This 'n That

 After 3 days of retreat sewing, I spent very little time in the sewing room this week.  But one of the small projects I worked on was the first 2 blocks for the Farmer's Wife Sampler sew-along I'm doing.  This is Contrary Wife (#21) and Country Farm (#23) made from scraps from Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots projects.  We'll be challenged with 2 new blocks from the book each Monday.  I'm also rereading the stories in the book for each block as we make the blocks.  

This sew-along is with a small closed Facebook group I'm a part of.  I was invited and joined in a few years ago when the group was working through the blocks in the first Farm Girl Vintage book.  And what a really warm and genuinely caring group of gals!  We've also done a couple of secret sister type of swaps within the group, including a sock swap this winter.  It's a totally optional group activity but keeps us motivated plus it will be fun to see what fabric choices each makes.  

My iron died with a little puff of black smoke on the first day of the retreat last weekend.  Well, a new one has been purchased but I'm reserving final judgement until I've used it a bit longer.  My old iron was a Black and Decker Pro and was at least 15 years old.  Considering how many times it was knocked off the ironing board (by the cat or by me) over the years, it's really amazing that it lasted so long.  But I loved that iron!

I chose another Black and Decker in the $25 range.  I don't use water in them, so the steam feature is there but not relevant to me.  This one has an automatic sensor to heat whenever it is moved.  And it turns off after 30 seconds if flat and 8 minutes if vertical.  Do I trust that?  I'm not sure yet.  The weight is good, but it has a "duck bill" tip that sticks out so far and I have had trouble with that tip causing me trouble with wrinkles.  So, we'll see if I keep using it.

For the retreat, each of us brought 9 fat quarters to use in a game of Left, Right, Center.  I came home with 43 fat quarters!  Yup - I was one of the 2 lucky winners.  We joked about bringing our least favorite or ugliest fat quarters, but honestly there are lots of really fun and fabulous ones in this collection.

I noticed that when I posted about my retreat sewing, the 4 pillowcases I made were neglected. Prior to the retreat I kitted up these for a quick finish.  The 2 Quilt of Valor presentation pillowcases are made with a dog tag fabric that honors Air Force.  I just purchased some of the Army version on Tuesday.  We'll have to be careful to use them for the correct veterans. 

The other 2 pillowcases are Harry Potter for Mason, and a very pink unicorn one that has gone into the donation pile of pillowcases.