Chaos reigns + a funny

I put on a pot of navy beans this morn after breakfast...which consisted of taking Roger through the drive through.  When Lorelei stays with us I always cook breakfast...she was here from Monday till yesterday afternoon.  So Roger was ready to go drive through.  I came home and had a piece of toast and jelly...I was not very hungry.

I ate quickly, and went and tied up the two tomato plants.  They are growing like crazy but I have not seen a single bloom yet.  I had picked up a few more rocks, so put them around the plants.  I am hoping they will do better than the last time I had tomatoes.

I came in and vacuumed and mopped...just a bit of this and that in the house.  Then I headed to the sewing room.

Though this does look like chaos, not all my fabric looks like this.  These are just scraps...some are actually from me...or from my daughter

But a lot are scraps that I bought from the local fabric shop.  They have a plastic bin or tote or whatever you call it always about half full of scraps.  I can fill a gallon bag as full as  I can fill it....I am supposed to be able to close it but they never have said a word.  But I get it for $5. 

I thought I had enough of the scrappy crumb blocks to make a top, but when I went and got them I didn't.  Though I think I need to go look again.  Maybe they got separated.  I only had 35 in the stack you see at the top right in the photo below.  They are 9½ square.

I had a few I have been making the past few days.  And I dug out some more that were started from other times.  I sat and got 3 or 4 or 5 finished, plus some more started.  But I sat in there All afternoon.  It felt wonderful.   I have been trying to spend a few minutes every day this week doing something in there...yesterday was the one day I did not sew a stitch or even play with fabric.

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Most people do not understand how I am about fabric.  Now my girls could come in and get any fabric I have.  Even my Kaffe Fassett fabrics or any of my batiks.  Or my quilting friends, which are not that many and they are on line friends...if I had just the perfect fabric they were searching for...they could have it.

But I have so much trouble cutting even those scraps from the quilt shop.   I get some big chunks of fabric in those bags of scraps and I cannot bring myself to cut off strips or crumbs to put in these crumb blocks.

I don't know if it comes from my mom not having much fabric to work with when I grew up.  What she had was literally leftovers from making dresses and skirts and shirts.  And some of my sisters gave her some of theirs from home sewing.  It was all such a treasure.  I do not know how she made the number of quilts that she made.

Anyway even thought Lorelei went home yesterday, today managed to be an okay day.  I know her mom misses her and she misses her mom and dad and her pets...but oh, it is so empty when she goes home.

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A true funny story follows.  I don't know why it crossed my mind yesterday evening but it did and I have to share it with you:

I don't know how it came about, but Roger and one of his bosses got to talking about embarrassing things.  And he admitted to Roger that one morning he got up, hurried and got ready and headed out on his morning walk.  I don't remember how long he walked, but it was not a ten minute walk..it was a substantial one.  And I don't recall why he was in such a hurry.  But he got about half way through his walk and looked down and he only had underwear on his bottom half.  I never did know if that was tidy whities or if it was boxers...but I get so tickled every time I think of it.  He told Roger he just could not get home quick enough.  They lived out in the country so houses were few and far between...I do think he had to pass some houses, but I don't think any cars passed him.


Hope that gave you a chuckle...I laughed till I cried when I thought of it.  I guess it was funnier for me since I knew him. 

The usual

As is usual for me, when I cannot decide what to work on, or when I don't feel my normal self, I always can sew a few crumb blocks.  Of all the fabrics in these, less than half are scraps from my projects or my daughter projects.  The others are scraps that I buy at a local quilt shop just to add variety to mine.

I know that is crazy...what is even crazier is that some of them are so pretty and such a nice size that I have a hard time cutting them.  I don't mind using strips and strings of fabric...but when it is a bigger than 3 o 4 inches, I tend to avoid cutting them...I think there will come something I want to use them for.  And actually have a couple things in mind...

These little blocks are different sizes...mostly between 3½ to 4½ inches...and are not necessarily square.  My current plans are this:  they are going to be surrounded with strips of fabric.  and then trimmed to 6½ inch squares.  I am thinking I will use the same fabric throughout, but if not through out, then at least the same fabric around each little crumb block.  But I have been known to change my mind.
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Another crazy thought is I keep looking at the weave-it looms, but I need one like I need another hole in my head.  I do not need any more hobbies.  I have not started another puzzle, but am very tempted to.

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My hip is feeling a LOT better...I go tomorrow for another adjustment and am thinking it might be the last.  I am still taking ibuprofen on a regular basis.   But it feels wonderful to be able to walk pretty much normal.

I hope you have had a good weekend and that your week ahead is a good one.

A picture show of a different kind...the first two shows the crumb blocks I have been slowly working on...I think I have around 60 or 70 made. That would not go far if I sewed them directly together, which is what most people do. And I do like that look. But I am tired of making them, and plan to alternate the blocks with a 6 1/2 inch square.

The pictures below those two give an example of the oak leaf and reel blocks that I have made...I have 12 of them and they need to be squared. Forgive the strings....I used the light fusible-window method to attach them, then did the blanket stitch around all edges by hand. See, I used to get a lot done.

Anyway, I am thinking about how I want to set them together, and I may not get it done for a while. But I would love to get a top made from them and machine quilt the quilt. I have something I am sort of anxious to try. Maybe I shouldn't admit it cause I may fail miserably, but you don't know till you try. And my mom said the only people that don't make mistakes are the ones that don't do anything.