Making

This past week found me spending more time making things I can't share yet. But, because grandchildren don't read my blog, here are a couple pairs of shorts my Texas grandsons will receive.

That's University of Texas Longhorn fabric. I always take time to make pockets that match the pattern in the shorts. The pattern is "Kid Shorts" by DanaMadeIt, in sizes 2 and 7. I'm hoping they'll fit the boys next summer.

An update on my Mini Quick Curve Ruler project: Mini Trees. It's at a complete standstill. I ran out of the Moda Bella parchment and Kaufman Kona peridot to make more trees. I thought I started with enough, but I messed up cutting... and you probably know the rest of that story! It happens to all of us! (Please reassure me that it does. 😁)

I picked up this "Apples to Oranges" sewing kit pattern when in Kansas City, at Modern Makers. Every time I saw that orange, I liked it. Now I've learned that this is sort of fussy to make with all the pieces - orange sections to be appliquéd (I did those by hand), and the leaf cut, batted, and stitched.

And at times it was just downright awkward to sew to join pieces in a circle. 

What I noticed when I finished, is that the sewing kit doesn't hold its shape well. The side with the appliquéd orange sections is the stuffed pin cushion part. The side with the zipper is hollow, and meant to store the sewing items.

However, when it's empty, there isn't much shape to it. See the orange on the right? See the right side of it? It's kinda squished. I guess I'll have to "load" it to see if it better holds a round shape.

I can no longer call my slow progress on "My Small World" part of the quilt-along. The "along" started in June, and all the other quilters must surely be finished! But I'm working on Section 6, the final section, and keeping to my Florida theme. So far, this area includes: sunglasses, an alligator, another pink flamingo and "The Sunshine State" (text).

A brief medical update... last week I began taking the prescription drug Tambocor, to help regulate my heart. And I learned from Dr. Q that PAD (peripheral artery disease) in my legs, is providing more concerns. My most recent STRIDE test reveals a lack of blood pressure in my right big toe (!) indicative of a blockage (caudication). So, a second new-to-me prescription drug, Pletal, is supposed to help dilate blood vessels to allow better blood flow. All I know is that both my legs are aching/burning again whenever we go for long walks, and when I line dance. To say the least, it's much less fun to dance, and it's definitely discouraging.

I've been spending time at my MacBook, working-up a new Keynote (Powerpoint) presentation about domestic machine quilting. So far it's 70 slides long.

In March, I'm giving this program - along with a domestic machine workshop on walking foot quilting and free motion quilting - to a Jacksonville guild. And happily, another guild in Boca Raton has invited me to give the presentation next August! It's exciting to do a little traveling in Florida, and share my domestic machine quilting story and lessons-learned, with other domestic machine quilters. I'm aiming to be inspirational! 😊 

In case you don't know to be jealous of me, here's a picture of the gorgeous pizza Dan made for dinner Saturday night. He is the best cook, and among the many wonderful dishes he makes, he has perfected the art of pizza-making. This is from-scratch dough, so the crust is crispy but soft inside. And the ingredients... fresh herbs - the basil just makes it - with sausage and fresh mushrooms... well, it can't be beat.

You are jealous, aren't you?! Linda