SAL Times Three!

I have the blocks for row 3 of the Temecula SAL all made.

Row 4 blocks are cut and on design boards awaiting stitching. By the time you read this I'm guessing they will have posted row 5.

I've sewn up a handful of little 9-patch blocks for the SAL Cheri will be posting next week. She says there will be three little quilts, using a total of 52 9-patches. I only plan on doing the two smaller quilts, so I didn't do that many. I do have my limits (yeah, right).

My Simply Charming Every Other Month Mini Sew-Along quilt is finally quilted. 

It just needs the binding stitched down by hand and I have bartered with a neighbor to do that for me on a couple of little quilts. I'll be dropping it off to her tomorrow and picking up another one she just finished.

Lately I have been repurposing wool clothing from thrift stores, getting ready to do more wool applique. Thanks to advice from my friend, Gayle (whom I have yet to meet, though we are less than 1 1/2 hours away from each other), I have had wonderful success felting and then dyeing some of the wool with Kool Aid. Wednesday I had three large stock pots on the stove, each with a different color of Kool Aid, and I felt like a mad scientist, or a wicked witch stirring my cauldrons. : )

This shows you some of my results. On the right are the original wool colors and left of them you see the results after a Kool Aid bath. Sometimes I am just trying to muddy a "too bright" color and others I am trying to change completely.

I brought home another bag of thrift store wool today and a fresh supply of Kool Aid. Can't wait to try some new color combinations. I also need to get prepping the wool for the first little project I want to try. I've done two snowmen blocks from my class with Lisa Bongean. Now I want to make the little pattern we were gifted at the dinner/trunk show, but I needed some navy blue wool. Took care of that today, so other than a million other projects in line ahead of it, and no time to get to it, I have no excuse for not getting started.

I want to show you something in my sewing room. This Bernina is about 60 years old. It was my Mother's machine and the one on which I learned to sew. Mom made most of my clothes on it when I was little and I made most of my clothing on it when I was in high school. About 10 years ago Mom got a new machine and wondered if anyone wanted this one. I jumped at the chance. It runs just fine, but I haven't had a place to put it in its cabinet until recent changes in my sewing room, which I will save for another post. See the pretty spool pin doily on it? That was a sweet little Valentine surprise from my friend Mary (who lives two states away, but I have met her).

And just in case you think it is "Springtime In The Rockies," this is the view from my house this week, with three more storms in the 7 day forecast.

Stitch on,

Janet O.