Ignoring my new 'age' and trying hard to stay younger!

 For some reason, this is the first time I remember feeling "my age" and for sure, am slowing down and not nearly as productive as in past summers.  I am also tempted with doing a lot more reading than in past summers which is ok but not much to show for my time. 

The weather has been hot (for us) and constant heat is a bit annoying.  It is much harder to go outside and work in the garden or even sit outside to read.  However, last weekend, we had rain and a cooling off so this week has been so much nicer!We have had a few days without using the a/c which means the house is quieter with more fresh air enjoying open doors and windows. 

I settled into a good routine with the day of rain and decided to get all my leftover bindings out and start joining without much thought other than pink for girls and no pink or fuschia for boys. 

Once that task was completed, I went full steam ahead with binding of 14 preemie quilts and 1 youth quilt.  I did a few a day and worked as steadily as time allowed.  After 3 days, my quilts were bound. 

 Two of the quilts were kits from the guild that I picked up in June and they are now finished in time for the September meeting.  Ahead of schedule.

It was time to work on my Patterns by Jen blocks for July and the color was Purple.  As mentioned previously, I am making two blocks with the colours reversed which gives me 24 by the end of the year and 20 makes a good size quilt when sashings are added. 

Then my Rainbow scrap challenge using reds for July got made.  Strange how my container of red strips is still just as full?

And, my plus blocks got made using reds.  I realized that with a few more blocks, I would have enough for a quilt top.

I had a very good friend come for an overnight visit.  We are best of friends and have known each other for about 65 years.  She lives in California but we chat daily because we play online Scrabble at take at least one turn if not two per day and always add in some personal tidbits about our day, activities, family etc. 

It was perfect weather to sit outside with some wine and watermelon... actually wine for me and BC Apple Cider for her!  One of her favourite beverages that is Canadian and not available in the U.S. 

I worked on my Aunt Gracies and made two tops but 15 blocks extra!  So with another 5 blocks made, I will have a third top.  I cut the pieces, tidied up the fabric bins and set aside to work on at our next Modern Guild Saturday sew in. 

Then time for something completely different!  Our garage floor was looking awful and it was leaking into the basement below last winter so we decided it needed some TLC.  We ordered special paint for garage floors that are driven on.  Apparently the heat from your car tires when you park is tough on the paint which makes sense.  So, garage got emptied but thankfully, we had done a good clean up last fall and moved things out there that could be stored elsewhere, given away or trashed.  

We are quite pleased with ourselves... it looks really good even though it was a bit of work although my fitbit gave me credit for using the elliptical machine for two hours each day!  My husband was able to start off the painting and then it was too much for him so I finished and then did a second coat.  Now I have to be patient to wait 5 days before I can park my car inside. 
We are also happy that our local tennis courts are finally painted and have the next up and gate unlocked... ready for us to play there. 

My other accomplishment this month was to package up 12 finished quilts and mail to New Brunswick to the Quilts of Valour rep there for distribution.  Apparently, they are really lacking in donated quilts in the maritime provinces so doing my small part to help out.

I also packaged up all of quilt tops that were waiting to be quilted and bound (8)and mailed them them off to Newfoundland to a rep there and she will distribute them to long arm quilters for finishing which means I have only tops for Quilts for Survivors on hand to be quilted or mailed off without quilting - still trying to decide.  My hangers are quite empty!  

Quilts of Valour will be next on my list since there are none on hangers and the Heartstrings group chose 1 yard pieces as their precut for August so time to dig out my books making 3 yard quilts and kit some projects to work on over the next month.  

We are enjoying another day or two of cooler weather.... will only get to 80º this afternoon so I spent time this morning weeding in the garden.  Now, this afternoon, time to dig out fabric for the three yard quilts. 

July... a busy twelve days so far this month.

 I had/have a purpose and have been motivated by having a birthday and realizing that the years go by and eventually, life as I know it, will come to an end.  

It all started with two kits that I picked up at a guild meeting to make preemie quilts for local NICU.  That has always been near and dear to my heart having been through the experience of having grandsons born at 25 weeks gestation and only one surviving.  He spent 3 months in the NICU and I know that quilts serve a number of purposes.  They keep the baby in the dark which is good for the development of their eyes and they add colour to the nursery as well as helping parents to quickly identify the location of their baby's isolette.  They move the babies as they grow and develop with the most in danger preemies at one end of the room and as they improve, they get moved to the next row and so on until they are mature and healthy enough to go into a small cot.  

I made one of the kits and while making the second realized that it was cut strangely and I messed up so needed some pink girlie fabric to fix it. I dug out my bin of girlie baby fabrics.  Once the top was made, I thought I would dedicate the month of July to making more quilts for the NICU.  I pulled out another container of baby fabrics.  Then a third, fourth and so it goes.  Once I had them all out, I thought it would be a good time organize.  UGH. 

I stopped and thought about how to organize and what I would use so that meant looking at the most common patterns I use for these small quilts.  Most of them are made with happy blocks which need a center square and a frame.  It seems that I really like 3.5" centers and 5" centers.  I did find some blocks made using 10" squares and then there was a stack of 6.5" and 6" squares already cut.  

From there, I figured out that I would first go through and pull out all the larger pieces of fabric that were a meter/yard or longer and put them into a container.  They will be good for borders or making strippie quilts.  Next, I sorted fabrics and pulled out all the fat quarters and filled a container with those.  They will be good for either Yellow Brick Road pattern or Carolyn's blocks.   

After that, anything that was chunky or smaller or a long quarter of fabric, got cut up. I cut into 6", 5" and 3.5"  with a few 4" squares and all got stacked nicely.  I detest cutting squares but I was motivated by Crazy Quilter on a Bike and saw her cutting up a bin of brown fabrics.  If she could do it, so could I! 

Then, any fabric that would work as frames got cut into 2" strips.  Back in February, our Wednesday quilt Diva group had done a big push to make a bunch of 5" surrounded blocks and then quilt tops for preemies, youth and Residential school survivors and I had a nice stack of the leftover blocks for kids.  I kept cutting and then cut the strips into the size needed to surround 3.5" centers. 

Then it was time to start sewing and I worked for a few days making the framed 3.5" blocks, called Happy Blocks by the Heartstrings group I belong to.  I got six quilt tops made.  

This is one of the first ones I put up on the design wall. The blocks measure 6" finished so there are 30 blocks in a quilt. Six quilts made so 180 blocks with a few leftover to get me started next time I have an idea that I should make more of these blocks.  I do have a nice stack of the centers left as well for the next go round.

After these were made, I switched to working with the 5" centers and got 7 quilt tops made with those.  Some of the blocks were leftover from the February block making spree and then I carried on with what I had spent my time cutting. The first one I made, I used alternating frames but the rest were made using a variety of fabrics. 

All seven tops are finished.

So that gives me a total of 15 preemies waiting for me to spend a few afternoons cutting flannelette backing and batting, layering the top, batting and bottom and then I need to get busy doing some quilting.  After that, I need to dig out fabrics for binding and see what is in my stash of striped fabrics as they all seem to work well with scrap quilts.   My goal is to be finished by the end of the month. Besides having 15 tops ready for the NICU, I feel so good about my children's fabric organization. All neatly labelled and stacked so I can see what I have at a glance.  The top bin that the lid doesn't fit on is all fabric that I think will make pillowcases for toddler, children, and older kids and can be used for making the cases for the kids going to burn camp in 2024. 

Even better!!!  Empty bins!  Yippeee.  That feels so good.

I had a great surprise today at our Wednesday Diva group.  One of my friends made me something special.  I love to read for a bit in bed at night and I tuck an extra pillow behind my head and then usually drop my book on the floor when I turn out the light. I love it!  A huge thank you to Marge. 

I have tidied up all my mess from the last twelve days and will vacuum thoroughly, empty scrap baskets etc and am ready for the next step in finishing these quilts.  I felt a bit like I was in a factory, chain piecing block after block, but all done and am happy. 

This is quilted for a dear friend who has passed away and had started a quilt for her grandson.  Between a few of us in the guild, some stitching was undone that didn't look good, and I quilted it.  Waiting for label information and then I will bind it and a special boy will get a wonderful hug from his departed Grandma. 

Sympathy for those having horrible summer weather while others are melting under extreme heat.  Mother Nature is cranky these days.