Design Wall Monday -- 11/28/2011

The air mattresses are stowed and the sewing room has been reassembled.  Here are some of the corner units of the Civil War Chronicles quilt.  I need to add another row of blocks to them before they are ready to stitch onto the center.  Perhaps it’s because I’m still trying to hit my stride after all the Thanksgiving company and feasting, but I’m very late making my Monday post. 

Finally, I couldn’t resist getting this little sign for my sewing room.

Be sure to check out Patchwork Times’ Design Wall Monday post for some inspiration.

Working on Jacob's Ladder Blocks

I finished a few more Jacob’s Ladder blocks at Sit ‘N Sew today.  I wasn’t nearly as productive as I expected since I ended up spending a lot more time visiting than sewing.  It was a nice day, though.  I decided to put all my completed blocks up on the design wall to see how they are coming together.  I believe I have 30 out of 48 done. 

The additional rain we were hoping for came around midnight last night.  According to the LCRA gauges closest to our house in town, we received .73 inch in the last 24 hours.  The gauge at our ranch recorded .8 inch for the same time period.  Our lakes are still horrendously low.  I believe we will need an accumulation of around 20 inches before there will be enough run off to bring them back to normal levels, but we were so very grateful for what we received.

Now it’s time to clear out the sewing room to make room for air mattresses.  We are expecting a visit from the kids this Thanksgiving. 

Happy Turkey Day all!

More Civil War Chronicles Progress

Today we enjoyed that rarest of all events in the Central Texas area, a nice rainy day.  So, after a visit to my dentist, who kindly worked me in before the holidays to repair a broken tooth, I was able to begin adding the setting triangles to some of the CWC blocks.  Here are a few of them, with several more remaining.  I decided to slightly oversize the triangles when I cut them out, so these will definitely need to be trimmed up. 

I like this quilt, but it has dominated the majority of my quilting time for several weeks.  I’m ready for some variety.  So, this afternoon I indulged in a little exploratory excursion into my quilting closet to see what I might start working on when this project finally reaches flimsy stage.  There are several possibilities to think about.  In the meantime, I’ve decided to take my Jacob’s Ladder blocks to Sit ‘N Sew tomorrow, just for a change in pace.

So far we have had less than a quarter inch of rain, but are hopeful that some more may come our way later tonight or in the morning.

Design Wall Monday -- 11/21/2011

I was doing a happy dance for finishing up the last set of blocks for the Civil War Chronicles BOM when … oh no! … I noticed a paragraph in the cutting instructions that I had overlooked….I have to cut and add setting triangles to month 11’s blocks!!!!

Oh well, here are the eight King’s Crown blocks that, with the addition of setting triangles, complete the monthly block piecing.  I will soon be able to construct the units for the components that will surround the center that has already been pieced.

Even though it's off subject, I couldn't resist sharing this picture of a rare moment of peacefully shared space…here are Chloe and Harley, my two fur baby companions.  Harley is the dominant dog, but he always seems to let Chloe have the best spot on the pillow.  I guess he is just a gentleman.  Also, hunter Bob as returned from the ranch, quite happy with the results of this year’s hunt.  Our freezer is now well stocked with venison.

Be sure and surf on over to Patchwork Times today and see what others are up to.

Design Wall Monday -- 11/14/2011

Month 10 of the Civil War Chronicles BOM is complete.  These blocks are a variation of a block called Contrary Wife and went together fairly easily.  I cut out Month 11's blocks last night.  The blocks are similar in construction, but the color placement is such that they look entirely different.  They are called King’s Crown.  Cutting them out was tedious.  I will be making 64 hsts that finish at 1 1/8 inches.  Other units called for 5/8 inch increments.  There are a lot of hours left in constructing this quilt top, but the end is in sight.  After Month 11’s blocks are done, I get to see how accurate my piecing has been as I can begin constructing units to add to the quilt’s center.

I’ve also laid out some Jacob’s Ladder blocks on my design wall, from all the leader/ender units I’ve made. 

Be sure and check out what others are up to at  Patchwork Times.

Plaid Obsession is Bound, Labeled, Done!

I have decided to name my version of Evelyn Sloppy’s Plaid Obsession quilt “What the Heck.”  I did the final piecing on it during a very stressful time, and did not put much energy into trying to achieve perfection.  Rather, it was a means of calming myself down.  Fortunately, like most string quilts, this is a very forgiving design.  While at the ranch I found some old plaid sheets that had never been taken out of their package.  They are too small for today's thick matresses and I am considering using them to make shams to go with this quilt.  I have yet to find a satisfactory way to photograph large quilts.  This one looks a little odd because you can see part of a glass-topped coffee table at the bottom.

This little quilt is also finished and on its way to Debbie at  Stitchin' Therapy.  It should arrive sometime between today and Tuesday.

I have pulled my Wisconsin Stars quilt out of my collection.  It will be a gift for my Uncle Robert.  We will celebrate his 87^th birthday today.

Design Wall Monday -- 11/07/2011

While visiting others’ blogs yesterday, I came across a post from Debbie at Stitchin' Therapy calling for help with doll quilts that will be paired with cradles and doll beds for gifts to children in special need situations.  I had tidied up my quilting closet last week and found several small remnants of child appropriate fabric that I had wondered about how to use.  Without having any real design in mind, I sliced and diced the pieces and came up with this.

Debbie said it was not necessary to bind the quilts.  She recommended turning them inside out.  The one time I tried that method turned out to be an embarrassment so I went ahead and added binding.  After I had committed to that strategy, Debbie posted an excellent tutorial on how to finish a quilt using her recommendation.  Oh well, next time I am in the same position, I will know where to go for guidance.  

It shouldn’t take long to do the hand work tonight.  I still enjoy doing the handwork on a binding.  I know that like so many of my quilting friends, the day will come when my hands won’t be able to handle the strain.  For the time being, I will enjoy the process. 

As I type this, I can hear an owl calling outside my window.  It is still dark here and very peaceful,  Even the doggies are still sacked out. 

Be sure and check out what other quilters are up to at Patchwork Times.

Finally!

Finally, the 68 Hovering Hawks blocks I have been working on for weeks for the Civil War Chronicles quilt are done.  The blocks for month 10 are all cut out and kitted up.  Today doesn’t look like a good sew day because we have a number of commitments, but maybe I can get some sewing room time tomorrow.  This weekend is the beginning of gun season for deer hunting in Texas.  I hope to have some unsupervised time at home to sew.