Planning ahead

My husband belongs to a model railroad club.  I belong to a quilt guild.  We often get calls  from the grieving family members who have lost a beloved train hobbyist, or a quilter.  The family left behind is trying to figure out what to do with all that hobby “STUFF”. Most are so overwhelmed with grief they are at a loss for ideas of how to handle the train room or the craft room.  Some are convinced the stuff is worth millions, while others think the hobby stuff is just JUNK.  

In that light, perhaps you might want to “think ahead” and make things easier on YOUR family, for that eventual time when we all take our last “ride” on the caboose.

While you have some time at home, I want to encourage you to take “stock” of your  hobby gear. Take an inventory,  match up the equipment to the box, put together a listing of the age, date of purchase and price for what you own. List your tools, and what they are and where they are located.  Think about what the family is interested in and if you want a special piece of equipment to be given to a particular son, daughter, grandchild. Talk to them now, video chat and be clear about what they do and don’t want.

If you have equipment or tools at a club, think about what you have, where it is located, and what your plan is for it as well. Make certain your equipment is marked with your name, and  the club turns the property over to the appropriate family member, or helps get the donation to the club sorted out.

Over the years, this has been a challenge at the model railroad club, with members abandoning equipment, passing without written direction, etc.  A few years ago the club modified their “rules” and have a provision now to handle the situation. Something similar might work in your club.

From the “Club Rules” – X. Personal Property: A. Responsibility: Members are responsible for their own personal property they bring into the Clubrooms. If any member departs from the club, or is no longer a member, they must take any and all of their personal property with them. The Club will appropriate property that is left behind by former members after a period of no less than 180 days.

Make a plan so your loved ones KNOW your intentions. Tell them how to sell the gear, or how to donate and where you want it donated. Check NOW with that place you want to donate to and make certain they are able to accept your donation in the future. Do some checking on your own on Ebay or Marketplace, craft stores etc.,  to determine recent value in the “second hand” marketplace. Let the family know which pieces you have that are very valuable so they don’t end up on a picnic table at a yard sale years from now.

Take that list, and put it in your “important papers” file, for the time “down the line” when it is needed. Let your loved ones know what you want “done” with your fabric, sewing machines, crafting items, or other hobby tools when you are no longer able to enjoy them.

To the quilters, I especially want to encourage you to label your project bins(Include the pattern, and who it was supposed to be given to, etc) finish up your UFO’s, use up your stash, donate what you know you will never use NOW.  Take this extended time at home to survey and sort and SEW!  Most often, we find peace and tranquility in our sewing rooms, so I encourage you to settle in to the space.

If your space is not tranquil, work on changing it a little. Consider organizing, adding some colors that inspire, hanging pictures that calm, you.  This is an especially challenging thing for me, because my space is full of “other people’s stuff”.  Bins, totes, shelves, cupboards make things more orderly.  The next time someone offers to help you organize, don’t say no. Maybe you can help in exchange someone else.

Until the next time, STITCH ON, stay safe, and make something that makes you happy.

 

December’s Blur of trains and bikes

December was a BLUR ~!!~  I realised this week that I have not put up a blog post for the entire month of December, and that January was starting off slowly too!  My month has been busy with so many activities.  Looking back, my last post was on November 25th.  We went FULL STEAM AHEAD with the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club’s 33rd Annual Open House. Yes, it is still going on!  In fact, I will be at the club today, Jan 6 and next weekend, Jan 12 & 13th, working the front counter, answering questions and selling raffle tickets.  Details below.

33rd Annual Open House Delmarva Model RR Club

This open house season has been one of the busiest in recent years.  Yesterday there were 837 visitors and a RECORD number of raffle tickets sold.  Hopefully many folks will come out today, in spite of 2 very important football games for local fans.  The Baltimore Ravens are in the playoffs at 1 pm, and I believe the Philadelphia Eagles play at 4:40 pm (after we close!).   It was fun to see 4 of my Ocean Waves Quilt Guild friends at the train club yesterday. I always share the brochure with my friends at the Guild, and they brought the hubbies out to see the trains.  I hope they had some fun too!

I played “hooky” on one open house date, December 1st.  I had a meeting at church, and followed it up with a great bike ride. The weather was a GIFT!!  Thankfully there were enough volunteers to “man the door” at the train club.

 

The town of Milford Delaware was having a “Downtown Dessert Tour” and so the local bike shop, LIFECYCLE of Milford DE sponsored a ride, and it was lead by my daughter Heather. She had her BURLEY trailer on the back of her bike, and used it as a “trunk” for our purchases.  We burnt some calories before we stopped at the last bakery and made our purchases, and got our cards stamped.  Jenn, one of the owners of LifeCycle was giving FREE pedi-cab rides all over town during the Dessert Tour.  I love the sense of community that she is building with other small business owners in Downtown Milford, Delaware.

I had the BEST tiramisu I have ever eaten at a place called “My Sister’s Fault”, in Milford De.

Now, you know why I needed to pedal before eating!  I had lunch also, but I could not resist a bite before the lunch was ready!  This shop is in a little side street in downtown Milford DE, open only a few days a week, but unbelievable food, both sweet and savory. A great lunch stop on Friday-Sunday each week.  Check out the menu etc on the website – My Sister’s Fault  .

Midweek, following the Dessert Tour, I was shocked to get a call from Jenn at Lifecycle to tell me my name was drawn for one of the Dessert Tour prizes!  Turns out, I won the BIG prize – a year’s worth of coffee – at Dolce’ Bakery and Coffee Shop of Milford.  They are located on Walnut Street downtown and are a “favorite” stop after a bike ride in town for myself and my daughter and granddaughter.  Jennifer, the owner, was kind enough to let me transfer the YEAR’s worth of coffee card to my daughter Heather, who lives in town.  When I inquired if she would permit the transfer she was delighted to do that for me, and turns out, they are great friends!   If you are in Milford or need to add a place for a wonderful cup of coffee and a pastry or breakfast sandwich, do stop in at Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop .  We picked up the card this week and I enjoyed the first “free” cup before handing it off to her for the rest of the year.  She will put it to good use!

Busy day ahead today, but wanted to get a quick post in, and wish everyone a Happy New Year.  More coming in the next day or so.  By the way, if you have been following along on the Carolina Hurricane Quilt Project, go check out Carole’s post today for an update – Carolina Hurricane Quilt Update  and see how you can get involved.

What ever you are doing, take time to take care of yourself today. Take a walk, eat well, and be kind are words of advice that I take to heart. The benefits will reward you.  (Eat well = quality food!) (Yes, eat well = dessert!!)

edit – learned about hash tags so updating –

#lifecycleDE #youcanridewithus #bicyclesforall

33rd Annual Open House

Model trains everywhere!  My husband is an model train enthusiast and works with HO scale trains.  He belongs to the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club located on the “state line” in Delmar Delaware.  Every year, the club opens its doors to the public on 4 weekends for their annual Open House.  Visitors come to view the train displays, and see the various scales of trains running.  The club has 8000 square feet of train displays, so much more than the home hobbyist can manage.  All scales are represented, and there seems to be “something for everyone”.

I typically spend those four weekends at the front door, greeting visitors and handling the sales of raffle tickets for those inclined to purchase them.  Each year there are 3 terrific train sets and 3 winners.  This year they have added 3 additional prizes, with tickets for 4 to the Strasburg Railroad.

Yesterday was the first day for the 33rd season.  There were 496 visitors. While not a “record setting number”, it was a significant amount, considering it was pouring rain all afternoon.  The club will be open to visitors on Sunday, Nov 25, 2018 from 12 noon until 4 pm, and again on Saturday, Dec 1st (11 am – 4 pm) and Sunday Dec 2nd (12 noon to 4pm).  After New Years there are 2 more weekends, Jan 5 & 6, and Jan 12 & 13 2019.

                                               33rd Annual Open House Delmarva Model RR Club

The club is located at 103 E. State Street in Delmar DE 19940, on the second floor of Camelot Hall.  There is plenty of free parking behind St Stephens UM Church.

I am always interested in how people hear about the Open House, as we have many 1st time visitors every year.  Social media is one way, and word of mouth is another way.  With a very small advertising budget, the word seems to spread.  Yesterday there were visitors from all over the mid-Atlantic. We have a lot of “repeat” visitors, some who attend EACH weekend.  Because there is so much to see, it is hard to take it all in at once.  They often say they see something new with each visit.  Since the admission is free, why not?

I thought I would share a few photo’s with you in the event you are unable to visit!

This is a picture of some “new this year” buildings on the O Scale layout –

On the HO layout one of our new members has built a train of double stack cars.  He had to make improvements to the many tunnel portals on the layout in order for his “high loads” to traverse the many “rail miles” and not hit a tunnel roof !

The HO layout is the most extensive layout at the club.  It is an “OPERATIONS” layout with many industries.  Every car on the layout has a purpose and that is identified by the “car card” and “weigh bill systems” in place. The HO layout members have an Operating Session once a month, and folks come from Baltimore Maryland and Philadelphia PA  to participate.  It takes a minimum of 15 operators to have a “good session”.  They operate a “fast clock”, and the dispatcher issues train orders, etc. The HO layout is signalled and has track detection and operates with DCC (Digital Command and Control) .

There is something for “everyone” at the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club and whether you are a “serious model railroader” or a person who just likes to see the trains going “round & round”, it is a delight to see.

Do feel free to share this post with others who might be interested!  Find us on Facebook and like the page !

More information about the club, including membership information, can be found on the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club website .

 

Model Railroad Open House

Today is the final day this year for the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club Open House.  Of course, we will have two more weekends this coming January to round out the 32nd Annual Open House Season.  What amazes me is the number of people I greet who are bringing their youngsters out to see the trains who came as a child!  I am also amazed to greet the “first timers”.  The club has been around for 33 years, and located in the same place for 32! It really is a tradition in many families in Maryland and Delaware to come “see the trains in Delmar” in November, December and January.  Disclaimer — I am the lady sitting at the front counter, shamelessly selling raffle tickets for 3 great train sets!  Check out this one –

Share with your friend in the Mid-Atlantic region, and come out this weekend or in January to see the great model train displays.

The club is located at 103 E. State Street in Delmar DE on the 2nd floor of Camelot Hall (Sorry, no elevator). Park behind St Stephens United Methodist Church.  Free admission, donations appreciated!

How do you measure success?

At the end of the day, as we left the Apple Scrapple Festival with an SUV loaded with boxes, my hubby asked if I thought the day was successful.  It is difficult to measure when you aren’t really there to “sell” a product.

Apple Scrapple is just a month ahead of the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club annual open house, and it is such a great opportunity to promote our coming event. It is FREE advertising for the club.  (One of our members RUNS the entire craft show and allocates the club a 9×13 booth space for no charge).

So, I figured the measuring stick was the open house brochures we passed out.   We took a case of 1000 brochures for our upcoming open house. (There were maybe 50 out of the top of the box when we started).   We brought back about 1/3 of the box.   Hubby printed out 210 “labels” with info on an EXTRA RUN (more about that in a minute), and every brochure with that EXTRA Run label was handed out.  I can say for certain, that we spoke to OVER 210 people.  My “guess” is we handed out something like 700 brochures, so I think it was a successful day.

People would see and hear the trains running and walk over to the table to watch.  Usually they were in groups of 3 or  4.  The men were attracted because they had been “schlepping around the craft show” carrying bags for the wife.

(I am a people watcher, and most of the men would stand at the edge of the booth while the wife, mother, daughter etc looked at the various craft wares.  They were bored.)  (It’s a good spouse who will wander the craft show, but then…I’m sure those wives have done their bit at car shows, fishing shows, etc) (Please don’t be offended gentlemen if you happen to LIKE craft fairs…this is strictly my observation and conclusion with no facts to support my particular point of view.)

When the men got to the train layout the eyes would light up, and they got to chat with the club members, and we were not “hustling them” to buy anything.  Then the women would wander up, and look at the “display” more so than the trains.  It gave us an opportunity to talk about both areas of interest.

We would hand an Open House brochure to someone in the group, inviting them to come see the “big layouts” at the club.

Overall, for a week & 1/2 worth of work getting this display ready to go, I was really pleased with the reactions it brought during the day from the public. By the time you put the buildings on, the trees, the vehicles on the streets and parking lots, and get some trains moving, it starts to look like a nice little town.

This little 4×8 train layout was built on a Styrofoam base with a plywood bottom and sides. That is what we started with the first week of October.  In my previous posts, I talk about the scenery, track, etc. After we had it all set up, we added plexiglass around the edges to keep the fingers away from the trains.

We took our 2 big open house raffle prizes to showcase.  We have a Polar Express and a Harry Potter set to raffle, and I was surprised that we sold a few tickets.  Not a lot, because that wasn’t the point, but some.  My point with the raffle tickets is to “show off” those great prizes, and not hustle sales.

We had the special Maryland Delaware box cars, and sold a couple of them. (These are available on the club website if you are interested in one, and not in the area).

I took along my train “pillowcases” and sold 3 of them. That was all “bonus” in my opinion.  If we had a separate booth with more space for display, I imagine we could have sold more, and could have brought other items from the club to sell. Oh good thing we left those wooden train whistles at the club!

The member of our club running the craft show was pleased with our set up.  It “slowed” people down near the back of the cafeteria, and as they wandered away; they stopped at the food booth run by his church and family. A win/win for all of us I think.  His son is also a club member, and he did the big job of transporting the 4×8 layout and the saw horse it sits on.

I think we met our purpose, achieved our goal, and will encourage the members to do this again next year. We’ve had a few years without the train layout at the festival, and people “LOOK” for it. Of course, I wore the hubby out pushing to get this ready and to “do” this festival.   I took the lead and did all the planning and coordinating, list making, 75% of the loading and unloading; and a smaller % of the tear down and reloading. We had 10 folks show up during the festival to help with the “passing brochures”, talking to the public etc.

Now, it is time to unload what we are storing at home, and sort what needs to go back to the train club this week.  We have to get ready for NEXT Saturday, our EXTRA RUN, when St Stephens UMC has their Fall Festival.  The church asked the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club to open for the festival. This is a first for the club. The club is very grateful to be located on the 2nd floor of the church fellowship hall for the last 32 years!  So, if you missed seeing our little 4×8 display, take a run to Delmar DE and enjoy the St Stephen UMC Fall Festival, and come upstairs and check out the over 8000 square feet of layouts!  I’ll be there, at the front door, greeting visitors, selling raffle tickets and inviting them back for the annual open house season.

 

 

Got it done

Wheew…..we did it.  Hubby and I took a 4×8 train layout and gave it new life in just over a week.  It is now “set up and ready to run” at the Apple Scrapple Festival – Craft Show on Saturday.  It’s amazing how quickly you can do this when the bits and pieces are at hand. Given a little spray paint, spray glue, craft paint, along with hubby’s electrical mind and railroad sense….we are set up and ready.  We will be handing out fliers for the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club open house, answering questions and promoting the model train hobby!

Enjoy the photo’s….and if you don’t remember what we started with, look back a couple of days on the blog!

We arrived shortly past 4 pm, ready to unload at Apple Scrapple.  All the boxes came in to the cafeteria at Woodbridge Middle School in Bridgeville DE!

Once they were all in, the hubby got busy with the wiring, and I started unpacking scenery and staging it on the layout!

(You would never know that 48 hours ago that building was a yellow plastic looking building. Now it looks like it has been sitting in the yard for years.  I impressed the hubby with the peeling paint look on the door and window frame….the magic of paint)

This photo above is my “FAVORITE” view.

A long shot through town (yes, I know, the road needs work….that is what super glue is for in the morning..)

I set up the “raffle prizes” for 1st & 2nd place, along with box cars and pillow cases to buy.  I will be replacing those 2 bankers boxes in the morning with a couple of “plastic milk crates”….covered in fabric.  I want the Harry Potter set to be elevated a little higher. Our buddy, Leonard, will be keeping a watchful eye on things overnight!

It sure is a big improvement from what we started with last Wednesday!  Remember this??

So; with determination, we put together a 1/2 decent 4×8 model railroad layout in a week, complete with weathered track and buildings, and a few trees and shrubs thrown in for good measure.  I hope that the “viewing public” enjoys it on Saturday.

The craft fair at Woodbridge Middle School opens at 9 am!  Stop by and say hello, pick up a flyer, and get some raffle tickets!  See you there!

Autumn Jubilee and more model railroad display work

If you have read my blog for a period of time, you know that I enjoy following posts by Carole – From My Carolina Home

Carole has been writing and sharing mystery quilts – of which I have done a couple; and last fall she did a sew along, and in December she did one as well.  Her projects are easy to work with, as you do the steps in small “chunks”.  This month, she is running her annual “Autumn Jubilee” on the blog, and there is another sew along.  The pattern this time is called Stars on Autumn Lane.  So far, it is looking like an easy project to make. I love that she gives out multiple sizes, so you can make a table topper, a lap quilt or a twin.  I told her in a comment I was GLAD she did not give out the KING SIZE info, or I would make one!  You see, when I get started with one of Carole’s patterns, I have SEW MUCH FUN, and want to “keep making” the units.

Do you remember my leaves and pumpkins from last year?  Well, you may remember I made THREE table runners doing that project, and those were Carole’s patterns!  And last month, I blogged about the place mats I was working on – Still playing with Autumn Jubilee 2016

Anyway, it is NOT too late to get started and sew along!  So, go visit Carole’s blog for the cutting instructions –Stars on Autumn Lane cutting instructions

and visit today’s post for the first block assembly – Block A – Stars on Autumn Lane

Now, you know me, I like to sew along!!  I have not even gotten started!!!!  I do have my box of Autumn Jubilee fabrics and stuff from “last years project”; so once I have some time, I can get busy.

You see, I haven’t been in my sewing room in over a week, because I have been helping the hubby get ready to display a model railroad set up at the Apple Scrapple Festival this weekend in Bridgeville DE. The display will feature HO model trains and we are promoting the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club open house season coming up in November through January.

He has had me painting and adding various elements to the scenery.  We loaded the SUV last night with 8 boxes of scenery, two boxes of trains, a table, 2 folding chairs, 2 bar stools, a box of brochures, a raffle ticket box and donation box, 2 great raffle prizes, box cars to sell, and much more that I can’t even think about right now.  Once we get the train display all set up tonight, I will get a few pictures!  In the meantime, here is a sneak peak of some of the scenery I have been playing around with —

The school house is mounted to foam core board, and I have added a gravel parking lot and a green space between the building and what will be the edge of the train tracks.

Added lots of green to “plastic model trees” to give them a more realistic look.

Along side of the railroad track, I have some greenery going in next to the foam core board to “soften the edges”.   This piece of foam core was painted to give the appearance of concrete; for sidewalks and parking lots; then glued down to the layout.  The paint cans are to hold it down until dried.  Then the buildings will be placed after we transport to the set up location.  These buildings in the photo are not in position and have since been painted to give them a less “plastic” look.

This is “just a peek” at what I have been up to all week!  If you are in the area, be sure to stop by the Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville DE on Saturday and look for us in the Woodbridge Middle School Cafeteria!  (Listen for the train whistle!)http://www.applescrapple.com/

Happy 4 years!

Wow, can’t believe I have been a somewhat “active” blogger for 4 years. WordPress reminded me that I have written 351 posts; had 41,004 views from 21,859 visitors.  Gosh, I hope you have enjoyed something along the way!

My goal when I started the post was to share my projects, mostly in a journal style.  I ran out of “space” on the “free platform” for photo’s early this year and thanks to another blogger, Carole, I starting using FLICKR as my photo site and linking into the posts.

Once a year, I like to go back and “recap” my projects.  I find this helps me feel better about what I have been able to get completed. This year, I feel like I am staring at a lot of UFO’s. And, I am kind of like the person who sees something shiny, and gets distracted by the glitter of something new. I want to work hard at “finishing what I started” over the last 4 years.  But, I do want to play with some of the “shiny objects” that pop up!

Since I last wrote, I made a batch of “Thomas” pillowcases to sell at the DelMarVa Model Railroad Club open house. I was disappointed that only 3 actually sold last weekend.  I think I better come up with a better “display”.  It is not really a “craft” venue, more geared towards the train hobby and the trains running on the various layouts. But there are lots of little children coming in and out during the Open House, accompanied by Grandma’s.  I think I will “wrap” up a gift in a Thomas Pillowcase to showcase the possibilities.  Meanwhile, I won’t be making any more until I move some of the 13 I have left.

I haven’t been sewing since last Friday. On Saturday night I whacked and broke a toe, so I have been “grounded” to the recliner between visits to the doctor for examination etc.  The good news is, a toe will heal without much other care. It is buddy taped to it’s nearest toe and other than trying to stay off for a few day, it will be fine. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t worry with a doctor visit etc, but on Monday morning, I couldn’t put any weight on my foot and had to resort to a cane.  By today, I am well enough to leave the cane and just hobble. Hoping to maybe find my sewing room again! (I need a seam ripper from up there…as my handwork that I did under the influence of a pain pill leaves much to be desired!)

Before I go, let me again extend an invitation to visit —

and do check out some of the great video’s shot at this club –DelMarVa Model RR Club videos

Enjoy!  (And here is a more recent shot:  2015 Open House video

What’s on your plate today?

I’m up early, making lists in my head while I get through my first cup of coffee.

My plate is full this week, and will be for several more.  So many things going on and very little sewing again!  I am working on the “two sided” table runner, need to add borders to the Autumn side so it is equal in width to the Christmas side. That should be fairly easy to get finished if I get a few hours to work.  Maybe by Friday I can sneak some time for sewing in to my schedule!

I am coordinating a meal at church for Sunday for the congregation and need to put the list to paper.  It is a simple meal of hearty soups, salads, bread/rolls, drinks and desserts.

I have a soup to prepare (Chicken and dumplings) and all the salad.  There is an early morning grocery shopping trip planned for me today.  I am operating on faith that the sign up sheet was filled in by church members.  I haven’t been able to get back to the church and take a look.

I have to make a list of what needs “done” tomorrow.  It will all work out, but if I have a list, the little stuff doesn’t get forgotten.

I have a group here on Tuesday for a “quilt bee” and have to figure out what I am serving and make that shopping list too.  (And clean the house………). Then a meeting at church on Tuesday night.

Wednesday will be another “cooking day” prepping for the Thanksgiving meal….my job is the Cosmopolitan Cranberry Sauce, the Stuffing, and Apple pie.  Must check the recipes, ingredients on hand and make that shopping list too.  That will probably be an early morning trip on Wednesday. My stuffing has mushrooms and sausage in it, and I want them as fresh as possible.

Thanksgiving at my daughter’s house, with this little fun one! She is in the taste everything stage, and has just started to crawl.  I got to babysit yesterday and had fun on the floor with her.

Friday is the big “Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt” day.  And, I am not doing it this year.  I’m sure it will be fabulous, beautiful and fun, but I just can’t.  I have too many projects underway, to many quilt tops on hangers to quilt to start anything else.  It is a let down for sure after the excitement in the past 2 years. I will follow Bonnie and the  mystery quilt  on her blog and on Facebook and enjoy it from a distance.  There is another “quilt-along” that I am watching from a distance too –  Carole at From My Carolina Home has one called Scrap Dance Waltz Quilt along underway.  I’m tempted to do just a table runner.  Speaking of lists….I need to really put together a priority list for things I want to finish in the sewing room.  Poor Mittens the Cat still hangs on the design wall; with his last 9 rows waiting to be stitched.  Haven’t touched him since before I went to Texas to visit the grandkids a month ago. And then there are the 2 Bonnie Hunter projects from the classes in September; bins on the floor in front of the design wall.  Like I said….I am not starting any more mystery or quilt along projects!  (I think I will save the patterns for “down the road”).  My time in my sewing room has been mostly directed to the guild donations, sorting, ironing, folding, pricing etc. It is very time consuming and distracting to say the least. Hoping to make some headway there in the next few weeks with volunteers coming on various days.

The next 2 weekends I spend with my hubby and his model railroad club.  Last year I made a bunch of pillowcases to sell and they did well.  I have the fabric to do more “Thomas” ones, but haven’t gotten there yet either.  If you know anyone in the mid-Atlantic area who loves trains – share this flier  with them!  

I will be keeping the line moving in the door, with raffle tickets and scavenger hunt information!

So, the lists in my head are long, and woke me up before 5 today. (I was asleep early yesterday, as I was worn out from grandma duty ) I need another cup of coffee to get in gear as 6 am approaches.  I need a pen and paper to get those random thoughts written down before they escape my sleepy head.

What’s on your plate this weekend?

 

Building Blocks for Step 4 Scrap Dance Tango

It is amazing how much you can get done in an afternoon!  The parts are all in bins, ready to assemble.  Carol designed the steps in such a manner that we just had to assemble “already constructed parts” for this step.  Block A is completed- all 72 for a king size!

Hubby had a model railroad club “ops session” and was gone , and I took advantage of the time to get Step 4 for the Scrap Dance Tango Mystery Quilt completed.

Believe it or not, I even cooked dinner. Afterwards, I went back out to my sewing room and took all the blocks off the wall and put them back into their file trays, to wait for “next month”.  Remember, I still have a couple of boxes of “parts” ready to go!    I know I am in good shape for the Half Square Triangles.  How about this for a little math:  I made 1430 half square triangles.  In block A that I just completed, I have used 720 of them. The rest await the next step.  We also used 144  dark 2.5″ squares and 288 background 2.5″ squares.  I may have to do  a recount and see if I have all those solids  & neutral squares ready .

The king size might seem daunting, but I have to say, having it broken out into the steps is really working! Thanks Carole!

For scale reference, the Half Square  Triangles are 2.5″.

Pattern is by Carole on her blog From My Carolina Home

Oh, I did mention I am working on a baby quilt…..I finally have all the fabric prewashed, and have been working off and on all week to get it all starched and iron and ready for cutting.  I have 3 more pieces to tackle before the cutting begins.

As I was sewing yesterday, it was snowing!  Yes, my tulips are up, the daffodils have passed their peak, the iris are coming along nicely, the spring grass needs to be mowed, and we had wet huge snow flakes mixed with rain all afternoon.  Today, the sun shines, no snow stuck, and the grass is too wet to mow and we woke up to frost.  Spring has been fickle this year.    That is what we get for the 75 degree Christmas day we had!

Somehow, I don’t think I will get to sewing any skirts for my trip or doing any fun embroidery work on t-shirts either. Oh well, nobody cares what I am wearing on my cruise! My capris from last year won’t get worn this week anyway, so I can start pulling them out and getting them ready to pack.  I’m have way to much fun to fuss anyway!  One week from today I will be flying to California to meet up with my little sister before we board our ship on Monday for 15 days round trip to Hawaii. I am going to leave all the planning to her! The only non-fun is the 6 am flight on Sunday for a short hop to Philadelphia and thank goodness the flight west is NON-STOP and I will be asleep as much of that flight as possible!

What exciting plans do you have for this week??