Motoring along nicely!

Happy Valentine's Day! Now on to the good stuff. Clearly, lists work for me. I think I must be bordering on being a Virgo. I've always loved a good list and my February Focus list is coming along nicely. I've finished another block for Teddy's Tea Party.........

and Churn Dash (block 20) for Farmers Wife Sampler......

which is good because I've also started doing Catalicious by Bronwyn Hayes even though I've really got no business doing that, given my list of UFOs and other projects. I love Bronwyn's work and I love cats. What can I say?

Speaking of cats, I have finally sewn the binding on a cat quilt I started 11 years ago! Yes, I know. Now sewing the binding down has been added to my list and that will mean I only have 32 UFOs!! And speaking of gorgeous critters, these beauties popped in yesterday. How beautiful are they??

The gorgeous Jack

and the mischievous Miss Holly.

It was such a joy to see them. They were on their way back with the caravan after spending the weekend at Pottsville. Jack said he'd been walking, riding his bike, playing his computer games and a whole lot of other things. Holly said she'd been shopping.

I've yanked out another UFO - Vintage Valentine - and have added that to my list. I've done five of the smaller blocks and the large central block so seven smaller blocks to do. I'm aiming to have it finished by 8 May in time for my gorgeous daughter's 40th birthday. It's doable. It's on the list. Also on the list for this week is the two smaller blocks for TTP, two more FWS blocks and the SBS block of the moment, Friendship Star. Oh, and the cat quilt binding. I'll get there. I also think I should get a medal or a prize (preferably cash) because I am using stash on nearly everything. I am SUCH a thrifty quilter!

February Focus

I decided, since I have the attention span of a gnat, to make February my "Focus" month. Focus on what projects I've got going on and focus on getting them finished. The main one is Teddy Tea Party, which was supposed to be for my niece for Christmas. Still, I never did specify which particular Christmas so it could still happen.  Here is Block F.

It will be a pretty little quilt and I was fortunate enough to get some cup and saucer border from Jenny in Bundaberg. For some reason, I am finding all the blanket stitching extremely boring. Not sure why. I usually love to blanket stitch.

This is block 18 of Farmers Wife Sampler and is called A Century of Progress. I unpicked this block and resewed it about 7 times. This is as close as I could get to having the centre points all match up. Not sure what I did wrong. The two halves are terrific.......until I sew them together and then it all goes pear shaped.

This is block 19 Chequerboard. Looks simple but wasn't without issues for me either!

And this is our next Sylvia's Bridal Sampler block, Dutchman's Puzzle. It went together reasonably well. Getting quite the little stack of blocks out in the sewing room now. Will certainly be interesting putting them together. Sizes are variable!

The Good Wife!

That would be me! Because yesterday, I ironed!! Yep. You heard right.  Ironing for me is not just a quick half hour here and there. It is a major project, with the emphasis on major. It involves trashy movies, bottles of bubbles, a take over of the lounge and generally, life as everyone knows it goes on hold. I drag baskets and racks and cords and tables out into the lounge room, close all the windows and put on the fans and aircon (don't want to over heat - still 5,000 degrees here) mix up my special starch brew, pour the bubbles and load up the trashy TV. That of itself wears me out! But it is now done till next time.

Ingredients for special brew starch. Bill the Builder always freaks out because I use his Grey Goose vodka. He is such a drama queen. He runs around, bellowing "not the Goose! Not the Goose." He is a goose!

Finished till next time! A stack of 4,000 giant shirts with long sleeves, 2,000 table cloths, 6,000 pillow cases, 4,000 tea towels, 5,000 place mats, 10,000 napkins, 80,000 giant t-shirts and a heap of giant trousers! No wonder I'm snookered!!  Then, I have to wash the floor with hot water and vinegar to get the starch off the tiled floor so that Bill the Builder doesn't come skidding through and break his neck. I try to iron at least three times a year but sometimes I don't get to it that often.

Bill the Builder was a complete toad less than loving yesterday morning so bought me this lovely bunch of flowers to score points redeem himself because he realized that his life was in danger he hadn't been a nice boy. It worked! They are so cheery!

The weekend wasn't a total write off. I did three more blocks of my Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt. I am really enjoying doing this one and like reading the letters that go with it. I had started following an online group but got behind so just started at block one and am working my way numerically through the book.

This is block 15 Buzzard's Roost. I was really careful with it (the second time I made it) and have got the half square triangles marginally better but they are still not right. This block is wobbly but not as bad as it looks here.

Block 16 Calico Puzzle

Block 17 Cats and Mice

I've got quite a few of the blocks done now. Not sure how I'm going to 'tidy' them up when I come to put it together because the blocks are on point. Oh well. No doubt it will come to me!