Slow Sunday

Good Monday morning, my friends, and my condolences if you have to go to work today. Things are looking up here at the Three Cats Ranch. We're expecting much warmer weather this week beginning tomorrow. I'm itching to get outside and do some work in the yard. Also, the tomatoes are appreciative of their spot in the greenhouse window. Nevertheless, they'll be happier when they can move into the greenhouse and have some privacy. Who can relate?

There was enough dry weather yesterday that Mike got the kitties outside for two walks. When they weren't outside, Sadie was enjoying the privacy of her little house on the catio...except for the annoying pawpawrazzi, of course.

Inside, I made more progress on the "Spring has Sprung" piece. It seemed a good time to move my hoop. The densest stitching on this piece is on the right side, where I'm working. The left side includes an open area where a miniature quilt will be hanging on a clothesline. Knowing that, I'm realizing that I'm actually farther along with this than it seems.

When I was able to get some time in my sewing room, I fused the pieces for Block #9 of the Whimsical Garden quilt.

When the fusing was finished, I needed to add borders. Block #10 is one with the applique extending out into the border, and so I added the borders to the next block background at the same time.

When I was ready to start fusing the elements for the 10th block, I realized that the bird's tail actually extends out to the block beside it. I'm not ready to start sewing things together, so I strategized for a bit about how to make this work.

When I cut the piece and ironed the fusible to the fabric, I peeled back just enough to fuse it under the bird's body.

And then it was ironed down. I can leave it like that until I'm ready to sew the blocks together.

Then I finished off the rest of the bird. Today I'll be top-stitching both blocks. I'll leave the topstitching off the tail until later. Probably, I'll pin a note to the block to remind myself. It might make sense to include the thread spool in my project box too. At the very least, I'll record the color number.

All the time I was working on this yesterday, I had a rhomboid muscle threatening to spasm. (The rhomboid muscle is the one between your shoulder blade and your spine. I know because my friend, The Google, told me so.) It's been a bugaboo for many years. It's extremely painful when it decides to tighten up like that, and so I didn't want to push my luck. I stopped there for the day and spent the rest of the day babying my shoulder. 

Outside, this squirrel seemed terribly worried about something. She probably noticed the birdfeeders were emptying out, and she wondered if I would get off the couch and come fill them again.

That's on today's list along with another Tiny House...this one:

This one letters "C" through "K," and so it has fewer sections than the ones I've done recently. I'll probably get to work on that today.

When the Whimsical Garden blocks are finished, I'll be at the "Quilter's Choice," section of my whiteboard. This quilter chooses to make a donation quilt for Quilts for Kids next. They go together pretty fast, and it's been a while since I sent them any quilts. I have some juvenile fabrics that have been in my stash for more than ten years. It's time to make something from them and send them off for someone's child somewhere to use. I refer to these quilts that go to parts unknown as "Joy Bombs."

All right. So a new week is upon us. I'm hoping it will be a week for doing some yardwork. Sewing is fine, but I'm ready for some warmth and sunshine and the smell of dirt.