End of October

I have been busy working on Mom's wall hanging. I am feeling really good about the machine quilting I have done on it so far. The only fly in the ointment is that I decided to use a rayon thread and although I like the look of it, working with it is difficult. Maybe it's because I'm working on the industrial Singer machine, but it just keeps breaking on me. I'll go along for a while and then it just breaks, either the top or bobbin thread. Even when I try to hide the threads afterwards with a hand sewing needle, the thread still breaks. So I have learned my lesson...stick to cotton thread! haha. I do want to finish it with the other colors of rayon thread that I have, just to be consistent. I have used red thread to make hearts in the middle of some of the squares and to make flames in some of the other squares. I have some green that I want to use in the green background area. I'm thinking of making swirls of some sort to look like grass, or maybe just wavy lines. Then in the backgrounds of the focus squares I am thinking of a few stars going around connected with a swirly line. I'm also thinking of just using a wavy line with loop de loo's all over the double delight quilt top. That will be using cotton thread, for sure!

Mom is coming down this weekend to clear out some stuff from Gram's house. Gram has been in the nursing home for rehab for a week and will probably be there for another week then go back to live with Mom.

On my end, Darling Daughter is moving forward with moving out when her boyfriend closes on his house. I've got mixed emotions about that, for sure, but on the whole I don't think it's a bad thing.

Darling Son, on the other hand, has a bug up his butt about moving out also. His plans aren't as sensible. He was talking about moving out with a lowrider friend of his into a scummy apartment in the next town over. We had a go round and I said "if it's moving out of the house you want so bad, why don't you move out to the shed?". So guess what? The kid is cleaning out the shed and moving into it! Now before you have visions of a falling down tool shed, I will explain that our 'shed' is a very nice building, bigger than a college dorm room, well insulated and in great shape. It has electricity to it, but not water. I'm entertaining the idea of calling someone to see how much it would cost to get water out there, but not really too concerned about it. Darling Son can certainly still come into the house to shower and use the facilities!

It's another Monday. I'm trying to keep myself busy these days. Darling Daughter has a health issue, that at this time we pray is minor, and the odds are that it is, but for the next few weeks we are in limbo until she can have a test done to confirm that. If it weren't for the fact that I know she is stressing out over it, I wouldn't be real concerned at all. The issue itself doesn't warrant worrying about yet, in my book, but she is young and her anxiety level is up right now. So please take a moment and pray she is okay. Thanks.

Here's a picture of Darling Son wearing a shirt I made for my Darling Husband about 20 years ago! It was wear pink day at work for DS, for breast cancer awareness, and this was the only man's pink shirt in the house! He loves the shirt, so I think it might get some wear now that it has been rediscovered.

I'm also posting a picture of the wall hanging for Mom. It's not quilted yet, but it is pin basted and ready to go. I'm going to practice on the old Singer using that rayon thread before I start working on the piece.

The third picture is a simple top made of pastel squares I put together for a baby quilt. It's for a coworker who became a grandparent a week ago for the first time. I have the quilt top done and quilted, just have to label and bind it. I would like to get that done tonight if at all possible, but on Monday's, I'm lucky to get much done when I get home from work. Just plum wore out after that first day back at work!

I did machine quilt the pastel baby quilt on the old Singer, after much grief. I have discovered that if I try to run the machine at top speed, the stitch tension is off on the back of the piece. I attribute this to the fact that I don't move the piece as fast as I should and the stitches are extremely close together. When I have a lot more experience with free motion quilting on it, that issue may resolve itself. However, yesterday when I was having so much trouble, I actually said out loud to the machine that if it didn't work properly I was going to sell it....and I meant it (at the time)! Well, the next trial stitching I did worked out just fine, so who know's? ha ha.

Houston, we have heat!

Thank goodness our furnace problem was fixable and we didn't have to replace the whole thing! I never know, with old appliances (is a furnace considered an appliance???) if this is the last hurrah for them or now. Luckily, it was a pulley that worked itself loose and came off the motor. Not an expensive repair, thankfully.

I have been visiting a blog about free motion quilting. The blog has all kinds of very good ideas and has video demonstrations. I went upstairs and did a little playing around today with a couple of designs I have in mind for the wall hanging.

I didn't get to do as much quilting as I would have liked this weekend. Even today, after the furnace was fixed, I didn't get much done because I twisted my back something awful. I was at the store and bent down to pick up a big bag of kitty litter and twisted the wrong way. It really hurt. So far I've kept medicated with ibuprofen and have had two hot baths and have been sitting with a heating pad on my back. It's only 8p.m. but I'm seriously considering going to bed...Pitiful! agh.

Baby it's cold INSIDE...

Guess what? Our furnace went out this morning! Brrrrrr. Since it's Sunday, we can't get anyone out her today, and don't know if we will be able to get anyone out here tomorrow or not. So I'm doing a lot of baking hoping to keep the house a little warm at least.

This is a picture of the wall hanging I'm making for Mom. The top is done and I have it pin basted and ready to be machine quilted. Don't know if I will get to it today or not. Kinda disgusted about the furnace, so not in a good frame of mind.