Fancy Nine-Patch. I used several different "whites" for background and the differences are highly visible. This was totally scrappy way back when and the scraps have a lot of memories for me. This one is for my bed. I used leftover lengths of binding from other quilts. I love this quilt. I cut it out when John was a baby sometime in 1990-91 not sure exactly when. I didn't have a lot of money for fabric in those days, mostly for clothes and so there are a lot of fabrics I recognize from clothes I made for myself or Ambrosina.

The back is also scrappy with leftover blocks. I use everything!

I washed the last of the wool yesterday. It's drying now.

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I won't be sewing or spinning tomorrow. Our oldest grandson, Phillip, cut two tendons in his hand and has to have surgery to have them repaired in the morning. I will spend the day with his mother and other grandmother at the hospital. David will watch the other two boys. That will keep him busy and keep him from worrying at the same time because he can't do two things at once. We are still asking the question: How did a right handed person cut his right hand when he was chopping onions?
We can only conclude he was playing around with the knife and hope that he has learned his lesson. Who knows though? He is after all a fourteen-year-old. He is following a long line of tradition. His uncle Matthew could cut himself anyhow, any where at any time! His uncle Timothy was pretty good at it too.

So with my day planned for tomorrow I will have a lot of hand working time since I will be taking some applique with me. When I finish some of that I will have pictures. I am also going to dig out some yarn from under the bed and make some slippers as gifts for anniversary presents next month. They don't take long and I can't think of anything else to make for Doug and Rose, Leon's parents.

And so, I'd best get busy.

I did finish the quilting on the Fancy nine patch today, but it doesn't look all that good because I am still having problems with Julia Juki, so she has to go into the shop. Tomorrow I will bind it and have a picture.

I did some spinning. This is going to be a quite heavy yarn because the wool is course. It is too heavy for my small spinning wheel so David brought down my big wheel. I haven't used it for a long time and there is no denying that I am out of practice. Well, it won't take long to get back in. This bobbin holds a lot of yarn and it will be easy to wash and block that big amount all at one time.

The boys are all very interested and wanted to try their hand at it. They found out that it isn't as easy as it looks. I didn't get Sammy's picture yesterday when he tried it, the camera wasn't handy. I did get Malachi's today though. Both boys have the drawing out part pretty well figured out. They just couldn't manage the drawing out and treadling at the same time so I spun the wheel for them as they worked with the wool. They soon went on to other things.

The mailman said that we set a record for his route today. We got sixteen packages in the mail. One of them was heddles for my loom so I will get back on to that tomorrow. There are three couples in this family that share the same anniversary in August and one that is one week later. Then there is one sometime this month so we make a big deal of it in August and buy presents for everybody with a big family dinner. We enjoy it very much. There are secrets flying about the house.

This lovely little lily was blooming this morning. The stalk is only about four inches tall. Ambrosina says she thinks it is because it is it's first year. They are supposed to be more like 3 feet tall. It's very pretty though.

Today I had my last intravenous iron treatment at the hospital. I hope it doesn't make me feel as sick as it did last week.

So it looks like another busy week. I won't complain about not having enough to do, and I won't get bored either!

So, the resident computer nerd looked at my laptop and said I need a new computer. That is one expensive kitten for one we got free!

Last week I basted four sandwiches ready for quilting but before I could share them the cat broke the computer. Well, here they are

Hexagon Stars

 Drunkard's Path Turtles for my grandson Ben.

 Scrappy Feathered Star Medallion

You will notice that I am getting my usual help. Evidently if there is a quilt on a table it doesn't count as being on the table. She knows she is not supposed to be on the table, but it becomes a bed when the quilt is on it.

And this Pinwheel quilt which is on the of the series. I hope I will be through with them all soon!

So now I am pretty well caught up. I am three-quarters of the way through the washing of the wool, I should be able to finish that part next week. I've been doing a little carding every day, there is still a long way to go on that. I did try to spin a little of it, but I am having trouble with the wheel, it has been sitting for a long time and needed new drive bands. Now the wheel rod isn't turning the wheel full circle so that the treadle isn't coming all the way back up so I have to replace the ties and I need some leather lacing for that. Also it could be that the small wheel is too small for such a heavy yarn and I need to bring the big wheel down. Personally I am of that opinion but I thought I would try just this last thing. I don't have room down here for both wheels, but I don't like having them up in the attic where I can't use them.

I am still having trouble with Julia Juki and the free motion. I knew the part I ordered was not going to fix that, I just had to wait until I had the money to get the second part. It is now ordered.

I also have ordered some more heddles for the loom, so when I get them it's back to work on the threading.

And so, lunch is ready and I can't eat it at the computer, so I'm going to go eat and then decided what to do for this afternoon's hand work. Probably some applique in the style of Baltimore Album. I started one a long time ago and I want to get it done, I am determined that I won't have tubs of UFOs sitting around anymore!

Still no computer of my own, David took it apart but could see nothing obvious. Next step is to as Leon, our resident computer nerd, if he has any ideas. Today I am going to go to Walmart and see if I can get a USB cord for my camera. After that I, if I can find the right one, I have a ton of pictures to post.

I washed a third batch of wool yesterday, only one more to go. I have a full tub of carded wool ready to spin, now all need is my spinning wheel brought downstairs. So much fun, it's almost too good to be true!

Just a brief update, no pictures. I have been busy, but so has the kitten--she knocked my laptop off the shelf and broke it! I am using David's desktop right now but I can't plug in the memory card from the computer. I don't have a USB cord that fits. Ambrosina should have one but she is busy and I have to wait. David is taking apart my lap top to see if he can find something broken or disconnected. We shall see!

A-10 Which Points West?

I didn't do much sewing today, I wanted to wash the next batch of wool before it got hot. And I did.

I don't have a lot of space down here in our tiny sitting room, but I dug the carder out of the trunk and got it set up.

So you just tease it apart and keep turning the handle until the drum is full.

Once the drum is full you find where the two ends of the cloth holding the hooks (can't remember the name of it right now) and slide a strong knitting needle along it.

 Pull it up until it tears in two.

 Turn the drum backwards and ease it off.

First bat ready to spin. The wheels are still up in the attic so it's going to be a couple of weeks, but one bat won't go all that far anyway. I need to get more carded before I am ready to spin.  The biggest problem will be finding someplace to store the carded wool. I wish all my problems were that difficult!

We are still being sued, even though the original  creditor has forgiven some of the debt the part that was in litigation didn't count. The lawyer has instructed us not to pay any more to them right now to give him a better position to negotiate. I am not a lawyer so it doesn't matter if that doesn't make sense to me.

I went to my nephrologist yesterday, my kidney function is up to 39 percent, so good news on that front. My anemia is bad and she said that might contribute so I have to have intravenous iron treatment a couple times because I'm not responding to other treatment.

In other good news the CA is now working and hopefully we will be able to sleep tonight!

Julia Juki's parts came on Saturday, and wouldn't you know it I started having trouble with Brunehilde the Viking's tension on Sunday morning. I need to take her apart and figure out what her problem is, but I fixed Julia and used her on Sunday.

I redid A-7 Dad's Plaids because I didn't care for the way it turned, also I realized that I had used the same fabric as the one the day before and I want them all to be different yellows.

C-1 Trouper Green's badge, out of order because I was using them for leaders/enders on the Dresden Plate. That was Saturday.

Yesterday was  B-4 Chris's Soccer Field, also out of order.

A-9 Cabin Fever, which although easy enough, was very time consuming.

After I finished today's block I started piecing backs for the next quilts I will be basting since I now have Julia Juki to quilt with, yippie! This little block actually starts out like a Pineapple quilt block and I am wondering how they would be in the center of a Pineapple, something to think about.

The first batch of wool that I washed isn't quite dry yet, I think because the humidity is so high, so I put it out on a towel in the sun to finish it off, as long as I get it in before the dew, or if it storms, before the storm I will be all right. The next block, unless I applique, will require set-in seams. I don't have a problem with set-in seams, usually, but these are so small it could be a little difficult. There is a little curve to it too, which could be tricky.

Anyway, that's for tomorrow, the rest of the day down here will be for other things, all pleasant. If the wool gets dry I could start carding it although I have to dig the carder out of my trunk which is under some tubs. I put it away carefully so it wouldn't get ruined, but likewise, it's hard to get at. Oh well