.jpg)
These blocks lend themselves well to being cut all at once by stacking my fabrics on top of one another, and they are also easily chain pieced. It makes sense to do several at a time...at least that's what I tell myself when I fall behind.
Today I made August's light green block,
September's orange block,
and the current month's black/gray/brown block.
Here are all the blocks I have so far:
This is Barbara Weiland Talbert's "Dream Machines" pattern, available free right here. Tomorrow, I'll link this post to ScrapHappy Saturday.
Also, I pulled the fabrics for this month's "Let's Book It" project,
this "Leaves" table runner:
From this book:
The batiks you see here were gifts from my daughter-in-law, and I think they'll be very pretty in this runner.
I'm looking forward to getting started on this project...maybe tomorrow, but probably not until next week. Busy days ahead.
Since I was down in Salem yesterday, I took the opportunity to stop off at The Cotton Patch quilt shop in Keizer, Oregon...just north of Salem. I wrote about The Cotton Patch some time ago. You can find my blog post right here. I won a gift card at the Oregon State Fair, and since I don't often get down to Salem, I thought I'd spend it. When I'm not traveling around in search of regional prints, I generally limit my fabric purchases to blender-type fabrics these days. Yesterday I picked up this one because it will make a good background fabric for embroidery.
Also, I liked this one. I have this fabric in some other colors and I've found it to be very versatile.
And I couldn't resist these bird tracks. I know I'll find a use for this.
Right now it's looking like an Alfred Hitchcock movie on my back deck. The Boxelder Beetles have chosen today as their day to move back into the house. It's a sure sign of fall.
Gross as they are, they are a harmless bug. They don't eat anything, and they don't sting or bite. In the warmer months they live in the trees. In the fall they move into the house and live between the exterior walls of the house and the siding. They are especially fond of cedar shake siding and cedar shake roofs.
After living in Oregon since 1978, you'd think I'd be used to them, but I always dread their migration into and out of the house in fall and spring. Once they've all made the transition, we hardly know they're there. There's really no way to get rid of them. We managed to control them (by happy accident) when we put a new non-cedar roof on our previous home. When we moved to this house and I saw the siding, I knew they'd be back. Anyway...just one of the joys of living in Oregon. If we could choose between the bugs and the rain, we'd probably choose the bugs. So far, no one has offered us that choice, and so we get both.
It's been a slow day here. My recent round of vaccines has left me feeling a little under the weather. Earlier, I posted on Facebook that I stayed in bed a little longer than usual this morning because I wasn't feeling well. Gracie likes to take over my spot on the bed for her morning-long nap after I get up. When I opened my eyes, I found her nose approximately two inches from my own, and she was giving me the stink-eye. Sheesh.
I was running a low-grade fever this morning, but some Tylenol worked wonders. Now I'm off to do a little housework. It makes me feel heroic to do housework when I'm not feeling my best. I'll just strap on my cape, and then I'll get to it.
How's your day going?
12 comments:
I love the bundle pulled for the leaves project. And the bird track - how cute. Bella greated me this morning rather similar - very verbal about it, too.
A cucumber sewing machine - it must have been a salad day of sewing!
Lovely fabrics pulled for the leaves. Another fine skinny quilt on the way!
Gracie definitely has that "You are in MY SPOT!" look on her face. Hope the yucks are now behind you.
You amaze me with all that you accomplish, so maybe you are a super hero! I hope you'll soon be "fit as a fiddle" and Gracie can get back to her routine.
Very cool colors you chose for your leaf table runner.
I get those ugly boxelder bugs too. They haven't been bad at all the last couple of years, maybe because one of the big trees by the creek behind my house died. One year they were really horrible and I ended up spraying the entire front of my home with bug killer. Well, every morning I had to sweep my front porch because there were dead boxelder bugs all over it.
One morning I went out there and there was a big pile of them. I kid you not, there had to be at least a thousand of them. The wind must have been just right to swirl them all in a neat pile. It literally turned my stomach when I saw it and I had to walk away from it. Well when I went out the next day to tackle the job, they were all gone! I guess the wind blew them away. I wish I would have taken a picture of it, because you really had to see it to believe how many there were in that pile.
I know they don't hurt anything, but they give me the heebee jeebees! Unfortunately, they are also a bug that no animal, bird or other insect will eat either.
The cucumber sewing machine is so cool! For years I was annoyed by the yearly migration of lady bugs. But once the stink bugs joined in, I no longer noticed the lady bugs.
And be careful, stink-eye is contagious! (but adorable).
I love those machines! They are so cute and look so good together. And I know what you mean about feeling crummy after vaccines. A simple fku shot knocks me down for a couple days. Have fun with the Kim Schaefer project--love her designs.
I love your sewing machines, it's going to be fun quilt.
Hope you are feeling better this morning.
Interesting how different parts of the world have their own special issues with bugs. Never thought of bugs and cedar shakes before your blog post.
Thanks for the pic of your sewing machine block. It is so pretty and I think I just might try making one.
I always get a low fever after vaccinations and am suffering the same malaise today because of my flue shot, oh the price we pay *sigh*. Glad you got your shingles shot, I contracted shingles in spite of vaccination, lucky me, and they are no joke!
Now wouldn't it be great if sewing machines really came in patterns to match just the type of personality you are? They should make up into a lovely little quilt for your sewing nook. Hope you're feeling better soon. Shots are never fun.
Really cute sewing machines. Bernine and a red one and a pink one. However I am not in the market for a new machine, although my big one is going back to the shop in the morning!
Here we get lady bug parades as they migrate inside.
Love the sewing machines, especially that black one. I remember those wake ups..... My last cat always wanted to go out around 4AM to 'hunt'. My current two are indoor only!
Hope you are feeling better..... I'm sapped of energy today so no picking up the house or cleaning - just surfing the web until I have to go pick up one little from school. The other is also home sick.
Post a Comment