2016 Quilty Wrap UP!

In the few minutes of quiet this morning... (new Puppy, introductions coming soon), I want to share the last couple of quilts... 

I made and quilted another QOV (Quilt of Valor), very similar to the first one. I just have to put the label on it and it is done.

One of the guilds I belong to had a newsletter mystery. All the clues were delivered in the newsletter  over 8 or 9 months and we were able to work on it at our own pace. I chose to make the throw. It would look so much better if I had read the first clue correctly. It suggested to cut the scraps from medium and dark fabrics. I let some lights slip in which muddied up the look a bit. But it will make a nice top to practice longarm quilting on!

And lastly.... a Sparkly Chickens Quilt. It was pulled together from blocks we swapped in 2009. The label tells who made which block and the rules for the swap. I set the block in South Africa... and would certainly made some different choices for fabrics and the chicken arrangement. I did share with the others that they should either quilt it themselves or be prepared to loose their longarmer over the beads. Oh, my... they did pose a problem.... in some places. I won't pretend that the quilting is perfect, but from 30 paces on a galloping horse it looks fabulous!!! It is hanging over the balcony... in the family room on display.

Next up news on the puppy... name, size and color.... antics and all the particulars. A teaser picture... perhaps?

More Later-  Beth

Strips, Duty and Wasps

Lately… I have not spent much time in my sewing space… other than to make a bit of a mess. I actually had a mess in several locations… I mentioned before that I was organizing and participating in a strip swap. I had the cutting and sorting station in my sewing room, the arrival station in a spare bedroom and the shipping station on the dinning room table. I have shipped out the strips to everyone, so now I can play with mine!!!!

I needed these additional strips so I could have a bit more variety to make some blocks. I have made a test block… and this is where we are going…. with all those fun bright strips. Gave up trying to rotate this guy straight… you get the idea! I was going to mix the fabrics regular cottons with batiks, but I think now it will be all batik.

 

And, Ouma Duty. The 2 year old DGS (darling grandson) had a break from Daycare with his Ouma from Wednesday evening through Friday evening. I just didn’t want to waste the time or gas driving back and forth daily so he stayed the duration. The other reason, is that he would be staying over for 4 days next week and I thought he might need to be eased into …. time away from his parents. Nope. He adapted beautifully.

I did get the camera out a couple of times lately, in my own back yard! First up, some Red Aphids on my basil. It was interesting… they all stayed together… and if I moved the plant they would all move, nearly as one to maintain their location.

My backyard is pretty sparse as far as plants go, but I do have a rather large hydrangea. I love to look at the flowers and complexity of the different types of Hydrangeas blooms. There are so many different varieties now. In this picture with the Black and White Wasp known as the Potters Wasp- black and white body with blue wings, you can see the disturbed pollen falling.

I also saw this wasp on the same plant. Called a Northern Paper Wasp- who would have guessed that there are so many different kinds of wasps? In this picture you can see the centers of the hydrangea flower… large petals, with a much smaller center flower.

Yes I like nature…

Beth

Last of August

We are nearly at the the end of August. Where did the month go? I mean really, one minute we were looking at the end of July and now the end of August. I have been thinking a lot about ‘this time last year’ and how to mark the differences or note the changes.  No solutions yet…. still thinking.

DH is gone again, and has been for 2 weeks. Maybe home next week or the week after… no firm date as yet.

I have caught up with the Sparkly Chicken Swap blocks “Receivers Choice”… they are going in the mail on Monday as are 2 more gifts…. Of course no photos… because I want the recipients to see them first…. I can however post my swap block for the ‘Fiesta’ Chick. Originally I wanted to do bright pieced block in primary colors, but that did not work out. My piecing skills are way off and I just was not meeting the vision. My true inner vision of  “Fiesta” is warmth and sun or beer and lime , a la Baja Mexico and Southern California. That was the end of creativity for me….

and how you say was that the end of creativity? At work the other day I broke one of the cardinal rules of cutting; ‘Always cut away from yourself’. I was using a utility knife, and was cutting toward myself. BIG mistake. Sunk the blade into the thumb muscle of my left hand. Very little blood, but plenty of pain… and 2 very ugly stitches later. Do you think some day that we might get a choice of color for the stitches? You know maybe compliment the skin tones, or at least a really nice shade of say blue or purple or maybe lime green. Nothing looks worse than puckered skin and black stitches with long tails. So not much in the way of of other stitching activity here.

I do have some new toys to help pass the time. Sometime in late June, my iPhone was giving me connectivity and reception problems. Like stating no carrier… and to resume I would have to turn the phone off and then let it power back up…. a very long and time consuming process. So I bought a new phone. An Android Desire. I think I like it better than the iPhone. Not as many Apps yet, but most of the important ones are there and there are some that are better and built in. The other new toy, to match the new phone is a Tablet, (a gift from DH), The XooM by Motorola which as I recall uses the Android platform. Anyway…. it is similar to the iPad, but doesn’t have the Flashplayer restrictions of the Apple platform. I love it especially for the web based applications. Displays much better than the iPad, has some cool function fly outs and has USB input as well. I can read books (Kindle), listen to music (still have to transfer my iTunes library over), send and receive email and of course surf the Web.

And since not much in the way of other pictures… more birds.

Black Collared Barbet - are generally very shy…. not good photo subjects.

I think this is a female Cardinal Woodpecker. It was beating at the bark like a woodpecker…

 

More Later-Beth

Recently in the Sewing Room

I cannot believe that we are finished with the first week of July!!! Next thing you know it will be Christmas!

I received a swap block, from the Sparkly Chickens, and I’ve had it for a month now.  It is just the cutest take on a ‘Paisley’ don’t you think!!! It is so cheerful and bright. Jean B. the maker has the most amazing imagination. Everything I have received from her has a simple twist that is truly her own mark!

I also received a postcard from Oregon! Becky (blog is here) took a detour into

fabric postcards this earlier this summer and has made a few. I think she has a new addiction. She sent me one of a Bird, because I feature so many here? I have it on the wall where I can look at it all the time! I love it. I have a plan to reciprocate… and a new series of African Postcards! More on those when I get to them.

I have put the UFO Challenge for July, #2 on the design wall. It was a challenge project from a guild I belonged to back in the early 90’s in Chico CA, called Annie Star.

I don’t know if the guild is still in existence. The chairperson of the “Music Challenge”; who I can still see in my mind but her name escapes me set forth the rules.

About the only thing I can remember is it had to be based on a song and as I think about it… I think that was the only rule.  In looking at what I could do and what it needed… I think “eliminating” is the way to go on this project. Now to the borders.

In the mean time I have finally completed the swap block for June. I had a terrible time with my original idea, which was going to be brightly colored pieced block with a Lemoyne star as the center. I could not get the center to line up at all. I made 3 blocks and they were all off… so I gave up. Then I had difficulty coming up with a better idea. But in the end I did, but alas no picture until the recipient sees it first!!! I like it, so I hope she does too. One of the ‘off’ blocks was turned into a Journal Cover… and I think it is destined to become a gift for Christmas in July. Except for the black and print fabric, it’s all hand dyed fabrics.

A  month ago, (maybe more) I was messing around with a journal cover… and made this one.  Nothing special… just wanted to sew… and this was easy. Laid the strips on in a flip and stitch… so it was layered and quilted at the same time.

 

I spent a few minutes in the sewing room today… but I am sponsoring again, and I had to make ready for them. Food and niceties in the house to say welcome!!!

 

As Usual, More Later-

Beth

Flowers and Sewing

Of course I have to start with a couple of pictures. I keep trying to get a some that say Winter!!! but so far no luck, so I will show you these… that are just nice.

One of the ornamental garden trees is the ‘Bottlebrush’. Also called Callistemon salignus, a member of the Willow family. It is a familiar plant for me because growing up we had a Bottle Brush Shrub in our yard. I really liked the yellow butterfly and the red blossoms on the tree. Aside from the butterfly, bees and birds really like the nectar and the tree usually has lots of company.



Back in September I took a picture of the Coral Tree which is a surprising thing to see. The bright orange flowers cling to bare branches, then the leaves come, but I don’t think they are as interesting as the flowers. But the other day I noticed the seed pods.  You can see a few in this picture…. but nothing but seed pods in the next picture.






The look a little alien… don’t they.

I can reveal the “Happy House” block that I made for the Sparkly Chicken Swap, because Sandy got hers in the mail the other day. I had so much fun putting this together…  I can just picture the happy family that lives in this house… Mom, Dad and a puppy named Mozart… Can’t you?




I have been working diligently on my April Challenge…Judy Laquidaras 2011 UFO Challenge but alas it’s gone as far as I can… so I don’t think it will be done on time. I have once again been thwarted by the inability to run down to the local shop for what I need. It takes me 2 to 3 weeks to receive any items I order. Since I really didn’t know how I was going to quilt it… I didn’t know what thread or how much I was going to need when I started, (you see that I don’t have much left… on the spool). 

So since I will now have some more time (I have ordered a spool)… I may change my mind about the binding.  The picture is showing it much more red than it is… but I think I would really like a pinker maroon to finish it off. I wish I knew what the next number was... I'd get started on that with the extra time I have.









I’ve been doing a few other things… and will of course tell you MUCH more later 

-Beth

Hodge-Podge Post

Last week was sort of hurry up and wait… with the impending and threatened Government shut down. Of course my job is not ‘essential’ so I won’t have to report to work if they don’t come to a resolution.

I have been busy again in the sewing space to kill some time. I have another Swap Block ready to go… so no pictures yet -the recipient has to get it first. However I can show you the last Sparkly Chicken Swap Block, because the recipient has received hers. Her theme was beach, so I did a very typical beach scene.  Does it say beach to you?

I have also been working out the quilting I am going to do on the April UFO, from Judy Laquidaras UFO Challenge. I have a plan and I hope it goes as well as I think… and do what I want it to do. I made the top back in the early 1990’s, when I was a member of the Annie's Star Quilt Guild in Chico, CA. It is the second of two. The first I hand quilted and I don’t want to do THAT again… I have an idea of what I want to do… so now I am working out the details… and then I will begin.  I have changed out the poly batting to a cotton and spray basted. With DH on the road again, I will be able to quilt as needed.

I have, also-- finally gotten caught up on an International FQ Swap I am a member of. I was waiting for some fabric I ordered to arrive. I waited and waited and waited (from a US store that does online as well, I am just about fed up with them… and the backorders), and finally all but one piece is here, but I have time to get that one still. I have received some great pieces of fabric from all over the world since being involved with this group.

On Thursday last week, I had a short massage on my left shoulder and neck. I wanted to try Shiatsu and see if helped. Oh YES!!! I am thinking I may set up a regular massage appointment to see if I can get my neck and shoulder to relax long enough to get past the tension. I was a little reluctant to try massage again, as the Chiropractors massage therapists… did not ever get deep enough to do much good… I have been managing my neck and shoulder issues… without a chiropractor for more than 2 years with very little pain or discomfort, and few headaches.

A little about South Africa- It is fall here. Not that there has been a real noticeable change in the weather, at least not that you could say… it’s fall. A few trees are showing some color change or leaf loss - the poinsettia trees are beginning to get the red bracts that we see on the small shrubs at Christmas (in the US). I keep trying to get a good photograph, but so far no luck. Maybe a trip to the Botanical Gardens is in order, possibly next weekend. But I think the slight chill in the morning and evening air is the biggest change.  Enough that if you were going to be outside for a bit, you might want a sweater. The day time temps are still upper 60’s or lower 70’s so it’s still nice in the sun.

Well the Government did not shut down, so I must go to work.  Until later, and as always… there will be more later!

Beth