April 2019

So much good has happened to our family in 5 years.  I have 3 beautiful, healthy, smart grandchildren, ages almost 6, almost 4, and almost 2.  They live in Dunedin Florida and Denver Colorado, but I have made 2 trips to Florida since December and booked a flight to Denver for this summer for a couple weeks because I am retired!  I retired in June 2016 and we have bought a travel trailer.  Consequently we have spent Christmas 2015 in Virginia with family, 2016 in Florida with the kids, and 2017 in Denver with the kids.  Christine and Don both have real jobs after college, Don is in Virginia, Christine was in Wyoming and North Dakota for 31/2 years, but then in January 2018 came home.  The oil and gas industry paid well, but we missed her and she missed trees and home.  She has her pup and a job with the State of Michigan and lives in Lansing now.  I still miss her, but she is only 50 miles away now.  Yay!!!!  Donnie is living with a great partner, Jeremy, who I love, and they are doing great.  Elizabeth moved to Denver, found Christopher, has our wonderful Miss Ainsley, and though I was hopeful that she was going to be able to move back east soon, Chris started his own (hopefully wildly successful) business so I guess they are there for a while.  And maybe Kate and family can move north a bit sooner than later too (with wildly successful career potential).  My most fervent hope is to have them all north of the Mason Dixon line and east of the Mississippi, maybe someday.  Pat and Terri moved into their own home in west Michigan so I am thrilled to have them so close too.  The only thing bittersweet is that we lost our beloved pup Einstein after 11 years last summer to cancer.  He was a constant, faithful and loving companion to Harold and I after the kids left.  We still have Sherlock, and we love him too, but I don't think anything will ever replace Einie.  I miss him everyday.

But about time in retirement.  I had thought I would have time to do everything.  Rocks, quilts, pottery, beads, woodworking, gardening, travel, silversmithing, weaving, baskets, time with friends/family, volunteering, maybe part time work, everything!  Unfortunately there are still only 24 hours in a day.  First off, I can't travel and go to stuff here.  Second, I need to be home in the evenings a few days a week and weekends to eat dinner with Harold and I'm not giving up any time with the kids.  So I am in 3 sewing groups that meet at different times and focus on different things.  I belong to 2 quilting guilds and sometimes attend a third, one basket guild, a gardening club, a rock club, and a woodworking club that meets a couple times a week.  But I don't do pottery anymore, it was expensive and I wanted to do woodworking.  I am not going to do silversmithing, though I found the place, there just aren't enough hours.  I cut back on baskets, gardening and volunteering.  I am taking fewer beading classes, am not even considering part time work, go to rock club on most Mondays, and don't do any of it when we travel.  I still have a list, but I'm not getting to it nearly as fast as I expected.

I will go slow showing some of my projects over
the last 5 years, LOL.  I did this one a few months ago.  I ordered the pattern from Blueprint after I saw it on the web.  It is made of kaleidoscope blocks, which I had not made before.  It was fascinating to make, went together well and I love the multihued background against the vibrant colors.  It is about 36x48".  It will look fabulous next to the front door during the holiday season.

This next one is called Antelope Canyon and I had to make it after my cousins visited the actual Antelope Canyon on the border of Arizona and Utah.  They are sandstone slot canyons located on the Navajo Reservation and are one of the primary reasons that we didn't go west this winter.  After I saw her photos, I knew that I had to visit Antelope Canyon and I couldn't get there in the winter, consequently we postponed our outwest trip until this fall,  This is show and tell day at my quilt guild.  This quilt is from a pattern by Laurie Shifrin, is 88x88", and is made of Kaffe Fassett fabrics with a Moda navy grunge background.  This quilt will be in the Midland Quilt Show this month.








This last one is Mistletoe and Holly and the pattern is from the book "Where the Cold Wind Blows", by Blackbird Designs.  I've had this book for several years and had been putting off making this quilt because of all those border leaves but needed some hand appliqué to travel with in the winter of 2017-18.   I prepped and took about 3/4 of this, finished everything I had in Florida with 2 weeks left, and had to go find a quilt shop that could sell me more background fabric so I could finish the border appliqué before I got home in February 2018.  I pieced the log cabins during our time home in February and finished the vase in Florida in March.  I started hand quilting in April and finished it in August 2018.  It is 75x75.  I think it really is beautiful.  I  hung it in the family room during the winter this year.  It will be hanging this month in the GS quilt show.   

Lots to Do

I have been cross stitching this piece for a gift.  It's done in the nick of time.  Graduation is next week.

I have been appliqueing these blocks and I put them together for the first time this afternoon.  One block is completely done, one almost finished and the other 3 are only glued and pinned together.  I wanted them on point, which meant that I needed a center block.  I used the same tulips and turquoise bias and made a design, but now it needs something in the setting triangles...  

I started the alphabet snowmen winter embroidery blocks by Crabapple Hill.  I don't know what I'll do with them yet, but I like having embroidery when my hands hurt from appliqueing and/or hand quilting.   I am hand quilting on the red flowers quilt.  I finally marked my baptist fan pattern, I don't know why I was procrastinating, but I really was...  and got it basted (with the long arm) last weekend.  Now I just need callouses again.

I am also going to basket class again on Thursday evenings, well not next Thursday or the week after, but again soon...  I made this last week.  It turned out well.  Next time, I'm doing a ribbed potato basket, but with a 12 or 14" hoop instead of the 10" that I usually use.  I need it big enough to take that 5# bag of onions...

You can also see that spring has finally shown up here in mid Michigan.  It took it's sweet time this year.  The crocus, hellebores, and forsythia came out last week...  daffs and hyacinths this week.

I finished this string star quilt last month.  I quilted it with the long arm and it has a wonderful knobby texture that I love.  I also love how the turquoise sashing and the orange cornerstones make the stars on the navy batik background just shine.  I took it to guild for show and tell and people either loved this one or hated it...  it's wild colors for sure and the back is a mess of quilting stitches because I didn't want to spend much money on backing and used white Kona muslin.  You can see every navy colored stitch on the white.

Late Winter Activities or Only 30 days til Spring

This is a photo heavy post, but unfortunately the photos were taken with my android, since the camera is still AWOL.  Some of them are pretty fuzzy.

It's deep winter in Michigan and we have had much more snow than has been usual the last few years.  This is our lab, Einstein, coming onto the deck through about 18" of snow.  We got about 6" last night and consequently I backed out of the drive this morning and promptly was completely stuck in the snow in the unplowed road...  Yes!  I came in and called work.  I love unplanned "free" days.

 Chris is home for a couple months, waiting for her job to start in late March, so she built an Easter basket.  This is Chris's first basket and I wanted to time how long it would take, since my basket guild is using this basket for the free class that will be offered in March.  It took Chris about 3.5 hours.  It will take a bit longer in guild, but it was great practice and Chris has an Easter basket.

 This is a basket that I built to hold my basket tools.  Chris has made one too, but it still needs a rim.  It is a garden basket pattern that I have made several times and given them away.  It makes a handsome, sturdy basket.

This is the string carpenter's star, (as we called it in Quilter's Night Out) or the more popular name, Broken Star, pattern.  Harold long arm quilted it in turquoise thread with a big daisy pattern.  I wanted something that would stand out and show the quilting and it certainly did that.  I bound it in multicolored strings and it is done!

 This was a fun quilt to make, not because I love the pattern, but because it was a mystery quilt made at the annual guild retreat in January.  The guild retreat was a blast.  It was 4 days of great friends, lots of laughter and corny jokes, good food that someone else makes and no clean-up.  Some folks did this pattern and others did their own thing.  There was piecing, hand and machine applique,  embroidery, and knitting going on and several fabric stores on the way there and the way back.  A lovely way to spend 4 days.

The quilt is big, 86x91, long arm quilted with "tossed tulips", and bound with multicolored red strips.  I tea-dyed white muslin for the back...  and learned a lesson.  One shouldn't use a cast iron frying pan to hold the fabric underneath the tea.  It left black stains on the fabric...  but most of it washed out and it just added to the overall mottled look.

12 of the turkey track blocks, started at Quilter's Night Out in October, are done.  I used various greens and a bright kona red for the centers.  I learned how to back baste, which I had been wanting to do for some time, and understand when it might be useful to use the technique.  However, I really enjoy appliqueing without all the hoopla and prep work, so for the most part, I will just continue cutting a 3/16" seam allowance and enjoying the folk art look of my hand applique.   I plan to donate these blocks to the guild for the silent auction at the next quilt show in spring 2015.

Hand Quilting, Appliqueing, and the Lost Camera

Ugh, I have misplaced my camera.  I had the camera and couldn't find the cord connecting it to my computer, (the cord was "put away" at Christmas), have now found the cord, but the camera is gone.  Ugh, again.

I have finished appliqueing the Red Flowers quilt top and have it basted for hand quilting.  I am doing big sweeping fans over it like the original, and also like the original, I am using light colored quilting thread.  I hope this works.  Just for fun, I am going to try and figure out how much time it takes me...

I am practicing back basting with 12 green and red turkey tracks blocks.  I have 5 completed, and all of them basted.  I have to find time to finish the applique now.  I think I may give them to the guild for the silent auction at the quilt show.  I don't need another set of blocks.

The string broken star has been long arm quilted with big daisies using bright blue thread.  I wanted obvious quilting and I got what I was wishing for...  it now needs a binding.

I went to my guild's annual 3 day retreat in January and made a lattice block quilt top in off-white and various reds.  It was the mystery quilt and I enjoyed the process.  It needs to go on the long arm and be quilted now.  I really enjoyed the camaraderie of my quilting friends.  It is stunning how much can get done if all there is to do is quilt, eat, and sleep.

I started a new quilt last December that was a copy of one that I had long arm quilted for an elderly friend.  I asked her in November if she minded that I make one like hers, as H had really liked it.  She didn't mind and I pulled together the plaids and muslin for the ohio stars.  My friend passed away in late December, so I am still working on Miss Helen's quilt.   It is good to think of her when I see it.

2013 Projects

Projects completed in 2013

Easy Street, Bonnie Hunter pattern, long arm quilted, 2013

E’s baby quilt, long arm quilted, 2013

K's baby quilt, long arm quilted, 2013

14 Jo Morton minis, some machine, some handquilted, 2013

E’s graduation quilt with batik and African fabrics, long arm quilted, May, 2013

M’s graduation quilt, blue blocks w/ white bkgd, long arm w/ daisy pattern, 5/ 2013

K’s graduation quilt, blue blocks w/ white bkgd, long arm w/ daisy pattern, 5/2013

K’s wedding quilt, NY beauty sunflowers, long arm 6/2013

Appliqued tropical flowers, P Periera pattern, hand quilted, 2013

be thankful, Pat Sloan, long arm quilted w/ oak leaves, 9/13

Pink modern king sized for E, long arm quilted w daisy, 12/13

Turquoise blocks modern king for Terri/P, long arm quilted w daisy, 12/13

Multicolor block modern king for C, long arm quilted w daisy, 12/13

Pine tree flannel queen for D, long arm quilted w oak leaves, 12/13

Paper pieced table runner, 2013

2 AAQI donations, 2013
E's cross-stitched birth announcement, 4/13

E’s cross-stitched Christmas sox, 2013

Evergreen table runner, 2013

2 double walled baskets

agate basket

quilting basket

Started in 2013, hopeful finishes in 2014

Red Flowers, 10/13 - needs hand quilting

Jingle Belles, 9/13 - need to finish hand applique

Plaid Stars, 11/13 - need to finish piecing

Appliqued Turkey Tracks, 11/13 - need to finish hand applique

Goose in Pond guild exchange, 1/13 - needs to be long arm quilted

String Carpenter's Star, 10/13 - needs borders

String Stars with turquoise sashing, 11/13 - needs to be long arm quilted 

Picnic basket

Thinking of 2014 Projects

String Lone Star

Chester Criswell reproduction quilt

B Hunter 2013 BOM

Guild mystery

Snowman embroidery

Hand made brooms

I also have a couple older projects that need to be finished, so I think I may be being optimistic about getting everything finished, but we will see.    

 

It's Been More than a Month!

You would think I haven't done anything to write about.  That's actually not true, however it's boring to talk about hand quilting, looking everywhere for the color of fabric you have in your head, but that they don't seem to make, and weaving and unweaving the same basket three times over two weeks.  Here are some things that I have done.

I have wanted to make a broken star of strings for some time, but all those diamonds were a little intimidating and I always was doing something else so I could justifiably procrastinate…until I was looking at the carpenter's star from the last post and had an epiphany…the carpenter's star, done larger and with strings, is the same pattern as a broken star!  Here it is, 60" across, needs a border, but is almost a completed flimsy.  I really like it except that I did it using a printer paper foundation and really hate removing all that paper.  I took it to Quilters Night Out last Tuesday and thanks to Helen and Val, most of the paper is gone.  Yeah!                   This is the Red Flower quilt with a different yellow/gold.  I have tried 4 different yellows and/or golds now, appliqueing down leaves and then ripping them out, but none of the colors were perfect.  I think I like this one.  The last photo is a basket that I wove last week.  It has my quilting threads across the top spoke and holds my scissors and a few pins.  It sits on the table beside my chair.  Thanks to the folks at the "Celebrate Hand Quilting" facebook page for the idea.  

Carpenter's Star

This is a Carpenter's Star quilt block done with 4.5" half square triangles, making it 32x32 with a 2" border.  It is an easy block to put together, but for me, who likes to chain piece, it was tedious because only 2 sets of blocks can go together at a time, or I would lose my place in the color scheme.  It's not my usual colors, but I am doing the Jingle Belle blocks, a couple of which are in the photo, and I may use this block for the center of those pieced and appliqued blocks.  I  learned how to make this block with the local Quilter's Night Out group last Tuesday.  It is fun to get together and try new blocks and layouts that you wouldn't normally think of by yourself.  

A Basket Weekend

 This is a basket that I started on Thursday night.  It has a solid wood base and 4 ball feet.  It will be large and although is quite the tangle right now, should be pretty cool when finished.  

This basket is double-walled, meaning that it is very sturdy, since one basket is on the inside and another on the outside.  This was one of the baskets taught by a teacher that we had come in for our basket guild meeting on Sat.  I love the cat-head design and twilled sidewalls on the outside of the basket.  Another feature of this basket is that the twill is going from left to right on two sides of the basket and right to left on the opposite sides.  The only real issue I had was how to lash with different spokes on the inside and outside.  For the most part, I decided to go with every other outside spoke and I think it looks ok.  I really enjoyed making her baskets and wish now that I had purchased her other double walled basket patterns.

Tonight I worked for a bit on the large basket, weaving 12 rows of smoked reed up the sides of the basket.  The main part of the basket will have a pattern.  I will start that on Thursday this week at basket class.  I also made a small basket this evening for a gift, so no photos of that one.  

I picked up my quilts at the Durand show last evening.  I didn't get photos since I got there late and forgot my camera.  The show was ok, though not fabulous, as several of the quilts I had already seen at other local shows.  But it was fun to see my quilts hanging in the show.  

Sweet Miss Ella

I am so glad she is enjoying Benjamin Bunny.  

Durand Quilt Show

Photos will be here tomorrow.  I put the Bonnie Hunter Easy Street, the be thankful, and the P3 designs Tropical flowers in the Durand Quilt Show this year.  I dropped them off yesterday (with strangers, it was really odd) and will go see the show tomorrow.  I also went back to basketweaving on Thursday evenings and started an intricate basket as a gift this week.  I also purchased a handle for a little sewing basket that I'd like to make and bought a small cross-stitch pattern at lunch today.  In the meantime, I found the yellow fabric that I wanted for the Red Flowers quilt and also just found out that the original is 73x73, just about the same as mine.  I need more hours in a day. 

Red Flowers and Green Leaves

Hmmm. I liked it more on the design wall than here.  I was going to do red and yellow leaves like the original, but after appliqueing a  couple green leaves, I thought I liked just the green.  Most of these are just stuck there, so I will applique every other green and audition more yellows.  Design decisions... as I go along.   

Planetarium Quilt Show

These two quilts are going to the local planetarium tomorrow so that they can be shown during the Flint Festival of Quilts next weekend.  It's the planetarium so the quilts had to have a star somewhere in them to qualify for that venue.  The red, white and blue lonestar hasn't been shown before, but the photo of Starlight, Starbright was taken at the 2011 guild show in Flushing.  They are certainly different styles of quilts, and I anticipate that folks will like one or the other rather than both of them.  I hope to be able to hang around and listen surreptitiously...

be thankful

be thankful is complete.  Long arm quilted, bound, washed, and dried.  Here lying on the family room rug.  I have to find a wall big enough, it's about 50"x76", but it turned out just the way I envisioned.  Started in February 2013, finished yesterday.   

Red Flowers

This is a photo of the antique Red Flowers from a F&P magazine in 2005.  Below is my rendition of this quilt.  As you can see, I have changed the orange leaves from the last post back to yellow and still haven't made up my mind which I like the best.  I had also simplified the leaves for ease of applique, but am kind of rethinking that decision too.  I did look closely at the photo to determine the original quilting design and it appears to be a big sweeping clamshell pattern.  I don't know the dimensions of the original and can't find it on google images, so my squared up blocks at 27" unfinished seem too big, or the leaves too small, or something.  I think I'll have to do more trimming to get that "bit of crowded" look that appealed to me.  I do like the idea of the big sweeping clamshells, specifically because I still struggle with marking and I will not have to mark to do that pattern.  I'll just get it started with a big arc and go from there.  You can also see that I have to remove a couple green (misplaced) leaves.  Three more flowers to go.  I should be able to finish this week, Don and Em are here so I've cleaned up the florida room and dismantled the sewing center so we have room to eat at the table.  Hand work goes faster when using my machine isn't happening.

Finishing Up

Well, in fact,

I had just barely started.  I made one of these blocks in June 2012 and ran out of the red fabric.  I looked for several months, but never found anymore of it.  The other day, I was looking in the stash boxes and saw a really vibrant red and wondered if it was close...I knew it wasn't the same fabric, the original was a Moda, and the new one a Danish fabric called STOL, but when I compared them, I can't see any difference.  So I had enough of the new red for 5 more and pieced the last three flowers. I appliqued these 2 new flowers yesterday and today so I am now well on my way to a 9 block appliqued flower quilt. 

Something for Everyone

Out of focus...  but these are the Jo Morton little quilts.  Most of these are from this year's patterns, but a couple from last year's too.  The white stuff behind some of them is batting of course.  Those are the one in the midst of being hand quilted.  Some of the others are hand quilted and a few are machine quilted.  Some are quilted and bound, but most have more work to do.   I like the scrappy, brighter ones, but the ones that are browns and golds or blues, not so much... Those are a bit matched for me...  I definitely like the bright colors with strong contrast better...which leads to the one that I finished this morning.

This one is a 6 sided string star quilt.  It has light blue sashing and orange corner stones.  The good news about being out of focus is that you can't see where my edges don't quite match.  This one is big enough at 76x86 so I can practice with the long arm.  I'm going to bind in the light blue.  The next string star will be an eight sided lone star.  I actually  thought I was doing it this time until I realized that I was sewing on 60 degree foundation diamonds instead of 45 degree diamonds.   Duh.

 And finally, I finished the applique last week on the "be thankful".  I really like this one, and although I sometimes wish that it was in brighter yellows, greens, and blues, these colors will go better in my house.   It is a large wallhanging, but will be a good addition to the Sept/Oct decor.  It will be quilted with an oak leaf and acorn design and bound in blue.  BTW...this is the camera instead of the phone camera...amazing difference in the photos.  Guess I won't lose this camera.

So I am all over the place, looking for a style that's my own, and finding that I like something from most every style...  I'm still working on the appliqued red and green Jingle Belles, picked up a new Jo Morton pattern this morning, am appliqueing on the CWB's quilt, and, of all things, bought a package of hexie patterns and a gluestick yesterday at the AQS show.  So, I'm still in search of a style....