A Word for 2020

I've thought long and hard on this... my word for the new year... I do one every year, to inspire and provide focus for the coming year.   With so much chaos in the world, it is hard to stay focused and not get embroiled in the events of our time.  Still, I have come up with my word. 

The word for 2020 is DRIVE.

• D - is for Determination, which I need to have more of... sticking to my commitments and finishing what I start
• R - is for Reach - to remind me to reach for new plateaus and new experiences.... instead of withdrawing from potential opportunities to learn and grow.
• I  - is for Inspire - not only myself, but others too...
• V - is for Value - I tend not to always show how much I do value friendships and relations... Not showing it doesn't mean it's not there... I just don't express it often enough.
• E - is for Encourage - others as well as myself.  I need to be more vocal in my enthusiasm for what others do as well as that inner voice that pushes me to do what I do, too.

Some Quilts Need to Steep a While, Like Tea...

Back in 2003, I started quilting, taking a class as our local adult school.  I took classes there for four years or so.  During those years, our teacher had us do one or two fabric exchanges every year, followed by a pattern to use the strips or squares we traded.  One year (and no, I don't remember which year), we exchanged fabrics with leaf patterns.  The pattern she gave us to use them was for tesselating leaves.  I had SO many leaf fabrics, I had enough to make a full size quilt... I divided the fabrics into color palettes by seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall), then cut and sewed them together.  Somehow, without a dedicated design wall, I managed to put them all together into a quilt.  I wasn't thrilled with it, but it was done.. or so I thought.

And that is where it ended, the top ended up in WIP purgatory... stalled at the quilting stage.  I didn't like it much and it had no home to go to, so I figured, 'Why finish it?' - after all, it was too big for me to quilt, and I couldn't see the need to spend money on a longarmer to quilt it.  It languished.   Until earlier this year, when my daughter-in-law saw it and decided she liked it... But theirs is a queen sized bed, so I added some wider borders to it, had it quilted, and bound it a few weeks ago. 

Because it was for my son and dau-in-law now, I called it 'Seasons of Love'.  Does it assuage my guilt at not having given them a wedding quilt so long ago?  Not completely, but I do feel a little less guilty.  I hope it keeps them warm and cozy, and that we got all the cat hair and dander off it so her allergies don't flare up. 

Keeping up with Bonnie

This time of year, it's not always easy to keep up with all the holiday activities, chores and errands, and still stay current with other things.  My Monday was a mad dash that turned into a lot of wasted time.  Still managed to get a few things done, including clue 3 of the Bonnie Hunter mystery, Frolic.

I had them all cut and sewn on Saturday, but didn't get them pressed til the wee hours this morning.
I can't wait to see what she has us do with the other colors now! 

Philanthropy

I make the occasional quilt for charity, but not so many.  I don't feel bad or guilty for not making more for charity - I make what I like and try to challenge myself with new techniques or new quilts.  I'm not always willing to let those go to just 'random' people.

However, during a recent health scare, I realized I really don't have a strong attachment to a lot of quilts I've made and if something should happen to me, I don't want to leave piles and piles of quilts for my husband to deal with.  I contacted several folks on Facebook through a local group and have given away about a dozen quilts this last week.  I feel a little liberated.  

Below are pictures of the some of the ones I gave away.  Every quilt went with care instructions, and lots of love (and a disclaimer regarding cats and dogs, in case of allergies).  Unfortunately, I didn't have pictures of all the quilts, but that's okay...

This first one was very special.... the first Saturday Sampler I ever did, from Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Shop.  I loved the process and learned a lot from it (I was a very new quilter when I made this, back in about 2006 or 7).  I called it 'Home for the Holidays' and gifted it to my mother in law.  After she passed and my father in law moved into an assisted living facility, it came back to me.  I thought it needed a new home.  This one went to a lady in hospice care after a stroke.  She is always cold and her caregiver wanted a Christmas quilt for her.  Since I didn't have a picture of this one in my files, I took a quick shot before it went away to its new home.

 This quilt is the pattern Bonnie Hunter calls 'My Blue Heaven', but I called my version 'Starry Night' because it reminded of Van Gogh's painting more than a blue and white vintage quilt.

 This next quilt is called 'All Roads Lead Home' and went to a woman who wanted something for her mother in law.  I hope she likes it.  The pattern is vintage, but the fabrics are modern... I love mixing things up.

 All the rest of the quilts below went to kids who needed quilts for the winter. 

Sewing for the Holidays

I made a whole bunch of little dice bags at one time, and decided they would make nice gifts for the guys and gals in my gaming groups this year for holiday presents.

I tried to pick the most masculine looking ones for most of the folks because guys wouldn't want flowery bags, lol.  They make great dice bags because they are padded and have little pockets for miniature figurines or whatever.

I also made them all pillowcases with a gaming theme (dice, swords, spellbooks and so forth)... Each one is unique and except for a couple of them, they will be wrapped and given out randomly... they can trade if they covet each others' colors.  One of the pillowcases has bears on the cuff (for a specific person who likes bears), and one has books (for someone special).

I hope they all like their presents.

Little Blessings

Sewing sporadically has been a little escape for me from fretting over health issues.  I managed to do both of the first clues of the Bonnie Hunter Frolic mystery... Clue number 1, Four patches:

 Clue no. 2, elongated two-patches (?)...

Meadow Mist Mosaic Mystery, December clue:

My local guild's opportunity quilt for 2020, which I did some of the sewing on (previously did some of the embroidery stitches on the hexies, added some of the black to square up the hexies so they could be sewn into rows) and added the binding last week:

I also made some pillowcases for friends for holiday gifts... 11 down, 1 more to go.  The quilt for my son and daughter-in-law is done and ready to be gifted.

I'm actually feeling positive about the coming days and the new year, and though the state of the world scares me right now, I have hope and pray for sanity and peace.  

Blessings all. 

Binding Marathon and Coping

I started attending a guild day retreat (8am-8pm) for three days (today, Tues and Weds).  I only got to stay til 2pm today due to some bad news from my doctor.  Had to leave to go to his office... but while I WAS at the retreat, I managed to finish two quilts... Still have several more to work on during the retreat... and anything I don't finish, I'll work on during a second retreat that starts on Thursday (a sleep-away retreat this time) and goes til Sunday.

First quilt is named "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" (aka 'On Ringo Lake'), Bonnie Hunter's mystery from 2017.  It's been quilted for some time, just waiting for binding and a label... done and done. 

If you're familiar with Bonnie's original color scheme, obviously I changed things up some, ended up with Mardi Gras colors, hence the name.  Fun to make, but not her easiest mystery.  Getting the sashing strips pointing the right way in each row was a pain, but I am happy with the result.  Pic is prior to quilting.

Second quilt is called "Speedwell".  Not sure why, but that is the name that the pattern was under at Moda's Bakeshop site.  Since I couldn't think of a different name, I let it stick. Was fun and easy to make, but probably not something I'd repeat unless someone saw and REALLY wanted it in different colors. 

As for the doctor thing, I got a positive test for cancer and the doctor wants to confirm it with additional testing as the original test could be a false positive.  I'm trying to be hopeful and keep a positive outlook, but it's hard to get my mind off it, and all the possible avenues and eventualities.  When it comes right down to it, it makes you re-evaluate your life and purpose and legacy... Lots to think about and not necessarily something I want to dwell on... I'm not ready to give up, but sometimes you have to accept the inevitable.  I know I don't want to leave my family with a legacy of pain and enfeeblement.  Nor do I want to leave them with a houseful of stuff they won't know how to even want to deal with (like fabric, machines and lots of other stuff I've collected over 60+ years).  My husband and son deserve better.

No matter what happens, I will keep on quilting til I can't anymore... it gives me pleasure, it keeps me focused and moving forward, and I have lots of stash to use up...

 

Good Fortune is over and done

My Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt from 2018 is DONE at last.

Picture is from prior to quilting... it's a little big for my design wall for another picture.  Binding is pink, because the intended recipient loves pink... I would have used purple or aqua, but pink is what she likes best.  Hope she likes it. 

Some Weekday Sewing

Spent Tuesday night cutting border strips and sewing them together into one long strip.  My plan was to take them with me to class on Weds morning and cut them to size for the quilt.  I packed up everything EXCEPT the border strips and blithely drove to class.  When I got there, I couldn't find the borders, sigh.  I was glad I took a few other things with me to work on, but but all told, it didn't amount to much.  I went home early after spending most of Weds helping others with their projects.

When I got home, I found the border strips sitting right where I left left them.  I measured and cut them to length.  I traced and all the appliques, fused them to fabric, cut out the shapes.  Thursday morning before my doctor's appointment, I fused all the shapes to the border strips, and did all the blanket stitching to secure them to the border strips.  I sewed the border strips to the quilt.  I grabbed the backing fabric, my machine and jumped in the car, rushing to make my doctor appt.

After the doctor, I headed to my Thursday night mini-group sew-in.  I sewed the backing to fit the quilt and got a picture of the finished top...

Here is the fabric I chose for the back:

While there, I trimmed the first of my HP quilts (the one with the mauve background - no pic of the quilted top yet though).   I will start working on the binding of that one soon.  It has to be done for a December birthday, which sounds like a long way off, but binding can go slowly.  

Not sure when I'll get to sew again.  I have a game on Friday midday, company coming on Friday evening, another game possibly on Saturday... maybe I can make the binding at least on Sunday or Monday. 

Seems like the older I get, the less time there seems to be in a day... but winter is coming... (longer days).  Oh if only it made a considerable difference!

Finishing a year-long project...

After working for a year on a project, there should be a celebration at the end...But because this quilt is destined to be a gift for a special person, I can't celebrate... at least not yet.  Besides, it's not finished - it gets borders on both sides... (no borders top or bottom - at least not planned ones).  The borders have yet to be made.

Despite no hoopla over the majority of the work being done, I am thrilled I have gotten it completed to this stage.  Can't wait to finish the borders and get it quilted.  I have a few more months to finish it... but time does fly, so I don't want to let it stall out.

I must say it's been a wild year working on this quilt... It's made me think a lot about the recipient and how much I hope that she takes some hope and heart from the messages in the quilt, and know how much love and caring we feel for her in our lives.  

On a side note, I finished that backing for 'Out of This World' - no picture yet, but it is done.

Not sure why I'm rushing to do all this work... I'm going to two back to back retreats (one retreat is the first 3 weekdays of November - Mon, Tues, Weds) , and the weekend following (Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun is the second retreat)... All this work and what is left to do at retreat?  I suppose I can put off doing the borders on this quilt til then, and make the backing for it as well (I have the fabric, just have to sew the pieces together).  However once I get inspired to do something, it's hard to put it down.  I do have 7 quilts that need bindings, but not sure I want to spend all 7 days doing bindings.   That'd make me crazy.... ok, crazier.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to start something new...

Weekends are for Sewing!

I'm trying to balance my time a bit because sometimes it feels like my whole days are spent running errands, chasing paper trails and shopping.  Despite my involvement this weekend in a small 3-day online convention (gaming-related), I decided I wanted to reserve some time for sewing too. So far, so good... I sewed for about an hour yesterday and an hour so far today (Sunday).

Thursday, I sewed some square-in-a-square blocks for a mystery quilt I started last month.  Last night (Saturday), I trimmed them all and squared them up (a few were off by a bit).  Here's last month's block (the 'house' block on the right) and this month's two blocks (the two different sias blocks):

I liked my fabrics when I picked them, but I'm thinking i"m not so fond of them now... we'll see how it comes out...

Last night I pieced the blocks together to make the top of this mystery quilt-a-long by Pat Sloan.  I cut and sewed the inner border and attached it.  Today, I cut and sewed the outer border and put it on. 

Now, it is time to make a back for it... I have a space-walk panel to use for the back, but it needs to be bigger, so I'll be adding all the left-over fabrics from the top, and when those run out, I'll add anything that coordinates from my stash.

Having said that, I ran out, took the dogs for their rabies shots so they can get licensed this year, and then came home to the quandary of exactly how to make the panel bigger.  I thought about doing a log cabin sort of treatment around it, and decided against that... Since the panel was selvage to selvage, I decided to border the sides with selvage to selvage strips of various colors from leftovers from the quilt (with a couple of deviations from my stash - running low on some fabrics from the top).  Here is a picture of the back in progress...

Obviously, I still need to trim the side strips top left and bottom right, and then add some fabric to the top and bottom to center the panel vertically as well as horizontally.  Haven't decided yet how to do that.  Strips selvage to selvage will be too short, so maybe some squares?  or half-square triangles arranged in pinwheels, or perhaps some flying geese?   Suggestions are welcome!

Mixed Media Applique

A question was asked in an online group of which I'm a member regarding mixing cotton and wool appliques on cotton background.  I can't do wool applique (allergic), so I substitute bamboo felt, which comes in many lovely colors and has the thickness and general feel of wool, tho it lacks the marled look that wool can have.  I love working with it, and use it frequently, combining the bamboo and cotton in the same quilt frequently...   

Here are some examples of quilts in which I've combined cotton and bamboo felt.  The first is called 'Pumpkin Hill', a Bunny Hill design... I love squirrels and wanted to do this quilt the minute I saw the design.  THe brighter orange pumpkins are all bamboo felt.

This quilt is another Bunny Hill design (with squirrels of course).  It is called Henrietta Whiskers.  In this quilt, the stars and leaves are bamboo felt. 

So, my answer is, YES, you can combine the different thicknesses, textures and colors of mixed media in applique on cotton.

Procrastination

I made this quilt top over the weekend. 

Fast and easy applique and a little bit of piecing... easy peasy... and now I am stalled on the quilting part.  I made the back last night, and have to cut some batting to fit, pin it and quilt it... not hard, but I am procrastinating... Maybe hoping it will go away?... or quilt itself?... I am surrounding myself with other tasks, other things to do in avoidance of the quilting... why? 


I did see this article in this morning's NYT.  It addresses exactly the issue:

Like any modern office worker, my inbox every so often becomes an unwieldy mess of unanswered emails, half-written messages that need to be sent and more “Sorry I’m so late getting back to you!” notes than I ever thought I’d write. It’s usually fine, we all manage, that’s life.

But every so often, I have that one email I need to write but that I just can’t force myself to take care of. You know the type: It’s something you have anxiety about even after leaving the office, and you know you’re making it worse the longer you put it off. Maybe it’s not even an email. Maybe it’s a memo you have to write, a phone call you have to make, a meeting you have to set up, or whatever else.

I’m taking a wild guess here, but you probably thought of one specific thing on your to-do list while reading that last paragraph, right?

Psychologists call this kind of avoidance self-sabotage: It’s when we put off or ignore a situation or task to our own detriment because doing it would force us to confront our fears or anxieties. This often manifests itself in extreme procrastination (not that I’ve ever had problems with that), and there are many reasons we fall into these patterns.

Self-sabotage is particularly dangerous to our goals because it’s self-reinforcing. By putting off tasks we don’t want to do, we experience temporary relief at the thought of not having to do them, so the cycle continues.

The problem is, there’s really no trick for breaking out of that cycle: One way or another, you’re going to have to confront the thing you’re avoiding. You can, however, ease into it by focusing on self-compassionand going easy on yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for putting it off for this long — that’s already happened and there’s nothing you can do about it. Just act now to set things right.

So today, just take care of it. For me that meant finally writing that email; the emotional burden it lifted was incredible. Start your week on the right foot by closing this article (after you finish reading it, of course) and getting started on that one thing. You’re going to feel so much better after you’ve dealt with it, I promise.

Once you’re done, tweet me the thing you accomplished at @timherrera or email it to me at tim@....

Have a great week!

—Tim

Not sure I'd actually email him (I don't tweet), but I am inspired to get to work on what is vexing me...  I'm not afraid of quilting, just need to get to it.  I'm usually hesitant about design of the quilting, but once i get started, it all comes pretty easily.  

Not Changing.... just NOPE.

So my last post, I insisted I wasn't changing this block:

Didn't want to do all that ripping and resewing... however... the more I thought about it, the more I just couldn't let it lie.  I did the ripping... and the resewing - and here is my new block:

OMG, cannot believe the change in it... I am SO glad I made the alteration to it (I won't call it a correction because technically, there was nothing wrong with it - it was all aesthetics).  I am content with it now.

I also finished a quilt... one of two anyway.  I made two of these "You Lucky Dog" quilts designed by Bonnie Sullivan.  I am almost done quilting the second one... the hanging sleeve, label and binding are ready to go on, just waiting for the last stitches of the quilting to be done.  It measures 44x48.  The original quilt called for a very dark green sashing.  I replaced that with the light rust color. 

Agonizing over little things

It is in my nature I think to agonize over little things that others might not even think about much if at all.  I made these blocks over the last couple of days and put them all together with some previously made blocks, which I didn't look at before I made the more recent ones.    Now that I see them all together I am regretting some of my choices.

The blocks on the left that make up the big red diamond around the 'Love Deeply' block are kinda scrappy, because I thought they'd go with the first one better that way.  I didn't look at the one I'd made 10 months ago (the right-most part of the diamond under the word 'Grow') to see that it is instead made up of one red-orange fabric.  I could have done the same to each other bend in the diamond (top, left and bottom) in a different red fabric, but instead I made them scrappy - each one made of the three fabrics combined... sigh.  I think it's all little distracting the way it is.

I am NOT changing it now, though - that would require too much ripping and re-sewing.  It's gonna have to be what it is.  The whole quilt will be very busy, so perhaps it won't be so noticable in the final product.  I can only hope.

One more block to make for this quilt, and then borders, and I'm done... I'll be happy to have this finished in time for the recipient's birthday!

Mystery Looms...

I've been working on another mystery quilt, this one by Meadow Mist quilts... it's called the Mosaic Mystery... The first sewing clue was released a week ago, and my blocks are done...

These are my 'house' blocks for step one... I have NO clue what comes next ... (that is of course the nature of mystery quilts, but sometimes you can take an educated guess)...

My fabrics chosen for the quilt are these, with all the pre-cutting done that we were given instructions for:

As usual, I am agonizing still over my fabric choices, but it's all cut, so I'm not changing them now !  :)   I hope it comes out pretty, and not square (I hate making square quilts)...

Working through Adversity

I despise, hate and revile summer colds.  They are the worst!  Not sure if it's because the weather is hot and uncomfortable, making a fever and chills seem even worse or if it's the actual physical nature of the summer cold itself.  Whatever it is, I've felt miserable since Thursday night. It's Monday now and I still feel awful.

Despite feeling sick, I've still managed to play a game of D&D, keep up with my two games (Pokemon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - doing pretty much the minimum I can get away with each day to stay current in them), prepare samples for a class I was supposed to teach on Saturday (and had to cancel) and sew a pair of dust covers for my Berninas. 

The first and largest of the two dust covers is completed:

I sized it to my Bernina 740, but I actually made it for my new 770, which hasn't arrived at the dealer yet.  Since the new 770 is a Tula Pink edition, I made the cover out of Tula Pink fabric, and it's purple and has squirrels, which I think are the cutest things ever, so that's a plus too (only cats would have been better, but I didn't have any TP cat fabric in my stash).  I managed to use up a bunch of purple binding scraps as well..  Now to just get that 770 in my hot little hands... can't wait til it arrives.
 
I made a 2nd dustcover for my little Bernina (a 350) too, but that one is not bound yet...  Since it is the 350SE Best Friends edition (with paw prints), I made that dustcover from paw print fabric. 

I may do a little quilting today on my second You Lucky Dog quilt, but mostly I'm gonna lay low and work on recovering.  Hopefully by tomorrow, I'll be back to myself again, with some energy and initiative.  Stay well!

State of the Stash 2019

As with last year, my cup runneth over with stash…

My stash (sans 7 bins of cat fabrics, 1 of panels and 1 of Asian prints

)

This year, in regards to fabric, I tried to buy only what I needed for immediate use, but:

I bought several wide backs and haven’t used them all yet… (I have 5 left out of about 15 purchased this year)

I bought fabric for a few One Block Wonders this year and have only made one of them (and it is actually started but not yet completed)… (an OBW usually takes about 4 yards of fabric minimum to make, and I usually buy an extra yard or two so I have the original fabric for borders or a strip on the back).

I have been working on several quilt-alongs and BOMs. All of them required fabric… some of it is now gone – one was sold (I made two of the same quilt, and they provided me so much fabric for each that I had enough for two in just the one kit, so I sold the second pattern and all the fabric for it)… I’ve got lots of leftover fabric from some quiltalongs that will be going to new homes very soon, so I’m not even counting that… but the fabric purchased as borders that I changed my mind on are a problem.

I’ve been ‘better’ this year about not acquiring fabric ‘just because’… I have bought almost no batiks just because I liked them, nor have I been purchasing prints or tonals ‘just because’… I have tried this year to limit my purchases to what I needed for current or ongoing projects… but sometimes I did buy a little too much. I hate having to go back for ½ yard because I was being too frugal initially, and then finding it’s from a different dye lot and doesn’t match.

I think I’ve got a finished quilt stash problem as well… my stash of completed quilts rivals that of some professional quilters who travel around doing trunk shows. I could definitely do a trunk show of my own, but I wouldn’t have a theme or cohesive style to show. I flit from project to project, style to style, technique to technique. Sigh. I need a bigger family to gift all these quilts to, but sadly I was not blessed with a large or close-knit family. My sister and I never speak (her choice, and I have no idea why).  I made her a quilt once, when our parents were still alive and she was still occasionally speaking to me.  She took it.. never really said much about it though she did thank me for it… I suspect it’s probably a cat bed now. My cousins all left the state, one is dead, the other two are pretty much MIA. Most of my close friends have already gotten quilts from me, or are quilters themselves and don’t want any more quilts...My friends who are not quilters have already all received multiples from me. My quilt cabinets (I have 4) are full, the guestroom bed and desk are piled with quilts and I've got a few stacks of finished quilts in the studio.  I gave 12 to Paradise Fire victims, 6 to the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild for the Thomas fire victims last year, and there is still no visible reduction in the piles. Sigh.

My thread collection has not grown considerably at least… I buy to replace and little more (Aurifil is expensive, though I've discovered Bluprint (Craftsy) thread is good too and my 770 likes it better, and it's less expensive).

Machines are another problem area. I bought a used 440 earlier this year (to replace the two 440s I traded in for my 740 three years ago and regretted the loss of. Have I used the 440 yet? No! I bought a 770 (purchased but not yet received – it isn’t going to be delivered to the dealer til Sept or October)… I did at least promise to trade in my 740 for it, so at least it won’t result in an increase in machines… I’m a bit overloaded with 2 FW’s, a vintage White in a cabinet (my mother’s machine, kept for sentimental value, a 1924 Singer 99 (my grandmother’s machine, can’t part with that), a 350SE (my travel/class/retreat machine) and my 740 (soon to be 770, my home machine)… it’s gotten out of hand!

So, that’s the state of my stash. IF you got this far, thanks for reading, if not and you just skipped to the end, that’s okay too. I’d really like to reduce my quantity of ‘stuff’’ again – maybe it’s time for another big ‘stash reduction sale’? I made about $3500 at my last sale, spent a chunk of it on a purple FW, but maybe this time, I’ll just bank it… DH wants to retire soon - it can go into my IRA and encourage him to take the plunge. 

The Endless HP Quilt...

I just got home from a 5 day retreat, where I pieced, quilted (no applique this time), bound, and did a little hand sewing as well (a label)...  

The endless Harry Potter quilt is almost done!  Well, one of them, anyway... I ran out of background for both quilts.  Quilt #1 needs lots of background to finish it for sashing and borders.  Quilt #2 needs a little background to finish it, for borders only.   I'm happy to have these almost ready for the longarmer (too big for my machines!)...

Here is a picture of quilt #2:

It's been so fun making these blocks... so fun I actually have 6 left over.... could have made another whole row (and a pillow)... if I wanted the quilt to hang over onto the ground off the end of the bed, that is.   I love it and can't wait to see it in use (this one is for me... the other, with a purple background, is for a friend)...

We even had a few visitors to our studio workroom during the retreat

 Mom, Dad, and 3 babies... so cute.....  They came to the door of our workroom to check out what we were doing.  The three young raccoons were very curious, but the parents were very protective of their little ones.  They did let us look as long as we kept our distance, even though we sort of 'chased' after them to take pictures.

Trying Something New - Magic Binding!

Trying something new can be a daunting step, but how else do we progress and learn?  I decided to take the plunge and try the 'Magic Binding' method on my Square Deal quilt.  It works great!  and I loved the process.  Probably won't use it every quilt I make, but definitely will do it again.  I did learn that it cuts off points that go to the edge of the quilt (see the picture below), so it may not be appropriate for all pieced borders, but it is a really good method for a quick binding with a nice finished look with the illusion of piping around the edge.

As you can see in the picture it did cut off the points of the square in a square cornerstones... Still, I like the look of it.  It's fast, too, since it is all finished by machine, no hand-sewing at all!  Maybe a few extra steps to get the binding ready, but it's SO worth it.  

Here is the link to the you-tube tutorial on magic binding:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8N6nv90H2c

and here is the link to the written tutorial (with pictures) for those, like me, who have trouble following video instructions:  http://www.52quilts.com/2012/05/tuesday-tutorial-susies-magic-binding.html

Square Deal, a Mediterranean Mystery

Last September/October (2018), I went on an excursion to London, followed by a two week Mediterranean cruise on RCCL.  It was, of course, a quilting cruise, so on sea days, we sewed.  The teachers on the cruise taught a few different things, but on the way TO Italy, I worked on my own projects (the wonky bear claws and some applique blocks I wanted to surround with pieced borders with applique over them - I did all the piecing on the cruise).

On the way back to Southampton, I actually took the class Linda Ballard was teaching and made this quilt: 

It was offered as a mystery quilt, with blocks based on a traditional block which I don't know the name of.  I have decided to call thw quilt 'Square Deal'.. I changed the cornerstones (they were suppoed to be white square corners, I made them turquiose square in a square corners to match the color of the narrow lines in the sashing.  I haven't decided on binding yet... black, white or turquoise... I'll have to decide soon.  Linda is speaking at my guild in September and I'd like to have this labelled and bound to show while she's there.  Since I am going on retreat next week in Big Bear, taking this along to get the binding on would be perfect timing. 

Mystery Fabrics are Cut

Well, I waffled, then caved and changed one of my mystery fabrics before cutting commenced.  Here are the final 4, all cut and ready for the first month clue in September:

And my latest Harry Potter blocks, courtesy of a couple of ladies on the Facebook group who came up with the original design, then this modification of the original:

I have 2 more HP blocks cut (Luna in solids and Luna in Grunge), ready to sew... the 8th block in the Out of this World mystery is also cut and ready to sew.  I am itching to get to them, but I am gritting my teeth and not touching them because I'm going on a retreat next week and I want to have plenty to do while I'm there.

So far, my retreat to-do list is:  bind one quilt, sew the mystery blocks, sew the HP blocks, quilt  two wall-hangings, and maybe I'll add some more bindings into the mix, also, my month 10 Dear Daughter blocks if that arrives in time to prep them before the retreat (I am NOT messing with fusible and cutting out letters and such on retreat). I think that's enough to keep me busy for 4 1/2 days... at least I hope so! 

A Finish and More HP...

I put the last stitches in the binding on my Wonky Bear Paws quilt... I'm so glad I got this one done, though I don't have a recipient for it yet, I'm sure that will come in time... (At least I hope so!)

STILL working on the endless quilt, the Harry Potter quilt-a-long... Got another two blocks done, same pattern, one for each of the two quilts I'm making... Introducing: (drumroll, please)  potions!:

Still waiting for this week's block to be debuted.  I have a feeling, there just isn't going to be one this week at all, and tomorrow we'll just have a new one (the designer was on vacation, returned last Saturday and said 'two days', but two days has stretched now into a week, and the next block is due to be out tomorrow, so I suspect that is when we will get it, which is fine... a little breathing space is welcome.

I have been feeling a little overwhelmed by UFOs of late, so anything that isn't calling me to finish by a time limit is a welcome respite.  I love sewing and quilting, but I am cautious of getting too far behind on too many things and feeling pressured - it will take the joy out of what I love to do. 

I Love a Good Mystery

I DO love a good mystery (quilt)... I'm not so good with mystery books... I have a tendency to read a chapter, then flip to the end to find out whodunwhat to whom and how... I've been doing that since my Nancy Drew days back in my single digit and preteen years.  Drove my friends nuts!  Anyway... I'm starting a new mystery quilt next month called the Meadow Mist Mosaic Mystery Quilt.  Initially I chose a bunch of cool fabrics and then rethought my choices... I need a break from black backgrounds and the fabrics I chose called for black... so I changed to a dark teal Dimples fabric as my background, with batiks as the A, B, and C fabrics... The instructions simply said that the A, B and Cs will all touch the background, but never each other... so this is my final choice:

The batiks all have some turquoise/teal in them, but each has such a different texture from the others and from the background that they should each stand on their own... I hope it all works... I think the lightest of them will probably be my border as well, though that may change in time when I see the quilt taking shape. (I know I posted most of this in a previous post, but I had to repost to get the right image for a linkup party).

If you're interested in seeing more or even want to get involved with the mystery, here's a link to the Meadow Mist Mosaic Mystery Quilt.

Come play along!

The Quilt that Never Ends...

This Harry Potter quilt never seems to find an end....  More blocks keep getting released... the 'extras'.  So far, we've had the 4 house crests and the Deathly Hallows... and still to come:, another (different) Dobby block (which I probably won't make since I already made one for each quilt), platform 9 3/4, who knows what else might still come... wouldn't at all mind if there were a Draco Malfoy block or a Luna Lovegood block too.  But oh, what to do with them all... I already have enough blocks to make 2 king sized quilts WITH pillow shams. 

Here are the latest blocks I've made for the quilt:

I also 'fixed' the June block for 'Out of This World' which I initially made with a mistake (the star block), and made the July block in the series (the one with the moons):

And I haven't been shirking on my Dear Daughter quilt either.... the latest (month 8 and 9, left and right below).  I am really loving this quilt and can't wait to finish it and present it to my daughter-in-law for her birthday in February. 

I'll be starting a mystery quilt in August, called the Mosaic Mystery Quilt by Meadow Mist Designs.  We only need 4 fabrics for the quilt - background (the dark teal), and three others... I chose a dimpled teal for my background and batiks for the A, B, and C fabrics... Hope they all play well together... The instructions say all colors will touch the background, but never touch each other, so the varied textures and colors should work okay... I hope!  Ah, the uncertainties of making a mystery quilt!

I do love a good mystery quilt... which is weird, because I'm not a fan of mystery books... I read one chapter, get bored, and then skip to the end to find out who did what to whom... then I go back and skim the rest of the book to see what happened to get to that point.  I've always read mysteries that way, starting with Nancy Drew as a child... more weirdness on my part, I guess.  I don't read anything else like that...

While I'm working on all the above, I've got other projects getting left behind in the dust... sigh.  I really do need to get to work on them and finish some UFOs.  But I'm having so much fun with the new Harry Potter game, and still playing Pokemon Go, and they take some time out of every day...  I need some time management skills!  Help!