Sunday, August 20, 2017

Can This Be Fixed?

I just bought a brand new large cutting mat with my Joanne's 60% off coupon and was heartbroken to find that leaving it in a hot car totally warped it.  And now it's stuck in this shape.  Short of putting it back into a really hot car with heavy things sitting on top of it in the trunk, I'm not sure if this can be salvaged.  Has this happened to anybody else?  Any suggestions on what to do with it?

This was supposed to be the week we moved into our house, or at least started moving things in but there has been a delay due to so many of the subcontractors being overbooked and not coming when they said they would.   It has been 2 weeks since I've written a blog post and even more than that since I have sewed anything so I finally couldn't take it anymore. 

Cramped trailer or not, I started cutting and sewing up Kenzi's quilt.  It will be made up with nothing but 1", 2", and 3" finished strips.  Here is a sample picture of the design she wants.

And here are the strips from the fabrics she chose all cut up and ready to sew together to make longer strips.

Since the width of a bolt of fabric is only 40-something inches, I need to sew pairs of these together to make it the size I need.  We are going for a large lap size.  There will be plenty left over  after I trim down to size to make a matching pillow.  Here's my pile of chain sewed strips to make longer strips!

and then chain trimming the join seam . . . 
I'll just make up my own vocabulary as I go.  :)
  
And here are 3 inch strips (2 of each color) sewed into longer strips, seams pressed open and getting ready to tackle the 2-inch strips and 1-inch strips.  
I finished all of them last night.  Whew!

NOW . . . just to sew them all together!

And this is what happens when your kids find an unattended phone:







GOOFBALLS!!!  I love 'em to death.

OK, here's the house update.  Still lots of little details to be done.
 I think we will actually have room to have more than one person at a time in this kitchen, what do you think?  

 Here is a view of the kitchen island with granite and backsplash now installed.  Stove and microwave are still missing and they got the wrong color of faucet.  It's supposed to be burnished bronze to match the cabinet pulls.   We'll just switch it out.

There is plenty of room all around the island, but if we ever build this plan for someone else, we'll probably move the island 6 inches closer to the sink.  At least the fridge is in!

Here is the view from the living room, through the dining room, to the kitchen.  As you can see, there is a LOT of room in the dining area.  We are planning on putting  a long family dining table there.  Walton family style.  I was considering using benches but decided against it as it would be difficult for the older members of the family to navigate.  Loving that tigerwood!  It will get two more coats of sealer before we move in.  It's looking pretty dirty right now.

The door to the right is the pantry.  And here is an inside view of it.  Also dirty.

Here is a view still looking toward the kitchen but now further away so you can see the fireplace. The granite on the hearth is the same as in the kitchen.  The mantel will eventually get stained the same color as the kitchen cabinets or as close as we can get, anyway.  

Panoramic of fireplace, kitchen, and entry.  It kind of distorts the living room and makes it look squished but you can get the idea of how it looks.  The hallway to the right of the pantry leads to my quilt room, two other bedrooms and a bathroom.  The master bedroom is on the other end of the house just around to the right of the fridge, along with the laundry room and door to the garage.

Here's my quilt room with a rustic looking floor installed.  Also dirty and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Here is the entryway with the front door and tile floor installed.


And last but not least, the view from the front door this evening looking out at Lizard Butte.  Isn't that a gorgeous view?  No landscaping yet but the view is still wonderful.


Here's a closer view of Lizard Butte so you can see how it got its name.  Looks like a great big ol' lizard sunning himself.

You can barely see it in this picture but at the very tip of that rock is a white cross and every year at Easter they have a community sunrise service on the back side of that knoll.

I almost forgot to do the drawing for my blog anniversary giveaway!  There were 43 comments on that post so I asked my husband to name a number between 1 and 43 and he said 27.   Yes, Kate at Smiles From Kate, it is you!!!  I checked it twice and you were comment number 27!  Most of you know Kate is one of the first blogging friends I made when I started out so just in case you think this contest was rigged, my husband had no idea why I asked him to choose a number between 1 and 43.  It was meant to be!

Linking with:
Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Busy Hands Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Love Laugh Quilt
Cooking Up Quilts


23 comments:

  1. We sure think alike. My total kitchen/greeat room remodel of our,last home had identical cabinets, same wood, style and color. It was nutmeg-stained maple, no,busy grain, simple Shaker style. I had lighter beige counters, very long, a bar sink and microwave across from the sink under the window. So two people could work at once. No island, but loved the counter space. Your floor plan is great, flowing also like mine, to dining area and fireplace, tv, recliners and area rug at far end. Sorry to be so verbose. Subcontractors in,summer are bad news!

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  2. Your new home is looking wonderful, I can't believe the space you have, in the UK our houses are tiny in comparison, land is very expensive, we are a small island with a lot of people who want to live here. Oh that view, stunning, you couldn't pay for a view like that.
    Kenzie's quilt is looking great, you will be finished the top in no time, and quilting it in your new sewing room, which reminds me I want views out of the window please.
    I can't BELIEVE I won the giveaway, I have only ever won once before, then she told me I couldn't have it because I was international, you have no idea how disappointed I was, it was worse than just not winning, sad. Now I'm convinced you are giving me your good luck and it's the start of a roll, thank you, thank you,thank you.
    Almost forgot, sorry but your cutting board is past saving, if it were just slight I would have suggested putting it into a bath of hot water and soaking it then laying it flat to dry, you can try it but I doubt anything will help that one. Leaving a cutting board in the sun or next to any heat source is the worst thing you can do, sorry.

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  3. I read somewhere that you must put it between two flat glasses (like window pane) put some heavy thing on them and leave in on the sun for a day lying flat. I do not know whether it works, but I suppose it cannot be worse as it is now, so if you have some spare windows to use you can give it a try...

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    1. Thank you for the great idea! You are a no-reply commenter so I am replying here. I do have some heavy glass shelves from a curio cabinet we have that should do the trick. I could put them in the trunk of the car between those and I bet that would do it! Like you say, it can't be worse than it is now. :)

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  4. Loving the update on the house. Sorry about the mat, but I bet some time in the sun will fix it. Can't wait to see the wall unit in the quilt room full of yummy stuff.

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  5. love the house looks wonderful to me I know you will be so glad to move it. I love the view that you have but then I love the high mountain desert in the western US and so wish in a way that we lived back in Idaho - I think that is the area I loved best in our younger years when we moved due to military service. We actually lived in Idaho two separate times because of that.
    for you cutting mat I don't think it would hurt to try laying it flat in the sun with things on top of it to hold it flat - wouldn't hurt to check and see if it would work right?

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  6. Thank you for sharing more of your house today, love it all! Still jealous of your quilting room though, LOL Bummer you couldn't start moving in on time. The wait will be worth it all in the end.

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  7. Wow - that is going to be so amazing - I can see why you want to move in right away! And those kids - thats too funny!

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  8. I'm green with envy! I love your house. Your quilting room is splendid with all those shelves. I also would love to have a pantry like yours. Actually I would like a pantry in my house. Period. Beautiful view, lucky you. I hope things hurry up so you can get in the house soon.

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  9. I love the pastel strip quilt to-be. I just finished a patriotic one and am tempted to do another.
    Your kid pics made me laugh ~
    Your house looks like it will be delightful to live in - plenty of room!

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  10. That just sucks about your new cutting mat. If the glass panes don't work, you might be able to salvage bits of it if there are flat sections you can cut for smaller surfaces.
    I just love the flooring in your house. It is so pretty.

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  11. Your house is really coming along. Love the close-up of Lizard Butte. Not so in love with the close-up of your cutting mat!! I would have cried. You've received some good suggestions worth trying. Sure hope you can save it. Even with the coupon discount I'm sure it wasn't cheap.

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  12. Oh, the house is really coming together so nicely! I just want to run my hands down that looooong expanse of granite countertop. Gorgeous!

    Congrats to Kate for winning the drawing :)

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  13. There's a You Tube video about fixing warped cutting mats with an iron. You might check that out. Your strips are nice colors. (And your kids look like a lot of fun!)

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  14. Yay for Kate! Your house is looking just beautiful! Love that butte! Sorry about your cutting mat! But those kids of yours keep you smiling!

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  15. Your house is beautiful. So happy for you. Your view is very peaceful. You made great design selections. Your quilt is pretty.

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  16. Your house is gorgeous. It screams - must have company. Ahem, I am available, just in case :-p
    It looks like that the lizard has the cross balanced on its head very carefully :-)
    Sorry about the cutting mat. I don't think it can be saved.

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  17. Love the house pictures. Hope one of the solutions for the cutting mat work. Some of the mats don't bend, Martelli's comes to mind as it was sent to me rolled up during the summer if I remember correctly. Laid down flat with no problems when I opened it.

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  18. Just what you wanted - an extra task (cutting matt) right when you're getting ready to move. Hope you find success with it! Your home is turning out to be quite lovely - very exciting that the end is in sight. The kitchen is beautiful. And those goofy faces? Priceless :)

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  19. Sorry to hear about the cutting mat. Call the company and ask for suggestions. Too bad about the house delay, but it looks great.

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  20. So sorry about the cutting mat. I hope you find a way to salvage at least part of it. If the glass works, do let us know. Yea for you to saying phooey about the delay and just going ahead and sewing in the trailer. The house is looking awesome though. The view from the front door is amazing. Of course, my mind immediately went to "landscape quilt!" I love the design on your front door glass, too. Quilty inspiration everywhere. Funny kids!

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  21. Sorry about the mat, hopefully someone was able to steer you to a fix. Love the pictures of the kids, being silly is such a fun thing. The house looks great. Hopefully you will be moving in really, really soon.

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  22. Love the house. Boo HOO on the cutting mat. Maybe first try the bathtub with REALLY hot water. That might soften it up a bit. Then go to the hot sun with the glass. I know I saw a blog post about warped cutting mats before.

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