VISITING

We've been enjoying visits lately with our #1 son, and recently for a few days with #2 son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.  Some pictures: Granddaughter working on school work.  She stayed in the hotel most days and worked hard on her school work.  She's an excellent student and a self-starter.  Good on you, Kim!  And in the background daughter-in-law knitting a hat for a nephew.  Many years ago Cindy asked me to teach her how to knit and she's been making lots of knitted gifts over the years.  These were some very cute "football" hats, one for her brother-in-law and one for her nephew.  Hope they appreciate them!

Looks like Grandpa's almost asleep.  Was the conversation so dull?

                          
Brothers having a good time:
                          
No pictures of me since I was behind the camera.

Monday night was one of my 1/2 nights.  It often happens, like once or twice a week, that I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.  After trying to 1/2 hour or so I get up and do things.  So very early Tuesday morning I started cutting pieces for a quilt.  Actually there are enough cut pieces for a few quilts.

These are for a new "Picket Fence" quilt.  I got the pattern from an old (1994) Quiltmaker magazine that was given to me.  It's a very simple quilt with just one piece.  Here's a picture of an older quilt that I made in that pattern:

I made that three years ago, and made another one like it recently in connection with "demoing" it at the local quilt store, a section of our drug store.  The colours look a little garish in this photo.  

The original pattern called for 3" wide strips, but I reworked it to be able to use 2 1/2" strips.  Recently I bought a few "Bali Pops" packages and added a few more dark batiks from the sewing room.  Here's how to cut the pieces:  Place the strip on the cutting board with the left side on the 5" line.  Cut it at a 45º angle with the ruler crossing the bottom of the strip at the 10" line.  Cut again vertically at the 12 1/2" line.

There are Post It notes marking out the 5" line, and just to the right of 12 1/2".  The ruler is lined up with the 45º line on the cutting board, placed to meet the bottom of the strip at the 10" line.  Hope that makes sense!

Here is a stack of around 500 dark pieces for a quilt.  I need 192 for a good sized lap quilt.

                         
And here are 242 lighter pieces, with 96 needed for that lap quilt.  So I'm oversupplied, but will eventually use them all up in quilts.
                         
The quilting group meets here tomorrow, so this will be fun to start making blocks.  I'll post whatever gets finished there tomorrow.

In the meantime, now that DS#1 has departed I have converted that bedroom closet back into my sewing room and have been doing some mending that was waiting for attention.  I do enjoy having the sewing room operational again, rather than using the dining room table!

P.S. Thanks to Andrea for her comment.  I tried to write a reply, but it just keeps on disappearing!  I'll see you in a few weeks, and am looking forward to that.  Keep calm and Quilt On!