A Little Finish

 Smitty was all over my sewing effort yesterday. Finally, something a quilting cat can understand. So, here's my little sewing machine set-up. I have windows to my left and behind me, so there's very good light.

Are we finally going to do some sewing? I thought you'd *never* get out your sewing machine!

Sheesh! My chin has been itching for weeks. Thank goodness I can give it a good scratch.

He needed to keep an eye on what was going on outside...bunnies running around and everything...and so he used his prehensile tail in yesterday's effort.

The cutting was all finished the day before. All I needed to do was to start sewing things together. I needed 36 of these little pieces. The reds are 1.25 x 2 inches. The little whites are 1.25 x 1.25 inches.

When I was finished I had 36 of these:

Then, I sewed the white pieces to those until I had 36 of these.

From there, I was ready to start sewing the quilt blocks together. My friend Sharon gave me a hint to use these Clover fork pins. They're a little fiddly to work with when you're not used to them (especially with a broken thumb), but they really help with accuracy. I think they help because you can pin on both sides of the seams you're trying to nest together, and it helps to keep the seam from getting distorted as you sew over it with the machine. (I hope that makes sense.)

Here's the first one. I made them one at a time to reduce repetitive motions for my arm and hand.

Eventually, I had nine quilt blocks, each one 3-1/2 inches.

And then I sewed those together.

And then, I added two borders, and my little quilt top was finished. It ends up 12 inches square. Cute, huh?

I won't get it quilted and bound until after we return home, but I have fabric to make a couple more minis if I want to...also lots of patterns. I just have to pick one.

As you might guess, this whole effort 'zhausted the kitties by the time we were finished. A cat can only do so much before it needs a nap.

It could be that I joined them shortly after I took this picture.

So, of course, it's raining today because we're going to drive two hours south...and we have a clean truck and a clean RV, so of course. Silly you thinking we could keep things spiffy longer than just a few days. Surprisingly, I was able to get an x-ray appointment set up for Monday with an orthopedic surgeon in Henderson...just about half an hour from where we'll be staying. If I wasn't clear about this yesterday, I'm only getting the x-ray because that's what I'd be doing with my original doctor if we were home. This is just to check to make sure it's healing properly. Yesterday's question was more about whether I could get this accomplished as an out-of-stater, and arranging it was easier than expected.

There's plenty to do this morning to get packed up and ready to head down the road again, so I'll just get to it. I'm hoping I'll get a little more time for some slow-stitching today.