Backing

 Now I'm working on backing the strips. I decided to start with the shortest first, the purple, to make sure my technique would work.

 It worked, yay! So then I went to the longest, the blue.

 I'm backing with the color of the strips.

I started the greens, but found an error. I had two blocks with up and down strips together, so I took it apart and fixed it. I decided on a backing fabric, then ran out of steam and stopped for dinner. 

And more strips

 Sewing the strips has been addicting! And the piles of scraps are not going down!

 Pink!

Red!

And, last but not least, purple!

I recognized so many of the fabrics, but there were some that I had no clue what they were from. I started quilting in 2003, the year Eddie was born, and I think some of the scraps are from those early years, others very recent. 

I did ten minutes on the treadmill today, as well as my home PT, and my legs are tired! But I feel stronger! So now it's time to sit and rest for a while.

Next step, backing each strip.
 

More strips

 Manda's wallhanging is  progressing so nicely!

 Blue strip is ten blocks. Green strip is 9 blocks.

Yellow strip is 8 blocks. Orange strip is 7 blocks.

Next up, pink will be 6 blocks, red will be 5 blocks, and purple will be 4 blocks.

I'll do all the backings at the same time. 

And I think the scraps are multiplying in their containers.
 

Blue Strip top done!

 It did  not take a lot of time to do the blue strip.

 First square!

My set up!

 

Blue strip! My kids approve! I didn't measure, but the muslin I used for the base I cut into 7.5 squares. So it's about 70 inches long.

I didn't even make a dent in the blue scraps box! Now onto green! 

Organized!

 I finally got all the scraps separated by color!

 That was a fidgety 3 day chore! And now I'll probably find more boxes, LOL.

 Our new treadmill arrived! Ralph did ten minutes and 1.1 mile this morning before I got up. I added it to my morning routine and did .8 mile in 5 minutes. I'll do that for a week or so before upping the time. I kept my phone in my back pocket and it added the steps, yay! The treadmill is in the dining room, because the guest room has a queen sized bed and the recumbinant bike, and we didn't want to totally fill the room. With it in the dining room, we can have the Amazon Echo play music while we walk. 

We're supposed to get a nor'easter tonight into tomorrow and end midday Monday. We went to Aldi yesterday because we were almost out of milk, and several other things. So we're set.

 

Starting!

 Before I can start Manda's wallhanging, I decided to organize my scraps by color. Yikes, I did not realize how many small bins of scraps I had!

 I decided to do the sorting in the living room, so I could watch TV while sorting. So far I've been sorting for 2 days! When I'm done sorting, the sewing won't take that long. It's the prep!

We got our flu shots on Tuesday, and I also got a Covid shot. The flu shot are have a huge red and itchy area, which is a reaction that I always have. The arm is a little stiff, also.  

My next project

 I saved this picture a while ago.

 I showed it to Manda when she was here. She has a two story house in WA state. She loved it!

I'm going to make 7.5 squares, backed with muslin. I cut some muslin squares. I plan to make each strip a different color family, so it will give the look of a rainbow. The longest strip will be 10 squares, and it will be blues. I'm going to stitch and flip the squares. 

 

I got out the scrap bins. Yikes, I didn't realize I had so many! I started pulling and ironing blues for as long as the knees let me. 

Because I'm using muslin as the filler, I'll let it act as batting. I'll back it by sewing the backing and front right sides together, then flip and do some top stitching, like I do with the table runners. 

It should be a fun project. I'll ask Heather if she wants one for the steps to her finished basement. And I'll ask Steph if she has a wall that she'd like one for. I'm an equal opportunity mom, after all!

Yesterday we bought a dryer. Ours is on it's last legs. The new one, a speed queen gas dryer, comes tomorrow.  

October!

 Wow, September zipped by!

 Hello October! One of my favorite months!

Manda's table runners and coasters are done and in the mail!

Now I'm fixing Heather's quilt that I made her over 20 years ago. The bottom has shredded from being tucked between the mattress and the footboard. I cut off the bottom two borders, and cut new binding. Now to sew it on!

She went from hair to her mid back to this! She looks so adorable! She has her mama's curls, and her dada's thick hair.

 

I bought this! It will be delivered next Friday, yay! They deliver and set up, for a price of course, which is fine. I need more steps for my weight loss. 

 

September Morn!

 September is more than halfway thru! Yikes! Time goes so fast! We have a routine going. Tuesday and Friday at 11 is physical therapy. Thrsday mornings is breakfast with the Veterans for Ralph. The third and fourth Wednesdays are lunch with friends. Sundays are lunch with his brother and sister in law. Usually Monday's are food shopping days.

 This is one of the two table runners Manda requested. Both tops are done, but I have to back and quilt them.

 This is the other one.

This adorable nugget is now 7 months old! Yikes!

 

Our old bed was only 3 years old, but had pronounced sags. Raymour and Flanagan sent a tech out, and yep, sags. So they credited us, and we picked out a new one. This one, instead of a box spring, has a frame with 2 motors. You can raise or lower the head or the foot! Makes it so easy to change the sheets!

 

I love Aldi! Heather benefits when we shop there!
 

Another month!

 And just like that, it's September!

 Another first day of school that I don't have to be a part of! It's Eddie's last first day of college, and Jul's first first day of college! Garret's first day of 5th, and Amary's first day of 7th!

 We had all our girls in the same place at the same time! This only happens every few years. They went to NYC to see Hamilton, and stopped at Liberty Park on the way home.

 My older grandchildren at Lake George, NY.

September 2 was the 4th anniversary of nephew David's death. I got Jul this sweatshirt in memorium.

 

And just for fun, I sent the little kids hot chocolate mix, which they were delighted to get.

One the crafting side, while Manda and Steph were here they went thru my charm packs and claimed several. Steph wants fall coasters, and Manda wants coasters and a table runner. 

I also started a rectangular granny, to use up yarn and give me an excuse to watch TV! 

Getting ready!

 First, Hello August!

 

The horde is coming! Manda, Ben and the kids arrive tonight! Then they and Heather and Jules head to NYC in the morning, where they'll pick up Steph at LaGuardia. They'll do some touristing, then they are seeing Hamilton tomorrow night, staying over in the city, and coming back here Saturday. 

OMG, she's rocking the bathing suit and shades!

 

Inspiration pix!

Ralph is at breakfast with the Vets, then I have PT, then last minute tidy ups! 

Still July

 Still hot and humid with thunderstorms. I've been going to PT on Tuesdays and Fridays, and have a few home exercises to do. Each thing they have me do is not hard, but at the end I'm wiped out!

 This girl is now 12! Can you guess what she spent her birthday money on?

I sent this to Heather, because Jules loves her crocs, and got back "omg!"

 

I don't know how I missed the DD Warren books so long, but I'm working my way thru them now!

 I saw this on a facebook ad. Isn't it amazing?

Hot, humid, and thunderstorms

 It's July in jersey! The forecast is the same every day. 

 I bought the pdf pattern for this, I'm picturing it in other colors.

Miss Boone was patriotic for the 4th!

 

This was so good! Long, almost 600 pages, but it went by so fast!

OMG, Baby Boone is 5 months old! I told her parents they better start thinking about a car for her, LOL

 

We had lunch at our favorite drive up burger place, Webers!

I started PT yesterday. My right leg is significantly weaker than the left! My PT said we're going to start with strengthening my ankles, and work our way up. I have homework, of course. I already did my first set of exercises this morning. Here's hoping! 

Happy July!

 It's a busy month! Birthdays for Dan, Steph, John, Kenzie, Connor, Amary, Polly, and an anniversary for Steph and Dan! Yikes!

 Yay, we got S6 all threaded and bobbined! It took Ralph reading me directions while I threaded, but we got it done. Not hard, just so different than the 6500, especially the needle threader! 

 The blue one has been gifted to Charlotte, and the bottom one (terrible pic, I was in a rush) to Sharon. I have 3 more of this batch to quilt.

 Sandie had read and enjoyed this book, so Cookie Swap is all (maybe) reading it or going to read it. After finishing it, I found that while it's a standalone, the author has a cast of recurring characters he uses. Now some of us are going to read all of them! 

What's a blog post without a baby picture? It's hard to tell from the picture, but Boone is in a floatie in a pool, taking a snooze. 
 

 

Summer Funk

 I just have not felt like making a post. 

Look at this nugget! She's 4 months old!

A pic of my late dad when Eddie was a baby. Dad died in 2007, and Eddie will soon be 22!

 

Picked up the Skyline 6, and Ralph put filler because she has to sit on top of the table. I'm having trouble treading her, and I'm sure it's me, not her.

 Jul graduated, and Baby Boone was the life of the party! Aunt Sharon nabbed her, but later let her be passed around. It was such a terrific party that we stayed til 1 a.m.- Boone left much earlier, a girl needs her sleep!