Little Orphan Quilt Tops

I unpacked some of my sewing room this week-end and found three more vintage quilt tops that were flea market finds. I just can't help it, I can't pass up an unfinished top. I have to give them a loving home.

Top 1 is a machine pieced Nine Patch with sashing.

Top 2 is a hand-pieced Bow Tie pattern. The piecing on this one is very nice and precise. I am in awe of all those inset Y-seams. This one has a really cute fair/rodeo print in it.

Top 3 is also hand-pieced and is a simple Four Patch. It uses a lot of solid fabric.

Though none of these would be considered heirloom quality I love them.

Autumn Lazies

The weather has been so lovely lately. Cool nights and mild days in the fall are what make the Texas summers bearable. The only problem is I have a full blown case of the Autumn Lazies. It's very similar to Spring Fever with much the same symptoms, the greatest of which is the unending desire to simply lounge about and soak up lots of the wonderful weather. Well I guess I will get around to finishing up that quilt soon.

Baby, Baby

I'm still working on the pink and brown baby quilt. Here is a pic of the rail fence blocks. Now if I can just get them sewn together . . .

Fun Was Had By All

We took the day off from settling into the new house and made trip to the Canton First Monday Trade Days. This has got to be the world's biggest flea market where you can find just about anything. On my "look for" list I had bookends, a rug for the family room, and an automatic gate opener.

Though I did find a lovely pair of Rookwood Pottery bookends they were way out of my price range . I didn't get the rug because I was afraid it wouldn't fit in the car. Maybe we can go back next month in the truck and bring one home. I never saw a gate opener.

I did find two vintage quilt tops that I just had to have. One is a Six Point Star pattern and the other is a Jacob's Ladder. Both are hand pieced. I am absolutely not an expert in fabric dating but I would guess that these are probaby from the '40's. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Some Days It Just Doesn't Pay . . .

. . . to get out of bed. And today was one of those days. I had a hair appointment this morning in Kaufman. It's about a 40 mile round trip but my hairdresser has been doing my hair for years and I am just not going to change. Besides she is a killer colorist.
I couldn't find my appointment card but I thought it was at 9:oo so I got up and going early. I usually stop at the Starbucks that is on the way but since we are trying to cut back on extras I made a travel cup and took it with me. All was well until about half way there I picked up the cup for a sip of coffee. I had grabbed the lid instead of the cup and the lid came off. Coffee spilled everywhere. In the midst of my coffee shower the windsheild wipers came on. I blotted up the mess as best I could but I could not get the wipers to turn off. They just kept going and going and going.
When I arrived at the beauty shop I found out my appointment was at 10:00 so I decided to run by the local GM dealership and get them to look at my errant wipers. They couldn't look at the car until the afternoon so the service guy said he would remove the fuse and that would stop them temporarily. He said the switch probaby got coffee in it and they would probably work right once it dried out. Problem solved. I got my hair done and went home.
When DH came home from work I told him about my windshield wiper adventure. I gave him the fuse the service guy told me to hang on to and he
said he would put it in and make sure the wipers worked. Well the wipers worked but the car wouldn't start. Now DH does not lead anyone to believe that he is a car mechanic. He can do the most basic things but anything more than basic our car goes to the shop. They love us right now (another story for another day).
Well he fiddled and fussed, I made a trip to the auto parts store, and we made a call to my more automotively inclined brother. DB said his truck had recently done something similar and it turned out that the anti-theft system had been inadvertently engaged and would not allow the car to start. He suggested disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes to allow the system to reset and try again. DH removed the cables and we let the car sit. After a half hour or so DH reconnected the cables and tried to start the car. Nothing happened, absolutely nothng. BUMMER!!!! Hubby did notice that the doors didn't automatically lock upon (attempted) ignition so he locked and unlocked the doors with the remote control and voila it worked!!!! Thank goodness the car started.
Now if I can just figure out how to get that pesky check engine light that came on while I was driving my son's truck to turn off . . .

Fabric Fix

I have a week of vacation this week. I'm home alone and working diligently on unpacking and putting away our things still in moving boxes. If you are anything like me you can get much more accomplished working alone.

I had a dentists appointment today in Waxahachie. After getting my teeth cleaned I bee-lined it to my very favorite quilt shop, Common Threads. It has been so long since I bought fabric!! I was a very good girl the entire time we were building the house and didn't add anything to my somewhat formidable stash. However a very good friend's daughter is due with her first baby in October and I must get a quilt done quickly and soon. Reason enough to go fondle some fabric.

The new mom's chosen nursery colors are pink and brown. I found two pretty prints in pink and brown. One reads dark and the other medium. I also found a nice pink and beige print very similar in design to the pink and browns. This one read as a light. I think I am going to use them in a rail fence pattern. Nice, simple pattern that will go together quickly. I got a pretty paisley off the 60% off table for the backing. I'm not sure that it will work but I'll give it a try. I wish I could find a polka dot in prink and brown for the backing but I just don't have time to hunt. I have uploaded pics of the fabric. I will put up progress shots as I go. Let me know what you think.

A few days ago I cleaned up the remaining okra plants in the garden. I cut the overgrown pods and trimmed the tall stalks. The plants are coming back from the bottom with new growth. I'm getting between 6-10 pods per day. It adds up quickly. The eggplants and peppers are still making too. None of the plants are as prolific as they were in early summer but they are still producing.

My herbs - rosemary, basil, oregano,sage and parsley - are lovely. They seem to really like the cooler weather. We are still getting watermelons and the pumpkins are just now revving up. I have picked one orange one and there are two more turning. I will try to get some cool weather vegetables planted this week-end.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. When the weather cools as it has the past couple of days it makes me want to get busy quilting, cooking and decorating the house for the fall.
The quilting will have to wait a little longer, the garage is still a garage. The conversion to sewing room probably won't happen until after the first of the year. There is so much to do to get the new house in order . . . pictures and drapes hung, bookshelves and cabinets decorated, rugs bought, the list goes on.
I guess the waiting will make the sewing room more special but I can hardly wait. Ah, patience a virtue hard earned.