Productive Week

Once I was able to sit down at my sewing machine, I was able to turn out a boatload of 16-patches for my Scrappy Meets Thrift Challenge.  I need fewer than 10 more 16-patches, but will need to paper piece more of the two-inch thrift blocks before I go futher.  I still have some to work with, but need to be sure I have enough variety in the neutral fabrics.

The four borders have been attached to my Kim McClean project.  I appliqued two of the four corner flowers while at my Tuesday group today and may finish at least one of the remaining two watching the recording of last night's episode of The Voice.  

I had my first real PT session yesterday.  It went okay, but they told me they were going easy on me for my first workout.  I got to meet several other patients.  My issues are not nearly as serious as some of the ones they are dealing with.  My next appointment is tomorrow morning and I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon.  Fingers crossed that I can stop wearing the brace on my leg.

Disruptions

Life certainly does not go on as usual when the interior of a house is getting painted!  Our painter is working very hard to make the process as painless as possible, but there seem to be continual questions to answer and decisions to make.  So, except for brief excursions for meals, we’ve tried to have one of us present all the time she is working.  My sewing room was the second room to be addressed and it is the most crowded room in the house. 

 

Here are some of the items that had to be moved out in order for her to work. 

 

The room finally became functional again Friday and I managed to add seven 16-patch blocks to the ones already completed.  I understand the new paint needs to age a little before using Command Strip hangers, so the design board is propped against the wall.  Otherwise, things are pretty much back to normal there.

 

Good thing, too.  My husband says sewing does for me what beer does for others, and I definitely am needing it through this process.

 

I'm not sure where last week went...

...but if anyone finds it, please do let me know.

My happy, messy work space.

More 16-patches on the design wall.

The baby wrens fledged last week.  Mamma wren was either so fast or so small she never activated the motion sensor camera we had aimed at the nest on our front porch.   This is the first time that has happened in several years, and never in a potted plant.

 

And another puzzle completed.

 

I don’t know how the next three weeks will play out.  After 19 years we have decided to paint our entire home interior, and possibly replace some of the carpeting.  There may not be much opportunity for stitching.

I almost forgot to mention that yesterday was the 15th anniversary for this blog.  About this time last year I was wrestling with a slump and seriously considered discontinuing it.  I'm glad I didn't.  I value the connections made through this blog.

Happy to be Home Again

The quilt retreat last week was wonderful, and I am so happy to be home again!  The retreat center we used is in Mt Calm, Texas, and meals composed of comfort foods and desserts were provided.  Plus the snack table included lots of chocolate. It ended up being a 2-pound trip.  Now the sugar withdrawal and portion control work begins.  I believe I spent 17 days in July on the road.  That's highly unusual for me.

 

I completed 68 Thrift Blocks bringing my total to 328.  If my count is correct, I need 56 more.  I also decided to make my first 16-patch with the blocks.

 

The last day I was there I pulled out my Picnic Quilt pattern project using Kaffe fabrics and threw the completed blocks on the design wall.  When more blocks are made, I will be able to space out fabric repeats, and I expect some of the goodies gleaned from Wanda's Kaffe scraps will make an appearance.

 

One member of our group wears an apron when she sews and I liked the pattern so much I, of course, had to make one too.  So, my retail therapy there consisted of the pattern and two yards of fabric (on sale).

 

As I was packing up for the return trip, this guy decided to hitch a ride.  

The predicted cool down for the weekend has been a disappointment.  As I write this, the temperature is 98 degrees, and the showers missed us though we did hear a little thunder Saturday afternoon.

 

On the Go Again

This past week has allowed virtually no time for sewing.  It was spent unpacking, doing laundry, catching up on regular chores and then preparing for a quilt retreat which should be in progress when this posts.

I managed to finish 30 thrift blocks while we were in Wisconsin.  That brings my total to 260.  If I can complete a total of 384, I can make a quilt 48 x 64 inches before a border.  This will be one of the two projects going on retreat with me. 

 

My second project will be one using Kaffe Collective fabrics.  Those blocks finish at 12 inches.  That’s about as removed from 2-inch thrift blocks made of 1800s reproduction fabrics I can manage, and should provide some relief if I get tired of paper piecing. 

Usually, I take a handwork project as well.  I will be removing paper foundations in lieu of that.

Things are still green here as a result of the recent floods, but summer time has definitely arrived.  I believe the number of deaths from those floods stands at 135 with 37 of those being children.  The volunteer fire chief from our county remains as one of those unaccounted for. I am sorry for ending on such a sad note, but this last paragraph is mostly for my own records.

 

The State of ...

...the Cynthia England project.  

I’ve delayed posting progress on the Cynthia England piece I am working on because it is moving so slowly and doesn’t lend itself to being photographed while in process.

 

Here is a picture from the pattern. 

 

And, here is the largest completed section of what I have done.  Some of the freezer paper templates must be left in place until units are joined together, and I’m afraid to try to do a better job pressing it for fear that I might loose some of them.  So, it looks pretty sloppy.

The instructions divide the project into 25 units that have pieces approximately totaling 400. I have pieced 16 units with approximately 255 pieces, so about 64% of the piecing is done. 

 It’s a real struggle to keep working on this as the busyness of the holidays approaches and I hear the call of other, less intense, projects.  I’m trying to focus all of my machine-work time on this because I’m pretty sure if I set it aside, it will never be finished.

Meanwhile, I will be getting the house ready for the Thanksgiving meal Thursday.  I have dates with the vacuum, dust cloth and mop.  Hubby brought home an 18-pound turkey for the four of us.  I was relieved to find that it fits (just barely) in my largest pan.  Julia will bring dessert and has volunteered to make the gravy (but she’s bringing store-brought gravy as a backup).

 I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.  I know I have much to be thankful for.

Whoosh...

...and just like that, a month has passed since my last post.  No question, I have been in a blog slump for a while.

Since my last post, I have been at work on the project that came out of a Guild workshop with Cynthia England.  I thoroughly enjoyed her lecture.  She has done some of the most awsome "artsy fartsy" (her term) quilts I have ever seen, including one named among "The Twentieth Century's Best American Quilts." Here is a link. She is also funny and actively interacts with and encourages her students.  

I'm glad I did the workshop and lecture.  After all, it's not often I have the opportunity to interact first-hand from someone who has won multiple prizes at the Houston Internation Quilt Festival.  However, I am really struggling to continue with this kit.  I have so much effort already invested in it, I don't want to give it up.

Her paper piecing method, which differs from foundation piecing, makes it possible to join pieces of fabric that are extremely small.

I don't find this process relaxing.  It requires so much concentration that I cannot listen to an audio book or have other desitractions while I'm working on it and I have to take frequent breaks.  Here is what a sample of a section's roadmap looks like.  

I can honestly say, that I have nothing but the greatest respect for her work.

Quilt Retreat

My major accomplishment at last week's quilt retreat was finishing this log cabin top.  It has 2002 pieces and each log finishes at 1/2 inch.  I'll go into greater detail when the quilting is complete.

While at retreat, we took an outing to Heritage Quilt Barn, a part of the Homestead Heritage complex in Waco.  I found some fabric for the backing.  The dark red fabric in the center of the blocks will also be the binding fabric.

This was my first visit to Homestead Heritage.  Had time not been so short and if the weather had been cooler we could have also toured other parts of the crafts village including:   a pottery house,  blacksmith shop, cheese-making house, woodworking and fine furniture-making shop, and fiber-crafts cottage that features spinning, knitting and weaving. I have already told Bob that I would like a day trip there when weather cools.

The retreat was a much appreciated break from my routine.  Per usual, I ate too much and exercised too little.  When I got home, I immediately rolled my ankle, leaving me gimpy for a few days.  That gave me the legitimate opportunity to take a few recovery days and further delay household chores.  Now that I'm recovered, I guess I will have to reintroduce myself to the vacuum and dust cloth.

We have had no relief from our drought.  The weathermen classify it as exceptional.  At least the morning lows are now in the mid-70s rather than low 80s.  Today's high is expected to be 101.

A Small Finish

It took far more effort than I expected, but my foundation pieced block assignment for the guild’s donation quilt is finally finished.  I already had my workstation set up for paper piecing and expected to make short work of this.  I had forgotten, however, how challenging paper piecing triangle shapes are for me.  I finally had it done and up on the design wall for a picture….

 

…Wait, that’s not right!  The only comfort was, the mistake was in the instructions and not my work.  Fortunately it was where I could get to it and correct it.

  

…much better.  The block is called Crown of Thorns and we were instructed to leave the paper in and not to do the final trim.

 Our thermometer registered 102 degrees yesterday and despite what the graphic below shows, will probably reach 100 degrees again today.  At 1:30 we are already at 97.9 degrees.  The rest of the week looks pretty hot too.

We are expecting company for Father’s Day, so I am in house-cleaning mode this week. 

Proof of Progress

It seems like a very long time since I had a finish to show, but I can offer proof that I have been at work.

Red and white thimble/tumbler rows ready to be added to the mothership plus a nearly full thread-clipping jar and an empty basting-thread spool.

A stack of log cabin blocks ready for webbing.

The weather alert radio and seven emergency storm warning calls to our phones kept us awake much later than usual last night.  We received more than 1.5 inches of rain along with a little hail and gusty winds.  So far, I have not found any damage and we desperately needed the moisture.

So Many (Good) Options

Focus has always been hard for me.  I struggle to remember that I can choose any projects I like, but I can’t do them all.  Last week’s guild meeting was a case in point.  I could volunteer to work on the next donation quilt, make a quilt for the library service project, pick up kits for the anti-ouch pouch project, take a workshop for the cathedral widows block, make a mini quilt for the president’s challenge, or make a themed quilt (also a mini) for the county fair.  The last two could be combined but would have to be finished by early June in time for the fair. 

Meanwhile, the projects I’m already working on:

Log cabin quilt – my favorite mindless machine stitching project and one I’m really enjoying.

Group applique project – for the guild show in 2025.  Very challenging, but I’m learning a lot.

Thimble/tumbler quilt – my travel and “watching TV with Hubby” handwork project.

Red and white hexagon quilt--currently on my quilter.  The end is almost in sight.

Finally, I decided to only take on one paper-pieced block for the donation quilt and focus on projects already underway.  Maybe the president’s challenge quilt due in November is still a possibility, depending on how much I get done...

 

A pretty mix of colors from a neighbor’s wildflower patch.

Log Cabin Blocks, Acorns and Geese

I have more than doubled the number of log cabin blocks since my last post about this project, and I’ve started de-papering the blocks so they will be easier to play with on the design wall.  These are so relaxing to make, I’m sure there will be many more before I either run out of fabric (not likely) or finally decide I have enough.  They finish at 4" and each log is about 1/2".

It seems two Egyptian geese have adopted our yard.  Bob thinks they are after the acorns that get crushed on our driveway.  Whatever the reason for their visits, they always make me chuckle with their clownish appearance.  They are very used to humans and are reluctant to leave if we get close.  Our neighbor has started calling them our guard geese.

The golf balls I collected while dealing with the dog poop recently weren’t as colorful as before, but there were more of them.  Strong winds and youth tournaments always make the number grow.  We have a galvanized bucket full in the garage.  You can see all the acorns the geese are after.  The squirrels have had a field day and I expect to be yanking lots of them out of the flower beds in the spring.

 

 

Finished Top

My schoolhouse block wall hanging is a top.  The pattern appeared in the February 2022 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting and is foundation pieced.  I’m not sure how much time I’ll get to devote to my quilting projects this week because of family obligations.  However, I have three journal covers prepped.

 

 

Acceptance -- My 2022 Word

 

For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching has become a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong. –Bill W.

Moving Forward

After handing over my guild officer papers to my replacement (bless her) this week, I was hit by a spurt of quilting energy. 

 

This little paper pieced wall hanging has been on my design wall, mocking me for months.  I added the borders yesterday and now I’m trying to decide how to finish it. 

 

Meanwhile, I’ve been wrestling with this one as I attached its binding.  I don’t recall its exact dimensions, but I had to order a queen size batting for it.  That makes it the largest project I’ve done in quite a while. I hope to finish it in the next few days if my hand doesn’t give out.  I would love to have something for Show and Share at next week’s guild meeting. 

I only had one 2022 resolution:  start the year with a tidier desk.  I intentionally did not say maintain a tidy desk since I’ve never been able to do so in the past.  Sure enough, it was on its way to disasters-ville today. 

 

But it’s better now.  Maybe occasionally posting a picture on this blog will help hold me accountable.

 

Yesterday’s weather was perfect:  light breezes, sunshine and a high in the mid-70s.  Today it’s still beautiful, if looking out a window, but red flag wind warnings make outdoors activities a challenge.  The neighborhood pond has white caps.  Surprisingly, I’ve seen a few golfers brave the course.  It’s in the high 40s now.  The cold temperatures arrive tonight.  Time to cover up the plants I’m trying to save.

 

Acceptance -- My 2022 Word

 

My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations. —Michael J. Fox

Time to Check In

I can't count the number of times I've started composing a blog post in my head only for it to evaporate before I get to the keyboard.  I had hoped to have a completed quilt to post, but discovered last week that the batting I had purchased was too small.  By the time the batting arrived, I was mired in other projects and unable to get the top sandwiched.

My clamshell quilt is progressing well even though the fabric I had purchased for borders, ended up being all wrong.  Fortunately, a quilty friend came to the rescue with something from her stash.  There will be more pictures when the borders are on.

Wanda at Exuberant Color recently had a pop-up store that included some paper piecing patterns. 

The original design called for four blocks, but I opted to keep it at three when I saw how much of an outlier the fourth block turned out.  It just did not blend with the others.

There was one oops in their construction, but fortunately I was able to correct it.  This piece is also waiting for borders.  It’s very frustrating to get this close on so many projects and yet be unable to bring any of them to completion.

I received some happy mail from Nanette.  I gave her the color wheel pattern I did earlier this year along with some fabric and she reciprocated with these two quilt books.  There’s lots of eye candy here to enjoy and dream about. 

Our outgoing Guild president hosted a brunch for those of us who served on the board this year.  She gifted each of us with these gorgeous amaryllis plants!  I’m glad my term of office is winding down.  It’s been a good experience but after two years I’m ready step back and let some of the new talent in our group take over.

The busyness of the season has definitely taken hold.  Starting today, our time will be entirely devoted to family events beginning with a nephew’s funeral this weekend, progressing through the Thanksgiving feast next week, and continuing through most of the following week with out-of-town company.  The sewing room will be reconfigured to accommodate air mattresses and the cutting table has been stowed.  Very little sewing will be done for a while. 

It's been a long time since I hosted a Thanksgiving feast.  I’ve been making lists, revising lists, losing lists and recreating lists.  Most of the shopping is done, and I think we’re ready.

 

Live -- My 2021 Word

The secret to living well and longer is:  eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure. – Tibetan Proverb