Going home

We had a good visit here in Texas, but it is time to go home. My Dad is in good shape and getting along okay in his new digs. We took him around town on a car tour and out to lunch at a nice restaurant. I face timed all the kids and everyone was happy to see Grandpa and say hello.

Mr Wazoo is anxious to get home, so we leave at dawn's early light. I'll be back here on the blog on Monday.

Day one, Dad was perky and ready to roll. 

He is 99 years old, and able to get around well.

Day two we found him snoozing in his recliner.

It looks like he's ready for a ski trip, but it is 98 degrees outside!

He really feels the cold, and the AC where he lives is cranked up.

Once he was up and about, we had a good visit and  called the grandkids. 

Mr W snapped this just before we said goodbye.

Then I snapped a very funny looking selfie of all three of us!

We're packed and ready to go.

Until Monday...

 

Sewing and packing

 A day without sewing is a day without sunshine... I may have borrowed the sentiment, but its true. No sewing for the next week, but we'll be traveling and visiting. The studio is buttoned up and a neighbor is watching the house and watering the plants. We're ready.

I finished making the blocks for the tree frog quilt, and sewed the rows together, making sure I had them in the correct order! I didn't want to have another surprise when quilting it later.

There was a lot of trimming going on before the blocks were ready. 

The fabric next to the blocks will be the border

Here is the interior part of the quilt.

I also trimmed the QOV and steamed the wobbly border. It may not be perfect, but I did what I could.

The border hangs okay, so I think the quilt is fine.

I used the simple Rounded Squares panto because I didn't want to chance a bunch of star points getting caught on a quilt with raised motifs all over it.

The backing is very soft and cozy.

I only sewed until 2:30, then I did the grocery run and prepared dinner. We'll be on the road early tomorrow, so look for an update from Baton Rouge!

The gardens are coming to life! Roses, iris and peonies are displaying their finery

What a beauty, There are loads of buds ready to pop open.

I hope some of them wait until we get home!

This one is not quite fully open. Why are there always ants on peonies?

Happy Mother's Day!!

 I hope all you mothers out in blogland had a wonderful day. I sure did! We started with French toast for breakfast, and then I spent the day in the studio. 

I began by loading a Quilt of Valor, and getting it started on the Handi Quilter. Everything went well considering the quilt had large appliquéd stars that were three layers thick. The scoop foot glided along as if the top was flat! The only problem was the bottom border. It was exceedingly wavy. I spritzed it with sizing and carefully ran the iron over the waves, but there were some big ones that wouldn't be tamed. The row quilted okay, no tucks, only some lumpy fullness where the fabric was just too much. I think when I get it off tomorrow and give it another steam press, it will look better.

Oh dear! This isn't what your quilter wants to see at the end of a quilt.

All quilted, but a bit lumpy. I hope I can get some of the fullness tamed.

On a happier note, I worked a while making blocks for my next quilt. I'll work on it tomorrow morning, but I'll have to quit in the afternoon to make a grocery run and pack for our trip to Texas to see my Dad. We leave on Tuesday.

I left off sewing right here because I had to go get the dinner going.

The blocks are coming along nicely!

There are three kinds of blocks; dark/medium, medium/light and dark/light. 

The way they are laid out will make the overall pattern. I will be extra careful sewing this time!

See you later!