Just a Few Accomplishments

This is the beaded ornament I am making for the Guild. Since no one from the guild is a blogger, I can confess on this site that I am the secret Santa.................. I have some dear friends that are members of the guild so even before I joined I did a wee giftee for each member attending the Christmas gathering. One year it was strawberries for needles. The next year it was a Wonder Wallet from Lazy Girl Patterns. Last year as you know it was the beaded tassels.
I figure I will need to have at least 60 ready by Thanksgiving. If I need a few more I can make them up before the meeting. So here are four done and 56 to go. There are 12 ornaments to each container. If I get 5 containers completed I will be in good shape for the event.


Finally the hat and socks and sweater are done. The smocked dress was done also but I managed to get something from the iron on it when i was blocking the top so it will have to be washed. I will mail what I have to Jean so at least that part will be done.

Lem and I stayed home for the holiday weekend. We did swap the winter clothes for the summer clothes. Now the closet is nice and organized.

We have a dear friend coming next week for a visit and I got the closet in the guest room cleared our for her and two drawers in the chest of drawers emptied for her use.

I didn't even get half of what I wanted done. I spent Sunday afternoon with a heating pad and that really cut into my time to stitch...................

Let the Games Begin

Well, they are here.................. They being "the visitors"..... People think it is great living on Cape Cod but the truth is, while it is a great place to vacation it is not a great place to live. The town I live in has a population of about 6,000. During the summer it becomes 23,000. Traffic becomes a nightmare and the rule is "You do not go anywhere that requires a left turn." Folks tend to leave their manners and intellect at home when they vacation. Grocery shopping must be done before 9:00 AM and after 10:00 PM. Restaurants are crowded and the prices are raised during the summer.

Yes, I am only 1 1/2 miles from the ocean but living here I often forget to go. Silly me. I get so involved in the things required for day to day living that I don't take time out for enjoying the things here.

Surprises

In 2004 one of the associates at my local fabric shop was beginning a new enterprise. You could bring to her your pattern and fabric and after she took your measurements, she would cut out the garment for you. Then you could assemble with confidence that it would be a perfect fit. I purchased several length of fabric and patterns. Went all out go get some new clothes…………….. She kept them for the summer of ’04 and ’05. In the winter of ’05 she returned the three boxes to me. They have been sitting in the bedroom since.

Last week I carried them downstairs to the studio. Since I am finishing things on the MUST DO list I thought I would open the boxes to see what was there. I also opened a box of things that I had kept to cut out myself. In the box that I kept I found:

3 Dress Skirts

3 Pairs Capri’s

6 Tops

3 Pairs Full Pull On Pants

1 Pair Straight Pants

1 Tuxedo Shirt

1 Boucle Jacket

What was I thinking? Remember, this does not include what is in the other three boxes.

This week, I finished one pair of pants and one top. I need to re-work the pants a bit to get them to fit right but I will keep on fine tuning till I get it right.

A New Clock

On Friday afternoon Lem and I went to get another clock. I am so glad that we both like clocks that tick and chime. When we went to pick up the ships clock we purchased in March we saw another clock that we really liked. It is marble and was made in the mid 1800’s. It has a French movement and a really pleasant chime.

I also finished a pair of socks. I keep a pair going all the time. They are great “pick up” work when the mind is too tired to do anything but the hands need to be busy.

I am still working on the things for Jean. I did get the baby nightgown smocked and this morning I got it sewn together. Now to hem it and sew on the snaps and it will be done. I will be pleased to get these things in the mail to her.

Mother's Day

Okay, I am a bit late with this. I seem to be a bit late with everything these days. I am trying to keep the house in order and cook healthy meals. Boy that sure takes time.

It was a wonderful Mother's Day. Both of my Darling Children checked in to say hello. Lem gave me another pearl for my necklace.

Juggling

I find it impossible to juggle all my balls at one time. It seems that the more I attempt to get it ALL done the farther behind I fall.

Blogging is an all time favorite thing for me. I enjoy reading what everyone else is doing and making and where they are going and what they are seeing......

I want to be a part of all that is happening out there in blogger land......

Here it is past the halfway point on May and I haven't even gotten my own page up to date. I am way behind in reading what everyone else is doing.

I have spent the last few weeks trying to keep the house in order and trying to be proactive. That means keeping up with a calender and accomplishing task before they are due.

I have also been concentrating on one project at a time. I finally got the Storm At Sea Jane shipped off to be quilted. I then concentrated my morning time to getting the 2005 Siggy Swap quilt top together. That has been done at last. Perhaps I will get a good picture of it tomorrow.

I finished the hat and socks and sweater for my sister but I want to include a smocked dress in the package. That has been pleated and I have all the things together to get the hand work done.

Now that the weather is improving it is time to get out the summer clothes. I have several totes of fabric and patterns I have been tripping over for the last two summers. This is the year I am going to make those clothes and wear them.

As most everyone knows, Lem and I are hoping to be moving to NC in the early part of 2009. I simply must go through the cellar and garage and get those areas cleared out and get ready to move.

Let me leave with a picture of the siggy quilt in progress.

Whew................

I reached my goal....... I finished this top. Now to send it off to be quilted. I am delighted to see it all together. The yellow was definitely the right thing to do...... It makes the quilt sing.

After it was all done, I realized that I would have to put a hanging sleeve on it and on all the others I am sending to the show. One thing about making bed quilts, they don't need a hanging sleeve....

I also got out the siggy blocks from 2005 and began to assemble the. Now this is going to be a much bigger quilt than I first thought. I have three rows complete and I like how it looks on the design board. Of course it hangs off each side a bit but I do get an idea of how the finished product will look.

Unfinished Projects.

As if I didn’t have enough, I brought home some from others………. The guild had its annual auction last night. You took what you did not want and it was auctioned with the proceeds going to the guild……… I reviewed the items for sale with care and kept in mind what I have at home already.

There were several books on quilting that I thought Kate would enjoy, those wonderful “Learn How to Quilt” books that have so much information in them.

I saw one of our more experienced quilters place some blocks on the table and went over to check on them.

Aren’t they wonderful? There are a few more blocks to be completed and there was none of the background fabric included, just what was needed for the colored portion of each block. I think there are 3 or 4 more to do. I will also have to cut into my charm fabric to get the squares to add to each block.

The instructions are all there. She even made the templates for each block and included them in envelopes marked with the month they went with. This is going to be a wonderful addition to my collection of unfinished projects. It will also be a good practice quilt when I teach myself how to machine quilt. This set me back $5.00

I spent $3.00 more and got this collection of blocks. It will be interesting to see how they end up being set and just what becomes of them. They are machine pieced and not exactly the greatest fabrics but I will enjoy using these blocks to practice machine quilting.

Now these are all hand pieced. I will say it looks much better in the picture than it does in real life. Some scrappy quilts you need to stand back from to the best view.

There are even a few ready to add and the template used.

I also see a tote bag in my future. The extra block will be a nice pocket on the other side of the bag.

I just could not see the effort that someone had put into these things being lost.

Progress

Two more rows added to my Storm at Sea Jane.......... Only two rows left to add. That means only 18 more of those small blocks to paper piece and only 15 more of the diamond blocks to paper piece. I like paper piecing but only in small quantities at a time. I am thinking about a border now. I have some ideas floating around in my head but we will see.



I did take a break and finish block one of row two on the RLT quilt.

A Few More Blocks

I managed to complete the last two blocks for Row One of “A Road Less Traveled. The more I work on this quilt, the more I like it……. Now on to Row Two. There are 10 blocks in that row. This is a good quilt to use as a break from whatever else is going one. They are so much fun to assemble. I am so pleased with the fabrics I am receiving with this BOM. It is always interesting to see the fabrics they select. I also like the grab bag I get with each one.

After seeing Darlene’s Table Topper (the instructions are on March 24th) I knew one was in my future. I am delighted with how it turned out. I will be even happier to see it quilted and bound……. I will be putting it to one side for awhile instead. I have some other things to complete first. I have spring dishes and glasses to compliment this table. They are currently being packed but I will look forward using them when we get to NC. I am starting to clear out the excess and pack up things I will want there but do not need right now.

I also got two rows sashed and assembled on my Storm at Sea Jane. This quilt has 6 rows so I am one third done with the center. I need to get this one done so that I can send it to a show in Canada by the first of September. The Storm at Sea blocks are paper pieced and that seems to take more time. I also want to complete a Dear Jane Siggy quilt for that show. These will be the projects I spend my morning time with. I did not care for the yellow at first but I am beginning to see that it adds so much to the overall look. This one is going to be a treasure.

Thank You To Everyone......

I have some wonderful siggies to assemble. Thank you to everyone that participated. They are all special. Such luscious fabrics................... Such attention to detail. This is going to be a treasure for many years to come.........

Moving Right Along

Here is number 11 of my Faye Anderson Appliqué Blocks. I finished this one last night and got a good start on the next one. This morning I selected fabric for the next four. Needlepoint class tonight so I will not be able to work on them again until Thursday. I will be happy when I get caught up on this project. It is coming along so well and I find it to be more fun than a barrel of Monkeys...................


You might remember that I mentioned how much I was enjoying the Grab Bags from Homestead Hearth. That is the fabric I am using for my Faye Anderson Blocks and I plan to do a Broken Dish quilt with them also. I have my "Patti" section on the sewing table. I need another drawer or two to accommodate all the sizes but I am trying to cut a bit each day. The BOM I have from Homestead Hearth will soon end so I had to find another one to take its place. I selected this one. It is "Renewal" and is from a new collection of fabrics by Brannock and Patek. You get fabric for two blocks each month. The blocks are all the same but the fabric is different. There are 30 blocks in this quilt. I should be getting a grab bag from them for some time to come.
Second block. As simple as this block is I still managed to have to reverse stitch in a few places. Silly me.

The Good, The Bad, and The Chosen

Here is the Bad.............. That flower in the center just left me cold. After I got that much done on the first of my Country Cousins block, I put it aside because I really did not like the center. Vickie reminded me on Friday that she had finished 3 and I had finished none. My obligations were completed so I picked that block up and began again.
Now, isn't that better? I tried Patti's method of appliqué this weekend and I really prefer it.

I also finished number 10 of my Faye Anderson Blocks. That means 20% of them are done.

The rest of the weekend was spent taking down the velvet drapes in the sitting room. Now that they are down and the sun is streaming in the cobwebs show up so much better.

I also began clearing out one of my bags. I cannot report that I have emptied even one. I am forcing myself to properly complete whatever I take out of the bag. The one I began with had the cleaning kit for my 221 in it that my wonderful Robert sent to me. I must get that accomplished.

All of the laundry is done. Lem was good to hang my sheets on the line for me to dry. I really like sleeping on sheets that have dried out of doors..............

Last week I found a pants suit in a size 0. My mother is always looking for something that size so I got it for her. It arrived in the mail to her on Friday and was declared almost a perfect fit. My sister still had to move the button for her. They had two more and since that size is hard to find I went back on Saturday for them. While there I found a jacket, top and two pairs of pants for myself.....

I will not be sewing in the mornings this week as I usually do. I want to get the tote bags emptied and I know that will take time.

Just Two Things.........

This morning I finished another block for row one of "The Road Less Traveled" I find the blocks are getting so much easier to assemble as I go along. Such a good feeling when one is complete


Judy asked for a picture of the Hour A Day quilt when we finished. It is still breezy here and I needed the assistance of The Breakfast Club to get a picture. Please notice the jacket Joan is wearing (on the right). After seeing all the sweatshirts that were being made with fabric sewn to them she decided to do one for herself. Being the creative thinker that she is, she cut her fabric into diamonds and used large rick-rack as the lattice between the fabrics. It also shades from dark green to the lighter fabrics with flowers.............

Another TA DA

Winter is done............. This is one of a set of four Adirondack chairs. The medium is needlepoint. Not a favorite of mine but when I saw these hand painted canvases I knew Rebekah would enjoy having them. I completed Spring and Autumn some time ago but Winter and Summer just would not get done. I can now report the end of Winter and Summer is half way to being complete............. Oh Happy Day...............

Bag Lady?

Nine.........Count them, NINE....................Nine bags of stuff. Receipts to file. Mail to read. Cards to mail. Patterns to organize. Anything without a deadline and sometime something with a deadline goes in a tote or bag. I carry it around with me until it is full. Then I grab another one and start over. These were on the floor of my closet or stacked in one corner of the bedroom. This weekend I will begin to empty them. The plan is to start Saturday and work 15 minutes each day. Not to sort and organize into piles of things to postpone any longer but to actually copy, sort, toss or file. I have little stacks of Post-It notes with phone numbers and books to read and quilts to look up and addresses and other important information. Would I ever find it if I needed it..........NO........... I sincerely hope this is the last time I paint myself into this corner but I seriously doubt it....

Testing

When I saw the quilt on the cover of that book I knew one was in my future. This is not a project for the faint of heart. It is not a leader ender project either. I can see from the two blocks I have done that I will be thinking the entire time I am working on this quilt. I got two dark strips on one side. I will need to plan better. These strips are cut 1 1/2 inches but I think perhaps they are too large. I will have this for discussion on Friday when The Breakfast Club meets. I know I should never have started this project but I wanted to test the idea. Since I am getting the Grab Bags from Homestead Hearth with my BOM I have some wonderful fabrics to choose from and it really is fun to play with them......... These blocks will end up in BOB for something else later.

This morning I also got Hour 12 completed on my HAD. Tomorrow morning I can complete hour 13 and then another quilt top will be ready for layering. The studio is still rather neat but I have some ideas about organizing a little better. I hope to get that done this weekend. Hard to believe that it is Wednesday already.

Something to Show at Last

This is going to be another favorite quilt...... I am continually amazed at how well Judy's patterns go together. While pressing the top, ideas for the quilting came to mind. I have several more to complete before this one is layered but I want to sleep under it next winter so I can't wait too long. Tomorrow morning I can add the first border and then Thursday I can add the second border. The top will be all ready to show at the Friday meeting of The Breakfast Club.


Now that siggies are done, I can work on my Faye Anderson blocks at night again. Here are the last four I have completed. We are in week fifteen of this year and I have nine blocks completed. That means that if I can pick up the pace a bit I can get caught up and perhaps even a week or two ahead.... I have never done much embroidery on quilt blocks before but I am satisfied that the work is adequate. I asked that Homestead Hearth include one of their grab bags of fabric with my "Road Less Traveled" block of the month. That is the fabric I am using for my Faye Anderson blocks. I have two other quilts I will be using the grab bag fabric for. I can sit all evening and pour over my collection of fabric and deciding which to use in each block.

Here is the third block of row one of "The Road Less Traveled". If you like jigsaw puzzles, you would enjoy putting this block together. The great advantage of having this as a BOM is that I don't have to agonize over exactly which fabric to put in each spot. If I had to do that I would never get the block done. Homestead Hearth is doing a wonderful job of fabric selection for me. I am thinking about signing up for another one of their BOM's that is starting in June.

More Blocks Completed

This is the stack of nine patch blocks that are left over for BOB. I wonder where what quilt they will be in later............

My lovely stack of nine patch blocks. They all turned out well.

And here we have the Good Luck block to go with the other ones. This is such an easy quilt to make.

The beginnings of a row........ I only got 7 rows done. I still have two more to assemble. I am really pleased with how this one is looking. Yesterday I got all the blocks spread out on the bed to make sure the nine patch blocks were balanced. I left the room for a moment and Honey decided she needed to be right in the middle of the bed....... Lem came and moved her so I could mark the blocks. She really must like that quilt because half way through there she was again.


This is block 2 of my Road Less Traveled quilt. This is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The pattern is by Lori Smith. She is fast becoming my favorite designer. After seeing the fabric Patti brought home from her retreat I had to order the kit for "Reminiscence" by Lori Smith from Momma Made It for myself. I do hope Patti realizes that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I got more work done on my Faye Anderson blocks but did not get the pictures made yet. I will get them taken tonight for tomorrow's viewing pleasure.

The Social Event of the Year

On the Lower Cape, the social event of the year is “Soup Bowls”. The Cape Cod Potters Guild members make and donate the hand made soup bowls, the local grocery stores donate the groceries, local florist fix flowers for the table, the girl scouts decorate paper bags for placemats and the Cape Cod Technical School cooks wonderful soup. There are 3 sittings, 5:30, 6:00 and 6:30 PM.

You are given a bowl of soup, a roll and water or coffee. You eat the soup and then place it in the placemat/bag and go home. I have a wonderful collection of hand thrown bowls by local artist as we have been doing this for over 10 years……. All of the money goes to the local food pantry and this year, some organization agreed to match the funds collected.