Some friends are a pain!

I don't know if it's me or my friend Cccatlover that is the pain! See, she is making a fabulous 30's quilt. It has lots and lots of with lots and lots of cut off triangles. I couldn't bear for them to go to waste so she saves them for me, I sew, trim and put them in a box. I've been working on them again (OH did I mention that they will finish at 1"??) . Sew, iron, trim. Sew, iron, trim.




When I was in Ohio, I had my BIL help me separate them. (because of his brain tumor he is like a man with brain injury. It was a challenge for him to separate them into the proper piles). Here, I am on my own.


This is a SMALL pile of blue and white half squares waiting to be trimmed....




How many do you think are in this little tiny baggie??? 160!! Yes, all that work and once assembled 160 teeeny blocks will only work out to be 40X40....INCHES!!!



This is the pile I have left to sew. Doesn't look like much but trust me! There are a million little half squares in that pile.



I have no idea how many more she has for me...She keeps threatening to send more. All I know is I am nuts and she is literally becoming a pain in my neck! This is hard work! But I sure am enjoying myself with this mindless little ditty!

New Algebraic Formula

****In true brainiac form, I posted this and the formula didn't come out right. I fixed it now. Plus I had additional examples I forgot to post.


I have discovered that there is a direct relationship between the lightening of my hair and the number of brain cells I have available for use during quilting. My hair color is never the same twice. Miss Clariol and I have a great relationship! My hairdresser makes my color look fabulous! Unfortunately, she doesn't realize that all of those beautiful colors she adds to my hair, cause damage in the quilting room!

Example 1 -I go to the store to buy dark homespuns; specifically 12 inches, 1/3 yd ,of about 5 different fabrics. 1/3 yd will make a perfect amount of strips. No leftovers. No waste, no additional stash. I get to the cutting table, talking all the way, and ask the woman to "cut 12 inches, NO 1/2 yd., no 1/3 yd., no, 1/2 yd. Yeah that's it! I need 1/3." The woman proceeds to cut my fabrics, one layer at a time as she is cutting plaids. She gets half way through and I, still talking, realize, NO I NEED 1/2 yard! Exasperated, the clerk waits on two other poor souls waiting this entire time, and then cuts my additional 6". Whew I think.! I dodged a bullet there. I'd have been SOOO mad had I gotten home and discovered I was 6" short. Except, I got home and discovered that all that extra agony was for nothing!!! I DIDN'T NEED IT! I SET OUT FOR 1/3 YD AND TALKED MYSELF INTO 1/2 YD! This isn't the biggest deal in the world but I am trying to USE up all of my homespuns NOT add to them!!!

Example 2-I have been cutting fabric like a mad woman. I've decided to add one and perhaps two rows to my triangle quilt. That little addition involves cutting a barnload of triangles. To reduce my boredom, I decided to cut (whaaa?????) a novelty quilt....it will be 8" squares and 4 patches. Now, I'm really in the cutting mode. Cut 6" strips....cut triangle. Cut 6" strips cut triangles. Cut 4" strip, cut squares. Cut 4" strip, cut squares...cut 6"strip, cut triangles......This morning I decided to begin sewing the novelty quilt and I have....I have.....squares! Not looong strips so I can whip this puppy out, but squares! Lots of squares! What the heck????I wanted this thing to be FAST. Now I know that it will still work with squares but good grief!!!!

Example 3 - I use liquid starch. I sprayed all of my homespuns until they were wet, very wet....and my phone...and my iron, and my carpet and my .... There is dried starch EVERYWHERE! I could have just dipped the fabric in starch. But did I? NO!!!!

Example 4 - Cut a 6" strip to make the triangle. Cut a 6" strip to make the triangle. Cut a 6" strip to make the triangle. Cut a 6" strip to make the triangle. Cut a 5 1/2" strip! Cut a 6" strip to make the triangle. Are you kidding me???????

So this morning I came up with the following equation. Unfortunately, it works every time!


work needing finished
relative lightness of hair

X

time alloted to finish a project = the brainiac quotient!

UH!

What am I thinking?

I don't know where my brain was when I made this or why I made it! I found it in my huge pile of untrimmed 1/2 square triangles.

You know the ones....they are the itty bitty waste triangles you cannot bear to throw away. ( read a great line in another blog that was something like...I have yards and yards of fabric. WHY am I muddling about with these itty bitty things that could be thrown away!! We all know the answer....we paid for them!!! But I love the sentiment. It's how I feel exactly).

These are 1.5" big. That means they will finish at 1" each. Am I nuts?

Batik nickel quilt

The batik nickel quilt that I showed on my design wall has been in "row" form for at least 3 years. I have hung the rows on my design wall at various times over the last 3 years thinking I'd work on the quilt. Two weeks ago, I finally attached the rows together, hung the flimsy on the wall, sat down, inspected my work and was very pleased with myself. The next day, the NEXT day, I looked up and discovered that one of the blocks was assembled wrong.



See the middle top. It is supposed to look like a flying geese, not two half squares side by side! Now, I had looked at these blocks and rows for weeks and weeks. How did I miss it? I considered leaving the mistake because the block was in the center of the row. In the end I fixed it. I can't guarantee that I didn't curse and mumble but I did fix it.

Doesn't it look so much better? Here is the worse part. I went through the entire process...AGAIN....with a different block last week. Again, AFTER I had assembled the entire thing! If there are any more mistakes, I'm leaving them!