A Different Kind of Project and a Major Change in my Quilting Life

 Like a number of quilting bloggers I follow, I have started knitting simple dishcloths in the evenings when I don’t have other handwork projects.  Here are some I have made to be included in a housewarming gift.  I find the process very relaxing, and hopefully I’m making something the recipients will be able to use.  When I first started making dishcloths, I didn’t expect them to be that functional.  More and more, however, I find they are the first ones I reach for.

 

An ending and a beginning….

Today was our last Sit ‘N Sew Day at a nearby quilt shop.  After 12 years of business the proprietor is retiring from having a brick and mortar establishment and will focus her energy on vending at shows.  Needless to say, it is a very sad day for those of us who have gathered there every Tuesday for years. 

Fortunately, we have located space we can rent on a month-to-month basis and will begin arranging it to our taste tomorrow.  We will certainly miss having the convience of a place to easily shop for our next project or pick up that spool of thread we forgot to bring.  We will definitely miss our friend who worked so hard to provide pleasant space for us to gather.  At least, however, we have a chance to continue our sewing time together and nurture our friendships.  I do so hope we can manage to maintain this group.  It has become very important to all of us.   

Snowy Egret is Bound, Labeled, Done...

The workshop project I began last Wednesday is finished, except for possibly adding a hanging sleeve.  It was my first attempt at thread painting, which turned out to be a lot of fun...so much fun, in fact, that I got carried away and gave my egret a bad hair day.  I’ve never seen a nesting egret, but the they are regular visitors to the ponds in our area.

 

The designer and workshop instructor was Margaret Bucklew. 

Signs of Spring

We don’t have quite the wildflower displays of years past, but it’s still a nice time of year here.

A recent visitor to our yard who delighted in teasing our dogs.

Another recent visitor.

Flowers seen along my morning walking route.  I had to stick my camera lens through a chain-link fence to get this shot.

A World War II era B17 which flew over our house numerous times this week.  It was part of a Commemorative Air Force show.  It is one of only eleven such planes still in flyable condition.  Sorry about the fuzzy focus; he was moving faster than my camera could capture.

Workshop Project

Here is the snowy egret project from yesterday’s Quilt Club workshop.  The fusing is done and I’ve begun work on some of the edge stitching.  The plume and feathers will involve some thread painting which is a new technique to me.

The instructor was Margaret Bucklew who has written a book on her techniques and has designed numerous patterns, especially patriotic ones. 

Quilt Club Day

Today is Quilt Club and I have five anti-ouch pouches to drop off at the community service table.  After the meeting I will be attending a workshop by Margaret Bucklew that will require me to bring my biggest sewing machine.  I feel like I’m going to a three day retreat instead of a three hour class, but it should be fun. 

 

At Last!

For the past year I have participated in a mug rug exchange.  This time my exchange partner was in Australia.  My mug rug took more than a month to to get there.  I was beginning to make plans for a replacement when Mhairi’s email arrived this morning letting me know she has it. 

In our introductory exchange, she indicated that she was particularly fond of purple and green, and I just happen to have a lot of purple and green remnants.  I chose a block pattern from a recent Quiltmaker Magazine. 

 

Here it is with one of the antique cup and saucer sets that belonged to a favorite aunt.

Checking In

Very little sewing has happened so far this month.  We have family visiting, and have been busy doing things with them.

 

The sewing room has gone from this...

 

...to this to make room for air mattresses for an extended family gathering last weekend. It has yet to be put back together.

 

 

Yesterday we took our guests on an outing to Fredericksburg that included (for my benefit) a quick stop at a quilt store.  Here is the loot that came home with me.

Our guests are doing an all day outing on their own today, so I hope to spend some time prepping materials for a Quilt Club workshop on Wednesday.  If any time remains after that, I may start putting my sewing space back together.

Jane Stickle Block Progress and Rain At Last

Here are the Jane Stickle blocks completed in March.  I’m not sure how well the center block in the second row will work.  If I use it, I need to rework the outer narrow strips.  Apparently my ruler slipped and it is not quite a full 5 inches wide.  It should be an easy fix and I do have some more fabric. 

The “Be Patient” block for my Be Attitudes quilt is ready for handwork.  After a lot of tinkering to get background fabrics to satisfy me, the “Be Respectful” block is underway.  It will be a real push to have it completed by Saturday when the next two block kits will be ready for pickup.

The hail was no fun yesterday and the wind was quite disconcerting last night, but we finally had a really good soaking rain.  According to the LCRA gauges, the ranch had 4.08 inches and the closest gauge to us in town showed 2.39 inches.  I can’t begin to say how happy we were to see it.

Here is a picture of the LCRA gauge on our property.  When my parents lived on the ranch, the Lower Colorado River Authority asked permission to put a weather monitoring station there, one in a series throughout the region.  It allows us to check on conditions any time via the Internet.