Okay, I'm Behind Again, But I Have Been Busy!

PROCRASTINATION - a word my 8th grade teacher wrote on the blackboard the first day of school.  He turned to the class and asked if anyone knew the meaning of the word; no one did.  He then said, "It is something I will NOT tolerate!"  Then he explained the definition, and then said that when he gave us an assignment, he expected us to get started immediately and have it completed when we returned to class the next day.  He further said that procrastination causes people of all ages more trouble than almost anything else in life.  I never realized that day how true that statement was, and still is!  I will never forget the lesson he taught our class that day, and neither will any of my classmates; someone always mentions it when we get together.  Yet I find myself doing just that almost every day.

When I'm faced with something I cannot do well, I procrastinate!  Such is the case with  Block Heads Week 16 block; applique is not my best technique!  So I've been procrastinating since it came out, but I'm glad I got Week 17 finished anyway.  Okay, I'll catch up before long --- maybe.  Of course, Week 18 comes out tomorrow!  My excuse is that I've been busy!  Really I have.  I have had other things on my mind.  To prove it, just look at this picture.  It is a flimsy already, and pretty big too!

Last blog post I was in a stew trying to decide what to do with the panel, the log cabin blocks I had made, and the fabric I had left.  That is what I decided to do.  It is too large for a throw now,  (76" x 62"), so  I will put a black border around the quilt; in fact, I went to the quilt store yesterday and bought more than enough black fabric.  The fabric of the longest strip (looks like tooled leather; sorry I didn't get a closeup) in each block is used up, which limits me on making more blocks, but that's okay.  At least it's used up!  I'll try to get a closeup when it's quilted so you can see the fabrics better.

I decided to keep the panel (hanging behind and to the left of the quilt) with its checkerboard border that size, no larger (51" x 33").  I'll put a sleeve on it, and it can be hung in the same room with the quilt.  I decided that will be better than putting the panel in the middle of the quilt.    "Family Rules" need to be observed and practiced, not slept under!   That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.  I fear I'll be procrastinating again before I get both projects quilted.  Here it is again; it will stay this size.

I have some other things to take care of along the way, but I hope to get both quilted before long.  Just remember, I'm old and very slow!

Now about all the fabric I didn't buy last week-end.  My quilting buddy wanted me to go with her last Friday to the closing sale, so I did.  I got lots of practice on restraint!  She carried out five big heavy bags of fabric; I had only two smaller ones.

All are 1 yard except the red kiddy and 2 pink florals; those are 2 yds. each; all is Moda.

Then she called after church Sunday and asked me to go back with her, and I confess I went!  This time she hauled out more than she did Friday, saying she was going to share it with her sister.  Yeah, right!  Again, I got a few more yards and some patterns (that I'll probably never get around to making).  Included is 6.5 yards brown backing fabric on the bolt for the panel and log cabin quilt I'm working on.

Again all 1 yard, except 6.5 yards  brown backing on bolt

Yes, I know the panel and quilt are black and white, and the backing fabric is brown.  However, the black(ish) fabrics have cowboy-like markings such as tooled leather, cow hide, and burlap.  The brown backing has black designs similar to bandannas that cowboys sometimes wear.  (Come on now; use your imagination!)  My reasoning was that black fabric catches every little bit of lint, dust, or whatever, and white shows any and all kinds of soil!  The brown will maybe hide whatever a cowboy brings in the house after roping and working cattle!    Since the quilt has grown quite a bit the past two weeks, I hope I bought enough of the brown backing!  I've checked it pretty close, and I think I did.

You probably are thinking I made some weird fabric choices, and maybe I did.  I needed some Civil War background fabrics, and I'm hoping some of these will work.  I'm guessing  a lot of it has been in their warehouse a long time, but it is all in excellent shape, and was on the original bolts.  I had to go buy more plastic tubs to store all the sale fabric in so it will still be in good shape for whoever gets it when I die!  I'm pretty sure I won't live long enough to use it all up!  But I just could not pass up Moda at $3 to $5 per yard!

Then last Thursday, an anonymous person gifted me and two quilting buddies with several big bags of fabrics, mostly scraps, but a few large, really nice pieces.  We were told to choose what we wanted from the bags.  Here's what I chose, or the others chose for me:

The large blue piece has 5 yards; and will work as Civil War backing maybe;
 the cowboy piece has almost 2 yards,
and the patriotic piece has a little more than 1 yard;
All the others are scraps, but I can use some of them.

Speaking of death a couple of paragraphs up, my next-door neighbor passed away last week.  He had been in the hospital six weeks, and his sweet wife never left his room the entire time.  When she got home from the hospital that afternoon,  she came over to tell me.  I laid my piecing aside,  and made a big pot of potato soup, and a batch of cookies for her and their two adult daughters.  The girls have been going back and forth to work and the hospital, but she really never left his room the entire six weeks!  I don't know how she did it.  She appears to have lost about 30 pounds.  I knew there was nothing in her house to eat that night, and I thought soup would be easier on her tummy.  They are all worn out, and very sad.  We have been neighbors since 1978 when I moved here.  He always said to me when he saw me, "How you doin', Old Lady?"  The younger daughter said the same thing to me one afternoon; brought a tear to my eyes, and hers too.  I'm sure that's how she will greet me from now on.  They all will miss him so much; so will I.  His funeral was last Saturday morning, and I've never witnessed  a sweeter funeral service, ever.

I had a good time with my son, his wife, and her parents tonight.  He grilled hamburgers, she had all the fixings, and I took cookies, brownies, and cantaloupe.  Everything was really good.  I got home in time to watch the fireworks on TV; I wanted to get home (about 20 miles) before it was really dark. They were going to watch the local fireworks show.

Hope all of you had a wonderful July 4 as you celebrated our freedom.

Tomorrow I MUST clean house a bit!  Then maybe I can get the panel sandwiched, and maybe start on my Week 6 block.

---"Love"