Change of Plans

Yesterday was the day I set aside for my annual torture treatments. I first got my mammogram, and then a flu shot. The mammogram was over and done in 20 minutes from check-in to walking out the door. Expediency is always appreciated for these kinds of procedures. I barely had time to scroll through my email while I waited for my turn. After that, I got a flu shot that was surprisingly painful. Sometimes those folks can stick the needle right between the pain receptors on your arm...sometimes they hit one big time. After that, I needed a bag of candy corn...no stupid lollipop was going to do. Also, we needed coffee, and so I didn't even have to step far out of my way to get to the candy corn.

While all this was going on, I read your many suggestions of what to do about my too-small yo-yo's.

To be clear, the template was definitely a yo-yo template. I know this because the instructions went on at great length about how to make a yo-yo. Possibly I turned under too much and my yo-yo's ended up too small, but I don't think so. Whatever. What's done is done, and so what was my next move going to be?

Okay, so my first thought was to make an applique center, and I needed a template large enough to cover. And I wanted one large enough that it was going to work for every single Dresden (there are 12), so no skimping on the size. As I was doing my slow-stitching, I found my smallest embroidery hoop in the box with my project, and that seemed like a good place to start.

That's a good size. This being my first Dresden, I've wondered if others have had some of the problems I've had. For one...it's hard to get it to lay flat. The smaller edges toward the center want to bunch up a little bit, and so I figured a larger center would cover a multitude of sins. Also, I didn't want those brightly colored blades showing through, and so a simple fusible applique wasn't going to do. In the end, I stitched some fusible stabilizer to the back and turned it inside out, then used a chop-stick to smooth it into a relatively round circle.

My plan was to buttonhole stitch the outer edges of the blades, and so it seemed as if consistency would be a virtue. I decided to also buttonhole stitch the center circle.

Before I left the house, I had it this far:

Now here's where you guys come in. There were several suggestions about how to finish off this circle. Quite a few of you thought I could put the yo-yo's over the center circle. And so when I got home, I laid one of them down, and hey! I like that look!

So that's what I did. Those yo-yo's will get put to good use after all. And then I stitched down the whole thing, finishing my very first Dresden block. Ta-da!

The kitties were outside until a ferocious hail storm blew through the area. Then they couldn't get inside fast enough. Of course, they needed their kitty treats. Two helpings, please. Only I was busy downstairs, and so only one helping was doled out. Smitty couldn't believe his eyes when he found me back at the sewing machine.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, and so they plotted a course to the second helping of kitty treats.

They helped read the pattern instructions.

They held down errant Dresden blades...

and kept the pinned blocks in their place.

Sadie took messages whenever the phone rang.

Also, she demonstrated the proper procedure for crossing the street safely. First look one way...

Then the other.

Stop, look, and listen. That's her motto. When none of that worked, they marched out of the sewing room in disgust.

With their help, I finished off three blocks.

And I had the fourth under the needle for top-stitching when I needed to stop for the day.

Smitty was exhausted after all his hard work, and so he was just settling himself in for an evening nap.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was planning to do some canning yesterday, but I really just wanted to work on those blocks. My hope is to finish another four today, but they take a long time. Completing four might be overly optimistic. The kids were supposed to be here for dinner on Saturday, but a change of plans has them coming on Sunday instead. That gave me an extra day to work on my canning. I have breakfast with Sue this morning, and then I'll come home and get going on the salsa. The tomatoes are needing to have something done most urgently. I'll probably hold off until tomorrow to work on the plum barbecue sauce.

So, as usual, there's plenty on the agenda. Still, I'm hoping to get those Dresdens finished before the weekend is out. Thanks for all your helpful suggestions about the yo-yo's. We'll all be carrying on here now that we've worked out a plan.