Sewing without sewing

Just a little update today - I ironed all of the squares I made last week, and then marked them up at 7 inches so I can assemble them next time. In doing that, I discovered one square that was too short (only 7 inches itself), so I took apart a couple of seams so I can lengthen it. There were ~2 more that don't have a lot of room (the seam allowance will be 1/8" or 1/16"); depending on how easy it is to fix those, I might do that as well. Or I can sew a second seam to stabilize them, though that mean it won't lie flat nicely. Hmm...

Anyway, no actual new stitches this time, but I was wary to dive in as my seam ripper is still elsewhere. Still, 1:15, so I'm up to 37:25 total.

Catherine

Four is the loveliest number...

Thanks in part to evil twin's encouragement, I got reinvigorated to work on the quilt yesterday. The extra challenge for the day is that my seam ripper was at another location, so any stitching that went awry would have to be fixed with scissors, pins, teeth, etc. I still haven't worked up my courage to go back to the seam that was defying me (connecting some of the blocks of 4 together), so I turned to the final pairs of blocks that needed to be sewed up into blocks of 4. Happily, during 12 seams, I only needed to redo one seam in full and two in part. I did also pull apart one seam within a block when I realized that the width of the block was way too short (almost 1/2 inch short, which is my seam allowance!), and would cause problems later. I need to iron those, but otherwise I'm ready to turn back to assembling them into larger pieces. Actually, there are only 18 seams left before I have a complete 12 x 12 grid. Very exciting! My new goal is to finish before my birthday (only 5 weeks away), so I'll have to keep moving.

The only other thing worth reporting is that I didn't have to change my bobbin thread the whole time, and as I was doing the last seam I thought, surely I will have to run out of luck and the thread will end at any moment. But, it held! However, I then noticed the thread on the spool is down to about 10 wraps around the spool, so I was certainly cutting it close. Phew!

Altogether a very satisfying day. 2.5 hours; 36:10 total.

Catherine

Finito!

Success!  I worked on the fluffy scarf some at Smallest's dance lessons a little bit ago, and then perhaps some more unrecorded time, but then I got in a good 30 minutes while waiting for my doctor's appointment (which I ended up rescheduling, because I was there on time at 3, and at 3:35, when they called me back, I reminded them that I had to leave near 3:45, and I didn't think there was time for my appointment, and I was right).  I worked on it more tonight while Smallest, and then Middle too, watched Mulan 2 (not bad for a sequel).  So now I am done.  Yay!

Here is Bear, the dog, modeling the scarf.  Doesn't he look handsome?

I like the new length much better.  I can wrap it around my neck and still have plenty dangling down to tuck into a jacket, or just look spiffy.  I think the six stitches instead of eight was the right call.

Anyhow, this is one of my few soccer-less weekends until the middle of May, so I'm trying to think of things that I need to get finished up.
I took the other baby log cabin quilt to be silent auctioned at church for Shrove Tuesday, but the only person bidding put in a bid $25, and I found that unacceptable so I bid on it myself.  I hope I won, I didn't go back to check.  I didn't have a chance to finish it before taking it in, so I need to get that back.

Middle and I need to finish a very cute bag that she started as a Christmas present for her terrific Aunt Catherine, so maybe that will be the plan for tomorrow, somewhere in the mix of art class, guitar class, girl scouts, 2 ballroom classes and a birthday party.  Oh, and delivering Girl Scout cookies too.  Good thing there's no soccer tomorrow!

I'm knitting a pig for Smallest, but now I can't find my book with the directions.  I hope it didn't get lost somewhere.  That would be no fun.

I'm off to bed.  I can sleep in tomorrow, what a treat!

1.5 hours for me, 11 hours total.
Margie