Off the grid

Have you ever walked out of the house without your cell phone? And how long afterward did you realize that you were OFF THE GRID? I'll tell you my story later.

First - it was Monday sewing and yes - I had my cell phone with me. We were a small, but mighty group. It was great fun and a perfect way to spend a rainy day.

As usual, I was working on The Farmer's Wife blocks. Soon - I'll be done soon or so I hope. It seems that those 111 blocks will never end. Then I have the fun task of putting them together into a project. I think I'm going to make one big quilt with them and be done with it. It doesn't hurt to make a big quilt from time to time. But I could mess around and see what I get if I make two quilts. I should do that today before I get too committed.

I don't know if you remember when I dug this project out and couldn't find the extra fabric? I went deep into the stash room to find more. Only to find the project box was right in front of my face! Well, I have to dive deep once again because I'm going to need sashing and borders and I need it TODAY. Oh yeah!

But have a look at what I accomplished yesterday. And it's amazing the power of a camera. It was only after taking the picture and editing it that I realized that something is not quite right. Do you see? Yep - that block in the top left - all those arrows are supposed to either go in or go out. I'm not sure which. However, the block is going to stay that way. I have no more of that dark fabric left and I can't reverse it since it's already trimmed like this. Oh well - a new block and who the heck is going to notice that it's not the same as the book. I sure won't tell anyone.

The latest completed Farmer's Wife blocks

So much for getting six blocks done. Despite the fact that two of the blocks were partially together (the two on the right) and the rest were cut, it was a slow day!

I also worked on this paper pieced block. I was just in slow motion mode yesterday. That's OK. I did stick it out until lunch and then I was done!

Paper pieced block

No - this block is not quite together. There's a troublesome Y seam that I have to contend with and I wasn't in the mood yesterday. Hopefully later today, I can make sense of it.

When I got home, I sorted through the box and got everything prepped for next week. I've now put ALL the remaining blocks in the book. I think there are 16 blocks still to go (after I assemble that one above).

All the remaining blocks are cut and in the book!

I shall indeed be happy when the blocks are done. My goal is by the end of September which means that I would have to sew EIGHT on each of the next two Mondays. Hm - the remaining ones do look easier, but well - we'll just have to see what happens.

A few more enders/leaders got finished. No need to prep more of them as there are still lots of pieces waiting to be sewn together. I'm getting to the bottom of that one and then it'll be time to move to the next phase of this project.

Enders/leaders progress

 Then I moved onto the scrap quilts. This project is on my UFO list. It was supposed to be ONE big quilt, but I'm making three lap quilts instead. The first top just needed the outer sashing put on the top and one side so that is done.

Quilt top - Number One - done except for borders

 Then I managed to get the second quilt top together. I pressed it and laid it on the floor and WAIT A MINUTE! It was only when I looked at it through the camera that I realized that we have a wee problem. That should be easy to fix - one seam to rip out then turn the bottom two rows around and sew them back together. DUH!!!!  Then that one will be done except for the borders.

Second scrap quilt - a little oops!

 Here are the blocks for the third top. Two of the blocks are missing a sashing and then they are ready to assemble.

Blocks for the third quilt

This is what I have left for the sashing strips. I do need to cut more red squares and look there is red fabric in the bag! I'll have to cut those cream strips into the necessary lengths. But then I should be good to go to complete that third top except for the borders. 

A little bit of cutting will be necessary before next week

I can't stress enough how important it is to be prepped for a sewing day. Not prepped like that excerpt from The Singer Sewing Manual from 1949 that keeps circulating stating that you should tidy your kitchen and do all the housework BEFORE you sew. Oh god - that's just too insane! I say sew first, then if you still have time and energy, do the housework.

We were having a discussion at Monday on what to do for the borders of these quilts. I had already decided that I wanted to do a piano key border. Then Lynn suggested that I do a different style border for each. DUH! Great idea!!!  So one will have a piano key border, one will be an unpieced border (just one fabric) and the last one? It took a bit of thought, but then Jane suggested that I do a checkerboard border. That's going to be a lot of work and will look busy, but why not? It's all about experimenting and it will be fun to see the difference between the three of them. So I'm going to give it a whirl.  Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I do worry about Jane though - she loves to do little things - I mean things with small pieces and I'm good with that but sometimes we are our own worst enemy!

That meant diving into the stash baskets to see what I could find that will coordinate with the fabrics in this top which were chosen years ago. I've been through the green, blue and red baskets. This is what I found.

Greens, reds, and blues pulled for the scrappy borders

 I still have the yellow basket to go through and maybe the brown one as well. There's nothing more satisfying than tipping that basket upside down and rooting through it to find something. Since I no longer have a local quilt store (LQS) five minutes away, I've had to make due with what I have and I'm quite happy with the results.

Yellow stash bucket

While I was digging, I came up with two fairly large pieces of fabric. Both of these are in several pieces, but I think there might be enough to make a backing (of each) for two of the scrap quilts? I'll see when I get there. But trying to be efficient with my time.

Potential quilt backs?

Oh yes - remember I mentioned that block yesterday - the one made from the black and whites. Here's the block I found. Now I just need 119 more!  Sometimes, I really wonder where my head is but this is a perfect ender/leader project. I have to look in the orphan box because they might be one more - not sure.

Black/white blocks

 As I was searching through the red stash basket, I came across this red fabric that is the same fabric used in the center of that block. Not enough to make all the blocks, but I might as well use this up and then I'll find something else that's similar or I'll use a different color. Not sure yet. I'll get a sign when it's time to make that decision.

Red fabric for the center of the black/white blocks

OK - so now it's time for the phone story. I was the guest speaker at the Twilight Quilter's Guild in Simcoe last night. Quick - just check out the link (before it gets changed) and there I am - the speaker for yesterday. I really need to advertise these appearances in advance so if anyone is in the area they can come if they want.

I had got home from Monday, packed up the suitcase with the Modern Quilt presentation. Then I popped upstairs to change. I whipped my phone out of my pocket and made a mental note where the phone was. Then I bounced around to find a scarf (yes - it's scarf weather again) and then back downstairs. Loaded up the car and I was off.

I was about 20 minutes away from the house when my brain went - OH. I think the phone is still at the house. I love Blue Tooth  - I have a little BT that comes up on my media screen in the car. If the phone is connected, I see BT, if the phone is not connected (i.e. NOT in the car), no BT. I glanced at the screen and NO BT. That meant that the phone was exactly where I put it when I took it out of my pocket.

OH - mild panic attack. It's amazing how attached we are to those silly phones. I didn't have time to go back. So now I was hoping that I wasn't going to need the phone. Like, I'm stuck in traffic and will be late for the meeting. I sailed through Oakville only to be bogged down in Burlington. A quick detour up to the 407 and I was back on track, but I lost FORTY minutes because of the stupid traffic. I did arrive in plenty of time!

When I did get home, I ran upstairs and there was my silly phone right where I had made the mental note of its location.  Too funny - I survived an entire evening without it. Probably need to do that more often. I'm not attached to my phone like some others are but still good to put it aside on a regular basis. But what's interesting (when you don't have a phone to poke your nose in) is how many people (as in quilters who are much older than I - ALL have cell phones).  Oh yes - the quilters are CONNECTED!!!!

Let me say that I had a blast last night. What a great group of quilters. The show and tell would blow your socks off. Sorry - can't show you any pictures as I didn't have my phone to take pictures! But there is some serious talent and serious dedication to the quilting world in that guild. They have some very interesting challenges that they are working on or that they will be doing in the future. A very fun and interesting group and I was thrilled to be asked to be their guest speaker. Thanks to Stephanie and all the Twilight Quilters for a warm welcome on a rainy day!

A quick note about some upcoming classes. I'm not sure how much room (if any) is in these classes, but if you're interested, check it out. The binding lecture is going to be amazing. You'll get to see all my samples up close and personal. It's going to be loads of fun!

Binding Lecture - Wednesday, September 12   7 - 8 PM   
OH Look Fabric
Are you happy with the way your bindings look?  This lecture is going to give you some simple tips that will have your bindings looking very professional in no time.  You'll learn what width of strips to cut for the binding size you want.  Options for attaching the binding by machine or by hand, how to have beautiful mitered corners and most important, how to make that final join look practically invisible.

Applique - Hobby Horse   (3 part class)
(Saturday, September 15th, Saturday, October 6th & Saturday, December 1st Time: 10am – 12pm Choose from patterns Branch Diversity, Meet the Bandits, or Fox Love. These adorable animals have a personality all their own. What you’ll learn: First class: How to identify which applique technique to use for certain pieces/shapes/styles, prepping for hand and/or machine applique. Second Class: Perfecting the applique stitch whether by hand or by machine. Third class: Follow up on the stitching techniques and a discussion about how to quilt your masterpiece. There’s ample time between classes to keep up to date with the project. If you’re new to applique or want to brush up on your skills, the multi-class format will ensure feedback on your applique technique. Skill Level: Confident Beginner.


No measure Bargello - Hobby Horse   (2 part class)   - 
CLASS IS FULL, but there's a waitlist!
Saturday September15th & Saturday October 6th Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:30p.m.
A fantastic bargello quilt that doesn’t require a math degree to put together. Choose fabrics from one color family, throw in a print for the background and lastly choose a zinger for the accent. What you’ll learn: First Class – Assistance in choosing colors for a successful bargello (if necessary), sewing the strip sets together Second Class – Cutting the strip sets (strata) apart and assembly of the quilt top. The multi-part class ensures that all components of the bargello will be covered so you’ll end up with a finished quilt top. Skill Level: Confident Beginner

Attic Windows using a panel  - 
Sunday, September 16  - 12:30 PM   Hobby Horse
We’ll be working with a polar bear panel and coordinates to create an attic window quilt. The class techniques will work for any panel so you can go home and start cutting up those extra panels you’ve acquired. We’re going to touch on the perspective of your window sashings, as well as how important value is in this process. The size (scale) of the window sashings will also be explored. Skill Level: Confident Beginner


I have more to say, but I don't have time. Oh, but Miss Lexi has a quick note to tell you.

It's going to be a busy day - as usual, I'm working on multiple projects, but there's a reason for that. Some need to be advanced for the next sewing day, some I'm waiting on fabric and I may even have to take a trip to the LQS to buy some fabric today. Gosh - I haven't had to do that in a long time, but I need some fabric and I'm not sure I'm going to find enough of what I need in the stash. It's OK to buy if I need it. Not OK to buy if I want it. There's a difference.

Have a super day!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!