New floor DONE, a finished Quarter Log Cabin Quilt, Air Link flight.

 This is the last big project for the year.  Old carpet finally GONE, and new vinyl flooring installed.  This is the family room.

The is a small pass-thru area usually piled with "stuff".   I need to find 2 strong men to slide the heavy cabinets 16 inches the other way, but I'm close to the end of this project.  The plan is to add 1 area rug here, bright and graphic, to give the room color.   

Here is the larger part of family room, needing a 2nd area rug.  

A quilt photo ... this one is probably my favorite of many.  

News:  an experience, everything is gonna be OK.

Yes, this is my arm, totally black and blue after procedures following a catheter and stent, after the ER said was a heart attack.  I think the right name is a PCI.   I was whisked from the local ER to the Air Link Helicopter in the middle of the night, too dark to see a view, to a Cardiac Hospital 3 hours (by car) east of my home.  Local hospitals can only do so much.  We (me and crew) arrived in 55 minutes, squeezed into that amazing little beast.  Frankly, I was so interested in the flight, I had no fears about the reason.  By mid-morning Tuesday, I was in surgery, all of 45 minutes, and awake, and back home Thursday, thanks to a dear friend who  came all that way and then drove me home, weak, but alive and  feeling tolerable.  The catheter and stent into my heart to clear out blocked artery kinda messed up my sewing arm for a while, but I AM RECOVERING!  Drop me a line if you have other questions.  You might remember an earlier visit to ER said Anxiety, but they did recognize immediacy the second visit.  I am blessed to have had the foresight to get to ER in time.  

Washing Faux Brick Walls

 Before and after.  

Before and After

 This was my "ruined" block yesterday, (previous post) carefully removed from the quilt top. sad day, and even worse, there were 6-8 strips of the same fabric in other parts of my quilt top.  I couldn't take the chance of "will it come out after I finish the quilting?"  I figured total removal was my only option.  Happily, this happened! 

HAPPY, HAPPY DAYYYYYY!  Here it is today, after excellent advice from Chantal, and a few other kind quilters.

Just a generous squirt of "regular" Dawn, in a bowl of warm water, some sloshing around and then sitting for approx. 15 minutes.  VOILA - no trace.  I will replace this block with another, already started, but no longer am afraid of the other 6-8 strips of that same maroon fabric already used in blocks of the top.  Happy Day!!!!!!!!!!!   What a relief!  I would guess "copious amounts of water" and plenty of Dawn would be needed if washing the entire quilt."

I messed up, or was it a blessing?

This scrappy half log cabin top is layered and basted -- BIG project. but it turned out well.   Dig that border!  My machine quilting plan was straight line wedges in each block.  Great idea, and away I went with a full head of steam.  The lines were long and my ruler was short so I marked those lines in the first 2 blocks with blue pen, an old standby.  After completing 2 blocks of straight lines, my wedge quilting plan didn't seem so great, and I removed the quilting stitches and spritzed the blue lines, then went back to think about another design, while it dried.  Uh oh, Good Grief!!!!  I had forgotten the part about "testing".  Here is the ONE disastrous block after I removed it from the quilt.  The stain went thru the batting backing.  The other one block fortunately did not contain that offending fabric.

I'm unable to wash the entire quilt at this stage, or test various laundry processes or products, and to make matters worse (or better?), several unmarked blocks contain that same wicked maroon strips.  Yeahhh, I forgot the part about testing fabrics. 

I can replace the stained half square in the border and cut out the stained batting, that's the easy part.  Even inserting a new block will be easy compared to my plan to remove the 6 or 7 strips of that blasted maroon strip.  On the positive side, what if I hadn't spritzed the quilt and blindly quilted the entire thing, and years down the road, after a new owner washed it and found it bled over every part of the quilt?  I know there are laundry methods to solve the problem but I can't take a chance at this point.  There's a long road ahead of this finish!  I am groaning at my lack of thinking.

Quarter or Half Log Cabin, on Point, and Anxiety

This project was fun to make and went together quickly.  I even used the recently acquired 10 inch duo something or other Log Cabin trim ruler which surprisingly, became a well-appreciated tool.  Fabric choice was using what I had, many already-cut strips, and even used some uglies, always sewing value contrasts.  Sometimes the medium fabric was a dark and sometimes it was a light, and vice versa, depending on its neighbor.  All of my strips are one size, altho the ruler included instructions for a narrow/wider option.  In the below photo, lower left is the fabric for the float border.  Yes, I'm a "brown" gal - perhaps farm memories?  

Floater border paragraph has been removed - I definitely wrote my description incorrectly.  

From the Widow:  All is well in western Nebraska.  My overactive, overstimulated, never quiet mind, over-project directed brain has come back to "bite" me, with a first-ever "anxiety" attack,  which I thought was a heart attack.  As I was trying to count heart beats/minute, holding my chest,  I am still over-thinking.  Should I call 911, or drive or call a neighbor, or ???????.  Since I had this above quilt all laid out on my newly carpeted "design floor", I knew if I called 911, they would tromp all over it, unseeing anything on the floor,  in their eagerness to save my life, and in my overthinking panic I had the thought that if I was meeting my demise, who would put that quilt back together again, the way I had planned???.  So, I methodically checked my purse to be sure I had enuf Revlon in the make-up bag to last a few days if I needed to be admitted, and slowly made my way to the car, heart racing, chest hurting, drove the side streets in case in case of ???? and managed to get to ER at local hospital.  Nope, NO heart attack, more like "anxiety attack".  huh?  Totally surprised me, altho looking back, no longer a surprise.  I remembered that I had 4 dreaded responsibilities yet to face, heavy on my "to-do" list,  having to do with Wills, Insurance, etc., ya know, those kinds of business duties we DREAD.  Mostly, I am now learning to breathe more effectively, and try to reduce over-thinking.  I have learned many others also suffer from "anxiety".  My sister, also an over-thinker, suggested I read a book called, "Women Who Think Too Much."   It's on order.  8-)))  

Making Every Day Count

Being a widow - The title of this post, that phrase, command, order, suggestion to "Make every day count"  has kept me moving forward.   Those were my husband's words.  He was pretty good at being productive.  He also said  "One step at a time", and "Slow, Steady  Positive Progress".   Listening to his good advice has been a good connection with him.   He was a Manager and knew how to get things accomplished.  I'm trying to follow his suggestions and hardly procrastinating any more.   I've been in this new life as a widow for almost a year and half - don't like it much.  My solution has been to take on projects, update my home, clear out stuff, just stay busy, gotta stay busy, don't think too much, don't want silence, keep TV on 24/7, keep my body moving, clear out junk, throw away stuff, don't let anyone know I might fall apart at any time. But, in time, perhaps I might just manage.  Others do it, I can do it as well.  Now, that's my job.  I think my Robert is proud of me.

Home improvements were needed.  I've finished with the living room and FINALLY have a beautiful new "design floor".  To dress up the room, provide sparkle, and to "keep a light in the window" (in case my man returns)  I added this leaded glass table lamp.

Yesterday, I finished this kaleidoscope project.  Blocks finish at 6 in.  You've seen it previously.  Still needs a label.  Its about 70 x 80.

All quilted -- I was very choosy with my scrappy fabric values and believe they work successfully.  My plans for hand quilting went out the window.  Here is the quilting design in the border wedges.

And to continue to "STAY BUSY ELAINE SO YOU DON'T THINK TOO MUCH" I decided to begin  yet another sewing project, a quarter log cabin, on point.  I'm loving it!!!  I'm planning about 56 blocks.