Since the warm weather wasn't here to stay, I stayed in and did some more sewing on these blocks. Here I am trying to decide if I want to set the blocks on point or straight. Also I am not sure what color I want for the alternate block, but I don't think I want it dark. If I make it as big as I'd like, I will need another dozen blocks. I'll make a few red blocks next.

 And I was still busy with my other job taking care of my people with more cleaning and doctor appointments. Add to that our only drug store closed (with no notice) and it took 3 1/2 hours one day to fill 5 prescriptions at 3 pharmacies in two towns in opposite directions from me. Apparently there is a national shortage of one drug and the script has to be filled exactly as written. No substituting tablets for capsules. I sure hope the other 15 prescriptions I will have to fill won't take as long.

Glad to be me

I've been too busy to do any more than a bit of sewing this week. If I wasn't working outside, then I was helping Lisa or Brian because both have had some health issues. Also my new furniture was a great incentive to get some spring cleaning done both here and at Lisa's cause she got my old stuff.

 This is a first for me.  I had a pieced border that needed a quilt. I made a border, but didn't like it with the quilt I made it for. Here it is with my second choice of blocks.  I guess this means I put another kit together. I thought I would dedicate some time for a change to work on this quilt from start to finish.  Silly me. With spring here, I can see now that isn't going to happen. This is the time of year when I can't decide which I'd rather do - work outside or work on a quilt. Such problems.  I wish everyone was so lucky.

One Marvelous March

It hasn't been easy to stay indoors this month and quilt. It's been an unusually warm month here and I have enjoyed getting some yard work done early this year. I have spent little time at either sewing machine, but managed to make these stars that I used for a demo. This was not part of the plan to use those yummy orange fabrics I showed a few weeks back. That plan is still pending.

Besides the yard work I still try to get a walk in once in a while. This photo was taken from my neighbors yard.  The willow trees are now more green than yellow. My house is behind the willow on the left in the midst of this wildlife sanctuary. The spring peepers (frogs) have been making all kinds of racket in the marsh for the last week. They chirp at night and many of the birds are back and singing all day. I wish I knew which birds song sounds just like my land-line telephone ringing.

It is supposed to be warm for another week and I plan to be busy. I hope I can get a few hours in stitching.

Sew much for setting goals

 The girls are here for quilting Thursdays this spring.  Sue finished her triple 4-patch using my fabric. She is thinking maybe she will quilt this one next winter (always by hand) and piece another one this spring. I hope so.

 Shaggy brought along this tablerunner.  She made it several years ago for a challenge we had. The only rules of the challenge I remember were to use the scraps from the small boxful I gave them and that they could add at least one more fabric. I remember being careful to pack brights in her box, but I was really surprised when she produced this. I guess it is still waiting for quilting, but at least it is basted. I won't always have photos of everyone's work because really this is my blog.
 

Nothing from me this week. I had to do some cleaning at my people's houses and I forget what else. I guess the goals I set for myself last week didn't help me at all. They weren't even successful at making me feel bad for not working towards them. I attempted to work on some of those projects I thought I could finish quickly, but with one, I couldn't locate more of the matching fabric I needed. Don't know how that happened cause I am so organized. And with the other project I picked up to work on. Well, I cut the pieces too small. Sooo, I put them away and dinked around with some ideas for another quilt.

Then I went shopping and ended up at the quilt shops in Milton and Janesville. I guess those are the places to go around here if you like the Civil War reproduction type. Which I do. And I don't get there often enough. Does that give you the idea that I spent $. Well, I had a good time and I had to replace the fabric Sue used, right?

A closer look

About the only quilting I did this last week was work on Joy's sampler. I got it done for her a week ahead of schedule. I really enjoyed working on it, but I would have enjoyed it more if it were custom quilted. Working from the back of the quilt, you don't get to see the blocks or the fabrics too often. I'd say she did a great job choosing fabric while she worked exclusively from stash.

In case you are wondering if I ever finished the Birds-in-th-Air quilt, I didn't cause as always I got hung up on the border.  I have  the flying geese border made and I was at the point of choosing the other border fabric. I decided a rust color was the best choice. I sat down to finish it, but calculated that I was 3" short of fabric. And that is with fussy corner blocks so that the yardage I had would work.  It is my guess that the fabric shrunk those 3" because I don't ask for 3" short of a full yard when I buy it. I can't really be mad cause I didn't buy it specifically for that quilt. With 20 quilt shops within an hour's drive of my house, I have no idea where I got it (in the recent past) so I am not going to go hunt more down.  I packed it away and will watch for it over the next several months. I may very well locate more or finally decide on using something else. I just don't have a need to finish that quilt now so it can sit on the shelf as is.

I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all the little piles of phd's sitting around the sewing room. My goal for the week is to finish up a few of them that should go quickly and to get another top done down in the quilting cave. I don't usually set weekly goals so it should be interesting to see if it helps.  Wish me luck.