Applique Tuesday is Sick Tuesday

First, if you're here for the giveaways for my 5th Blog Year Annivesary, go here.  Five great giveaways end Thursday, midnight.

Here's what I started last Wednesday - and didn't get far due to picking up a bug from one of the grands. At least I'm thinking it was one of them as their Daddy is sick with the same thing, too.

I'm making baskets for my hexie flowers project.  More on that Friday.  Back to lie down and use the inhaler, antibiotics, cough surppressant, and fever reliever Kaiser gave me.  Please leave a comment so I can enjoy your eye candy.  Stay healthy.

Design Wall Monday

First, if you're here for the giveaways for my 5th Blog Year Annivesary, go here.  Five great giveaways end Thursday, midnight.

On my design wall is my mystery quilt from the guild retreat.  As you see it I still have to attach the top and bottom rows and the top will be done.  And yes it is sandwiched as I'm doing this quilt as you go.

 Now for the problems .  Looking at the photo below, you can see the back is too small on two sides.  This is because of two things. When I laid the center row on top of the batting and back I seem to be almost two inches too to the right of center.  What they say about measure twice and cut once also relates to this.  But the biggest problem is that when I cut the flannel back I did so before I washed it.  I though I had left plenty around each edge - 2 1/2 to 3 inches more. Well, it shrunk and I'll never cut backing from flannel again if it hasn't been shrunk.  

I'm hoping St Anne's cupboard has another piece of this to sew on three sides (after I've washed it that is).  If not, I'll have to add a piece of something else all around to finish this off. Until then no more work can be done on this piece other than sew the two rows on.

What's on your design wall?  I'm linking over to Judy's Patchwork Times, Esther's WoW, and Lyn's BOMs Away for now.

Stash Report and Octopus!

First, if you're here for the giveaways for my 5th Blog Year Annivesary, go here.  Five great giveaways end Thursday, midnight.

Octopus?  Octopus agave that is.  Coming home a recent Sunday from mass, my DH and I noticed that the   octopus agave planted stree side was sending out a stalk.

We were both quite surprised because his older brother isn't showing any signs of doing so.

This one really looks like an octopus. He's twice the size of the other.

I've been inside the better part of the last two weeks. Imagine my astonishment this morning again coming home from church, I see it's grown to near 12 feet.  We believe it will have yellow flowers and then maybe bulbils (small plantlets). Then DH will dig it out as that's the end of them, once they bloom.
And here's a bouquet from my poor neglected garden:

Maybe next week when it's suppose to warm up and this cough is gone, I'll be able to go out there and do something.

Now for my stash report.  Used a fat quarter for that napkin you saw in the Applique Tuesday Post, and another for this month's Block Lotto block (that's really a dark green in the center). 

 I also used 2 1/4 yards for that receiving blanket and a 1/2 yard for the background of the hexie piece I'm working on  for a total of 3.25 yards out.  I'm linking to Judy's Stash Reports on Patchwork Times.  See you there.  Oh and new numbers on right sidebar. Not bad for week 9 of 2014.