Updates and Recent Productivity

 I've been reasonably productive lately.  This is my way of dealing with cold weather and having to stay (mostly) at home.  So, I can spend some part of the week doing knitting, sewing, cross stitch and quilting.  This is what I've finished since the last post in January:

In order to keep us connected, the program director of my quilt guild has arranged these small exchange projects throughout the year.  The main idea is that you are paired up with another member and both agree to make the item of the month.  The item may be a small, themed wall hanging or a place mat, or a table topper, etc.  I've done a few and this is one that I completed in January.  We exchanged fabric and a sample of blocks and went from there.  I received two pieced blocks from my partner and some beige and blue fabrics and made this topper. This photo is just a bit washed out, but gives a good idea of the piece.  I had fun designing it, doing the applique and the machine quilting.

I gave her the pineapple block and this is her result.  I love the colors and placement of those colors.  She apologized for not being creative in her quilting and suggests that I should add more if I want.  I haven't decided on that yet.  There are too many other projects to contemplate.

Inspired by the mittens Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration ceremony, I decided to knit a pair of mittens for myself.  I had never knit mittens before, needed a set of gloves (or whatever) for a new winter coat, and had plenty of wool to work with.  I used a skein of yarn that Gayle had spun and given to me along with a sock yarn that I was using for accents on socks.  They're very warm, but just a bit too big.  And, they were fun to knit.

And I've been working on some UFOs.  I had 14 tree blocks in my stash that I probably got from a guild block exchange some years ago.  I used 5 of them for a table runner exchange and 4 of them for a table topper.  The remaining 5 are sewn together to make another table runner, but that project is not yet completed.

My guild is trying hard to keep people engaged in most of the activities we regularly hold while meeting in person.  Block of the month us generally popular.  The committee chooses a block pattern and provides a bit of fabric.  The members make a block (or more) and turn them in for a chance to win all the turned in blocks.  This year, the pattern is publicized and it's all on your own.  This has not been nearly as successful.  I guess the chance of winning a quilt full of blocks is quite the draw.  But, I've been following along to support this group.  This is my collection of blocks so far.

I completed and framed the gargoyle cross stitch.  This is hanging above a shelf in my bathroom which houses many of my other gargoyles.  Every time I see it, it makes me smile.

I've been working on the Hawaiian applique nearly every evening.  So far, the inner ring is complete (the 8 sections with the two flowers) and the outside of the middle ring (the curves and stem with 3 flowers each).  I'm working on the middle ring now.  Most of that section I can bunch up the fabric and hold my thumb on top to applique.  That is a little faster and easier to work rather than having to stabilize the top fabric with my thumb covered up with another part of the quilt.  Once I have this section done, all the tiny leaves will be completed and the very outer border will go quickly.

So far, I'm liking the combination of stitched and glued basting.  There are a few sections where the glue basting is a little close to the edge and the residual glue makes stitching harder.  Also, I ran out of the Roxanne glue before I finished and switched to Elmer's washable school glue.  The school glue is not holding well with all the handling required to do the stitching.  The Roxanne glue is thicker and is holding up better for that.  But, I still like the Elmer's school glue for glue basting and holding a binding down for stitching.

I've also completed a few crib sized quilts for the comfort quilt donations through my guild.  The peach/green and the drunkard's path quilts I got as tops and basted, quilted and bound before donation.  The brown/blue quilt was in my stash as cut pieces.  I think they were a guild donation as well.  I put together the blocks from cut strips and completed the quilt.

The next swap I did was just called "3D".  Members were allowed to interpret that as they wished.  My partner said she likes cats, bright colors and loves baskets and boxes.  I have been eyeing this pattern for quite some time, but had no excuse to make it.  This was the perfect excuse!  And, since I share her love of all things basket, I had to make one for myself.  

I have to share the story behind the fabric.  Back in 1980-something, DH and I traveled to St. Thomas on vacation.  We found this lovely shop that did stencils on fabric and I bought a few yards of a white on white that included nautilus shells and other aquatic creatures, and this turquoise and white remnant.  I love this fabric.  It reminds me of Tiffany's boxes.  I've held on to this fabric because I didn't know what to do with it and I didn't want to waste it.  With everything that went on this past year with Covid, etc., it was a good time to evaluate what I've got and to use it or discard it.  This basket also makes me very happy.  I may have to make another!

Scrap Party, the mystery quilt that Charlotte Hawkes published last year (2019?) is done.   I think I am done with quilts on point for a while.  I wasn't sure about the background of this piece, but now that it's done, I like it a lot.  I also like the scrappy border and the scrappy binding I used.

I have been keeping busy this winter.  I like that my UFO list is getting shorter.  I like that I've been playing with new things (like the basket) and using some of my time to make charitable donations.  Lately I've been working more to improve my machine quilting and expand my quilting motif library.  I'm trying hard to expand my craft, have fun and not stress about any of this.  So far, I'm succeeding. 

I'm Still here and Still Plodding Along

I'm still here, alive and well.  Had someone told me that we would still be battling Covid-19 while other countries are on the upswing, I probably would not have believed you.  But, it's still here, still raging and has not just disappeared as our national leader said it would.  Not that I believed him, but his incompetence has as astounded me.  I'm angry at the lack of respect for the scientific community and the ignorance of the population.  As such, I'm just a bit depressed and time seems mostly irrelevant.  This is a long way to say I haven't gotten nearly as much completed as I thought I would during our home-bound time this summer.

But, I did finally complete the quilting on Scrapitude Take 2 in May.  It's a fairly large quilt (92" square I think) and took me quite some time to complete.  But, here it is.  I used the opportunity to try out some new free motion techniques and practice my feathers.  I'm pleased with the results.  

 

The next project that got my attention was Bright Baby.  I was looking for some mindless sewing.  I had all the pieces cut out and all the 4-patch diamonds assembled and just had to put the top together. I'm looking forward to quilting this one.

As a consolation to myself for not being able to attend quilt meetings or  the cancelled quilt retreat, I decided to give a try to some on-line classes.  I took Beth Helfter's Accordion Sewn Half Square Triangles class.  I had never taken any on-line classes before and was a Zoom newbie.  The class was live with about 8 students from all over the US.  Beth is in my area and I had seen her speak before, so I knew a little about what I was getting.  The class was wonderful.  Beth was an attentive teacher with clear demonstrations and preparation.  The method for sewing the HSTs is fun and quick.  Now what to do with this block?  I'm going to make 3 more with different solid grey backgrounds and bright colors and assemble it into a lap/baby quilt.  Because, you know, I don't have enough projects to keep me busy.

Beth's web site is https://evapaigequilts.com/ where you can find more information about her classes, books and the tools she sells.

A few friends wanted to take a class together one of them suggested Timna Tarr's Stitched Mosaic class.  This one was a series of recorded videos that walks you through the steps of creating a stitched mosaic picture based on a photo.  The project I did was based on her class example.  I blew up the photo to about 20" square because I wanted the finished project to be a largish wall hanging for my sewing room.  I like the technique because you only work on one 2" square at a time.  I'm getting used to the fractured image and am holding our final judgement until I get it quilted.  I was regretting not printing the original photo in color because I think it would have given me better indication of color placement.  I think that would be more important of I were using a photo of an animal or multi-colored object.  I'm looking forward to quilting this one and will probably start it this week.  You can find Timna and information on her classes here:  http://www.timnatarr.com/

On an entirely different topic, I finally got an african violet to survive under my care.  My daughter bought this for me last spring with the special pot that is designed for violets to give them the right amount of water.  It survived the winter but was looking a little grey in some of the leaves.  I moved it to another window where it gets bright light but no direct sunlight, and added african violet fertilizer to the water and it's thriving!  I've never had one rebloom after buying it and never had one that looked this healthy after a few months.  I guess I've learned just how much care and neglect it can take.

You make have noticed a similarity in the last 4 photos.  Even though I do not have the creative energy that I thought I might have while mostly staying home, the creativity I do have is being translated into purples and bright colors.  It was a surprize to me.  I don't often work in bright colors, but I suppose those boost my mood and I'm not fighting it.

Last note - I do not like this new blogger interface.  I'm having a lot of trouble getting this formatted the way I want. Right now I'm tired of playing with it and want to get this posted.  So, here it is.  Done is better than perfect.

Winter Completions, Spring Goals

This documents a few finishes and the list of UFOs I plan to work on this next quarter.  Since I've only finished two of the 8 UFOs I listed in the goals for last quarter, none of the projects on the current UFO list is new.

On to the finishes....

I bought the fabric for this purse about a year ago.  I fell in love with the fabric and bought it with a purse in mind.  I had a pattern in mind, but it all came together when I found some leather at another sale.  The pattern is the Renegade Bag from Sew Sweetness.  It's a bit larger than bags I usually carry, but since I also make that little clutch earlier this year, I think this will work out for times I want a larger bag.  

My next finish is this bonus quilt that I made from left over border pieces from the left over Stars quilt I completed last quarter.  I realized it needed something else, and seemed like a good home for the chicken I had put together in another workshop.  The chicken wire quilting was a new technique for me using a template and chalk pounce powder.  I liked the pounce technique for marking the quilt, but it wore off a little too quickly.  I had to learn how much of the quilt I could mark at one time before I had to reapply.


And I finally finished this pair of socks that I started in January.  I just became disinterested in the pattern and yarn and procrastinated working on them.  They turned out lovely, though.











This is the UFO list for spring 2020:

1. Ladies of the Sea

She is in the hoop.  I've completed the outline quilting on 14 of the 16 blocks.  I'm still contemplating how the background will be quilted, but I'm a long way from having to make that decision.  This will not be completed this quarter, it's still on the list so I will make progress.

2. Scrapitude Take 2

My plan was to baste this large top at a quilting retreat that was scheduled for March.  However, the retreat was cancelled due to isolation orders because of COVID-19.  This quilt is large enough that it does not fit on my kitchen floor.  DH suggested the deck.  On a pleasant Saturday afternoon, I swept off the deck and got this pin basted.  I am currently machine quilting it and expect this will be my next completion.



3. Bright Baby Revisited

Again, still on the list.











4. Handy Dandy Scrappy

The next top to be basted and quilted.  I do not, however, have batting for this.  Depending on the timing, I may have to take advantage of the curb-side pick up of a local quilt shop that is struggling to remain open.







5. Maxine

Still here, too.











6. Blue Floral

I've been thinking about what I want to do to finish this piece.  I'm contemplating what kind of blocks I want to make for the border.  I just saw some log cabin blocks placed to make a wave or swag pattern.  That has potential. 

She's Getting Stuff Done!

Although I don't feel like I've gotten a lot done in the past 6 weeks or so, I do have quite a few finishes - just not very many UFO finishes.

OK, first a UFO finish.  I did complete the Left-over Stars quilt.  I think the finished size turned out to be something like 48" x 75".  It's just big enough to cover the top of my double bed with a few inches of overhang.  I like it, but I'm not in love with it.  Mostly I'm glad to have it done.















My next finish are these two adorable cats.  These patterns came courtesy of Val Spiers of Australia.  She published the patterns on her blog quite a few years ago and I used 2 of the 4 as decoration for an applique portfolio I made.  (Val is currently selling very nice American Girl clothing patterns on Etsy, by the way.)  I've always liked the cat patterns and decided to make these as entries to my guild's silent auction in May.  They're about 15" square each.  I hope they bring in good bids.



The next finish is this little purse.  I don't often carry a full-sized purse and my cell phone and my wallet don't always fit into the tiny pockets that are put into women's jeans these days.  I had been carrying another bag about this same size, but it's really not very attractive. I bought this fabric to make a full sized purse and had plenty to make this smaller piece for every day.  This will do just fine.






And there's this little zipper bag that I completed.  This was part of an estate that was donated to the guild.  It was mostly assembled.  I just finished it and am using it to hold a small knitting project. 

That's all for the finishes.  And, there was only one official UFO finish.  But, progress none-the-less.







 In addition to sewing, I started a pair of socks in January.  I've sort of lost interest in these once I got used to the stitch and got the leg on the first sock done.  I've been much more interested in hand quilting.  But, I've picked them back up this week and will try to plod along.

The biggest project is this baby.  I finally got Ladies of the Sea all together, completed hand basting and have started quilting.  As of today, I've completed outlining the applique and blocks on 6 of the 16 blocks.  I'm very much enjoying getting back to hand quilting.  I'm still thinking about what design I would like to use for the quilting.  There have been some gorgeous machine quilted versions of this that I've seen on the web.  I'm not sure how dense machine quilting would translate to hand quilting.  Sue Garman's original is quilted with a cross-hatch design and is stunning.  I've got quite a bit of outlining to do before I make this decision.

That's what's been keeping me busy lately.  I am still entertaining thought of knitting two cardigans.  I have the pattern and yarn chosen for each.  I just don't know when I will squeeze these into my evening hand stitching time.

Winter UFO goals

On the last UFO challenge I completed one quilt, made progress on two, created a new UFO and ignored the rest.  This is the list of UFOs I want to make progress on this quarter:

1. Ladies of the Sea

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 I got all of the blocks completed and trimmed last quarter.  I am now working on the nearly 400 HST blocks that will be part of the borders.  I would like to have this top completed this quarter.

2. Left Over Stars

I put a border on this top in October.  It needs a back, basting, quilting and binding.  I'd like to make progress on this before the next quarter.

3. Scrapitude Take 2

This should be the next quilt I prepare for quilting and start machine quilting.  I would like to have it completed before our guild's quilt show in May.  I guess I'd better get working on this.

4. Bright Baby Revisited

Yep, still on my list.

5. Handy Dandy Scrappy

Still here, too.

6. Put A Chicken On It

This is new to the list.  The top is a bonus quilt with left over pieces that I cut for the border of the star quilt (above).  The chicken is the product of a guild tutorial from this summer.  She had no place to go, and I thought she looked good on this background.  I may give her a few eggs to tend.  I bought a quilting template this fall that looks vaguely like chicken wire.  I plan to use that and practice my machine quilting. 

 7. Maxine

These little blocks showed up in my stash and I don't exactly remember how they got there.  I probably got them at a guild UFO auction.  I've got a bunch of bright fabrics to use as borders around the blocks.  I think there are 25 printed blocks in total.  This should be quick and easy to put together.













8. Blue Floral

I haven't even given this on a thought.










That's the list of the quilting projects I would like to concentrate on this quarter.  This doesn't address the knitting I would like to do, or the tessellating lizard hand piecing project I've been playing with (it's not technically a UFO yet.)  I certainly have enough to keep me busy for quite some time. 

Progress This Fall

 The last time I talked about Flower Up was January of 2018.  I did complete it in 2018 (I don't remember exactly when), but I never showed a completed photo.  I still really like the border on this, although it's deceiving how long applique work on a border takes.  I needed to take a photo of this because a friend just bought this to give to her mother for Christmas.  I'm glad it's going to a good home.

I've completed all the applique for Ladies of the Sea and trimmed the blocks and borders to size.  I'm very thrilled to have this quilt nearing completion.  Many thanks to Linda for letting me borrow these gorgeous patterns for the 5 years it's taken me to get this far.  If she had not loaned me the patterns, I would have never made the quilt.  The patterns are now on the way back to her and I hope she enjoys the process as much as I have.  I have just started cutting out the fabric and putting together the 300+ half-square triangle blocks that will make the borders.  I was hoping to have the top completed before the end of the year, but I'm not sure if that will happen.

I've gotten a few other smaller projects done.  I completed these socks.  I've been playing with lace knitting patterns.  I've never really done lace before, and socks are a great project to try new stitches.  It took me a while to get the rhythm of knitting lace, but I did get the hang of it.

I started a sweater in a lace pattern, but after ripping it out 4 times, I decided I needed more lace practice before I tackled something larger.  This cowl was another quick project for lace practice.  There a still a few small mistakes at the start of the project, but I can live with that.  I will probably tackle a few more small lacy items before I start that sweater again.

This wool table mat was a gift exchange at the quilt guild last year.  I got it done in time for Thanksgiving.  I thought I would really enjoy the process of wool applique given my love of needle turn.  But, that was not so.  There are too many tiny pieces in this pattern and I don't like that the iron-on adhesive takes away the dimensionality of the applique.  I think I'll stay away from this technique.

The cat quilt is done!!!  This quilt started in 1993 as two Internet block exchanges.  One of them was black and white cats and the other was browns (I think).  They have been languishing in my closet for a very long time.  Once I finally decided to put it together, I needed a few extra cats to make the quilt the size I wanted.  I think I  made 3 or 4.  This quilt went with me to a couple of machine quilting classes until I decided on the quilting I wanted on each of the cats and the borders.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  When I posted it on Facebook, a friend offered to buy it, so it will be going to her home soon.

This little bunny quilt was a baby shower gift for DH's niece who is expecting her first child in January.  It went together quicker than I expected and was well received by the parents and the rest of the guests at the shower.  I hope it is loved to tatters.














Enough for now.  I'm still stitching and keeping busy.  The next project I picked up is complex hand piecing of M. C. Escher's tessellating lizards.  But, I'm contemplating starting a sweater or a new pair of socks or another cowl.  And, since my daughter just got engaged, my plan is to make her a full-sized Hawaiian applique quilt, so perhaps I should get started on that since I have the fabric and the pattern.  For me, deciding on the next project and starting are always the hardest part.

Until next time...