Plugging Along

Since I’ve felt bogged down on several of my on-going projects and was having trouble focusing, I decided to finish the anti-ouch pouches I had kitted up a couple of years ago.  They are used by persons recovering from breast surgeries or biopsies and are a community service project for our Guild.  I used to make these by the dozens.  When Covid lockdown occurred, several members churned out so many that I decided to take a break.  The surplus they created is beginning to dwindle and my burn-out is cooling, so I was ready.  These will be delivered to the Guild Wednesday. 

Work is also progressing on my Kim McLean inspired project.  Several of the house blocks are cut out and ready for assembly and another applique block, this one a cactus, is prepped.  Like I said in my last post, these fabric choices are way, way out of my comfort zone. 

The northern lights last week were not visible to the naked eye in our area, but I could capture an image using the camera in my phone.  If I had a bucket list, this would have been one of its items.

I purchased some goodies from Wanda’s recent de-stash sale.   I think there may be some more aprons and hot pads in my future.

I also picked up some Christmas fat quarters from an Etsy vendor. These are Fig Tree Fabrics, which I have started collecting.

We are still having 90-degree days and my hibiscus is blooming despite a season long battle with aphids.  It’s time to retire my humming bird feeder, no visitors to it for over a week.

Since I Last Posted...

Funny thing, blog posts refuse to write and publish themselves.  At least I didn’t quite wait a full month to document what’s going on!

Two years ago, at our most recent Guild Quilt Show, I impulse purchased this Kim McLean pattern and large assortment of Kaffe Collective fabrics that had  been donated to the silent auction.  Since then it's been lurking in my stash closet.  If I made the entire pattern, I would have a bed-size quilt, and I am not interested in that big a project.  Also, looking at some of the applique blocks, I saw there were a lot of critters that don't belong in Texas.  I’ve finally come up with a plan.  

 

What I’ve decided to do, is make a smaller center, perhaps five by five blocks and add in some with a Texas theme.

My first attempt at drafting was an armadillo.  He still needs eyes, nose and maybe claws, but the applique is stitched down.

 

A second alternate block is prepped for handwork.  It comes directly from the pattern. 

 

A purple armadillo and a lollypop tree are out of my comfort zone, but I’m giving it a go because I’ve always been fascinated by Kim’s work.  I may attempt a cactus plant for another block.  I will do the EPP hexagon border, and some sort of fencing as the final border.  I won’t do the outer border shown in the pattern, a little too exotic for me.   

And in other news…

I finished this monster of a puzzle and returned it to Julia.  I’m hooked, another one is on order.

 

 

We had a bittersweet trip to Dallas to visit friends.  We are all getting older.

 And, you may have heard a shrill scream September 2. Husband was out of the house.  Dogs were on duty as usual. (Maddie was hiding.)  

I was minding my own business when I saw this on our bedroom floor.

 

I recognized it as “harmless” and managed to capture it with tongs.  After I had dropped and recaptured it several times, neither the snake nor I was amused.  I carried  it to the farthest corner of our yard and flung it as far as I could onto the golf course toward a drainage ditch.  We assume it came in through the pet door.  I love my mutts.

Although I did some cutting, a little sewing and a lot of pondering, I have very little progress to show for the two last two weeks.

 

A friend gave me some fabric for aprons, and I did complete one.

 

In other news…

 

I’ve acquired new foot apparel.  Seems the gimpy foot I’ve had for a month was caused by a stress fracture.  How that came about is unknown.  

 

My daughter loaned me this puzzle.  It has become a major distraction.

 

A porcupine was captured at our church.  I’ve lived most of my life in Texas, and it has only been in recent years that I’ve been aware that we have porcupines.  How did this little fellow make it to our church in the middle of the city?

That Indecisive, In-Beween Time

I find that I’m in that slump period before starting new projects and determining the next direction on long-term ones.  My hexagon quilt has reached the stage where it could either be enlarged, or a border added and used as a very small throw. If I do the borders now, should I add applique?  Still turning these thoughts over in my mind.  Current dimensions are 47X60 inches.

 

Meanwhile, I’ve been doing some scrap management, cutting down remnants, especially odd shaped ones, into 2 and 1 ½ inch squares.  My containers are slowly filling up and I’m looking at various options on what to do with them.  If I can at least determine a direction, I can start using them as leader/enders.

 

In other news, a friend gave me the start of a Blue Mist Flower plant last year.  This year it has really taken off and the butterflies love it.  She cautioned me to grow it in a pot because it can be invasive.  It’s reached the point now, that I will need to divide it before next spring.  So far, all my efforts to grow Milk Weed have failed.

 This weekend we celebrated our youngest grandson’s 21^st birthday.  Wasn’t he just a toddler last week?  He resumes classes at Texas A&M next week!

 

Hosting Quilty Friends

Yesterday was my turn to host the neighborhood quilters.  Whenever I visit a quilter’s home, I always hope for a glimpse of their studio.  In my case, they have to access the guest bathroom by going through my sewing room, so of course a tidy-up was necessary.

I come from a family of packrats, so my room will always have some clutter, this is much neater than usual.

The Husky tool chest serves as a storage space, as well as a pressing and cutting station.  I purchased the large pressing surface from a friend who was opening a retreat center.  It and the Husky are two of my better purchase decisions.

I keep two sewing machines ready for use at all times.  The one in the window is a straight stitch only machine with some modern convenienes like thread cutting and needle-down capabilities.  The Janome has a built in walking foot plus some extra stitches.

Then, there is my sit-down quilting machine.  I have a love-hate relationship with this machine.  I love its capabilities and hate my skill limitations.

I also received some happy mail from Wanda.  During a recent destash sale I jumped on these pretty grape fabrics.  This is a color family that is lacking in my stash, and I was happy to get them.

Another Finish

The binding is finished and my vintage bowtie quilt is bound-labeled-done.  This was done as a part of a Fig Tree & Company sew along using fabrics from their Jelly and Jam Collection.  I wanted a light weight summery quilt for my easy chair and chose the thinnest batting I could find by Quilter’s Dream.

 

My Hibiscus was not doing well and I’ve moved it to a bigger pot and a sunnier spot.  I discovered the buds and undersides of leaves were covered with tiny white bugs.  A Master Gardener friend suggested that I drench the foliage with water.  That has helped and I am now seeing more buds.  Unfortunately, the bugs keep reappearing and I have to repeat the process daily.

In other news... 

The time I spent with my daughter last weekend was wonderful, followed by a call Monday morning telling me she had tested positive for Covid.  In the past week I have tested three times, all with negative results.  I’ll be checking with my doctor Monday to see if I can resume normal activities.

A Non-Quilty Finish

My Tuesday quilting group did a road trip recently and I brought home this pattern.  The apron is reversible and made with quilter’s cotton.  The hardest part for me was making and placing the pockets.  I think I tried four different methods before I found one I liked.  I ended up making a template and turning the rounded edges using starch and an iron, similar to the way I do prepared-edge applique.  The pockets are made with two coordinating fabric layers, and I found it helpful to stitch the two layers together before prepping the edges.  The next hardest part was attaching the yoke.  Pins didn’t work well for me and I ended up using applique glue to hold the seam ends together while I stitched. 

 

Hopefully future aprons will go together quicker.  I am considering making more for the Guild boutique and as gifts. 

 

Progress

After much frustration and lost time, my vintage bow tie quilt is quilted, trimmed and in the process of being bound.  The machine difficulties that plagued me stemmed from a number of sources.  The thread I used was linty and resulted in the bobbin case clogging up quickly, especially behind the spring in the bobbin case.  (Thank you, Wanda, for that hint.)  Finally, after many broken bobbin threads and numerous recleaning stops, I figured out that the bobbin spring was not correctly seated in the case, allowing lint to get behind it.  After I discovered that issue, progress proceeded much more smoothly. 

I got caught up in some household projects this week while hubby is out of town.  So, there was little energy left to finish up the binding and create blog posts.

Julia came to visit this weekend and we had a great time shopping the town.  Also, we took time to visit the Beloved Art Gallery featuring the early works of Akiane including her most famous piece, Prince of Peace. 

Moving Along with Vintage Bow Tie Project

My vintage bow tie project is under the needle and I estimate that it is about 25% quilted.  When I use a meander motif, I always start at the center of the quilt and move out.  So, when I finally get a corner filled in, I feel like I’ve really accomplished something, especially on this project.  My quilting machine is giving me problems.  The stitches and tension look good, but the bobbin thread keeps breaking with annoying frequency.  I’ve cleaned and oiled the machine and replaced the needle, so I don’t know what its problem is.  I’m using a pre-wound bobbin and thread from a reputable company. 

My monthly applique group met yesterday and we got to see the completed top for the group project I participated in last summer.  I think it turned out well.  The block I worked on was the center block in the top row.  My final post on that project appeared July 17, 2023.

In other news…

The new roof is complete and we are waiting for the gutters to be installed.  El Nino, the weather system which provided our wetter than normal spring and early summer is officially over, according to the National Weather Service. 

 

Vintage Bowtie Quilt Top

My bowtie project that I did as part of a sew-along sponsored by Fig Tree Fabrics is a finished top.  I’ve started piecing the backing and hope to get it sandwiched and under the needle for quilting this week.  The batting and fabric for the binding have arrived. 

In other news…

No one ever said getting a new roof is fun.  The crew has been hard at work on it for two 12-hour shifts and will have to come back Monday to complete the job.  It certainly is a messy and noisy project.  For a time yesterday we could not get out our front door and we have had to park our cars outside our garage.  Most of the time we have been sheltering in place with two very nervous dogs.

Not a Routine Day

The bow tie blocks have been sewn into a top and I hope to add the borders this week.  I thought I had everything I needed to complete the quilt, but discovered I need batting and fabric for the binding.  Both are on order.  The extra long ruler hanging next to it on the design wall helps me lay the blocks out straight.

 

In other news, the shingles for our new roof arrived this afternoon.  We haven’t been told when they will actually begin work, but when they do, they will start early in order to avoid the worst of the heat.  They said the thought they could complete the work in one day.  I hope they’re right.  I’ve been through roof work before, and the noise can be maddening.  The dogs will have to stay indoors and I expect they won’t like the noise either.

 

In the process of delivering the shingles, the trailer hit a water meter across the street.  Fortunately, the city was able to get it fixed and the water was turned back on before I had to cook dinner.

 

My hibiscus put on another bloom.

A Finish and Progress on Sew Along

The patriotic wall quilt that grew out of a guild workshop with Becky Goldsmith in July, 2016, is bound-labeled-done.  The workshop subject was needle-turn applique, which I used for the flowers and stems.  However, by the time I picked it up this year, I had developed a strong preference for prepared edge applique and that’s how I finished it.  Becky is a good teacher, and I still prewash my fabric because of that workshop. 

 

I also finished the blocks for the Fig Tree Vintage Bowtie Sew Along.  Here they are on my design wall where I have been fiddling around with various arrangements.  I find it hard to believe I am currently ahead of schedule!

 

After taking a brief break from it, I’ve resumed work on my red and white tumbler quilt.  As for the Maymont project…it’s still in timeout. 

Progress on Bowtie Project

At least we got one tomato this year.  Its size was underwhelming.  I think it was labeled as being in the “slicing” variety of tomatoes, but maybe that’s a relative term.  I cut it in half and shared it with Bob.

More progress on the Vintage Bowtie Sewalong.  I’m actually a tiny bit ahead of schedule, but several participants are already quilting their projects.

I finished the quilting on my patriotic wall quilt, but discovered, as I started the binding, that I failed to ditch stitch one of the applique units.  They really do look better ditch stitched as it gives them more definition, so back to the invisible thread and walking foot I go.

Two Steps Forward, and Then I Rip

  

Here are the first 21 bowtie blocks in the sew-along I’m following with Fig Tree and Company.  I am on schedule with the first week’s assignments and will start on the next 20 tomorrow when I join my friends for Tuesday sewing.  I’m enjoying the change of pace and looking forward to having this new snuggle quilt for my tv/sewing chair.

Also under the needle is this patriotic piece from a long-ago workshop.  The applique has been ditch-stitched and I am beginning a small meander as a filler.  Unfortunately, I’ve run into some bobbin tension issues, and am having to do some ripping.  The good news:  the tension issues make the ripping easier.

Our weather station recorded 100 degrees today with a feels-like temperature of 115 degrees.  Air quality is poor, so it has been an especially good day to stay indoors and sew (and rip).  We have a chance for storms tonight.  Rain would be welcome, I just hope it doesn't come with anything dangerous.  Except for needing a new roof due to hail earlier this spring, we've been very fortunate so far.  

On A Whim...

 

I’ve been itching to make a fresh start on a project and came across this sew-along sponsored by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree and Company.  It checked several boxes:  small project, simple and repetitive pattern, large pieces, and a fabric collection I find a refreshing switch for summer television time in my comfy chair.  Having a die cutter certainly helped me get past the  cutting stage. I will be pairing these prints with neutrals for the background.

 

The schedule calls for us to make 20 blocks a week starting tomorrow, so technically I’m still on schedule.  Of course, there are many who are not only ahead of schedule, but already have finished tops.  I will take it with me tomorrow when I sew with my Tuesday group, though there's no way I'll get all 20 done then.

 

The hibiscus on the front porch is starting to bloom.

 

I encountered this guy on a recent walk.  He's a medium size one and not at all interested in posing for a picture.

 

Peek-a-Boo!

Everything is so very fresh and green right now.  I've been meaning to get a picture of the fields that are now filled with yellow wildflowers, but haven't managed to do so yet.  We will be having temperatures in the 90s all week.

 

 

 

A Happy, Busy Week

Last week was busier than usual and the only quilting accomplishment I have to show is that I am down to my last flag motif on this applique project.  Then I will be ready to choose how to quilt it.  The original pattern included a pieced border using the fabrics in the applique, but I no longer have enough to do that.  It will be big enough for a wall quilt without a border, and I would like to finish this.

 

Friday was a combined birthday celebration for my daughter and Mother’s Day for me.  After eating a huge lunch so I didn’t have to cook dinner that night, we went for pedicures.  This was the gift box waiting for me when we got back to the house.

 

Periodically, since beginning my blog in 2010, I would get a bound, printed copy of the blog as a permanent backup.  The publisher I have always used notified me that they are going out of business, and I had a two-week window in which to get a final book made.  It arrived in the mail Friday.