I thought I would show my technique for pinning the Drunkard's Path basic units today.

 This is the unit pinned, and the steps are as follows:

 Line up the points of the 2 pieces, have the sides evenly spaced in the center with the concave unit on top of the convex unit.

 1st pin in the center

Line up the sides; it doesn't really matter which side you pin first, but for some reason I always do the left side, don't know why, I just do.

 Pin. Then about half way between the sides pin again, I have found stretching the top a little makes the fit better and it is on the bias so it isn't difficult. You can pin again on each side of the last pin put in, but I have done it enough I don't need to anymore, although for the first three quilt tops I did in this pattern I did the extra pinning as shown in the first paragraph.

 On the other side (right if you pin left first) line up the sides and pin. Always make sure the sides are as parallel as possible, it will make a huge difference in the finished piece.

Stretch slightly and put the pin in the middle. Add two more to the right and left of that if needed.

When you sew, always use a seam guide for perfect seams and to keep from taking too big a bite into the seam and making puckers. As you sew remove the pin just before it goes under the needle. Not only is it better for your machine it also keeps little pleats from forming. I use almost 800 of these units in a quilt top so it pays to take pains and pin. I usually do it when I am watching tv to relieve the mind numbing boredom of it.

This afternoon I went and had further imaging on my right breast. And ultrasound. It turns out that I have to spots that need attention, so I will be having a biopsy as soon as it can be scheduled. It doesn't mean cancer, of course, but with our family history it's better to take pains now then what could happen. I won't deny that I am stressed about it, but I am trying to keep calm and keep busy. I will be glad when it's over. We will deal with whatever has to be dealt with, fretting about it won't make it come any faster or be any better, but it's not easy. What a day!

I know that it has been a couple of days since I posted here. Ambrosina has been stripping and refinishing the stairs, and the chemicals make me pretty sick, so i have been in bed with headaches the last two days. She stained today, and that doesn't affect me as bad as the stripper. But the next step is the varnish and it will hit me like a hammer, as I know from when we did the dining room floor. Oh well, it only lasts a week or so.

I got this pin basted this morning, so the day wasn't a total loss.

Then I worked on emptying bobbins so that I could wind them for quilting it. I still have 2 partially filled bobbins to empty, but I don't think they will take too long tomorrow. After that I will clean and oil the machine and be ready to go. It is amazing to me how big of a pile of these inch and a quarter squares I can sew together on just one bobbin. The bags are emptying fast, I only have about 2 of the gallon size zip lock bags left to put together before on to the next step.

Tomorrow I have further "imaging" on my right breast to see if there is a problem there, I am a little stressed about it, but not too bad, there is nothing to be done before then anyway. Keeping myself busy is a big help, I sewed longer than usual upstairs today than I usually do before I came down here.

Friday David had to go out to Walmart and the car worked fine. When he came out of Walmart the car wouldn't start. It's not the battery because the engine was turning over, he says it's not getting fuel. Anyway he and Leon went out and towed it home, now we have to wait until the weather warms up so he can work on it. It seems like there is always something. Things could be worse. Actually they have been worse lots of times, we could be alone without a loving daughter and son-in-law to help us. And all these beautiful grandchildren to make us laugh and enjoy life. Yes life could be lots worse!

This morning I pieced the back for En Provence;

I have decided to quilt it in bubbles. I will baste it Monday morning, I can't baste it over the weekend because with the boys home from school the table will be in constant use. This one will be for my bed, so I went ahead and used some pink for the back, then I will put the pink away for a while and use up some other stuff I have for the backs of the next ones.

I have the first block of the next Drunkard's Path variation done.

I'm combining 2 of it's names, Dirty Windows and Attic Windows, into one Dirty Attic Windows. Half of the blocks will be blue with red frames; the other half will be red with blue frames. Soon I will have to start pinning the basic units for the next variation that I will be doing: turtles. They will be green/white and brown/ white, because I don't have enough of either color for a whole quilt. but that won't be for a while, I have a basket to bead, and I want to work on my Grandmother's Flower Garden for a while.

The weekend will be busy and we are supposed to get more snow, the wind has come up and it is getting colder. Only to be expected at this time of the year, Ambrosina put her seed order in today so we have that to look forward to. She ordered a self pollinating cherry tree bred especially to be grown in a pot, I see cherry pie in the future.

 My 2nd finish of the year, with my signature pieced back (not pink). It was Ambrosina's idea to call the way I piece the backs of my quilts my "signature". I just figure that I won't waste whatever fabrics I have on hand. I did manage to find enough black solid to make the binding.

I call this quilt Tumbling Stars because it's the same basic unit, split 60 degree diamonds in the same setting as the Tumbling Blocks I did last year. The same number of diamonds is in each block, just arranged differently. I really like this pattern. I have a lot of diamonds and stars left, I probably should have made it bigger, but since I didn't I have enough to make at least one more top, somewhere down the road.

I got a call from the doctor's office, they found something on my mammogram that calls for more images, they said the right side is not symmetrical as compared to the left, I didn't know they were supposed to be but evidently this is enough different that they want more images and ultra sound. I've decided not to worry, because I couldn't do anything about it any way. I go in next Tuesday, if it's cancer, it's cancer, I've survived cancer before and we'll go from there. Meanwhile I'll keep busy and try not to think about it.

The boys didn't build snowmen yesterday so I don't have any pictures of that, I wish I did, but everybody was out of sorts and didn't feel like playing in the snow. They all had hot chocolate and sat around the table and did their paper creations, a term used for making things out of tape and paper and whatever else they like to use. The are very inventive and it is not unknown for them to use glue and mini marshmallows and tooth picks in addition to paper. Perhaps today we will have snowmen, but it is colder today than yesterday so we will see.

Tomorrow I start piecing the back for the next quilt, I am getting into a good routine, and my assistant is never long without a quilt to curl up on.

I had my mammogram this morning so that's out of the way for another year.

We got 6.4 inches of snow in about 6 hours, and it's still snowing. The kids didn't get a snow day, but almost as good: school started 2 hours late. It's very warm about thirty degrees, so everything is slushy and the snow is good snow man building snow. Most of the time our snow is too dry, but this snow is good for building purposes and after my mammogram we stopped by the store and Ambrosina bought rainbow carrots for noses and such. I hope to get pictures, and when the snow melts the squirrels and bunnies will get carrots to eat.

To make a lid for a basket I use the number of rounds that I made the base of the basket around plus two, that works if the basket is straight up and down, but they often aren't so always check. In this basket I started with 10 round for the base but needed 17 for the top of the basket.

Holding the lid/basket at right angles will make a straight lid or basket, holding it at different angles will make the sides more rounded, for a lid I hold it at as right an angle as I can, it can be a little tricky; you have to make sure it gets caught by the left side of the zigzag. For a lid I put 4 or 5 rounds on the lip, whatever looks the best. For a basket you can stop when you want. My lid didn't turn out all that great, so I am going to redo it tomorrow, and use the one I made today as a base for another basket, with a different shape. I hope I run out of that fabric pretty soon I'm starting to get bored with it. I think the best baskets have lots of colors and patterns in them, but some people like matching sets, there is room for all sizes and shapes and colors, and somebody will like it

I am close to finishing Tumbling Stars, I have to dig out some black solid fabric for the binding, I think that will look best. I could have finished it today except for going to get my mammogram, but I'm not in that much of a hurry. The next quilt will be En Provence, pattern by Bonnie Hunter, and it will be for my bed. I think I will do it in bubbles, they are fun and look good as an all over pattern that doesn't take too much concentration. It's a big quilt so it will be easier to do a smaller pattern. After it is done I will have enough bedding for my bed, so that will be very nice.

I've got all the units for the next Drunkard's Path pinned now, so that will be just straight sewing for a while until I am ready to start making the blocks, so every thing is well in hand and under control, no new tops will be completed for a few weeks so I can catch up on the tops I have just finished and get ahead on some of the older ones.

The boys are home and building some snowmen, I think I will see if I can get some pictures.

Making a fabric basket isn't hard, although it can be time consuming. I use three sixteenth braided cotton clothesline, I get it at Walmart. Any fabric will do only limited by the imagination of the maker. The fabric strips should be cut no wider than three quarters to one inch, and the width of the fabric is about the easiest length to cope with.

I just toss the clothesline onto the floor and unwind it with a tug as I work.

  I start with about an inch wide strip and make sure the clothesline is even and about half the width extends above the top of the clothesline. Wraping down diagonally I wrap for a few inches then

fold the unfilled top down to meet the wrapped cord.

Then fold once more about half an inch.

Place under the needle and zig zag. I like a narrower zig zag, less thread shows and the fabric shows up better. Keep zig zagging, at first the foot needs to be lifted between stitching, in order to get it into the round shape, but after a couple of rows all it needs is guidance, and almost turns itself.

Care must be taken that the center of the foot is exactly on the line where the two strands of wrapped cord are, if the zig zag doesn't straddle them both the basket will fall apart.

I like to wrap a good long length of cord, I think it's a bit faster, and then use a clothespin to keep it from unwinding while I sew.

To add a new strip of fabric wrap the end tightly around the cord, open slightly and put the new end between the cord and the last of the previous strip, then continue wrapping and sewing as before.

To end cut the cord diagonally wrap the end of the cord and twist the fabric in the same direction tightly. Zig zag it tightly against the previous row.

Zig zag around the top edge of the basket with the right side of the needle just off the edge to finish.
If anyone has any questions I would be glad to answer them, it is a relatively easy process, I find it fun, but fairly slow what with the wrapping, and sometimes my shoulder gets really tired before I get done. The machine one uses makes a real difference, my newer machine couldn't really handle the thickness and I broke a lot of needles as well as the machine itself. This old Singer from the sixties that I am using now works really well and it doesn't even seem as if it has any difficulty going through all the thicknesses of clothesline and fabric. I use serger thread to whatever color goes best with the fabric I'm using. It's strong and doesn't break easily being polyester.

I hope my directions are understandable and that others will be moved to try it making their own fabric baskets.

Drunkard's Path top finished. It will now take it's place 2nd down from the top. I have one quilt under the needle, and I got it to the half way point this morning.

Tumbling Stars. I am really enjoying the quilting on this one. I love doing that pattern, it's simple and fast, I can get into a real rhythm with it. It's one of the best ways I've done to fill out a diamond.

This is a system I've worked out so that I don't have any more 20 year old UfOs hanging around. Every project I start or run across unfinished gets a card, I make notes on it; plans to finish it, any information that I think I may need, and file it alphabetically. I am making pretty good progress on my UFOs, I don't know how many I may find up the in attic when Ambrosina does her spring cleaning up there, but I seem to have found all that are down here or upstairs. When I feel the urge to start a new project, I get the box out and start a new, old  project that I want to get done. Maybe in about a year I'll be able to start something new, new, but I have spent time, thread and possibly money on these old projects that I want to finish them. I don't want to leave Ambrosina a bunch junk and unfinished projects to go through either, so I will get caught up and then do just one project at a time, I hope and intend.

I have about 20 blocks worth of Drunkard's Path units in red and blue to pin together for the next Drunkard's Path variation that I am calling Dirty Attic Windows. This variation has several different names, Dirty Windows, Attic Windows are a couple of them. I am calling it Dirty Attic Windows because I have never seen any attic windows that are clean. I love the many variations possible with the Drunkard's Path pattern. The one after this will be a turtle quilt using the basic Drunkard's Path block, I finally figured out how to do the tail and the head, so I will start pining them when I get the pinning of the red and blue one done. More on that later.

It's getting really cold again, we are supposed to have 7 inches of snow before Wednesday, oh joy. Two months now and we can call it Spring, oh joy!

Drunkard's Path webbed. The columns are sewn together into rows and next I will sew the rows together, it will be done and ready to quilt, probably this evening sometime. Sammy and David are out at Gramp's desk working with leather and weaving on the inkle loom, Sam gets tired of one and they go on to the other for a while. They don't get a lot done, but they sure enjoy themselves.

David tightened the belt on the treadle and now I'm getting a better work out when I sew on her, it's nice because now I don't have the belt slipping while I sew and motion is not wasted. The pinwheel blocks are going very fast; I think I'll have enough of the big ones by the time I finish the small ones for a couple of tops, I don't have to quilt them right away. I am enjoying piecing them and I am in no hurry to finish them, by the time they are done I will have a couple of empty tubs; more space is always good.

I'm going to go now and finish the Drunkard's Path top, when I get this close to the finish of something I usually can't rest until it is done. This is an old ufo, it's at least 5 years since I started it, when it's done I will quilt it after En Provence, so it is 3rd from the one I am quilting on now. I have plenty of time to think of a quilting pattern for it. It will soon be done!

54 Drunkard's Path blocks ready to be joined together to finish the top. That's always exciting, a milestone. This morning as I was upstairs ironing them, with all 3 of the boys are home from school, I had an extra assistant in Sammy. He was counting the ones that I had to fix because I had rotated some of the pieces and the pattern would be distorted if I didn't, we got up to 8, and he was disappointed because he wanted it to be ten that I had to fix. He was in a very odd mood; they all 3 were very LOUD. Of course, my children were never loud, only just raise the roof loud and I loved the fun of it.

Time to fix the blocks, and then some hand work after that, it's almost dinnertime and the afternoon has gotten away from me, it's nice to have plenty to do though, and boys to enjoy, the dinner table should be lively tonight!

 I saw the doctor this morning, I have a sinus infection and a UT infection, exactly what I thought, although it is no wonder that I am dragging, and I think a nap will be in order this afternoon.

I am surprised that I got anything done today, but I did make a lid for the basket I made yesterday and I even did some quilting. The basket on the right I beaded last night, it looks better in person than in the picture, although I still don't think I would care to have mine that way, I know other people have said they like them.

I got everything done at he doctor that I needed to, I had some blood work to get done and I needed refills on my test strips. I also scheduled my mammagram for next week, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction that I remembered everything, it happens so seldom, me remembering everything I mean.

I hear our little boys are home, so I will go up and say hello, then I will take a nap. That is one of the perks of being a grandparent instead of a parent, I can leave them for their mother to take care of and then come down and take a nap, oh joy! oh bliss!

It looks like she is wearing a hood, but her beautiful flatness up and to the left of the needle gives me endless more possibilities for my baskets. The names Martha and Gertie have been suggested for her, of the two I like Martha better, but I don't know yet.

Tomorrow I will make a lid for this one, and since I have a lot of these fabric strips I am going to make a set of graduated sizes with buttons from my collection on the tops for handles. I like this shape a lot and I think they will sell well.

I am trying to plan a quilt with gray and silver-gray and light turquoise, I got some very pretty prints in those colors on sale last month, and I am getting tired of the solids I've been using that I got from Rose, so for a change I will use some prints and try a different pattern. I will, of course, go back and use the solids, but a person needs a change every so often.

Oh no, David kicked over my jar of beads that I use for a doorstop, I've done it twice myself, you'd think I would have moved it by now. Waddles the second assistant is having a blast "helping" to pick them up. I was planning to start beading yesterday's basket this afternoon, I guess I just wasn't fast enough. The worst part of them getting all over the floor is that I always manage to step on one in my bare feet after I think I have them all picked up. Yes I definitely will move them today. As I work on beading my basket I am going to watch some quilting shows, they will help me decide what pattern I might want to use, then I will be able to figure out if I have all the fabric I need.

We are in the middle of our January thaw, we haven't had much snow so far this winter. Leon has the credit for that: he bought a snow blower this year. After the thaw we will get more cold weather and we could get a lot more snow, but for now I will take what I get. The sun has shifted enough towards the spring equinox that we get a little sunshine through the high up window down here for about an hour in the afternoon, that too is welcome!

So back to work for me, especially as I have several hundred beads to pick up. Sigh.

The bobbins I got yesterday for the Singer were the right ones, although one of them was unusable. I will be looking for vintage bobbins at thrift shops and yard sales this summer.

Because she is flat above and to the left of the needle I can get a different shape to my baskets, I am going to bead this one, but if I had any of the fabric strips that color left I would have made a lid. Tomorrow I will make another one and make sure I have enough of the right color for the lid. I like the straight up and down of that shape, and with lids they would make great storage. The zig zag is pretty narrow, but I think I like that better, more of the fabric is seen without the distraction of the stich.

I got a really good start on Tumbling Stars too. I am using one of my favorite patterns and it is fast and easy and looks good too.

I didn't enjoy quilting Blue Rose much, I didn't like my quilting pattern, and that's never as much fun; but I really enjoy this one a lot, and I think it shows. I think it will go pretty fast too.

I can't get into the doctor until Thursday, but this cold and what is with it has gone on so long it is time to do something about it. It's gone on so long that a couple of days more aren't going to make much difference. I'm pretty sure I have a sinus infection now, and I know I have a uti, always so much fun. David had to go to Walmart to pick up some stuff for me, and he came home with two packages of cookies, I shouldn't have let him go before lunch. However, since they are here I might as well have a cup of coffee and enjoy. I hear my little boys upstairs, so I will take some up to them, no need for us to eat all of them. I still have an afternoon to get some things done, so I think that I will get started on some piecing. Last night I counted and I have 68 large Pinwheel blocks and 10 small. The small ones take longer because of more pieces, so I don't get so many done. But I am pleased with my progress.