September...and October UFO

OK, I will get this right this time.  Meaning: When linking up to Judy at Patchwork Times UFO Challenge I've found myself posting for the new month's selection rather than the progress on the month just ending.  So, having clarified that in my mind and on paper blog media, Here's the progress on September's selection:   

     #11.  (My #023) - Rooster: 100% hand project: 4 blocks finished, 2 to go, then to be backed, quilted, binding. Status:  Made progress on block #5 above, the Dresden Plate, getting the 'plate' done but not attached to the background fabric or getting the center circle added.  

Now, for October it's this one:

    
      6.   #022 - Cumberland Mountain: it's partially quilted but I quit working on it because I wasn't happy with how the quilting was going, so I need to either finish with what I was doing or remove some of the quilting and re-do where I didn't like it. 

This quilt is for my friend Lois.  She house sits and feeds cats and waters plants for us during the summer when both Marty and I might be gone at the same time.   One summer when I returned from my trip to the northern wet land, she said she was trying to de-clutter some things from her small one-bedroom apartment and knew I quilted, so she gave me several bags of fabric, not all quilt-worthy, as she sewed clothing, but still quite a haul for my stash!  With that in mind, and how she is always willing to be helpful to us, I decided I'd make her this quilt. The pattern's name (I'll have to get the details when I can get it off the closet shelf.) and the lightning design are what drew me to this one as she had/has an ancestor/relatives in that locale.  All but the background fabric and I think one other, the green trees there at the bottom edge, were from the fabrics she gave to me.  I had planned to finish it that year, but it's now been several and she has a birthday coming up in November...can I get a finish of at least one UFO this year?  All I can say is, "I will try."

Oh Dear!

Has it really been nearly two weeks since I posted? Yikes! I wouldn't have thought that.  I suppose that's a reflection of what's been happening, or rather, not happening around here.

I'm on 'countdown' to prayerfully be able to put weight on my foot and thereby hopefully to be a little more productive.  My doctor appointment is next Tuesday the 25th.  If I'm given the go-ahead to be able to put even minimal weight on my foot, I will drive!  I haven't been able to drive since Aug. 17th...I miss my car.  I miss being able to take Nick to school and to go pick him up.  And I am so thankful to my friend who has been getting him there and back home as well as a couple others who were able and willing to fill in when she wasn't able to.  Two of those people I have only talked with on the phone and never met in person - that will change as I plan to thank them personally!

Lay out prior to stitching.

I have no updates or changes on my stashbusting.  Nor have I made great strides on the September project.  I've worked on it just a little over two hours, and the plate circle is complete.  It now needs to be added to the background/foundation portion of the block, and then have the center appliqued on.








Yesterday was my one day of the week where I'm able to get out of the house as Nick's friend's mom picks me up before getting the boys from school so that we can get Nick to the bowling alley for his league games. She drops us off and then goes her own way. Nick struggled on the first game getting 'only' a 157.  His second game was better in the 180s. and his third game was great - a 205!  Woohoo :)  Marty then picks us up after he gets home from work.  Last week we ate dinner at the alley's cafe, a nice cobb salad for me, a meatloaf dinner for Marty and a burger for Nick.  This week we just came home and had a spaghetti & meatballs dinner. 

Is this is nice pose, Mom?

Sleeping baby under a stool that's under my desk which I prop my foot upon.

Raven has been my best buddy while I've been secluded and housebound.  She keeps me entertained by her desire to play fetch. And when she's tired, she sleeps pretty much at my feet.  I've taken to referring to her as my puppy-cat. 

Busy, Busy June

Today is the first of June so that means a new number has been chosen at Patchwork Times for the UFO Challenge.  If I were going to be home for more than the next few days of June, this is what I would be working on:  It's called Pumpkin Frost (Scarecrow).

This is the scarecrow I plan to do.  The project is all Log Cabin and each log finishes at 1/4" and each block finishes at 2 1/2" square.  The element above is only of the scarecrow which is all I plan to do.  There are other elements on the much larger portion of the quilt.  When finished, the chosen element should be 45 1/2" square.  It is presented separately in the book.

This is the book it's from.  It's out of print, but I found a like-new copy online a few years ago for just a couple dollars.  I'd seen the quilt sample displayed at our former LQS.  It had been taught in a class, and I loved it for a Fall wall-hanging.  I was not able to take the class.

Some brown selections to choose from.

Red and gold selections to choose from.

The tans and light brown options.

Auditioning for the greens role.

The lights choices in the running.

And we can't forget the purples.

But as I said, I'll be gone for all of June so won't be getting to this, but instead I will take a project on this year's list that is being done entirely by hand, and put this one into the place where that one, #11 will be when it gets chosen.  So this is the one I'll take with me and consider my 'June' UFO:

Dresden Plate block, in work

Road To Oklahoma II block - finished

Fool's Puzzle II / Wonder Of The World block - finished

Clown's Choice block - finished

Color Wheel block - finished

There will be a sixth block, an appliqued rooster.  I have had a difficult time finding just the exact rooster I want, but at a show in March I found a quilt pattern that has some roosters that just might fit the bill.  This is a quilt of my own design - just six simple squares and it will have sashing and borders.  My intent is to also hand-quilt it, something I have NO experience in doing.  It'll keep me busy for quite awhile yet an will be perfect to take with me on my trip.

I would love to use/find the pattern to the quilt displayed as the header at Cat Lover and Quilt Maker.  It is what I've had in my mind's eye that I haven't been able to find.  I'll have to send a note to her and see if she can tell me anything about it, or what the pattern is.  If not, I could probably also sit and try to sketch one out for the size I need that looks similar.  I'd like mine to face the other direction though.