Alicia loves Adam

I had this idea....it was harder than I thought it would be. Here is the inspiration. Here is my first line;I think it would work really well...this is hanging from white thread (because it was in front of me on the table) and purple is Alicia's favorite color. What do you think? Another 20 lines across my living room ceiling and no one will notice that the house has no grout, trim, or furniture!

satin shrug? jacket.

Nothing on my quilting life to post....I quilted a customer quilt (will be posted on other blog soon). I made a satin shrug for a friend's daughter's wedding. Not as easy as I thought, here are my plans;

• Plan A; small nylon snaps to hold jacket in place.
  
• small nylon snaps do not stay snapped if any stress is on them
• Plan B; use large nylon snaps
  
• calling ahead to find out if Hancock's has the big snaps was worthless
• I have amazing children-son did not complain when I used his only hour in the evening to go on wild goose chase after big snaps, and then they did not have them.
• Visited 4 fabric stores and called one downtown-no large nylon snaps
• David's bridal will not sell snaps to the public, very nice though, offered to sew the snaps on for me if I got the gown to them immediately...the wedding was the next day.
• Plan C; small strong magnets sewn in;
• electronic store is sold out of their small strong magnets.
• Plan D; clear buttons with loops.
  
• Hancocks doesn't sell clear buttons, (yes, trip Number 2)
• had to climb stairs and dig through jar of my buttons where I found many clear buttons. I only looked at the fabric store to save my poor hip from climbing the stairs at the house.
• bracelet making elastic cord made a fine loop for the buttons.
  

Million dollar toilet

The mystery is found. About 10 days ago Roger noticed water on the floor behind the sheetrock (water that would be hard to see once the floors and baseboards are finished.) Directly under the master bathroom where he had replaced a bent flange months ago. He took the toilet up and there was another bent flange, surely the reason for the leak. I found a new taller toilet for him to install. Installed. Leak still there. Each time until the 6th install he found something that might explain a leak...might should be in very small letters. (Months ago when he fixed the toilet the first time he said, 'there is no hurry to get a new toilet since replacing the toilet is so quick and easy.)
Last night after testing the drain pipe with a hose (with a spray nozzle) lowered and brought up 5 inches at a time he determined the leak was 5 feet down from the toilet. He cut off the newly textured, and painted sheet-rock and looked at the pipe. Two holes that look like they were made by a screw.... but no corresponding holes in the sheet-rock were found.
Now he gets to install the toilet for the 7th time.

edited Saturday evening; The holes are fixed, the wall fixed AND the toilet installed and working. Monday the painter will repaint the area.

zigzag setting

I've used the zigzag setting once since I started quilting but it is still just a top. So I went looking for an antique one to show you. I found this at laurafisherquilts Some wonderful quilts here.

What to do?

I've been thinking about what to tackle when I can't tackle anything...i.e. while I'm recovering from surgery. One friend said she basically stayed in her room for 2 weeks rotating from the bed to the chair and back with a bit of a walk in between...So here is my pathetically short list:

• make mittens for grandson #2. I made him a pr in July but they turned out too big so gifted them to Aunt Lynn. I'll try again after getting some gray, black and orange yarn.
  

(as you can see I could NOT edit this picture. It is from this book; Knit it! Felt it!, I have made other mittens from this book; blogged about here.)

• embroidery some 'penny squares' for an Irish chain quilt in black and muslin. I have a black toile for the back...
  
• copy ALL (or at least a good number) of our slides of our young children to a digital format.
• read- a friend offered me her novels that have a quilting theme that should be fun. I asked her to NOT bring them early so that I don't read them before the surgery.
  

That's it. Of course one of those will keep me occupied for a good long while but I'm used to variety and I'm not sure how dexterous I will be on pain meds.

I'm off to get the yarn, with my 40% off coupon that I found here and printed.

baby blanket dreams

If I had some babies on the horizon I would have to make one or two of these. I went looking for some flannel in my sewing stuff (maybe I could get rid of 1 type of fabric all at once). I don't have big pieces so this went through my mind;

• If I use one big piece for the back and lay the scraps on top; stitch, then cut will it look okay?
• try it on a pillow first
• could the pieces be random?
• or cut a star then chenille through it? What about a mod bright flower?
• Would they stay subtle or would they need to be 2 layers...

Not happening anytime soon.

21 days

21 days left
We joyfully offered our home for Liz's high school friend's wedding reception.....months ago. The plan was to be done and move in November 3rd. Are we done? Have we moved home? NO!
Can we be done? I have no idea...These are the things that need to be done:

• tile and grout...being done now
• seal floor, 2 coats
  
• cabinets...come November 8
• crown molding on cabinets
  
• countertops...November 10
• backsplash tiled
• fireplace tiled
  
• lights installed under cabinets; above cabinets
• another coat of paint
• appliance's installed; dishwasher, ovens, stove, vent, microwave, washer, dryer,
  
• island put together
  
• baseboards installed
• doors, doorknobs and trim installed
• toilet downstairs
  
• sink downstairs
• kitchen faucet
• boy's bathroom ceiling installed textured and painted
  
• lights hung, outlets installed, switches installed
  
• EVERYTHING CLEANED (our job)
• TV purchased and installed (our job)
• mantel designed and made and installed (our job)
• yard cleaned up planted and beautiful (our job)
• lighting outside (our job- but simply Christmas lights)
• replace faucets in upstairs bath (our job)
• pool fixed and cleaned (Roger)
  
• MOVE
• put furniture back (insurance guys say they will do that but will only hang things that still have nails in the wall)

That's a lot and I have probably missed mentioning many. Did I mention everything cleaned? I think we will need an army to finish everything. We do not have an army.