Quilting Life Somewhat Interrupted

Before I could get a post written last week, four days filled with houseguests arrived and I did not darken the door of my studio all week.  So, all I have to write about occurred two weeks ago! 

 

I finished 15 Anti-Ouch Pouches for the Guild Service Project.  These are the tools I have collected specifically for making these pouches.  It has really helped having a dedicated kit for those times I work on them away from home.

 

I don’t expect this year’s crop of Bluebonnets to be very showy, at least in our area.  But they are weeds and can manage to survive in unexpected places.  This one is growing next to the street curb and has avoided the mower.

 

This has been a very good year for Mountain Laurels.  I managed (barely) to catch a butterfly on one of our trees.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the company I had last week.  Julia and I binge watched Netflix and visited multiple thrift stores.  Bob’s brother, Dave, also popped in briefly.  Family trumps quilting but, hopefully, I can get more stitching done this week.

 

New Technique

Last Thursday I participated in a Guild sponsored workshop led by Sue Heinz of Kismet Quilting.  At her presentation to the guild on Wednesday, she talked about how Elmer (of Elmer’s Glue fame) could be used in a variety of ways while piecing.  During the workshop she elaborated on how to use it when making a Drunkard’s Path block.

 

At the conclusion of the workshop, we taped our blocks on the windows for everyone to see.  Almost everyone was able to complete 16 blocks using her method.  Someone said mine reminded them of the old Pac-Man game from the 1980s.  I guess that's a clue to our group's demographics since everyone knew what she was talking about.

 

I finished the binding on it this afternoon while Ollie snuggled up next to me in the chair and Maddie napped at my feet.

 

Our porch thermometer registered 93 degrees this afternoon.   

Homage to Mutti

It’s been a while since I showed my progress on Homage to Mutti.  Lately the dogs have laid claim to my lap whenever I get in my comfy chair and the only time I can work on it is during my Tuesday group gatherings. 

 

I won’t be able to join the group today.  We are going to New Braunfels to have lunch with Julia and the pieces are much too fiddly for me to even consider working on them in the car. 

 

I’m sure we will have more cold days, but right now our highs are reaching the 80s and I’ve noticed a few things trying to bud.  We got .53 inches of rain last week, and, as always, we are hoping for more so the wildflowers will bloom.  It probably won’t be that great a year for Bluebonnets.  At least I haven’t noticed many plants, but we’ll see.

15

This was a more productive week in the studio.  I finished the 15 Anti-Ouch Pouches I committed to make for the Quilt Guild in February.  I’ve made so many, they have become a favorite form of mindless sewing.  It takes between 45 minutes and an hour to make each one.  Now I can resume my other projects with a clear conscience.

 

I forgot to include this picture in last week’s post.  It was taken through a window, so is not as sharp as I would like.  The deer population in our community has grown, and this group was outside our fence one afternoon.  You can see ice patches were still on the ground.  The deer in this part of Texas are small, but plentiful.  This weekend we have had temperature highs in the 80s. 

Quiet Week on the Quilting Front

Despite several at home days due to weather, very little happened in the studio last week.  I did work on quilting my tumbler quilt, continued making anti-ouch pouches and filled a bunch of bobbins, but very little to show.

 

The girl’s day Julia and I had planned that was cancelled due to weather happened last weekend.  We contributed to the local economy and ended the day getting our tired feet treated to pedicures.  It was a lot of fun. 

 

So, very little to report other than we made it to the high 60s today and it was wonderful.  I even managed to take an outside walk instead of riding the recumbent bike.  For my friends who have yet to get any relief from the frigid weather, stay safe and stay warm.

 

 

The Weather and a Win

 

The big news here, as well as just about everywhere else in North America, is the weather.  This is what it looked like outside our front door this morning.  It never even got close to a high of freezing.  Bob and I were very content to stay inside with the pups.  Schools will be closed tomorrow and we are not planning to do anything away from home either.  I’m not sure if driving to my Tuesday gathering will be feasible or not.  We’ll see.

 

Earlier in the week, the weather was quite nice and I was able to join my Tuesday quilting group, attend my first Guild meeting since August, and then spend even more time with my once-a-month applique group on Thursday.  We knew the weather was going to roll in Friday evening, so Bob treated me to brunch Friday morning at a restaurant that was new to us.  It was delicious.  This turned out to be my busiest week in a long time. 

 

The Guild speaker was an independent fabric rep who had lots of giveaways at the end of his talk and I won a fat quarter bundle from Timeless Treasures.  I also received lots of hugs from friends I hadn’t seen in months.

 

Quilting continues at a slow pace on my tumbler quilt and EPP project.  I also started work on this month’s anti-ouch pouches. 

 

Another 500 piece puzzle finish.  I am fond of butterflies.  The puzzle was loaned to me by Julia.

Decision Made

With the help of blog friends Wanda, Karen, Linda and Astrid, I was able to make a decision about border treatment for my Scrappy Meets Thrift Challenge quilt.  Just one more proof that I get by much better with the help of my friends!  The fabric is ordered and will hopefully be on its way soon.

Meanwhile, quilting continues slowly on my red and white tumbler quilt.

I also finished another batch of Anti-Ouch Pouches this week.  I will have 17 to hand over to the Guild Wednesday.

In other news, my doctor prescribed an at-home medical test kit for me.  It shipped from a city 50 miles southeast of us.  From there it went to Dallas, 200+ miles to our north.  From there it went to Atlanta, more than 900 miles away.  It finally reached us nine days after it was shipped!

Moving Along on Projects

The last of the big hexie flowers is complete and I am pulling charm squares for the leaves. 

Also, I began working on another anti-ouch pouch.  I picked up four kits when I was with the Tuesday sewing group.  It was a relief to join them again.  We had a group of about 7 members out of 12 present.  Not bad, considering travel and seasonal illness issues.

 I’ve resumed quilting my red and white tumbler quilt.  Now my machine is acting persnickety.  It trucks along just fine for a while, then acts up by creating loopy stitches on top or a break in the bobbin.  Even so, I’ve managed to make some progress.  I've decided to go with another small meander.

 

Julia brought some puzzles over when we had our Christmas gathering.  This one had 500 pieces and went together quickly.

Bob has been in South Texas since Thursday.  One of his brothers passed this morning after a long struggle with several health issues.

 

Time to (Hopefully) Re-Join the Dance

We finally got to enjoy Christmas with family Saturday.  First there was extended family scheduling to navigate.  Then Bob and I got sick.  Then Julia got sick.  It was worth the wait though and we had a wonderful day.  Actually, with my leg break September 2 and then my bout with bronchitis, the last quarter of 2025 left me feeling pretty disconnected with friends.  Time to get back in a more active rhythm of life.  Christmas decorations are mostly put away.

I pin hasted this tumbler quilt and thought I knew how I wanted to quilt it, but ended up ripping out the part I had done.  It’s been so long since I sat at the quilting machine, I’ve become very rusty.

Two more hexie flowers are complete.  One last “big” one to go then the smaller clusters and leaves start.

My 2025 handwork ort jar isn't quite full.  I've switched to a finer thread for my English Paper Piecing.  We'll see how 2026 goes.

My orchid from several birthdays ago and my amaryllis from my most recent one are still holding their blooms.  Good thing.  My Christmas cacti did not have a good season.  I think they may need some TLC.

Today my Tuesday group will gather and I’m really looking forward do seeing everyone.