Ending August ....bowled over

  Around here we wait for the end of August.  The last high humid days linger yet we know they will be gone soon.   Nothing much goes on until a cool crisp morning arrives as an early signal.  Coffee on the back porch to enjoy a little time before the day begins.  I hear the wind chimes and notice the Writing Spider has begun her annual task of web spinning.  All things say fall is near.



 So with that in mind, I have been making bowls.....lots of rope bowls for gifts.  I am quite sure the guys at our local Ace Hardware think I must be washing a lot of clothes, but not so.  I am making gifts to give.   I finally think I have the technique down and a system that works for me.  This is the "naked bowl version".....Sir Old Man laughs at my nickname for these.

Here's the link I used....Rope Bowl .






 Fully wrapping the rope  with fabric strings was killing my hands and upping the pain level.  So I found this version where  only short scraps are wrapped at intervals.  It gives an interesting design and really short bits can be used.
  I also figured out the loop at the end is the best for me.  It is very easy and looks good.  I used neutral thread ---top and bottom.  The zig zag setting that works best for me, my machine and this cording is 4.8 wide and 1.8 long stitch.

 
   And in the mail....a squishy envelop from Nicki of Texas!   She was a wonderful support when the doll quilts were being made for Mrs. Claus.
A wonderful surprise.   A lovely fat quarter of fabric that she loved, and held onto.    She said she hated to cut into it, but wanted someone to love and use it .   I am glad to be the one who will use it!

  Matter of fact, I intend to cut a strip to use in my leader and ender project.  Here are some of the units I have so far.  This is Bonnie Hunter's Jewel Box Star for this year.     












 So I am ending the month with one finish.
I shared it here earlier this month.....The Distant View.

And baskets have been made....with probably 2 more to do.

The Spider Web top is complete and on a hanger for the future.

I did not pin or quilt the Garlic Knots top....maybe in September.

 I have bread to make for the freezer,  as well as a loaf to eat.  Visitors are expected throughout the month  so I plan on baking and freezing a couple of meals.  I find it necessary to plan ahead as I am still having a challenge continually with my balance.  It limits my walking and standing .  That explains why I over do on good days.
Happy stitching.

I was ruthless

  I haven't done a lot in the sewing room this week, but I wanted to get some fabric put away that I pulled out of the closet.  You know how that goes probably.  You have to re-arrange things to get it back in, and in the process you find things.  Don't even think about snickering because it could happen to you.

   First find......a water color wall hanging unfinished......and sewn together wrong!  I remember this one.  Oh  yes, from just before I got so sick 2 years ago.  This was from the last strip pieced class I taught.  I brought home the sample parts and made the last few blocks, decided to make a wreath out of this set and then proceeded to sew the last row upside down or something.  Awful!  I must have hung it up on a hanger and put it in the closet.  Then I went downhill from there.

   So I did the unsew thing and put it together correctly.  It needs a border, but it is up on the design  wall  for now.

    Second find.....was about 20  fabric squares for string piecing foundations.  These were 8'', so I am thinking they are leftover from when I made the Faceted Jewels quilts.


I started to just put them back where I found them on the shelf but caught myself.   I was going to have to face them someday.  This lead to another decision.  4---count them four--- bins of strings are too many!
    I just began to cover the foundations until all were done.   I still need to trim and square up half of them.  I can find a use for them down the road.







 Then the ruthless work, make that fun began!  Any idea what I mean?
   I still had strings and bits in 3 bins and I wanted more control, so I began tossing.  Not over my shoulder like Eleanor Burns would do on TV, but into the trash.  All those small bits and ends, all the really ugly fabrics---where do they come from----fabric too frayed to use.  All gone.  I only saved pieces long enough--6'' or more--and fabrics I liked.  There was miles of one fabric and it all went away.

   Now, I feel in control.  One bin for dark colors, and one bin for light values.   I did keep some triangles that work good for the corners.  But the strings are reduced and I feel better for it.
And I am strung out after this.

  Of course, we all know that fabric bunnies will nest in there and reproduce abundantly.  Every quilt or project I complete, creates more strips and strings.  Does it work that way for you too?

What ever you stitch, enjoy it.
Happy stitching.

Coming in September

   Benita from Creative Space blog and Victoriana Quilt Designs is setting up a meet and greet page on her newly created blog.  She wanted a way for new bloggers --and old-- to introduce ourselves and find things that interest us.  

  I will be participating beginning September 4th with a blog post.  If you are interested in sharing your blog and joining the meet and greet, please contact her to join in.  

Happy stitching.

Looking for floral fabrics?

   I had emails asking about my floral fabric collection/stash.   I have been collecting a long, long time, so many fabrics I have are not available.  While floral prints are not the rage, there are some available.  I am going to steal a few photos of fabrics to give you an idea.

From Connecting Threads:


  While this collection looks promising, really there are only 3 or 4 fabrics that I could collect for a water color quilt project. 

1.  A good swirl with light background.
2. Large floral with some  greenish background .   This        should work.
 3 and 4 are the same print.  Both have a light background.  The green one will be a good one to bridge from a medium value area to light.  The creamy one will be a good light value with little contrast. 

If you click on the link to the website you can view the rest of the collection.  Remember I avoid anything that is dotted or looks dotted from a distance, and I avoid red backgrounds  and tonals too. 

Botanical Blooms collection looked good at first glance....until I clicked on a larger view.  Too many dots and tonals.  I did see one print, but no yardage available for it. 











From the QuiltedTwins.com.....


This is a wonderful print from Fabri-Quilt.  Large and small flowers with background that will blend well.  I think I need to order more of this as I use it a lot.  And it is only $4.99!



  An old fashioned style print that is a good dark.....dark background with small colorful blooms works well in everything.   Maybe an older Cranston print, but it still works.   There are several others here, and I love the good prices :)
   As I run across good fabrics, I will try to share the links.   Thanks for the questions. 

  No sewing this week....baking, and other stuff, but tomorrow looks clear.  Could be just me and the machine.  Happy stitching.

My glass is half full aka The Distant View

   A finish finally on the floral log cabin quilt.  Big sigh.   I was beginning to think it would be a couple more months to pull this one off.   Yet, my wrist felt better after  a week of rest and I finished up adding the binding.
  I began working and planning this quilt in March.....this post.... has the block recipe/cutting and measurements that I used.
Then in this post in April I was beginning the layout and talked about second guessing myself in the fabric choices.







  Along the way, I did work on another quilt or two, and one had to get quilted.

   Fast forward to August and here we are!   She is done...quilted and bound.
Floral log half cabin blocks are set on point.  By paying attention to  the placement of the values of the fabric, the last round in the log cabin becomes the "trellis" that we are viewing the garden through.

 

      Placing the lightest value fabric at the top creates that dimensional effect of the garden in the distance.

    The setting triangles are a deep green with a faint tonal print.  I like the way it sets off the blocks and makes things pop.
While I quilted swirls thru the blocks, I stitched feathers in the setting triangles that make the border.

   To carry the florals to the edge, I debated on a floral binding.  Instead I decided on a flange binding using the floral as the faux piping.  I love how it turned out.

  I had printed up a label a few weeks ago, calling this  A Distant View.
You can see the binding flange here.

  Anyway, as I was sewing on the binding, my mind wandered.  I thought about  the trick this block creates and fools the eye to think we are viewing the distance.  And it came to me that altering our position or stance creates a different view.

Insight:   We can look backward, or forward.  Hindsight gives us wisdom sometimes.  Looking forward gives us options, choices we can make.


 
  So I decided this quilt should have a nickname.  And noted it on the label.  My glass is half full......my choice as I move forward.   The last 2 years have drained my glass, yet I will not let it keep me down.  My life, my choice.

   The Crepe Myrtles in the back are almost finished with their glorious blooms.  One low hanging branch  over the deck needs to be trimmed back, but before we do that, a photo or two.

    My Glass is Half Full aka A Distant View is 55'' by 66'' .  Machine pieced and quilted with swirls and feathers.  Binding is a 2 fabric  flange binding.  I have used this several times before as it is easy for me since I only machine stitch now.  Tutorial can be found at Missouri Star Quilts.




  I'm going to relax a day or two and just enjoy this finish.  Then I will jump in and pin to quilt the garlic knots top.   Enjoy your week, and stitch on.

Happy stitching.

Artisan Bread day ends the month

    Once again I overdid it and pushed my joints/wrist/hand beyond a good and sensible level.  I wanted to claim I finished the floral log cabin quilt  this month.   I really worked over  the weekend on the border feathers, and got it done.  Got the binding cut and ready to sew.  Then yesterday I knew I had over done it. 
   So sewing was put on hold yesterday and today and the wrist support was donned.  With the pouring rain (yay!), it made sense to just make some bread.  I found a very simple, no kneading, recipe for crusty artisan bread.  The video made it look easy and tasty. 
   It was simple to assemble, a little stir, and cover.  Eight hours later it filled my bowl.
Wow...it was quite tasty for such a simple effort.  Chewy and a good crust smeared with butter.....yum!
  I did not cook it covered in a dutch oven, but rather made two smaller boules baked on parchment lined pan.  Sir Old man just sprayed/misted with water half way thru the baking. 
   Next time I want to add fresh chopped rosemary with sea salt on the top.








So my month did not end as I envisioned.  Instead July went like this........

• Garlic Knots top assembled and detail photo of the border.
•  Cutting and sorting began for the new 2018 leader/ender challenge, Jewel Box Star.
• Spider Web string blocks were made, and joined into a top.  Border is in the works.
• Quilted the floral Log Cabin quilt......no photo yet.

August plans---can you believe it is August already?  Two days of rest and the inflammation is better.....I will be good and rest the wrist the remainder of  this week.  So August plans are simple.  

•   Finish the log cabin quilt....trim, square and bind.
•   Finish the spider web string top.....border to be added.
•   Pin the garlic knots quilt.
•   Don't forget the coiled baskets for Christmas gifts.

 And I will read and enjoy the rain  for now.  Happy stitching.