Jennica's baby quilt

Well, I'm back.  Again.  I know, I know.

There are still a few quilts that have been made and given this year that need documenting, but I'll pick up where I left off with the latest baby quilt.

If you remember, I'd selected this pattern:

cut templates and sewed a practice block and encountered this problem with the center:

asked for help from blogger friends and real-life friends, too.  No one knew what was going wrong.

So I decided to try another way.  I'd trace the templates onto paper and make the blocks with paper piecing.  So I started tracing and found the problem.

Let's lay the blue and yellow templates - cut without seam allowances - next to each other...

anyone else see a problem?

So, it was on to plan B.  Which was actually a quilt I had seen on Pinterest and loved and was kinda wanting to make, but it seemed too simple for my usual.

I didn't take many photos along the way, but I think you'll understand why.

The very preppy baby quilt for my work friend Jennica.

(the stripes are navy and the alligator is lime green, but my phone camera is, well, not the smartest thing on my smartphone!)

And while I was working on this, I remembered some fabric with alligators I'd bought on impulse a long time ago.  It was PERFECT!

Since my lab has moved away from the headquarters building, I sent it with our director (he was out for a visit and headed back) and he gave it to her and then tried to take credit!  Claiming blisters...he's a goofball like that.  But she loved it and that's all that matters.  She's due in January, so this will see some love very soon!

In other news, we have a new furnace and new well pump as of Wednesday.  Two weeks ago, I was at my guild's Saturday sewing day and the furnace started having trouble getting going.  It didn't want to light.  So we replaced a switch.  And then had a professional out (who did nothing).  And then had the cousin who installed the furnace 10 years ago (a very busy guy, which is why we didn't call him in the first place) out.  We swapped motors and circuit boards and switches and even the thermostat, all to continue the problem.  So we got a new furnace.  Far too soon in the opinion of everyone, and the cousin is still frustrated he can't figure out what went wrong, but we're warm again.  With a reliability we have learned to count on, but when it's not there...oh man!

And while he was down the basement, he realized our well pump had a problem.  There's an air bladder inside that does whatever and it can get a tear and get saturated.  It slams when it shuts off and turns on a lot more than it needs to.  So while that wasn't such an immediate need as the furnace, I said fix it on MY schedule, not fate's.  And we got a new well pump the same day as the furnace.

Our savings is somewhat depleted, but this is why we have savings.  And this is what being a homeowner is all about.  A few stressful days, but I'm thankful the weather wasn't as cold as it often is this time of year.  And I'm thankful for family and knowledgeable repair people who are willing to come to my house and replace my furnace quickly.

Today is about chores and then maybe I can sew.  I've finished my Farm Girl blocks and the Saturday my furnace started acting up, I was putting rows together, so maybe I'll get back to that this weekend?  I also found out this week that a couple more coworkers are expecting, but since I don't know them as well (I just started to get to know them when our labs combined in early September), I'm not sure they'll get quilts.  I'm just not sure I want to open that can of worms...

Time to get to those chores - they're not going to do themselves.  (And since the hubby just headed upstairs for a nap, I know he's not going to do them either...)

Happy quilting,

Katie