Friday, June 23, 2017

Slow Summer Sewing Week

Where did this past week go? Seriously, it’s like the days just vanished before I knew it. I can remember a few highlights, so to prove I was not totally comatose for the last 7 days, I feel some things need to be related here.



First, I finished the four baby quilts for the local church quilt charity. They will go to the Salt Lake Refugee Center. This is a picture before they were washed. They’re all flannel, both sides, although the bindings are not.
I told the ladies that I have four more quilts to do over the next few months for their next drive. I knew I couldn't get them done in time for the collection deadline on Friday!

On Tuesday, I finally re-joined Weight Watchers. For the better part of a year, I`ve been trying to psyche myself up to get healthy - to actually take the steps, that is. My decision to join the family females who are going to Africa next year was what finally (pardon the pun) tipped the scales in favor of getting moving on a serious lifestyle change. Not a diet, but a full-fledged plan to be more active, eat healthier (and less perhaps) and take better care of myself. I’m 63 and I want to be around another couple decades.


So, Weight Watchers was Tuesday, and the rest of the day and most of Wednesday was, after moving around doing yard work and housework, spent learning the program. And then shopping for more healthy groceries. It seems we NEVER have enough fruit around here because we eat a lot of it. So, now I will plan to go to the store 2-3 times per week. Our local store has just rearranged the interior shelving (not the outer areas of the store like produce, dairy, meats, deli, etc) and it’s a nightmare. So, armed with my shopping list, it`s like going on a scavenger hunt. Luckily, I enjoy grocery shopping.


I did finish up working on my yellow scraps, making my yellow crumbs into a slab. This will be the top to one of the 12 kennel quilts I’ve matched up with batting and backings.


So now I have a pile of kennel quilts with fronts, backs and battings (Franken-pieced) waiting to be sewn together then quilted. I also made and stuffed two doggie bed pillows with sewing and batting scraps. They just need to be stitched closed. I will have pictures of all that next week.


One day this week was spent tending 4 of my sweet grandkids. We had a blast playing games indoors. I brought along our Candyland and Chutes & Ladders games because no one plays them here anymore, LOL. And it was a good thing I brought them, because grandson Hunter was happy I brought Candyland because their game was “broken”.

Finally, I stitched my crayons together and the quilt top is finished. It looks wonky pinned up on the design board, but I assure you it is even!


I even got it basted on Friday, and it is ready to begin quilting this weekend. I think I`d like to use it as a practice piece to learn some border treatments (a la Lori Kennedy and her current challenge at The Inbox Jaunt).


Finally, the month and quarter are drawing to a close, so I will probably do a mid-week post to recap all my June Rainbow Scrap progress. As well, I will do a recap of my 2nd Quarter Finish-Along goals and progress, BUT..... it seems that when I posted my goals for this quarter, I did not link up correctly to the Finish Along. So, I am not “official” this quarter. But that’s OK - it helps keep me on track. I still want to see how I did. It’s also a good time for me to update my quilt gallery and begin thinking of quilting goals for next quarter.

Weight goals, quilting goals...... Yep, I’m “goal-den” this month.

Linking up to Angela’s So Scrappy blog for Rainbow Scrap Saturday.

Cathy maroon

17 comments:

  1. Hi! Boy have I been absent!
    WeightWatchers is the best thing! I belong, although I haven't gone for a while. After I lost two of my dogs, I just couldn't be around people. I couldn't stand for anyone to give me that knowing look, it would have devastated me, and I knew that they all knew why I wasn't there. I just have to brave myself up and go back, perhaps this next meeting on Thursday. I haven't gained much in my absence, I really have been trying to stick to my plan.
    I love the Crayon quilt! It looks fantastic!
    That is something else I can't make myself start up again. My daughter was here for a visit, then I lost the dogs, then my other daughter came and she and her boyfriend started on the "catio". They are coming again this weekend...so sewing hasn't happened! For months! I am so behind it's pathetic! I have tried a couple of times, I have just lost the mojo. It will come back, and then I can show you all my pretties!
    How is Bruce doing?

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  2. I feel for Claudia in the above comment... it will get better Claudia.

    Box of 11 crayons... how cute is that quilt! Your goal of becoming healthier is much better than olden days goals of loose 50 lbs and be skinny.

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  3. Being healthier is a wonderful goal as is moving more. I was doing good for a while and then got a foot injury, darn it.
    Your crayon quilt is just lovely and you have been so productive on getting all those quilts done to donate. Great job.

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  4. Thank goodness for our community of quilters and friends who encourage us and know what we're going through! And good for you for working toward better health and fitness. I LOVE your crayon quilt, Cathy! It's so much fun - I may have to give that one a try!

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  5. A busy week for you, Good luck with weight watchers, I have a few colleagues who are doing weight watchers with great success, they also have fitbits and track their steps. Africa next year sounds wonderful and a great goal to work towards. Love how the crayon quilt is looking.

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  6. Good luck to you for your healthier lifestyle. An excellent decision. Love the crayon quilt - such fun!

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  7. Hope your goal-den goals work for you. Busy week with so many great charity quilts completed or in the works. That crayon quilt is still on my to do list. I have so many strips of yellow but they are in various sizes. I wonder if that will make a difference for the crayon layout?

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  8. You are motivating me in so many ways! I really need to spend a whole day working on my kitty quilt for the Paws for the Arts auction and I really need to lose weight and exercise. We were doing squats at work today and you could hear everyone's knees cracking. Very sad! I love your crayons! Can't wait to see what you do with the borders.

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  9. LOVE how your Crayon quilt came together!! You had a busy and productive week. Keep doing what you're doing (because you inspire the rest of us!)

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  10. kids will always remember playing games with grandma.

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  11. Your crayon quilt looks great. So nice to have those blankets done for the refugees. Cathy, do you have a way to follow your blog by email? That's the only way I do it because I don't do all those other things. So I miss some of your blogs, boo hoo.

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  12. Glad to see you are still making consistent and spectacular progress. Today I may finally get the sewing machine up and operational.

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  13. It's fun to see all the crayons together! I look forward to seeing what kind of FMQ fun you have with the borders!

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  14. Your crayon quilt looks amazing! The kennel quilt is adorable too!

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  15. I just love the crayons...and the baby quilts are cute too.
    Good luck on your goals!

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  16. Way to go! You had such a productive week, I can see how the time vanished!

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  17. You wonder where your week went? I can tell you - just have a read through this blog post and look at the pictures! I did time with Weight Watchers years ago and lost what I wanted to and then promptly fell off the wagon and gained it all back again. Right now we're trying the 'no potato/no bread' routine in hopes that might take off a little bit without all the having to figure out food values and calories and such. It's hard, because I love both potatoes and good bread but it's not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Mind you, if somebody waved a piece or three of artisan bread in front of my nose I'd plummet to earth with a resounding thump!

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