But I did spend February doing a lot of sewing...... I was not idle! :o)
Unfortunately, I don't have any progress to show on my Jubilee quilt, but for good reason! It's at the point of sandwiching it together, and that means hundreds of safety pins to be closed. And because of this horribly cold weather, I have had cracks on the ends of several fingers and my thumbs for the better part of a month, which means trying to close a safety pin would be pure torture! And yes, I've tried everything, including nearly finishing this pot of Working Hands, which I must say, is awesome stuff......but I just don't think it can compete with the bitter cold we've had.
So, my fingers.....at this very moment!......are all healed, and I should be able to sandwich the quilt tomorrow! And then I can get busy quilting it up! Woohoo! I'm so excited! I'm also excited that because of the finger/cracking issue.....hubby is back to doing all the dishes again! Yippee! (Gotta save those fingers for quilting, right!?!) lol
Ok.......so on to what I've been trying to keep busy with while my fingers healed.......
First up......I purchased more grey solid (which I LOVE!) and put it with the scrappy strips I had made months ago! I just love it! It finishes at 78x88 and is for my bed.
The scrappy strips are all the leftover bits and pieces of the thrift store shirts that I've made a bunch of quilts from lately. These scraps were sewn onto 5" strips of phone book pages, and when covered, were then joined into long strips. Easy peasy......and it used up a bunch of little scraps! I love everything I've made with the shirts......and I'm so happy I still have a ton of them left! They make a very homespun, cozy quilt, and being very thrifty myself, I love that they are so easy on the budget! :o)
Next up.......I picked out one of the kits I prepared while cutting up all my Xmas fabrics a couple months ago. My good friend, Pat, was hosting the mystery at our guild, and I chose to do it in the Xmas theme. So, of course, while I was cutting for that, I might as well cut for something else, right!?! So I planned out 4 other quilts to make in Xmas, and cut them all at once! Boxed them all up with labels, and they are ready to go when I have a bit of time to mindlessly work on something. I don't have to think at all because all the figuring, drafting and cutting are already done......just run those pieces through the machine! I like that! :o)
It's hard to see, but it has a 6" white border on the outside. It finishes as 58x68.....a good size for the couch. And I'm happy to say, I used up every little bit, including the bonus triangles from the piecing.....they became the borders on the ends. Yay! :o)
I've also been working on another quilt, but haven't anything to show yet.......so that will be in a future post! :o)
Ok.....well, that's about all of me right now! Except to say that it was really nice having it light out when I was making dinner tonight! We love Daylight Savings here! :o)
Have a good week!
regan
I think the idea of being a snowbird next winter is the perfect solution! The gray fabric is really spectacular with the shirt panels. What a nice quilt!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to Cyberland.
ReplyDeleteYour projects are beautiful. The grey is perfect for the plaids! Nice job.
To answer your questions - Yes it is spring and damn it I don't care that it may snow on Wednesday. I am in utter denial. It's Spring Damn it!!
ReplyDeleteI so hear you on the cracked fingers!!! It has made hand quilting on TWQ pretty hit and miss and I so wanted to finish it up in February - but alas!!!
ReplyDeleteLove those little strips of plaids!! I'm not a gray person - but it made those strips POP!! Great quilt - you Frugal Frannie you!!
I did what you did with Christmas fabric a couple of years ago - I now have tops ready to quilt, blocks done one ready to assemble, about half the blocks done for another (using them as a leader/ender project) and the fifth with some blocks finished but have to figure out what I'm going to do to finish it up. I hope to get at least three finished this year to go on the downstairs beds for Christmas!!
I've been much like you and not spending much time on the computer - but like to catch up with my favorites occasionally!!!
Blessings and hugs!
Oh, how I hear your lament about the cracked fingers!! I spoke to our pharmacist and my doctor and they both recommended CeraVe -- and oh, how it has helped. I've gone through an entire bottle of it in just over a month. But you're right - not much is going to help with this kind of cold, cold winter we've had!
ReplyDeleteYou made great use of your scrappy strips, combined with the grey really made an awesome quilt!
ReplyDeleteYou really have been busy in spite of the cracked fingers. I hope they continue to heal and feel better. Can't wait to see the next quilt.
Hoping you are a snowbird this time next year :)
You made great use of your scrappy strips, combined with the grey really made an awesome quilt!
ReplyDeleteYou really have been busy in spite of the cracked fingers. I hope they continue to heal and feel better. Can't wait to see the next quilt.
Hoping you are a snowbird this time next year :)
I love what you have created with your plaid scraps! I need to dig into the shirt parts again soon. I miss them! : )
ReplyDeleteDo you use the Kwik Klip tool as you pin? It really helps me. My issue is more arthritis related, but I find it very easy on the fingers, once you do a few and get the hang of it.
Aren't you smart with the Christmas quilt kits all ready to go! Very nice finish.
your plaid strippy is great!
ReplyDeleteThe stripy quilt is so cool. How are you going to quilt it. It gives me ideas for making scrappy blocks. Love it. Have you tried cotton gloves at night. Slather up and put the gloves on. Mine are Burt's bees. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you used every tiny bit of fabric that was possible of those plaid shirts - and the resulting quilt is spectacular! Looks quite 'modern' with the gray sashing - which will be a great place to highlight some beautiful quilting designs! I know what you mean about cracked finger tips. Our new furnace has a humidifier which has helped this winter, but still......
ReplyDeleteHope it warms up for you soon and your hands can heal! The combo of the grey and shirtings is striking!
ReplyDeleteHi, I've been stocking your blog off and on for the last little while. I enjoy reading what you have been doing and enjoy this last quilt. The grey has inspired me... I'm in the midst of scrappy quilt blocks right now and grey and possibly red seems to be a good idea with what I have.
ReplyDeleteYes, winter is hard for cracking fingers; but I learned from when I worked at the fabric store that fabric has a tendency to take the moisture out of ones hands. Might I suggest that besides using your working hands ointment, each time after you wash your hands but a moisturizer hand lotion on. And maybe once a week or so put on something like triple antibiotic cream on just b/4 bed. It really does help.... and although it seems silly; you can wear a pair of gloves to bed. Besides the wonderful benefit of soft hands it will help heal them. Good luck!
Love your scrappy strips! I've been thinking of doing something with a grey solid, too. I haven't been posting or commenting much lately either. Will comment here that I thoroughly enjoyed the MA show quilts. As you say that is a very talented bunch! I found my old farmhouse, Regan. We move the end of this month. Hope to post a pic soon. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI have trouble with split fingers also. Starts as soon as the weather gets cold and ends in the spring. Besides the lotion, if I need to get something done right away, I use a drop of Super Glue. After it dries, I use a nail file to get rid of any rough spots that catch and I can go back to work. Learned this from a surgical nurse as they use Super Glue to close incisions. Works like a charm and they don't hurt anymore!
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