Why this photo?
Because I found the car on empty - warning light on and everything and I had to go up and over and around to get to the nearest gas station.
Still - everything has become the deep green of August and I love this view in all seasons so I had to stop on the road, roll the window down and take a quick snap before moving on.
It just never ceases to catch my breath.
The last day of retreat was spent with much stitching and fitting it all in!
More blocks and more blocks.
And even MORE blocks!
How many more blocks?
Enough that Morning Glories is really beginning to take shape!
Abundance is getting its sashings!
This panel is getting borders!
(Side note: Every time I see Daniel Radcliffe all grown up it seems weird to me. Like I haven't aged at all, but how could be be this old now?!)
If you are wanting to spruce up a panel and not sure where to start, Panel Mash Up by Gudrun Erla and Doug Leko will give you loads of ideas.
Stair step borders are in progress -
With this pattern as inspiration!
Borders are on this beauty!
And while all of this was going on, I was out here with a 10 year old!
It was the perfect opportunity to enjoy being on the porch and de-papering some string diamonds.
How many string diamonds?
102 so far. I'm not even half-way yet.
And no, no dent in the strings has been made.
It just boggles my mind - but oh, the possibilities!
This clear plastic box held invoice sheets. I found it perfect for holding these diamonds away from Hazel's grasp. They've been pinned in sets of 10 so I can easily keep count.
And it seems that I'm going to have to keep this basket here behind my machine. She loves it. And it keeps her from nesting into the scraps that I'm sewing. Whatever it takes!
Casden went home with Jeff on Saturday afternoon. That left me home alone Saturday night and all day yesterday.
I am happy to report that the pantry has been emptied, much stuff pitched due to expiration date expiry. (Don't tell the hubster that I pitched several boxes of expired gluten free ice cream cones in boxes! Why did he buy a whole case anyway?)
Guys - these were WAY expired. Like 4 years past their sell-by date. Talk about STALE.
It is so satisfying to look in there now and know what I have, find it organized, and also to have two big bags of things to go to Goodwill this week.
My dinner was a big fridge clean out - I had two zucchinis from Susan's garden that I quartered and sliced and tossed with olive oil and onion, garlic seasoning, Italian seasoning, marinara sauce, and some cooked sausage balls I pulled out of the freezer. After baking I went in search of cheese - no mozzarella??? But half a bag of pepper jack did the trick.
I've got enough to last me about 3 nights. Which means I can quilt instead of worry about dinner.
Next project - big cupboard in the kitchen needs a going through. It's got all of the canned goods and they are a mish-mash.
And....I need to get the binding on the Bliss hexie. That's for binding up next. YAY!
How about your own weekend? Did you dig into anything and make some progress, even non-quilting?
Last chance to reserve your spot!
Our fabulous Christmas Market tour through France, Germany and Switzerland is happening soon and your ability to join us ends September 1st.
I would so love to have you join me!
We'll be exploring Zurich, Basel, Strasbourg, and Nuremberg.
We'll shop for wonderful treasures and treat ourselves to baked goods and hot beverages while we wander the Christmas markets.
We'll warm ourselves inside while we explore the Mulhouse Fabric Museum.
There will be opportunities to shop for fabrics we can bring home.
For more information, visit my travel page.
Let's make some memories together!
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
Things become more clear the longer we live.
Life is like doing a deep dive into the pantry and discarding everything that expired while you weren't watching!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone -
An idea to keep those pantry expiration dates from creeping up on you and surprising you: Write the date on the front in Sharpie before putting the item in the pantry. I do this and it totally works. I can quickly see what's coming up for expiration and use it or donate it before it's too late. I can go in the pantry and grab the right stuff without wondering is this the older one or the one I just bought. I don't have to spend hours later cleaning out the pantry and getting out the magnifying glass to scrutinize the date on every last thing. Kind of the same thing I do with my fabric. I write the date I bought it and where on the selvage. Except fabric never expires!!
ReplyDeleteI finally got back to quilting after a longer break than usual. I finished a baby quilt top for a commission. Yay! I goes to the quilter today.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing about Hazel and her basket. I had two sweater sized containers for my cats next to my sewing machine for almost 20 years. It was the only way to keep them out of my project boxes. I also had to keep my fabric shelves full. If there was room for a cat, all you cat lovers know what happened!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, Bonnie! What a life we have. Fun to see Casden grow and Hazel is as cute as can be! ☺️ you inspire me when the going gets tough. ❤️
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh about clearing pantry while hubby gone. I did the same thing last month. He loves to buy things we don't need or use, just because they are on sale.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing a deep clean out on my fabric shelves. Have a big red, white and blue project on the design wall I needed a break from. But, while cleaning, I found a fabric perfect for an apron. That shouldn't take long to make. Then it was sunflowers for a grocery bag that I could make in an afternoon. Oh look, a really cute autumn panel , I could add some blocks around the border. This little Halloween panel just needs quilted and hung. Sigh, now I have four additional "quick" projects by the sewing machine. The shelves were lighter though. LOL
ReplyDeleteWe were in fire danger in Northern MN. Packed up and took all the important stuff. Camped away for 10 days. Hub went back and got help and packed all my fabric I was willing to leave behind. It went to a friends garage in town. We finally came back to move everything back in. I am seriously rethinking my sewing life. It’s insane. The garage is FULL of containers. It’s a good lesson in buying. Think hard about what you would take and what you would leave. That is the way I will look at my buying now. I am thankful it wasn’t worse, as I watch what “could” have happened like in Spokane and the rest of the west is up in flames. It is quite an eye opener, and I see a big sale coming!
ReplyDeleteDeb
When I need a quilt back, I check to see if I have a panel that would somewhat coordinate with the top, then add a border or two (or whatever it takes to get to the needed size). It’s an easy way to use up a panel, and to make quick work of a huge quilt back. Candy
ReplyDeleteIt was the spice cupboard that turned out to be the hardest for me. I took a long, unbiased look at was was on the various lazy susans and realized several of the bottles had traveled with us from home to home for decades! It's *tough* to toss a full container, but if it hasn't been used since it was first purchased in the 80s, odds are good it's not going to be used up in the next year!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
Went to 50th class reunion this weekend, but in the free afternoon found a quilt store and bought some Tula Pink fabric I had been wanting for a long time!
ReplyDeleteThere's something satisfying about cleaning out a cabinet or pantry. I'm not the principal cook in the family (I'm blessed) but it annoys me when we buy something we already have (and miss what we really needed). I like the first poster's comment about writing the expire date or use by date prominently, too. -- Marcia
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