this and that on a Sunday

 For all of you who think I get "so much done"  I slowed down a lot in the last two weeks time.  Actually stopped would probably be a more apt description.

The sum total of my output for that time frame has been as follows----

• Binding cut, seamed, pressed and applied to a 60 x 90 ish QOV for the veterans home.  See THIS  post

• Binding pressed for February----see the same post

• 2-55 x 72 ish batts pieced from batting scraps.  See THIS post

• a minute amount of embroidery on my basket block.

• Those 4- 3 inch finished courthouse steps blocks you see on the design wall.  That was yesterday's project.   Wish I had made the center a darker color but it is too late now!  Not much of stashbuster with those itty bitty strips, LOL.

The flying geese and pine tree block you see on the design wall are some sections that I managed to get done a long time back.  Unfortunately the geese will no longer work in the spot I made them for and will be re-done---possibly today.  Possibly not as I want to try a suggestion I had received about quilting my redwork Santa quilt.  OR I may use the machine to anchor down the February hearts in some manner so I can pin it Tuesday, seeing as I have the right machine out for that. 

If you wanted to count all the time I spent designing on the Christmas quilt plus printing and re-organizing the notebook for the patterns and printouts, then yeah, maybe I did get a little bit more done.  My view is that I spent a whole lot of time thinking about sewing and planning to sew but  not much actual sewing,  hands on time.

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My pal Norma were talking this weekend and as we often do, start sharing websites we have seen.   We can and do lead each other astray----and do it often!  But I love bouncing ideas off of her.  When you are slumpy and not really motivated, it helps get that creativity going again.

Turns out The Quilt Patch shop that she had visited in Moose Jaw, SK will be coming to her area to do a trunk show soon.  She loved the shop in person and they had some patterns she had not seen in other places.  She linked me to their kit page.  I asked her which one appealed to her most.   She replied Happy Trails with the strip pieced sections but added applique interest---the flower stems are made from rick rack for a whimsical touch. She is right---it is CUTE!

Norma felt that they were probably going to focus on promoting their new book Urban Country Quilts which had been released by Martingale Press this past fall.  I commented on the cover quilt called Market Fresh wondering whether it was made in the manner similar to a circle quilt I had started as a donation quilt way back in 2001 or so.  Possibly but maybe not as she said they were doing a workshop on it and the melons were appliqued in some manner.  What I was describing sounded like something she had done called "bread and butter plate"  as you actually used a plate for the template--about 7 inches in diameter.  

HMMMMM  Sounds similar to me what I have tucked in the project box.  I told her I would pull out so she could see it.  I don't know if mine really has a name for this technique.  Mine is the Orange Peel set versus a Rob Peter to Pay Paul, two color deal.  I did use a Quilter's Rule International Sew and Fold Circled Patchwork template set to cut the 8 inch circles.  There are three sizes nested for 4, 6, and 8 inch circles which I cut from a bunch of birthday fabric exchange squares.  This was all destined to one day be a WTIL donation quilt that would not need any batting.  Easy to get it this far, LOL.  The circles are all faced by fabric, a small slit made and the pieces turned.    I counted up what was in the box----You see 2 rows of 4 that are not joined, 14 circles are turned and 38 need to be turned plus a few more cut white squares and a few odd fats that I must have planned to include.  Will I ever finish it?   I don't know but turning those circles would be an easy, front of the TV project.    Having said that, there are 8 other project boxes stacked up in there that I would more likely to do first, including a masculine looking Hopscotch quilt designed by one of my fav designers Terry Atkinson.

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RE:   hand quilting on my redwork Santa.  Caron from Celebrate Hand Quilting and MIquilts had commented on one of my recent blog posts.  Since she hand quilts, beautifully I might add, I posed a question about how one might address quilting on a redwork quilt.   I am cross hatching it but do I go straight on thru, like I marked it initially?  Or is it best to go around the design elements?  I may not be the only one wondering about this!  Caron posted it to her group HERE and you may be interested in the replies.  Still no clear cut answer----always two sides to any question, right?  I feel I am on the right track and decide as I work on the blocks.  Is the Santa poufing up too much with the absence of anchoring stitches?   I can certainly go back and quilt around some of the larger design elements.  The beauty of hand quilting means you can go back and add more!  Thanks, Caron!

And one last picture-------look at what is up in our yard!  Ironically, I had just commented on Facebook to a pal in Maine about crocuses and spring coming soon.  DJ came in soon after and told me to get my camera--the yellow ones are up.  Nearby I think I saw the starts of the daffodil stems coming up as well.   It seems too early for this.  Mid February maybe but not late January.   I know winter is not done yet.   PSSST tell that to that weird budding out camellia bush----frost is going to get you!

 Now that I have this post completed do I sew or hunt for my missing set of car keys?????   Have a good day in whatever you have chosen to do and thanks for stopping by.

at it again--edited

It seems that I cannot quite quit tinkering with my Re-vamped Oxmoor House quilt.  I'm at it again!  I am playing in EQ with the design.

Oh I did the boring stuff yesterday with the binding but it didn't get sewn on the quilt yet.   I still need to study up on how to program the sewing machine to do lettering for the QOV label if I go that route.  I didn't get the Prairie Window top marked yet either.   What's another day??

I have been thinking about this re-design for about a week and may have mentioned it as being a hold up to actually sewing on this thing.  I decided to bump up the width to 64 inches so maybe I could come closer to being able to use this on my bed.  I played around with it last night till almost 9:45.   Other than filling a 4 x 27 inch space with "something" I was satisfied with the arrangement when I went to bed.

Because I want to include a previously made redwork piece and a feathered star, I needed to add another 16 inches to the length.  The feathered star was made for a round robin but I set it aside when the moderator was not sharing my vision that it be set on point by the person who followed me, LOL. I eventually substituted with a fall theme that I DID put on point to start with.. The redwork was for a small wall hanging but I totally messed up the quarter square triangle that were to frame it.  Too pretty NOT to put somewhere, right??   It will also fit the bed a bit better to get up to 80 inches of length before borders are added.  This also gives me an opportunity to include some other blocks I had considered and did not have room for.

 EQ does NOT make it entirely easy to just adjust the the center rectangle and retain the sizing of the blocks that are in the rows above it in custom set.  The width might stay the same but the blocks elongate to fill the space meaning it ALL has to be adjusted and re-positioned on the worktable.  You might as well just start over which I did.  The photo above shows my progress in that regard and represents about an hour's work.

Before I actually get started back piecing/appliquing the sampler blocks, I need to know what size blocks I need, even an idea about coloration is helpful.   I have some of the foundation pieced sections printed off already but the sizes may have changed as I try to get the puzzle all put together.  Since I have a mixed bag of tricks going on here, it should be fun to work on this.  It contains some of  my favorite quilt elements all in one quilt plus it is Christmas!

So it would appear that seaming some binding is all the sewing I will get done at least part of this week too.  Oh you all know that won't last too much longer, LOL.   Hope you are having a good day in whatever you chose to do--------

ED. NOTE:   And here is what I am going with---ignore the wrong colored square in square feather star block.  Too lazy to try to replicate what it really is.  Blank spots are appliqued blocks and the lines on some of the blocks are to help me know what size to print the motifs.

Plans for 2012

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to my USA readers! And Happy Birthday to my dear friend Norma! We FABS will celebrate it together down the line---once the holiday hubbub passes.

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I was just updating my UFO tab this morning as I knew that I had not included 3 half started row quilts.  I knew that my languishing Oxmoor House quilt has GOT to go on the top of the list.  I have re-designed this thing twice,  3 times if you count the version I finished up for Betsy.   I have been talking about it for years!

I came close in late 2010 when I printed off the small log cabin blocks to foundation piece.  I've even got a small basket with fabrics pulled for it!



While I want to continue to work on the Button Up pieces in the coming year, I also want this quilt moved forward.  Put up or shut up, right?

I've got plenty of other tops to finish, to quilt, to start even for this that and the other thing---and those will or won't get done right away.  I've got all year.  You know me, I am all over the place sometimes but when I have a deadline or a clear goal I  usually get it done.   Now it is in writing and I am holding myself accountable.  It may not be quilted but it will be pieced by this time next year if I have to trip over the Christmas fabric bin for months..

Oops, just thought of another row thing to add to the tab but it is QOV from donated strips so no wonder it did not spring to mind.  Off I go to edit.

I think I've got it!

Oh, but I stayed up far too late last night drawing and re-arranging the lower half of the quilt. I was half listening to the "Burn Notice" season finale with the TV at my back that I was up actually watching the encore performance till one-------and then still couldn't go to sleep!

TADA! I'm not saying that I won't flip stuff around again or make some more substitutions in the block holder spots. Some of the blocks in my previously started projects may still show up in here. A row of hearts or those candy canes may become a mix of blocks by the time I actually execute my design, LOL. Just sayin'.

The empty spots will contain re-sized patterns such as a snowglobe, reindeer possibly with a sleigh, gingerbread house and the like. The larger one spot atop will have one of the applique patterns original to the quilt. If you are recall, I gave away my copy of the book and patterns but I would have made substitutions anyway.

I am going to write up a document to remind myself of what I have in mind before my "notes get cold" Some will be foundation pieced and I will need to know the block sizes and what size to cut the applique bases. A little more planning to do, in other words. Who knows? One of these days I can actually start working on this!

Here is what occupied a part of my day yesterday. DJ had wanted Christmas ideas for me and I told him I wanted some stacking drawers to replace my worn out UFO hamper. I re-loaded the unit after lunch and purged. I like the idea that things are a little more visible so I can see what is actually in there. Some bags contain a quick project that can just be grabbed and worked on. Another, I still can't figure out what Mom and I were planning to do with the kit contents, LOL. We have since learned to either put a copy of the magazine page or sketch with it.

My goal in the next year is to actually work on some of these things and get this emptied out a bit. Trust me, there is more in here---all those pizza boxes with UFOs and/or kits! I count 20.


And here is the desk sentry. I am never quite sure just what he wants---food or play. Maybe both. Eventually he gets his way provided I figure it out OR he finds something else to amuse himself.

It will soon be time for lunch and then run a few errands. Mr. Mr. needs some cat food plus a run to the recycle center and drop some stuff off at the thrift store. Thank goodness, the sun has finally come out and the threat of freezing rain/ice is gone, for a little while anyway.

THX for stopping by------

WIP Weds. wk whatever

One more post and then I will hush, LOL. Three in one day! That doesn't happen much any more.

Other than putting a few stitches in my #12 redwork Santa block this is what has had my attention the last two days. I am working on the re-design for my Oxmoor House Christmas quilt. I gave my pattern book away but because I had no intention of making a duplicate of the original. I don't really need it.

Now, some of the blocks won't quite look like this---like the church and mittens for one. Some designs are placeholders for a different pattern from another source that I don't want to bother to draw in EQ--like the teddy bears will probably be gingerbread men if I can get them down to fit on 3 inch squares, that is. The colors are not etched in stone either.

So far I have only made some of the top two rows: the big pine tree block, those three star blocks and most of the flying geese. The church block is an entirely different block but finished. The big blue square is done too: an appliqued cupcake/stars/buttons thing. The smaller blank one you see, is a small redwork Santa that I re-sized to a 6 inch block from a transfer book.

I spent a good part of the day looking for gingerbread houses and gingerbread men. I remembered sewing Diana McClun demonstrate a gingerbread house on Simply Quilts some years back that she trimmed with giant rick rack and stitched over it with perle cotton. I did find a video of it but no pattern though I could probably make a stab at it if I want to use it. Sindy Rodenmayer has some really cute Christmas designs on her fat cat site that may well find their way into the quilt. I also have a stack of books and patterns piling up with flagged pages for other things I have spotted in my quilt library---Debbie Mumm flying angel, for one.

I also spent some time re-drawing a wreath I want to use from today's date on my 365 Quilt Blocks a Year calendar to foundation piece it to eliminate some lines. I did the same thing with the ribbon block from a few days ago, come to think of it. The train area was another spot that needed some re-work. It uses blocks from Sew Precise 3 with some adaptation---coupling between the cars, etc.

I am visualizing this and just need to make things fit into the available space. Some things that I put in the one I finished for my friend Betsy's family will go in mine, some already are in the design. Photo of that top is shown HERE. It all keeps me out of mischief.