Random Notions – Checking in

Thought I would just pop in and ask, “Is it hot enough for you?”  Argh, I hate the heat!  My clock has an outside temperature reading – the sensor is in the backyard in the shade.  This is what it said the other day-

I don’t care what The Weather Channel tells you – they lie, and especially about Las Vegas.  I mean, would you plan a visit to Las Vegas in the summer if you read that the temperatures would be in the 130’s in the shade at 6 in the evening?  I wish I had seen it earlier because it had to have been higher around noon – 2pm.  This is no glitch – there are 3 other clocks like this in the house that read the same at this time, and at other times of the day, like early morning and late evening, they pretty much match what the Weather Channel says.  Is it any wonder that I always feel like I am melting?

I have been trying to work on the outer space quilt for a friend’s grandson.  The problem is, in order to quilt, I need to be able to iron.  I hate to put more heat into an already hot room.  Plus the only place I currently have for the iron is next to the window.  There is an insulated black out curtain up, but as soon as you get within about 6 feet of the window, you can really feel the heat – the window is on the second floor and faces directly west.  I have a Mylar curtain to hang, but there is only one panel and it is too long, so I have to sew a pocket along the side – it will cover more of the window turned that way.  I like the Mylar panels – they really work, letting some light in and allowing you to see out, during the day, but after you have them hanging in a hot window for a couple of years, they start to disintegrate.  The last ones I had up there turned to tiny bits of silver all over the sill and floor after 2 years.  But still, I guess 2 years is a pretty good run for plastic in the direct sun, right?

So everything is kind of slow going right now.  For the outer space quilt, I decided to use a variation of the log cabin block, with fussy cut centers.  I have loads of outer space materials, so I just started cutting and this is what I have so far-

They really came out crooked.  I was shooting for 7 ½” square, but I think I will square them all to 7” before I continue on.  There are about 10 different fabrics in there so far, and I will be adding a couple more as I go.

I also need to make my block for the BOM I’m working on through Craftsy.  It’s a Tumbling Blocks block, something I have never done before, so I am anxious to get it done.

After that, I will be making another kaleidoscope quilt for a gift in September.  It will also be predominately blue like Mom’s.  I need to get it done kind of quick so I can get it to the longarmer in time to get it finished up by the middle of September.

And speaking of kaleidoscope quilts – the green and brown one I made for Alexis- I got the backing fabric for it and pieced it to make it fit, only to find out I cut it short and wound up having to add an 8 inch strip down one side!  I was so annoyed – I have no idea what I was thinking!

A few weeks ago I got new hummingbird feeders for the back yard.  I used that nectar mix you can buy just about anywhere and hung them and waited – no hummers!  I finally tried a good old fashioned mix of sugar and water and now they are showing up!  Of course, there is one bully who runs all the others off – here he is- 

I was shooting against the light so I really had to lighten them up to get any detail.  One of these mornings I need to go out really early so I can shoot from the right angle.

And that’s about it for me right now.  Have a fun and safe 4^th of July!