Instead of Fireworks

  Instead of fireworks, we had a power outage.
  4 pm:   A monster storm cell moved through the area with winds and hail.  Power flickered off and then came back on.  About 10 minutes later the flickering started again---off/on, off/on---- and Sir Old Man ran to the breaker box and flipped off all the breakers.
   At 7 pm he hooked up our small generator.  The power company could not find the downed line.  We ate sandwiches and iced tea.
   At 9 pm, the power company estimated a restore at 10 pm.    I pulled out a small fan and we ran another extension cord to it.  I went to bed.
   1 am:  Power restored....disconnect all the extension cords to fan, freezer and refrigerator, light,  and disconnect the generator.  Finally, we got to bed about 2 am.
  Thankfully, it looks like all is fine with no damage to electronics, either.  In the grand scheme of things, we were fortunate.  This was really a blip on the radar....... But a bigger generator is on the next shopping list.  

Let's Book it in June

  End of June and I just got the May project put together.   I added a single strip of floral fabrics to finish it off.....but I am thinking I need one more round before I get it quilted.












 Here is the post where I started this Book It project.  Quite a change from where the idea began!













  I made a start on June's project......it is from my "someday file", just a page torn from a magazine of a few blocks.   So no directions, or pattern available, and that is why it has never made it to the worktable. The caption called it "Many trips", but no other details.    I decided to try a few blocks using the Scrappy Trips  from Bonnie Hunter technique and see what happened   I started with several stratas of floral fabrics arranged dark to light.  These are then sewn into a tube and sub-cut again.  Bonnie has a great tutorial on the technique, so see her tute for details.


 



   Here are seven blocks that I completed so far.  Yes, I know it looks like a watercolor.....what else would you expect?   I am a broken record.
 
   Since I did not get very far this month, expect to see this one again for July.   What's in your "someday file"?

 Linking to Vroomans Quilts for Let's Book It.


  

New doll quilts arrived

  I'm a couple days late in posting these......so I will start the week off right and show some new doll quilts that arrived.

  Perfectly adorable!  This little doll quilt is from Mrs. Claus in Minnesota,  aka Chanlady 22.   She used Gracie doll fabric and I think it is so charming with the added dark ties.

 

  From Mrs. Claus, who lives in the heart of the USA....that is Oklahoma....comes a wonderful patriotic quilt.  Marion made this one, and she is also a member of the HGTV Message Board.  A few stitches and she turned this panel into a precious doll quilt.












  And then there is the undisputed Mrs. Claus from Texas, aka as Nicki, who heads up this project at the HGTV Message Board.  Without her effort and promotion, we would not be viewing all the great and wonderful talent seen in these small quilts.

  Nicki sent these two jewels to kick off her contribution this year.  I love the bright colors....and I see she has been practicing her free motion quilting!  Go, girl!

   Plus, she sent three more!  She is representing Texas, Indiana, Utah and West Virginia with this assortment
   I instantly fell in love with the fish.....blowing bubbles no less.  Sir Old Man said the rag style quilt was his favorite because he could see a little girl loving the texture of the soft flannels.  I think he has been hanging out with quilters too long.

   Thank you all for your efforts and sharing your talent in this project.








   I will be dormant most of this week......as far as stitching goes anyway.  It is Adventure Week at church, and Sir Old Man is stage manager for the Production Team.  I will be cooking/baking for the workers---after a big trip to the grocery store, and then I am helping prepare a meal for the teens on Thursday.  Just the flip side of this domestic diva....lol.  A vacation will be a return to regular routine/programming.  Till then, happy stitching.  

Purple dress

Yahoo....the only good thing about the high heat is the progress I have made this month.  The donation quilt is quilted and waiting for binding fabric, and the watercolor wall hanging are complete, along with the simple place mats.

   And today, I put the purple "dress" on Hot Legs....or Tiara quilting machine.  This was from a tutorial shared by a gal on the Yahoo group for Handi-quilter and Tiara owners.  Jasmine of Quilt Kisses worked all the kinks out of the pattern, so I got thru it in no time.   Much better than a towel thrown over her to keep the dust bunnies away.  Thanks, Jasmine, for presenting this tutorial.








    Since I needed a big hunk of fabric quilted, I thought it was a great time to practice a new to me motif. It is hard to see the design on the outside fabric....good for hiding goofs.  So here are a couple of photos of the lining side.
   This is Scroll Flower from Amy's Free Motion Quilting.     Needless to say, it is just a great pattern that flows any which way and covers the area quickly.  If I did not have enough space for 2 scallop rows...one worked fine.

   I really just played around with it....using different size scrolls to begin, and  adding varying number of scallops.   I love the look of it.  So I will be adding this one to my motif book!

   Did I mention book?  Yes, the Let's Book It project is assembled.....ready to be pinned.  I'll be looking for a new project to begin....decisions to make.  Happy stitching.

Thank you and a lesson

  First.....I received a precious gift  last month.   Overdue thank you to Rogue Quilter for this fabulous, tiny, wonderful pineapple!   Janet does the most wonderful miniatures, and sent me a little thank you she made.  I so admire and envy her patience and skill in working with those narrow strips and pieces to achieve the 1/8" geese!  I hung this ornament up to enjoy year round. Love, love, love it.   Thank you, again.




Second.....Free Motion Class went great.  A very new quilter with a 40 year old machine is in the class.  I mention the machine because she is smart to make sure she wants to do this before investing in a new expensive one.  Unfortunately, the foot pedal died in class----but fortunately another student works at the shop and found a replacement in the repair room!  The high point of the class for me was when the new quilter turned and beamed, "I can do this!".  She was just zipping along, and I was so thrilled for her.  That is why I am making the effort to teach this class....it makes my day so worthwhile.

Third....and the teacher re-learned a lesson.  I had started quilting on the Tiara on the donation quilt for Habitat for Humanity.  I take frequent breaks, and when I came back after one, I felt like the tension was "off".  I adjusted the top tension.  Kept stitching and still thought the tension was not right---and the machine sounded funny--- and loosen it again.  I checked the back and it was okay, but still not perfect.  I will shorten the story and say that finally I stopped.  I was rushing and not paying attention to what the machine was telling me.  Out come the screwdrivers, brushes, and such to check the bobbin.  A little fuzz on top, but not much.  When I pulled out the bobbin case and checked it, I found the culprit.  A small "glob" of dark fiber was wedged under the tension hook on the bobbin case.  I had to use a pin to nudge and tease it out.  It was keeping all tension off the bobbin thread!  Once everything was back in place, a quick check and resetting the top tension and all was perfect.
    Insight:   Lessons re-learned---- Listen to the machine.  Don't rush.  Check the bobbin area carefully.  And expect some fabrics to shed a lot more fibers than others.  

Design guide

  I was overwhelmed with requests for a pattern for the Cascade of Light.  Several of you saw it as a waterfall, while I saw light through the trees.
     My designs come out of my head and are not from patterns......but I came up with a design guide for this one.  It can't really be called a pattern because each square cut is unique and very hard to duplicate exactly.  So this placement guide should help you determine where your fabrics go according to the value.
   There are 5 different values represented on this guide, with suggested placement of dark areas and light areas.   The light, medium, and medium dark green squares will "bridge" the design from light to dark.  The outer row is all dark values that create a border.   If you are going to try this, please spend some time reading thru the extra posts, and on the design tutorial page as well.
    I put together a one page PDF that I will send by email upon request for this guide. 
Update:
The design guide can be found here and on the Pattern page of the blog.  By clicking on the photo, you will be able to save it to your computer and print it out.
   Hoping this helps.....happy stitching.

Comparing Cascades

   I been working right along even though I haven't posted.  Blogger has been giving me fits lately.....and the dashboard reader is almost non-existent.  I hoped a break would improve the situation, but it hasn't.  So I know I have missed a lot of posts from others, and I am trying to play catch-up.
   So on to a couple of finishes.  The small watercolor wall hangings that feature cascades have been consuming  my time this week.  

  Cascading Blooms was the first one I worked on.  I tried a couple of different things with this project.  First I used 2 different size squares---2" and 4".  By staggering the  layout of the larger squares from top corner to the bottom, the design moved easily in a curving effect.  Second, the 4" squares also jumped into the border to extend the cascade effect.
   The overall effect is different because the light sources fill in the edges.   That lead me to the "what if" question.




















   What if the light source was in the center and generally followed the same curve?
I showed my process for putting together  this one  here,    and here. 

 The border is what I refer to as a "self-border".....just a single row of dark squares included in the design.  Finished with a dark binding, and everything just seems to pop.  
Cascade of Light finished at 15" by 36".

  A side by side comparison ......I am having trouble picking a favorite.  


Now on to the blocks to sew together for the Let's Book It project from last month.  I also have classes to teach this week....so I better get prepared.....happy stitching.