Lala, RSC & Books.... Oh My! ~ S&T - 9/7/26

The saying goes... "Don't pray for patience... for you will be given ample opportunity to practice it!"  

Waiting for... anything can be frustrating... I won't bore you with many details, but we were excited to see the workers for the HVAC system arrive Monday morning.  They and Dave worked all day getting ductwork in place.  It was a dirty, messy job in the crawlspace and I was certainly glad that I didn't need to be up there.  And the fact that there were 3 men in the space that in some areas is only 15-18" deep, I know it was cramped.  Though from what I heard through the living room floor, there was no grumbling or complaint!  Just three men working together sharing tools and equipment in order to get the ducts installed.  Whoop! Whoop!

After lunch the workspace was in the basement and a much more comfortable space.  By the end of the day, we had the furnace tested successfully!  

And then we waited... for 3 full days.  We have lives!  We had to pass on a social event/brunch to reunite with friends that were in town for a visit because we were afraid to miss the workers or ask them to wait for our return.

As we waited (impatiently) I was in the studio.  I have to ask you to be patient to see the fruits of my labor after the Sew & Tell feature...  

Jeanna at Slammin' the Screen Door joined the Sew & Tell party for the first time and shared her table runner.  "Freshly Picked is a project from a Fat Quarter Shop Sew Sampler Box. I was a subscriber many years ago. Most of the Sew Sampler projects that I knew I would never make were sold on a destash FB page a long time ago. I saved a few favorites for myself and charitable donations." 

Be sure to visit her blog to see details of the quilting and to learn a little about her!  I feel like I have a new friend! :)

Thanks for being patient. :D  Patience is a virtue, they say.  LOL!  Since work was actually being done on Monday, my plans to drive over the pass to Raton, NM for Aurifil thread were postponed.  Instead, I worked with my Rainbow Scrap Wonky Star blocks.  I put them up on the design wall and fiddled with them until I was happy with the flow of color and a sort of ombre look with most of the "negative" blocks at the outer edges.  

As I sewed the blocks together, I started considering a border.  I wanted something to reflect the patchwork blocks, but I wanted a light border so that the binding I have will stand out... This is what I ended up with!  I'm not sure if I want a striped binding or if I'll use the "other side" of the binding.  I don't need to make the decision now... TBD.  

Binding for the RSC Quilt!

I finally gave up waiting around and headed out Tuesday afternoon, leaving Dave in charge of the homefront, to get my thread.  I really, really needed to get quilting on Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain.  This week I will be offering the final step - the finishing step - of the quilt and a final family story.  There will be a linky party for those that wish to link up for a chance to win a little prize box.  Erin D. shared her finished quilt.  Isn't it lovely! 😍 I've seen some progress from others as well!

I will never tire of seeing how individuals choose to make their quilts so unique all while following the same patterns.  It's a little like sending the kids off to college to figure out who they really are. 💗

As I've been at my machine I have enjoyed several books... 

Finding Our Forever was an adoption story... the main character hired help to locate her birth mother.  She applies for a job at the ranch that her mother owns and falls in love... but will her secret ruin her future when she finally shares the secret with her fiancée and mother?  

The Women of Pearl Island was a fantasy type story set on a secluded island off the British coast.  It was described as a moving and evocative story of family secrets, natural wonders and a mystery spanning decades.  Not one of my favorite styles, but I did enjoy the historical setting.

My last book was Virgin River.  I enjoyed the series several years ago when we had Netflix so I knew that I would enjoy the book.  

It was easy listening entertainment (and familiar story) as I made the diagonal stair-step quilting across Lala's Quilt.  Will I be able to have the quilting done by the end of Wednesday so that I can share it in the final post of the sew along???  Fingers crossed!  You know where you can find me.  LOL!

Seventy-two books and 72 blocks... and nearly 4 months to go.  Does anyone want to guess how many I might end up with by the end of the year?  Should I start a pool? ;)

FINALLLLLLY!  The person certified in connecting the AC unit arrived on Friday!!!  We are fully operating and cooling but there is still a little more work to be done in exhausting the furnace to the chimney... and then getting the piles and piles of "stuff" put back in the proper places.  

I have several books in queue for the coming week... but only one task to be accomplished in the studio.  After mid-week, finished quilt or not, I'll be focused on getting ready for a road trip.  We haven't traveled since July!  It's been too long... and we are more than ready for it.

We will be headed to the Chicagoland area for Dave's 45th HS reunion.  We are allowing ourselves three days to get there, spend the weekend with his classmates and a few family members and then return with a couple stops along the way.  We changed our minds on making the trip to visit the Ark and Creation Museum and will make that on another trip.  We'll stop at Kansas City - Missouri or Kansas has not been determined - and then on to Little Jerusalem State Park in western Kansas.

Are there any stops we need to make along the way???

Do you know of any "must see" attractions?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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