I have two tops finished; planning to load one today to start quilting. It’s another one started by my Mom and will go to my great-nephew who is getting married next month. I have two more that Mom started that I will finish for my other two great-nephews (her three great-grandchildren).

The other top is a Judy Martin pattern that I’m making for our friend who always takes care of our kitties when we are away.

Donna

I am so sorry to say I have not touched my machine for a few months.

l got very involved, after my sister’s death, in clearing out her house, and helping my daughter who is executor, and lives out of town. The house sold last week so that part of the process is almost complete. But I still have things in the garage and basement that need rehoming.

And to add to the turmoil, the husband of my other sister was hospitalized in May, again out of town. There have been so many phone calls and emails between us as a way of supporting her. And sadly, (or as a blessing) he died last week.. Funeral yesterday which we watched on line.

You would think that sitting at the machine would be a stress reliever but I would end up in bed shortly after supper.

What I have been doing is some cross stitching which I can do while sorting through my challenges in my head.

I hope to get back to the machine soon.

Theresa

Theresa, I’m sorry for your loss! I can understand being too exhausted to sew.

My work has been extremely stressful pretty much since the lockdown started last March, and especially lately. I look forward to sewing on the weekends but often find myself on the couch playing games on my iPad instead.

Donna

Theresa, sorry for your loss. I have not been up to a lot lately myself. I have been working on cutting strips from scraps. I plan to take them to retreat and make pineapple blossom blocks with them. I am considering scraps anything less than a fat quarter and anything that I just want to cut up LOL. I have been going through my totes of fabric in the basement and just taking the smallest pieces out. Pineapple blossom blocks use up a lot of scraps. I had made this quilt last year using the pattern.

I want to make up a few of them of different colors and some scrappy to have when that need arrives to give a quilt. This one went to a cousin's step-mother that was starting chemo. So I will be up to my ears in 2 and 2.5 inch strips by retreat!

In between cutting strips, I am working on quilting tops that I have ready. It sounds like I have a lot in progress, but really I just do a little bit at a time. Work has been busy, so not much sewing time.

Very pretty, Jackie! I made a pineapple blossom earlier this year. It works up quickly.

I do like that pattern. I just need some energy/push. I seem to recall after our basement flood four years ago feeling the same. It is sort of a version of PTSD, at least I tell myself that.

Theresa

Donna, That's so nice of you to finish those quilts for your mom's great grands. I hope they will appreciate it. Theresa, When 'life' happens, and keeps on happening, it wears us out. Do what you feel you need to do to be healthy and take care of yourself. Jackie, I've never made a pineapple. The directions I've seen seem to give a lot of scrappy triangles and I certainly don't need any more of those. Unless they're made like Bonnie Hunter's Mountain Majesty. That was interesting but used large squares. Anything less than a FQ gets stripped? I just might have to do that, too. Gonna have to buy a big tub to put them all in.......lol. Oh wait, I have one.......it has hurricane supplies in it. What's more important, eh?

Sharon, you do end up with a lot of what Bonnie calls ”bonus triangles”, but I used them in the border on mine. :)

I use Bonnie Hunter's free Pineapple Blossom pattern. This is what I did with the extra triangles:

https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/pineapple-blossom.html

So basically a full size and a baby quilt together.

I'm not working on a durn thing.

I have a caterpillar quilt pieced and need to get it sandwiched, but, like Theresa, am having a hard time getting motivated. Tobey's mom is back in the hospital - 4th time since my mom passed away. There is NOTHING wrong with her except "she doesn't feel good." At almost 96, you aren't going to feel good every day. We think she is lonely since she and my mom were best friends and saw each other 3-4 times every day. Thank goodness we have a friend in Arizona who is helping out and seeing her most days and taking her to doctors and hospital. Ugh.

Another friend is expecting her first grand in November and the kids are hoping for a "mountain, outdoor, girly" quilt! I need to start looking for ideas.

Hi everyone!

I have been busy making the little 3 inch PP blocks from the Little Blocks 365 pattern. I am sent 7 patterns each Friday. This week I had them finished by Saturday morning, so I have time to work on other things. I quilted two machine covers that have been on the frame for a while. Yesterday I loaded another quilt and have been fighting with my machine to adjust the tension, It worked perfectly the day before!

I am also piecing a triangle quilt cut from Christmas fabrics. I have had it cut out forever and started putting it together last week. Just something to sew when I don't want to have to think about the pattern.

Back to the sewing room to fight with the quilting machine!

Linda OH

airs reupholstered and now the living room looks very dull, so I decided to make throw pillows with quilted covers. Project is on hold while we vacation in CT (great to relax and see grandkids). I just finished a throw for the family room. I'm slow. It takes me forever to finish quilts.

Believe it or not I finished my last UFO about two weeks ago and didn't do anything last week. When I don't have any special project in mind I usually make string blocks or crumb blocks but to be honest, Im kind of bored with them. A small stack of pink and green and lavender fabrics has been sitting around for a month now and I think I might make them into churn dash blocks for a baby quilt. I''m not terribly motivated either. After being stuck at home for so long, it's just nice to get out and have lunch with friends or wander the stores just to be around people.

Theresa, I’m so sorry for your losses. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Inspiration will come when you’re ready. That’s what I keep telling myself. I have not quilted a thing since my surgery at the end of April. I’m feeling quite good, and I’m sure I could quilt painlessly, but I’m simply not motivated. We have company from out of town right now, and hopefully, when they leave, I can get myself in gear and do something.

It was really nice to see all your responses I was feeling like our forum might have gone dormant Happy 4th, everyone.

Yeah, me too. I check in most days, but have nothing to share. I made a small I Spy top for donation, but it's still on the wall. I think my gears are stuck in neutral.

bkay

"I think my gears are stuck in neutral." That's a good one, bkay! We must all be breathing the same air. For me, there are so many things going on in various areas, it makes me tired to think about them......even though other people are handling most of the what, when, and where, I can't wait for it all to be over. Yesterday, I had to explain why I had an 'old' sewing machine in my bedroom.....especially since it isn't mine. Wendy wanted to know if she should drop it off at Beverly's on her way home to Indiana. lol .......... only if I can go with it. LOL

Sharon - please not to this Beverly! I have my grandmother's machine that I learned to sew on, my first machine I purchased in 1970 and my last one purchased about 10 years ago. That's enough for me.

Theresa - I'm sorry for you loss and all you have been dealing with. This too shall pass.

I'm not PLANNING on working on anything for a while. Temperatures are going to drop, so I'll want to be in the garden more, entertain more and go do fun things more. If I can't help myself, I may just cut up scraps. I found a couple of cute quilts on the site Sharon posted above and they need 2" squares. I have a lot of small scraps I'd rather throw away, but can't bring myself to do it.