SAHRR26

The Stay at Home Round Robin 2026, led by Quilting Gail (quiltinggail.com) launched yesterday with the first prompt being the center square.  In the past I have used an orphan block as my starting point so I checked to see if there were any prospects in my UFO boxes and I came up with two possibilities.

My first choice was this block that I made as a sample for a class I considered teaching at the guild I belonged to before 2018.  It was from a series in a magazine, I think McCall's Quilting.

I still have some of the fabrics I used in the block and I pulled some coordinating fabrics to go with it.

My second choice looks like it might have started as a round robin. 

If I use it as the "center block," it's already 22" square so it could potentially evolve into a throw-size quilt.  

I think I will wait until the next prompt before I make a decision.  At this point I am favoring the smaller option since I'm not sure if I have the stamina to work at the larger scale.  But, having a week between clues, I can pace myself.  The first step will be setting up a cutting station on the main floor since I can't go to the basement.  

I'm Baaaack!

Happy New Year Y'all

View of the lake (and golf course) from the kitchen table  

A lot has happened since my last post on May 17 and my life has taken a turn.  My legs started getting weaker at the end of last year and this year I had a number of falls -- really more like collapses -- one in the tight confines of a narrow toilet stall in the ladies room at a posh country club in Orlando!  Combined with the two surgical procedures on my spinal column, my brain no longer communicates with my feet.  In the words of my neurologist, I'm paraplegic.

Thanks to my sweet husband, I'm able to get around with a motorized wheelchair.

Needless to say, machine sewing with a foot control is not possible.  Even though my workhorse Baby Lock has a knee control, I can't control my knee, either.   But my Janome has a push-button control so we have set it up on my SewEzi table and, by golly, my wheels fit under the table!  My first project on the new setup will be a doll quilt for the great-GD's birthday.  

Stay tuned!

Quick Update

Thanks for all the well wishes!  Spine surgery on 4/29 went well but hospital had no rehab rooms available  so had to transfer to another nearby hospital.  Complications developed in other areas that will require attention of a specialist.  Just now home for outpatient physical therapy.  I will remain offline; just wanted to bring you up-to-date.

Lib

Going Offline

 Just a note to my faithful followers ...

I will be having a neurosurgical procedure next week.  With trips to Nashville for pre-op testing and just putting up with the unknowns, I haven't touched the sewing machine in a couple of weeks or even thought about blogging.  It's scary to think about and I don't know how long the recovery will take.  So I'll be taking a break for a while.  

Slow Progress

But progress is progress!

While I can only spend a short time each day at the sewing machine, I have been making progress on my project with the Cheddar Blues FQ bundle.  I tried a new technique (for me).  As I finished the blocks I put them randomly on the design wall. This is my first effort at a final layout.

This wall is next to my side of the bed, so every night I would look at it and think about what the final arrangement would be.  Since I'm not able to stand at the wall for any length of time I took a photo and printed it.  Then I cut it apart and rearranged the printed blocks on my very scruffy cutting mat.

I made a couple more adjustments before assembly began.  I want to have this one wrapped up before I have back surgery (yet to be scheduled).  Needless to say, once that happens I won't be sewing for a while!

* * * * *

I hope all my readers have avoided the recent riotous weather that's been rolling across the US.  Both my boys' families, one in central Arkansas and the other near Nashville, were under tornado warnings but have been spared, thankfully.  The Arkansas house is almost surrounded by water but still dry. Those of us on the Plateau (halfway between Nashville and Knoxville) have missed the really bad weather, though we have had some periods of high winds and the lake level is up from the rain.

Spring has definitely sprung but you'd think from the temps it is mid-summer!  By Tuesday, though, we'll have frost warnings again.  Talk about weather whiplash!  It's hard to know what to wear...

Something Shiney

Do you shop at Connecting Threads?  My magazines have drool blotches but I can usually resist the urge to purchase anything.  Until this ...

I simply couldn't resist the yummy goodness of the cheddar and navy blue combination.

I don't normally purchase fat quarter bundles, but my hope was to develop a palette for a class project in September before purchasing the yardage I need.  Alas, I don't think this combo will work for that quilt.  BUT, I have a plan.

This is when you know it's time to stop sewing ...

Stay tuned for further developments!

Jingle Bells

Before I forget, I want to thank everyone for the lovely comments on my Stay-at-Home Round Robin.  Many were No-Reply comments so I am not able to respond personally.  It warmed my heart to have so many positive reactions.

No, it's not Christmas yet.  After I finished the SAHRR I was looking for my next project and decided to work on an earlier SAHRR that deserved to be finished.  I was trying to set some previously-made 4-patches on point, but my measurements on the setting fabric was off so I put t aside.

Instead, I pulled a project box off the pile, thinking it would be a quick finish.

I thought I only had the bow left to fuse on so I sent Alex downstairs in search of my stash of fusible web.  In the meantime, I checked the contents of the box and discovered only the four white strip sections were complete.  The green edge to the ribbon had been cut, but not the red ribbon. I managed to get the lower portion done before I ran out of steam.  It obviously needs to be evened up.

My attention was diverted by another shiney object; I'll tell you more in the next post.