Sunny Sewing

My day was filled with sewing yesterday...sewing of one kind or another. I started out filling my hoop with big stitch quilting.

When I work on it this morning, I'll be starting here:

So far, I've quilted the middle two rows of blocks and portions of the rows above and below.

After that, I got busy with some machine sewing. I think I've worked out the best way to set things up. There is a lot more counter space than in the old RV. In the old RV, the sewing machine and cutting mat had to share the table, and the iron and ironing board were in the bedroom. It wasn't terribly convenient, but it worked. In this new RV, the sewing machine gets the table to itself. We add the leaf to the table, and so I have a nice big space in which to work. Also, there are plenty of windows, and so there is lots of light too.

The kitchen island is a perfect spot for the cutting mat. I like that the fabric can hang down on both sides of the counter.

And then on the back counter, there is room for my wool ironing mat. The iron can rest on the cooktop, and so there's no worry about how hot that mini Oliso iron is getting. I love that little iron. It gets nice and hot, but I wish it would stand up, rather than sitting on a silicon mat. It seems safe enough, but I still worry about the countertop. Oh yes, and the wine is for Whine One One emergencies. You know what I'm talking about. I might have moved it for the picture, but I know how y'all put safety first. You can rest easy knowing we've planned for all contingencies.

So when I had everything set up, I got to work. For yesterday's selection, I sewed the Farm Fresh Eggs embroidery into a little quilt top. The pattern is from Bird Brain Designs, and it's available in machine embroidery as well. I did the hand embroidery on our previous trip to Colorado. After trimming it to size, I sewed a narrow stop border on.

Then made some strip sets to add the second border.

And that was a good amount of sewing for a single day. I've cut the backing piece as well. I wish I'd thought to bring along a scrap of batting, and I might have finished it off. I could buy some, but I hate to buy a whole package of batting when I know I have a whole laundry bag stuffed with batting scraps back home.

While I was sewing, Smitty got out for a walk. He's been very brave since we've been here. There is an off-leash dog park just about 100 yards away and around the corner. He isn't bothered by the dog park, but it does mean there are a lot of woofies walking by...woofies and Mans. We don't like either, but we are being courageous.

Sadie seems fine with staying inside these days. She watches from the window and meows instructions.

Besides, when he comes back inside, they both get kitty treats as a reward for his valor.

She seems to have accepted her lot in life...meaning, she only gets to see the inside of the RV when we travel.

And let me just tell you...it's a hard life.

Today we're meeting up once again with our friends Deb and Tom. This was kind of a spur of the moment meeting. Back in 2014, I traveled south without Mike for a reunion. On that trip, I visited the Oceanside Pier with a friend. Ever since, I've wanted to go back with Mike so he could see it. You can read more about the pier at the link I've given you back there. It was originally built in 1888. Mike and I used to spend a lot of our time there when we were dating. It was a Fourth of July tradition to dig a trench in the sand...like a lounge chair...and wait for the evening fireworks. We usually made a day of it with other friends, a small barbecue, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Those are some great memories.

Mike and I married in May of 1975 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, shortly thereafter. We were saddened to learn, in April of 1976, that a 600-square-foot section of the southwest corner behind a small cafe collapsed during a storm.  Later that year a fire broke out in a fish market, located halfway out on the pier, and in December the cafe was completely destroyed by fire. Problems continued to plague the pier and by 1978 a storm ripped off an additional 200 feet, leaving the historic landmark a mere 1,000 feet of its original nearly 2,000 feet.

And so you can imagine how happy I was on my previous visit to see that the pier was completely rebuilt, and so much better than before. Hopefully, it will be able to withstand new assaults from storms. Here's a picture from my previous visit:

As long as I'm recycling pictures, here's a picture of Tom and Deb from that same visit.

So that's the plan for the day...a meet-up with Tom and Deb for some lunch, and then a visit to the Oceanside Pier. But wait...that's not all. There's a quilt shop along the way, and so we'll make a stop there first. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. It's going to be a good day. I hope you have a good day too.