To Do Tuesday – 4 October 2022

Happy Wednesday (5 October 2022), OK I am a day late, but I have a good excuse I have been busy getting things finished for quilting, The weather is very very pleasant. Low 60’s in the mornings for my morning walk, and in the low 90’s but mostly in the 80’s. We have been besieged with the little butterflies that drive us nuts. They mess up your car and for some reason they are heavy here on the place! Now after complaining about that, what is great is that we have not had them for the last 3 years. I believe that this heavy migration will mean a cold, wet and damp winter. OH JOY for me! If the predictions are correct some will be happy, some will be sad, just like the change back to regular time! Only 30 more days and we will get our hour back!

I was hoping to have My Surprise Quilt finished by now, but that did not happen as I needed to stop working on it and finish the backs for the quilts that will be going to Rebecca in the next week. I will be sending 12 of my quilts.

This will leave me 7 Applique quilts to hand quilt, 1 pieced quilt to hand quilt (see below) and 13 quilts to quilt on my long arm! They are my smaller quilts.

I would like to get my feathered star hand quilted and the RW&B will be done on the Domestic or on the long arm.

I spent 3 days getting backs (VERY LARGE) ready for Rebecca. I changed the back for York Lodge to some Grunge fabric that was 108” x 108”. I am not sure which I dislike more, dealing with ironing the 108” backing which took be 2 hours to press and square, or the 3 1/2 hours spent on the last 2 backings which were pieced!

The backing for Stars In the Garden had to be pieced as I was just not going to purchase anymore fabric! I believe it will be just fine as I used 112” of a blue turquoise fabric on the sides with 1 strip down the middle and a lighter batik that blended well. It too me over 3 1/2 hours to do that one – lots and lots of measuring, squaring, sewing and pressing!

Then I changed the backing for Globetrotting to the same fabric on the border.

When it came to Sentimental Stitches backing, that one took about 4 hours to get together. First I had to decide on which fabric to use for the backing. Here were the 2 choices. (Fabric from Laundry Basket Quilts called Hope Chest).

When I purchased the fabric I bought a large amount of “The Loser” that I thought would look good for the back. Of course when I received it I realized that I would have issues with Migraines due to the busy pattern, but I was going to be open to using it. The “Winner” fabric really blended in with the flower strips in the quilt top.

In order to provide Rebecca 10 extra inches all around the quilt backing I had to use Michael Millers Crystal (Reproduction fabric used in the quilt top) as the middle piece and the “Winner” fabric on the sides, BUT since I always chose to do things the hard way, I had to add about 25 inches on each outside panel. Talk about fun, but I am so very pleased with myself I just had to show off my hard work.

This is how it looked on the wrong side.

An up close picture of the seamline.

It is a relief to have all backings completed. This next week I will be finishing up on My Surprise Quilt, and get the backing prepared for Rebecca. When this is complete the quilts will be mailed and I will have a big burden off my shoulders and transferred to Rebecca!

I have made one resolution for the remainder of the year! I am now going to stop making quilt tops this year. The only one that needs to be put in a setting are the Churn Dash blocks that I made with Chookyblue’s SAL. That needs to be done before the end of October! THEN, I am going to be working on hand quilting, applique, embroidery, cross stitch and quilt the 13 remaining quilt tops on my long arm. I figure that I can get up each hour and walk around and still get my steps in, but yet enjoy catching up on all hand work and quilting by New Year’s Eve. Anyone taking a bet on this goal? It is really easy, just need to get with the program.

These are the goals I have set for myself for October. We shall see what happens.

1. Finish My Surprise Quilt
2. Prepare the remaining 5 blocks for In My Garden
3. Start a hand quilting project (have a few tops that are waiting in line patiently)
4. Do more hand work, less piecing as it is time to catch up on those UFOs. 
5. Send 12 quilts to Rebecca for quilting.
6. FINALLY get back to my long arm and finish up the remainder of quilt tops.
7. Complete my Churn Dash SAL project – I need to put the blocks together in a setting

COMPLAINT SECTION: It has been very quiet here on the place, a few idiots to deal with when placing an order through Amazon. Inflation complaints, my health insurance is going up $52.00 a month, BUT MEDICARE is going DOWN to $165.00 – WOW a $5.00 reduction. Only 33 days to find out if our Country will survive the idiots running the country and 26 days until I become a year older, but who is counting. Pray for the Hurricane victims and that Harris is put in a closet for 2 years – after making the statement that relief funds should be based on EQUITY,….. OK no more of her. OH yes – NEWS FLASH! OPEC is going to reduce their oil sells by 2 million barrels a day… Anyone for a bicycle? How about that new electric car for $75K – But there won’t be enough electricity to run it, so the Bicycle is sounding great! Sorry, but guess I did have some complaints, but the good news for all retirees is that the COLA will be close to 9%, but if the Government has any money left from the 31 TRILLION Debt we now have. I am off to play for the day!

Have a wonderful week and enjoy stitching and hopefully cooler weather for all.

Hugs, Nanette

© Nanette Chopin Cook at Doitrightquilter.com 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nanette Chopin Cook and Doitrightquilter.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away;  Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching  Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party, To Do Tuesdays