Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Housekeeping!!

Pieced borders are on!! This was quite a bit of piecing...made much easier due to the 1.5 inch squares already being cut and ready to assemble. I just love this quilt so much better with this border on. It seems to have squared it up and made it more "solid"...lots of seams to give it some bulk. There is another border to add, just a plain one...another piecing day. I just want to admire all those little bitty squares for a little while. Or do you think it could go without the outside border?
I know lots of you remember the Soot and Ashes blocks by Cheryl...I fell in love with them! and decided to experiment with the setting...how about this?? Maybe something in the setting with flying geese...they are flying over our home, going south. I love to hear their honking, calling to friends and loved ones in the great triangles in the sky.


************************Housekeeping*************************


I would love to have some knowledge from you about this subject. On Mondays, I vacuum, sweep and mop, empty trash, clean mirrors, purge magazines, dust, and change all the sheets. I spend lots of time each day cleaning house, it seems...chores, chores, chores! Which I do not mind in the least, my family deserves a clean and tidy home...but I never say a tombstone that read "Ethel, remembered for being a great housekeeper"! Hmmmm...what do you think about this, and how do you do it? How do you keep up??? Please give me some thoughts, if you please!!

I am sitting here typing this, and Rosie the tiny poodle is on my lap. I can feel her little heart beating against my lap...she is a warm bundle of love, so alive and vibrant.


Have a great day!

Julie

39 comments:

Caron at Michigan Quilts said...

I love your quilt, and I'd put a border of the green around the outside. It's gorgeous!

Jean said...

I'd audition the red or the green for the outside, but I just wanted to say I love, love the blocks around the outside. They make it for me.

Quilter Kathy said...

Your forest could have a border but it is just as wonderful without one!
Re: cleaning...I have no system or regular way of organizing the house. I usually just deal with the disasters as they arise and keep everything else as tidy as possible...then do a cleaning whenever I have a chunk of time, which isn't very often :)

Andrea said...

What a beauty - lovely as it is but maybe another border will frame it. No hard and fast rules about cleaning. I could not live in a dirty home so keep it as clean as possible - however I'm certainly not obsessive - dust never killed anyone. I try and do a major clean every so often - cleaning kitchen cupboards out and so on. But oh boy - the laundry is never ending. When my 2 teenagers up and leave eventually one thing I will not miss is the huge amounts of stuff they go through.

Elaine Adair said...

Housekeeping? I now understand why old ladies often have homes filled with debris, and everything is slightly gray and dingy. For me, it seems less and less important to keep things neat and tidy, spending energy cleaning when one gets older, and when one wants to use that energy for something FUN. My house is kinda picked up, but I have discarded, eliminated, and given away a LOT of things, just so I don't have to keep taking care of them. Instead of every other day vacuuming, it's more like every other WEEK vacuuming, etc. Much more fun to sew.

Jane said...

I am apparently utterly, completely unable to keep up...with no job or children. I can't believe how much you do!

Angie said...

Ah Julie, I love how your tree quilt is turning out!! It's fabulous! As far as housekeeping---well, I'm with Jane, I just cannot keep up. LOL And I'm almost past the point of apologizing for it too. *g* I would much rather feel that 'little heart beat of love' on my lap, or playing with fabric, or playing outside in the dirt, digging holes, planting shrubs, watching the birds, you name it...I'd rather do just about ANYTHING but clean house!! ROFL

Amy said...

Julie, I love your quilt, it is really amazing. On the housecleaning angle, my solution is to clean it if it bothers me, let it go if it doesn't!

Anonymous said...

Oh the tree quilt is so beautiful!!!

KaHolly said...

OMG! What a transformation with that border!!! I think another border to frame it in should be considered, but the binding just might serve the same purpose. Housework? When the sun is shining exactly right, I clean what it shows! I'd rather sew! ~karen

Wonky Girl said...

Been enjoying watching your quilt top grow. I like the last blocks you put all around and think a solid looking TOT would frame it nicely.
Housework? Fibromyalgia keeps me down a lot so cleaning is last on my list. I may be looking for cleaning help soon.

Loris said...

Love all those tiny squares :-) I agree with the green border idea to frame it. What a great job!
You also do a great job keeping your house up..amazing! We clean in spurts around my house. No kids here but alot of dog hair to vacuum so that gets done more consistently.

Stephanie D said...

Jack loves when we plan to have folks over--the house gets realllllly clean then. Or, if it's Hallowe'en, I just throw a white sheet over everything I can, and switch the light bulbs to blue or green or dim so the rest doesn't show.

It's a pity that only comes once a year....

Jeanne said...

It just keeps getting better!

Paula, the quilter said...

That border just MADE the quilt! Now another plain border to stop the eye would be good too. Housecleaning? I work outside the home, hubby is retired disabled. I can't keep it clean. I try, but I have almost given up. Life on a dirt road and living with a slob have made me relax in the cleaning dept.

Pat said...

I think the binding would be frame enough for the quilt. As for housecleaning, I just try to schedule folks to come over about once a month and that's when I get things back in order. In between that, I only do things that bother me. There are too many other things I want to do and not enough time to do them, so I have learned that it doesn't pay me to be a slave to the house!

A Garden of Threads said...

I love the pieced border, I think one more plain border would be great; twice the size of the pieced. Housekeeping???? I keep everything simple so when I have to dust or vacumm it does not take long. Bathrooms are my main issue, hate a dirty 'poopoo'.

Darlene said...

I love it, Julie! I think a simple binding would give it a fabulous frame.

Donna S. said...

Love the quilt!! I do the cleaning in 2-3 hours like you do, then keep laundry, dishes & straightening up done during the week. But, I am not nearly as picky as I used to be!! :)

Lori said...

The extra pieced border really makes the quilt even more appealing! Yes! Worth all the effort!!
I like what you are doing with the soot and ashes:) You always have good ideas!!
I have to say I love my kids but wow, it's nice to come home to a house that looks the same when I left!! I don't have to do near as much cleaning or laundry. I used to have a daily/weekly schedule and chose one day to dive in and scrub.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Your killing me! Everyday I check out your tree quilt and love it more. I just love the pieced border. At first I was going to say no more borders, but I think you do need it after I thought about it. Do you have more green? I think the green would be wonderful.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh I forgot - housework - Whats that!!!!

Just Ramblin' said...

Love the pieced borders. It really makes the quilt. I have no real system for cleaning. Just know that I can't play in my sewing room until things are straightened up. Once that's done I feel free to mess it all up again. LOL Nola

Ali Honey said...

That border is just right!

Denise in PA said...

I try to audition a border, but not sure it needs it. Love that quilt! Cleaning? I'd rather sew and with working full time, not a lot of cleaning gets done. Friday nights or Sunday I always make sure to deep clean the bathroom and vacuum. Dusting gets done every two weeks and other stuff when it absolutely has to be done. Dishes always get done immediately and my kitchen is always kept pretty clean and I don't let things pile up in the "main" areas of the house. The other rooms and closets - well, watch out!

Finn said...

I love the quilt Julie! Great job on getting this far so quickly! I think dealers choice on another border or not. It works either way. If you need it bigger, add a border, if not, binding will do.
Great idea for the Soot and Ashers. I love using "stuff" as centers in that Sawtooth Star, really work well for those blocks also!
Don't care to discuss cleaning..might spoil my day...LOL
Hugs, Finnie xxxx

Julia said...

I love it as it is Julie..
Housekeeping...as I see it needs it..rather be sewing!
Julia ♥

Sharon said...

Love the border...so much work, but so worth it. I would add another border, but would have to audition the fabric first. It looks great the way it is, too!
Housework????? As needed, and I keep it picked up and tidy, vacuum, mop and dust on my day off, then I play! I would rather do yard work anyway!

Teresa said...

That is one gorgeous quilt! I think the checkered border. I know how difficult that can be to keep it all square and you seem to have got it just right.

House cleaning is so much eaiser now that it is just the hubby and I. I work outside the home, so we do what we can as a team to keep it "sanitary" if not neat and tidy.

House of Mouse said...

Julie,
I like the quilt just the way it is and I think a red or green binding would be enough to finish it off. As always, great job..great quilt. Can't help you with the cleaning thing...mine stays straightened up, but by no means spotless. Hubby is home all day and does keep it straightened out.

Anett

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

I love your quilt. I can't believe you added the border so quickly - all those little squares!

Leanne said...

That is stunning.

I wanna make one of these!

Love Leanne

Mystica said...

I seem to be permanently cooking!

Jan said...

Love how your trees quilt turned out. Maybe a border in green? Although I do like it the way it is now!! As to cleaning, I try very hard to keep things up, but it seems less important to keep it spotless every day!!

AnnieO said...

I'm liking it just as it is, but I may be biased since I just put a similar border on my bowtie quilt! I did stay-stitch about 1/8" in my pieced border to keep the seams from possibly opening up when I sewed the binding on, which worked well.

Housecleaning? Well, I have much lower standards than you and I have a husband who is willing to do lots of housekeeping chores! Can you cut back to once every two weeks on some of your chores?

Wendy said...

I love the border and another border of green would really frame it. Your idea with the Soot and Ashes blocks is really neat. Re Cleaning. I keep my house fairly clean but don't keep a regular schedule. If I see something needing attention I do it and spend the rest of the time doing fun things. Nobody remembers you for a clean house.

Leanne said...

I am amazed at how quickly you make a quilt with a gazillion pieces in it. I love the border. NOW house work is over rated in my books. I hate it I wouldn't mind it if my house stayed clean for longer than one day but Lucas comes home with his plumbers gear on and there is dirt on the clean floors and the bathroom looks like I never cleaned it. My 2 Jack Russells shed fur constantly. I could go on. I have taught my family never move any pictures..... then you don't notice the dust so much and if you do put it back down in the same place LOL. I am a hopeless house keeper tooooooo many other things to do and enjoy. They will never put anything on my head stone about a clean house I can assure you of that.

Texan said...

I really like the border!!! and the quilt!!

well on the house cleaning, I do not do as much cleaning as I used to. My house is not filthy lol but is it as clean as I used to keep it. No... I have managed to cut back on "stuff" in the house as well and that makes it need a bit less cleaning in its self...I have tried to reach a medium road with it. I am with you I don't think anyone ever left this earth saying, I wish I had spent more time cleaning LOL...I guess just ask yourself does this realllllly need doing or can it wait? My DH is actually happier since I relaxed on the house cleaning he tells me :O).

Susan said...

That quilt is WONDERFUL. You should be so proud of yourself. I have not dared to try that one yet but it does look worth the effort.

About the cleaning....... I subscribe to the Fly Lady's method of cleaning......... http://www.flylady.net/

I don't follow it to the letter but I have adjusted it to suit my schedule better. I am amazed at how little time I spend these days taking care of the home but it still looks good and is clean.

Puffins and purples!!

I was tempted by Puffins...a squirrelly breed!!  LOL!  This fabric was shared with me, and I have been loved these bright, candy corn colors...