New quilts to make!

First, let's get the pictures of the community project quilts straight! Here is the first one, which you saw yesterday. This came from a book whose name I can't remember at the moment, but the cover is pink, white, and black! That sure helps - doesn't it! 

Community project quilt - Number One

The blocks were all strip pieced and then cut into slices. I have no idea why I made these two. Wait - I know - because I could. I probably wanted to have some baby quilts on hand, but I never got any requests for quilts. And I just wanted to make quilts!

The second one is the same except for the outer border. I likely ran out of the fabric on the inside and had to use a print for the border. 

The second community project quilt

If memory serves, I have two more of these quilts (same fabrics) in the "to be quilted" pile. Pretty sure I have a couple of pink-and-white (larger) ones, also in the "to be quilted" pile. It is a super fun and easy quilt pattern to assemble, and you can easily make it bigger by increasing the number of blocks. 

The border is also made from the strip sets. The strip sets are made from 2½" strips. So super easy and can be made with a jelly roll and a white fabric. HEY --- that might just be a way to use up some jelly rolls that I have. I never even thought of this pattern. And I always have white around. That's the one staple that I can't get enough of - white. I'm always using it, and so I'm always buying it. Boring white! But it sure makes things sparkle. 

Perhaps I should set a goal for the summer to get all the quilts from that style quilted. WAIT -- I need to get that leader back on the machine, and I might just get that done today. I didn't get much done yesterday. I was a slug because I didn't sleep well the night before, but that's a whole other story that I will share someday. 

These are the two other quilts I'm working on. Another one of those: why make one when you can make two quilts? These were the second $10 quilts that I taught back in 2004. 

The status on the winter quilt tops

You can see the sled block in the quilt on the left, and there is now one made for the quilt on the right. While they had the tracing patterns for the guy on the sled, there are also trees and a dog to be included. However, there was no pattern to trace. Oh - you can free-form cut them from fabric. Well, that's an invitation to not get them done! However, I'm happy to report that the trees and the dog are fused in place, and I hope to get the satin stitching done on them today.

Then two more sections on both quilts need to be pieced, and my goal is to get those done this summer. I sure hope to have more than those blocks done. I'll have to find some border fabrics in the stash and then assemble them. I also want to work on the summer quilts. Those never got started, but since the fall, winter, and spring are done (or almost as above), I might as well finish the set! It would be great to get those done this summer as well, since I still have four other quilts on my UFO list this year to finish. Two need to be quilted, and two still need a lot of piecing. Actually, one still needs a lot of designing. 

I was saying to the Monday sewing group and probably those on the retreat that I rarely start a new project, and yet - I'm going to start to work on those two summer quilts. But that's not really a new project. It's more like I'm finishing the set, and hence a UFO. That doesn't count as new. 

But I had sent out a note asking for suggestions on what to do with the Tula Pink fabric bundle I purchased, and, of course, that would mean starting a new project I have no purpose for. 

Here are two of the suggestions, and I love them both!!!

Spanish Tile quilt

Spanish Tiles by Anka's Treasures has great big spaces, which is perfect for the large prints. You can find the pattern at that link - it's only $9, and you get an immediate download. I like the fact that the pattern is only $9. If I am downloading the darn thing, the designer didn't have to worry about printing, folding, inserting the pattern into the plastic bag, and certainly not about logistics and shipping. That is worth a lot of money, and I shouldn't have to pay for those services if I'm getting a downloadable PDF pattern. There are some designers where you get no break, and we deserve that price break if the services haven't been used. 

I am not sure of the source of this next one. I don't know the pattern name, and well, it's easy enough to figure out. I did NOT say that out loud. And I apologize to the designer, but some things just don't need a pattern. 

Another pattern with large blocks

The fabric collection it is showcasing is Ruby Star's Cascading Landscaping. I went back and checked the lookbook, and that pattern is NOT there, so someone else (the store?) has rendered the fabrics into that quilt pattern. Maybe the person who sent me the pattern can locate the pattern source.

I love both patterns and certainly have more than enough fabric in that bundle to make both. I just need to find the backgrounds (white, most likely for both) and then find a strong fabric for the trellis on the first one. A Tula Pink is NOT strong enough (color-wise or perhaps value-wise) or plain enough to make that work, and I think that is the issue I have with Tula Pink. Using only her fabrics in a quilt is a hot mess (in my opinion), but adding other fabrics can calm it down. 

Speaking of which—when I look through the Lookbooks for the Ruby Star fabrics and other pattern sources, so many are copies of each other. I see the same things (motifs/styles) over and over again. And people are happy to pay good money for these patterns - just because it's in a slightly different setting or different fabric, it is the SAME pattern! And what I "love" is that a good part of the "modern" fabric look is all about vintage and retro things. So it's not modern—it's just retro revisited! 


Loads more to share, but I must get myself to the gym this morning. I guess the beauty of not having to attend Joseph's classes is that I can go whenever I want to spin. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

One step forward and another item added to the to-do list!

Should I say "be careful what you wish for?" We went from winter to high summer overnight! Yesterday was a blistering hot day with lots of sun! What a change, and I think we have heat today and tomorrow, and then back to mid-teens! That's OK -- it's nice to walk around in shorts and sweat!

It was an interesting day, and for some reason, I decided it was important to spend time gardening, which was NOT on my to-do list. But that's OK. It's stuff that needed to be done. 

First, let me give you an update on the HST situation at my house.

I managed to finish all the HSTs for my two winter quilts. And I kept trimming one of the other groups of the enders and leaders. When I was finished with the HSTs for the quilts, this is what remained of the scrap group. 

Hmmm - almost finished the scrap group of HSTs

I continued on until this small group was done. And NO - it did not work out evenly in groups of four, there was one extra. But no worries, this group is trimmed, and it's already stored in the scrapbin for the HSTs of that size. 

The group of HSTs is done!

I had some time to kill this morning, so I grabbed the next grouping and started on that. 

The next group of HSTs to trim

I got a fair number done, which is great. I've never been this productive (proactive) with these HSTs before. Once this group is complete, there are a few I've recently pieced together, and there is one more group I need to dig out, which I think is in the retreat bag for next week. 

Working on the next group of HSTs

And I accomplished ONE block (of eight) for the winter quilts. It represents a poinsettia. This is what all those HSTs were for. 

One block (of eight) for the winter quilts

And as promised, here are the two quilts. I need to finish the applique on the sledding block, complete the remaining seven poinsettia blocks, and after that, there are two remaining blocks - bells and flying geese. Then I need to find some border fabric and the backing. I'm making progress! 

Progress on the two winter quilts

I've decided this will be my UFO, and I hope to continue with the two summer quilts to complete two sets of the four seasons. It would be silly to only do three. 

I pulled the fall and spring quilts from the "to be quilted" pile, and they are now in the current quilting queue. I only have two customer quilts to do, and I have a group (5) for which I need to do some serious learning on my long-arm (computer-based), so I'm able to work on a few of mine. 

Two spring and two fall quilt tops to be quilted

Speaking of customer quilts, here is the one I did yesterday. Both KU and I want to steal this one. It's a scrappy log cabin, and it's just gorgeous! I have one more for the same customer, which I'll do tomorrow. Today, it's all about another community project quilt. 

Customer quilt - DONE

It's funny how trees bloom. Why is there one patch of different colored blooms on this tree?  

A curiosity of nature

I took a look at my lilac bushes, and they are just starting to bloom. They'd better bloom before I leave next week! They are a different species from the ones I spotted the previous day. 

My lilacs are behind!

Right after lunch, I had some car errands to run, so I got and left the house with a mental list of all the stops. I had to buy dog food, and because of the other things I was buying, I had to put the bags on the front seat. And I needed to fasten the seat belt because the car thought there was someone in the front seat. 

The bags of dog food are seat-belted in!

I spotted this at the pet store. A nice shady spot for the dog. I doubt my girls would use that - there is plenty of shade in the backyard at any given time. But if you are camping, then this could be an important part of the dog's camping gear. 

Camping gear for dogs

I was at the hardware store, and I spotted these scrub sponges. I've heard of them and always wanted one. Now I have one. What will I scrub with it? No idea yet, but I'm sure something will come to mind. It's pretty coarse!

My new scrubber!

I also stopped at Best Buy because we need a new printer. The heads weren't clean when I tried to print, and, in fact, because the entire printer head mechanism had been exposed overnight, it didn't really want to print at all. I'm tired of dealing with that printer, so it's time to get a new one. As I entered the store, I spotted signs saying the systems were down. Yep—you couldn't buy anything, and you couldn't access the website! 

Well, I spotted lots of employees around, so I took advantage of the situation and grabbed the printer guy. He and I had a great chat about what I really needed for a printer. He was trying to sell me the $59 printer, but I really like the top feeder for scanning (not that I do a lot) and the enclosed paper tray. It just looks neater. So that one costs a bit more. He told me to come back on Tuesday, and he would give me a deal since I was unable to buy yesterday. 

Then I was off to my last stop—the hardware store, where I bought 10 bags of mulch for the backyard. I had done some weeding in the morning, and while the mulch doesn't completely stop the weeds, it does help, and it tidies up the yard. We have no grass, so the mulch is important. I have yet to mulch the entire backyard in one season, and some areas need it more than others. 

I bought the bags and had someone load them in the car for me. 

Here's a tip: when you are at the hardware store and need to buy bags of dirt, mulch, or whatever. Take a picture of the SKU and then pay for the quantity at the cash register. Take the receipt outside, drive your car up to the appropriate stack, and load the number of bags into the car. 

As I was there for my second load, a couple were loading heavy bags of soil into a shopping cart. I don't think they looked too pleased when they saw me put the bags directly into my car. It was taking them forever, and then they had to wheel it in the store and then out to their car. My way (and most people's) is a lot less work. 

When I got home, I had choices about how to get the bags into the backyard. I dug out the wheelbarrow only to find the tire was flat, and that wasn't going to work. I tried to pump up the tire, but the sidewall was shot, so that wasn't going to work either. I carried the ten bags one at a time to the backyard. 

I had to go back for more mulch, and I also bought a new tire for the wheelbarrow. The staff had to search high and low for the one tire that was spotted in inventory, and it required a big step ladder to reach it. The box looked like it had been through a war, and I wasn't sure it was the correct size, but it looked right. 

Back home after getting twenty more bags of mulch. This time, I had to load all twenty in the car myself. The guy who was supposed to help was helping others. No big deal - that was my workout of the day. 

And within a few minutes after grabbing a wrench, I had the old tire off and the new tire on. 

Changing the wheelbarrow tire

The new one was slightly larger than the original, so I had to rotate the front bar a bit to accommodate it. But now I was in business, and I could put three bags at a time into the wheelbarrow. 

The spiffy new tire!

And before I knew it, all 30 bags were now in the backyard. 

10 bags of cedar mulch

20 bags of brown mulch

Phew -- that feels good, and I need to get outside and do some more weeding with the hoe and then lay down the mulch. I think it's also time to clean out the shed again. Most of the junk is gone, but it's funny how stuff accumulates. 

Then, since I was all sweating and feeling strong, I decided to bring one of the tabletops from the garage into the house. OH!!! That is a solid piece of wood measuring 30" by 60", and it is HEAVY!!! I managed to get it into the house and to the top of the stairs. 

Then there was the task of sliding it down the stairs while still in its box. Hmmm -- I should have removed the pictures from the wall because everything was going great until one fell off. 

Ooops --- one picture is gone!

The fall broke the frame, but not the glass. Well, I suspect, it's not real glass. Yep -- one step forward, which created a new item to add to the to-do list! I had to glue part of it together last night, and I'll try to rescue the frame later today. I think it's very repairable. Sounds like my clean the oven story!

The broken frame

The table top is downstairs, but I was a bit tired at this point, so I left it and hope to work on it later today. 

The solid-wood tabletop is downstairs!

All that hard work deserved a reward. 

My reward for all the hard labor

Then it was back in the house to get some quilting done, which you already saw. 

There isn't a day that goes by that Murphy doesn't entertain us in some way. She has created her own mud pit by the pond. There is some water overflow in this mostly shaded area, and she thinks it is her area. I bought a bag of dirt to place there, and then I'll top it with mulch. She is ripping up the lillies, so I have to replant some of them today. But that girl loves the mud! 

MOM - I claim this space as MINE! 

But she also likes to sit up near the fence in the shade! 

And this area is mine as well!

When I went to the pet store, I bought them some treats. Lexi gets soft bones as she won't chew on anything. While Murphy gets a chew bone. She was NOT happy to chew that thing yesterday and managed to dig several holes in the backyard while she tried to find a spot for it. Sigh.......

MOM - I'm saving this for another day!

And where is Lexi in all this? She is happy to just hang out under the table, hoping for a scrap of food. Let's say that the other side of the family has created dogs that beg! And it drives me mad! 

MOM - I'm not begging! I'm just cute!

What's the fish situation? Well, I keep digging at the debris at the bottom of the pond, and I'm dying to get that rock off the bottom -- you can see it on the right. PLUS, there are two huge roots from the lilies that are just hanging in the water, and I want them gone. How to get them? Either I lie on my tummy and reach in, or I step in to do the job. Hmmm -- both ways are going to be icky. I must just pick one and get it done! 

By the way, I'm using the fish net to grab the debris from the bottom of the pond. 

However, I have now spotted six of the seven fish. The last one is still very shy, and perhaps we have seen it, but only seen six together. They seem to be doing very well and were happy to enjoy the sun. They don't scatter when they see a shadow quite as quickly as they did on the first day they arrived. 

Six of seven fish

As for the puzzle? Oh my gosh -- this is the hardest one I've done to date. 

A tough jigsaw puzzle

I have bits and pieces of birds, butterflies, and dragonflies all over the place. You would think it would be easy, but it's quite the challenge, and the border is still not done! 

I must say, I felt very strong all day, and my legs were very happy, which made me happy. But I had a rather sad conversation with my Mom, whose days living independently are sadly going to end, and soon, if we don't get some additional help. I hope to look into it tomorrow. But let her story be a lesson to you all. If you do NOT use your body, you will lose your strength (both upper and lower), and then you will be at the mercy of someone in a nursing home to get you to the washroom on time. OK—you will be wearing a diaper. 

Stay active, and I'm not talking running a marathon. I'm talking about buying a few small weights, sitting in your chair, and while you watch TV, lift those damn weights. I don't care how much it hurts! Lift them EVERY DAY!!! And make sure you walk, or do those stand-up/sit-down exercises. You do NOT want to be my Mom. 

I have learned so much from her, and it's mostly what NOT to do in life. Even though there are days when my legs feel like lead, I get out and walk because I refuse to let old age and frailty rob me of my freedom! I can walk slowly, but I can still walk! And it's not all that bad as I make it sound! There are just some good and bad days. I strongly believe that all my issues are caused by two things - sciatic nerve damage and damaged tendons! 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here to walk the girls! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

To-Do Lists

I see I am not the only one who pushes the long arm to the limits! Yes—you can get away with minimal excess on the backing, BUT only if it is your quilt and you are the operator! It's fiddly, and you must babysit that thing along all the edges! And sometimes things happen, like when the pin (I no longer use clamps) that holds the elastic grip on the side gets caught on the machine bed. I had to do a wee bit of ripping yesterday. But not a big deal because I was standing there and could press STOP. But if I hadn't been there? It would have been a big mess!

Have you ever noticed how so many little things accumulate on your "to-do" list? Just things around the house that need to be put away, fixed, or whatever. It drives me mad, and I finally had to write out a list (a long one) this morning so nothing would be forgotten. I hate having a long list. 

Here is the next community project quilt - done. This one was tight along the sides, and I had to join a small strip of batting on the end. But it's done and trimmed! That is number four of eleven. 

Community project quilt - number 4 of 11

And then I spent quite a bit of time making the backing for the next one. There are three different fabrics in this one. Some of the fabrics were strips, so it took some time to join them. It looks just fine, and it's helping to use up those flannel bits that are hanging around. The batting is also pieced and ready to go, but this one will get quilted tomorrow, so I'm ahead of the game!

The backing for the community project quilt #5

While I'm babysitting the quilt, I'm also trying to clear up those tables - yet again. This is a constant job. Anyway, I have the Trendtex challenge sitting there. I came up with an idea pretty much before I ordered the kit. I missed the April 30 deadline for the quilt to be judged. And I knew the deadline for it to be in the auction was coming up. I checked that date yesterday. Hmm -- May 20. I guess I won't be making a Trendtex challenge (for Quilt Canada in June). You know what? I'm OK with that. I took all the fabrics, put them in their respective color baskets, and tossed the paperwork. 

The Trendtex Challenge kit

I removed the Trendtex challenge tag from the Visual To-Do list and wrote on the back that I did not complete it. Am I upset? Not in the least. Things happen. I find that with this particular challenge, the fabrics are always very difficult to work with, not only in the type of fabric (the one on the left is a heavier weight than the other cotton ones), but also in the colors. 

Personally, I'd like to see a more cohesive coloring that would make it easier to blend (you can't add any extra fabrics), and perhaps more people would participate. Well, they typically get close to 100 quilts, so maybe they don't need or want more people to participate. Bottom line -- it didn't happen for me this year, and I'm OK with that. 

I typically participate in two challenges a year: Trendtex and Cherrywood. I'm not always a fan of Trendtex's fabrics, and the Cherrywood is getting so expensive. I think I might refrain from doing them in the future. I like making challenge quilts, so I may decide to make my own challenge. I'll have to think of a theme and go from there. Hmm --- what could the topic be? Or the fabric? 

Then I found this small table mat that was hanging around. I had used an orphan block (from a raffle quilt for the Brampton Quilter's Guild - many years ago) and tried a new edge finishing. The piece is completely done, and why is it still hanging around? So it went in the binding sample box, and one more thing off the table. 

A small table mat is complete.

And I stitched the final two half-square triangles from that group I was working on the other day, and those are now put away. 

The final two HSTs from a group

All these little things take up a lot of time and mental energy! But I wanted to get back to those two winter quilts. I decided to bypass the appliqué for a bit and settled on the next two blocks, which required a TON of half-square triangles!

This is what I accomplished last night. I finished an audiobook while I was working. If the book is good, that keeps me sewing. If the book is long and boring, then I struggle to stay focused! I know - abandon those books, but I can't!

Working on HSTs for my quilt

But I know why I work in groups of four! I start with a group of squares for the half-square triangles and sew one side of the pairs. And while you can't see it in this photo, the projection setting on the PFAFF creative icon 2 makes it so fast, with ZERO marking! I love that and will never (hopefully) be without a sewing machine with that feature! 

Sewing one side of the squares for the HSTs

Then, so it isn't totally boring and repetitive, I turn the row around and sew the second seam on two squares. Then I cut them apart, press, and trim. 

Working in a group of four

Last night, I finished one book and started another, and I thought it was going to be a bore, but it's quite interesting. I'll tell you a bit more in a minute. So I was on a roll, sewing, pressing, and trimming to my heart's content, and continued this morning.

Lots of trimming of HSTs

I also decided to tackle one more group of HSTs that had already been sewn. So, while I worked on four HSTs for my project, I pressed four of the other HSTs and trimmed the two sets simultaneously. 

And look how many of this group I got trimmed!! I was pretty pleased with my progress. And before you know it, I will be done with this group. 

Trimming another group of HSTs

As for the HSTs for my block, I got this many done! I'm over halfway done, and I should be able to make short work of those. I certainly can't count, though. I had to manually calculate how many squares I needed, and I ended up cutting way too many! 

Progress on the HSTs for my winter quilt

I'm determined to use up these meds that the doctor gave me. The one that requires me to take it at least 30 minutes before eating. The boxes had been sitting on the cutting table all week. And last night, when I closed up shop, I put the container right in the middle of the cutting mat. So it was easy this morning to take the pill, and I consolidated all the pills into one box, which I will leave on the cutting mat. It's now so ingrained in my head that if I forget, well, let's see what happens!

I remembered to take the pill!

Last night, I took some time to work on the puzzle. I find this is a tough one, and with lots of birds and flowers, it's going to be a challenge. I still have not found all the border pieces! But slow and steady! 

Progress on the bird puzzle

I was going to work on the table assembly, but the first step of the instructions, which I had not looked at before, said to lay the tabletop upside down. Oh— I guess I need to bring the tabletop downstairs. A job for later today. 

The other job I had to do was clean the printer's print heads. The blue one is clogged, and I need to print something that requires all colors to work. 

Trying to clean the print heads

I Googled it to see what I could use from around the house, as I don't have an official cleaning kit. I used rubbing alcohol, and it didn't work the first time. So I soaked the heads again, and we'll see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'm just buying a new printer. This one is quite old, and I can't connect the app to my new computer, so it may just be telling me it's time. I hate to get rid of it since it still works, but not the blue ink, which is OK for printing text but not for anything in color. The problem is that we don't print much, so of course, the print heads are going to get clogged. Hmmm -- I need to figure out something, even if we get a new printer, the same thing will happen eventually. 

The print heads

Do you think Murphy is trying to tell me something? She just looks so dejected. How could you not grab the ball and throw it a couple of times? 

MOM - I'm so bored!!!!

And then when she decides she needs a nap, it's RIGHT where I need to stand when I'm on the long arm. Oh, Murphy—we love you, but you can be a bit too demanding!

MOM - I'm exhausted from playing ball

I swear that children would be less of an issue than she is! But we love her to death! 

When I went for my afternoon walk, I spotted some lilacs that were just coming into bloom. I love how they smell! It started off as a warmish day, then it rained, and we did get some sun, but it never got to the point where you wanted to sit outside. Which is probably a good thing, although I have several jobs that can be done anywhere, so I won't mind sitting outside. 

Lilacs in bloom

Let me tell you about the audiobook I started yesterday. It's called The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure by James Redfield. I'm not sure where I got the recommendation to read this book, but it's been on my HOLD list for well over one year. It's kind of a philosophy/spiritual book, but it's a novel, and I was a bit apprehensive as I started to read. Yes -- it's very contrived, but it does have some very good messages (about life and the earth), and I'm actually enjoying it a lot! Who knew! It's better than women suffering at the hands of their husbands or fathers. 

I was very curious about the book because of the long wait, and I just had a peek at its reviews. There are a lot of cheesy things about the book, and as I mentioned, it's very contrived, but if you look past that, there are a lot of good messages about our planet and how we interact with it. And without saying anything like "forest bathing," he talks about the energy one gets from nature! I couldn't agree more! 

After this one, I have two more audiobooks on my shelf, and then I can release something that is on suspend hold, or I might just get that murder mystery and enjoy the break! 

I have two things to take care of on the Visual To-Do list, which shouldn't take long, and then I'll share a before (January 1) and after (now). I've made good progress, but I still have a lot of things to do this year. I truly believe they are all doable this year, and I shall continue to work on them. It's been a great tool to allow me to focus. 

I didn't see the fish at all yesterday, and I'm starting to remove more debris from the bottom of the pond. There is a LOT of dirt and leaves in the bottom of the section without the lilies, and I am determined to get most of it out this year. Trust me, I'm checking very carefully that I'm not accidentally scooping up one of my expensive fish! 

Well, I'm off to tackle that massive list of things that need to be done. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!