To Do Tuesday

I set the bar really low last week, so it was a pretty easy win.

1. Make applique letters for shopping bags. ✔   Not only did I get the letters made, but I also finished a bag. You can see it here.

I had another To Do, but it was comic relief.

We are having a rare second round of freezing weather and for some reason, it put me in an organizing mood. I got out all my scrap baskets, which were already somewhat organized by color, and began sorting the blues/purples/greens. I had a vague idea of making some string blocks out of all one color instead of my usuall all colors, so first first pulled all the real blues, then pulled the pastels, baby fabrics, and holiday fabrics out of that pile. I even had some upholstery cloth in there! I thought I'd made string blocks out everything under 2-1/2 inches, but then I ran across some strips that may have been cut for binding. By the time I pulled those out, there wasn't much left. Now I just hope I have enough to make one block!

My goals for this week will revolve around these scraps.

1. Find a string block pattern or adapt a traditional block.

2. Make at least one blue string block.

3. Cut remaining blue scraps into half square triangle blocks.

4. Find stash of finished hexagons. I've been looking for these all week so there aren't a lot of place left to look.

I am linking up with:

Sewing Reports for Week 4 of 2023

I don't have much to report this week on either challenge, but for now, I'm maintaining my goal of 50% stitching time and reducing my stash. I took it easy Tuesday. I guess I was afraid any sudden move would bring back my headache. So that day I just printed applique letters and ironed them onto fabric. It's been so long since I've done a Wonder-Under applique that I couldn't even remember how to do it. It took me awhile to get back in the rhythm of zig-zagging around the letters, so it's a good thing I was recyling the daybed cover and didn't waste any new fabric other than a fat quarter.

I thought I would get more stitching time in this week, but this weekend is the big weekend for Hubby's ham radio club and we worked all day Friday and Saturday. I should have some time after they all leave after lunch. I got up at 6:00 this morning to make breakfast for all those who spent the night. I never get up early so I'll have to have a nap sometime today too.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023:
Jan 22-28                  3 of 7 days
2023 Total             16 of 28 days
57% success rate

2023 STASH TOTALS
Used Jan 22-28                 .25 yards
Used year to date            6.50 yards
Added Jan 8-14                    0 yards
Added year to date               0 yards
Net used in 2023 6.50 yards

I'm late, but I'm joining these two linkups:

Finished Shopping Bag

Sorry for the picture quality. I couldn't remember how to blur just one spot in an image.

This was good practice for letter applique and I found that the light color works well on the dark, but the middle pattern was really hard to see, and the thread got lost in the pattern so it was hard to define the inside of the letters. It's okay up close, and our local libary will give it to someone who can use it to carry their books. It's certainly sturdy enough for books. The cloth is thicker than most duck cloth and my sewing machine, Jan, said "O me, Oooo me, Oooooooo me." So I won't be making another bag just like this again. I'll alternate a lighter weight cloth on the sides next time.

Linking to:

Sugar Pie

All I accomplished this week was finishing the binding on Sugar Pie. I thought I'd take a few extra pictures to make up for it. A nearby town has a log cabin on the town square and it made a nice background.

Last Monday when I wrote my Tuesday To Do List, I was looking forward to a week of no doctor's appointments for anyone so I could get a lot done, but that didn't happen. I didn't get anything else done because Monday afternoon, I got a sudden and severe headache. Nothing I took eased the pain and by Tuesday afternoon, not only did I feel like I had been shot in the forehead, but shot through my eye with a flaming arrow. I finally gave up and went to the hospital ER Tuesday night. Since Tuesday, I have been to three doctors, and lived on pain killers, eye drops, and antibiotics. Meanwhile, my eye and eyelid have swollen so I suppose whatever it is triggered a thyroid eye disease recurrence. Dr. Google suggested cluster headaches or supraorbital neuralgia. I already had an appointment with my primary doctor for an annual exam tomorrow, so I'll run that by him and see if I can add more doctor appointments to my calendar.

Meanwhile, I've noticed that I have a couple of hours with little pain after each pain pill, so I am going to be optimistic and put a couple of things on my To Do list.

1. Make applique letters for shopping bags.

2. Sit in the dark with my eyes closed.

***Update on Tuesday morning. Or maybe I should say Eureka! I woke up without any pain this morning! I'm cautiously excited!***

After getting back from the latest doctor appointment, I've been taking it easy, half expecting the headache to hit me in the head again. And at the same time, I'm thinking of adding a few things to my To Do list, or start working on the applique. Doctor this morning said stress brings on most migraines, if it was that, so I'm trying to be very zen about doing anything. Hubby has a group of people coming over this weekend and I haven't lifted a finger around here in a week. *start fretting* No, just let them see dust. Ah yes, air in, stress out.

Linking to:

To Do Tuesday Week 3

I had all week with nothing to do, but still didn't complete my simple list.

1. Finish Sugar Pie. Shopped my stash for backing and binding. X  I did pretty good finding backing and binding fabric. I had to piece the backing though and not in an even way. I hope the fabric is busy enough so it doesn't show. I quilted it with the walking foot and it was more of an undertaking than I anticipated. It probably would have been better if I had done a simple wave. I have started hand stitching the binding, but it may take awhile. I've been having some hand pain lately, probably carpal tunnel, and holding the needle between thumb and forefinger puts pressure on exactly the wrong place.

2. I need to get my Christmas decorations put away. X  Just about the time I think I've got everything put up, I spot another decoration in plain sight that I have looked at so many times that I just don't notice it anymore.

3. Make Sugar Pie pattern into a QAYG. ✔  I worked on it and decided it wouldn't work to join rows the way I wanted to make it.

4. Finish my Book Club book. Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah. ✔  This was a good read!

5. Don't get Covid. ✔  I wish I could tell you how hard I worked on achieving this, but of course, it was totally out of my control. I am grateful not to get it after two weeks of the flu.

Even though I posted my design wall yesterday, I'm including another picture of it. I've been gathering some of the duck cloth scattered about. Years ago, my daughter wanted a purple daybed cover and I made it out of solid purple duck cloth. When she tired of it, I made a couple of pillows out of the cover and put the rest in the scrap bin. I've made a couple of books bags that I donated to the local library and the duck cloth works very well for that. However, it doesn't take me long to get totally sick of sewing purple bags. I cut the purple into pieces for future bags so they will be easier to store than a bulky cover.

Since I didn't complete any real tasks, my to do list for the coming week won't change much from last week.

1. Finish the binding on Sugar Pie.

2. Put away Christmas decorations. If I don't get this done this week, I'll have New Year's decorations to put away too.

3. Rearrange sewing space and see if there is room for a bigger sewing table.

4. Reorder my UFO boxes. Hubby moved the cabinet they were in but first had to unload the cabinet and he put the boxes wherever he could find a space.

Linking to: