more projects than promised but I got sidetracked

So after listing all the projects in my last post, I realized there were a few more I forgot to account for.

What were they?

Well, the cats for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, of course.  I kinda mentioned them, but for now I'm caught up.  For another whole day I'll be caught up.

Then there's another former coworker who is pregnant.  Her twin girls got quilts about 4 years ago.  Well, she did when she was still pregnant.  She's due in November with another girl, so I'm probably going to make her another quilt for that little bundle of joy.  I'm really feeling "Spin Cycle" by Cluck, Cluck Sew right now...

And my boss is also pregnant, due in November.  I'm not sure if she knows the sex or will find out, but you can't not give her another quilt.  (Her son got one when she was pregnant, plus there was the housewarming quilt before that.)  No ideas on a pattern for that one yet, but since she might read the blog, I'm not going to give anything more away!

So we're up to like 11 projects now.  No biggie.

I did snag a photo of the block exchange box this month.  No work on that yet, but here's what I'll be doing:

And I promise I did spend some of my long holiday weekend sewing!

I've finished 15 of the 16 Welcome blocks I'll need for cornerstones in my sheep quilt (I know this is only 12):

They're all different but similar.  I cut all the pieces at once, but can only sew them one at a time.  This is how I keep them straight:

Only one block to go - so far so good!

And I've been making wonky stars as leaders and enders...well, both blocks have kinda played that role with each other - I make a Welcome block (that's what Lori Holt named it, but I'm pretty sure it's also called Weathervane) and then I make a wonky star.

I don't think I got ahead this weekend, but I also didn't get any further behind!

But I did get REALLY sidetracked Saturday morning.

We moved into this house just over 15 years ago.  We put on a new roof that first Memorial Day weekend.  We've put on vinyl siding.  We've replaced something like 27 windows (yeah, lots of windows).  We replaced two of the three doors and storm doors.  And then decided to start paying off some of the things we took out loans to do to make the house more economical.

The interior?  Lots of country blue and tan downstairs.  Lots of wacky stuff upstairs.

Like my bedroom.

I didn't think to take photos until after we'd moved furniture around a lot and the quilt on the bed was moved VERY far away from anything dangerous.  But this is the trim that I've been looking at for 15 years.  It's beautiful pine under there, but some fool painted it this vomit-mauve color.  I'm sorry if any of you out there like it, but not only is it a crime to have ruined the woodwork (I tried to strip some and that was a disaster - dings filled with spackle and all sorts of nonsense) but this color is not anything I'd choose for room decor.  I've hated it since day one.  But we bought the house for its bones, not its decor.

Saturday afternoon we bought paint.

Saturday evening we sanded rough spots and filled nail holes.

Sunday we sanded and I put two coats of off-white paint on the trim.  And the closet door.  And the furnace vent.  And just one coat on the ceiling - previously off-white of a slightly yellower shade.  The hubby did the ceiling.  He's tall like that.

Not enough for the trim.

Monday I got up early and put a third coat on.  It's not getting any more.  It's starting to look terrible.  But it's still not covering great.  We also painted the walls.  Let it dry a while, put the closet door back on, put the furnace register back on, buy new switch plates and install, put the furniture back where it goes, put the mirror back on the closet door, vacuum about 4 times.  Make the bed.

Tuesday buy 3 of the needed 4 curtains on lunch break.  Also a new nightstand and a covered litterbox to replace the non-covered one that's up there (better safe than sorry!).  Also, the snickers and sweetened condensed milk needed to make the cheesecake I have to take to work tomorrow.  (That's why I went to the store in the first place.)

Tuesday after work go to three other stores to purchase the fourth curtain, curtain rods (because the store with curtains didn't have rods I liked and the second store we tried they cost way too much) and - oh there's a lamp that would be so cute on the night stand!

Make the bed for photos:

I think the pink bunny sheets really do a great job setting off my amazing quilt.  (I want to get a set of grey or lighter purple ones, but did I remember that today?  Noooo...)

The walls are a light grey - I brought home every grey-looking color card they had at the store and made sure this grey would look good with the quilt.  (It's amazing how varied greys can be!)  It does look a touch bluer than I expected, but I don't think it's a bad match with the quilt.

I'm pretty excited about this whole project.  It took way longer than I wanted and there are still a number of things to be done (like paint the other side of the closet door...), but it's definitely progress and I'm so happy with not having to see that terrible pinkish trim any longer.

So now do I go sew a few wonky stars so as to not get any further behind, or should I just go snuggle into my freshly made bed under my beautiful quilt and enjoy my new lamp and read a book and let my kitties join me?  Hmmm...

Happy quilting!

Katie