Tuesday, July 16, 2019

I spent five hours yesterday in the front yard pulling weeds out of the patio bricks. Pat gave them the vinegar treatment on Sunday afternoon and by Sunday night they had shrivelled up and turned brown. Most of them came out well but there were a few roots left behind. Next time I’ll keep a small spray bottle of the vinegar mixture and spray it on any roots that don’t come out. I’m sure I’ll be out there again before the end of yard season, and we’re always looking for a better plan.

After the patio was cleared I took time to dig out the weeds between the slabs on the sidewalk. That part went quite quickly. When I was done, I was DONE! I had a rest before hitting the shower and I was in bed early. I was feeling the extra exercise this morning but it didn’t keep me from sewing.

I had a few different things to work on today. I finished the card that I started last week before pressing off my stitching lines. I used a different pen for tracing and I had the card finished before lunch. It occurred to me (a week too late mind you) that I could have put the fabric in the freezer for a short time and those lines would have come back!

Next I trimmed up a quilt that Pat brought home from Texada on Sunday; I quilted it last weekend but it was too big to carry home and up the hill. I had the binding prepared before lunch but I didn’t get it attached until after lunch. I thought about packing up at that time but decided to work on one more thing before calling it quits for the day.

After the weekend I decided how I was going to sew my Disappearing 9-Patch blocks together. I managed to get a couple of them done before I packed up; this will be my Thursday project for the next while.

Tomorrow I’ll tackle the weeds in the cracks in the carport.

Sunday, July 14, 2019

The Guild had their annual summer retreat (this was our second year but I know we’re going back again) on Friday and Saturday.

I made good progress on a couple of things – a Guild class project (9-Patch) now has new life as a Disappearing 9-Patch. It wasn’t magic, it took a lot of work and I’ll continue with it until I have a finished top. It isn’t one of my UFO Challenges, but no one but me really knows what my challenges are so I may sneak it in.

When I was in Saskatoon I purchased a set of patterns to make seven miniature quilts. I finished one of them at the Retreat. I used scraps but I’m determined that even when I’m using scraps I’m going to give them a more organized look. I used a single line of fabric and doing that certainly helps. I hope to get it quilted on my next trip to Texada and I’ll be more than ready for our first meeting in September.

We took our own lunch to the retreat on Friday and ordered pizza for supper on Friday night. Kathleen made her fabulous lemon cheese cake so we were well looked after. Saturday lunch was a pot luck – I took a Spinach Salad. There were two kinds of broccoli salad, two kinds of potato salad, a pea salad and ham. And we had fresh-baked blueberry pies thanks to one of our quilters. We teased Donna that because she brought blueberry pie to the bee a couple of weeks ago and now blueberry pies to the retreat, we’d expect it to be a regular “thing”. Saturday supper was left-overs and they were good!

Since we all knew yesterday was the last day for the retreat we were constantly reminding ourselves that it was Saturday, not Sunday. From the moment I got up this morning I had it in my mind that it was Saturday – after all, it was the start of two days at home (sounds like a weekend, right?). I sat and did some hand stitching this afternoon so I think I’m back on track again with my days.

Pat gave the weeds the vinegar treatment this afternoon so I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

I made a big pot of coffee this morning because I had a lot of computer work to do. I got most of the computer work done but only took time for one cup of coffee. I guess I’m ahead for tomorrow morning.

I worked until it was past time to be leaving for sewing and I didn’t have a project picked out – for the second week in a row. Fortunately I had the binding to stitch on two quilts and, since they were already in a bag, they were easy to pack up and take along. I finished stitching one of them and made a small start on the second. I promised the ladies that next week I’d bring an “actual” project.

I had a couple of errands to run on the way home – a bank deposit and some groceries. I’m taking part in the Guild’s summer retreat on Friday and Saturday and I need to take a Spinach Salad for the pot luck. I have a project in mind for the two days, but I’ll have to dig it out and get packed up at some point tonight.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

I’ve had two very productive days; it seems like a long time since I’ve been able to say that.

Sewing, perhaps, wasn’t as productive as it could have been. I took a card to finish but it didn’t work out as planned. I traced the embroidery part of the card and had the two appliqué pieces ready to attach. When I pressed the two pieces in place my embroidery lines disappeared completely; I’d used a Frixion pen and heat does that to the marking lines. I was able to finish another card though so the time wasn’t wasted. I also made a little progress on a Christmas quilt but I’ve decided it isn’t the right project for a Tuesday. I need to glue pieces in place, press them to seal the glue, stitch, press the seam and then start over. Better done at home when I only need to turn my chair to get at the pressing station, not walk across the room.

Moreen and I went out for a nice walk at Inland Lake after sewing. We didn’t get all the way around but we were out for a couple of hours. I was feeling it a bit in my hip when I got home and when I got up this morning but it has eased now that I’ve been moving around.

I’ve spent most of the day cleaning the house – you know it must have been bad when I consider a morning of cleaning a good thing. I started in the laundry room and worked my way to the kitchen with stops in both bathroom and bedrooms, as well as up the stairs and into my sewing room. I have a meeting at the house this afternoon so it was good incentive to get it done.

I spent most of my afternoon doing some proof-reading but I’m expecting someone to come by for tickets soon so I’d best get downstairs so I hear him arrive. While I wait for him and the meeting folks I’ll start stitching some binding on one of my two quilts that need it.