a lot

It's been a few weeks, but a lot has happened.  Not a lot quilty-wise, but a lot.  Well, maybe not that much, but mentally a lot.

The newest gal at work is gone.  After only about 3 weeks, things weren't working on either side and now we're back to training a new person.  That meant a few extra shifts for some of us.  And now some extra work, too, as we begin training yet another new person.  But in the grand scheme of things, it's okay.  And if you train them right from the start, the even passable ones turn out well enough.  After just one shift with the new new girl, I am very optimistic.

And then there is my dad.  A week ago, he was out power washing the house and felt the ladder give.  He twisted as he fell to avoid hitting the air conditioner, but did fall and broke his hip.  My dad turned 74 just weeks before this.  He didn't hit his head and, in fact, had pried his phone out of his pocket and was starting to call 911 for himself when my mom got out there!  She completed the call and one of my brothers made it over before the paramedics had him loaded up.  He spent a few nights in the hospital after surgery to put a rod and pin in to repair it and is now in a rehab facility, up and walking (albeit with some difficulty) and expected to be home this coming weekend.  (I knew he was stubborn and he is no slacker either - his whole medical team is pleased, as are we!)  It could have been a lot worse, though.  And he is now forbidden to use ladders.  Or so say his kids.  We'll see how well he listens!

But on to happier things!

I last left you with my leader-ender project that was growing and had cut and chosen placement of circles for the next border...I got those sewn down in no time!

And then I decided 9-patches were a good choice for the next border.  The blocks near the center are quite labor-intensive, but they were made from leftovers and I didn't really want to get that crazy again!

I cut and matched up sets (to make sure of even color distribution) and sewed them.  I put them on the floor as I finished them and moved very few.  With so much going on, my only concern was to not have the same colors too close to one another.

Finn helped.  When Gabby wasn't.

Freddie also helped.  His is less visible, though, and I think he likes it!

Before long, the 9-patches were sewn into rows and the rows attached to the center.

It's about 54x54", so a respectable size, but I might as well got a little bigger and make it large enough for a throw, right?  I toyed with more circles, maybe single and smaller?  A large Jacobian-type applique border would be super cool.  But again, I wanted something fairly simple and quick.  I settled on quarter square triangles and had the pile of squares cut and ready to sew and again changed my mind.  I had just a handful of black squares and this project has been requesting some sort of embroidery from the start.  I just couldn't decide what to do.  But then it hit me - comma birdies!  I had a pattern I downloaded for free ages ago that had the perfect size and style of birds, so it was meant to be!

With the first one done and plans to do something different (yet simple, again) in the bodies, I was ready to roll!  And I think my stitches improved as I went.  But I am still no pro at this!

And then it was time to figure out where all the pieces should go.  To the design floor!

I had too many squares, which was good - I was able to swap prints here and there.  But this photo also does not show that I had one too few on each side.  Usually I can eyeball it and account for seam allowance, but apparently not this time.  No worries.  It is scrappy, and so long as I don't have two colors touching, it's all good!

These were carefully picked up and sewn and attached to the center, but not before a very skinny (1/2" finished!) border.  The center was a bit of an odd size and I just worked sizes of what I was doing out to make it work!  The circle border was sized to accommodate the upcoming 9-patches, but I still had a bit of an odd size when working with the next set.  All is well - math is USUALLY okay over here!

And then I had a top!

I'm not 100% in love with the large squares around the outside, but it's not awful either.  And I can do some fun quilting out there if I choose, and seams will not be an issue!

It's about 65x65 here and done.

A few other things...

The fabric my aunt sent me that I keep forgetting to upload the photo:

I think, from the selvedge, this is actually a Harry Potter print!  I'm not a fan (I know, I know, you hate me now), so probably not a print I would ever find on my own, so it is an extra fun bonus to have it.  And cats and dots?  I mean, how could you go wrong there?!

I made a few new masks.  I found a pattern for a 3-D mask that is not only easier to make, but also easier to talk while wearing.  And with a job where I have to talk all day, my chin constantly pulling the ones I had down was annoying.  This one is also easier to breathe with.  While digging through my stash of feet (limited, but there are a few), I found one that was referred to as a "blind hem foot" by my manual...it is NOT what I would think of as a blind hem anything, but more of a stitch-in-the-ditch-type foot...

I adjusted the needle position and used it to do top-stitching - to keep it straight - and it worked perfectly.  The little piece of metal to the right of the needle actually sits down behind the feed dogs, so fabric can be butted up against it.  And the screw allows for adjustment of where that metal bit sits in relation to the rest of the foot.  Maybe you all have these and have been using them for decades, but I am so excited for this.  I have a very basic machine (and never have had anything but), so I'm amazed this came with one machine somewhere along the line.

Anyways, I made five - three for me and two for the hubby - and I like them very much.  So does he!

We also helped a friend disassemble an old desk that was in her house.  It was of the Ikea variety, but not any easier to take apart than it probably was to get together.  Since it was old and headed for the trash anyways, our level of caution was minimal, but we didn't want to destroy the house either!  She paid us in new mousies for the kitties...

Finn apparently didn't care about camouflage.  (He can do that quite well in the bathroom, as the floor is those sticky tiles, but made to look like light colored wood.)  They all had a good time, but later I found this...

I'm pretty sure this was Finn's mousie.  And I'm pretty sure he is not feeding it, but keeping it safe.  This is not the first toy to end up in the food bowl.  But it made me laugh way more than it should have.

And last but not least, Monday I got to visit my dad.  With so many shifts at work and hospitals limiting visitors, it took a few days.  But I headed over and spent more of the day with my mom (she needed some uplifting company, even if it was to wait in the car while she got her hair cut and buy my dad some new underwear (you never realize how poor your underwear condition is until you know someone else is going to be looking at them when you need their help to use the bathroom!)) than with my dad, but I got to see him, too.  He is in good spirits and I am happy to see that, even if he might be a little goofy for the well-earned pain meds.

We got lunch on the way...eating outside on a beautiful afternoon...

...and then there were FLYING GEESE in the floor!

The hospital where my dad is staying has been there for a long while.  I was born there, but it has been added onto since.  The way we had to enter (you know...covid and all...) took us through an older part and I looked down to see this!  My mom laughed at me.  Being a quilter also, I figured she saw this immediately, but she was so focused on my dad, she completely missed it!  They were fairly tiny - I can only imagine the person laying those tiles...hopefully they enjoyed their craft, or they were likely wondering what loonie would cut up perfectly good stone only to rearrange it back into a larger section, just like we do with fabric!  (My shoes are blurry because I was trying to work fast...)

So I think that's all the news for now.  My hubby has just started a Skype meeting with work, so I'd better give him back the majority of the internet and go for groceries.

Happy quilting!

Katie