Fat Sixteenths

I'm a skeptic. I'll admit it. I didn't think a fat sixteenth of fabric was very usable. Now, sixteen yards would be usable, but a fat sixteenth?

I've been seeing the Jolly Patches at The Fat Quarter Shop (link in my sidebar) for a long time now, but I don't think I've ever ordered one. Charm squares I understand. Fat quarters I understand. But fat sixteenths?

Well, I've got to say that now I'm a believer! Yesterday I started cutting the Peach Cobbler kit I mentioned back a few blogs. In the kit was this Jolly Patches roll.

http://tinyurl.com/2y6oxw

A fat sixteenth is a totally usable piece of fabric. It's 9 x 11. I can't tell you how many fat quarters I have floating around here that I only used half. And all those fat quarters that have missing hunks in them because I just needed one flower or six leaves for applique.

I don't know of a single quilt shop that will cut a fat sixteenth, or even an eighth yard, at least none around here. And most online shops have a minimum half-yard cut on fabrics. I've got a Jane Stickle quilt in the works (a really old UFO), and also am working on the applique blocks of another quilt. My friend is making the pieced blocks, and we're going to put them together into a quilt for her first granddaughter. In both of those quilts a fat quarter is way too much fabric, w-a-y too much! Fat sixteenths would have been perfect!

I needed 35 fat sixteenths for the Peach Cobbler pattern. There were 40 in the Jolly Patches roll. So I pulled five out that I know will be used in an applique project. Yep, I'm happy!

Something else ... those who know me well know that I hate cutting. Well, maybe that's a dramatic statement. I've been quilting for six years. The first four of them I had a shoulder that didn't work at all. So cutting was painful for me, so much so that I sort of learned to use the rotary cutter in my left hand. Although my shoulder is fine since the replacement, I haven't gotten over the cutting phobia. Yesterday I was faced with cutting six pieces from each of the 35 fat sixteenths. Yikes!

Having just worked on a Thimbleberries quilt, I remembered Lynette's suggestion about pressing two pieces of fabric together and cutting them at the same time. The pressing will make the fabrics stay together without slipping and sliding while you're cutting. So I did that yesterday and it works. This morning I wanted to finish cutting this pattern. I decided to try pressing three fat sixteenths together, and that worked great! I don't think I would try more than three, though. So I was on a cutting roll, and finished that job in short order!

I see a lot more fat sixteenths in my future! Gosh, if that light bulb had gone off in my feeble brain a long time ago, I might actually be able to fit all my stash in my stash room! Fat sixteenths - bring them on!!

As for the comments about the milking stool, I'm looking for a really small, condo friendly, house broken cow! ROFLOL. Oh, and excuse the darkish picture. It was late last night when I took it.

Gratitudes:

~ Fat sixteenths!!
~ Another project on its way to being completed
~ Looking forward to my new applique project starting tomorrow
~ Barbecued dinner last night
~ Emails!

Edit: I deleted a comment I made about a fat sixteenth being half of a fat quarter - because Jane corrected me when I got out to her house last night. A fat sixteenth is 9x11. A fat eighth is 9x22. So a fat sixteenth is half of a fat eighth. Confused? I was! This is, after all, higher math!! Thanks Jane!!

Why, You Ask?

And I answer, "Just because."

Jane and I went antiqueing again, as you can probably tell. I found two textile bobbins, we each found a darner, and I also found a neat metal hammered heart. But the ultimate find was the milking stool! ROFLOL. I have no idea where it'll go, but it will be somewhere in the living room. I think it will make a great conversation piece, don't you?

We had such a good time today. We stopped by a quilt shop, and then headed over to this huge antique store. They chased us out of there at closing time before we could even explore the whole place. We're already planning to go back maybe next weekend! I think there are a couple of big wooden hand-hewn bowls which might follow me home next time. Oh, and we had to stop at Bert & Rocky's ice cream joint on the way home! It's a good thing we didn't have a certain someone's address - or we would have crashed her slumber/sewing party!

This teeny cut on my finger is awfully sore. It's right up against my nail. I must have cut into a vein judging by the way it bled. My lip is still hurting a bit, but the ice cream helped that a lot!

I started cutting out Peach Cobbler quilt kit from the Fat Quarter Shop before Jane got here. It's going to sew together really fast. The fabric is yummy, just like peach cobbler. That reminds me - I need to eat some real food tonight. Guess I need to go through some drive-thru or other where they won't understand a word that comes out of this Cajun mouth!

Gratitudes:

~ The joy of spending the day with a good friend!
~ Laughing a lot at things we saw today!
~ Seeing more old sewing buddies at that quilt shop.
~ Wonderful candles
~ Absolutely gorgeous fall weather!

Not Worth the Bullet

Another of my dad's famous saying, "I'm not worth the bullet it'd take to shoot me."

The quilty blog will have to wait until tomorrow because:

~ I sliced the bejeebers out of my finger right before I left the office. One of those metal file clasps. Just took the Band-Aid off to check it and bled all over my shirt.

~ Eating my usual nutrious dinner of whatever I could find in the house. Tonight cashews and grits. Don't ask. Bit the inside of my bottom lip, and bled all over my shirt - again.

I'm going to bed. Just needed to whine and get some sympathy. Did it work? LOL

testing testing testing

Well, I guess it's working on Blogger, but I can't post anywhere else. I'm so disgusted with this same problem over and over and over again - that I could just scream. Sorry.

Oh, yeah, this is the first block of Strawberry Hill prepped and ready to needle turn.

Strawberry Hill

My next project: http://tinyurl.com/26h4yw Did I already say I love Anne Sutton's Bunny Hill patterns?

My online group has a new October challenge -- make a needleturn applique block. So I decided to start a whole new project. Typical! You don't have to say it. I already know that's how I end up with so many UFOs! LOL. But the quilt shown on the pattern is made from the Folklorique line. I've got enough of that stuff to make three or four quilts. So might as well untie one of those towers that I tend to hoard and put it to good use. I've started prepping the first block. Well, actually I started with Block #5, the big house block in the middle. Hopefully the quilt will be done in time to put out for Easter.

I'm having so much fun with this holiday stuff. I'm waiting for my next All Things Christmas block from the Fat Quarter Shop. I got a notification that something shipped today. Maybe that was it. Only two more blocks on that one, and the scalloped borders. Definitely will get that one finished as the blocks come in. The pumpkin quilt has stalled on four blocks. But this weekend I want to get the next two blocks prepped and ready to needle. So it looks like I've got Christmas, the fall and Easter covered! Just finished the Halloween top. Isn't this fun? LOL But I must make that Mardi Gras wallhanging. I don't think I'm allowed to post just the fabric again on next Mardi Gras!

I'm going to be car shopping in the next couple of weeks. I hate the thought of that. Ugh! Wish me luck!

Let's see. What else?

Oh, I'm feeling still kind of mediocre. Not sick, but not well. The crud is swirling all around me, but I'm drinking a quart of orange juice a day and washing my hands a million times a day, taking Tylenol. I truly hope I don't get sick. Maybe my poor old body will fight this one off.

But the most important thing in the whole wide world - the giterdun is done or nearly done. Did you seen the pink/green monster on Judy's machine? That's it. Okay, confession time! I was so sick of that thing. I mean, every time I looked at it, my stomach got upset. So I asked Judy if she could get the borders on it for me. She said YES! Boy, you've never seen me ever package up anything so fast! She's been awfully kind and saying she doesn't hate it and all, but I know she really does. And then it was so huge that it barely fit on her machine. She'll have to explain how she made it fit. I know I was pushing the envelope on our friendship by asking her to do that, and I hope she knows how grateful I am to her! Judy, if there's ANYTHING I can EVER do for you, all you have to do is ask! I OWE YOU BIG TIME! ILY!!

So that's it from my little corner of the universe. Nothing exciting at all. Hopefully I'll have a picture of some recent quilty accomplishment in the next few days. If not, stay tuned!

Gratitudes:

~ A good decision.
~ Friends.
~ Family
~ Work.
~ Daisy dog.

Top Finished

This is the completed Spooky Nights top. I should have laid it on the floor - so you couldn't see my quilty stuff spread all over the place! LOL

Sewing, Grand Openings and Ponderings

What a loaded title line! This weekend has been quiet. I've done a bit of sewing, applique prep, and just basically taking it easy, trying to feel better, and enjoying the moist, cool weather. I was offline yesterday until very late in the day. That happens when it rains. I guess it's a good thing it doesn't rain here often! To get the chill out of the house, I lit the fireplace and snuggled up next to Daisy on the sofa to prep some applique. If you're looking for a nice light, feel-good movie, check out "The Holiday." We enjoyed watching it.

Spooky Nights is assembled. I had a tough time, as usual, with this setting. I don't know why my brain scrambles when figuring out those corners. I actually unsewed a whole row, only to realize I had done it correctly the first time. (sigh) But I think it turned out cute! Will post a picture a little later. I forgot to recharge my camera batteries.

And the box is unpacked. Lots of borders and backings for jelly rolls and charms. It's time to start sewing some of those up! And three kits - I poked those buttons because I want to do easy stuff for the rest of the year. After seeing the peach cobbler recipe at Anne Sutton's site, http://bunnyhill.blogspot.com/ I want to work on this one first! http://tinyurl.com/375wno
Can't you just smell that peach cobbler baking in the oven? And isn't this pattern and fabric just gorgeous! Beautiful and easy! Yes!!

The ponderings - just had my hand slapped while trying to reach out to someone. I know that someday the truth will come to light. It always does. Until then, I'm comfortable with the fact that I tried, but I'm now done trying. The venom and poison spewing forth from a hateful, twisted soul continues. Nothing I can do will change that.

Had a nice long chat with a friend last night. We haven't talked in like forever. We say "hi" on our online group forum, but it's special when we actually get to talk. And, yes, I was sleeping when you called! LOL. But thanks for calling me back with the time so I could set my clocks! The electricity went off for a while! Everything was blinking at me! The microwave is dead as a doornail (I need to look up the origin of that phrase) after the power outage. I wonder if there's a reset button somewhere on it. Guess I'll have to call for maintenance to come by. That's the good part about renting! LOL.

Off to see what other sewing trouble I can get into today. The slug I call a dog is snoozing loudly. Maybe I need to turn on some music to drown her out! But maybe she has the right idea! Maybe a nap at 9:30 a.m. is in order for me, too!

Gratitudes:

~ "Autumn Wreath" Yankee candle. Thank you, Jane!

~ Bacon and eggs for dinner last night. Comfort food!

~ The giterdun is loaded on Judy's longarm as we speak! More on that later.

~ Feeling peaceful