Tuesday check-in

You know how they say if things sit in the same spot long enough they become part of the landscape?  Well, these containers are getting close!  Earlier this summer a friend of some of the Belles had come to visit our quilt group and brought these containers.  I/we did not go through them at the time, probably because we were all off for lunch and then home.  We were not there long  at the last meeting so I tossed these in the car. I wanted to see just what is in there and if it can be put to use for the donation quilts.  I peeked in the top one and THINK there might be some yardage AKA possible backing fabric.  I keep thinking that I will dig in--kinda like opening a Christmas package---but a week later, I still haven't done so.  There is nothing much that I care to watch on TV tonight so maybe this is the day after all.

I've been busy but that is almost always the case.  I've laundered everything that needs laundered in the last two days including the dog bedding and toys, inside and outside locales.  Errands were run, groceries bought and menu ideas posted.   I've tried to do some picking up and cleaning around here but I still need to dust off the fan blades in the kitchen, sweep for the umpteenth time and mop.  We have had some cooler nights so I finished putting away the rest of the summer clothing and drug out the long sleeved shirts, jeans and pj's.  Of course, now we are going into a slight warming trend for a few days and I may wish some things were still more accessible.

Oscar did NOT like me being back in the bedroom while he was stuck out in the living room all by himself.  I HAD thought about doing a winnowing down of the things I had not used this season but not with him whimpering.   Actually BOTH Skyler and Oscar are being more needy lately.  Skyler wants to sleep with me again rather than stay out on the couch or wherever he parks overnight.  Of course, with my problems sleeping that is not a good idea.  Licking, scratching, anything but sleeping ---him, not me, LOL.  Oscar keeps wanting to go walk--at least I think that is why he keeps whining.  He's out and wants in or in and wants out?  I'm okay with it to a point as I need to keep moving too but this morning he wanted to go both BEFORE and AFTER I had trudged 2.5 miles and again 2 hrs later.  Neither can stand it when I pay attention to the other one though Oscar is worse about that than Skyler.  Skyler snuggles up next to me on the couch only when Oscar is in bed or out doing his business.  I almost look forward to going to walk as it is 45 plus minutes that neither of them is whining or yowling at me---something I do just for me.  SIGH.

 I even had a day of "binge" cooking last week.   My version of Pimento cheese spread, Health Nut Bagel topping, Apricot Cheese loaf but doubled it to two loaves since I had the extra bag of dried apricots and box of chopped dates on hand.  Some I shared with the neighbors and the rest went in the freezer as I think I am taking it with me to that retreat I'm going to soon.  I had bananas to use up including some stacked up in the freezer so did up a batch up of Pearson House Hummingbird Muffins before I did the bread.  Doubling the Cheese Loaf left me short one egg but Miss Kathryn came to my rescue.  I traded her a fresh baked muffin for an egg.  I know she wouldn't let me give her the egg back as we went that route with an onion the week before, LOL.  A little nosh, she would do.  Lastly, I did a Mexican version of Cheeseburger Soup subbing some leftover from Santa Fe Salad fire roasted corn and black beans for the potatoes and using some chili powder, oregano and cumin instead of the seasoning called for and dumped in the half bottle of black and corn salsa I had on hand and a small can of chopped green chiles.  There is probably a recipe for someting like it but I was just winging it--pretty good but I am not sure how the leftovers will freeze/thaw.

I may be baking some cookies tomorrow to take to retreat but haven't decided for sure.  There are any number of options available for that enterprise but I am leaning towards Oatmeal Toffee if I do decide to bake.   I have heard there are 42 attendees so there will probably be plenty of snacks and goodies around without it.  The first day they are providing the noon meal but you are on your own or brown bag it the other two.  It should be a fun time!

I did manage to get two more blocks done on the Quatrefoil quilt top this past weekend but not without making a few silly piecing errors along the way.  I have done this wrong THREE times in the course of piecing of this stinkin' top.  The right side lined up so nicely too---but of course, wrong!  Yesterday it was obvious that I was not going to get anything more done of the top even through the 3rd row of 4 was complete.  I packed up the car for the retreat.  One less thing to worry about while I try to clean up the tracked strings and fluff.  I'll have plenty of time to finish this top and then what do I want to sew on next??

I have been following along with the Farmer's Wife 30's Sampler stuff.  There are 99 6 inch finished blocks in this one.  I have the Farmer's Wife Inspired 20's Sampler started--like 30 block of 111 in but have not touched it for what three years???  So I am more collecting patterns and most specifically the Marti Michell conversion sheets more than the tutorials on Angel Gnome's site.   Both of these endeavours are based on the books by Laurie Aaron Hinds and the letters written to the Farmer's Wife Magazine.  I love the letters in the first (the 20's) book but have not really had time to dive into the 30's one and the Depression Years.  I love 30's prints and do have quite a few in my accumulated stash so this might be where they find a home one day.  There or in a couple half done quilt tops!   It is fun to see the finished blocks that the facebook group has come up with using their own fabric choices but I'm not ready to join in just yet.  Still thinking about ideas for leftover donation challenge fabrics, I guess.

 Here are a couple links if you want to see what I am talking about.

Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew-a Long on Angel Gnome

They are currently 7 blocks in--click on the block images to get to the tutorials
Angel Gnome Tutorials

From Marti Michell Conversion Charts on her blog

Of course owning the book as reference is a must or the conversion charts don't mean a thing!  I think this is an ebook format  HERE.

My mom called last night and she had put aside the cleaning out and going through her quilting reference materials to sew.  Apparently something caught her eye and she was doing "how would this look?", resizing and whatever and now she is translating that to cloth.  Send a picture if you get a chance, Mom, so I can better visualize what you are up to!

I've been reading a bit.  Recent finishes were Jasmine Moon Murder and Chamomile Mourning in the Laura Childs Teashop Mysteries Series, the latest one #11 in the Bellingwood Series Look Forward Always by Diane Greenwood Muir and Death Comes to London (Kurland St. Mary #2) by Catherine Lloyd.   Some days it is all I can do to get through the local paper.  I also have a big fat book from the bookmobile that I should be reading and just cracked it at supper time  Jan Karon's Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.  I enjoyed the previous books in the series over the years and see that there is another one after this one just released in Sept. 2015 called Come Rain or Come Shine.  

And sew it goes 'round here--never enough hours in the day to do everything I should do or want to do.  It is 7 pm now and Oscar is still whining and apparently thinks we should go do "walkies" yet again as he keeps running to the car port door.  I am not giving in--it is dark out, cooling down and I do NOT want to put my shoes back on.  We three need to be getting into slowing down and relaxing mode!   Skyler gets it, while Oscar apparently does not.  Back door and out just lead to a bark attack an hour ago.

Oh the across the road neighbor cut down a large cedar that was blocking one of her garage lights.  Then she was replacing bulbs in her set of two flood lights, like a quadruple shot of bright lights shining through the blinds and the back deck lights on as well.  Oh goodie!  I did not make that light blocking cover for the blinds any too soon.  Her house is lit up like runway lights while the other house that used to do the same thing (still up for sale all these months later) has dialed it back, most nights, all night long and even into the daylight hours.  Glad I'm not paying their electric bills!

Okay done rambling.  I'm going to see what's in those containers.  Who know--there might be something that will work for Quadrefoil.

Of Blocks and Butterflies

I did not get much sewing done yesterday though I certainly was trying to.  I am afraid that in cutting out #106 Wild Rose and Square at left that anything I may have ever known about cutting or working with diamonds left the memory banks.  In fact, I am STILL not entirely sure where I went wrong.  Was the strip supposed to be folded to get the mirror shape for the bottom portion of the block---or not??    I sure had to re-cut it to get them to face the correct direction.  The red piece twice!!

It has literally been years since I even attempted to sew diamonds.  I have a Lemoyne Star cut out but it uses a Bethany Reynolds idea for piecing it and adds more half square triangles than you need.  See?  I chickened out that time too!  BUT it is on my quilting bucket list.  I think the badge is still on my sidebar to verify it.

I cut this out at least 10 days ago.  I probably groaned when I saw the diamonds but decided to pull on my "big girl panties" and try it.   Okay, it is y-seams and I needed some review. To be fair, the block in the book was drawn with unnecessary extra sewing lines,  I, me personally, am the one that drew it up so it was diamonds. NOT the author of The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt.  Can't blame her.  I gave myself this challenge.  Marti Michell's templates helped a bit till I apparently did not read correctly.  Also some how I cut those half square triangles the wrong size too.  BUT that might work to my advantage to sew them on and then trim the section down.

Back to the y seam thing.  I remembered that you " sew to the quarter inch spot, tack, take it out of the machine and sew the other side till you reach the quarter inch spot".  I think that is the process, right??  Off I went to you-tube though I could have gone to my Fons and Porter "go-to, quilt bible" Quilters Complete Guide too.  I am glad I didn't in the end as it turns out Kaye Wood has a Q-Typ on the subject.

    And this puppy works!  Although I was sewing itty bitty squares and she was using huge diamonds, this tip works.  I found that using a stiletto helped pivot that small square underneath to line it up with the diamond on top.  Try it out and see what you think!  Or did everyone but me know about this?  THX. Kaye for the help you gave me yesterday even if you didn't even know it.

I'll finish up the block in a bit and move on to another. It is still a tad bigger than it should be so hopefully I  can fudge it in----it goes on the left side of the quilt anyway and off the bed.  I'll have to see what other learning opportunity I will have today.  The little cherry basket handle on Tuesday was a reminder about basting and/or appliqueing down the inside curve first and the outside last.  Skills you do not do often led to questioning and double checking.  No one likes doing re-work.

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Okay, that leads to butterflies.  I was thinking the other day that I need to have a butterfly or maybe even two on my sampler quilt.   What clinched that notion was seeing my blogging buddy Kitty's version in a recent post .  Read the post, of course, as she is doing something really fun with some scraps that will go in a wonderful heart quilt at some point.    About 5 pictures down she has some butterflies that she did way back in 79.  In an email back and forth initiated by a comment I left her, she told me her version was from Feb 78 Quilt World.  I was not asking for the pattern--just admiring her choice.  Too cute!

I have a collection of butterfly blocks and will do a sampler at some point.  EQ has a bunch of them too.  BUT the one on the right (or in the vicinity, LOL) is the first one my mind went to.  I had this shape sketched off on a cardboard template and it used to be on my bulletin board for years.  Classic 30's style butterfly with black embroidery on the top of it.  Once I found the one online just like it, I ditched the cardboard.  You can get the image at http://www.jeanneraecrafts.com/butterfly.htm for a 9 inch butterfly to apply to a 10 inch base.   (That link is in case you cannot read my handwriting which after years in nursing admittedly is not always easy to read. ).  However, I wanted more like a 5 inch one to go on a 6 inch finished base.  Easy, peasy process.  Download the image, open it up in Irfanview (freeware/shareware image software I have used for years and years).  Click print and then tell it what size you want.  I tried 4 inch first and it was way too small.  5 was perfect when I laid it on my square ruler to be sure it would work for an on-point setting.

Then there are the pieced butterflies.   I've got quite a few patterns for that too.  Marsha McCloskey's butterfly from Quilts for Katie Rose is a good one too.  AZ Patch has a couple of fun ones---August 2011 BOM and May 2001 is a bit more stylized.     Oh, there are some really cool BOM blocks on AZ patch that I had forgotten about.  Printing and bookmarking about to ensue!  There are other butterflies that I have clipped from quilt mags. Or the one Cher used from the now gone Quilter's Online Resource pages is good too.  No lack of choices, in other words.

I don't know if this pattern is still available from Lazy Girl Designs or not as I could not find it on search.  Currently, there is an abandoned block of a butterfly and a Bed of Roses block hanging off my shelving unit.  Marilyn gave me them for a pastel-y donation quilt with leftovers that I have in mind.  I have made this quilt before though. I've got the ruler so I can make more.  It does make a cute, cute girlie quilt in pastels or brights making for a fun block that finishes 8 inches in the existing patterns.

One I had actually made was one Mom had kitted up.  I know she has done several over the years in the 700 she has made and donated.  BUT my mom is one smart cookie!   She figured out a way to NOT have to applique the butterfly bodies down later.  If you piece the body portions as the pattern calls for and then trim a bit of that away on both sides, then you can strip piece contrasting butterfly body sections in if you want them all the same color, like black and your back ground fabric remains consistent.  Otherwise, there would be measurements to cut the body sections.  This is a variation, I found, that makes life a whole lot easier and adds more interest to the block.  Embroider the antennae or use a pigma pen.  As I said the Lazy Angle ruler helps with piecing the angled bits.  I've drawn in EQ so I can make it be any old size I want and the ruler goes from 1 1/2 to 6 1/2 as well.

Looking at this sharp angle may have just triggered another application for my needs---that Criss Cross fun and done has about a 120 angle template that you start the block off with .  Maybe, just maybe this will help.  I'll check in a few minutes.

And sew it goes----my mind is always flitting around around just a butterfly.  Never know what tangent I will find to explore on any given day, do you?    Spreading joy and quilting knowledge, (mine or someone else's, LOL)  like raindrops---that's me.  Just kidding.  Let's just say, I know what books to pull and how to search online but I have also learned a few quilty things in the last 24-25 years.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Meeting date

Yesterday (Tuesday) was the Belles meeting date.   As I may have mentioned. I was going to show the girls how to use the Batting Buddy templates that went with this particular Fun & Done! quilting pattern.  I actually doubled my output over the one I produced on Saturday at the "sit and sew" event, LOL.  One more in a darker background  and I wil have enough for a grouping of 4.  Woohoo!

I have a feeling that I will end up doing a grouping of the four like sections so there is a bit more continuity.  Rein in the chaotic appearance of the Criss Cross cover quilt a bit.  I think Bev may have borrowed the template set thing but I can do without it. and use my regular ruler.  It is there for all of our use after all.   I decided yesterday that I want 505 or similar temporary batting adhesive if I am going any further with this.  Doing a sew and flip thing it would be too easy to leave a pin in the batting or sew/attempt to cut through when trimming.

Bev, Beverly and Lois all had quilts to pin.  Actually Bev had a couple of donation quilts to pin but silly me had totally forgotten that I needed to get the other half roll of batting out of our storage shed.  If I had done it while I was thinking about it, I would have had to ride around with it in the back seat of my car for two weeks.  Oops!  Since Bev's main concern should be finishing up the items she is making for Christmas gifts, I suggested she wait on those till I get the roll delivered.  Lois had just enough for her two plus some leftover that I will seam here at home for a couple of my over-sized donation tops.   Maybe next meeting.    Others in the group had other tasks keeping them busy.  Most of us left for lunch and then out to  Hobby Lobby before we headed back or towards home.

There were no finished quilts turned in so I really don't have pictures to share this time out.  Aline was kind enough to bring me some fabrics that she wanted to share for possible inclusion in my sampler quilt.  THX a bunch!  If not for this project, then surely for something down the line.  I sorted through it by color when I got home.  Those little 6 inch sampler blocks won't take a whole lot of fabric and some of these will be perfect, theme wise.

I started off my day yesterday by sewing in my p.j's till it was almost too late to get out the door---a little cherry basket that I wanted to add a handle to.  I basted that down at the meeting and finished the applique on it this morning.  As soon as I get another one finished up, I'll post the first 5.

I had asked the girls on the Farmers Wife yahoo group how they took pictures of their blocks since I could not find a spot where I could get a head-on, good light shot of the block. Not the skewed on the desk top or floor view.  A decent picture.   Later I thought I could temporarily take down a small wall hanging that is on a wire hanger and hooked over the pegs of a wooden shelf unit.  It is right across from the bedroom door and certain times of the day I have good light there.  I could rig up a plain backdrop with some fabric, maybe run a line of stitching for a pocket even.  Another suggested I just scan them----that might just work till I figure something out.

Well, something called #106 Wild Rose & Square needs my attention.  THX for stopping by.

Saturday check-in

Today is 2nd Saturday so that means Friendship Quilters guild day in the next county over.  As I think I posted last time, they had planned an rather "impromptu" 3 day sit and sew session.   We decided to just go on Saturday, more or less for the regular meeting but take our machines.  I rode over with Jane and Terry but they had a conflict in their schedule and knew they would have to cut out early for the quilt shop's Block of the Month day.  Aline hung with me to sew for a bit and I rode back with her.

So what's with the sewing machine??  Well, we have big sew-in date coming up in November.  One way that the Ways and Means committee pays for the food for the sew-in's is having raffle tables so we do this about 4 or 5 times a year.  The more money we raise, the better we eat!  Today's choices were a big surprise bag stuffed with various goodies, a q-snap floor quilting frame and this Kenmore 17921.  Judging by the styles of the sketches on the manual cover,  it is probably 70's vintage??  For a $7.00 buck investment I won the machine.   It looks like it came with a single hole needle plate which is nice.  I accidentally broke off the spool pin getting it in the sewing room (no case!)  but I don't use those ordinarily anyway since I sew with cone thread.  I'll look thru the manual later and figure out how to use it later.

I was too busy chatting with various groups prior to the  meeting that I didn't quite get over to Janice at the raffle table fast enough.  The next thing I knew the VP was off and running with show and tell (at warp speed!)  and I was supposed to be taking notes!!!  I messed up and put all of my tickets in the baskets and neglected to save the other half.  When they called out the number it hit me what I had done-----and had to go help Janice find the string of numbers I had from the "Keep this Ticket".  I swear if I had not been in such a hurry I would not have been so silly!!  BUT I was not the only one who did it either---there were about 10 other tickets in the basket that someone may or may not have kept the other half.  Sheeesh!!

I got very little production done though.  Actually 40 minutes before I was supposed to be at our meeting place to car pool (about 10-15 mins away from here)  I was still in my pj's rough cutting 8 different pink fabrics for the block you see at right.  I guess that is how you tell you are "quilt bit".

I finished cutting the wedges for the pointy blades and made the circle piece.  19 blocks are now prepped----one more and I will start sewing FWIS.

And, this is all I got done of Fun & Done!  One little block.  Could I have done it without the windowed acrylic tool?  Yes, of course, I could.    I've got rulers.  I know how to use them.   It was on the quilt group library cart and I didn't have to shell out the bucks for it.  Actually I am a hair off on one side even WITH the tool.  Not much maybe but I can see it with my naked eye.

My bloggy buddy alefthanded quilter/BOB even talked about this on her "something new" post today.  It deserves the quotes.   This is not a NEW technique at all---she did something just like it back in 95 and without the fancy-dancy (and pricey!)  windowed templates.   I remember doing a sew and flip log cabin block to some thermolam back in 88 or 89 maybe?  For a pillow top as I recall----Mom would know since she had the fabric kitted up.   Yeah, it quilts it when you sew stuff to batting.  I can also add some quilting lines if I care to.  Then I just fold the extra seam allowances once the block is joined to the one next to it to make the sashing.  It has been done.  Nothing new to see here.

She quotes me as saying "nothing is truly ever new".  Yep, I say that...... a lot.  Here is the rest of my statement on this subject.   Fabrics are often inspired by past eras.  Tools are made to make the piecing easier, tweaked, if you will.  A quilter figures out a better way and has a marketing plan.  It is still the same geometric shapes driving it all. 

I will finish this project though---pro bono quilt, after all.  Do it once and don't have to repeat it ever again if I don't want to, right?  Demo it on Tuesday to Bama Belles.  Maybe I'll more than one done that way??

Oh, I should also point out that alefthandquilter/BOB was right when she pointed out that I had flipped one of the segments of the block components in my last post.   Yep, not only was the too blendy fabric choice wrong but I had flopped the template over as well and that reversed the shape.  THX again before that became a block BOO-BOO!!  Not everyone would be willing to tell you to take a closer look but I appreciate the heads up!

And sew it goes---------thanks for stopping by!

Still cutting!

At this writing I have 9 blocks cut for my FWIS quilt----the first 3 rows of an on-point set quilt top full of 111- 6 inch sampler blocks. Ahhh but the journey is only beginning!!! I know you will probably get bored with me talking about this process and I am planning on just showing you the blocks once I get the first grouping actually made. Today will be the exception, LOL. I'll mention it in passing after that.

I have shared my plans for this quilt--the fabrics I want to use, the fact that I am not making a slavish copy of the one in the book, etc. My rule that I will NOT make a 6 inch block of something that I would not even consider making at 12 inch.   I have spent a good deal of time making documents to help keep me on the journey and straight in my mind.  Yeah you get that.  Blah, Blah, blah.  It's my blog so I get to talk about what is on MY mind,  LOL.

I may have gotten a bit further on the cutting last night except for this block.  How would you go about piecing it?  It is called The Whirling Pinwheel, Brackman# 3418  attributed to the KC Star 9/22/43.  Looks like appliqued bits to me and the sections the scalloped shapes are applied to are half square triangles.

 EQ, in all its infinite wisdom, thinks perhaps this should be pieced with those goofy shapes cut as just background pieces and curved piecing.  Well, it is a computer so what do they know about practical piecing?  I needed templates and I needed them extended to the middle so I could applique a yo-yo or circle shape atop the wedges, scallops or whatever you want to call them.

So the design is edited to reflect those needs.  I measured the size of the circle from the first printouts and use my drafting circle thing to draw it on templar to make a yo-yo type circle like I have done in the past.    My initial plan was to print off  the two wedge shaped templates on heavy duty template plastic--normally I rubber cement the shapes down to it and then just cut around them.   Then I would draw the shape on freezer paper so I could edge finish the top edge.  The other sides will be stitched into what will become half square triangle units for standard piecing.  I keep forgetting to get some freezer paper at the grocery store---totally out!  Also the only template plastic I have is in a roll and it is beyond flimsy.  I had to press it with a steam iron and a piece of paper to even get it to lay flat the other day for Fun & Done! project template.  What a terribly stupid way to pack that stuff!  Hard telling how long it had been on the shelf or I even had bought it in the first place.  I looked at WM the other day and they didn't have what I wanted either. I was not going 14 miles down the road to look further when I'll be over towards Hobby Lobby next week.

Anyway, what to do at that hour of night?  Templar the shapes.  I found I could still do the basting stitches across the top and gather it in ( I use quilting thread as it is less likely to break).  Then I used spray sizing to set the edge.  It worked fine.  The iron doesn't melt templar or warp it, after all.  Next  I basted it down to the half square triangle.  I did wonder if I had gotten the shaped backwards though.  Does it look like mine is spinning the opposite direction to you????  I was about 3 wedges in when that occurred to me that the template should have been reversed, perhaps.  By that point I figured consistency was better than flopping it over and re-cutting/wasting fabric.

I decided to go with thirties prints for this one.  I love 30's anyway and almost decided to do the whole project with it.   It should work in a vintage looking quilt even it it was a later era that I had in mind.   Our quilting foremothers didn't worry about sort of thing and used what they had regardless.  In looking at the thumbnail here I do believe I need to swap out the two blue pieces as that one is blending into the adjacent green a bit too much---provided it is the same D shape, that is.  I'll figure it out before I actually sew it.   Funny that I did not notice it till now!

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Computer stuff again----
If you actually read my blog at the website rather than a feed list, could you tell me if you having a problem reading it with the change of template?   At a suggestion of a friend, I did tweak it a bit and used the advanced settings to darken the font from a dark charcoal gray to black.  I also increased the font size just a hair---not to obnoxiously big but a bit bigger.  Hey, my eyes are getting older too and I already know I will be looking at cataract surgery down the line.  I can still read it but can you??   My friend would have liked me to bold the whole deal but I prefer to just do that for emphasis, LOL.  Maybe that is something that can be changed under accessibility in ones own monitor--change the font, change the font size, change the font characteristics.

The other thing: is the background too white that it glares at your end?  I may be able to tweak that as well.  Real pale yellow maybe?

Thanks for the input and of course, thanks for stopping by and reading.  I have a flower pot block to cut and I want some purples for it.  Off I go.

Finally cutting FWIS

The long awaited day(s) have arrived---woohoo! I am cutting out the first blocks that will go in my Farmer's Wife Inspired Sampler (FWIS). Monday I got the fabric cutting done for the Sit and Sew project this weekend(Fun & Done! Criss Cross)---pro bono stuff. Yesterday I was patching together batting bits with what remained of my Heat Press tape to squeeze out 48--7.5 inch squares of batting. The only leftover package of the same type of batting contained enough for two Button Ups so I left it alone and prominently marked the bag!   But the best thing to me?  The decks are finally cleared enough that I can stop and do this and have a little fun sewing.  But first some prep work!

I did a little cutting for FWIS last night and resumed again this morning.  I hope to get the first 10 blocks readied and then sew them up when I have time to do so.  Maybe two a week is an achievable goal as many others have done.  Lord knows, I do not want my sewing room constantly looking like the mess it is right now!  I can't function in chaos.

I am using the Marti Michell Perfect Patchwork Template System templates for this---where I can, that is.  She has in the past sent out via email 10 different conversion charts for the 6 inch Farmer's Wife blocks using her templates and rulers.   About 10 per email every two weeks.  They are starting up another session like  now---if you are interested, let me know and I'll get the contact information for you.  Normally the instructions are grouped by template sets---like this week, you use set B.  The next one, set A.

Some blocks she cannot make those substitutions.  I am not doing all of them in the book anyway but have substituted a lot of my own choices.  I will have to skip around but have the blocks I am using highlighted when their turn comes up.  Others such as one I pulled from my Dear Jane software above----I can either cut according to EQ or know which template to substitute from another set.  BUT that block has a square in a square center---just in case I printed that much out to foundation piece if I want to.  Confused, yet??

Then there is the book to refer to but I already decided not to do them in order, 1 to 111.  First of all, I am skipping around and adding/dropping.   Second, at some point I will add the sashing and cornerstone bits so I can begin assembling the quilt in the order of my layout, row 1 to row 15, on point.  I still think I want a different container to put the envelopes that will contain the cut block, any foundation piecing bits or printouts and save this for the completed ones but it might be okay.

My notebook and road map is in the three ring binder---some of those documents I was making up to help in locating by block name, techniques I plan to use and whatever.  All the mess on my desk is taking over any available space at the moment.  The sew-in project is stacked atop the printer, waiting for Friday and/or Saturday.

And then there is fabric that I would like to use------some of the birthday stuff on top that I don't have room for until I take out what I thought I might use for cornerstones or backgrounds, that is.  I was already digging in the closet for basket fabric as the 3rd block is a Cherry Basket.  Sheila, Maggie and my mom were so helpful about sending me some so this is the perfect opportunity to include it on this project.  Also in the same container is fabric that once belonged to my dear friend Theramae.  While I am going for a vintage feel, some of this might actually BE vintage or reads as it anyway.

This is the "vibe" I am going for anyway---the aquas, reds, clear blue, even the grays with yellow and pink, etc.  I think some of the fabric is feed sacks---and I have those.  I don't know if I caught the navy blue bowtie in this angle or not but it has that stylized ribbon shape used for breast cancer awareness/quilt for the cure deal.  Nothing is ever truly new, is it??

And this is where I am headed-----though it has been tweaked several times since then!  A few blocks swapped in location and possibly a few more added---or not!  

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One last thing----I figured out what was making my B button and nav bar disappear though I certainly appreciated the suggestions several of you made!  You could see it on YOUR end but not mine.  I could not see it on YOURS either.  Finally it occurred to  me that my "do not track plus" button was interferring.  I knew I was on the right track when I uninstalled it.  Re-install it?  Gone again.  I just needed to allow my own blog and those of others that I would search.   (alefthandedquilter/BOB recently suggested I look for other past versions of a few of her tops to see the different colorways, for example.)  If you are interested in using the free software, here is the link  http://www.abine.com/dntdetail.php  but know it might not allow something you DID need, LOL.

Okay, almost time for lunch and I have a few side setting triangles for that square in a square section of the block that is in row 2, block 3.    And sew it goes---------

Friday check in

Well, I got ONE watermelon pieced anyway to go with the backwards cut crow.  Too bad I accidentally cut off the seam allowance on one side of it.  I cut out replacement sections, prepared another foundation base and didn't touch it at all yesterday.  Probably a smart move when things are not going so well.  I want to love this project, after all.

It's 2:30 Friday afternoon and I STILL haven't touched it but today was laundry and errands to run.  At one point it was far cooler in the car than the house so I did not mind running all over the Calhoun County countryside so much.

I am still getting myself organized to start cutting on the Farmers Wife Sampler.  I have the Marti Michell template sets that I want to use for the job though there is one more thing I plan to order with my birthday money from DJ next month.   Make that two things as I want the smaller sized log cabin ruler she has.  I really like the larger one and was using it with good result on "My Sunshine" last seen HERE.  

To help with the organization deal I ran to the thrift store yesterday.  Some of my grocery errands were right next door so that was a plus.  I knew that I wanted to use some plasti-dip on the back of all the templates.  It would be easier to keep them on a cookie sheet or something to carry them outside to spray them.  No luck finding a cookie sheet but I DID find an old cafeteria tray.  Perfect!  I see traces of glitter on it so I am thinking someone else had used it for a craft project at some point.  When the picture was taken I were all sprayed along with a few of my fav rulers and 4 trips outside.

 That was a nice morning project!  One of these days I will actually put these to use.  Right after I am done with the Button Up top, I  keep telling myself.  The initial 9 blocks I will cut almost exclusively use set B since they concentrate on a 3 x 3 grid and a 6 inch finished block.

...... here is what it looks like now.  The package inserts with pattern suggestions are filed in the Farmers Wife Sampler notebook I have set up.  I am not saying that this is how it is going to remain but until I can get another small container with a snap lid similar to what I keep my thread in, this will do.  I'll be going near a store that carries those next Tuesday or if I go north, next Friday.  Combine your  trips when possible.

And here is what the latest tweaking of the blocks looks like.  I just cannot resist playing with the designs---adding some, dropping others that I decided I liked more.  By now I would have to call this "inspired by Farmer's Wife Sampler" since half is original and the other half, my choices.

It is another hot summer day, of course.  At one point there were some thunderstorm warnings out but I think that has passed over.  Hot and hazy with sun blazing right now with high 90's predicted.  Just like most of the country, in other words.  It might be safe to try to re-make a watermelon until any pop up thunder rolls in as it has been doing.

And sew it sort of goes 'round here--------

Happy 4th and other stuff

 First of all, no, that is NOT my quilt but I know where you can find the pattern as this was posted on Facebook by Fons and Porter Love of Quilting.  I just borrowed the graphic, etc to wish you a Happy Independence Day as well.  

They said "Happy 4th of July from the Fons & Porter Staff. We are proud to present a Quilt of Valor design in each Love of Quilting magazine. This quilt is Unfurled Glory, which is featured in the July/August issue. To find out more about the Quilts of Valor Foundation, please click the link to visit their website. http://www.qovf.org/"

Pretty quilt, huh?

I have been busy getting ready to piece the August Button Up.  Actually, there were a few minutes yesterday where I thought I could start piecing.  Instead I prepped the applique elements as once the pieced elements are done, I would not want to wait to finish up.  I messed  up though.  Normally the designers have NOT reversed the applique elements so imagine my surprise when I realized I had wasted some of the black Belles challenge fabric on a crow that faces the wrong direction.   GRRRR  I usually turn the applique motif page over and trace the design off on the BACK side as I prefer to use either Pellon Wonder Under or Steam a Seam regular stuff.  I never have any luck with the paper staying where it is supposed to when I use Steam a Seam 2.   Stuff like the water melon seeds don't matter but it sure does matter on letters and apparently, crows, LOL.   I did not cut out the 30 watermelon seeds as I was sure those would get lost in the shuffle but they are marked.

Then after I had cut out all the pieces as directed I took a closer look at the design.  Why were they breaking up the darker green rind into three smaller pieces??  Well, I kind of knew why as they had you cut a larger triangle of lighter green to do flippy triangles instead of having you cut the larger water melon piece down and cutting a bias strip for the lighter rind.  This could be foundation pieced!

You guessed it----off to EQ to draw it up.  I knew the blocks were to finish 10 x 8.    I knew what they told me to cut the other sections.  Easy enough to draw up.  Only "bad" thing was having to tape 4 pieces of pattern together for 6 blocks.  By the time I got all that done, no sewing.

I re-cut the green and background pieces as today's task just to be on the safe side.  It helps to have a bit more fabric for trimming and folding back in foundation piecing work.  I had to seam a few of the pieces to make it happen but I don't think it will be too noticeable.  The girl that I have been giving the Button Up patterns to once I am done with them will get a little extra when I hand it off provided she likes my green choices, that is.  My friend Pat was so good to send me some darker greens recently to augment some I had on hand. While I did not use all the selections, I appreciate her sharing from her bounty.  I'll pay that forward especially since they are already cut to size.  

So other than seaming some of the darker green stuff together so I could cut a larger half square triangle, this is all the sewing that I got done so far today.  Three quilts worth of binding.  The red is for the button up while the other two go on Judy's pro bono quilts that she recently turned in.  

There have been some more thunder bumpers this afternoon so I am waiting to see if anything more comes of it before turning the machine back on.  Lord knows, I do NOT want to stand over the steam iron anymore today.

Other than that, I spent some time last night looking at the Marti Michell instructions for cutting out the Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks.  Just a reminder these are all 6 inch finished blocks.)  She has them broken down into groups that use her Perfect Patchwork Template system, according to which set.  The first bunch are are made from the 4 inch set (B) since it includes templates for 2 inch finished half square triangle, squares and quarter square triangles.  Turns out I am actually using most of the blocks on the first lesson or replaced with others that could use them.   She has also incorporated some of the line eliminating I had done when I drew the blocks up in EQ so that is a plus.  9 blocks to start with.  As soon as I finish up this Button Up top, I am cutting chart #1 out! 

Next week I will be gone a good bit since I have Bama Belles on Tuesday and the guild "Christmas in July" sew-in is coming up on Friday and Saturday (13th and 14th).  It starts on Thursday but we are only going the two days.  They are going to have some cool workshop sessions with an eye for making Christmas gifts etc.  Two I plan on taking are an iron caddy similar to the one in the link and a Christmas door pull/mug rug using a Lil Twister ruler.  Should be fun!  I'll take whatever project I am working on here at home as well.  

Busy, busy---most always something going on 'round here and more that probably SHOULD be worked on.  And sew it goes----------

catch up

Finally sitting down to rest!  I went straight from my morning walk, to errands, to laundry and cooking. It is mizzling out there with intermittent downpours so while the temps are down, it is extremely muggy, inside and outside the house.  That rain/mist stuff  started right as I was getting into the car after the walk, thank heavens but I still had to run the errands in it.  I got wet and never have dried off/dried out.

You might say will just turn on the air!  Well, DH has that set so high that it is will probably not run enough to feel comfortable in the house.  In that case I find it preferable to put a box fan in the window and turn on the ceiling fan to an a/c set at 79 on these "tweener" days.

Since the Belles and I are discussing/demonstrating/playing with quilting at our meeting tomorrow, we had decided to go with a potluck lunch rather than chase out for carry out in the middle of "class".  That explains the need to cook this morning.  Since I was experimenting with a recipe, it is entirely possible that my strawberry fluffy stuff will not set up correctly. My fingers are crossed but I am guessing I may have needed to drain some of the liquid off the frozen strawberries though I limited the amount of liquid added to the packages of jello to offset it.  (I put a little bowl of it in the freezer just to see how it turns out in there---might like it better!)   I made tuna macaroni salad as a back up, LOL----plus I like it!  DJ and I have to eat as well, right?   It is an old family favorite and have never learned how to make just a little bit of it.  It just occurred to me that I left out the pickle relish.  That will NOT do!  Back in a minute  I even have tonight's casserole ready to pop in the microwave to re-heat.  I had no desire to head back out there again in a few hours to cook dinner.   WHEW!    DJ had an appointment for a followup echo cardiogram early this afternoon and would have liked for me to sit down and eat with him but I was too busy to stop and right in the middle of some part of the process.

I would have like to have finished this quilt up this weekend but it just did not happen.   #4 of 12 Puss in the Corner.  I left off on Friday night with all the horizontal lines completed and one column worth of verticals but 11 lines to go.  I guess this will be the one I use for the demo tomorrow rather than pulling another quilt off the stack.

Saturday I had Friendship Quilters Guild and my pal Teresa rode along with me.  The other gals took a separate vehicle as initially they planned on going over to Hoover (AL) and the Quilt Symposium show that was held Thursday through Saturday.  As it turned out, some of them had gone on Friday with the JOY group but were going to go to the quilt shop in Trussville instead.  Pell City is kind of the half way point from Calhoun County and on to the Birmingham Metro area.  I had opted out of both activities.    Actually that turned out to be a good decision as I felt un-well once I got home.

Sunday ended up pretty much paperwork day---meeting minutes and all that plus things around the house that needed to be taken care of.  Translation:  no quilting though later I was looking at the Hancock Fabrics and Keepsake Quilting catalogs.  I really like some of the Moda Vintage Modern particularly THIS piece of yardage with the sky/aqua and red, pink accents.  Some of the Dear Stella Petal Pushers are interesting too. I could totally see using a bit of that sky vintage modern as a "jumping off" point for my Farmers' Wife Sampler.   Dear Stella reminds me more of the type of fabrics in my 40's-50's bowtie on the bed.  The fabric I love most is a nice clear blue with red flowers on it and it feels like feed sack stuff.  THAT is the look I want for FWS.

What I am thinking of doing is setting a mileage goal for myself with walking.  I am currently at 11 miles so if I say when I hit 50 or so, I will order a half yard of that fabric and maybe a couple pieces of the companion prints.  Not a food reward, a fabric reward.  OR it is not that long till DJ gives me birthday money to spend. I can still walk but maybe I order a tad more if it is subsidized, LOL.  It is something to ponder anyway.

Well, I still have things to gather for quilting day tomorrow including making a sandwich to practice some free motion quilting on.   I'll pack up the machine and supplies and load the car before it starts raining again as well.  In spite of my best intentions and efforts I am always running around in a rush to get out of here on quilting mornings.  Brenda told me we may have some guests from her small quilt group and I know Bev invited a friend too.  I need to be sure to get there at 9 in case we have a few early birds as I have the key.

And sew it goes---------

WIP Weds

 Well, I haven't worked on it yet today but I will.  I quilted up this Habitat Patience Corner top pieced back in January 2011.  I like the block but the quilt not so much.  Hopefully all  this particular donation/challenge fabric is now gone!

The green is the Habitat fabric in question.  The larger figured piece was the main fabric but we did not have enough of it to go around so others got the companion print.  I made two quilts:  a Jungle Nine Patch and in series, made a Puss in the Corner from the leftovers.  You can see those quilts and what the others did with it in THIS POST.  Mine are clear down at the bottom.   Turns out I only thought I was done with that stuff, LOL.  Others leftovers landed at my doorstep and this was how I elected to use them.  The floral print was not one that I could ever find a use for either so bam!  all in the same quilt.  That reminds me too--that I still have a panel section of the Michael Miller Romance to do something with as well but that was a little easier to work with though my challenge top is not even pinned yet as I need to mark it first.  I can always find a ton of other things to do first though I have come close a time or two.

Next top up will be Staggered Bricks that dates back to August 2011.  I'll start on it once I get the binding applied on the one pictured----after lunch.

What else have I been doing?  Walked--went okay but a small blister that had developed on my right heel was bleeding by the time I got home.  I had tried wearing a thin pair of cotton socks under my "diabetic/circulatory socks" and there must have been a little bit of sheer.  Left foot is fine which is just the opposite of two weeks.  Still I got my walking in and will go out again tomorrow with nu-skin and large bandaids on my heels.  The shoes feel fine.

I was also playing with my Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt layout again. I cannot resist tinkering when I see some other blocks I  like better.  At this point I am not sure how many of the original blocks even exist in my version but I will find out, LOL.   I know that the book has 111.  Last week I had 176 block in my sketchbook and I have 188 now.  A couple are a few I "discovered" by tweaking with the EQ7 Serendipity button---what fun with that one!!  Frame, tilt, merge two blocks, clip and flip, shrink and flip, Kaleidoscope and Fancy Star.  One block called attic window I did include but tilted.  Now I like it on point a lot better.

I took this picture of Skyler last night.  He looked so cute cuddled up on the back of the love seat.  Earlier with the paw/leg up over the eyes but of course by the time you get the camera he is no longer doing that.  Mostly I am glad that he was laying somewhere besides the kitchen chair.  He would lay on that thing for hours unless I roust him to his window perch or another locale.

Well, noon whistle is about to blow here and DJ will be asking me about lunch.

Hope you have a good day in whatever you chose to do.

quilt plans and making lists

A blogging friend who I have recently met and began following at  A Left Handed Quilter posed an interesting question today.  (Her alter ego Quilter BOB has separate blog and has some even more takes on quilting!!  Some that I agree with---a lot!  But I digress.......)

Anyway she asked

If you KNEW that you had only one more day before you died and in that day you could make one more quilt, what quilt would you make?

She named several styles of quilts and oh, there were some good ones to chose from!  I don't think I am what you would consider a MODERN quilter but the reasons/rants about that will wait for another day.  Scrappy, Traditional, more my speed really.

She also wondered if you would take that day to finish up a UFO or start something new.  I thought about it for a bit.  Actually I think about it a lot---no, not the only having one more day to live part but what I want to work on next.  I especially ponder this when I am working something like binding.  (The Row QOV is done but does not look appreciably different than it did  the last time I posted it on the blog but you might check the 2012 finishes for a better picture of it)

 So, even though I stated that I had three bed quilts that I have started and would like to see completed,  vaguely, "sometime this year"  (Popsicle Sticks, My Sunshine and Cheap Trick/Two of a Kind) I selected TWO different projects.  I guess I would have to beg for another day, LOL.

My choice would be to complete my Christmas JOY quilt begun with the Collinsville Rowers as a pass-around quilt. I fell in love with this quilt featured as a series quilt in the Fons and Porter "Love of Quilting" magazine the first time I saw it.  I guess it was quite a popular pattern and they sold out of the magazines it was in as they now sell the pattern as a booklet. Poinsettia row back in Sept. 2007 and then sent it on its merry way.  We had a retreat the following August and the rows were revealed then.  I take it out every now and again but so far it has not been completed.  Basically I need to find a nice Christmas red and a cream or white to make the checkerboard bits between the row elements.

And my other choice would be to make my version of Farmer's Wife Sampler.  I have been living with this quilt in my head for about 6 weeks or more.  I blogged about it in THIS post.

I have been studying the materials from Marti Michell that would allow me to convert the templates from the book into her perfect patchwork sets.  I have been editing out superfluous lines in case I want to foundation piece some of the blocks.  I have been drawing up more blocks in EQ from other sources to use them in my quilt.  I have tinkered with the layout incessantly and will most likely tinker some more.  I have spent a lot of time in BlockBase picking out blocks that I feel look better on point than in the original.  I have dumped the blocks that I would have no interest in making at 12 inches let alone 6 inches as the sampler calls for----too many pieces for me!   I have looking at what other bloggers have done and viewing all kinds of blocks on The Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long on Flickr.  I have joined a yahoo group to get other's input as to how THEY are proceeding with this quilt.  I have considered what fabrics I might use, over and over again.  I have my notebook set up with printouts and sheet protectors ready to go.    I am ready, mentally anyway.

Now I am NOT saying that it will look exactly like this----it is a sketch and what I will follow for the layout PROBABLY.   The quilt requires 111 blocks and I have 176 blocks in my EQ sketchbooks----some are already substitutes for the ones I didn't bother drawing up.  Some others, I like a lot better.   I see a few more that will NOT make the cut or be moved at the very least.   I love baskets and want to include some basket fabrics that my mom, Maggie and Sheila sent me so a few more of them will show up.  I DO like the distribution of color more of less, so may stick to that when actually making the blocks or closely anyway.

As much as I love 30's prints I keep coming back to scrappy.  I could go with Civil War or earlier 1800's repros but I don't think it will work for this.  I have dreams of some day doing a Dear Jane too---start at 6 inch and work down to 4.5 inch??   I do not care for the quilt on the cover----not my palette at all.  I can use my stash for the most part but will probably need some more background lights and blenders but not so dark that I can figure out what to use for sashing.  The sketch is also making it look like I don't have any sashing between the blocks until you blow it up bigger. In the drawing I had three tones of that taupey, golden brown going on.  That part is odd as well since I don't normally care for browns  I tried switching out to shades of green but there is a good bit of green in the blocks so that probably won't work either.  Blue would be out for the same reason.

So back to what my blogging friend asked----if I consider it that important to me, what is stopping me from getting started on this???  Uh, maybe that pile of pro bono quilts in my bedroom and the fact that I need to straighten up the sewing room before I can cut or press or make more of a mess by pulling out fabric bins.    For now, top of the list for me!   There are 12 quilts in there and 10 are mine, 2 are group members.  I make a promise now that once I get say 3 of thm quilted, I will at least cut out the 1st 10 blocks and get started on it anyway.  That would be a terrific reward project.   It will be on-going---many people aim for making two a week and figure on a year long journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Followup notes:
My New Balance 606's seem to be working out okay.  Even though I am not diabetic or circulatory impaired (thank heavens!) I got two pair of the socks to try out because they felt a bit thicker than the others.  A large bandaid to my heels is padding the still tender area so that helped too.   Still at 4 laps every other day but I think by Monday I am going to go 5 days out of 7.  It is just 1.1 miles and I don't feel taxed by the activity.  See how 3 days in a row goes first.

The binding on the Row QOV is done as yesterday afternoon.  It does not look appreciably different than it did the last time I posted it on the blog but you might check the 2012 finishes tab for a better picture of it.  I laundered it to get rid of the cat hair and it crinkled up beautifully.  I need to find out what kind of batting the quilt is using as I really like it.  It got a little fluffy around the edges of the quilt after I was done man handling it quilting it---maybe some sort of bonded cotton??

Supposedly there is some rain on the way in this evening.  We got a little over a half inch night before last but remain about 5 inches behind on our rain fall totals for the year.   We are in the 70's today with all that cloud cover and that kept it pleasant for walking.  Trust me, I am not complaining about that after the recent spell of 90's and blazing sun days.  So far the box fans and over head fans are keeping things comfortable in here.  Or at least it is until I decide to do something "stupid" like clean or dust!

I feel like a bit of a jinx today anyway----cleaning might be injurious to my health, at the rate I was going.  Mr. Fix-it told me I was just full of good news when I reported almost simultaneously that 1)  my right turn signal was going off like a hazard light does again and not working on the exterior of the car  2)  the blind I had just raised shirred off completely at the header on two of the three strings.    Fortunately it was just a bulb on the car and Cobb's didn't charge him for it.  The blind?  He bought the wrong size first and then we had to discuss whether the one other the adjacent window was alabaster or white. At my insistence, he got white and it IS a bit lighter in tone.  Why would I have approved alabaster when white was really cream and alabaster was overly tan colored??  Who names these things such weird colors anyway and why do we let them get away with it?  It is up and not going back.  I accept full responsibility for the color variance.  Now remind me what I said when the other one falls down, LOL.

Well, somehow I don't think my sewing room is going to get tidied up or bathroom any cleaner with me pecking on the keyboard.   Thanks for stopping by-------