Quilt Tops and Robotic Vacuums

 I finished three quilt tops this week, another quilt center that needs borders, and I've got two more tops in progress, one all the rows are seen, one half the rows are sewn. I didn't take any stellar photos, but I took a couple quick ones.

Here's the sunflower quilt center. I decided to add a cream border to float the center a bit more, which is cut and ready to go, followed by a dark teal border, which I still need to cut. I  bought enough of the teal border fabric so it can be the backing as well. I actually bought a whole bolt of the teal fabric, and if you click on that link, you'll figure out why pretty easily, $2.75 a yard!

I had enough of these black/white log cabin blocks to make three quilts, and this is the smallest of those. Now two tops are hanging in the quilt closet, and I just started sewing the rows of the third one, which will be another twin like the first one I finished. I'm in no hurry for these to be finished quilts, so they can stay quilt tops for a while without stressing me out. 

I finished the quilt tops of both I Spy quilts I need to finish for my grandsons, but I haven't taken photos of them. When I ordered the teal fabric from Marshall Dry Goods, I also ordered a bolt of 108" wide fabric in blue for $4.95 a yard! I'm going to use the blue to back both I Spy quilts. 

I also bought a bolt of solid black for $2.55 per yard. Shipping for the three bolts was just over $26, which having shipped several things recently I found to be a more than fair price. I've been ordering from Marshall Dry Goods for years, and I even got to go there once. DH and I already talked about making some major purchases from there of basics just before retirement. We've still got a few years before retirement can happen, so in the meantime, I'll just keep sewing up what I've got in stash, to make room for an influx of basics then. Really, with a stash of basic solids and blenders, you can make your prints go a LONG ways. Now Marshall Dry Goods just needs to stay in business that long! I've had a couple of my favorite thread suppliers go under in the past couple years, so I'm hoping MDG can hold on in this crazy economy. 

I've been trying not to buy much in the way of quilting stuff this year, but those three bolts of fabric, at amazing prices, which I already have immediate plans for??? Yeah, not going to beat myself up about that. 

After my last post I had several people ask me about robotic vacuums, and I asked DD#2 about the one she has that both vacuums and mops.

I have this Roomba, which my daughter bought about six years ago? I remember seeing video of their Corgi as a puppy riding on the vacuum, and I think their dog is going to be six this year. It might even be a year older than that. 

*Found the video! Click here if you want to watch it! This is the same Roomba as in the video. 

I don't know which model it is, but I can tell you it's great to use between big vacuuming jobs. It's misses a few spots, but it does a decent job considering how little effort it takes. It doesn't vacuum well enough to replace a big vacuum completely, but it does well enough to make how often you need to vacuum with a regular vacuum less. Currently, we have no pets, but her corgi sheds up a storm, and all that dog fur didn't kill it. 

The vaccuming/mopping robot she bought is a Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry vacuum model number 28599. I asked her how she liked it, and this is what she said.

"There aren't very many wet and dry robots. I think the technology will probably improve greatly, but I do like it! If you're someone who regularly washed your floors, I wouldn't recommend it, it misses spots and would drive a picky person crazy. If it weren't for this robot, my floors would rarely get washed, so I'm grateful to have them as clean as they are. 

I like that the robot is really good about not accidentally getting the carpet wet. It doesn't map the house, which would have been a nice feature, but it cleans pretty systematically back and forth, instead of bouncing around like my roomba did. It doesn't get all the dog fur up, but the vacuum is pretty in between my Bissell stick and my Dyson. I enjoy having it."

I debated leaving out her comment about her floors rarely being washed without the robot, but before you judge her harshly, know she has special needs children and just this week they had 21 appointments between them. Nineteen appointments is a normal week, this week was a bit busier, and next weeks schedule is busier still. It's amazing she gets any housework done. 

I'm a lousy housekeeper. I'm good about keeping things picked up, dishes, and laundry, but I've been known to go way too long between vacuuming and mopping, and dusting??? Whatever, I'd rather be quilting! Now you know why she gave me her old Roomba! 

I sewed up these blocks yesterday. The blocks with the flying geese just needed the center strips sewn in, the Flying Geese sections have been done for ages. If I get a chance I'll try to get it laid out this weekend too, since the design wall is currently empty. I have the sashing, cornerstones, and solid borders cut. I still need to finish piecing the Flying Geese border, but all the Flying Geese are made, so that won't take long. 

The 16 patches are four patches I made from quillow leftovers, alternating with squares I cut from leftover wide backing when I was processing scraps recently. I haven't finished sewing those blocks up, and however many blocks it makes, it makes. I'll decide where I'm going with those blocks once I know how many blocks I have. 

The blocks I made from the warm colored quillow scraps alternating with cream colored squares ended up making 53 blocks, so now I'm debating whether I should set the quilt 6x8 and have five extra blocks, or should I make more four patches and make the quilt bigger. I ended up using multiple solid cream fabrics for the background squares, so I could totally make more blocks. Once there are enough alternate background fabrics included, you can add in more pretty easily. The mottled gray/black fabric I'm using on this batch of 16 patches is it for that fabric, and I don't have anything close enough that it really blends in. So, when I'm out of that black, it's time to assemble what I've got into a quilt center. I'm thinking both the 16 patch quilts will get borders. 

So this weekend DH has plans, so I have more quilting time. My main goal is to get both I Spy quilts basted, and if that's all I get done I'm happy. I try to sew less on weekends to give my arm a break. 

New Scraps

 

As you can see in the photo, my scrap basket is empty! I pre-cut into the sizes of strips and squares I save, and now that they are all pressed and in usable sizes, I've already used some of these! The messy pile in the back is strings, which have already been sorted by color into my string bins. I've got most of these scraps put away now, but I'm not quite finished putting away the strips. All the squares are put away. 

I also finished the quillow for DD#1.

I had only a fat quarter of this really large scale print, so I figured a quillow pocket was a good place to use it. 

I've still been being careful with my RSI, even though it's doing so much better. Piecing blocks is much easier on my RSI than assembling quilts or FMQ, so I've been assembling blocks made out of leftover units from other quilts. I'm going to end up with a couple kid and lap quilts from that, and I feel pretty good about using up random leftovers. 

Since I've made a deal with myself that for a while I only want to use UFO's or scrap projects as my leader/ender projects, I keep having to hunt down more UFO's, especially the barely started ones. I found some Dresden plates I cut out over six years ago when I was making a baby quilt for one of my granddaughters. My plan for them was to applique the Dresden plates into the open areas of an Irish Chain quilt. I never cut the background for that quilt out, but I did cut a bunch of the squares I needed for the chain, as well as a bunch of Dresdens. Even though I hadn't sewn a stitch on the project, I still consider it a UFO because I had so much of it cut. I found it when I opened my 1930's repro bin, since that project is all 30's repro.

I wanted to use 30's repro for a doll quilt for my youngest grandaughter, who is getting the doll cradle my grandfather made me when I was young. I've re-made linens for that cradle multiple times now. I made new linens when my girls were young, then again for my oldest granddaughter. Now I'm doing it again for my youngest granddaughter. DH is going to spruce up the cradle itself, and with new linens and a new baby doll, I think it will be a good 1st birthday present. My oldest granddaughter is ten now, and more into Barbies than baby dolls, so she was willing to pass it to her cousin.

Since I came across the cut Dresden plates, I decided to add those to the leader/ender queue. Yesterday I got all the tops of the Dresdens wedges sewn up, and I'll be turning and pressing the points over the next few days. I figure I can assemble the Dresdens as leaders/enders, and then put them aside until I want to make that project my main project. Having the Dresdens ready to applique will make that project go much faster when the time comes. 

I have started assembling one of the quilts I had in rows. I'm working on the sunflower quilt because I had light colored thread in the Bernina where I like to assemble quilts. I should be able to finish assembling the quilt center today, then I'll need to cut borders. I finally decided what I wanted to do for those, nothing fancy, but I'd like to bring the quilt up to twin size. 

I'll switch the Bernina over to a darker piecing thread once I get the sunflower quilt center together, because I have to finish assembling the I Spy quilts for my grandsons so I can quilt them! I'm running out of time on that. As long as I have those assembled by the end of February, I should be fine. I got extra wide backing for both of those, so once they are assembled it's straight to basting, no borders on those quilts, and no backings to piece. I'd like to get both the I Spy quilts finished in March. 

Sometimes I find the way I work pretty funny. I always have projects at multiple stages on purpose, it's easier on my joints to switch up which activity I'm doing. What I find funny is how a project I didn't need nor had planned to do will take over, like the sunflower quilt. I came up with that idea around Christmas, and here it's almost a finished top. 

On the other hand, I have projects like the 1930's Irish Chain with Dresdens, and I can let it sit around for years, knowing someday I'll finish it. I can even work on the Dresden plates and still feel no pressure to just get it done. Someday it will be that quilts turn to be the main project, it just hasn't happened yet. 

I do think in a couple years I should have a break from deadline quilts. After this year, I'll only have four unmarried nieces and nephews out of fifteen. I try to make them all wedding quilts, but I'm almost done with those. I make all the grandkids a baby quilt, then another for a big bed for their second birthday, figuring they'll move out of the crib around then. Unless someone surprises me, I think I've got all the grandkids I'm going to get, and the last one will turn 2 next year. Now, after that, my grandkids can get a new quilt whenever they ask for one, so I have made new quilts for the older grandkids, but those are never a planned thing. It's literally just whenever they ask for something different. As far as event quilts go, I should be coming to the end of that for a while. Baby quilts will always be a thing, but those are fun to make, and I can get one made in a week pretty easily, faster if I need to. I make all the great nieces and nephews a baby quilt, as well as other people I know.  It's mostly the BIG deadline quilts that should be coming to an end. I'll still be making quilts to gift, both to family and charity, but it will be able to be more on my timeline than someone else's, and I think that's something to look forward to. 

Besides sewing, I'm finally starting to deal with my recipes, and I bought a recipe binder and page protectors, so I can finally get stuff into one space. 

Today I've been having fun working with a new-to-me Roomba. DD#2 bought a new robotic vacuum that both vacuums and mops, so she gave her old one to me. It misses some spots, but I can already tell it will be great to use in between big vacuuming days. When my RSI is bothering me vacuuming is not happening unless DH does it. Maybe I'll eventually buy the one that mops too, who knows? For now, a hand-me-down Roomba is quite a blessing, and definitely fits the budget better. 

Working Slowly

 I've been good this week, babying my arm and it's calming down. I spent some time organizing my pantry and reorganizing the kitchen cabinets a bit. Now DH says he can't find anything, but eventually he'll figure it out. I find now that I'm cooking for just two and not entertaining thanks to covid, I am using different things on a daily basis than I used to, so it was time my kitchen and pantry reflected the changes. I haven't gotten rid of the stuff I use for entertaining, I keep hoping we eventually get to a point where I can do that again. I did, however, move a lot of stuff I only use for entertaining to less accessible spots, and moved what I find myself using more often to prime real estate in the kitchen. I did weed out a few things as I moved things around. My donation pile is getting bigger and really needs to go soon. 

DH had a birthday this week. I met him when he was 21, and he just turned 59. I'm kind of wondering where all the time has gone, it doesn't seem possible for it to be that long. 

I did get some sewing done. I have a total of four quilts sewn into rows now, but the larger a quilt gets the harder it is my arm, so I'm purposely giving myself a bit more time before I assemble the quilts.

All the stoplight blocks are now sewn. I haven't cut any of the novelty pieces to alternate with them yet. I've got over twenty 16 patches done from quillow leftovers, and I cut up another two yards of a different cream fabric for the solid alternating squares to go with the four patches. I'm not sure that will be enough either, but I found another solid cream in stash that's close in shade, and if I need to, I'll go into a third cream colored fabric. If I mix the blocks well enough, the creams are close enough to not be really obvious, but at least I'm clearing out some smaller cuts of solid fabrics. 

I did get some cleaning up the fabric room done. I'm not finished, but it's certainly better than it was.

Not all the surfaces are clear, but they aren't all piled high anymore, so that's a win. 

I've been working on cutting up scraps from the scrap basket that was overflowing. I've got a lot more to do, but it sure needed to be done. I think my last scrap cleanup was mid-2019, and I've sewn a lot since then, so I have lots of scraps to deal with. It is pretty fun looking at all the different fabrics I used over the past 18 months or so. I try not to let it go this long, but sometimes I am really bad about it. The thing is, once the scraps are cut into squares or strips they will get used, I go to my scrap user system first when starting a new quilt. I never dig through the scrap basket, until I finally decide to pre-cut it all into common sizes. When it's just chunks of odd sized fabrics it may as well be in a black hole in space, it doesn't count as usable fabric in my head until it's been pre-cut. I know that doesn't work for everyone, but it is how I work. 

I cut up the scraps of fleece I had from backing the quillows and cut those into 6.5" squares. That's the only size square I save of fleece. 

As soon as I cut the fleece scraps I laid out the top for a weighted blanket for one of my grandsons. I have at least three weighted blankets I need to make, but they are really hard on my arm, so I won't be finishing them soon. If I can get all the tops made, they can be quick finishes later on. 

Tomorrow DH and I are going to go for a long drive. I hardly leave the house these days, and although it doesn't bother me much, I've always been a homebody at heart, even I could use a change of scenery about now. The time in the car will give me chance to write the stupid poems I give my family for Valentine's each year. I have 30 poems to write and I've only finished six!

Overdid It!

 When my mind is racing with all kinds of ideas, and deadlines are looming, it's hard to rein myself in, and not just sew, sew, sew! When I couldn't wash my hair last night because I couldn't lift my right arm that high, I knew for sure I had overdone it. My repetitive stress injury (RSI) hurts quite often, so I don't always pay attention to it, but I should have listened earlier. I need to lay off the sewing for the next few days, but maybe that will give me a chance to clean up my sewing rooms a bit. If I am good and only use the die cutter, I might even be able to cut up some of the scrap pile that's about to topple out of the basket I toss it in. It depends on how wrinkled the fabric is, ironing is a big no when my arm is like this. 

Usually it's FMQ that makes my RSI act up, but this time it was just hours of piecing by day, then pressing all I had pieced every night. I knew better, I did, I just didn't heed the increasing pain until it forced me to listen. But, hey, I got a LOT done, and a LOT prepped, and both my fabric room and the sewing studio are a mess, so taking a few days off isn't the end of the world, right?

So what did I get done?

I finished the alternate blocks for the sunflower quilt, then started playing around with possible half blocks to "finish the pattern". I decided I liked the half block option, so I got all of those pieced yesterday, finished laying out that quilt, and now it's piled in rows ready to assemble. Now I'm thinking I'll just add a cream border to make the quilt center float. If I want to add a border after that, I'll need to buy something, because the only things I liked in stash I don't have enough yardage for an outer border. I may just skip a darker border. 

While I was working on the sunflower blocks, I started using up some of the leftovers from the quillows I've made. The little four patches finish at 2" so a 16 patch block ends up at 8" and this is four blocks. I'm thinking I'll make one quilt from the warm colors, and another from the cool colors. Some of the four patches are all the same color, just different fabrics. I always want to use every bit from strip piecing, so I end up with things like 2" four patches to use. 

I need to get I Spy quilts made for two of my grandsons turning two this year. One has already had his birthday, but the parents knew I'd be late with it. Once I got the sunflower quilt off the design wall, it was easy to get the I Spy quilt laid out.

I have to lay out twin sized quilt sideways on the design wall, but that's fine. This is the one that is overdue, but I've got it sewn into rows now. 

This is the other one I need, and I have half the rows sewn now. The other half are still up on the design wall. 

I also got another UFO that I had laid out earlier sewn into rows. 

Right now I have two machines set up for piecing. My Bernina has a light colored thread in it, so I'm piecing the sunflower alternate blocks and the 16 patches on it. My vintage Singer 201 has a dark grey thread, and I'm sewing the I Spy quilts on it, along with some stoplight blocks.

When I was making the quilt for my BIL from my sister's clothes, I realized the block I had chosen for his quilt would make a good stoplight. I haven't finished all I cut yet, but I went ahead and laid some out with some novelty fabrics to see how it would look. I think it will make a cute boy quilt. These blocks are so simple, they are a good leader/ender project to use while assembling the I Spy quilts. 

I also got some long overdue cutting done, and I cut all the sashing, cornerstones, and borders for a quilt that's long overdue for DD#1. 

So, super productive, but now I need to lay off for a few days. Maybe if I'm good the next couple days, I could at least finish DD#1's quillow on Sunday, which she's also waiting for. It's quilted, the pocket is cut and ready to sew, and it should be an easy finish. When I was hunting for a cotton fabric to use on the outside of the pocket, I found a very large scale print I only had a fat quarter of. A quillow pocket is a great use for that! For the size quillow I make adults, I need to cut a 17" x 19" pocket, so most of a fat quarter.

I can't believe we've already had over a month of 2021 go by. I need to be better about pacing myself so I can get all the deadline stuff finished this year!