a good day

I don't have any more quilt pictures to share today. I am making progress on my 1 hr. challenge, but not to the point that a photo would be interesting. The vertigo is still here and making life ....interesting. The doctor is talking about sending me to an e.n.t specialist next week and doesn't want me driving. I'm managing pretty well around the house as long as I remember not to turn to quickly or bend over, but driving might be risky. Today my darlin' daughter-in-law and my grandson came over to take Nana and I shopping. (My mother lives with us, I'm her 'caretaker' as she can't manage completely on her own) So there we were in the grocery store, 4 generations. As is her habit, Nana took off as soon as she got through the door. She likes to get everything done and bagged before I can see what she has and lecture her on her poor diet. She likes to live on mostly cookies, candy, ice cream, puddings and the like. Show her a vegetable and she goes into a catatonic state! My dil followed me around for a while, figuring that I might need to be picked up off the floor, or need help getting things off of a lower shelf. My 3 year old grandson divided his time between mommy and me, helping each of us fill our baskets. He enjoys helping, actually, he enjoys grabbing and tossing, so I had to slow him down a bit. I showed him how to look at each apple and make sure it wasn't bruised before putting it in the cart. Left on his own, I would have had a good head start on applesauce before we left the store! LOL Anyway, I enjoyed it very much-and how often can you say that about grocery shopping?! Then, when I got home, there was a lovely vase of flowers waiting for me, sent to me by my favorite Marine. My youngest son is a Marine, and he is currently deployed overseas. He was involved with evacuating the Americans out of Lebanon last month. Don't know where they will send him next. He sent me flowers as a thank you for all -you-do-for-me- while-I'm-gone. Yep, gotta say that I am smiling broadly today. My oldest picked a great wife and my youngest remembers his Momma when he has lots of other stuff to worry about. Middle son should be checking in soon. Yep, today I'm very aware of my blessings.

She's baaaaaack......

In spite of Google's best efforts (or worst, depending how you look at it) JudyL is back blogging, but at a new site, as the old one appears to be fried. Find her at http://judylaquidara.blogspot.com/index.html and she will soon resume the 1 hour quilt project.

Good news, bad news....

The good news is that the MRI came back normal. The bad news is the vertigo came back - again. I was making such good progress on the 1 hr a day quilt, now nothing while they try a new combination of meds to control the dizziness. Bah humbug on this! The bad news is I emailed JudyL on Sunday to see if she was still having problems posting (she was/is), the good news is that since she can't post more steps, I'm not getting further behind on her quilt. (Trying hard for a silver lining here ladies, trying to see the cup half full, etc.) . Its fun to goof off and do nothing when that is your choice, not so fun when you must stay imobile or fall over. Good news-I can use the computer for almost 5 minutes before doing my famous impression of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Hope that the next time I post, I will have photos of PROGRESS on the quilt. The pictures the rest of you have posted are wonderful- same pattern, so many different moods and quilts.

Progress report for 1 hr. challenge and something entirely different

Today I worked on assembling the blocks and am just about finished with the pre-little squares step. I may be able to finish this evening and start on the little squares tomorrow.

And now for something entirely different......Tazzie has been showing her applique for a miniature quilt, I commented on it, she emailed and asked if I applique/like to applique. Here is my answer...a little over 10 years ago, I took a class to do a Baltimore Album quilt-then went back to work and didn't finish the class. The instructor tried to get us to use a different applique method for each block, which we pretty much did, but don't ask me which methods, I don't remember. You can see the reverse appplique as I haven't trimmed it yet and it shows through.These are the blocks that I made up to that point. The center block (burgundy colors) is an applique block from the same time frame from another class that I was also taking at that time- a sampler. Both quilts are Vintage UFOs in my closet. The sampler will be relatively easy to finish, I am a block or two short, so I will chose random patterns and finish it up eventually. As far as the Baltimore Album- I completely enjoyed doing the applique, but these days my hand cramps up, so I don't know if I would ever see the end of a 25 block applique quilt. That one may require one or two more blocks to balance the color, then empty blocks in between to show off quilting. OR- maybe it just needs to be a table runner!

Making up for lost time

I may not have gotten started on time, but I'm starting to catch up. I have gotten a lot cut out, the HSTs are all sewn but need to be pressed and squared. I have cut some fabrics for the medium bordering squares. I have put two blocks together and placed the small squares around them. I am auditioning the mustardy gold for corners on all the blocks. So far, this is what I have. What do you think about those corners? I have also gotten a few rows of quilting done on the Turning Twenty. I even straightened the sewing room before I left it this evening! WOW- I must be sick!!

My daughter-in-law took some time off from work to take me to the doctor and he is concerned that this is the third time this year I am having the same problem-this time without any sign of an ear infection. Also, it is taking much longer to go away. So, to be safe, tomorrow I go for an MRI. We are not expecting anything, but want to eliminate unseen problems being the cause for the vertigo. The up side of this is that I won't be going to work again tomorrow, so I will be able to sew a bit before and after the appointment. That's my silver lining for tomorrow.

First day and I'm behind already.....

Here I was, being so good, doing at least an hour a day of quilting things, if not actually sewing. I had finally measured and marked the Turning Twenty top, mounted it to the frame. I even began a row of quilting. About 18 inches into it, I decided the top wasn't mounted 'straight' enough, did some frog stitching and remounted the top. This was all on or before Saturday. Sunday I woke up with vertigo, and unable to keep any food down because of it. Major bummer, a day set aside for nothing but quilting/sewing and I couldn't move my head without major unpleasantness. Today I am improved, but not cured. I can finally look at the computer screen for a little while before it starts to affect me, and if I don't move to quickly, or tilt my head in particular directions, I'm pretty good. I even managed to keep down some food. Since I feel good from the neck down, laying still gets pretty boring, especially with the siren song of the sewing room, and Judy's challenge quilt starting today. I didn't feel safe using the rotary cutter under the circumtances, blood not being one of my favorite things when its mine and outside my body, so I didn't cut anything. But I did pull some fabrics that should give me enough squares to make my HSTs. I also pulled some for the little squares around each block. Once I feel more stable, watch out! I want to get this thing started. I am also starting the Ostrich that Forest Jane mentioned for Peach Quilting. I picked a small and ultra simple block that is made from scraps of my very first quilt. I made the quilt, and this block back around 1994, and can not for the life of me remember what this block was supposed to be for, except that it had to do with the guild I belonged to at the time. Anyway, this is my only little orphan floating around. It may be more of a challenge to create something around this block which should probably be just one of many than a block meant to be a centerpiece which shines on its own.

Progress of sorts...

With all the challenges going on this month I feel a bit like a child in a candy shop- which do I want?? Well, I'm NOT doing the no buy challenge. That doesn't mean that I will buy, just that what will be, will be. I don't buy all that often anyway.

Hanne invinted me to do her one hour a day (Hanne has a good way of handling several things, check out her blog). I had already started. I decided that I would use that yellow with purple vines as the backing for the Turning Twenty quilt, as so many of you recommended. I put together the backing one day over the weekend.

I had also received my copy of PCQ Designer, which is an add on program for my quilter. I spent more than hour going through the instructional videos trying to learn the program. The next day I spent several hours auditioning different quilting designs for the quilt and planning them out. I still have to fine tune it, but it all helps me become more familiar with the software and to make better use of my PCQ. And....all of that will help me produce results that will please me more. Win/win situation.

The backing is on the frame waiting for me to mark the top and put that on the frame. I'm looking forward to doing it. It is the largest quilt I have tried on the PCQ so far. Once finished, it will also be the third UFO that I can cross off my list this summer.

Now I'm lookin forward to Judy's Hour a Day quilt-so I'd like to get this out of the way first.

Karen- thanks for the help correcting my blog email settings.

Its not just the weather that's having a dry spell

...so am I. I have any number of UFOs, PIGs and a stashbusting leader&ender in the sewing room, but I just do feel the urge to go up there. Now, I can blame the heat wave and say that it gets a little too warm up there, even with the a/c. Honestly that would only be partially true. If I had something that really captured my interest, I'd be up there. Right now, I have no enthusiasm.

My UFOs are stalled as I have to make decisions-not something I do without second guessing myself and rethinking a few times. I should take the bull by the proverbial horns and 'just do it' with one project, but after putting all the time into pieceing, I want to be pleased with the backing or the quilting pattern that I use.

For example, I have a Turning Twenty that I made up in loud and (hopefully) fun colors. I made it to coordinate with the seat cushions in my vintage trailer. (see the close up of the parrot print) Doesn't everyone decorate their trailer? I wanted it to be a blast of color, fun, maybe even a little outrageous, and since it was to get some hard use, expendable-not-heirloom or to please the quilt police. Well, dh's disabilities made using that trailer unsafe for him, so we no longer have it. There goes some of the momentum. Also, while I enjoy the colors and the fabrics I chose for it, I don't like them in this design. I think they would have worked better in smaller pieces than in these big blocks. So, I have this top that I can't use as originally intended. I have two backings for it- a solid black, or a totally blinding yellow and purple batik that I bought on sale that would make it even more colorful and wild. I'm not 100% with either of them. Recently Nancy posted some fabrics (July 30) that she bought online, and I can see at least 2 of them that might be better choices for backings.

All this angst over a quilt that I'm not in love with, but I still want it to be 'right'. And this is just one-there's a bunch up there! See why I'm stalled. I can't wait for JudyL's PLAN in the middle of this month. I'm hoping that will breathe a little enthusiasm into me. Com'on Judy, save me from the summer doldrums!

No sewing in the sewing room

I haven't done much sewing/quilting this week at all. I did meet a new friend and that was a lot of fun. A lady that has the same quilting machine as mine asked if she could come to see my setup as hers wasn't set up yet and she was stymied. That of course required that I clean up the sewing room until it was presentable for company. It also motivated me to make some changes for 'temporary fix' to "final solution' on some items.

A while back I need a design wall for a project I was working on. My quick fix was to tack a fleece blanket to the wall. Precarious, droopy, but served the purpose at the time. This week I bought a piece of wooden stripping, stapled the blanket to it, installed a couple of picture hooks and hung the wood&blanket from it. No more droop, considerably more stable. Since I was already on the ladder, I also strung the thread tiki lights along the top just for laughs.

I took the practice pieces off the quilting machine and put on a piece of paper (I buy cheap gift wrap when it’s on sale and cheaper still) so that I could demonstrate the machine and she would be able to see the patterns, placement, etc. That's what you see on the frame-the wrong side of some Christmas paper.

Then it occurred to me that we would need an extra chair in the sewing room. One of my boys had had a chair, but somewhere along the line the back had come off and disappeared into oblivion. As I cleaned I had thrown my scraps and leftover project pieces into a basket to be cut up for future scrap projects.....I had just put in something that would be about the right size for the back of the chair. Well, of course that required that I stop cleaning immediately and make a back for the chair (can you say ADD boys and girls??). There were two pieces that I was able to use as a front and a back, but it seemed too light weight, so I found a piece of batting from the same scrap basket and put it between the two pieces. Presto Chango- a seat back, which coordinates with the actual seat in less than half an hour.....and I needed to take a break from cleaning, anyhow!

The bottom line is after all the straightening and making changes, we had a delightful visit, got along like a house on fire and plan to stay in touch. However after getting all my surfaces cleaned off, I don't want to mess them up again!! It took until this morning for me to go in and cut some more bricks for the Bricks and Stepping Stones and to sew a few of them together. hmmmmmm, I wonder how long it will stay neat?? And –ever wonder why we make do for so long with stop gap solutions instead of doing things up properly for ourselves from the get go?

Any thoughts?

Back in the beginning, when I was just learning to quilt, I spied a colorful bundle of fat quarters in my LQS. I had no idea what I would do with it since some of the colors were not at all 'my' colors, but it was so bright and cheery, it came home with me. Then I participated in an online progressive quilt(round robin?) on Prodigy-now that's a blast from the past! My colorful bundle made the 4 pinwheel blocks that form the center.
The other ladies who participated were wonderful and kind to this newbie, it took me years to realize just how kind they were and just how clueless I was.
Anyway, that quilt is one of my UFOs since I could never figure out how to quilt it. Now that I can do it on my PCQ, I'd like to get it done. You can still see some chalk lines from differenct ideas I was considering. I had wanted to make the pinwheels stand out, like they were whirling. Now I just want to get it done, but don't want to do all over stippling. Any ideas?? I have to be very careful since the center of each windmill is several layers with beads to look like hubs (and to tactfully disguise my poorly done points!) Whoever had the embellishments to do also added some ebroidered patches of bees and butterflies, which might break the needle. Also, the person who had the applique did a wonderful hummingbird that needs to be emphasized, not flattened into the background. Then there are several rows of borders. What would you do?? (besides give up on it! LOL)

the forever wreath

Just put the label on, so its finished. This is the wallhanging/tabletopper that has been a UFO for about 10 years. The one I mentioned previously where I ripped alot out to make corrections. Its still not great, but it will do. I originally called it the Forever Wreath because being cloth instead of pine boughs, it wouldn't die. Hubby thought it should have that name because it is round and therefore unending. Now I just think its the Forever Wreath because it took FOREVER to be finished! After so many years, I no longer had fabric from which to make the binding. However, careful cutting and pieceing of the extra backing on all sides of the top gave me enough to make binding, plus 2.5" left over! Can I count that as stash busting? If I hadn't used those scraps for the binding, they would have been cut into strips or squares for some future scrap project. This way I used them up before they even hit the scrap pile. How's that for efficiency?!

I'd like to get a ribbon and a small brass looking French Horn to tack to the bottom of the wreath to give it some dimension and a little pizzazz as a wall hanging. If I leave it flat, I'll use it as a table topper.

Such a good girl am I...

well, sort of......On Monday I made a trip to one of the LQS to get some thread to quilt that pile of UFOs sitting in my closet. I bought five spools of thread and browsed around. I was so good, I didn't buy any fabric, or books or even notions. As I was waiting for my receipt, I noticed something hanging on the wall in a pine garland. Surely they didn't still have Christmas decorations up? Not exactly. They had a string of tiki lights (like Christmas lights except they are usually of some sort of theme- flamingoes, palm trees, etc.) Guess what these lights were? Ha! Spools of thread! Guess what else-I bought a string. No, I don't need them, don't even know where I will put them, but they are tooo much fun.

Meanwhile, back in the sewing room-I was riding on such a high from that one finish, that I thought I'd try to finish off another one. I had a wall hanging that just needed binding-for about nine years! I thought that would be a quick finish since it was small and that far along. Welllll, trying to measure it, looking at it more closely, I wondered who had made this thing! I wound up tearing out the quilting, the border, the outer row of the center and then reapplying them, correcting mistakes that I made years ago. I think that a gremlin got into my UFOs and messed up all my hard work, anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Now its back together and on the quilt frame, ready to be quilted. I hope to get to that today so that I can do the bindings in the evening and knock off another UFO.

more...

ForestJane recognized this quilt as one of Planet Patchworks mystery quilts (by Merry Mayhem). This was the first online mystery that I tried. I did it as the clues were presented every few hours, and participating in the chatroom to ask questions, offer support and just chat while sewing away on the quilts. I must say that it was a lucky pick, as it went together well and wasn't overly large. The directions were very interesting, and the designer was clever in how she presented the instructions, not having you do all the cutting at once. She had you sew a bit, cut a bit, sew some more, cut some more-the pattern lent itself to that technique. Nothing was overwhelming that way. I believe you can still get the pattern from them, but there may be a charge. They may still have the photo album up of many of the quilts done during that mystery, if you look, you will see how important it is to have fabrics with high contrast. And Nancy is right, wouldn't it look spectacular in black and white with some blazing bright fabric for the centers and small border?

Finished !

I finished the quilt that was on the frame and spent the last two evenings putting on the binding. Today I added the label, so now I have one less UFO! Now, if I were to look at all those UFOs and WIPs and PIGs still waiting for my attention, I could get overwhelmed and even depressed. So, at least for today, I will only look at the finished quilt and celebrate finishing!

A little more about the shorts

This is for those who asked for information about the shorts and a picture. I called to ask my son to snap a picture of my granddaughter wearing her shorts and email it to me, but the shorts were already in the washer. Here is a photo of the pattern and the fabric. (click on photo to get a closer look) The pattern is 'see & sew B4161'. The waist is elastic in a casing, but there is a little tie that is stitched to the front to make it look like a drawstring waist. If I were doing it for me, I'd leave off the fake drawstring - I certainly don't need any attention drawn to that part of my body. However, Miss Thing wanted it, and it is a good way of telling which is the front and which is the back of the garment. A girl's size 7 doesn't have alot of visible difference between the two! I don't think it would take 30 minutes for an experienced sewer to do these shorts. While the fabric was laid out, we also cut the top so she will have a matching set. We didn't have time to sew the top. I may do that for her since she could be another size before I get some time alone with her again (well, that's what if feels like). There is enough of the fabric left that I may try to make a pair of pedal pushers for myself. I haven't sewn for myself in years, although at one time I made most of my wardrobe. These days I have to make adjustments to the pattern, and I have never been comfortable with that. (that's one of the nice things about quilts, no matter its size or yours, they always fit!) Now.....if I could lose enough weight that I could once again fit into a pattern just the way its made............HEY! a girl hasta have some hope!!

A quiet holiday weekend for us....

This has been a fairly quiet holiday weekend for us. We usually have more going on for the Fourth. Quiet is nice for a change....I guess. My granddaughter spent Sunday night with us. As soon as her folks and younger brother left she asked if we could do some sewing. She likes using my machine. I figured that I'd sneak in a little instruction, so I showed her how to lay out a pattern (she's 8 and wasn't too interested in that part, but you never know what sinks in) then we cut out some shorts and up to the machine. I would show her the directions, pin the pieces together and she would sew. In a couple of hours from start to finish, she was wearing the very first garment she ever made! Now I had bought the pattern when she started wanting to use my machine, but the fabric came straight from my stash! Whatever I had planned to use it for, this is a far better purpose and it is now being used and out of the closet. I wish that I had a picture, but then again, one pair of shorts is like most others.

As for me, now that the house is quiet again, I got back up to the sewing room and did two more rows of quilting on one of my UFOs. Two more rows and the quilting will be done. I may go back up tonight. Its a small quilt and doesn't take too long, but I try to give myself and the machines a break. Besides, I still have cooking and other household things to get in. I look forward to taking it off the frame and mounting the next UFO in the stack. This quilt is only the second that I have done on the PCQuilter and I am still learning. This time I made a couple of mistakes that I will have to figure out how to overcome for the next quilt. I don't think that they are big enough for anyone but me to notice and I'm working on the least 'precious' of my UFOs first, so any mistakes aren't a big deal. If they are too big, the dog gets a new quilt. Otherwise they are wall hangings or nap quilts for us. I haven't done anything that I hope will be totally wonderful yet - still lots of practicing to do.

Hope that the rest of you had a wonderful Fourth. Maybe by next year I will have done a patriotic quilt like the beautiful ones so many blog members have shown in the last few days!

The Stash Quilts Blog group...

Its so nice to check on my blog and find not only comments but such wonderful welcome messages from the StashQuilt members. Thank you, I'm still trying to get around to all your sites to return the favor. What a great bunch you are. Thank you, ladies!

Surrounded by talent

After viewing my green challenge quilt, Patti asked if some people did more traditional things, or did they all do more like "art quilts". My quilt was a pattern from Maple Island Quilts called Snibbles, I had to adjust it to size it down. Others in the group did do more traditional things, one did a chevron, another Pinwheels. There are some very talented and creative gals in my guild. I am including pictures of their work to show you what can be done with the same group of fabrics. Remember, we had a 6" square of each fabric. Some used most of each piece, some less.

Now you know the real reason I am part of the guild, and now the blog. All these ladies have more than talent, they have a lot that I can learn, and are willing to share their knowledge.

Now that's a quilt of a different color.....

Recently I've asked for color advice, and gotten into a discussion with JudyL who is a prolific and talented quilter. She has a fondness for certain bright colors, as do I. The discussion brought to mind a small quilt that I made for a guild challenge.
The challenge was: a group of 7 or 8 people exchanged 17 6" squares with everyone else in the group. That meant each person wound up with 119 blocks which were identical as everyone elses blocks. Using ALL 119 fabrics and cutting at least 70% of them you were to make a quilt. That meant you couldn't just sew the squares together, you had to cut most of them up. You were also allowed to use 1/2yd each of 2 other fabrics.
Do I need to tell you what a cross section of fabric colors and designs were among those squares? And some of them were majorly UGLEEEE! Well, when presented with wild and ugly, go with it! Some of the fabrics only show about 1/4 square inch on the quilt, but they are there.
Being busy, and being me, I procrastinated until close to the deadline until the perfect time presented itself. Enforced time off to recover from surgery. Gall bladder surgery- which explains alot about the quilt and its hyphenated title:

"Percocet Ponderings - or - I am Bilious Green".

Is this how so much of the"art" of the 60's was created?

Finally! back to the sewing machine...

After any number of circumstances interfering, lots of time at work, severe storms with power outages and spending some time in the emergency room with my mother, things have quieted down a bit and I actually was able to spend some time in the sewing room. Now, with the number of UFOs up there, I shouldn't even be thinking of new things. Operative word there is 'shouldn't'- but I am! I took the practice cloth off of the quilt frame and pressed a top and backing to put on either tonight or tomorrow. Enough practice, I'm not doing heirlooms, its time to get one going. That is my first step towards finishing some UFOs. In the meantime, I also sliced up some scraps for the Bricks and Stepping Stones quilt mentioned a few posts back.(pattern on Bonnie Hunter's site www.quiltville.com- she has some great ones!) The pieces that I cut, I also attached to the 4patches. Now I'm wondering what other fabrics to add to them. The picture shows patches made of each of the fabrics I've used so far, and some fabrics that I am considering using for the rest. Am I getting too matchy here? Some folks use all manner of brights and muddies to make wonderful quilts, I haven't been able to do that yet. What do you think of these additional fabrics? Too much alike? Does it need something?