Broke a tooth!

 I was enjoying a reuben  sandwich with chips and a dill pickle. And all of a sudden I bit something hard. I pulled it out and and saw a nugget of white with gray silvery side. It was a cuspid of a bottom molar.   After an hour or so, I called me emergency number to my dentist as it was Friday evening. I had no pain and so waited until this morning ( Monday). 

And yes, I need a crown.  So I saw the substitute dentist, my older one who retired. And since I can put up with the strangely shaped molar for now, I will wait to see my dentist until 2 weeks from now. 

Most of the snow has melted.  Wisconsin is weird.  People were outside in the 45 degree sunny weather without coats and some in shorts. Go figure!

But I finished my book, Lessons in Chemistry. And I recommend it. It was a fun read and insightful on the 1950s. The chemist lost her job to do being an unwed mother/ widow. Our book group had lots of discussion over the science versus religion, male domination of work and home, as well as other aspects of the book. Very interesting!

As far as quilting, I have started the setting of my hourglass blocks and I like it!

The navy fabric turned out as I had visualized it and provides a nice backdrop for the pattern of the patchwork. The fabric is a small x mark in black of the navy; so it is solid looking.  I have lots more blocks to complete and then to make the setting triangles.  More design work at that point. 

And as for goals,  
 Binding  is on for Ocean Waves and only hand sewn on 1 side.  I need to reattach it as some of it is too wide.

Need binding on the mini quilt and it will be done.

No snowmen. 

It's Spring?????

 We have another beautiful snow that flocks the trees and looks so pretty.  5 or so lovely inches of this COLD WET SNOW!   Fortunately, I have everything I need here in the house. So there! I will just sit here and read my book, Lessons in Chemistry, and stare out at the now blowing branches. 

There is a driveway and sidewalk somewhere.

I have been sewing some:  

Quilting the mini: 

The back looks gray but is more of a medium blue.

Sewcialites blocks: 4 new blocks

All my blocks so far of the Sewcialites 2; free weekly pattern from Fat Quarter Shop.

18 out of 20. I have one that I made twice with different fabrics.

It's SPRING!

 The calendar and the vernal equinox say that it is spring today. And I am truly jealous of more southern states that are lucky enough to feel warmer breezes and see daffodils and such. Wisconsin is NOT ready ready for spring. I can say that I have seen several robins arrive. Where they get there food is a complete mystery to me as we are between snow storms here. No buds, no blooms, no green here. 

Here are some lovely shots of the surrounding roads outside the city showing the current status of our weather.

And I did make some St. Patrick's Day crème puffs with mint green filling and chocolate and sprinkles on the top. Delicious!

So my sewing is progressing. I have my ocean waves back from the quilter and have made a scrap binding for it. My goal is to finish the binding this week. 

I also added a 3rd row to my 9 patch scrap quilt. Each row requires 64  3 1/2 inch 9 patches. And many units are already made for the next one. 

I was all set to assemble a quilt where I have made 60  hourglass units with 4 squares ( 5 1/2 inches)   and 110 mini ones (2 1/2 inches)  I ordered a blue fabric that was to be more navy for the setting. But it turned out to be royal blue. So now what to do with 4 and 1/2 yards of it???? And I have to find another navy blue. 

My quilting goals for the week:

Attach and hand sew binding Ocean Waves

Finish quilting  Mini trees and maybe mini hourglass quilt

2 blocks for Snowmen.

Another mini top

Last winter I made a quilt top needing 400 quarter square triangles.  Well I finished it, but without the last border and was left with over 240 of these hour glass blocks.  So this is my first use of them.  It is a meager 32 units.  But I enjoyed the wool, finding a design, selecting the colors and appliqueing it done. Then on to the assembly of a quilt. I utilized the Fat Quarter Quilting book for inspiration.  

10 by 16 inches

I have a 2nd block planned for it with a different layout.  So many creative ideas and not enough time. 

I have 60 5 inch broken dishes blocks made. 

I have been working steadily on my 9 patch scrap quilt. If I don't feel like working on anything else, I will just sit and sew 1 and 1/2 inch squares together randomly putting colors together Last night it was 20 of these units.   It is now 24 inches by 81; this is it folded in half. 

RETREAT quilt tops completed!

 I love going to retreat. So much uninterrupted quilting time with so many wonderful ladies.  Good snacks! And overall just a good time!  I come home tired from sewing so much, but I really love all the friendships, quilting ideas, and the give-away table.  This year we had a whole table of wool roving and I avoided it.  We also had many suitcases of fabrics from a former quilter at 4 dollars a yard. I filled in my pink and purple voids of my stash along with some dots. And I was gifted with a bag of mini-charm packs. I need to repay her somehow. 

So I spent a few days sewing over 500 strips to make this quilt for my daughter: about 70 inches squared. I need to have her select a back for it.  HOORAY!

And then I finished my Over the River quilt top for the remaining days.  This is a multi-year project. I found my post where I had finished the embroidery February 2019. But I started it in the summer of 2016.  The stitching began one summer and it took a week just to trace the designs and back it with a thin fabric . I was able to complete the pieced blocks and middle assembly at another retreat. All that was needed was the large flying geese as the last border.  And now to get it off to the quilter. 2nd HOORAY!