I Like Thursday #249

 I thought I'd start on a Christmas table runner. There's a pattern for sale on Facebook that inspired me. It's called Candy Cane Twist. I'm not going to buy the pattern but I made this block. I made Half Square Triangles using the 4-at-a-time method.  This block measures 12.5" square so all my HST measure 3.5". There's a nifty little chart online depending on the size you want to make. It's easy and no waste at all. This block is made of 16 HST triangles. Each table runner is made up of 3 blocks. This is a nice easy project.

I took my mother to Macy's to buy shoes for my son's wedding. She bought these by INC. They were 30% off. The heel isn't too high and they're a little wide. Perfect for my mom! And so pretty!!

I had to piece the backing to my baby quilt. The pattern is a little large so I tried my best to line up the puzzle pieces as best as I could. I think you can see the seam line down the middle. It's not perfect but close enough! I don't think anyone would really notice where the seam line is located.

Can it really be Labor Day already??? I feel July was so hot but August has been cooler than I had expected. We did have hot and humid days but just not as bad as July. Anyways, is Fall really around the corner? I hope everyone has a great weekend with great weather as well!!

I'm linking up with  LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color. You'll find lots of great blogs to visit!

Binding and a Quilt Top

 It seems to be getting hot out there today. I spent part of my morning sewing the binding onto Oopsie Daisie. It didn't really take that long but I seemed to keep putting it off. One more item I can check of my to-do list! My binding is 2" wide. I didn't have enough purple fabric left to make it any wider. I usually make mine binding 2 1/4" wide but this one looks good to me.

The baby quilt top is done! It measures about 46" X 61". I've always had a hard time keeping those vertical sashing strips nice and straight. I used my purple air soluble pen to mark little set in squares. When I sewed the next row on, I made sure the strips were centered onto that penned in square. Voila, they're straight! I'm so glad that worked. It was a simple solution to a problem that used to really bug me.

I bought this nice backing for the baby quilt. I couldn't resist this playful pattern! I love the4 colors too! I'm taking it easy the rest of the day. That's it for me!!

Stay cool!!

I Like Thursday #248

It's time for I Like Thursday! We visited Ogunquit, Maine earlier this week and I have some great photos to share! This picture is the view of the ocean as we walked the Marginal Way. For those of you unaware, Marginal Way is 1.5 mile walk along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Ogunquit. It's a very scenic and easy walk that ends up in Perkins Cove. Perkins Cove is a harbor with shops, restaurants and lobster boats.

We had a great lobster roll in a restaurant located in Perkins Cove. They're so pricy this year but Maine has the best lobster around here. So worth it!! The prompt this week asks us what our favorite food is. I think I'll have to say lobster! I don't eat it very often so it's always a treat for me!

I found this butterfly hanging around outside a gift shop. It seemed to just stay hovering in this grassy little area. I thought it was trying to tell me that something wonderful was awaiting me in the gift shop. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything I liked. The butterfly was still out there when we left the shop!

I found this interesting hydrangea while walking around Ogunquit. It has hydrangea blossoms of different color. I'm not sure it it's more than one plant but I loved it! So colorful!

I'm linking up with LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color. Please visit her and link up to more great blogs!

Baby Quilt

 I had some leftover layer cake blocks so I decided to make a baby quilt. My kids have a few friends who are expecting. I didn't have enough blocks so I cut some solids in similar colors and added them to the mix. I've made this pattern before. I couldn't find my pattern so I'm using my memory to make it. I think it's coming out okay.

I sewed 9 blocks together. I needed a total of 27 blocks total to get through this step. I needed 3 sets of 9-patches. I was short 6 blocks so I added 2 solids per 9-patch.

I cut halfway in each direction. I would end up with 12 blocks. I chose a size and trimmed each block down. Then, I added a thin sashing between the blocks. My next step is to add sashing between the rows as well as a border. That's it!! Nice and quick! It will measure about  46" X 61". I think that's a nice size for a baby quilt. It can still be used as the baby grows. 

I Like Thursday #247

Oopsie Daisie is all done! It measures about 93" square. I used a great pantograph called Knit 1 Purl 2,

You can see the panto better in the close up. This was a fun and easy finish for me. I always feel like I'm cheating when I use a pantograph. Once it's lined up, you just follow the pattern with a laser light. It's easy, fast and looks great!!

The down side to using a pantograph is when your cat decides your quilt on the longarm is a great place to sleep! I always get a sag in the quilt from Molly getting comfy! It's not too difficult to fix but definitely something that has to be done.

 This is a great book I just read. It's about a family of immigrants from China. This family has so many secrets and misunderstandings between them. It's very well written and will have you hooked from the first page.

Our prompt this week asks us how we deal with the world's hot temperatures. My answer is easy. I stay indoors with the air conditioning keeping me cool. I had an easy time getting through menopause but I get hot very easily now. I don't sleep as well at night and the heat seems to get to me more than before menopause. It's not bad but I do tend to stay indoors where I feel more comfortable. I tend to eat lighter too. Some foods just seem too heavy when it's so hot outdoors.

Please link up to LeeAnna to find more fun blogs to read. Have a great weekend and keep cool!!!

Two Small Finishes

 I finished the Halloween wall hanging for my future daughter-in-law. I just quilted straight lines in the borders using my regular sewing machine. It measures about 9" square. I added 2" binding and it's done! Her birthday is next month so I'm glad I got it done.

I made this 4" pin cushion using leftover triangles from my table runner. I love making these small items. It's a nice change from the large quilts I usually make. These pin cushions make great gifts!

The weather is just gorgeous! It's not humid anymore. The temperatures are in the high 70's, low 80's. I'll be sitting outside this afternoon for sure!

I Like Thursday #246

 

I'm late once again for I Like Thursday. I've had a very busy week. I went to a concert on Monday (see previous post) and I feel as though I've been trying to catch up ever since! My Oopsie Daisie quilt was finally loaded and it's now ready to be quilted. It's about 93" so it took awhile to get done. I think it came out nice and straight.

This is the pantograph I'll be quilting on Oopsie Daisie. It's called Knit 1 Purl 2. I love the loopiness of this pattern. I think it will look nice on the straight seams of the quilt. Each pass will cover about 9 inches of the quilt. I'll probably have to make about 11 passes to complete the quilt. It's so much faster than custom quilting. I practice the pantograph without actually sewing it before I start. I like to feel comfortable with the pattern before I use thread.

I found this picture of a room from the Olympic Village in Paris. Our prompt was whether we would like to stay in Olympic housing and be part of a group of competitors. I would have loved to be part of the group of athletes. I'm sure it's fun to meet people from all over the world. I'm not crazy about this room. It reminds me of my dorm room when I was a freshman. I suppose if I was young again I would think it was fine. The older me would like more space! I'm enjoying watching the Olympics and will certainly miss them when it's over. 

Have a great weekend. We're getting remnants from Debby but I don't think they'll be too bad. It has become cooler and less humid which has been great! Make sure to visit LeeAnna to link up with more I Like Thursday blogs!

80's Night at Fenway Park

 I had such a fun time last night. We went to a concert at Fenway Park in Boston. They were all 80's bands that included the Steve Miller Band, Journey and Def Leppard. I had bought these tickets in the spring as a fun way to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We ate dinner first at a Japanese restaurant right around the corner from Fenway. I had a Tokyo Tea which was delicious and refreshing. It was hot and humid and I was nervous about storms but the weather turned out to be fine! Both kids joined us with their significant others. They bought our dinner and paid for parking.

This was my view as we started looking for our seats. We were on the turf to the right of the stage. It was already packed at 5:30.

We could see the stage from our seats but these screens made it so much easier to see what was going on! This is Steve Miller. He looks pretty good for 80 years old! My pictures didn't come out as good as it got darker. The concert ended around 10:30.

We got home a little before midnight. It was a late night for me. I have a ton of sewing to do but I only managed to sit on the couch and do some cross stitching. There are 4 segments to this house gingerbread Christmas ornament. I have one segment completed but just started the second one. It was nice to rest and cross stitch today. It's also cooler and raining. Not a bad day after such a fun night!

I Like Thursday #245

I'm so late for I Like Thursday! I went out this morning and got back later than expected.  It's so darn hot that I just sat around trying to cool off. I did manage to get up and get this pin cushion top done. I used the leftover triangles from the recent table runner I just made. I didn't measure it but it looks like it's about 4.25" square. I used a pattern from the book Pin Pals. I'll layer this top with batting and machine quilt them together. I'll layer the backing with batting as well and put them all together. So nice to make a quick project!

We made lemon squares last night. Once the sun went down, I didn't mind putting on the oven. They taste better than they look!

The backing is all ironed and loaded onto the longarm. I have to repeat the process with the quilt top. I just couldn't iron this afternoon. It's way too hot! Even though the air conditioning is working fine, I tend to get hot very quickly. I suppose these are the dog days of summer when it's okay to rest due to all that heat and humidity.

Our prompt this week is what we like to watch during the summer Olympics. I have never been athletic my entire life. Sports were never a priority for girls when I was growing up. I do like walking, and occasionally running, as an adult. I never entertained the idea of playing any sort of sport. I always wanted to take dance classes as a child but my parents had no idea what that was. I did take ballet as an adult when I was in college and loved it! I tend to watch gymnastics the most although I do like to watch swimming as well. My daughter was on the swim and tennis teams in high school so I enjoy watching them.

Please visit LeeAnna to link up to more blogs taking part in I Like Thursday. Stay cool!!!