, thanks for sharing the link to Jo Kramer’s cute quilt! What a great way to use triangles of any size. Jamie, what a great story about your dad and Jimmy Hoffa. I remember as a young child we had to wait in the car every Sunday while our parents visited our older sister who had cerebral palsy and was living at a state hospital – children weren’t allowed inside at that time. Luckily, it was only the winter months that we were waiting. In the summer we would take her out in the nice weather. She later lived at an assisted living and I’m sure was much happier there. Today, you’d be accused of child abuse leaving your kids in a car alone! Jan in MA
Tim the Tomcat has returned. So handsome! Hopefully he sticks around while it is so cold, the picture are all very nice. The red star quilt is really cool. I love it! Will look great on your red chair. I’ll be Keeper and Hank are having fun!
We are on the eastern edge of the line of snow so it is cold and cloudy. No sunshine today.
We had our Christmas get together last night. We had three kinds of soup, a hamburger cheese dip with chips, ham, veggies and dip, and Oreo ice cream dessert. Yummy. We were missing two grandkids. I said we could count it as my birthday celebration also. They gave me money to try Hello Fresh. In the winter cooking can get quite boring and it’s fun to try something new. Anyone try it? What did you think?
Stay warm and have a nice weekend!
Joy, I’d love to hear what you think! We did Blue Apron and I liked it, but lots of plastic which is hard on the environment. I’d go back to it or something if not as much plastic.
Yay Mr. Tim is back! I love your red stars progress. The quilt with the lime green is very pretty and I love the pillows 😻! We’re supposed to have a rainy day tomorrow and then drop into the 20’s for several nights. Will be our first hard freezing 🥶, I’m sure everyone is heading to the store. I was going to reschedule my dental appointment for Monday but my husband is from Illinois and can drive on anything, ice or snow, with his eyes closed 🤭. I would rather just stay home. Penny and Lucy say hi 👋 everyone!
Enjoy everyone of your post. I saw where you were talking bout clicking on the ads, guess I didn’t get it before but now will be doing it for you. Sometime things don’t
Click?
Glad you are back to being with all your crew,, they are all such special pets. Love their stories too.
We are getting lots of snow and Ice coming next couple days.. not thrilled with that😣
Take care and keep on posting, lots of us out here need you, your caring, your wit, your day to day routine. Thax for it all❤️
This is a great picture day. I like all of them
I save the little triangles. I’ve used a few, the rest I guess I’m just collecting.
FYI, I’ve noticed I have ads to click when I look at the blog at my desktop computer. If I look at on the phone, I don’t see any ads to click.
We’re waiting to see if we get the big snow tomorrow evening or not. Often, the reality is much less than the prediction. Either way, it’s a cold weekend and good for sewing or another indoor activity. yesterday, I spent a lot of time looking at old family pictures.
Ok, am I the only one who at first thought the paper hanging on the wall was toilet paper? Then, I realized it was paper so the “I use this everyday” made more sense. LOL.
I love your red stars, Mary, and now I wish I had ordered the pattern, but I have sooooo many projects to do.
I usually have to go to the computer to click on ads. I try to do that every time you send a new post. I read it on my phone, then online so I click twice if they show up on the phone. Win/win.
Thanks for all of the neat pictures today fellow readers:)
I did save those triangles from our daughther’s T quilt, two Hugs and Kisses quilts, and others. I put them in Mason jars and pretend they are art!! Other pieces I take to our Humane society Thrift Store where they make them into dog begs. I hate to waste.
We had about 4 inches of snow yesterday (predicted 1″ plus–ha) and more is coming. We were supposed to go to Cleveland area to celebrate our grandson’s 21st bday, but our son and son in law suggested not. Have to wait now.
Ok–fun fact. Our daughter and I met Maya Angelou in the Detroit airport. She was soooo lovely. We both taught English at the time and she gave our daughter a CD of her poetry. Great experience for us.
Stay warm everyone; it looks like COLD and snow are here to stay.
PS I love the “open a drawer” get a cat–haha.
Oh my goodness Diane what an honor it would have been to meet Maya. I love her inspirational words.
Kathy, it was. We held back at first, but then very respectfully went up to her and said we wanted to tell her how much we loved her books and poetry. It was wonderful!
I totally thought that was a fancy toilet paper holder, and the comment “I use this every day” made absolute sense. 😂
No, Diane, you aren’t the only one who thought the lovely Middle School shop class project was a TP holder! Then I scrolled down farther and recognized the note maker/holder. We have been the proud recipients of two such treasures along with two corner shelves. I think we may still have them in the basement. Hmm, Happy New Year gifts? Surprise, kids! I really shouldn’t complain. Both kids (girl and boy) have learned how to use power tools, including sewing machines, safely and continue to be creative.
I’m glad Tim stopped in for lunch and hope he stays a while during this cold snap. Keeper and Hank are two peas in a pod. Do you have to referee the raslin’ matches, Mary? I was hoping there might be tiny treasures in your little cabinets and drawers. What fun to open a drawer and there is a “cat-in-the-box”! Love it. Also love the quilts; bright colors, classic stars, incredible applique (Sandy, you must have the patience of a saint), quilts for cats, modern “almost bargello,” and more. So glad you took us along on your shopping trip. The picture of “your” house is perfect.
Thanks so much for the blog, Mary. It is a bright spot in my day! Kris in WI where it is 9* right now and maybe up to 20* for a high tomorrow.
Mary,
Beautiful quilts on the blog this morning. And thanks for giving us a peek into your cupboards. I have always loved little wooden cabinets, but I do like the metal one too.
Jamie, I remember very well when Jimmy Hoffa went missing. A few years later my husband and I lived near Telegraph Road where the Red Fox restaurant was where Jimmy was last seen. That restaurant went out of business and so did several others that tried to make a go of it in the same location. What a great memory!!
Have a great day everyone!🌻
It was a great restaurant. Sorry to hear it closed. Interesting small world fact. At my first assisted living we had a resident named Joe Giacalone, his brother was the head of the Detroit mafia! Joe had dementia but he had his lucid moments. I would ask him often if he knew what happened to Jimmy, he would just answer “yup”. One of my favorite lines from SNL weekend update was their report on the opening of the Renaissance Center. One of the speakers said “Jimmy Hoffa will always be the cornerstone of our foundation”.
Glad Tim is back! And I love your red stars! Whether or not I save the cut-off triangles depends on the size they are. Anything smaller than 2 inches I usually just throw away.
Being old and slow, I did not quite realize that clicking on the supported your blog so much. I will definitely step that up, because your blog is one of the best things! Love all the photos today. I think Tim is so beautiful. I am assuming he is feral? It would be so much fun if he had an attached camera to see where he roams. My son has taken care of a feral cat community for about 10 years now – rain or shine, in sickness and in health. During that time, he has been able at last to tame a few and take them in. He has kept one and been able to have a couple of others adopted. Love all the comments and following you and others!
Brenda – yes, Tim is feral and I have no idea where he is when he isn’t here. I put him on Facebook to see if anyone in my neighborhood recognized him but guess they don’t read that. He isn’t fixed but if I ever tamed him to stick around I would of course have him neutered. And Brenda – we’re all old and slow! That’s why we all have so much in common! Haha!!,
Love all the beautiful reader quilts today; Sandy’s is especially lovely, so much work put into it! Mary, you have a good start on your stars. I sew the cut off corners into HSTs while they’re matched up, and then put them into a box. Wonder if I will do something with them one day?
Mary, have you heard from Jo in Wyoming? I don’t think I’ve seen any posts from her in a while, and I recall another reader asking about her recently too. Miss her comments.
Mary I think you should make bookmarks from your left over triangles.
I use Eleanor Burns flying geese rulers so I have no triangles to cut off. For me the flying geese’s are much more accurate.
As for my dogs, they did well the week I worked on the floats. Hiring someone to visit them 2X a day made me and them more comfortable.
Sorry you have picky eaters. Mine are not really but for the last couple years I have made a topper for their kibble. It’s a recipe that is used at the dog rescue for those that are picky or have a hard time eating. If you want to try it, text me for the recipe.
Pattie, would you mind posting the dog food ‘topper’ recipe here in the comments? We have a picky poodle who never eats without something tasty on top of her food. I’m guessing she’s not the only one. Thanks!
I too love, love your stars & all the beautiful quilts today. I’m not very good at making stars so I don’t have any left over triangles! So glad Tim is back, hope he stays for awhile & keeps warm. Very cold here today & the wind makes it worse, going to stay in & sew, making a table runner for my grandson!!
Stay warm everyone 🥶
Thank you for sharing what’s inside your “nothing special” cabinets. It gave me an idea for my pictures. Thanks, Li, for the link to Jo’s Country for using triangle scraps. Thanks, community, for the other triangle scrap ideas, too. Many of my too-small-scraps from trimming are collected and passed along to someone who stuffs them into pillows for a dog/cat rescue center. But, Nancy Ann I like your idea, too. Would flannel work as well for the pillow sack?
Have a productive weekend.
Jan
P.S. The cat pillow and small quilt was made for my daughter’s cat.
Yes, I’ve used flannel. Flannel is good for small dogs and cats. My guild also uses quilters cotton.
NancyAnn
Love those pillows and would also enjoy seeing the Kaffe star quilt with the gray background that is behind the angel pillow! Great pictures today. So glad Tim is back. I guess he just enjoys his freedom too much to stick around full time.
We had a dusting of snow last night but are expecting more Sunday into Monday in the Philly area. We are totally retired and normally I wouldn’t care but my husband gives a friend a ride to work when the weather is bad because the friend has celebral palsy and although he drives, he is not confident enough to drive when it is dark or wet or slippery. Sometimes we get a call at 5:30 in the morning so he can get a ride to his job at the grocery store. My husband has a big heart and has been a good friend.
I have a whole tin full of triangles that I am waiting to do something with. Also several bins of scraps. Maybe they will eventually end up in dog pillows but not yet. I keep thinking of all the strip quilts I want to make with the many strips that are in those bins. I need to organize them better. That is something I can do while watching tv at night! I hate just sitting there idle.
This post was one of the best this morning with my coffee. The comments are fun too. Triangles that we cut off and throw away? I save the bigger ones for myself and the others go to a friend who loves them and uses them. If the larger ones I save hang around too long, I find someone to take them. I save scraps but often thin them to a friend who is on limited income. The quilts today were wonderful but all quilts are just that! I love to see what others choose to make. Mary, you are doing great with the stars.
I got home from retreat early and after things were put away I managed to do some stitching on the large applique blocks. Only 5 more to go… But a quilt is calling on the long arm. Hope to get to that this weekend but I have to go into the city today for a haircut. But I am meeting a friend for lunch at Cracker Barrel. I rarely go into Council Bluffs on a weekend. We are expecting a storm but not until much later I hope.
Loved the story that Jamie told, imagine a parent today leaving children in a car for hours in wintertime! I really enjoyed seeing how you fill those tiny cupboards with fun trinkets. I do recall my mom had a note pad like that on the wall for her grocery/shopping lists. What a cool find. Today’s quilts are marvelous, and I love the lime green fabric in Emily from Iowa quilt. It makes the quilt pop and is so cheerful. I did get my chili made and we shall enjoy it this weekend until its gone. I think today we may hang some wall items in our guest room. Still settling into the new place and trying to find a place for somethings. It’s cold here this morning so home is where I will stay.
Love, Love your stars! I use the cut off triangles to make my tiny jewelry! I really should start saving scraps to make our dog, Tillie, dog beds that I can pitch when they get too stinky!
I loved all the pictures today. Sandy, your quilt is gorgeous—–more work than I want to do! I like the triangle quilt on Jo’s blog. I may have to try it with all the triangles I have saved. It would use up a lot of plain muslin as well. I have used them to make a wonky star quilt, and I do like that quilt and have it on a chair in our living room. Glad to see that Tim is back. We used to have a black cat that did the same thing. He would be gone for weeks sometimes, and we wondered if he would ever return, but he eventually showed up—-even in the dead of winter. How they survive was beyond us. Cold here in Iowa for the weekend. Not sure if the snow will get us or not. Have a great day. I loved Jamie’s story as well. I always click on ads, several times a day when I go back and read new comments.
Great projects today. The kitty in your picture is a twin to a cat we used to have. His name was Cloudy. You find the greatest things at the antique/thrift store. Depending on the size my triangles go in my scraps or they go to a person who makes dog beds for the local shelter. If you are in the path of the huge storm in the center of the U.S stay safe.
Glad to see Tim stopped by for a feast. Maybe in this cold he will stick around for a while. I needed that reminder to close ads. I read the email version and there are no ads, and it just takes a second to click on the read on blog tab. I do save those triangles and make them into pin cushions, but most of the time I make flying geese units with the no waste method. It is bitter cold today and I plan to make some of your eye glass cases with the piles of strips that seem to never end.
Donna – I’m using my supply of 2-1/2” strips for the flying geese
I sew the bonus triangles while they are still matched up and before they are cut off. When I get enough coordinating ones, I piece them together and make zipper bags and pin cushions. All my quilting friends save them for me and I love gifting them back items I made with the triangles they gave me.
I absolutely love that vase 😍 I am having vase envy 🤣what a great find! And YAY! 🎉🥳 For a Tim sighting. So glad you got to see him and know he’s ok. That water tower picture is just too funny!
I was amazed by Sandy from New Zealand quilt – beautiful! I love the daily quilt show 😍
Stay warm!
This post was like having a cup of coffee at the table of an old friend. Love all the various pictures and beautiful quilts. And then the wonderful comments. How neat Jamie’s story was to read. I do remember the insurance salesman coming to visit getting his monthly check. I’m worried my card to Jamie is on a slow boat to China. And it was one I went to buy at the store as I did not have a suitable card in my stash.
Stay warm all as it looks like winter in January outside here. We’ve been so spoiled with nice weather that this is a shocker to the system so you’re hearing grumbling from many at grocery store. I’m ok tucked inside.
Kathy, I have Informed delivery from the post office. They notified me early this morning that your card is in today’s mail. Whew!
Oh good Jamie, thanks for letting me know it finally arrived to you. If I get worried when a first class stamp card takes too long, can you imagine how my stress level would be if I mailed a quilt to be long armed to someone?? Good thing I have long armers here. Your comment is a good reason we should go back and read through comments later cause we could miss something. Enjoy your day.
It did indeed arrive today. Lovely card, thank you for choosing it specifically for me.
I make wonky star blocks with the corners that are cut offs from 2-1/2” or bigger squares. Anything smaller is recycled.. we have great fiber recycling in my area of Massachusetts. Almost all the schools have bins that you can put anything fabric in as long as it is clean.
As far as those little triangles go, I throw mine away. I just don’t have the patience to sew them together anymore. Ha!
Good morning Mary,
I throw those little pieces away. However I am working on my third full size quilt top from my totes of scraps I have saved over the years. I am amazed that there was that much fabric in all those smaller pieces. Maybe at the price of fabric now I should start keeping all of the scraps-no matter how small!
Had to laugh at the 2 water towers. I save those little triangles for when I need a mindless project while watching TV. I make them into half square triangle blocks and using my little Singer Featherweight, I sew them together to make a small Vase Quilt. I like to think of it as my version of a Postage Stamp Quilt. I have done enough now that I can match the flowers I’m using to the mini quilt. Sunny but cold here in Columbia this morning. Treating myself to a sewing day ; still working on the 2 Christmas Tree wallhangings for my daughters for Christmas 2025. I keep telling myself it’s never to early to start. It also could be a senior version of OCD. Have a great day everyone.
Barbara – I have sewed these together for many years but now I’m wondering if I really want to do this again. With old age comes loss of patience!
I know exactly what you mean!
I don’t make flying geese that way. I use the fast flying geese method. It makes four at a time, perfect for sawtooth stars, and no waste.
I don’t save the triangles, but I like the idea of using them for stuffing a fleece pillow. do the dogs sleep on the pillow or play with it? These days I use my Accuquilt cutter so I don’t do the stitch and flip method any more. The cutter is so accurate I don’t have to square up my units. I have a die cut for the flying geese. I tried one of those subscriptions for cat food. Also had to cancel as my cat would not touch it.
Linda, my two dogs like to sleep on them.
I toss my cut off triangles anymore. I used to save them thinking I would use them one day but now I realize at my age that is just a dream. However I really liked the idea of using them for a dog pillow. Hmmmmm.
Great quilt show today! Sandy, Jeannie and Emily I love your quilts! Thanks for sharing them.
I’ll tell you what I do with the cut off triangles: I save them in plastic bags and small containers and they sit there forever waiting for me to use them! I have hundreds of them that I will probably never use. Friends at my sewing group even give them to me because nobody wants to throw those away. Li, I will check out the quilt idea on Jo’s blog, thanks.
Hi Barbara,
When I made mine I started out with 3-1/2″x3-1/2″ squares. I think Jo’s were smaller. The larger size worked out well.
Hi Mary, thank you for showing my quilt, made mostly during covid,then waiting for inspiration for the outside border,ended up using some stars and applique pieces that didn’t make it into another quilt. I use the leftover triangles for bear paw blocks, under 1 inch l would toss.Pleased to see tim is back and enjoyed Jamie’s story about Jimmy hoffa.wet morning ,then sunny afternoon, kids playing happily in the street, yay, summer! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Here is a link to that scrappy quilt Jo Kramer designed for those leftover triangles. Perfect because the triangles can be any size.
https://www.joscountryjunction.com/quilt-finish-leftover-triangles/
Another wonderful and fascinating post. That needlepoint is fantastic! And the cat quilts/pillows are precious.
Two more cards today, Thanks to:
Sara in Indiana
Cathie in Virginia ( it was placed in the wrong mailbox, luckily it was turned into the front desk.)
I have a suggestion for a fun activity. Tell us something interesting, amazing or fun fact about yourself. Here’s my example and it’s all true:
When I was a very young child, my father sold life insurance. He sold a life insurance policy to Mr and Mrs Jimmy Hoffa. Part of his job was to visit his clients once a month to collect their payment and he would often take us kids along. We were required to stay in the car. One wintry, cold night we sat outside Mr. Hoffa’s house for a few hours.. Dad and Mr Hoffa were quite the talkers (hmm, could that be why I’m a chatterbox?)
Finally, I decided I had enough of the cold. I went up on their porch, rang the doorbell and when Mrs Hoffa answered the door I put on my saddest face and said “is my daddy here?”. She answered “Oh, you poor child! have you been outside all this time?”. When I said yes, she invited us in and made hot chocolate.
My dad and Mr. Hoffa continued to chat for 2 more hours!
WOW Jamie! I love that story – so interesting! Thanks for sharing 😁
I stuff those cut off triangles and anything not useable for 3 inch squares or 2 1/2inch strips in a doggy pillow sack that’s fleece. When full enough my dogs get a new pillow. I can throw it away when it’s too dirty for them anymore. Our guild makes them for local dog shelter.