Hello August!

Here we are - August! Oh my, what kind of mischief can I find this month? *wink*

As promised in the last post, I have compiled my July collage. For some reason, I have felt that I've not been sewing and quilting as much as I'd like, but while I have only one finish for the month, I did quite a bit of handwork which is naturally slower. 

So what have we here? Top row: Early in the month, we took a 3-day trip to Gibbs Garden in Ball Ground, GA. While on that car trip, I began working on the Lake Effect center panel; and for two weeks, we cat-sat for Rocky, our daughter's cat.

Middle row: We spent all of a Monday power washing the back of our house which had gotten extremely discolored since we last did the job. Yes, I did take my turn on that ladder, and yes, I was sufficiently exhausted by day's end. In the middle, My sister Sandy and I, after having spent a day shopping together, something we rarely do. And something I hope we find time to repeat. A niece and nephew (Evelyn and Eli) came with their parents for a family get-together and they enjoyed riding DH's Can-Am Spyder with their dad.

Bottom row: My one - ONE! - finish for the month was the ticking bedspread for one of our extra bedrooms. I added pillows to complete the look. The UFO called Six Degrees got derailed by a fabric shortage, but it is very close, and I am actively searching out a FQ for a quick finish. Finally, my niece Abby came to help me make a slipcover for an old and very dirty chair. She has plans to do her sofa and wanted a practice round before tackling that big project. Her mom (Sandy) came, too, to 'supervise.'

Now, I wonder what August will bring? School starts back up for me on the 26th; between now and then I hope I can make some headway on some beauties from the massive stash.

First, I will definitely continue working on Lake Effect. I have found renewed energy for this project since discovering the ease of back-basting applique. This is a HUGE discovery for my progress on Lake Effect.

I have wanted to make a Kaffe Fassett quilt and a red and white quilt. I am confident I could pick easy patterns and do both, so we shall see.

I have several quilt tops that I need to quilt, and that leads me to thinking about my long arm. It has been down for a few months, and I really have to force myself to get it going so that I can tic some necessary items off my list - 3 t-shirt quilts (commissions), one baby quilt, and one wedding quilt. These are absolutely must-do items.

Lots of words today, and few pictures. Hopefully I can remedy that tomorrow!

Happy Quilting, Friends!