Sunday Surprise

On Sunday, Kathy, one of the people I met at Curves brought a sewing machine for Robert. I now have two for him to trade for Chloe, the treadle he picked up for me in Georgia. Kathy is giving the machine to me and I will layer and tie a quilt for her.

This machine is a real beauty and in impeccable condition. I think the paint on the Red Eye is so outstanding.

The cabinet is in good shape also.

It even came with a manuel and a box of attachments............

The Springtime of Quilting

The theme of our Guild's show this year is "The Seasons of Quilting". Some of the Pickles joined together to make our own interpretation of this theme. We each selected a season and are making a small quilt representing that season. We will mount these small quilts on one large one that has been entered into the show.

Joan had the season of spring.......... That is the planning stage of a quilt.



I am in awe of her talent. The hands are hand painted. The pencil is dimensional and sewn on. She added interest by cutting out the flowers and ironing them on with cheesecloth she had dyed to soften the picture.


I keep hoping that if I am with people like Joan enough some of their brilliance will rub off onto me.

Update

I do have pictures, they are still in the camera......... I just have not paused long enough for the download....

I am slowly getting a good routine going......... It is difficult sometimes to balance home keeping, stitching, and work.............

I have been working on the beaded ornaments........ I have 28 of them done. That is close to the half way mark.

I have completed the quilt for the guild show and tonight when the pickle meets we can pick the side we want to use and I can begin to add the hanging sleeve to the other side.

I am still working on the bedroom............. That seems to be slow going........ Perhaps Joan and Vickie can give me some ideas and I can get this project done...............

I completed the row I began in class last Wednesday (has it been almost a week already?). Tomorrow night I should be able to add two more rows. That project is progressing nicely.

Now on to the ugly truth.................. I had the urge to practice hand quilting again. So I did. I spent quite a bit of time changing hoops and chairs and positions but I think at last I am getting the hang of this............. I worked on that for the last 3 days instead of my October projects. At least when the November list comes out I will have something to go in it that will be even closer to completion.

Tagged

At long last I have been tagged......... Dear Debbi of DubiQuilts has asked that I participate in the

SEVEN TRUTHS MEME


The rules of this are:


1. Link the person who has tagged you.
2. Tell seven true things about yourself.
3. Tag seven new people.
4. Leave a message with the person you have tagged so they know about it.


I am supposed to name seven truths about myself............. and tag seven new people. Since I am making beaded ornaments for the guild I will offer a beaded ornament for the seven people that I am tagging.

Now on to the seven things (this is hard)


1 - I would rather have a good baked potato with sour cream and cheese than chocolate. (will I be banned from the group for this confession?)


2 - I do not like to travel.......... Most people do and for years I thought I should but I am older now and I can say without fear of repercussions that I would rather stay at home with a cup of tea and shortbread than go anywhere. (except shopping for fabric)


3 - I cry when I hear the "Star Spangled Banner". (doesn't take much for me. most movies end up with a box of tissues gone)


4 - I like quiet.......... REAL quiet......... Early in the morning quiet before even the birds are up kind of quiet. (I shower without turning on the light because the florescent fixture in our bathroom hums..........)


5 - I like Lapsang Souchon tea. (you either like or NOT..... this is not a take it or leave taste.....)


6 - I get a lot accomplished when I have a deadline approaching. (because I work on anything else other than the deadline project. I think there are many others out there with the same quirk.)

7 - I like routine. It is comforting to have a routine. Then I know what to expect from each day.

Now to tag seven people............... This is going to be difficult.

I have now selected seven people and sent them an email to let them know.

Wednesday Nights

On Wednesday nights I go to Town Ho Needlecrafts for class. Right now there are only two of us in the class, Briget and myself............ This is Barry, our fearless leader. He knows all about color and how to use it. His work is exceptional. He knows all there is to know about most needle arts. He encourages us to try new stitches and new threads....... Sometime when you ask for his opinion he says "Well, it's your piece." You can tell by the tone whether or not to move forward or to begin taking out...... I could not have had the courage to try some of the things I have done without his encouragement.

This is Brigit.......My only other class mate. We had three others at one time but I think Brigit and I ran them off...... Would you like to join us?


This is the progress I made on Wisteria............ I began cutting the next row. That is row 19 and there are 23 all together. Still in the tunnel but there is a glimmer of light at the end.

Progress

That last bit with the pins will have the quilt together. Then to put the binding on it. I turned down one corner so you could see the other side.

Slowly I Stitch

Last night I was only able to get about 3/4 of my stitching done on the Guild Quilt. Perhaps tonight I will get that last bit done and I can begin putting it all together. I still have to finish my bedroom picture. That will have to be done this weekend because we are to turn them in on Tuesday. I also need to get the hanging sleeve on the quilt I entered into the show. That deadline is coming up fast............................

Saturday

We actually crossed the bridge Saturday.......... This picture was taken as we started across the Sagamore Bridge. It is one of the two bridges that connects the Cape to the Mainland. We went to Walmart and came home with vitamins and tissues and other exciting things.



Now for an update on my progress so far. I managed to get one beaded ornament cover completed. I need 60 and I have completed 19. That is almost one third of them done. The deadline for this project is Dec. 1st. This might make the November list of "Projects".



While we were on the road, I worked on the ubiquitous sock. I got the top done and I have turned the heel. Now to work the gusset and then it will be mindless knitting again. The kind I like to do while I watch Judge Judy.

Other Projects.

I did take out what I had done on the vest and began again. This is my progress so far. I have 4 inches of the 71/2 needed for the first third of the back. This is also something to keep the hands busy while I am watching TV.


I wanted to make sure that something was done on the Wisteria Sampler before I went to class on Wednesday. I completed band number 17 (the green Scotch Stitch). The next band is hemstitching and I will need to cut the fabric. I want to have someone else to count with me before I cut this wrong again.



Last but not least is the quilt for the show. I have all 25 blocks done and all 5 rows together. The hand stitching is complete on all the rows and two of the rows are sewn together and hand stitched. This morning I added another row to the two that were complete and put the other two together. I am hoping that tonight I can get the hand stitching on that part done and put them together in the morning.




I only work downstairs in the morning. I am at my best at that time of day. Everyone else is still asleep and the house is quiet. I can work with no distractions at that time.

I am making progress on my October list and I might even finish a thing or two.

Road Trip

We are going on a road trip. Actually leaving the Cape...............

Don't get excited. We are just going to Plymouth (45 miles away) to shop at Wal-Mart......... You know, paper towels vitamins, dog treats and such.

I have seen a Michaels next to the Wal-Mart and perhaps this time I can go in..... This will include having lunch out at Fridays so I can get by with soup for supper..........

I have been giving thought to what to take with me to work on. I have decided on the socks. They are small, easy to do, and I have done so many that I don't need to watch the directions that carefully.................... I know other people travel with appliqué and hand stitching but I have never been comfortable doing hand work in the car. Perhaps I might even get one sock done.

Now, lets see which audio book I will take.............

My Wonderful Husband

Lem has this delicious sausage casserole that he fixes for us every Thursday.

When I walked in the door yesterday he was plugged in to his MP3 player and singing along. Rather loud and off key............. I had to get a picture of him even if the kitchen was rather messy as I had not put away the dishes that were left to dry.


The pictures on the bottom of the refrigerator are of our lot in NC............

Another Large Quilt

This is the front of another large quilt that Mickey brought with her. It is hand quilted.



And the back of the quilt.

The Larger Picture

This is the larger picture......... Looks just like the cottages in Provincetown....... This quilt is much larger than the other one shown below and this quilt is hand quilted and bound.

Last Night's Meeting

Last night was the Guild meeting. We had Mickey Lawler of Sky Dye fame as our guest speaker.

This is one of her latest projects. She had one that I will post later that was even bigger. This looks really hard but when you check out the next picture you will see that it is really a breeze. That fabric is painted by her and is simply stunning........... She uses fabric paints instead of fabric dyes. With the cost of that fabric I can't imagine cutting it. She will be giving a two day class starting today but alas, I must be at work.


Here is the back.................. As you can see, the top and bottom are one piece. Only the center is pieced. I really hope to try this some day after the big move..................

Just a Small Change in Plans

I was all packed for class last night. In the small bits of time I had at home I worked on stitching down the sashing on the log cabin quilt. I needed to get at least two rows together so I could stitch them together this morning. I only work in the studio in the mornings. I am rested then and it is safer to cut and machine stitch when you have all your wits about you. In the evening I sit upstairs with Lem and do hand work while I listen to a book on tape or we watch a bit of television.


When I got to Barry's last night, I began to unpack my bag and discovered that I had failed to bring the thread. That is when I moved on to PLAN B................. I also had the scroll frame with "Wisteria" in the bag. I wanted to finish the wedding sampler before I took the time to change the stitchery in the stand but that was not to be. Now that I have "Wisteria" in the stand I plan to work on it this month instead of the wedding sampler.

I have a box in the studio that is marked "Need Help from Barry"...... These are projects I am not sure I can complete without some assistance from a good teacher. I thought I had plenty of time to get them finished but as the time goes by I am beginning to wonder if I will get them all done. Barry says I could get more stitching done if I put the quilting aside for a time....... I just want to do both.

This is a picture from the front of the booklet. I have 2/3rds of it completed. It is time to finish it .


I managed to add those last 6 hearts last night and complete two of sixteen "Scotch Stitch" sections right below them........ This sampler has lots of different techniques and threads.

I have added it to my October list. So to recap, I did get stitching done on my October projects even if I had to take a side road.

Progress

And did I get to stitch last night............. Not much at all. The rows are still there waiting till I can sit with them again. Tonight is class and tomorrow is Guild so I will not get to work on them again until Friday night.............

This morning I worked on the room. I stitched the molding in place and added the bed.

I now have to applique the quilt/bed in place, stuff the pillows and stitch them down. I will also need to stitch around the headboard to make sure it stays in place.


Then I will need to add the bureau, lamp, clock, rug and perhaps a picture ......... I have already lost one of the pieces of the bureau and will need to cut another one. Silly me..........

Tonight

I managed to get all five rows sewn together this morning so tonight I can sit and stitch down one side of the sashing strips for each row. Perhaps tomorrow I will get the rows joined. I have the strips cut and ready...........

Weekend Report

I worked on the quilt for the guild show this weekend. I got all 25 blocks completed and one row together. This quilt requires that the sashing be stitched by hand on one side. I hope to get row two done tonight and then one each night till all five are complete. Then I can put the rows together one night at a time........... Maybe........ I will see how the time goes.


Remember this from June? I need to get it finished so the stand will be free to work on the Wisteria sampler. I have quite a bit done but I still have about 12 hours left to work on it. That estimate comes from some work I did many years ago. I found that it takes me about 1 hour to stitch a 10x10 stitch grid on the graph. I have been using it as a rule of thumb since........ That does not take into consideration that I will have to graph the bride and grooms name and wedding date to place on the bottom. I vaguely remember doing that in times past. Wouldn't it be nice if I could fine it again and not have to start again.


And this horror is my wonderful knitted vest..................... The yarn is hand dyed. The card that came with it said to work from two skeins at a time to get a more pleasing stripe pattern. Of course I did NOT do that at first. I had just about this much knitted (one third of the back) and did not like the way it was turning out so I took that out and began again with two skeins and changed skeins every two rows............ The picture showes that while the pattern is not as obvious, it is still there. I will be taking that out and starting again. I am just not happy with the results at this time...............

Focus Projects for October

Hanne has selected her focus projects for October. Perhaps I would finish something if I did the same.

Where does one begin? The most pressing deadline is the project I am working on with friends for the quilt show in November..............

The next deadline is the beaded ornaments for the first week in December. Those are the only two "GOTTA DO's".

On Wednesday nights I meet with a group for even weave stitching. I have two three projects that I need assistance with. One is a cross stitch piece, Wisteria, with ribbon embroidery. Right now I have a wedding sampler in the stand and I should finish it and get it framed while the couple are still happily married. Then I can begin work on the Wisteria piece.

I am knitting a simple vest for the winter with some hand dyed yarn and of course there is the ubiquitous sock. These are great items to work on then I am too tired to do anything else but still need to keep the hands moving.

So lets put this list on the side bar and clear out all the other things that I am putting on hold.

Three Logs of Twelve

I have added three logs of the twelve needed for these 25 blocks. You will notice that there are two fabric combinations. One combination is on one side and the other combination is on the other side. This quilt will be reversible and will have no batting.

The little Autumn Harvest pin is one that I have had for years but never done. Perhaps this is the year...............

Part Two

Part two of my obligation for the Guild Show is to make the quilt for mounting our "Seasons" on. I never got to Murrays for the needle and I never got to speak to Joan. Perhaps I can get that done today. Since I was at a standstill on the "Room" I began the quilt. I have never done one this way before. The front and back are the same and are made at the same time. There is no batting. This morning I got started on cutting the strips and began my blocks. It takes 25 blocks for this quilt. There are 12 logs in each block and I have one log added to 25 centers. The book says that these quilts can be made in a weekend............... Just what does that mean? How many hours do they consider to be a weekend? Inquiring minds want to know.

Need Help

Here is the picture of the bed in the drawing Vickie did for me. This morning I made a small quilt top to go on the bed. The original plan was to make the quilt top, sew the eyelet lace oon tow edges and add a backing. If I put right sides together and sewed it all the way around then I could turn it right side out and that would be the bed. Then I could add the two pillows and be done................Well, as you can see, that doesn't work. Now do I make the little quilt top larger and cut out the part I need? Should I cut out little blocks to make another top that is proportionally correct? I am not used to these problems............. I will call Joan and see if she will let me stop by with my problem. Her brain is much better than mine at this sort of thing.

I got out my twin needle to sew down the ribbon molding and of course it is the wrong size. That means another stop at Murray's for the correct needle.

So let me see, after work I need to go to Curves, stop at Staples to mail some packages, drop in at Murrays for a needle and if time allows, go to the grocery store to return bottles...(Massachusetts has a mandatory 5 cents deposit on all plastic soda bottles).

I think this is the night I meet Wilma for dinner. I sure hope so. Last night by the time I got errands done and supper on the table, I was ready for a nap. I ran out of steam early and got very little knitting done. Just to tired to hold a needle. I do hope today will be better.

A Room With A View

Well, here it is................ I now have a room with a view. I need to stitch down the window sashing and the molding around the floor. After that is done, I can make the bed. The headboard is cut out as is the chest of drawers. I even got a few quilt blocks made for the bed this morning.

Voyage Into The Unknown

Vickie was good enough to make the drawing for me. I have had it for months. I have been looking at it and putting it off because I am not really sure what I am doing here. Well, the deadline is drawing near and I must get this finished.

Yesterday I went to my LQS and found a few bits and bobs to start getting this together. They were not busy at the time and it was great to roam around and become inspired. I even found a Christmas fabric that was perfect for the window.

This morning I began the cutting out and most things I had to cut twice. I kept forgetting to reverse the template since it was going to be that iron on stuff. When I did remember, I went into automatic applique mode and ironed it to the right side. As a result it took longer than it should have.
This will give you an idea of the beginning. I will tea dye the other wall to give the room depth. It can dry while I am at church and If all goes well, I should get quite a bit done on this today. Good thing to because I still have to make the quilt that we are mounting them on.

The Persian Pickle

The Pickle met at my house last night. We stitched and talked and had a wonderful evening. I do enjoy getting together with these friends. The pictures are out of order because I did not add them correctly



Peg is hand piecing a Dresden Plate quilt. She found the pieces at an estate sale. This is a good reason to finish our projects or they will be sold after we are gone. All the pieces were cut out and several of the blocks were complete. She is going to have such a lovely quilt when this is done.


Joan is cutting out flowers to go around the picture she appliqued for our quilt entry. She has created a great appliqué of someone drafting a quilt block. This quilt is going to be such fun.

Nancy brought a plate of homemade cookies. Some cheese, crackers and fruit rounded off the snacks to go with our tea.


Nancy is working on a Grandmothers Flower Garden. Perhaps next month I will think to get a good picture of what she is making.



This is the project for a class Vickie is teaching. I am so pleased that it is on a Saturday and I will be able to attend this class.

We had to get one up close shot of the larger block since it is a pickle fabric.


Vickie taught me to hand quilt. I have been trying to learn but needed help getting the rocking motion right and trying to hold on to everything at once. I think I might have the hang of it now.
The quilt I am working on is one I began 15 years ago........... It might just get quilted this year.