Spring 2015 - Ditto

I'm just going to spit it right out...I had a lackluster May and June. I could skip this post altogether and nothing would be missed. I'd pull the 'cancer card' and blame my lack of productivity on Jana's cancer, but her surgery was early in May and since then our lives have resumed a normalness that we hadn't experienced since November 2014 when Jana was diagnosed with cancer. I'd blame it on the weather, but actually May was an exceptionally cool month and it's only been recently that things have heated up around here. No, I don't have any excuses. I've just misplaced my muse and lack all inspiration. I'm feeling rather blah! The little time I've spent in the studio has been used to make more of those gorgeous totes...an endeavor that is completely brainless and requires no creativity or thought, but is satisfying on some level.

Backing up a bit, in late April after Jana's final chemo treatment, Lauren drove home from SoCal with us and spent not quite 36 hours and then flew home to Portland Sunday afternoon. She essentially had one day at home. At noon on Saturday, we walked down to the cabin/studio and on a whim decided to start a project together. After an intense five or six hours, we had this adorable little sunflower wallhanging to show for our time and a beautiful memory of making it together. That's something I love about joint quilting projects -- they make wonderful memories. This picture was taken before it was quilted.

I had a similar experience in May when Maria spent a couple of days with us. We didn't have much time to spend in the studio, but after my experience with Lauren I knew we could make a quilt in an afternoon, albeit a long one. We had the same wonderful experience together and same beautiful results. Another memory!

My third and final sunflower experience was with Sally's project, which came to me completed. She was so unhappy with it that I'm surprised it didn't end up in the waste basket. I was needing something to jumpstart my creativity and when I saw her sunflower...well, I won't say what I was thinking, but I knew that it was an opportunity for me to do whatever I wanted with no risk of making it worse. (Sorry, Sally) What freedom! I started by cutting off the black border and added the new green one, applied a bit of fabric paint in places, and heavily stitched the project. It was transformed!

That's it for sunflowers...and now I'm sitting here without one. How's that fair? Who is going to come and spend an afternoon cutting while I sew? Hmm???

On to Cece, the woman who is never idle...if she's not quilting or knitting or gardening, she's out walking the dog(s) she's fostering at the time. Most recently, she was caring for two adorable Shih Tzu's (known to their owner as a "couple of little shits"). Funny! This year alone she has made these adorable sculpted leaves (very similar to the Timtex bowls we made a few years ago, but better). Only the leaf in the first picture has been shaped; the bottom three are in progress.

She's made a couple of quilts (quilting them herself) and she knit an afghan that's got to be the cutest project I've seen in years. Makes me want to get out my knitting needles and start one. Sorry, I didn't take a picture, but imagine a very contemporary design (wide bands with each band changing stitches) and three or four colors (sage green, purple, beige). It has a large block fresh and modern look, one that seems to mimic quilting designs of the 'modern' movement, which has been attracting more and more quilters over the past decade.

That's it for now. Even writing this has been tough. I'll work on getting past this creative block (actually, off my lazy arse and down to the cabin) and will hopefully have something to show for my time when we next chat.

Monthend Ramblings

March was a busy month with a trip to SoCal, a weekend visit from the Rausch family, my usual jamming and drying activities, and finally some serious time spent with Ernie, the cabin cat. Actually, time with Ernie is just a studio perk. I started the month with a few no-brainer projects (much of what I’ve been doing lately) and made a half-dozen totes. A couple of them, more involved than the usual 5” square bags, I’d decided to use as a way to ease back into piecing with a greater purpose than just sewing squares together. A mini-quilt of sorts. Part of my purpose was to break out of my typical (comforting) blue-green-purple color scheme. Out came a large bag of ½ yard cuts of fabric Lauren bought for me last fall at our favorite Portland Craft Market flat-fold sale. Nothing but blues and oranges! I attacked the stack of fabrics, loving the striking contrast of the complementary colors and after my first project decided March would be exclusively blues and oranges.

I was having so much fun working with the color combination that I decided to move on from totes and work on a pattern of a rooster (actually, the designer called it a hen, but clearly she doesn’t know chickens like I do) that I’d purchased at the Portland quilt show last September. My choice of colors was easy…blues and oranges. I spent the next several days working diligently on what was to become my birthday present to me. I told Verne all else would have to wait until I completed my birthday rooster. March 13^th I gave myself an adorable rooster wall-hanging that now fills the space to the right of my longarm. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever received and makes me happy every time I look at it. (Yes, I know...he still needs an eye.)

I had to get serious the last half of the month as Sally had completed a bed quilt and mailed it to me in late February. I’d planned to get it quilted in time to take it to her on our next trip South. Usually, the first hurdle is deciding on a design, but it didn’t take me long to come up with a design and a way to stitch from one block to another without breaking the thread. This is a big deal! But, I always manage to find some reason to delay and this time it was the shear size. The quilt stretched from one side of the longarm to the other leaving only 1” on each end of the zipper system I use to attach the quilt to the frame. Yikes! I figured it would take me 3-4 partial days to complete the quilt, square it up, and (maybe) bind it. I wouldn’t normally machine stitch the binding and almost never hand stitch it, but the quilt was so big and so heavy by the time I finished, I knew that it was too much for Sally to handle. And, it just seemed like something I should do for my BFF…I knew that Sally would agree with that! I gave myself four days and, by golly, nothing went wrong and I finished it in four days. In fact, I am writing while on the way to Santa Barbara to deliver it. Here’s a picture of Sally’s beautiful new bedspread.

Speaking of Sally and her quilting ventures, she never ceases to amaze me. She too continues to make totes and seems to sell them as fast as she can make them. Living so close to the ocean, she’s made several themed totes, including beach, fish, and more recently, turtles. Here’s a picture of her latest (and cutest to date) tote…

Short and Sweet

This is going to be short and sweet. The “short” is due to the fact February only has 28 days and I only completed one blog-worthy project during the month. The “sweet” is the precious picture Lauren sent of Chloe on her new flannel blankie. The blanket was intended to go to Jana’s cat, Izzy, but somehow ended up in Portland. (We’ve got to increase our security and get back to checking luggage!) Fortunately, I still had a small pile of scraps from Verne’s rag quilt, just enough to make another 24” square cat blanket. I’ll forgo a picture of Izzy on her new blanket. That would only stir up the “Whose Cat Is the Cutest?” debate.

On to my accomplishment…Lauren’s judicial assistant at the courthouse retired in February after thirty years of service. Over the past two years Lauren and Joanne have become fast friends and a special gift was in order. We’re very selective when gifting our quilts, but Joanne seemed a good candidate as she’s a painter and appreciates handmade items. We were not disappointed with her response to this beautiful batik quilt.

I've not been completely idle in February and have a few projects in the works, so I should have more to report in March. I'll say no more and make no promises. Here’s hoping!

August - Old Quilts, Puzzles, and Beetles

There's a couple of days left this month and I'm still hopeful that I'll finish a quilt top...my first in 60+ days. Shameful! Verne just informed me that August was an historically cool month, so there goes that excuse. Actually, if you've been reading my blog you know that I've been busy finishing my Grandma Wier's Dresden Plate quilt. And I've been canning up a storm (figs, peaches, beets, okra, and more). And I've completed over 35 hours of MFP-community service work towards my 50-hour requirement. And I've just about completed the poppy quilt hanging I showed you earlier in the month...

A few more background borders and two more flying geese edge borders and it will be ready for quilting. It took a ton of cutting, a lot of ripping and replacing fabric choices, some foul language, and I finally found my groove. If you have a design wall and like puzzles, you may like this project. There are no written directions, just a graph made up of 1" squares. Pieces of the puzzle are squares, rectangles, and triangles made from the two previous shapes and are outlined on the graph paper and filled in with marks that indicate light to dark fabrics for each of four poppies and the foliage. It took me half a quilt to begin enjoying the process and I now think I may be able to make it again. It was at the half-way mark when I backed up and ripped out an entire section because there wasn't sufficient contrast. After that, I began having some fun and have worked on it an hour or two each day all the while listening to a book on tape.

I mentioned beetles...if you've spent any time in the cabin bedroom then you know that the floor has become increasingly uneven sloping down from the perimeter of the room by as much as 2-3 inches in the center. We have speculated for the last few years that moisture is accumulating under the floor causing the problem. Mystery solved! Verne has spent the past week tearing out the carpet and what's left of the floor (double thickness), all floor joists and bracing, and wheelbarrow loads of a powdery sawdust and although there is no evidence of insects, our contractor assured us the problem was powdery beetles. They must have moved on shortly after eating through almost half of the sub-flooring and over half of the joists and blocking leaving no sign of beetle carcasses or excrement (unless the powder substance is their excrement). Those buggers ate right through 2"x6" boards leaving little evidence that they were ever there. Good news is we were able to save the carpet and the bedroom should be back in order and ready for guests by the end of September. Another "to do" is DONE! It was a dirty job, though...

A Family Connection (cont'd from August 17, 2014)

Isn’t it interesting how styles come and go and then come again? Slight changes, but still rooted in the past. Is anything really new? In my last blog I told you about my meeting with Anelie Beldin and her quick identification of the pattern used to make the quilt blocks I’ve been assembling. I’m still waiting to hear from Anelie regarding the name of the particular design, but she is certain it falls in the family of the Dresden Plate. A bit of research has produced a wealth of information about the Dresden Plate and over a couple hundred examples of various versions of the pattern.

Inspired by elaborately designed porcelain plates from Dresden, Germany during the 19^th century, the quilt design became popular and widely available in the 1920’s. It was not always under the name Dresden Plate and was sometimes called Grandmother’s Sunburst, Friendship Ring, Aster, Dahlia and Sunflower. The common characteristic of various patterns is the petals that radiate from a center point, which typically create a flower shape.

The more I look at Grandma Wier’s quilt, the more I like it. I have several ideas for my own more contemporary version of the same pattern. It will look nothing like the soft colored quilt you saw in my last blog. It will be a burst of contrasting colors that will showcase shapes within shapes. Yet, it will be rooted in the Dresden Plate pattern that dates back over 200 hundred years.

Just as my Dresden Plate quilt will have connections to the past, I’ve been realizing more and more family connections as a result of this project. First of all, if I described to you a person who loves cats, loves to cook, and loves to quilt, who would you think of…ME, of course! Well, actually I’m describing my Grandma Wier. As I’ve sent out emails to family members in an effort to determine who might have a Wier quilt or information about our grandmother, these are a few things I’ve learned. I should also mention that she was a less that perfect housekeeper…also a similarity. We all know that if it weren’t for my full-time housekeeper, Verne, I’d probably live in a mess of fabric scraps and cat hair.

My efforts have also paid off with another quilt top. My brother’s daughter, Lori, who still resides in Tucson, Arizona, has one of Grandma’s quilt tops. It’s a pattern called Grandmother’s Flower Garden or French Bouquet, considered the most popular pattern after 1925. I still see versions of it today. It’s comprised of small hexagons of different colors put together in circular shapes. Lori sent me photos of her quilt top along with a letter from her mother (my sister-in-law) dated January, 2012. The following are captions from the letter:

“Now for some history behind this [quilt]:

"I received this quilt from Virginia [my mother] when I was either 17 or 18 years old [I would have been about 10 or 11 then]. They were packed in a chest in the front bedroom of their home in Tucson, which I think was on a street just about four blocks to the west of goyette Street named Eastview or something similar. [It’s actually called Eastgate Drive.] I was there one day and for some reason we were in that room and she had the chest open and showed them to me. Well, I went gaga over them and she just said something to the effect of – take them, we don’t need them.

“She said they were all made by George and Ned’s mother [that is my father and his brother who lived with us most of his life], who as I recalled dies before your dad was born. She said this great-grandmother of yours quilted all the time, had quilts everywhere. Apparently she did not put much value in cleaning her house, but sure could cook and quilt.

“Anyway, one was a blue and orange pieced fan quilt that I quilted when I lived in Payson and gave to Gary and Pam [her son and his wife]. They lost/misplaced that years ago. Then there was the green one made of over 2,000 little 1-inch squares called Garden Walk. I think I did that one a few years after the blue and orange one, and for the life of me I do not know what happened to it. Seems like I kept if for myself, but I have no recollection. So, this one is the only surviving top.”

Fascinating!

Here are the pictures of Lori’s quilt top, one of Grandma Wier’s few surviving quilts…

Sashing and Cornerstones (cont'd from August 14, 2014)

When I last blogged, I had decided to wait for a clear sign from Grandma Wier as to which approach to take with her quilt blocks: sashings and cornerstones or simply sewing the blocks together, which would make a secondary design. Well, I’m in luck as my best friend turns out to be a medium of sorts. When we talked Saturday morning, in addition to telling me I “over think things”, she claimed to have communed with my Grandma Wier and her message for me was to use my best judgment and Just Do It! as she was off to a quilting bee with her friends and didn’t have time to mess around with “signs”. According to Sally, before she left she also made a few derogatory comments about Sally’s quilting. LOL! I do take after my Grandma Wier: we’re both quilters and I’ve made similar comments!

The next step in assembling the quilt top was to square up the blocks. This took some time because I had to make sure the design was centered before trimming the excess background fabric. During this process I discovered that the appliqué on each of the blocks varied from ¼” to a substantial difference. Two of the blocks were larger than the others by almost 1-1/2” in width and length making them unusable.

I’d planned to use all of the blocks in the quilt, but this little problem meant that rather than make a 4x4 block quilt, I needed to reduce the size to a 3x4 block quilt. Not really an issue, because I prefer rectangular to square quilts and it’s still a very nice size at 56”x74”. Also, that leaves me with a few blocks for throw pillows…my own mini quilts made by my grandmother. However, this also meant the idea of a secondary design wouldn’t work, because the 3-piece fan corner designs wouldn’t align properly. So you see, problem solved! I had to go with the sashing approach to disguise the variances in the blocks. As it turns out, Grandma Wier did communicate directly with me.

Once that decision was made, the rest was easy. I cut the fabric I’d purchased on Friday from the Sewing Cottage and assembled the blocks in rows and then the rows into the quilt top and Wahlah!, a completed top ready to be quilted! This next week I’ll make another trip to the Sewing Cottage to buy a backing and I’ll be ready to quilt. I’m happy with the fabrics I chose to complete the top and the size is perfect! Here’s what the project looks like at this stage.

To be continued…

An Historical Undertaking (cont'd from August 13, 2014)

Thanks for taking this journey with me. I could have just quietly worked on this project and included a short paragraph at month end with a picture of the finished quilt. I ask you…What fun would that be? Instead I’m including you every step of the way. You will know the challenges I face, the thought process I go through, and the sometimes faulty conclusions I draw. I intend to bare all!

I have to admit, I’m beginning to feel some attachment to this quilt. It’s drawing me in quite against my will. I have never had much of an interest in antiques or old things in general (people being an exception). When I opened the box earlier this week and first handled the squares, I understood why my mother was going to toss them. She’d carried them from Michigan in 1947 to her new home in Tucson, Arizona (I was conceived in Michigan, born in Tucson in March, 1948) and I’m sure she considered them clutter, long overdue for the trash.  After all, she felt no real connection to her mother-in-law and there were so many new and improved fabrics on the market…like polyester (my mother was totally into polyester). And, she was not a quilter and would have seen no real purpose in a stack of pieced squares.

Back to my journey…I started to feel some connection to the quilt as I was ironing each square yesterday afternoon and trying to imagine the quilter whose work I am about to finish. Leanne has spent years researching our family genealogy and put together a fairly complete history of my mother’s side, the Moore’s. Before she researched my father’s family, she spent a couple of years attending community college. Between studying and raising a young child, she had no time to return to the genealogy work and has asked that Judy and I continue her work and research and prepare the history of the Wier family. Yikes! This is not something I would ever choose to do and, until receiving these quilt blocks, had no interest in genealogy. But now, that’s all changed. I need to know more about Grandma Wier. At a minimum, I want a framed picture of my kindred spirit hanging in my Studio!

I left off yesterday with an unsolved mystery…the blanket stitch on the blocks. I’ve made a discovery and, frankly, I’m feeling very embarrassed about having to admit to you that I was so, so wrong! If you weren’t accompanying me on this journey, you never would have known, So many “if’s”… I’ll just blurt it right out and then give you my excuses: I was wrong, both the piecing and the blanket-stitching are done by hand, not machine!

How did I miss it? My only excuse is that the lighting was not adequate and my glasses were dirty (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). Actually, the first part of that excuse is accurate. I have great lighting in the cabin, but it creates so much heat in the summer that I sometimes work in the near-dark, as I was when I examined the blocks. Well, this morning Verne drove me to town to run some errands and stop by to buy fabric needed to finish the quilt. While he ran into the post office, I was sitting in the car with the sun beating through the window and I looked down at the quilt blocks in my lap and saw that the blanket stitch was actually two part: a machine stitching line within 1/8” of the turned edge and a much thicker pearl cotton thread used to create the decorative edge. I couldn’t believe I’d missed that! Having made one mistake, I decided that I might also be mistaken on the technique used to construct the blocks. I pulled at the seams and yes; they were also hand stitched in the tiniest possible stitches, mimicking machine stitches. The only machine stitching on each block is to secure the design to the backing…the visible stitching that fooled me on the blanket stitch. All I could say was, “Grandma Wier, I’m sorry for suggesting you would cut corners and use a machine to blanket stitch your work. You must have been rolling over in your grave when you heard me say that. By the way, you certainly did beautiful handwork. I can’t wait to see some of your other quilts.”

With Mystery #2 solved, this probably isn’t necessary, but Verne spent time researching the blanket stitch question I raised yesterday, so I’m going to include the information for your edification.

“This stitch has long been both an application by hand and as a machine sewn stitch. When done by hand, it is sometimes considered a crochet stitch, used to join pieces together to make a blanket or other larger item.

When done by machine, it may be called a whip stitch or, sometimes, a Merrow Crochet Stitch, after the first sewing machine that was used to sew a blanket stitch. This machine was produced and patented by the Merrow Machine Company in 1877. The defining characteristic of the crochet machine is its ability to sew with yarn and stitch thick goods with a consistent overlock edge. From 1877-1925 the machine evolved dramatically, and consequently so did the capacity of manufacturers to produce goods with the whip stitch.” Source: Wikipedia

I now find myself at a crossroad…I’d decided to finish the top with a 1” sashing and cornerstones to add a little color as well as provide a quilting line around the blocks. I took the stack of blocks to the Sewing Cottage in Jackson and to my surprise soon found myself surrounded by quilters interested in the old piece. Our hometown-quilting expert, Anelie Belden, immediately identified the block as a Dresden Plate, a classic design that has been around for centuries. In fact, she’s written a book on the subject of Dresden Plates and said that she’d research my particular version of the Dresden Plate and that she might be able to determine when it was designed and first published. Yeah! I’ve never had one iota of interest in classic designs, but I’m beginning to feel a stirring way down deep. I think Grandma Wier wants me to make a Dresden Plate quilt in her honor. I thought I was just imagining her presence with me yesterday in the Studio, but I’m beginning to believe she’s with us on this journey. Who would have thought?

I digress…the crossroad is this: Anelie said that the sashing and cornerstone approach would have been typical in that era, but she wants me to consider omitting the extra fabric (which I’d just bought) and simply sew the squares together. By doing so, a secondary design is created by the 3-piece fans at each corner. I know, this is hard to imagine. Bottom line is this: I’m not sure which road to take. Time is of the essence, but I think I’ll just give it a day or two and hope that Grandma Wier makes herself heard giving me a clear idea of what she had planned.

To be continued…

So, What's Up?

Every month or so we spend a day in Nevada and whether necessary or not, we stop by to see Cece. I'm always anxious to see her latest projects and Monday's trip didn't disappoint. There was an intricately designed needlepoint in progress, a tulip patchwork quilt nearly completed, and (get ready to see what could be our next group project) this adorable elephant made from fabric scraps. It's raw-edge applique, finished with a blanket stitch, and then quilted. Cece quilted this herself using free-motion meandering in the background and she did a great job! Kudos to you, Cece!

She bought the pattern at a quilt show and has since purchased the tulip pattern from the same company. Check out this web site (www.bjdesignsandpatterns.com) for other patterns and choose one to make at our next retreat. The website home page says "wholesale only," but according to Cece they sell retail also. I'm think May 2015 would be a good time for a Stix Retreat, so that gives you plenty of time to prepare.

So, what's up with me??? I've been consumed by jamming; actually, my obsession has expanded to pickling. Whatever I am putting in a jar and processing, it took up much of July and has now encroached upon August. This past week I've tried to break the fixation by hanging up my apron for at least an hour a day and walking to the cabin and hanging out with Mr. Ernest (the resident cat). My first day back was spent doing nothing but that. He was so happy to finally have some quality time with his human, he wouldn't leave me alone! I was still feeling uninspired on Day 2, but I decided to just choose a project and begin! I've since spent five hours cutting (my least favorite part of quilting) and with another 2-3 hours I'll be ready to begin sewing on a poppy quilt that was originally intended for yours truly. At this point, I still may end up with it or it may be given in trade for a set of silverware that I don't need. How do I get myself into these things??? I'll say no more, but will post pictures as I progress. For now, here's how it looks...

Those little white labels identify each of four fabrics for each of four poppies, as well as the foliage and background. The cut pieces are in sandwich baggies and not pictured. Believe me, this is not a quilt you are going to want to make!

I'm beginning to work on a second project, which comes with a history. Most of you know that my 52-year old niece is suffering from liver cancer. My sister is with her in Missouri and together they have been going through boxes of old pictures and keepsakes that Leanne wants to distribute amongst her two adult sons and her 13-year old daughter, Emma. In addition to photos (Leanne worked in the field for years, so there are literally hundreds of them), Leanne has two antique quilts in various stages of completion. Years ago she salvaged a box of quilt blocks and a quilt top that was completely pieced, but not quilted. that my mother was going to toss (she was a loving woman, but not particularly sentimental). Leanne has little information about the quilts and believes a great- or great-great-grandmother made them. She intended to complete the projects started almost a hundred years ago, but has never gotten around to it. Well, I now have the box of quilt blocks and I'm determined to help Leanne realize that dream. I'll be picking up the second quilt when we visit her in September.

Let's talk about those16 quilt blocks that arrived this week as they hold a few mysteries for me.

Mystery #1: The quilt blocks are pieced on the machine using 30's fabrics and muslin for the background. The 30's fabric helped me establish that it was more than likely my great-grandmother who was the quilter (I grew up next door to my grandmother and never saw her quilt or saw a quilt displayed in her home so I knew it wasn't her...although, it's strange that she wouldn't have displayed her mother's quilts?!). Anyway, I surmised that it was Great-Grandmother Moore who made the quilts and that she would have been in her 50's or 60's at the time. Feasible. I received a clue this morning from my sister (she got it from my brother's widow, Nola) that blew up that theory. It was actually my father's mother who was the quilter...a grandmother I never got to know as she died before I was born. So, Grandma Wier was a quilter...Interesting!

Mystery #2 is not so easily solved. The machine stitched pieces have been machine blanket stitched to the muslin background! What? Did home sewing machines even have that feature back then? (Something for me to research.) Leanne got these blocks from my mother over 30 years ago and apparently my mom didn't know or share the history of the quilts, so this may remain a mystery forever.

Beyond being puzzled by the source of these quilts and the machine blanket stitching, the blocks were as I expected...yellowed and musty smelling. They'd been stored in a plastic bag, which I've always heard is a no-no (maybe because it causes the yellowing?). Anyway, I decided that I couldn't work with smelly blocks, so I washed them this morning and, lo and behold, they came out bright and fresh smelling. There are still a few small stains, but then they are probably over 85 years old so it comes with the territory. There was some shrinkage, but I ironed them and am hoping much of it can be quilted out.

I was pleased when I saw and recognized the fabrics used for the piecing in these blocks as I have a pretty sizable collection of retro 30's fabrics. Unfortunately, Lauren was looking for new projects to work on and I took her a pattern and my entire 30's collection when we visited last month. Dang! Not a single one to be found in my 36 bins of fabric. I don't want to buy more fabric, but it's that or spend $15-$20 and have Lauren ship mine home. Before I make that decision, I'm off to look at 30's fabrics at the Sewing Cottage.

To be continued...

ULS Finished!

I've officially completed the Unusual Lone Star and here's a pic to prove it...

ULS Finished!...Almost

I am down to about 4" of sewing on my Unusual Lone Star and the piecing will be complete! You might wonder why I'm taking a break to write this? Because it was one of those "just get up and walk away" moments. I've stitched and ripped for two days and just about reached my limit. Have you ever worked on a project that brings out the worst in you? That makes you swear when you're not a swearing-woman (at least words I don't normally verbalize...like the "F" word)? Well, Karen K. Stone...Mission Accomplished! I've seen my dark side and not just muttered, but screamed f_ _ k, f _ _ k, f _ _ k!!! (I'm home alone, so nobody heard me, and it felt good. A release of sorts!)

Let me begin at the beginning...Sandy and I each began a ULS after the retreat in June. At the time, the biggest challenge seemed to be making 128 blocks that form the star. We both plugged away on our blocks during July and August. I finally finished mine and went on to the next step of sewing the blocks together to form eight diamonds, which form the points of the star. Some of the blocks missed the mark slightly, but overall they looked good. Next, I sewed together the diamonds forming each half of the star (four on each side). Still, it looked good. It has been in that state for most of the last month.

Mid-September I began working on the inner border, which is made up of a sawtooth pattern of two colors. That was a bit of a challenge, because I didn't have enough of any two colors that I liked to complete these borders which I found eat up the fabric very quickly. Fabric Depot in Portland came through and I returned from our trip late-September with just what I needed. I worked diligently on the 12 borders that are set in between the star's points and finished them this past week. Wanting to have this quilt finished for our October retreat, I pushed on to the next step. Karen K. Stone, who designed this quilt, provided some guidance in her book on assembling each of the 12 units that form the background of the star, but it was minimal. In fact, her lack of direction in this section of her book managed to take this quilt from one that could be intermediate in difficulty to intermediate-advanced! First of all, the final border was to be cut at 5 1/2", sewn to the first two shapes and then trimmed at the "same angle". This wasn't a problem for me and seemed to make perfect sense (although, someone with less experience might find this a stumbling block). I decided to cut the border at 6" and then trim the final quilt. Thank God! It was BARELY enough to give me a final 1/4" seem allowance that will be covered by binding. Karen K. Stone: what were you thinking when you wrote 5 1/2"??? Also, Karen, do you expect people to just read your mind? Your book could have been about twice it's size if you'd provided adequate directions. For example, your direction on the challenging task of setting in the background squares and triangles read: "4. Set the background pieces into your Lone Star." That's it!!! Fortunately for me, I spent years making clothing and "setting in" sleeves, gussets, etc. were commonplace. But, for a quilter, who in some cases has never had experience "setting in", directions and diagrams would be helpful. I love your quilts, Karen, but your directions suck!

Back to my tale...I managed to set in all but two of the background pieces, as I had to finally sew the two halves together. There had been some ripping/re-stitching up to this point, but nothing like the ripping and re-stitching (replay that about 20 times) that I encountered when I sewed the dead-center (think bullseye) of the quilt where about 100 seams converged to create a...bump? lump? very thick spot! I ripped, picked and sewed again and again. Finally, I ripped, re-ironed, re-trimmed, and got it this morning. That was after "just walking away" last night. I thought I'd never get it. But, I did. And now I'm down to the last set-in triangle, which is giving me fits. 

What I haven't shared are a few of the other challenges I faced yesterday. Wanting to make the most of my day I decided I would multi-task by roasting tomatoes while I was sewing. I'll share the recipe later, but briefly, I roast sliced romas that have been drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, topped with salt, pepper, dried oregano and basil for about 2 hours and then freeze them to be used later in sauces or as a topping for crostini. While I was preparing the tomatoes, one rolled and my very sharp knife sliced my thumb rather than the tomato. You never know how much you use your thumb until it's disabled. To make a long story short, the bandaid fell off and I bled on my quilt! Damn! Next, as some of you know, I'm a big tea drinker. Sun tea in the summer, hot tea the rest of the year. When the weather here changed just a few weeks ago after a long, hot summer, I returned to drinking hot tea. I always have a cup going while I'm quilting and am really fond of using my to-go cup with a lid. In keeping with my usual practice, I made myself tea and took it into my sewing room. My first tea mishap was when I knocked over the freshly brewed tea emptying the entire cup on the floor and partly on my quilt. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't forgotten to tighten the lid, which was just resting on the cup. The good news is I drink green tea and it blended very nicely with my quilt colors. That wasn't my only tea mishap yesterday, as later in the day I backed up against the table where my tea rested and knocked it over again! Shit! It was later in the day that I attempted to combine the two halves of the star and began my ripping and re-stitching. I was determined to finish the quilt, but by about 9 p.m. I'd had it and I took my swearing to a new level. You guessed it...F_ _ K! That's when I turned off the lights, shut the door, and "just walked away!" 

I'm feeling quite calm now and ready to finish the last 4" of my quilt. This has been helpful and put the whole quilt-making process in perspective. It's like that old saying about losing battles, but winning the war (I'm very bad at old sayings and really have no idea how it goes or who said it)...I've lost a few battles with this quilt, but am ready to go win the war!

P.S. While my patience was tested yesterday and I clearly failed, one of my "challenges" had me smiling...

An Unusual Lone Star

I may have mentioned my latest project (and Sandy's, too)...an Unusual Lone Star from Karen Stone's book, Karen Stone's Quilts (apparently, she puts all her creative energy into making gorgeous quilts, not thinking of catchy names for her books!). Both Sandy and I started this quilt after the last retreat. I have been trailing her in making my blocks and still am (she's almost finished and I have about 15 to go). The great thing about being the chief blogger?...I get to decide what to blog and which pictures to post! So, while I'm a bit behind Sandy in making blocks, I put together what I've done this morning and  snapped this picture. It's missing two diamonds and the blocks need some rearranging, but you get the idea!

Fair's fair! Send me a picture of yours, Sandy, and I'll share it with our many readers...(LOL, that's more text talk: "laugh out loud")!

Next day: Sandy took my challenge and sent me these pics of her ULS...it's looking great!

Another Sierra Rose

Ok, I know I've got to stop making totes! I just couldn't help myself, though, and had to make another Sierra Rose with higher contrasting fabric. BTW (that's "by the way" in text talk), did I give Verne credit for coming up with that wonderful name? No? Well then, here goes...Mega Kudos, Verne!

Stashbuster Tote - A New Look

The leftover 3 1/2" squares from the French Rose quilt Lauren and I made last week along with a new and improved rose (two additional layers) were used to make the tote pictured below. I used 36 squares (6x6) for each panel, quilted the panels diagonally, and then stitched the petal layers of the rose and leaves directly onto the quilted panels. I love the results and am anxious to create more bags with raggedy-edge applique. I'm calling this one Sierra Rose...I think that's fitting on several levels.

Checking In...

It's official - it's mid-month, July 16th. Where does the time go? I have very little to show for the first half of the month and practically NO quilting! I've spent my time over the past two weeks blogging (blabbing is more like it) and beading, actually I've started two peyote bracelets and have yet to finish either. Pathetic! But, I've spent a lot of time talking about beading, surfing the web for beading inspiration and supplies, and planning beading projects...does that count for anything??? And, I have spent some time flipping through quilting books, visualizing my latest project completed and hanging on the wall, and making lists of things I want to accomplish in the second half of this year...any credit for all of that??? NO? Thought so! 


What is going on with me?...I've lost some of the creative momentum I had during the spring and seem to be falling into a creative slump! Help! I know exactly what I need to do, because I've been in this place before and for long periods of time. I need to JUST DO IT! I need to walk away from this computer and all of the other distractions (most of which I create) and walk down to the Studio and begin...

Okay, I hear those words loud and clear. JUST DO IT! I'm leaving now. I mean it! I'm out of here! No more excuses! Next time we talk I'll have a long list of finished projects complete with pictures and I will feel good about myself. Computer: I'm turning you OFF! Iphone: that means you, too! Goodbye!