Injured

In Progress

Using Down Time

For the past two weeks I have been under the weather with back issues that are the result of wear and tear. No injury; just wear and tear. Nonetheless I have been out of kilter and disinterested in doing the things that ordinarily ring my chimes and float my boat and all those other clichés. Combining with that is a cat which was in a fight and had to be taken care of in a special way. Daisy was wearing an Elizabethan Collar, otherwise known as the Cone of Shame to prevent her from pulling at stitches in her side. She was in a fight, no doubt on the losing side, and during her convalescence, I would take her to my sewing room, remove the collar and let her eat and groom in peace. That takes a long time. Cats wash themselves from stem to stern after eating and it took her about thirty minutes, twice a day, to keep her coat perfectly clean. During that time, I worked on piecing blocks for my next quilt.

I love the Missouri Star Quilt Company site. The videos are quite well done and last season when I was presenting programs at our Guild, I chose to demonstrate the Disappearing Hourglass block. I now have ten blocks done, using a layer cake in Richmond Reds. I had used some of the set to piece one of those 'three yard quilts' and with the remaining pieces, there was sufficient to start this bonus quilt. I may need to add another red or a cream with red accents for the border. That should not be too difficult to find and there is no rush anyway. At the next quilt show I may be lucky enough to find that a vendor has brought along just that fabric for me to purchase. In the meantime, I will continue making the DHG Blocks and after twenty are done, I will lay them out and take a peek to see how they will do together. I plan to hand quilt this project in spite of there being a lot of seams in this block.  That will be sometime in the fall, not summer. Now that Daisy's stitches are out, I am not confined to my studio twice a day so the construction  may slow down. Or not. I can't say that the quilt is going to be one of my favorites but busy hands are happy hands and even if the blocks find their way into a holding pattern, it will be done eventually.

Make Mine Mini

Making miniature quilts is actually great fun. They require a lot of patience, good fabric choices and a certain attention to detail. When you are sewing a twelve inch block into your quilt, there is a certain amount of wiggle room which doesn't exist if the  block is two inches. You make them just to see if you can. I absolutely love sewing on this scale but my learning curve is still steep and the quest for perfection goes on. Next is a school of brightly colored fish. Still in the order of intention!

Second appearance. Lots to learn about adding pics using my new platform. I will get better. Love these  two but the Log Cabin was more of a challenge.

Rising Again

I want to rejuvenate this blog. It's always been an intention to get back to this method of communication but for thr past several years, I have neglected the process. It's really not my intention to Catch Up, exactly, but I want to show some of the more interesting pieces I have worked on, with some comments on the wins and losses, the successes and fails. Nothing is perfect. I have several pieces in the cooker right now and yet I am sitting here, babbling!! With good reason, however. Just a temporary interruption involving mobility and concentration. This too shall pass. Soon. I hope.

This is the current most interesting piece underway in my sewing room. As you can see, it's currently unbound because several of my friends think I should have it framed. I am not sure about that but will discuss it with the framer. It's a George Scicilano design and is paper pieced using a product of his design.,  not for the faint of heart but one of those things you make just to see if you can make it. Mission accomplished. 

Brown Bag Challenge rides again

This is one of my favorite Guild activities. I think it's unfortunate that only twelve people participated in it and perhaps since the results were so great this year, more people might step up to be part of it when we try it another time. It's always a puzzle to decide what to make with the fabrics you receive in the brown bag. For someone else, I may have made a purse but Sheila has made purses before any of us were so she didn't need another one. The thing with the piece I made is the unusual shape. It's not just a rectangular topper; it's all about the corners. I like it and hope Sheila liked it too.

Christmas Charm

This is a cute little item; I bought a package of charm squares that were so pretty and when I got them home, had no idea what I would do with them. I found this little pattern and it fit the bill; not too difficult; quick to finish.

Just the right size to put on a little table or on the back of a chair. In keeping with my newly developing 'skill', I machine quilted it. Not bad but still not great. However, with this new skill there are times you just have to do it and hope for the best. What I can say is that it's improving.