An FO and a Conundrum

 This is beginning to be a pattern. I turn on the machine, and HiHi comes running to see what's going to happen. Well, if he has any say in the matter, it's going to be skritches and pets and headbonks for the cat. He's not at all concerned that I had to rip out some blocks and put then in a different way.

He's helping. Or thinks he is, or maybe he just really doesn't want me to sew. But I'm determined, and he gets bored pretty easily. So he wandered off eventually, and I was able to continue with this:

Here's the first set of blocks with the sashings and cornerstones, in the right configuration this time. I know, doesn't look that different, does it?

And that's when I made an interesting discovery, which led to still more ripping and re-sewing. You see, the sashing strips aren't all the same.  So there was more headscratching, and more work for Jack (the ripper), and more re-sewing. However, I got into the groove...

 This is what it looked like before I put on the border and the final cornerstones.

Here it is, all done. Pressed, too, ready for layering and quilting...

 I like the way the colors work with the background fabric. Even though it looks pretty grey in these photos, it's not--it's a deep royal blue with bright flowers on it.

I like it.  Here's a close-up:

 I think the strong green and  yellow, which are NOT solids, stand up nicely to the busy background pattern. It's cheerful, and I think it will be fun to quilt.

 Figured while I was at it, I'd go ahead and cut and press the binding, too. That book is the one from which these patterns came--well, at least the inspirations. I do love Judy Hopkins' books--she gives very clear instructions, and enough leeway to allow for improvisation.

Now there's another problem: what kind of borders to put on the Art Nouveau poppies. Here's three of the fabrics--and yes, all of these are in the quilt itself.

 I was hoping to use that pale blue with the stylized carnations on it, but it's pretty wimpy next to the strong colors in the strips. The dark green is my favorite so far, but it's directional, and if I cut it that way, there wont be enough. The carnations are directional, too, but not as strongly. In addition to the greens and the blues here, I also have two more pinks, and plenty of that bright pink to use again. I'm thinking it would make a good binding.

Yes, I have enough of the poppy print to cut for a border. I also have 19 of the assorted 4-patches, which I thought about using in a border too. I'm concerned about them pulling too much focus.

 So... it's been put away for a little while, to marinate. It's not as though I have nothing else to work on...and after all this, I do want to get this quilt "right."

More Quilting, More Helper

 Ahhh, time to work on another elderly UFO. Got the video thing going on, got my partially-sewn 25-patch blocks ready to go. And of course, the Supervisor is on duty. This position? I could probably work around this a bit. After all, I'm only adding 2" block sets to this chain...

 But apparently that isn't enough togetherness for someone. Okay, this pose works for me. After all, I've sewn with a cat draped across my shoulders (Bailey thought that was where he belonged, especially if I was sitting down. Loved that little furboy!) So a cuddly cat on the arm kind of works.

This was also my Photo A Day shot. The theme was "shadow." All I could think of was Stevenson's poem:

"I have a little shadow who goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of  him is more than I can see."
--R.L.Stevenson

Well, I guess he's keeping my arm warm. After all, it got down to 80 today.

 And then he moved over out of the way a little more, so I was able to get more done.

Still not looking like much, but those are definitely "finished" 25-patch blocks. There's a set of green ones with the background print, and a set of yellow ones. There are spacers in the form of sashings in the background print, and

 there are some 9-patch blocks to serve as cornerstones. Here's how the strip sets look as I'm getting ready to assemble them. The print doesn't show up very well on these pictures, but if you go to Flickr (just click on the picture) you can see it closer up. It's lilies of the valley--a reminder of the Hotel Muguet in Paris.

 Sewed the first two rows together. Do you see the problem? Yeah, all the spacer strips need to be taken apart--the middle 9-patch needs to be turned 1/4 turn. Sure glad I noticed t his when I only had one of these put together--it's enough of a hassle to take one block out of the middle of a strip when it's attached on three sides. The other strips will be pretty quick.

But this is sort of the problem with this quilt. That's why it was languishing for so long in a box in the garage. I had cut and sewn the strip sets for the 25-patches wrong, and at that time, the problem seemed insurmountable. Once I pulled the box out and checked the problems, it took only a couple of minutes to rip off  the "wrong" strip and a few minutes more to redo it so that it would work. (The pink carnation Art Nouveau quilt was its companion in the Box of Shame. Also turned out to be an easy, if slightly more tedious, fix. Ah, the joys of having some of my mind back!)

Tomorrow I plan to get out Jack (the ripper) and my little rotary cutter and get those 9-patches turned around. I've cut the border strips, so here's hoping I'll have something a little more finished-looking to show you tomorrow.  And now, it's time to go to the TV/knitting chair and work on finishing up the blocks for the Ships Project afghan. Of course, my fuzzy friend will be there to supervise--he approves of my pattern choices, at least!

Finally...

 This is beginning to feel like an endless project... it's been a bit of a black hole of quilting! First, of course, this is part of the "box" of pieces that have been languishing in the garage because there was a fatal flaw somewhere.

Yeah. Funny how a couple of years distance, and feeling a lot better physically and with a clearer mind (now that the year+ of recovery from t he surgery is over) can make even an impossibly flawed project suddenly more doable. This one had a problem with the pink and blue 4-patches. No way I could get  them suitably random. Well, duh, no. Because they needed those green ones in between. I had the strips cut for the green ones, so that wasn't too difficult to accomplish.

The pattern (Dandelion Wine from Judy Hopkins' Triangle Free Quiltmaking) only calls for a separator strip on one side of the 4-patches, but I like the look better with 2. So 2 it is. I had a lot of that pink so I cut a few more strips and got them sewn on.  Pressing them in 100+ degree weather wasn't the most enticing idea, but hey, the ironing board sits right over the a/c vent for the room, so it was pretty doable. And I got a kick out of the light shining through the strip as it hung over the end of  the ironing board.

 The blue strips of that wonderful Art-Nouveau looking print were already cut, so adding them to the strips of 4-patches went fast.

A teaser of how it will look. Needed a good press (again!) and then I trimmed the ends off evenly. 

Whoa! These went together  quickly--just a question of matching the ends, centers, and halfway-to-the-center points. 

 Naturally I had a helper for this part. He napped right through the easy parts, had to s how up when I was trying to juggle quilt-top halves and keep the stitching somewhat straight.

 Yeah, he wasn't enamored of the idea of letting me just sew. Took a couple of strong hints and finally the bum's rush worked. Sorry, HiHi, but I was on a roll here!

Sewed all the pieces together and then added pink strips to the top and bottom.  Now the major assembly is done, and that last little border stabilized all those seams on the ends.

 Needs another press to flatten out the top and bottom strips, and then it will be time to play with borders. I have a couple of ideas of what I'd like to do. Right now it's roughly (very roughly) 60" x 72" so I can play a bit. I have some more 4=patches that could be pieced into a border, plus there's a lot of that dark blue fabric left too. I want to do something creative but not too whack.  I think the next border might be the lighter green, and there's one of the fabrics in a light blue with a sort of carnation print that might work. Going to have to play with it though, and see what works.

So this was a good project to keep me occupied today. Got a couple of things hanging fire and I feel as jumpy as... well, as me with too many things on my mind!!

When I Try to Quilt...

 Seemed like a perfect opportunity to get some serious sewing done. Laundry going--just a few steps away from here, so I can get up and shift loads periodically. Video on the computer, just a music one that requires minimal attention (okay, okay, it's a Jimmy Buffett concert video, now you know!). Four-patches in two varieties ready to sew together into strips--all the pieces for this quilt were cut a few years ago, so it requires little now in the way of mind power. You can't see my glass of ice water--it has a lid and a straw.

But there's an extra added attraction, a cute little helper. If a cat who weighs over 15 lbs can be called "little" that is. Cute, yes, and definitely in Velcro Kitty mode since I was rude enough to go away and leave him. (My cat sitter spends half an hour a day brushing him, and they watch TV together. Rough life!)

 But he does like to be where the action is!

 You can see there's a lot of action going on here. He's doing his best to keep those blocks from running away. Also to keep me from taking them away from him.

 I got up to shift some laundry and came back to this:

"You aren't planning on moving me any time soon." I thought this picture was so cute, I used it for my Photo A Day posting. (See my photo blog or Facebook or Flickr for the whole set--I've really actually been able to do one a day!)

 Well, I did manage to convince  him to move, but not far. And he sulked.

 Look at this poor, pathetic, abused kitten. At least he's got a good place from which to supervise. If he doesn't get too sleepy...

 Ah yes. Sleepy cat eventually turns himself upside down. That paw is perilously close to the moving parts of the machine, but he seems to understand that a needle is a good thing to stay away from. After all, this is a pretty powerful machine!

 It's just all too much. Borr-ring. Just squares of material coming through...the urge to nap is overwhelming!

 View from the top--upside down and curled happily on my piecing! I did eventually get all the 4-patches sewn together, into 4 long strips, and one strip has its bordering strips attached. Pictures when it begins to look like something!

End of the day--"cat meat loaf" time. Worn out from all his efforts! He's in the doorway between the computer room and the "mud room"--the hallway to the back bathroom, back room, and outdoors. He can guard a whole lot of area from here.

If he can stay awake...

Dinner at La Terrasse

Sep 20, 2012 9:06 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

No, I don't know these people, but they were at the next table and I loved the ambience!

Sep 18, 2012 6:48 PM

Sep 18, 2012 6:48 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Obligatory hotel room view. Sadly, we're not high enough up to see the Eiffel Tower from our room, but it's just beyond that building on the left. Honest!

Sep 19, 2012 8:49 PM

Sep 19, 2012 8:49 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Dinner at a brasserie is preceded by a glass of wine, a nice rose fromtheLuberon.

View from My Hotel Room

Sep 17, 2012 9:31 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Looking out over the garden and courtyard. The gianT cedar tree gives the hotel it's name.

Sep 17, 2012 4:57 PM

Sep 17, 2012 4:57 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Quilting, knitting, and ipadding in the hotel garden!

Street Art in Freiburg

Sep 15, 2012 11:21 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

The sidewalks here are cobblestones, and many of the businesses have a design worked in pebbles denoting their trade. Gee, wonder what they do here?

Teaser

Sep 12, 2012 10:50 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Just the first of many pictures uploaded today, thefirstday of thequiltshow--excuse me, Carrefour du Patchwork Europeen--in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, inAlsace. What an amazing event! It's spread over 4 villages, over 20 venues, some of which have several different exhibits.

We went to one that featured work by aSwiss artist, Australian designers, Libby Lehman, and several others. I took lots of pictures to help me remember. Another,featuring Canadian quilts, was hung in a beautiful church.

We go back tomorrow. I just hope my body will hold up so I can enjoy more of it! I figure I'll forget the aches,pains, and hurts, but I'll remember this experience!

PS, so far I haven't bought anything. Don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing...

Sep 8, 2012 10:20 AM

Sep 8, 2012 10:20 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

This stained glass piece is in the bar area ofourhotel. Twelve stars for the 12 countries in the EU, a rendition of Strasbourg Cathedral, and the shield is the coat of arms of the city.

Europa

Sep 7, 2012 8:12 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Our hotel in Strasbourg is the Hotel de l'Europe, and while we were gathering to walk to dinner I happened to look up...and there was Europa, holding the globe with the 12 stars of the European Union!

Sep 7, 2012 11:02 AM

Sep 7, 2012 11:02 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Strasbourg, France.

Bonjour from Strasbourg!

No pictures today, as I'm  traveling with the iPad and blogging on it is a new experience. Hey, who says Arnold dog can't learn a few new tricks? Meanwhile, go check out tourmateAnna's photos over at http://woolie mammoth.blogspot.com and leave her a comment. She's even posted one with me init, taken from my best camera angle!

Meantime, I plan to blog when I can, to help me remember. Maybe I'll even figure out how to post pictures here.

And, if you'd like to know what's on my mind today, check out last year's Sept. 7 post. Still missing him!

My Little Helper

My Little Helper, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Trying to get some piecing done is not easy when you have 15 lbs of cat helping out. He went right for this layout as soon as I started down the stairs!

Quilting with the Cat

Quilting with Cat, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Just a quick preview of what ought to be either two nice long blog posts, or one VERY VERY long one! You can click over to Flickr if you want to see more shots of my quilting buddy.

The fabric in this picture is Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee. Yeah, "that" Chicopee!

Twisted Sister w/ borders

Twisted Sister w/ borders, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Been working on this quilt top for the last couple of weeks--there are more progress pictures on Flickr. Now the top is done; the binding is cut and ready. Just need to find a back for it--and, oh yes, quilt it!

This is a "legacy" project from Drs. Harry and Ellin--the notes in the package are dated 3-12-05 and I think may refer to this quilt, although the colors aren't specified and I know they made several using this pattern.

Most of the light-and-dark blue pieces had been cut, as had the pink squares for the centers; a couple of them had been sewn, but the whole thing had been set aside. Once I started working on it, I found I needed a little "intervention" with Jack (the ripper) to get it on track again. Then I found the real problem, and the reason there was another piece of dark blue almost-matching fabric in the box: it was short by 18 pieces to finish the 48 blocks.

A little cutting and sewing later, and the blocks were completed. I don't happen to mind sewing partial seams, so this went together very nicely. I'm not sure that this is the way I'd have chosen to do the borders, but it's what there was enough fabric for, so...

I like it. I'll get it finished and hopefully will be able to give it to Harry, along with the two "layered" quilts that I've already begun quilting.

Ellin, I hope you approve!!

Audrey's New Pets

IMG_1319, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Well, they weren't pets for very long, they were released back into the wild after she realized they only do one trick!

No words...

001, a photo by theleming on Flickr.

to describe this much adorableness!