tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240127872024-03-12T16:45:14.488-07:00mehitabel's musingsProjects and plans, thoughts and travels, quilts and knitting, cats and critters, fiber and fun and folksmehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.comBlogger645125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-19971149245788773912017-03-22T15:44:00.001-07:002017-03-22T15:44:24.173-07:00The Story of the SweatshopA while back, I was posting pictures of my friend <a target="_blank" href="http://dogsandquilts.blogspot.com">Anne</a> and I working away on our quilts on a Monday afternoon. I must have been feeling whimsical, because I'd been referring to it as our sweatshop and so I put as the location "Glendora Sweatshop." Facebook actually took it and has since sort of made it a real place. Well, a virtual real place! <br /><br />So for your edification and amusement, here's a current look at it:<br /><br /><br />Now of course it looks like a normal sewing desk/table setup (except that there are two machines, but any quilter will tell you that you HAVE to have more than one machine!) <br /><br />But apparently a few people thought it was a real place, especially since the maps tend to put me a couple of streets over from my actual location. So here's the sad truth. It's all in my head. Well, and Anne's too. Plus we've made it a hashtag also. <br /><br />Back in the day, I did have a job in a real sweatshop, a factory that made electronic parts. Our group made flybacks, which was the little gizmo inside the high-voltage box in your TV set that took your house voltage and amped it up to the high levels needed by TV sets--this was the summer of '59, so you can imagine the TVs I'm talking about! These pieces had to be dipped into vats of hot wax, which I got to inspect as they came out to be sure the heat and the jostling hadn't deformed them. If I passed them, they went to the woman who sat behind me, who ran them through another layer of hot wax to form a "tire" around their middles. With all the hot wax, as well as the steaminess of a factory built on a river (water power), and because a breeze could be disastrous for the wax, it was definitely a sweat shop. As I sometimes say, you can take the girl out of the mill town, but you can't always take the mill town out of the girl! <br /><br />One more note. This post is actually a second experiment. I have another post, with 4 pictures, that I can't upload. The error message says to check my connection--which is working as well as it ever does. So this post has one picture, and I'm going to see if it posts. If you're seeing it, well, you'll know that it works with one picture! (I might also try an upload from the local coffeehouse.) <br /><br />Now, back to work in the Sweatshop. Those tumblers aren't going to sew themselves!<br /><br /><br />-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Glendora%20Sweatshop&z=10'>Glendora Sweatshop</a></p>mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-27834561148477529802016-10-27T13:48:00.001-07:002016-10-27T13:48:39.403-07:00Sweatshop StoryA while back, I was posting pictures of my friend <a href="http://dogsandquilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne</a> and I working away on our quilts on a Monday afternoon. I must have been feeling whimsical, because I'd been referring to it as our sweatshop and so I put as the location "Glendora Sweatshop." Facebook actually took it and has since sort of made it a real place. Well, a virtual real place!<br />
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So for your edification and amusement, here's a current look at it:<br />
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Now of course it looks like a normal sewing desk/table setup (except that there are two machines, but any quilter will tell you that you HAVE to have more than one machine!)<br />
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But apparently a few people thought it was a real place, especially since the maps tend to put me a couple of streets over from my actual location. So here's the sad truth. It's all in my head. Well, and Anne's too. Plus we've made it a hashtag also.<br />
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Back in the day, I did have a job in a real sweatshop, a factory that made electronic parts. Our group made flybacks, which was the little gizmo inside the high-voltage box in your TV set that took your house voltage and amped it up to the high levels needed by TV sets--this was the summer of '59, so you can imagine the TVs I'm talking about! These pieces had to be dipped into vats of hot wax, which I got to inspect as they came out to be sure the heat and the jostling hadn't deformed them. If I passed them, they went to the woman who sat behind me, who ran them through another layer of hot wax to form a "tire" around their middles. With all the hot wax, as well as the steaminess of a factory built on a river (water power), and because a breeze could be disastrous for the wax, it was definitely a sweat shop. As I sometimes say, you can take the girl out of the mill town, but you can't always take the mill town out of the girl!<br />
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One more note. This post is actually a second experiment. I have another post, with 4 pictures, that I can't upload. The error message says to check my connection--which is working as well as it ever does. So this post has one picture, and I'm going to see if it posts. If you're seeing it, well, you'll know that it works with one picture! (I might also try an upload from the local coffeehouse.)<br />
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Edit: So far, have failed to upload on two platforms. You may have to go to my Facebook or Instagram pages to see it. Still working on it...<br />
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Now, back to work in the Sweatshop. Those tumblers aren't going to sew themselves!<br />
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-Posted using BlogPress from my iPadmehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-66365060158383522272016-10-25T20:06:00.001-07:002016-10-25T20:06:40.578-07:00I'm Back--I Think!It was rather an extended hiatus, caused mostly by the "terminal illness" of my beloved laptop. While it's still hanging on, it's not working for posting. Or, really, for much of anything except playing certain CDs or DVDs that for one reason or another won't play on the Sony player. Now I have a new iPad with a keyboard and as I get used to it, this is one of the things I'd like to resume.<br /><br />But I digress. I really do want to use this blog to chronicle my ups, downs, travels, quilts, knitting projects, grandchildren, and all that other minutiae of life. The blog format lets me ramble a bit more!<br /><br />So in the near future--how's that for vague? Could be tonight, could be next week!--I'd like to update with pictures of my WIPs and UFOs and finishes too. Hope you'll enjoy being along for the ride!<br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-46290705771554630892016-01-06T14:45:00.002-08:002016-01-06T14:45:41.376-08:00Allietare! Mystery Quilt, Part I & An ApologyWell, this is what happens when Life gets in the way of quilting! I had this post all prepped and ready to go--just needed a little text added to the pictures, and then my family got smacked hard. It's not my story to share, but let's just say December was truly a wild ride! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVhFyLqvXNuqcSMwEqp-RDIXKVAacYwkTNtNj1dqEkHfPTiWzUiBSk1aPa8kOpE3HTAfvszBziPQocFnuclouMor5BbmbD2bvYvkzG2yxdCkyVVggR6yWRElYvcPE8DlmJsCN/s640/blogger-image--798006207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3dEYk428VP79GFC5CIfD4Ik78NdgO3tHkVyFPeWjGAgkXLHQCdDuxG2TmAnZQODgdwPWanFrk-ofP89nlXolK52vpEqbgI3gfSSCD3hJT2rm5XwmcMSkuudQbLoIjGkH4lTX/s640/blogger-image-264118403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3dEYk428VP79GFC5CIfD4Ik78NdgO3tHkVyFPeWjGAgkXLHQCdDuxG2TmAnZQODgdwPWanFrk-ofP89nlXolK52vpEqbgI3gfSSCD3hJT2rm5XwmcMSkuudQbLoIjGkH4lTX/s640/blogger-image-264118403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>So here's a quick rundown on the beginning of the Mystery Quilt from Quiltville and Bonnie Hunter! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikn10qM_sKiFakvuiM8DEzii4jekZFI8VN48tO7XecvHfBKKpEGr59qCqXeMDivv6UGcfkqWrDKVijqwaCZiOMSurrxsgPfk7fhCYU5N53mjeRgFvvsEncQT5a1UgUm6-olfvQ/s640/blogger-image--520600939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikn10qM_sKiFakvuiM8DEzii4jekZFI8VN48tO7XecvHfBKKpEGr59qCqXeMDivv6UGcfkqWrDKVijqwaCZiOMSurrxsgPfk7fhCYU5N53mjeRgFvvsEncQT5a1UgUm6-olfvQ/s640/blogger-image--520600939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I picked out my fabrics and started working on the first clue. Here's the neutrals I'm using--I sorta-kinda thought I'd match them to the colors they'd be going with. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6EAFj7g62kGYKb43w3QtqbOfaOHNSI_2tkVZzzn99gcodn6KYCSlzeKHlBpLR_0Cj-rH2LwQiX5Xq7ikVYKSjUkm_WQ5Rk2BrnVDdVaC1AVLVyLDdYHb3jQUz6ONsh9SbxCa/s640/blogger-image-531463052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neutrals.. white with a touch of color.</td></tr>
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The rest of the fabrics. Bonnie chose colors for her quilt that reminded her of a trip to Tuscany. I like the combo of dark red, gold, black, grey and white so that's what I picked too. There are several of these that have a star print. We shall see how this works out!</div>
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The first clue involved cutting a whole lot of squares in grey and neutral. So that's what I did!</div>
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Yes, they have become half-square triangles. I took them to class with me as a "something to work on till someone needs me" project. </div>
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I will admit here that I'm much further along, and I promise to try to update the blog with my further progress. I've also got another project going that has taken priority over this one... and yes, I will blog about it!</div>
mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-13042720069820591492015-11-03T12:33:00.001-08:002015-11-03T12:33:12.294-08:00A Reveal<div class="" style="clear: both;">
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For some reason, I don't seem to be able to resist a challenge. When the challenge involves some of my favorite things, well, it's really irresistible. So when <a href="http://cvquiltworks.com/" target="_blank">Canton Village Quiltworks</a> announced their Charms and Cherrywood contest, well, it was calling to me! Use <a href="http://cherrywoodfabrics.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Cherrywood</a> fabrics and two of Judy Niemeyer's Charm Elements and combine them in a quilt. </div>
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So I sorta-planned my quilt and cut out and prepped my pieces on a weekend retreat at Big Bear. (I know, I know, should have blogged about it at the time. But I was too focused on prepping patterns!) </div>
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That was back in August. Deadline for submission of pictures was Nov. 1. My personal challenge was to be able to submit a picture of a finished quilt by the deadline.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Gb2e163HoV7FgDOW9Z1L_DaX6cDqM5dzvEa2Iujaq9dTTgBZ76MDpludDYe3sr56kpreBpkQYCg8hG0tjLtrdOotqwYxg9nLpH6Jlf6eRZvUODO-K8sMYf-cK7jNl7O8QWm/s1600/blogger-image-855262423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Gb2e163HoV7FgDOW9Z1L_DaX6cDqM5dzvEa2Iujaq9dTTgBZ76MDpludDYe3sr56kpreBpkQYCg8hG0tjLtrdOotqwYxg9nLpH6Jlf6eRZvUODO-K8sMYf-cK7jNl7O8QWm/s640/blogger-image-855262423.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup with loose threads!</td></tr>
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I will end the suspense right now. I did make the deadline. Well, there were a few hiccups along the way, but I got it done.</div>
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I should add that I have no delusions of excellence and not a hope in hell of winning the contest. I know all the flaws in my piecing and quilting and while I'm going to resist pointing them out here, let's just say I can see them all. But I did meet my personal challenge goals. I finished the quilt, and I submitted pictures. And, I enjoyed the process. </div>
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So in my own rather limited view, I am a winner on this one. I'm a little embarrassed to have the judges looking at my work, but that was also part of the challenge! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCHIMpTw0mVF6wU-RkxjK0pGOGWWf4vhiGh1RD0v-qYZewD3AVIBaTIKkh-r1KylSvdDmZAlOlKAaBBaGym7k0kLErGWl631tMmJNpOP5t9GFOQc4OXKn2YIW2wF3i3_adY2j/s1600/blogger-image--1136173836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCHIMpTw0mVF6wU-RkxjK0pGOGWWf4vhiGh1RD0v-qYZewD3AVIBaTIKkh-r1KylSvdDmZAlOlKAaBBaGym7k0kLErGWl631tMmJNpOP5t9GFOQc4OXKn2YIW2wF3i3_adY2j/s640/blogger-image--1136173836.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite as close up! Some quilting details</td></tr>
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Really, I'm rather fond of this piece. I've never worked with Cherrywood fabrics before--they are hand-dyed in small batches and have the look and feel of suede. So learning to handle them was the first part of the challenge. They are heavier than "regular" cottons and the texture is a bit rougher, so they don't iron to the smoothness of a batik or cotton. </div>
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The two elements--the sunburst and the spiky bits--had to be left intact, no resizing or chopping up. So that was another challenge, to fit them together so they didn't look too jarring. Drawing schematics on graph paper gave me some ideas, but really I had to have the units made before I could lay them out and see how they really looked. </div>
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I had taken the completed units with me when my friend and I traveled up to Santa Clara for <a href="https://www.quiltfest.com/activities.asp?id=7" target="_blank">PIQF</a>, because I had to get all the paper off the back before I could start sewing them together. Laid them out on the hotel bed and... </div>
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I was short one unit. One 6" x 12" piece. I'd used up all my fabric, too, though I had plenty of papers left. So, the next morning, before leaving Santa Clara, we went back to the exhibit hall and I found the Cherrywood booth. And bought another set of fabrics, in colors that kind of went with what I already had. I was able to make enough more blocks to expand the quilt--because I wanted the "new" colors to blend across the whole piece and not just look like one afterthought block tacked on at the end.</div>
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, So here it is. Now, I do have a confession to make.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ESjURuDCV5vveTL8dDmNyr7pgu_Q-pAMnqVd_55-62be8W6XcgG8VmG-fXBSxiplihVQJmm4LON7fVOw8jsYBJWd_LYpAkyR-wlrbE-SjXVHu-mKsZmo1CFIWGNgy8Xj0w6V/s1600/blogger-image--1785642002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ESjURuDCV5vveTL8dDmNyr7pgu_Q-pAMnqVd_55-62be8W6XcgG8VmG-fXBSxiplihVQJmm4LON7fVOw8jsYBJWd_LYpAkyR-wlrbE-SjXVHu-mKsZmo1CFIWGNgy8Xj0w6V/s640/blogger-image--1785642002.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full view</td></tr>
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In order to get this finished picture, I had to pin the binding in place most of the way around. That's why the edges ripple a little--it's the straight pins on the back.I've since finished sewing one side of the binding (it's devilishly hard because of the heavy stitiching where all those points meet) and it lays flat. So... my first finish for November! </div>
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-82679859464345511852015-08-22T14:15:00.002-07:002015-08-22T14:15:46.553-07:00Dog Days and Doldrums<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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August really has never been my favorite month, but this year it might be a little different. For one thing, I actually live in a house with decent a/c, so keeping comfortable hasn't been the huge problem it was in the past. Not that it's been a record-breaking August, just one more in a drought-stricken state. </div>
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We did have a heat wave, but during the worst of it, this is what I was doing:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGEORq4d2ABTXMwTLXdyudelLQhS3Aq1xV8iEf0k0xfQ11BMy_csEPah1dTTUU5S7mKh9VO56WLFJYi_7mXG_D5_HGPgdXpejFADzNumorvU4S9Ev7692AUMS8bixfpDo4Xhg/s640/blogger-image-799201701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGEORq4d2ABTXMwTLXdyudelLQhS3Aq1xV8iEf0k0xfQ11BMy_csEPah1dTTUU5S7mKh9VO56WLFJYi_7mXG_D5_HGPgdXpejFADzNumorvU4S9Ev7692AUMS8bixfpDo4Xhg/s400/blogger-image-799201701.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZISgfbQRURhezcCt7KYt9hGpr3I2alR0hsOAv5xrVyVD26sChG0XVakob_y5Vd_jdH_cFlRQegWbNTY3AlqG-Bo7VNRSfpH_duhnN0BVyS7VhPsAogmWWk1i258y_MsnqE3Us/s640/blogger-image--125310814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDp4nqiQtsKR3fhpkHwcydqqTfEJIIeFGTpl6zvTqFFEws2VF4Rvz967WytsHDXK36PSp4VeRg6PqzSYsQXZvBytMvhwZbSz0LnCXqdtt3bdPRtANzCzx2cRK7YvcafpWtGo2/s640/blogger-image--1499077154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
"Camping" at the beach with my daughter, her husband, and their two girls. Oh, and Trooper.<br />
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He's such a cutie! And really a very good dog. Likes to hang out with his grandma and snuggle into the quilt she's trying to bind.<br />
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Hey, it already has lots of cat hair on it, why not a little puppy love too? <br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdMYUCxpFL2llQlZDhW-YkaP-vMw4PwP2-1LL3WavoDounifWCCmuyM0Lo_zlpvBohxtSKpQAzF407Pp-qsnkBXxb5D-8IWhyphenhyphenPVgnPUSyY_S1QcdypVZcyjnMtUyysjoVh_qn/s640/blogger-image-1349498846.jpg" /> Just look at that face...<br />
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I must say camping has come a long long way from the earlier days! They have a trailer with all the mod cons and even dry camping with no hookups was very easy. Of course, as Elderly Honored Guest I really didn't have much to do except entertain the dog and enjoy the kids. <br />
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Then I came home, did a little laundry, petted the cat--she didn't seem to think I smelled like Dog, so that was a good thing--and then back to the ever-present binding project.<br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcDQcWyBYRm9HC7E6cemoNNA-izxx_tgFf7SkSBd7cLJzCYCR2UFw9HLaryZhpbYc4TVwAwy4mPCoVtMVYSu89v9PbauAwFo80uXxcs1shCJXj7UFXoJngqVTErkT94NG49x8/s640/blogger-image-1813479123.jpg" width="480" /> <br />
Which racked me up another UFO finished this month! This is the one I called Plum Pinwheels, and which was languishing in my "to be quilted" bin for a very long time. It was one I decided to send off to the longarmers' because, well, because otherwise it would have continued to sit there, unquilted and unloved.<br />
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Closeup of how they did, with a peek at the back. You can almost, if you look really hard, see that there are two fabrics in those pinwheels. I made this back in the days when I didn't step back far enough to check that there was enough contrast, so the pinwheels aren't as crisp as they might otherwise be.<br />
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Too bad. I like the way it came out and the way the other fabrics pick up on the tones in the print. <br />
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<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDp4nqiQtsKR3fhpkHwcydqqTfEJIIeFGTpl6zvTqFFEws2VF4Rvz967WytsHDXK36PSp4VeRg6PqzSYsQXZvBytMvhwZbSz0LnCXqdtt3bdPRtANzCzx2cRK7YvcafpWtGo2/s400/blogger-image--1499077154.jpg" width="400" /> <br />
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We had the last day of Camp Grandma and the girls got a good rummage in some of the fabric. They loved the flannel print and wanted it spread out so they could enjoy it. Then they got the red-rose swirly minkee and the black sherpa (I'm going to make at least two throws out of them, with the red on one side and the black sherpa on the other) and made themselves "nests" to snuggle into and play Metamorphabet. Thank goodness for apps that work on the phone and the iPad both! Sneak in a little reading practice and letter recognition while they're having fun. <br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZISgfbQRURhezcCt7KYt9hGpr3I2alR0hsOAv5xrVyVD26sChG0XVakob_y5Vd_jdH_cFlRQegWbNTY3AlqG-Bo7VNRSfpH_duhnN0BVyS7VhPsAogmWWk1i258y_MsnqE3Us/s640/blogger-image--125310814.jpg" /> Later on, the nests got expanded by using every pillow from my bed, the sofa, and every throw and small quilt they could find. I couldn't get a good pic of that--nowhere in the room to stand.<br />
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And yes, all those plastic tubs are holding fabric or projects of some sort. Or supplies--the ones on the far right are all boxes of spools of various kinds of thread. I thought I didn't have to buy thread again, ever, until suddenly I needed black thread--and had none. Black glittery, sure. Shiny black. But no plain old workhorse black. Luckily I work in a quilt shop...<br />
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So on a quiet evening at the end of hectic week, I was able to sit in my comfy chair with my comfy cat-buddy and sew a little more binding--this is the Cats All Year quilt, and like a couple of others, it needs to be quilted. But I decided at one point that I'd feel better if I put the binding on all three of them and then finished the quilting. <br />
<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfs74atfu7DoskXPriwS6KjeY9LIk9X84c-tQbogcQr_j8jqVIVLs-3dBhO5uxQRrV0qHsqinKmgtHGKcOlzv0oxfq3uH_0O7IJ1Mzf_siwe2ks5Xp0l-9twRURCMWJ7wsiL_s/s400/blogger-image-1676251621.jpg" width="400" /> Look at that sweet little fuzzy head!<br />
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One more week of August, although for my crew, summer vacation is over. The grandgirls go back on Monday and the little grandboys have already been back for two weeks. Oldest Denver granddaughter is off to college--Colorado State for my vet-to-be.<br />
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-31815267024967326112015-07-31T09:49:00.003-07:002015-07-31T09:49:52.951-07:00July Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I guess July has been a little more productive than I have been feeling! These hot lazy days, with my major effort directed to keeping a little more comfortable than sweaty-sticky, leave me thinking that I'm not getting anything done. However, in addition to keeping myself clean, fed, and somewhat orderly, I've been able to sew.</div>
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This is a new project--of course. The Quiltville group on Facebook (there's a link to my FB page over there on the sidebar) is doing a year-long challenge with their leaders & enders making Tumbler quilts. You may remember my adventures with tumblers over the last couple of years; it was so much fun making that quilt (later two quilts) that I mentioned to <a href="http://dogsandquilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne</a> that I wanted to do it again. She agreed, we ordered templates, and as soon as they arrived we started cutting. </div>
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I managed to get 600 cut out of 4 different fabric lines I just happened to have fat quarters of; she used 30x prints. She made 5" tall tumblers; mine are 3". I sewed them all into pairs and then realized... I need 600 PAIRS of tumblers. So here's the next 600 cut. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa7u5_-ije813D2p9XxPa3DnwpO0_W0ASMDrgiBwitQwD_pj_g202KgP5AE1pC-9q7HMtZDx198q3qP0RgtFB_ptEB17jT7ra2O6stJqBHZ2TyrQNV0UQBrg2qWPnMJimnD-R/s640/blogger-image--394513648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa7u5_-ije813D2p9XxPa3DnwpO0_W0ASMDrgiBwitQwD_pj_g202KgP5AE1pC-9q7HMtZDx198q3qP0RgtFB_ptEB17jT7ra2O6stJqBHZ2TyrQNV0UQBrg2qWPnMJimnD-R/s640/blogger-image--394513648.jpg" /></a></div>
I enjoy the cutting so it's not a chore at all. What amuses me is that the Color Council has done its work well--the four fabric lines, from three different manufacturers, all use basically the same colors: orange, teal, navy, and gold. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdCU1Lbv3TWef6cPTUQc2ODWOLmXmC2n-d6awTpKh8d2olWPs9sGBKm_rUr8HPssEjquHBFXtb2R4LwDXS1_3f6E8eBNS0ws8QXkFCfKUHc3GbHAXc_ZkxFJJTUisRbxGSY8Q/s640/blogger-image--756753545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdCU1Lbv3TWef6cPTUQc2ODWOLmXmC2n-d6awTpKh8d2olWPs9sGBKm_rUr8HPssEjquHBFXtb2R4LwDXS1_3f6E8eBNS0ws8QXkFCfKUHc3GbHAXc_ZkxFJJTUisRbxGSY8Q/s640/blogger-image--756753545.jpg" /></a></div>
My little furry friend has been coming out of her shell recently and has decided to take over the job of quilt supervisor. She's not quite clear on the concept, though. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJbcF8DAkqmd0aIFMN7jYpKIRQHBiAaUrEDL_1Gn91e-W2TOZiwNDlUpVLknJCasoxs32COONjhoiPpW1R1oQ4QtajqjmPKnIJUrBWfmUHyfByHJqSMkAnFWpp96BGgSADJLK/s640/blogger-image-1966958832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJbcF8DAkqmd0aIFMN7jYpKIRQHBiAaUrEDL_1Gn91e-W2TOZiwNDlUpVLknJCasoxs32COONjhoiPpW1R1oQ4QtajqjmPKnIJUrBWfmUHyfByHJqSMkAnFWpp96BGgSADJLK/s640/blogger-image-1966958832.jpg" /></a></div>
This is another project, sort of an amuse-bouche if you will. The Big Bear Quilt Guild, of which Anne and Sandy are members, has set themselves a challenge goal of 100 pillowcases and 100 baby quilts by Christmas, to be donated to a local charity.<br />
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Of course I have to help out... So some baby ragg quilts are in the pipeline. Great sewing for a hot day, and a good excuse to get out the Brother and vroom-vroom a little. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqJCHWhkCJrZVwL-MauNCDl_52wjl7WFz8q794JJXb33j7s1oYzonq_KQPSvlWoLEx3KmueaAZdmWi1di9pd4qJSdvH8_sTUEQT1I4Ho7DcVR1WHvgnYAzZpFg3i2NPXZrcr8/s640/blogger-image-1909011375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqJCHWhkCJrZVwL-MauNCDl_52wjl7WFz8q794JJXb33j7s1oYzonq_KQPSvlWoLEx3KmueaAZdmWi1di9pd4qJSdvH8_sTUEQT1I4Ho7DcVR1WHvgnYAzZpFg3i2NPXZrcr8/s640/blogger-image-1909011375.jpg" /></a></div>
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This machine is a lot like my mother's industrial machine--straight stitch only, knee lift, winds the bobbin while you're sewing, no bells or whistles, just fast efficient stitching. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RgWEKnS77ezA2lVfD9P-kqU4smTxKnvcelR_lX79RHBBoIug4MYQ6MsUrA2RiDpq98wMGXTY_E2jibEkdyAOM3Lau8Ks521IutmJkn_Ro0gsxhGTvsqZCH5SsuG_LOnJKsEN/s640/blogger-image--627779097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RgWEKnS77ezA2lVfD9P-kqU4smTxKnvcelR_lX79RHBBoIug4MYQ6MsUrA2RiDpq98wMGXTY_E2jibEkdyAOM3Lau8Ks521IutmJkn_Ro0gsxhGTvsqZCH5SsuG_LOnJKsEN/s640/blogger-image--627779097.jpg" /></a></div>
Giant stack of batting squares. Used them all up! Not to worry, found more batting, was given some scraps, so this is all basically "free" since it was leftover from other projects!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37xxD3INSlrmZJEiQerP10vSnP5YY1q7Y4eRvDioQ2ycu2_ckZGCB8i7Ym5Ds7fsAwOovaPq5wAR6XQXaPVzA6T4knihm8fqMJwqpvQYH_95JZP8c8hXRr9NEXDLzC-EeNWEh/s640/blogger-image-709645998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37xxD3INSlrmZJEiQerP10vSnP5YY1q7Y4eRvDioQ2ycu2_ckZGCB8i7Ym5Ds7fsAwOovaPq5wAR6XQXaPVzA6T4knihm8fqMJwqpvQYH_95JZP8c8hXRr9NEXDLzC-EeNWEh/s640/blogger-image-709645998.jpg" /></a></div>
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Community Quilt top is done and ready to go to the longarmers. This is it spread out on my queen bed--so it will be a good twin size when it's done. I'm really happy with it, but I think the next time I would make it one row across shorter. Not changing it now though! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTBcDMHYEPODoqbFV92HhrGrfIkS1YiXnGrYlFw-gYV_KrvV5f9_EOlEixUaXqig5VjZq4lGQhw4ViJZFjZ4RN2IS043tM-ILMXLNmhgb9oVkFd_dULhmvgN9SWkfXkMhpUIu/s640/blogger-image--1335860090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTBcDMHYEPODoqbFV92HhrGrfIkS1YiXnGrYlFw-gYV_KrvV5f9_EOlEixUaXqig5VjZq4lGQhw4ViJZFjZ4RN2IS043tM-ILMXLNmhgb9oVkFd_dULhmvgN9SWkfXkMhpUIu/s640/blogger-image--1335860090.jpg" /></a></div>
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And then there are the completed quilts. This is where it starts to get really impressive, at least to me! </div>
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First up, Picasso's Puzzle. This is the quilt that was a little box of triangles, which I put together one week on a whim. Sent it to the longarmers with a batch of other tops that I'd made but not quilted. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3Sfvy1XhZYf2knfZ9UkoBD23Fg74cluzXmE_N9KVFbj3MtPVQQwmgGY0mPTtSydU4mngCNmCidc927H-Y1BT4OAJ_H9P33HlOMLFuN7jwHSJ4WjqUR7bFLqIU5GGTpY7ies9/s640/blogger-image--449875475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3Sfvy1XhZYf2knfZ9UkoBD23Fg74cluzXmE_N9KVFbj3MtPVQQwmgGY0mPTtSydU4mngCNmCidc927H-Y1BT4OAJ_H9P33HlOMLFuN7jwHSJ4WjqUR7bFLqIU5GGTpY7ies9/s640/blogger-image--449875475.jpg" /></a></div>
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The backing of this quilt is lime green with bubbles on it, and there are lots of circles in the Picasso print. Hence lots of "bubbles" in the quilting. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE36dwRf56TK5YMIWAnZB6YkQMkvS-9AhYVdyB6F-kvW1YI7IC3ZrgBUDRCUn02m0PTl1xEiu9_Zt6fxjdqnXXjf5fDxWGXdiJo7GIk_TduEbvbmB2lTqthDfspVnwPJ1l4-6r/s640/blogger-image--1410423582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE36dwRf56TK5YMIWAnZB6YkQMkvS-9AhYVdyB6F-kvW1YI7IC3ZrgBUDRCUn02m0PTl1xEiu9_Zt6fxjdqnXXjf5fDxWGXdiJo7GIk_TduEbvbmB2lTqthDfspVnwPJ1l4-6r/s640/blogger-image--1410423582.jpg" /></a></div>
Woven Ribbons. Finished sewing the binding on this one down at the beach when my daughter and her family were here. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxorFcvs6kP1Bd0fJ_egJrJnipA7IgpeIiy0PvPI877tXD2QUSUjtytL8GxitFVOwxsD6x2HwtPNbTw-srqZbxpc8jFzxotmV0TSoA0h6fntsKVcuB-JJeNMnlcLw3id2OnS0/s640/blogger-image--1360121222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxorFcvs6kP1Bd0fJ_egJrJnipA7IgpeIiy0PvPI877tXD2QUSUjtytL8GxitFVOwxsD6x2HwtPNbTw-srqZbxpc8jFzxotmV0TSoA0h6fntsKVcuB-JJeNMnlcLw3id2OnS0/s640/blogger-image--1360121222.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ditto with the Shadow Study I quilt. I had wanted to quilt both of these myself originally, but decided that it would be better to have them done, so longarming it was! I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvx5saG13Vo_SP_AGevYtLh38jVd64jzSU0mRSnuPe-um1a2EnS9a79XmTE3zng_Xb6f5SpXPtWc9D39oWF7LGW2TrkRAxv6OlZp4ey-mI1lkjukczi8W6lFrTzUMx8ONP-tP/s640/blogger-image--1753492444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvx5saG13Vo_SP_AGevYtLh38jVd64jzSU0mRSnuPe-um1a2EnS9a79XmTE3zng_Xb6f5SpXPtWc9D39oWF7LGW2TrkRAxv6OlZp4ey-mI1lkjukczi8W6lFrTzUMx8ONP-tP/s640/blogger-image--1753492444.jpg" /></a></div>
And what could be better than sitting on a deck at the beach with a little hand sewing? <br />
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Otherwise, I sew binding while I'm watching TV. I got the Hunter's Star Christmas quilt done--after all, Audrey decided she loves it and really wants t o take it home! What's a grandma to do?</div>
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And... I just realized... I also finished up the tile quilt, and it's gone to its new home and the spot it was designed for. I'll have to see if I can add a picture of it here!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTmVb09XlJkgDi-gg9P7cQmr4g4GLCNZEj2auzPRnf-QgYcbP77_cO6rp0eZjXb6JYRub_IPvg3AAQKaLVyh7eRXvHC614Bf-6WQIfS3UMIEJ_AGn3lrxJnRapKVaH9aE3Wn2/s640/blogger-image-1001986518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xK5pY_UTiD55VTg3vJ9_iX0cAEMOdi31ZVqMQE0JBEjxncMVY8nP253x0B74mQa3zlCc2538bnG2sYCrDtOh3is-sJB6MBsPgFAyjDJ_9fkeeBJ9irvkYiNcUy6ce9kLLkGN/s640/blogger-image--1640444263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xK5pY_UTiD55VTg3vJ9_iX0cAEMOdi31ZVqMQE0JBEjxncMVY8nP253x0B74mQa3zlCc2538bnG2sYCrDtOh3is-sJB6MBsPgFAyjDJ_9fkeeBJ9irvkYiNcUy6ce9kLLkGN/s640/blogger-image--1640444263.jpg" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTmVb09XlJkgDi-gg9P7cQmr4g4GLCNZEj2auzPRnf-QgYcbP77_cO6rp0eZjXb6JYRub_IPvg3AAQKaLVyh7eRXvHC614Bf-6WQIfS3UMIEJ_AGn3lrxJnRapKVaH9aE3Wn2/s640/blogger-image-1001986518.jpg" />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-3656279791415437382015-07-02T10:36:00.004-07:002015-07-02T10:36:59.639-07:00Beach Interlude<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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So my Denver family is in town for a week, and they've rented a small place at the beach. It's got all the amenities though--a deck with a great view, indoor plumbing and a kitchen! It's on the second floor and the stairs are a little narrow and steep but it's worth the effort (even with my gimpy knees and healing back) to climb them.</div>
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The sunsets have been spectacular this week. There was even a double rainbow on Sunday night, but the phone camera couldn't capture the vivid colors. *This is not a picture of the rainbow!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUckI0mrdTaWh4l-7k4IVA05WE_gMaHvKm27tj1udzvaaR1yghT_oLrAsae3-pxVLTpiTTVOsv4tCUQU6t_sPXhyphenhyphenJEWptFvLtj3nXH316f-WVY-kpkiQTuQBwJtif-W-nvp1S/s1600/blogger-image--1196921336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUckI0mrdTaWh4l-7k4IVA05WE_gMaHvKm27tj1udzvaaR1yghT_oLrAsae3-pxVLTpiTTVOsv4tCUQU6t_sPXhyphenhyphenJEWptFvLtj3nXH316f-WVY-kpkiQTuQBwJtif-W-nvp1S/s640/blogger-image--1196921336.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished the binding on this quilt. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsJWOtT16HZ51JW_BhjFkgnMs-Wm55hXzw6idPEVLnx5nFFxdl6K3i1mheQ0m166H9vDG1kVFzStCjFBfr4pCKw7rFAeQKFwhBHQ7kdJUpZhFxAGmol5JTR4xy5hqy9x710k4/s640/blogger-image--632538903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsJWOtT16HZ51JW_BhjFkgnMs-Wm55hXzw6idPEVLnx5nFFxdl6K3i1mheQ0m166H9vDG1kVFzStCjFBfr4pCKw7rFAeQKFwhBHQ7kdJUpZhFxAGmol5JTR4xy5hqy9x710k4/s640/blogger-image--632538903.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sewing binding and knitting are lots more relaxing when you have a view of the ocean. When it's shady on the deck, it's even better!</div>
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Good night! <br />
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-36615965718207695202015-06-27T14:57:00.004-07:002015-06-27T14:57:32.943-07:00UFO Update<div>
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Short report (at least that's the current plan!) on the state of the UFOs. I'd like to say the pile is dwindiling, but some days it doesn't feel that way. This is turning into The Year of Finishing Stuff. Not too bad a goal!</div>
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So here's a status update--the sidebar has been updated too. First one in progress is the tile quilt that's destined for my daughter's wall. As I write this, I've got one side and part of two others done--I'm sewing down the binding. My TV-watching twitch! <br />
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What's more boring than pictures of binding being sewn on? </div>
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Maybe a picture of quilting in progress??</div>
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At least I do have something finished to show you! This is the 2014 Quiltville Mystery Quilt, aka Grand Illusion. I guess I can say that this one never quite got out of WIP status though, because it was begun in November over Thanksgiving weekend. So having it done by the summer solstice isn't too bad. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6FZbDFFdBwMDKmIBj_KRxXXdKrd-qhc7DA6NpoDf5n_5plfzZc8P-i6y61TD6DIvW4WDFaypamKRlZTr9MiTRPN_PbYvGiteIAL0Q_o6Ya63WU6Sjdyg21csVp_IM3l7NemZ/s640/blogger-image--753302708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6FZbDFFdBwMDKmIBj_KRxXXdKrd-qhc7DA6NpoDf5n_5plfzZc8P-i6y61TD6DIvW4WDFaypamKRlZTr9MiTRPN_PbYvGiteIAL0Q_o6Ya63WU6Sjdyg21csVp_IM3l7NemZ/s640/blogger-image--753302708.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished!</td></tr>
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Now if you'll excuse me, I have a pile o' pillowcases to work on this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting them done and on their way!</div>
mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-12015456526063272952015-06-27T14:37:00.001-07:002015-06-27T14:41:40.780-07:00Pinwheel Project Completed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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It's been a long time coming--but the quest for a Pinwheel Star quilt of my own has come to a satisfactory conclusion!<br />
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If you've been following this saga, you will already know the story, and can now skip to the end, sort of.<br />
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If you don't know the story, here goes. Several years ago, a couple of my friends *Sandy and Louise, to be exact* made this quilt in a class at Bearly Stitchin'. Sadly, I don't remember who taught the class, except that it wasn't me, and I wasn't in a position to be able to take it, or tackle the quilt.<br />
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That didn't stop me from wanting one, of course. So fast forward a few years later, and I found a picture of Sandy's quilt and posted it to Facebook with a comment that I wanted to make one. Didn't have the pattern, but when has that ever stopped me from doing something?<br />
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Noodled around with graph paper and pencil and decided that a 10" block would be the right size. And I know how to make HSTs and even QSTs, so I rounded up my stash of 30s fabrics and cut a bunch of squares.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqvjIx1DydJjq2yWnF0ShX5GvP0YC4wZZHrkbjJyH8tgFM4r9dE2bWUGlEpzQpSOX6M-18iAvEqTBde6cT3qToQIX-EM8FHYSlJONpJUnPLMf0jNLhhhIxBAUFRZzO4lqG3yc/s640/blogger-image--442952146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqvjIx1DydJjq2yWnF0ShX5GvP0YC4wZZHrkbjJyH8tgFM4r9dE2bWUGlEpzQpSOX6M-18iAvEqTBde6cT3qToQIX-EM8FHYSlJONpJUnPLMf0jNLhhhIxBAUFRZzO4lqG3yc/s640/blogger-image--442952146.jpg" /></a>Have I mentioned that math is not my best talent? Well, it's not. I figured out that 50 blocks would make the right size quilt, and cut out a couple of hundred squares and started piecing. Once I had pieced all thoseHSTs (half-square triangles) I cut out a whole lot more squares and started putting them togeher to make those hybrid squares.tate </div>
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Then I ran out of squares and still had a whole lot of HSTs to go. Oh yeah--I forgot that each set of fabrics made two HSTs and I'd need twice as many squares. This kind of thinking led me to finally doing a count and realizing that I had a whole lot more than I needed to make one quilt. Oh well. </div>
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At this point I had to pack everything up so I could sell the family manse and move myself and the cats to a smaller but more convenient (as in one-story) place. Marinating in the process didn't improve things much. </div>
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But finally I got busy and realized that I was very close to having enough blocks to make not just one or two, but actually SIX of these things. I suppose the wise thing to do at that point would have been to say oh well, extra blocks, and make my quilt. Nope. More fabric turned up in the garage (funny how that happens!) and I did a whole lot more cutting (sashings and conerstones) and sewing, getting the tops pieced one at a time.</div>
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Very long story short, I was finally able to send them all off to be longarm quilted (the state of my spine doesn't allow me to wrestle with this big a quilt myself), they came home, I put bindings on them and as they were finished they were distributed to various of my kids who'd expressed an interest. Plus one for me! </div>
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Giant sigh of relief every time I see this quilt on my bed! The cat definitely approves, too! </div>
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-17075305777996852932015-05-16T10:57:00.001-07:002015-05-16T10:57:16.797-07:00Rounding Them Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, things begin to snowball, and all you can do is hang on for the ride. That seems to be the theme with my UFO collection this month. I've suddenly been inspired to dig in and get them rounded up and on the road to FOs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To back up just a bit, I've had a couple of tubs in the very back corner of my sewing area that got moved in there after I started settling down. One of them was full of batting, mostly leftovers from other projects and one big roll of something I'm not too crazy about. The other was mostly finished tops that just need quilting, and they--plus a couple of containers of pins and some batting--had been packed up to take to my ill-fated class on machine quilting at Asilomar. Really through no fault of the instructor's, it turned out to be not what I'd been told to expect, and secondly was thoroughly monopolized by a rather loud, rude, and clueless person who seemed to think it was all about her. One good thing about it was that I was able to finally unpack my Brother 1500S and get acquainted with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, the tub came home, and what with one thing and another (like a couple of back surgeries), it stayed packed up. These were all quilts that for different reasons I wanted to quilt myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, the stars seemed to align in such a way that I needed to go through that tub and make some choices.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Herewith some of the results of a very productive Monday! (And thanks, <a href="http://dogsandquilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne</a>, for the encouragement!) </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batik "Magic Squares"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The batik Magic Squares are from a class with Sylvia Einstein at Asilomar--2010, I think, same year as the quilting class. It's mostly batiks with a few standard wovens in there. It's small and offers a lot of good prints that will lend themselves to free motion quilting. It's also busy enough so that any mistakes won't show too badly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, my quilting is very rusty. Except for sewing on bindings and a couple of very small bits of walking-foot quilting, I could say I have barely touched the machine since that class. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Mariner's Compass was made in a class with Judy Mathieson--the last class she taught at Asilomar before she retired. She teaches a method of paper piecing that uses freezer paper templates that aren't sewn into the fabric. It was the first time I was able to actually paper piece! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariner's Compass #1</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this quilt. Another small one and with lots of possibilities for the quilting. I think the batiks look very "watery" and the background fabric is a whimsical nautical print. (I also need to take out all the pins I put in, because the back decided to wrinkle and pucker. Wish I'd found that before I closed the pins. I always teach people to check the back before closing the pins...)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cats for All Seasons and All Reasons</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for mailing away!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cat quilt turned up in another box. I did manage to get all the appliques sewn down before I moved--buttonhole stitch with invisible thread. This one should be fun to quilt and even more fun to embellish. Buttons or beads for cats' eyes? Tulle or eyelet for the ballerina's skirt? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are two more quilts waiting to be pinned, one from the box and the other is my Jumping Jax Flash quilt, which you've seen on the blog before. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there were five more tops in the box which, for various reasons, I decided I might just as well have longarmed. Boxed them up and sent them off! The top one on the stack is the Colorado Log Cabin, which wasn't a "tub quilt" but the rest of them are. I will say that part of the inspiration for doing this is that Anne was wearing her Stashbuster's tee, which reads "done is better than perfect." A mantra also espoused by Brenda Papadakis in our Dear Jane class. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lurking</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the rocker that sits next to my sewing area. In it are stacked a couple of quilts that need to be layered, two quillows which have since been stitched together and are now waiting to have the batting sewn to them (it's pinned in), and my Grand Illusion formerly-mystery quilt, which just needs the binding sewn down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who knows, one of these days I may make it to the bottom of the pile and be able to use the rocker to--gasp!--sit in! </span>mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-58176269703859940432015-05-13T12:34:00.001-07:002015-05-13T12:34:32.037-07:00Colorado Log Cabin<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, you just have to wonder how and why certain projects got set aside at a specific point. At least, I do! This project is one of them. I mean, look at this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's a complete top. In the box also was a 4-square block and a good chunk of the green fabric. Not so much of the red, and almost 3 yards of the light print. Hmm... </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was in the box</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the box...</span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The box and its contents</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So once I put my mind to it, it took only a couple of hours to get it to this point: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXluiXdVGtNrqbZAgjxZMwrblfs7CDgGHwMKS1jLIjqpInsVUl25y3HOciFmCYOm67bb9n_CV88P0eA2YHa3yRNu372Gn0c6oHCQ-vV9qYcbzKHNeW5GzG8B3U34h8QLTu4i46/s1600/blogger-image--702625740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXluiXdVGtNrqbZAgjxZMwrblfs7CDgGHwMKS1jLIjqpInsVUl25y3HOciFmCYOm67bb9n_CV88P0eA2YHa3yRNu372Gn0c6oHCQ-vV9qYcbzKHNeW5GzG8B3U34h8QLTu4i46/s640/blogger-image--702625740.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From here, I put a back together and got it bundled up with the request sheet for the longarmers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After 20 or so years in the box, it's going to be a finished quilt soon. I figured 20 years at a minimum: the book in the box is Trudie Hughes' More Template Free Quiltmaking and the printing date is 1988, but a couple of the fabrics are from Jinny Beyer's first collection of backgrounds and blenders, which came out in 1990. That was the year that the 100-piece collection was debuted at Quilt Market in Houston, which was the only time I went to Market with my boss from Bearly Stitchin'. She really liked Trudie's books and methods, and we did a lot with them at the shop. I'm sure this may have been destined to be a shop sample originally, but then things changed direction. (She, my boss, was definitely one to assign the same project to a couple of people and then decide that she wasn't going to feature it after all. She had a real flair for shop decor and for projects that would catch people's imaginations, and I guess the feeling was that this was going to be a little too complicated for her two-day-class format.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I've had to update the sidebar--this quilt wasn't even on the radar until I brought that box into the house. Not sure what the takeaway is from this...except that I'm going to have a nice Christmassy quilt ! (Unless someone decides to claim it. That's always a possibility!) </span></div>
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-18252602117317579672015-05-02T20:18:00.001-07:002015-05-02T20:18:36.676-07:00Picasso's Puzzle Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here comes another attempt at posting a blog using photos from the camera on my phone. I'm a little more hopeful of good results this time! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this is a tale of a small plastic box that has been floating around in my workroom, my garage, outdoors during the Great Renovation Experience of 2008, in storage... and finally into my newest workroom. May I present Picasso's Puzzle. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkOK9V-Ek6JZruDfdEdsWkaAbG1vciIYJWj6AKE-e-HEB3YNTvpONFDdX7FSNsMYwF6pHvZ_RHxE8Z3kbaXB3AjbrE31LE3ysOoGdLp5LIWmFV_5EUOaYzWh3AHT2LjGjitmH/s640/blogger-image-1320062702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkOK9V-Ek6JZruDfdEdsWkaAbG1vciIYJWj6AKE-e-HEB3YNTvpONFDdX7FSNsMYwF6pHvZ_RHxE8Z3kbaXB3AjbrE31LE3ysOoGdLp5LIWmFV_5EUOaYzWh3AHT2LjGjitmH/s640/blogger-image-1320062702.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The story is that back in the early '90s, I had found a pattern for the old style Streak of Lightning quilt, which someone had made up and called Hot Flashes. Well, that's kind of an inspiring name, and I knew just what to use: a new fabric that had come into the shop (the original Bearly Stitchin' on Roosevelt, in Pasadena, before it was expanded) from Hoffman International. They had a line called Pablo's Puzzle, based on some Picasso-ish squiggles and zigzags and things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I pulled a group of matching solids--and by the way, these Kona cottons are all still available!. I cut out all the triangles and sashing strips and put them in a box, which I even labeled Hot Flashes Quilt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fast forward to last Monday--20+ years later, after the box had survived many moves and shuffles and threats of being tossed by persons unknown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekmgZEo4zofazAoASPreS10pN6iCA9jHFxRWY4w4sQ4XHTBP9CkteSZMcTYrbrqwIiSSTJlaMtD5yqRLeCr2kjvuwXDwRdiEiUIEOuwID5Gj7_1A6YayH8bBnwkhye9T7jqTK/s640/blogger-image-830680466.jpg" /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzLeFy8bWLp3232qJ341wgO_Syhqk34xFBfMYOCq3NhyphenhyphenSQ5uNBpgjtMdRd_RxyV-0_y4GDnWiZWoeeID6r6CY8eowOqA4wKlvaZ5idOrl-fU111US5qh1yPic18oRafGW3WEv/s640/blogger-image--1737660914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzLeFy8bWLp3232qJ341wgO_Syhqk34xFBfMYOCq3NhyphenhyphenSQ5uNBpgjtMdRd_RxyV-0_y4GDnWiZWoeeID6r6CY8eowOqA4wKlvaZ5idOrl-fU111US5qh1yPic18oRafGW3WEv/s640/blogger-image--1737660914.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pablo's Puzzle by Hoffman International</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These shapes are parallelograms, not trapezoids. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mkv7XQNyV8-iV-2MeavCMkIAh7vJQhv96To6eCeqJaKoLu9xdzdMv_LGCixF4_HJ37MH5uAI3gkSJrFyYJkqY91gFUWAPS5ObEGeYqfkWEX0GJmpr9bs1CDKW0PXTOUy6Omn/s640/blogger-image--1271365495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mkv7XQNyV8-iV-2MeavCMkIAh7vJQhv96To6eCeqJaKoLu9xdzdMv_LGCixF4_HJ37MH5uAI3gkSJrFyYJkqY91gFUWAPS5ObEGeYqfkWEX0GJmpr9bs1CDKW0PXTOUy6Omn/s640/blogger-image--1271365495.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back view</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was working on the Prismatic Star, having finally figured out the easiest and best way to sew the diagonal pieces together so they had a prayer of matching. (I know that Judy's patterns are precisely engineered and in theory go together like buttah. I am not the most precise sewer, though, so mine need a little fiddling and adjusting to get the diagonals to match.) When I had sewn a fourth set together and put them down on top of the previous three, and discovered that they were all soaking wet since the iron had leaked--well, that was the last straw! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I needed something quick, easy, and relatively mindless. My eye lit on the Hot Flashes box... and the rest is history. I spent most of Monday sewing triangles to triangles and then into rows, with just a few hiccups along the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast forward to today, Saturday, and I finished the piecing--even figured out how to eke out enough extra Pablo to make side borders. So after 20 years of languishing, in less than a week it's a finished top, has been assigned a backing fabric (lime green with white bubbles) and is once again in a box, this time to ship to my faithful longarmers! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> There may be a moral to this story, but if there is, it's eluding me. However, it's another UFO to move up the list</span>. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had to add it to the sidebar, because it was so deep in obscurity it never made it to that special place. I renamed it Picasso's Puzzle, because the old name just didn't fit, and besides, that was the other quilter's name for her quilt. Mine will remind me of visiting the Musee Picasso in Antibes and perhaps inspire me to unearth some more project boxes. Yes, sadly, there are more of them lurking...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX0cV87JWbFOAWf1Iel3WSv0JYEfrGkm4C-aPMTC8cbinTkZHJu7YE56lB_lFLCk5NJdzCcjkDfiOiSjg-31ui1qi_5efN5iNoC3tWymf8LIn9A917ku4ralvgILcvL16GYpB/s640/blogger-image-66955728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX0cV87JWbFOAWf1Iel3WSv0JYEfrGkm4C-aPMTC8cbinTkZHJu7YE56lB_lFLCk5NJdzCcjkDfiOiSjg-31ui1qi_5efN5iNoC3tWymf8LIn9A917ku4ralvgILcvL16GYpB/s640/blogger-image-66955728.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contents of "the box." Talk about a precut kit!</td></tr>
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<br />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-43725578504611162982015-04-29T13:10:00.000-07:002015-04-29T13:10:11.355-07:00Vogue Knitting Live in Pasadena<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZeHsIH_vW68yvoOfJ6vF90po0_ymRUCnNBwBBix7Rs_0GtlLZp2U3qI7sxslBNaysmM-cHvZVLpT9n8DHW9kvrJdiQF-RbvBazi93sVxuh0kESsyyEvXpaJkjIUF7te8Mbib/s1600/IMG_2049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZeHsIH_vW68yvoOfJ6vF90po0_ymRUCnNBwBBix7Rs_0GtlLZp2U3qI7sxslBNaysmM-cHvZVLpT9n8DHW9kvrJdiQF-RbvBazi93sVxuh0kESsyyEvXpaJkjIUF7te8Mbib/s1600/IMG_2049.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doll vest in Twisted Stitch</td></tr>
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Finally getting to "finish" this post from my wonderful weekend in Pasadena at Vogue Knitting Live! It was a great experience, and I'm glad to be able to share a few vignettes with you!<br />
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I took some stimulating classes, got to see some interesting exhibits and awesome vendors, and met up with friends old and new--all very satisfying!<br />
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My first class was Bavarian Twisted Knitting with the incomparable, one and only <a href="http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Franklin Habit</a>. I know, right?? (Check out the very end of this blog post for a surprise!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNZA4NtxbR5DV-HZ8KPtMtGAjb7qixcNV43DiQrvC2liaynbTJyZXzeh-YSw6bSZ21d5JXOl7ukOLbNcwkgp71thtQlqyQgRjuBtesOO-V59SszvYfeNkUJjzORXg3yr0rdFx/s1600/IMG_2048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNZA4NtxbR5DV-HZ8KPtMtGAjb7qixcNV43DiQrvC2liaynbTJyZXzeh-YSw6bSZ21d5JXOl7ukOLbNcwkgp71thtQlqyQgRjuBtesOO-V59SszvYfeNkUJjzORXg3yr0rdFx/s1600/IMG_2048.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of the doll vest</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I was feeling shy about taking too many pictures in class, even though he gave permission for non-flash photography, but I just loved this little doll vest. Do I think I'll make one?<br />
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I always think I could make something like this. Time and energy constraints mean I have to be mostly satisfied knowing that I could if I wanted to!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XJaOvmB3ms05tAhyV9JXJ4tDLQY_zJZIl_pUoQ4VuqmWRcDgnbWYHT1-pr6VFiB0fMMSqBBFgYbhCcyjT4Aq9eSb3vk8jc5B75ndpFGE1V6QEqeMu0e3kHczVAObd-gyOjwf/s1600/IMG_2052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XJaOvmB3ms05tAhyV9JXJ4tDLQY_zJZIl_pUoQ4VuqmWRcDgnbWYHT1-pr6VFiB0fMMSqBBFgYbhCcyjT4Aq9eSb3vk8jc5B75ndpFGE1V6QEqeMu0e3kHczVAObd-gyOjwf/s1600/IMG_2052.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT8gyyZ1s598e2PU5bzYDWNO9Mh96O4OdcyJcdkMTqtIxHUkxK2CagdOWILlY6tfAqoO-GJH7tx-8alzMnIef2DI8H9PemMhg-A9fiEvsZh0mTm520nTGf2rBw0z0hI_t44Dv/s1600/IMG_2051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT8gyyZ1s598e2PU5bzYDWNO9Mh96O4OdcyJcdkMTqtIxHUkxK2CagdOWILlY6tfAqoO-GJH7tx-8alzMnIef2DI8H9PemMhg-A9fiEvsZh0mTm520nTGf2rBw0z0hI_t44Dv/s1600/IMG_2051.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
My sampler from the class. The really amusing part--to me--is that I had no problem learning twisted knitting--and that's because I had spent a lot of years unlearning it!<br />
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When I first learned to knit--age 7 or so--this was the way my mother taught me, because it was how she knit. (My mother's knitting is a good topic for another blog post!) I didn't realize that it was "wrong" or different until many years later. I "helped" a friend who was bogged down on one of those endless projects that seem like such a good idea when you cast them on... Anyway, I knit a couple rows for her, and she informed me that she would have to take them out, and pointed out how my stitches all leaned a different way than hers. She showed me what I was doing wrong, and my knitting got a lot better looking.<br />
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Anyway, twisted knitting is fascinating to do, the charts are really easy to read, and I think there will be more of it in my life!<br />
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The second day was two classes, also with Franklin, on designing tesselating patterns. Sounds fancy, huh?<br />
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Well--turns out it's very similar to things I've done with quilting for years! Applying the principles to knitting was fascinating!<br />
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I did one sample with knit/purl variations and a second with two colors, the green and white.<br />
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Not enough contrast between the colors but the pattern did show up better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0LgrCY8ZqinkOOH7gfgNEV3pYDKbREwaiSBYje7ABr8o1fJdKA1UTnRIIrEuAd1TPa2cir2HnJUySHO6PkWmZ2UHFHAW6drzmG1lJU5TmKmg-x1ZUQDGzifVKWsSsP2aVeJA/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0LgrCY8ZqinkOOH7gfgNEV3pYDKbREwaiSBYje7ABr8o1fJdKA1UTnRIIrEuAd1TPa2cir2HnJUySHO6PkWmZ2UHFHAW6drzmG1lJU5TmKmg-x1ZUQDGzifVKWsSsP2aVeJA/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
We were encouraged to play with our own designs, using the principles he showed and explained about how to make sure the patterns truly tesselated.<br />
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Of course when I came home I went to my bookshelf and found both <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Designing-Tessellations-Secrets-Interlocking-Patterns/dp/0809228661/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1430337051&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Jinny Beyer</a>'s and <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Tessellation-Quilts-Sensational-Interlocking-Patterns/dp/0715319418/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430336996&sr=1-1&keywords=tesselation+quilts" target="_blank">Christine Porter</a>'s books on tesselating quilts. <br />
Same principles, different materials, but equally fascinating!<br />
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All of which segued nicely into the Sunday morning class, on designing with Fair Isle patterns with <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Designing-Tessellations-Secrets-Interlocking-Patterns/dp/0809228661/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1430337051&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Mary Jane Mucklestone</a>. <br />
She had tables full of samples that we could touch and examine and try on and try not to drool over. <br />
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I also learned something that will make stranded knitting much easier for me. Again, back in the dim dark past when I was learning to do colorwork, I picked up some bad habits--or poor info, to be fair--and was making life much harder for myself than it needed to be.<br />
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When I think of all the colorwork sweaters (and even long pants) I knitted back in the day, well, I wish I had known then what I know now! Anyway, many thanks to Mary Jane for the lesson!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJXic2Y6JCBQZiRqQKBGZZiwc7ZKrEeYsthUovbf4o58x8-rVUe8ipkD0VzdpcC4cKO9rv-EY65NlaDjiHzLdEC3ZNLXdXuI_l96wV9xL5xZVpiTYlPges8dsGk8_h39ZMpm7/s1600/IMG_2067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJXic2Y6JCBQZiRqQKBGZZiwc7ZKrEeYsthUovbf4o58x8-rVUe8ipkD0VzdpcC4cKO9rv-EY65NlaDjiHzLdEC3ZNLXdXuI_l96wV9xL5xZVpiTYlPges8dsGk8_h39ZMpm7/s1600/IMG_2067.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-g2I8EG5WmC4Vit393XlLmgAICyRU_1jovpahHIWOAkrDlIB-UfYds9dpBpLM6C8E9g-o5zAOkNGFyBhsSyY4Jh_xGwkYcvNapdAtyZ_zcLD3bMOY0a-gM1jmnzUMczq277r/s1600/IMG_2065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-g2I8EG5WmC4Vit393XlLmgAICyRU_1jovpahHIWOAkrDlIB-UfYds9dpBpLM6C8E9g-o5zAOkNGFyBhsSyY4Jh_xGwkYcvNapdAtyZ_zcLD3bMOY0a-gM1jmnzUMczq277r/s1600/IMG_2065.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Of course I came home and checked my bookshelf, and I had some of her books. It was kind of exciting to look at them and realize that I had been handling those samples! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The Mochi Mochi table was fun and for some reason the only display I took pictures of! I think it was because by Saturday evening, my feet hurt and I was tired, and I thought I'd get back on Sunday to do a proper job. Well, I didn't make it back on Sunday, instead I met up with some <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/" target="_blank">Ravelry</a> friends for lunch and then hit the freeway for home. On Friday I was cruising the market with the incomparable <a href="http://ellenbloom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ellen Bloom</a> and that was not conducive to picture taking either!<br />
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Technical note: both the iPad and iPhone Blogger apps have been refusing to upload pictures for me, so today's photos came via a chain of emailing them to myself then downloading them to the computer and then uploading here. Pretty cumbersome. At least it worked, and here's my post a couple of weeks later!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lVnJpBAv_jC2CmAplwjy6X_pnlyGCMkmLnMN6yYGOIxGJaUwY5U8vQn2uuIdRDqZ__Ta1BTaDMeZdA8D-M_n9Gcn43TlHQ7-QFtztRIwGgWm4e0a7tPlMSMEGuvOzrV6vF9j/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lVnJpBAv_jC2CmAplwjy6X_pnlyGCMkmLnMN6yYGOIxGJaUwY5U8vQn2uuIdRDqZ__Ta1BTaDMeZdA8D-M_n9Gcn43TlHQ7-QFtztRIwGgWm4e0a7tPlMSMEGuvOzrV6vF9j/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a new friend!</td></tr>
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<br />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-52344146928876321242015-04-14T23:07:00.000-07:002015-04-14T23:07:03.640-07:00Prismatic Star--A New Project!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Because the first thing you want to do when you finish one big project is start another one, right? Actually, I started prepping this one a little while ago. <a href="http://www.quiltworx.com/" target="_blank">Judy Niemeyer</a> had the sample and pattern at Asilomar and did a demo of the cutting and piecing involved. Well... I bit. </div>
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I tried several different combinations of fabrics, but these were the final choice. The lime green with pink Queen Anne's Lace flowers will be the background--the rose-colored part you see on the pattern. I hope this will work out the way I'm visualizing it! </div>
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And...back to wonky editing/uploading features! Guess this post is going to be text on top, pictures below. Not much to explain, really--the two bottom pictues show the cutting and prepping involved and the bottom picture is the first four diamond sets. Each set of 8 fabrics will make 4 "star segments." I've made Lone Star quilts before and, although they're a bit finicky, I really love the look </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgba7sp3yOCevViknD281BM79qYFtjR12cy0cxDBYHMD5aqPG_PVa8TtJh3yaZ15VOaF-yvBjZ-486w0E63hxs5oCLdE-XfoZG5iXrjyFGiopIT8M7y_PczR_Bq850_mUz16-lP/s640/blogger-image--246693656.jpg" /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5Dqx-TLHzXLj7nBkIkll4DfhC9tBv5qoh3br1SzhvZhQ7ssyXQX4OwkZHISvMPEu8XSiUG9sCh_7pzebubaT6R7DZ3azPpbpzNH8raHGJmfJ5rLJ4Svt1refjQopVcteGzpS/s640/blogger-image--940973056.jpg" />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-53058220115943504902015-04-13T21:21:00.003-07:002015-04-13T21:22:37.976-07:00Hosta Progress--Oh Yeah!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Well--it's done. The top of my Fire Island Hosta has been finished. A few "minor details" like getting it quilted, and then it will really truly be a quilt. </div>
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Here she is having a photo session on the grass--we had to weight the corners down with rocks, because it was breezy today! Anne came over to sew--and she was really productive, too, maybe she'll revive <a href="http://dogsandquilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">her blog</a> and post a few pictures? It's always fun to have a friend to sew with. She's much more encouraging to sew with than Shyla! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhQbknU0hQ9saTZ9hQlT4vUPpfi9m329rYiTkNU0GMg6Ngc9nmlK6KyKM7hZH_2A8YKESmEOhfeE9vbmqrfDxYSuEGjv4sIOA2ZMkD7S5T5Ut-Su9Dl2HaJ0bBtF6kyhcyaEV/s640/blogger-image--87410819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhQbknU0hQ9saTZ9hQlT4vUPpfi9m329rYiTkNU0GMg6Ngc9nmlK6KyKM7hZH_2A8YKESmEOhfeE9vbmqrfDxYSuEGjv4sIOA2ZMkD7S5T5Ut-Su9Dl2HaJ0bBtF6kyhcyaEV/s640/blogger-image--87410819.jpg" /></a></div>
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The next series of pictures are in-progress shots. Because I'm still wrangling with the various Blogger programs, I think I'll just caption them instead of writing a whole lot. Besides, the top is done now, so it's not that thrilling to see how it got there. Is it?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEM8mI93k_dTDil4saxnqC5sjzOzfJP-xR3I5TBTyu4t8aC0_tcMKw-iqzQnIg8aCJGdJvlf9AR0XUnM42lPartXfajEV64y2m2iOeu8GFSHTkzBXJuV_GSxr57kk6I4j-joH/s640/blogger-image-2146288972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEM8mI93k_dTDil4saxnqC5sjzOzfJP-xR3I5TBTyu4t8aC0_tcMKw-iqzQnIg8aCJGdJvlf9AR0XUnM42lPartXfajEV64y2m2iOeu8GFSHTkzBXJuV_GSxr57kk6I4j-joH/s640/blogger-image-2146288972.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing out the layout</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtKdVjgL9WiYGt2oKubRPKNdTnB9gkuaA7DN_yi_4Ft9fhChaJNfO_HfiN1-OzlOcwE9KFjxDMJnfO-hBKTjMjHYTleVyeVEj4fVvVY-yunl1WKmGcZKPiWTO-9lEYzW9E6UC/s640/blogger-image--1545526038.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After sewing all the curves, these sectioins need to be joined</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ4V0Zjf8oRhpQL7vupNYlT3PYp-0zYSewb3IcLT89R-6eiNAYsx9ULXwYIdbvD6GA582B8N7vqrPkq2xuNzELIWSa8C3N0fAxge4GtiQMSBkYrr41yQz91cUUKOX1rpIHjuV/s640/blogger-image-170484838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing the way the corners will line up. Surprise--they match!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXotD25r5otvmS-UtvL7jaHQ0WufLqcT-ClgsbEXOTOjlS57CZOdSx747pxCa95K9GfoUj8mKHbp1ZclBpRIqFY7Y22c38qhzlUfQIYhyii7AaiUNuH2L7ZIk02ZsR10pMiiH/s640/blogger-image-592924801.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curves sewn to curves sewn to curves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYO-iPpDbqo4Ro5WKClM1pxZxx0l_mQKS6eiuvisEtMef0PaE-RkeKBpZ_4d9kqwy6xwjNPZf4bG1pCDkNoY_Gy1dpOpl2aHueDjrwRChDqq5g8fEVuuHC-KlrkuX0QyPwbct/s640/blogger-image-2134880853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't usually use this many pins to sew a curve, but I was nervous!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uVSeRBJ17MPzLwAV6ffjFQJXDrdtS9jRxCe3MfWAtZg3k0VhrZdXTP9YGWxymJ_7AxTY3U2hu5H1PJIrbznYrj-qbxDZS_qgRtCa3L5_G9FWNMr4NHZ5bquHLIiXVOgJiNV7/s640/blogger-image--1935108276.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacking them up as they're sewn in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPfug013HLKDjCE4DF1AzqwcR1e136ou5zwfkJgaSt4hgIOa1d4J6qurASJpHWtv9xaww6zLXDzCb2lVn5ekd2sNRmlcRjTvd48BeDWr7rCG8b9BNV2ffN8cVFyvbyc8MTcMn/s640/blogger-image-1595084584.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laying out all the components, ready to start sewing the-gulp!-curves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDBJSwYBaTOkwxS9-cPbzXqnaSTnxuV4yBv8G8NqFgfLeM3DE3bVPzUeKKEyjIJBRrrI8SR1rUUv7fmbJG_edkUcNg5Xt_fffHgEtmUzum_I44iwLBCFkOZihsdO6qE2AIM9u/s640/blogger-image--929405301.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some lefts, some rights, and I don't want to mix them up!</td></tr>
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Well, that's it for now! Of course I have something else in the pipeline--I'm afraid I suffer from ADOS* when it comes to quilts!<br />
*ADOS--Attention Deficit Oooh Shiny! <br />
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-14890679058172491182015-04-11T14:56:00.000-07:002015-04-11T14:56:21.127-07:00Jumping Jax Flash<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsor5H2srSxwmTF77ByvSdY27yinPjcPrqL6DrkpghTgy7pcbpU32BnhxO0BpMpWKuNreLVgEjxFeW9aaXy-8N52XwHuLInc0wlXrOeXeyNgZYL_vuWNGDjIXji4bG60k0Pl-/s640/blogger-image-824554157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsor5H2srSxwmTF77ByvSdY27yinPjcPrqL6DrkpghTgy7pcbpU32BnhxO0BpMpWKuNreLVgEjxFeW9aaXy-8N52XwHuLInc0wlXrOeXeyNgZYL_vuWNGDjIXji4bG60k0Pl-/s640/blogger-image-824554157.jpg" /></a></div>
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Finished the top of the Jumping Jax Flash quilt! This was started at Asilomar in an Empty Spools seminar with Judy Niemeyer in February of 2014. That was an intense week of sewing, and when I came back I paused to work on the Pinwheels for a little while as a change of pace. Suuuure. As you may have read elsewhere on the blog, I did manage to finish all 6 of the Pinwheel tops and sent them all off for quilting. </div>
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That would have been fine except that I sent them in batches, so the first ones were home before the others had even left--meaning it was time to bind them and start sending them off to their new homes! In the meantime I also managed to herniate another disk--or maybe two--a very unpleasant pastime and one I do not recommend. Spinal surgery is never fun and do you know, when they say don't lift anything heavier than 5 lbs, well, a big quilt weighs more than that. Makes it hard to sew binding when you can't lift the quilt!</div>
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Now that I'm 4 months post-surgery and on into PT, I'm able to do a little more all the time. Standing up is still an issue so sewing sitting down is a good thing. I did fine at Asilomar this year, thanks to frequent rest breaks and their efficient jitney service. </div>
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Ironing while sitting on a stool isn't the easiest thing, but it does save the back! </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYEVRbRsHanZ0L6pLvJsblnk-V37tfXOTo-5vrzoJaoMnnqF1MQ7WScR9kdJjOAh9xdO3qvo3WfYfzOpSplGxCsllmfResHHVZBgJCXqsNqa2VEHB52fRMBdO8wYMzp8Qanj4/s640/blogger-image-849276768.jpg" />So here are a few more views. This quilt was all done with stash fabrics. The turquoise background is all the same even though there's quite a few areas that are purple! Cutting it up emphazies different parts of the whole fabric.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fDkhqypA9VBfRIP_1Rwd3430wEtkmeiYGUtJc7wABwKRLtBG5s9jcVC2Sub0YFflmhJpFA-vKJS9N2XOrxAzFKgkx3GnkYqFwhNKj7sm0QwP0ZsYtdxft7ZXYLttleqYeffv/s1600/blogger-image-1302538222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fDkhqypA9VBfRIP_1Rwd3430wEtkmeiYGUtJc7wABwKRLtBG5s9jcVC2Sub0YFflmhJpFA-vKJS9N2XOrxAzFKgkx3GnkYqFwhNKj7sm0QwP0ZsYtdxft7ZXYLttleqYeffv/s640/blogger-image-1302538222.jpg" /></a><br />
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Next step will be quilting it. I have a print fabric for the back that has echoes of the same stars, and the batting as well. I do plan to quilt this one myself. With all the seams and centers, I think it could be a longarmer's nightmare, and I enjoy machine quilting so it will be fun.<br />
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I'm looking forward to making the stars pop and minimizing some of the seam lines. You can see in the shot on the ironing board how the border spikes are joined to the body, and in the photos where the border is sewn on, there's almost a line. The border, by the way, is the same fabric as the border spikes--again, a lot of different colored areas in the one piece of batik. One of the things I love about batiks is all the variation in color!<br />
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Took the quilt top out onto the lawn for a final "beauty shot" since I don't really have a big enough space inside!<br />
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Yes, the grass is brown. We're in a severe drought situation here so there's not much lawn watering going on. <br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsVlyydX_LRZLk8GcvkFEADxT98YoPfjpiZMpuqS65Ac6RDTKAprfREyNPGKk2qwbWQopgaGyfINXE_L_sTOGc7XVP_r23BzHpNuio64HyWTl8nZJr288UwhD8hH2TNhHsJpY/s640/blogger-image-561541557.jpg" />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-40093192511972935572015-04-08T12:52:00.003-07:002015-04-08T12:57:35.760-07:00Fire Island Hosta at Asilomar<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Second installment of the great blogging experiment! Here are a few pictures I took while I was at Asilomar this year for Empty Spools Seminars' Sessions I and II. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTXdvpCRXWsWQx9boxJVys2IVBxR_ieL6U5WR8gKtzIp2YRGerZqx9lF-xCHjpB9kyOb339b3oD70ONqSOUEBt6yvyxEg5oAQUbDkkrsizJZFWAHge230hhr5jNjGQiMPiSzg/s640/blogger-image-501590349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTXdvpCRXWsWQx9boxJVys2IVBxR_ieL6U5WR8gKtzIp2YRGerZqx9lF-xCHjpB9kyOb339b3oD70ONqSOUEBt6yvyxEg5oAQUbDkkrsizJZFWAHge230hhr5jNjGQiMPiSzg/s320/blogger-image-501590349.jpg" width="320" /></a>Looking out of the window of the classroom, there are usually a few friends coming by for breakfast or their afternoon snack. </div>
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And the views on the walk down to meals is spectacular.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl9wlBsvHQIjn7u8i87gCkLhGLNSZ99EmFlTlApKUmiovlH-xu3LO_URj6lCKGAvXUXMH-V_jLpBPmUqlaGqu6Z33qWy-DYl9JJpIcJxgeBtDpSYnECRuv9G7sNSaeesyT4Rv/s1600/blogger-image--13290370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl9wlBsvHQIjn7u8i87gCkLhGLNSZ99EmFlTlApKUmiovlH-xu3LO_URj6lCKGAvXUXMH-V_jLpBPmUqlaGqu6Z33qWy-DYl9JJpIcJxgeBtDpSYnECRuv9G7sNSaeesyT4Rv/s640/blogger-image--13290370.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Oh, did you want to see progress on the quilt? Okay! This picture was taken after I got home, but the basic setup is the same as I had at Asilomar. Louise and I worked at adjacent tables with this folding mat/pressing surface between us. She'd set up her mat on the other side, so we each had our own cutting mat and we could share the iron and ironing board. Note that I keep all my cut-off pieces in a bag. Both in our class and at home, we "know people" who use these trimmings as stuffing for pet mats for shelter animals. I also use a big glass punchbowl on my dining room table to catch trimmings when I'm cutting out a project.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvLMoA42H0Q3qEClvVd5XMnIo4t8HI6YILmwZvJ4dpPM3tdiCo4MjCoAyBT_Ntl4ES0y6dpYv6tsBahwejl3HWFOF_OertVKqm1Y5_dAVFl-fnuOdnS_BCbAxcC0XACkDzUwi/s1600/blogger-image--307427719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvLMoA42H0Q3qEClvVd5XMnIo4t8HI6YILmwZvJ4dpPM3tdiCo4MjCoAyBT_Ntl4ES0y6dpYv6tsBahwejl3HWFOF_OertVKqm1Y5_dAVFl-fnuOdnS_BCbAxcC0XACkDzUwi/s640/blogger-image--307427719.jpg" /></a>Have I mentioned how much I love my fabrics? Well, I'm really in love with the colors and patterns of these batiks. The butterflies don't really show up but I like the effect anyway. These colors are hard to photograph accurately--on real life they are closer in color than they seem here. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IRt_ddu7ji1NrjnMH4hoAZJMiOBGdyPLUCkrDT0ou652M1jG-brWJMZZhT98q_OMoJ0u3UdUPzdcK8anxRq5iQm5lF1J9N-akq-OBJLDGo_XQTWXcWNUPFyzS1rE0TYuL98V/s1600/blogger-image--895068308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IRt_ddu7ji1NrjnMH4hoAZJMiOBGdyPLUCkrDT0ou652M1jG-brWJMZZhT98q_OMoJ0u3UdUPzdcK8anxRq5iQm5lF1J9N-akq-OBJLDGo_XQTWXcWNUPFyzS1rE0TYuL98V/s640/blogger-image--895068308.jpg" /></a><br />
The reddish purples only appear in this set of borders; the second set of swag borders is dark green and pale pale blue. This photo shows the front and back of one of the swag units. The finished piece looks much less complicated than the foundation paper!<br />
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And here's the center of the top, laid out on my bed at home. It's a queen size quilt (duh, yes, it's the Fire Island Hosta Queen!) and this is a preview of how it will fit on the bed. <br />
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Next step will be to attach the swags and border pieces. Lots and lots of curved piecing involved. Look for another installment of this quilt soon--I'm really motivated to work on it!<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5TWfEUt67OUDC0Uqs1DG1DqRBFV5bSBDLD2P9qTDy3I7g30NgPgHF0P10x6J9rJTwuQYfrcH9xbfSjJjTZWGp811cXBXCFhESgZew6hkJ_CTy9b_vPqxhPijJzV_RYBOauTr/s640/blogger-image--1169855025.jpg" />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-65424930805481669692015-04-07T16:20:00.004-07:002015-04-07T16:20:40.932-07:00Pinwheel Progress--Another One Goes Home!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Things are a bit discombobulated over here in Trying-To-Blog Land. Since I don't like presenting you with a wall o' text, I do like to include pictures! However, I've kind of changed my picture-taking habits, and that's the problem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo2__RndTWWdhHD1rxK2sagO2o6OohHVZuyg8jnUAk5JaUCZ51MAM-qjziVuMxpb_8bNL2FtmbRGjTteyBbgVffphb0pBrhHJ24x8_hpEMguzsDjd3gc0hGBmMjPEpfTxof3X/s640/blogger-image-657037591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo2__RndTWWdhHD1rxK2sagO2o6OohHVZuyg8jnUAk5JaUCZ51MAM-qjziVuMxpb_8bNL2FtmbRGjTteyBbgVffphb0pBrhHJ24x8_hpEMguzsDjd3gc0hGBmMjPEpfTxof3X/s640/blogger-image-657037591.jpg" /></a><br />
You see, taking pictures on my camera is a several-step process--take picture, upload to computer (or iPad), insert in blog. That also includes finding the right cable connection for that particular camera, and assumes the computer is feeling up to making the effort. Which, it must be said, it isn't often.<br />
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Easier by far to take the pictures with the phone--but so far I haven't found an app that works very well for writing the text.<br />
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So I'm experimenting with uploading the pictures from the phone to one of the apps, then finishing up by adding the text on the computer.<br />
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So here's the latest installment/update on the saga of the multiple Pinwheels.<br />
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Number Four has gone home. Had a nice ride in the back of the minivan!<br />
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Here's a closer look at it. This is the one with the green backing.<br />
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The blue-backed one is now being bound. Lots of help from Shyla on this one! <br />
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Okay, going to hit publish on this installment and let's see how it looks! <br />
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-11368675983435407442015-01-14T23:20:00.000-08:002015-01-14T23:20:55.367-08:00Mysteries RevealedCatching up on the last few weeks of quilting activity! I believe when I last left off I was working on the <a href="http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/grand-illusion-mystery.html" target="_blank">Quiltville Mystery Quilt, Grand Illusion. </a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shyla supervises</td></tr>
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Well, some of my quilting friends decided against doing that one because it had 280 half-square triangles in the first clue.<br />
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So they picked out another one--whose first clue included over 1000 squares cut at 1.5'. Oh yes, much much better.<br />
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Not. And I wasn't going to do that one, no way. By the way, you can find Flowers in My Windows over <a href="http://fiberismybag.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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But then I got caught up on the Grand Illusion clues, and (erroneously as it turned out) thought that, since clues were released on Friday, the last clue would come out on the day after New Year's Day. <br />
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Under those circumstances, of course it made sense to join in the New Year's Eve Mystery Quilt too.<br />
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Right?<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16258214066/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7540/16258214066_d3e25b86bb_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
I mean, I had some great fabrics in a tub--a wonderful deep red, with a Hoffman floral and some white that all went together. A little math (danger, danger...) and I strip-pieced the little 9 and 4 patches called for. So technically I avoided those 1000 little squares, right?<br />
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Jumping ahead a bit, here's our fraternal triplets. All the same pattern, but what a different effect from the colors we chose!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16283302392/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7547/16283302392_3320d77453_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
Anne picked a white background and used scrappy purples and greens for hers. <br />
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It's light and bright and very springtime. She decided--through a series of choices that almost rivals my pinwheel saga--to make 12 blocks instead of 9. This would have been a good choice except for one thing:<br />
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she forgot that she'd need an extra row of sashing. That meant a whole lot more itty bitty 4- and 9-patches.<br />
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Fortunately, she doesn't curse. Much, anyway.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16096779080/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8564/16096779080_76990b8758_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
Here's a closeup of my red one. The print matches better in "real life" and the red isn't quite as burgundy as this photo.<br />
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Red is notoriously hard to photograph, especially in artifical light.<br />
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I just need to put a border around the edge and it will be ready to send off for quilting as soon as its backing gets here. I had something that would "do" but the quilt is too pretty to just slap any old back onto.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16283303312/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7482/16283303312_6404a9af06_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
Ethel really likes orange and the brown/warm side of the color wheel. So she also raided her stash and came up with this great orange-coral-salmon color. <br />
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Her "windows" have a cute print of little dresses. <br />
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Anyway, I was glad I was able to get all three of these quilts together for a "family portrait" before they go their separate ways!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16284136615/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="320" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7580/16284136615_f29cd75991_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="320" /></a><br />
So what about the Grand Illusion, you may ask.<br />
Well, as a matter of fact, it's coming right along.<br />
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Here's the first block (of 25) pieced and pressed. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16096590910/"><img align="left" border="0" height="400" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7572/16096590910_11c0c83384_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="298" /></a><br />
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The last clue was released early, so I got to see lots of pictures of the finished blocks and even some quilts long before I expected to. I have to admit that my first reaction was to be a little disappointed. Some of the versions have a very strong buzz-saw look to them, and I'm not fond of buzz-saw looking paterns. I have the same problem with the Pineapple quilts--some of them look very angry and have lots of vicious teeth! <br />
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But, just as color choices can soften a pineapple, so can they soften this pattern.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16258027126/"><img align="left" border="0" height="298" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7531/16258027126_e0651651b5_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a><br />
While working on the red quilt, I had time to see lots more Grand Illusions, and I began to warm up to the pattern. Now that I'm assembling it, I am even happier with my choice of colors and fabrics. The 30s prints are much softer and I like having the same white and only 2 different blacks--which are really similar anyway.<br />
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The pattern is meticulously drafted and goes together like a dream, so I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a great scrappy pattern. Bonnie Hunter is a wonderful designer and teacher!<br />
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Grand Illusion will be available on her website till June, when it will be "retired" until it comes out in a book or as a separate pattern. <br />
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I'm hoping to be able to post more progress pictures soon! However as the next two photos show, I do have something else to do sometimes. <br />
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Listening to Audrey read, and having Abby tell me about her favorite books!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16258027576/"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/16258027576_9c25ef395b_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinwheels to bind</td></tr>
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Last but certainly not least, the final four Pinwheels have come home from the quilters and are ready for their binding. The first two are headed out shortly for their new homes in Connecticut and Colorado, two places that can probably use a nice warm springy-looking quilt! <br />
I can't believe these have gotten this far... I'm not even remembering when I started them, though I know I could look it up. <br />
And in the meantime, <a href="http://wooliemammoth.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anna</a> has found a wonderful pattern and I'm almost convinced that I need to do it too... <br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br />
<br />mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-3262262114002492782014-12-24T13:31:00.002-08:002014-12-24T13:31:42.172-08:00A finish! Two Pinwheel Stars DoneOne thing about getting quilts done in groups is that when the finish line approaches, it's very satisfying to knock out a couple of finishes very quickly!<br />
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That's the story with the first two of the Pinwheel Stars. If you've been following this saga for the last couple of years, you'll know that my desire to make one--ONE!--of these sent me down the slippery slope that eventually ended with a total of SIX quilts.<br />
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Moving put quite a crimp into my production on these. Hard to sew when everything is packed up so the house looks pristine to show and, hopefully, sell.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15993561645/"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7506/15993561645_f5fbd218cb_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
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That was an adventure I'm not eager to repeat any time soon. Yes, the outcome was great, but it required a Iot of work especially from my kids. But I've told that story before, too.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15807832147/"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/15807832147_a2b0637080_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
Slowly over the last year, I've been able to get my sewing room up and functioning (with a LOT of help!) and I did get all six tops done.<br />
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Took me a while longer to get them all bordered so when these two were done, I sent them off to the longarmers. <br />
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More delays due to back issues, but before my surgery was scheduled I was able to get borders on the last four and get them sent off as well.<br />
The first two came back before surgery, so I was able to get the first step of the binding done on them. Now that I'm home and convalescing, I've been able to finish the hand stitching on both of these.<br />
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One has blue backing fabric and is quilted with flowers and leaves, a design I think looks good with the 30s prints in the front.<br />
This one has a piano-key border, which seemed like a really good idea for using up scraps. It's a lot of sewing!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15807561559/"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7579/15807561559_66a5de7a8f_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
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The second one has a border of Flying Geese units. This was inspired by a quilt I had on my bed at the time, a Storm at Sea with geese around the edge.<br />
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The quilting on this one is a stylized lily, which I like well enough to have requested it for the other 4. <br />
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So now I'm just waiting for the other 4 to come home. In the meantime, of course I've continued working on a couple of other projects and started a new one. You can read my posts about the Mystery Quilt to see more of that--it's using up some more of my 30s fabrics.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15806179118/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8642/15806179118_bea2c0eaba_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
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I think I have enough to make a couple more quilts.. Oh dear.<br />
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At least my roster of finishes for the year has grown by two more. Not too bad considering that this year was a super busy one!mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-37681037266730026682014-12-23T15:45:00.005-08:002014-12-23T15:45:53.425-08:00Clue Two ReduxOnce again sharing my progress with <a href="http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html" target="_blank">other Mystery Quilters</a>!<br />
Clue Three has a few steps to it... and several choices of how to do them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15895549189/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8601/15895549189_164be14dde_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished half=units! </td></tr>
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I opted to do half-square triangles and trim them down, rather than using specialized rulers. One of the things I love about Bonnie's directions is that she gives you choices. What works for one person may not work for another, and this method works well for me. Plus I have lots of little triangles already sewn. Maybe they'll go in the border. Maybe not. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shyla is getting friendlier</td></tr>
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Here's my lapful of grey catgirl. Now that she's an Only Kitten, she's suddenly my BFF. It's nice to see her out of the closet, out from under the bed, sleeping with me most of the night, and generally being a "real" pet. It's the first time in her 14 years that she gets to do this. Still hides when anyone comes over, though she's been known to sit on Anne's lap. She's a pretty cat and hopefully I'll be able to get some better pictures of her. Look at that adorable little white "ballet slipper" foot!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/16079717411/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/16079717411_3350913e46_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing the second set of triangles</td></tr>
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So back to the sewing... As you see from the first picture, the individual units are now done, trimmed and pressed, ready to join into pairs for a Double Diamond block. They're set aside for that for now...<br />
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-71918178618187271672014-12-22T10:47:00.001-08:002014-12-22T10:47:42.539-08:00Moving On with the MysteryJoining the <a href="http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html" target="_blank">Monday linkup</a> over at Quiltville once again. These are some shots from my prep work on Clue Two, which is currently in progress.<br />
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I'll be adding another post with my progress from Clues Three and Four later today (I hope!) but for now, this is an update!<br />
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Mondays are often a very productive day for me as far as cutting and pressing and that kind of prep.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining up the triangle markings..</td></tr>
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My friend <a href="http://dogsandquilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne</a> comes over and we sit around and sew. Or cut. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15373916513/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7567/15373916513_d26f0d5c26_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pieces are cut and ready to go!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15807814397/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="238" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7478/15807814397_1e36181922_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supervising. It's a job description.</td></tr>
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Lots of good talk and some kitty petting, too.<br />
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Sadly, these are the last pictures I got to take of my beloved Highland (aka HiHi), Quilt Supervisor Extraordinaire.<br />
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He was 17 and beginning to fight some of the inevitable ills of aging. He was on two kinds of meds, which was no problem since he loved him some pill pockets.<br />
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Later in this same week, though, he stopped eating, stopped taking his pills, and was getting too weak to jump up on the bathroom counters for a drink from the sink. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15967779506/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8584/15967779506_8e6845bcfc_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping on the job is a perk.</td></tr>
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So now he has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and I hope is reunited with his best buddy Simon. I sure miss him, though.<br />
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A last look at the fabrics I'm using for this Clue. I'll have more pics on the next post.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15806161658/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7511/15806161658_6dd6ce429d_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color choices--one neutral, one black, many pinks.</td></tr>
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mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-60866338286879681122014-11-30T22:54:00.005-08:002014-12-01T09:23:24.225-08:00It's A Mystery!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaXHzIcJ3Jfi-g_lJYdibgmD_oRdZDIf6jd6tbmgjdM6Y_AqpQktkkkTKn1SmEu7FoQmNTqYeSezAHN7JiF4tcYm5S5r1Mxl_pvG1a4-fS8_TNnmYhaZsKmMvtxhhz9646YP6/s1600/quilts2014+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaXHzIcJ3Jfi-g_lJYdibgmD_oRdZDIf6jd6tbmgjdM6Y_AqpQktkkkTKn1SmEu7FoQmNTqYeSezAHN7JiF4tcYm5S5r1Mxl_pvG1a4-fS8_TNnmYhaZsKmMvtxhhz9646YP6/s1600/quilts2014+002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabrics picked out and ready to get started.</td></tr>
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<br />
... a mystery quilt, that is! Because I'm mildly insane, have lots of fabric, and nothing but time on my hands (sure!) I decided to get in on the Quiltville Mystery Quilt--full info <a href="http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/grand-illusion-mystery.html" target="_blank">here</a>. There's also a very active group on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/291023511046957/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> doing the quilt. <br />
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Notice I posted a badge/link to the blog over there. I won't go into a lot of detail here since it's all covered pretty thoroughly on Bonnie's blog and on Facebook.<br />
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I've joined the Monday link-up <a href="http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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I've been trying to recruit some fellow scrapaholics to join me in this but so far they're resisting. I think the first clue sorta scared them off... check my photos and you may see why!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15732618459/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7494/15732618459_c167e1d26e_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready, set, go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Got all my stuff ready to go--fabrics, cutter, camera, punchbowl for fabric scraps, notebook (I still can't use my printer so I just made notes of what to cut and how to lay it out in the journal), coffee, Kleenex... You know, what the well equipped quilter needs!<br />
The supervisor will make his appearance shortly.<br />
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I'm not following Bonnie's color scheme exactly, mainly because so much of my stash is currently inaccessible with my limited ability to lift and tote and haul boxes around. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMwruIAhZ9iUdiUhJpnwDIIOzb64uZ8GkJYpRCQhVdjW2L9IrmivBGtXFQKpVZRgHS0VMX9ykPPxSxBVBLS-p_DxwKJ4H6EdpqCQRUVxHu0Ud__cX5Uvke0bVqQINmsghxcyt/s1600/quilts2014+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMwruIAhZ9iUdiUhJpnwDIIOzb64uZ8GkJYpRCQhVdjW2L9IrmivBGtXFQKpVZRgHS0VMX9ykPPxSxBVBLS-p_DxwKJ4H6EdpqCQRUVxHu0Ud__cX5Uvke0bVqQINmsghxcyt/s1600/quilts2014+003.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these happy 30s repros!</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15917984902/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8627/15917984902_f9fa159533_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HiHi is doing his supervisory work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15298977243/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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Besides, I have a lot of thirties prints right here in my sewing room!<br />
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The pinwheels made a dent, but it wasn't a very big one...<br />
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The black has a random dot print very reminiscent of stars. The scale of the print and the subdued color of the multi-sized dots makes it a good match for the small prints.<br />
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Bonnie is using a constant yellow, but since I've only got scrappy ones, I'll use the black as my constant. <br />
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I apologize for the different lighting in these photos. Some of them were taken with my digital camera, which tends to go with the ambient light. In this room, it's the overhead chandelier which has a bit of a yellow cast to it.<br />
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The phone's camera takes a truer color most of the time. I could probably play with filters and work on getting the color more consistent, but just so you know that the colors are the vibrant lighter shades--not the slightly sepia look! <br />
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I pulled all the pink and blue fabrics from my 30s box.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVRl8T6btZ46XKVMrQ_go31-Yon4LEFJGsASfaHxVoTE9ZImpVYK1A3DykY6UXI3qdmUC8A4xZ7aRGAJvRDpWdijR44rYCvlCDNAsMKgEhap8av48AJ2C9ws01EhPyTyE9d3l/s1600/quilts2014+004.JPG" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's very meticulous about his work.</td></tr>
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<br />
I thought there was a lot more in there! It turned out that most of the pieces were 5" strips from fat quarters--so I was only able to get one 3" strip from each, which yielded 6 squares.<br />
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Wound up using some fabrics that weren't in my first choice but I did have just enough, especially of the blues.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7520/15298977243_fdc6843653_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" height="298" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7520/15298977243_fdc6843653_b.jpg" style="margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All cut out and ready for the next step!</td></tr>
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But they finally were all cut out... I wound up with a nice collection of selvage strips for Anne, and a 2" strip of most of the fabrics.<br />
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There may be a Log Cabin or similar strippy scrappy quilt in my future. If I can look at 30s prints again soon, once this is done... <br />
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At the risk of being super boring, I've just captioned the pictures with what's going on in them.<br />
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Scroll down to the bottom to see the pictures from my other project-in-process! It is taking more concentration so it's not getting as much attention as these babies are!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVddbuoVRoJbnwwpUby61KQVv0BN69Q_PEysfzsFdcC8k4M_c0tc6L5fkWF80UBPgnCAqrTUXAkyDZvRwgKoyThF5eCf9HIucL7MuQAaiAvmjCvg5rLO7NKqXVePyRSja_yFw/s1600/quilts2014+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVddbuoVRoJbnwwpUby61KQVv0BN69Q_PEysfzsFdcC8k4M_c0tc6L5fkWF80UBPgnCAqrTUXAkyDZvRwgKoyThF5eCf9HIucL7MuQAaiAvmjCvg5rLO7NKqXVePyRSja_yFw/s1600/quilts2014+002.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the finished cutting spree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITSGvCiVvY95UudBqvrlEsN7FttC7iFAt0YphH59v1jFQ0mZVVeGPCh1MIOi8zJ6levcd-h4ASCqUOc-OkS45hTGSMad4mjKYrK1PRigY7xM2_qY0RUWZb5sT0bpJoGSMabHX/s1600/quilts2014+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITSGvCiVvY95UudBqvrlEsN7FttC7iFAt0YphH59v1jFQ0mZVVeGPCh1MIOi8zJ6levcd-h4ASCqUOc-OkS45hTGSMad4mjKYrK1PRigY7xM2_qY0RUWZb5sT0bpJoGSMabHX/s1600/quilts2014+003.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing lines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrfAsuUOvPeWSOvxZDBXHfgHy7bG-LaA27GNXy-XVGHtiiuosGFCOYtSQq9-6HIAyMDh7oy6QKXCrIEoe4IbEwiG4UhI09hLuyNKLtd6dgzWrkXw3-n_-BA66uRTiNxUFZKPj/s1600/quilts2014+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrfAsuUOvPeWSOvxZDBXHfgHy7bG-LaA27GNXy-XVGHtiiuosGFCOYtSQq9-6HIAyMDh7oy6QKXCrIEoe4IbEwiG4UhI09hLuyNKLtd6dgzWrkXw3-n_-BA66uRTiNxUFZKPj/s1600/quilts2014+004.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing one side of the triangles</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGJmfT6sQ3YmNGaQu4ljMo-AlCDvEM48qTES9oyai23F6awkYFqHDmxHEU78YA125uRhi_P75BZ57ElOatS0FqHVbmCrp1R4tFLjMlSx1hEO8ELpYQleFPAtitfNIAme0kpg3/s1600/quilts2014+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGJmfT6sQ3YmNGaQu4ljMo-AlCDvEM48qTES9oyai23F6awkYFqHDmxHEU78YA125uRhi_P75BZ57ElOatS0FqHVbmCrp1R4tFLjMlSx1hEO8ELpYQleFPAtitfNIAme0kpg3/s1600/quilts2014+005.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chain piecing the second side.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVNIGo1npUCwXGFTgPArhyLGXJb2ewSxwHoEHkI-BEprDkxsS4LKv93BMTsDzjsII97c_1Xoz1JAUUDQfs96KbSLdd6NVDR7rbNG9Xxeb-vau5BEjLGKmMIc3TOlhyphenhyphendqjf-UF/s1600/quilts2014+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVNIGo1npUCwXGFTgPArhyLGXJb2ewSxwHoEHkI-BEprDkxsS4LKv93BMTsDzjsII97c_1Xoz1JAUUDQfs96KbSLdd6NVDR7rbNG9Xxeb-vau5BEjLGKmMIc3TOlhyphenhyphendqjf-UF/s1600/quilts2014+006.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done and ready to press and trim! </td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15892834726/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7554/15892834726_161d5dc3fb_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15296391264/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="298" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8652/15296391264_de8b7cc6ba_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></div>
This is what I'm taking a break from and/or working on when I'm feeling fresh and "sharp."<br />
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You may recognize this as my project from Judy Niemeyer's class at Asilomar back in February. I've got all the parts done and have started to assemble them.<br />
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Just slightly finicky and fussy matching all the points so they look good and fit together properly. <br />
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First block done! There are twelve of these... 12 sections in each block. I don't want to do that math because I might find it overwhelming... so I'm just putting together a few sections at a time as I feel up to it.<br />
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Yeah, they may have cut up my back but I think my brain has taken a hit too. I can really tell where my deficits are when I start working on something like this.<br />
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But it's getting better. And maybe soon I'll have this ready to be quilted! I've got the perfect backing fabric for it...mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24012787.post-44340063476690284152014-11-28T13:51:00.002-08:002014-11-28T13:51:42.112-08:00Giving ThanksThanksgiving is a good time to catch up on my blogging--there are many many things I'm thankful for this year!<br />
First of all, to explain the hiatus, I have to give you a bit of an "organ recital" but I promise to keep it short and simple. You may or may not know that back in 2011, I had to have spine surgery. It was successful, and I've been mostly able to go back to my "usual" life--which included a massive effort on the part of my family and friends to get my old family house sold and get me moved into a nice new one-story place that's closer to some of the girls and pretty easy for the third one to get to--unless, like yesterday, the freeway and surrounding surface streets are all clogged up!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15714837937/"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7487/15714837937_4ef34f0ffa_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
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Anyway, I've had a recurrence of back issues, mainly a herniated disk that had even the ortho docs widening their eyes and saying my, that's a big one! So three weeks ago, I had surgery to have it repaired. I now have a double row of rods marching up my back holding up my lumbar vertebrae, and some very neat and tidy scars. Well, the newest one is still healing, but it's very neat and tidy! <br />
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Fortunately, while waiting for the surgery, thanks to a lot of steroids, I was able to get a few things done. I made 6 baby ragg quilts--the three shown were for online friends for whom we did a secret online baby shower. I also made two more for my two new great-grandsons, one of whom is in New Orleans and the other's in Las Vegas. The sixth one was a little different: it was woodsy prints in browns and greens with lots of forest critters, and it went to my granddaughter's mother-in-law, in Conn. I also sent two other quilts to the baby shower: a Many Trips Around the World that Alyssa had picked out for her baby, and a Trip Around the World in a darling Noah's Ark print with browns, blues, and reds, for my son and his wife to have at their house. That way baby Cora can have a quilt everywhere! (Baby is due in January.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15713112608/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/15713112608_387ef299fb_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></div>
I was also able to get the last four pinwheel quilts bordered and sent off to the longarmers. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15900606115/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7545/15900606115_03006a35f9_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
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Then I got the bindings sewn onto the first two, and onto the Millennium Star quilt.<br />
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I've even started sewing that binding down. The back and binding are batik, so it's slow going. I love the weight and texture of batik, but it takes some effort to sew through. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15714839917/"><img align="left" border="0" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7514/15714839917_8844eb92f5_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
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On the furry friends front (say that six time fast!) we seem to have some detente. Here they are both on top of the desk. Luckily I have two hands so I can pet two cats at once. There really is a lot less hostiility these days, which I'm very happy about!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8614505@N08/15713303400/"><img align="left" border="0" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/15713303400_d2a003ba64_b.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a><br />
Since this was - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad - I can only upload 5 pictures at a time. I really need to find a good way to manage posting now that I take more pictures with my phone than with the camera! The phone syncs with the iPad, which is convenient... but I prefer typing on the laptop, which unfortunately is on its last legs. Among the several things queuing up for when I'm mobile and healthy again, getting a new computer is right up at the top of the list. So's getting new glasses!<br />
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I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving with lots of food, fun, friends, family, and whatever makes your heart glad! For now, well, I'm baa-ack! mehitabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07855340553296575495noreply@blogger.com0