Enduring Sandy

Sandy is almost gone from here. Just a shower now and then and the winds have definitely decreased.

I sewed 16 blocks together tonight during quilt cam. It is surprising how fast the piecing goes when you have something interesting to watch or listen to.

This will get posted tomorrow after I take a picture of the blocks. They are coming out very nice. I am pleased.

Here are the blocks. Enjoy your day, post Sandy.

Waiting for Sandy

Finishing up the outside stuff in preparation for Sandy's arrival as well as pressing the newly washed fabrics.  I had planned on cutting and cutting, finishing two bindings and working on a needlepoint project when the power goes out.  We have plenty of flashlights and batteries.

But guess what I got delivered from a friend of a friend today? 

A 1939 Singer Handcrank! 

I am going to name her Sandy if I get to keep it.  Right now she is on loan for the week. (last year during Irene we lost power for 5 days so I expect at least 2 days without power this year).  Who cares about what spoils in the fridge - I can finally sew in a power outage!

 

Isn't she beautiful!

 

Closed up and ready to go..

 

I almost can't wait for the power to go out - how ridiculous is that!

Now to decide on the project....

The Latest Sunset

Or maybe an hour before. But with the remnants of hurricane Sandy coming (or whatever she will be called by then), I thought I would take some pictures of the view from the deck. Who knows when the next opportunity for sunny pictures will occur!

Hope you enjoy the view!

 

 

 

Half of the Dining Room Table

Ok, I know it is not at all do-able all at once and may show a serious lack of time management. But these are the projects waiting for me when I sit at the dining room table. The table is easily cleaned when company comes and little bits of each project get done each day and each week so that the dining room projects eventually are finished.  I like the variety of project choices, even though currently everything does seem a bit out of control when you look at the picture.

I think this post is acting like my to do list. Tackle this first and then move on.   Once it is in writing and posted you are committed.

May your dining room table always be clear!

Oops! Almost forgot the picture!

From the top left, fabrics to be cut into scraps for mom, the scrap boxes, and pillowcases. Top middle, a mystery quilt in browns and tans and top left, my guild's block if the month for this guild year.

In the middle row on the left, are some rotary cutters next to the on-going windmill scrap project which has cheddar for the background and uses 2.5 inch strips that I cut from the left over fabric from my finished projects. Next to that is a box of block of the month steps ready to be cut. On the right in the middle row is the border print that needs to be cut so the wall hanging can be assembled.

Oh, see that bit of red and tan fabrics? Well, that is block 6 of the Martin Michel templates quilt sitting ready to be cut and sewn next.

Finally on the bottom row are three knitting projects, a black shawl, a pastel afghan and the directions for a shoulder shawl with entwined "fingers".

Just enough to keep me busy! LOL!!!

Words to live by...

Thanks to Arthur Ashe for this quote and thanks to my facebook friends for sharing.  This resonated with me today.

Hope your day is happy!

Tuesday Tasks

Today was another at home day with no appointments or have to's. This gave me another chance to wade through another pile of quilt related stuff.

This is what surfaced.

 

On the lower left, a shirt box full of bright solid pieces, on top of it another quilt of the month partially done (maybe 40% done).  In the middle at the top is a wallhanging with all pieces cut except the border.  Below that, in the middle, are the blocks for a small baby quilt and below that, peeking out at the bottom, are blocks for a lap quilt - I think the pattern is "Yellow Brick Road".  On the right at the top is a collection of 2" and 1.5" strips for a strip quilt and another quilt of the month in the lower right.

 

Let's see 4 projects in progress and two ready to be cut and one box of fabric for a future project.

More in the picture below!

 

 

 

 

On the left, the rest of the stack, slash and mix them up pieces, in the middle, a Georgia Bonesteel pattern with some blocks made without the pattern book to help so I had to draft it myself.  Finally, on the right, 12 stars made after a class with Bethany Reynolds ready to be assembled into a quilt top.

 

Three more in progress projects. 

 

Hmmm...

I don't think I will tackle any other section soon.  I seem to have enough to do for the time being!

 

Super Saturday...

...weather and taming the stash.

The temperature is in the low 70's and it is October 20.  I think the average high temperature for today is usually in the 60's somewhere.  So I have the doors open again and the house feels wonderful.  DH and half of the neghborhood is outside picking up leaves in the noisiest way possible.  No one uses a plain old rake anymore it seems.  Notice the magnolia tree is now leaf free.

This afternoon will be spent doing the usually Saturday afternoon chores but with quilt cam on the horizon for 2 PM Eastern, there will be some sewing and quilt related activities thrown in. 

I just cleaned off the dining room table to see which pile of cutting will get done first.  Then I will go upstairs to tackle the sewing stacked next to the machine.  The last thing will be to do a bit of pressing of sewn pieces and then back to cutting what has just been sewn.

 

Left over fabric from other projects to cut.

Two smallish wall hangings to organize for piecing later.

 

My leader and ender project (windmills) on the right.  All of the cheddar background is cut.  The windmill pieces will be cut as I cut up the leftover pieces from other projects.  On the left is one of those stack the 9 fabrics, cut into a wonky 9 patch, rearrange the pieces and sew the 9 blocks together, projects.  I already have two stacks of 9 blocks made, but could never manage to finish the rest. 

This UFO's time has come!

 

Under the brown piece on the left are 4 or 5 blocks to cut in order to finish two different block of the month quilts I started years ago. 

The brown fabric indicates how long ago....

Another UFO that needs to be done.

 

This week has been busy with my church, volunteering to help with Bazaar preparations.  Now that is over I can get back to taming the stashes - of fabric and UFO Projects.

I am looking forward to taming the table on this Super Saturday of weather!

Monday, Monday

Can't trust that day...

I think that was how the old song went!

Well it is finally Monday and maybe now life can get back to "normal".  Not much sewing got done over the past few days.  Lots of family stuff had to be done and thus the sewing took a back seat.   The pieces to be pressed are still on the ironing board,

and the blocks to be pieced are still sitting ready at the side of the sewing machine.

The ONLY thing that got done was a little bit (and I do mean a LITTLE bit) of cutting from the scrap bins, bags and baskets. 

 

Sometimes you have to deal with things other than sewing.

Oh yes, I did just remember that I picked up this box of florals for a quilt that had been started a number of years ago.  I was able to cut some of the pieces while I was at mom's house the other day.








Today is cloudy but warm - probably another last hurrah for summer temperatures in the low seventies.  Here in the northeast, we count our blessings and treasure these warm days when they pop up in October.

Enjoy your day wherever you may be!

Decisions

I have made a decision. I have finally given into understanding the reality of my quilting world, I feel a sense of peace and accomplishment. I have decided to understand and accept that I like to create tops or "summer quilts" as my DH calls them. I can quilt the smaller items in the 45 x 60 range as well as table runners and other small items. But I am never going to finish all of the larger tops I have made and those I will make in the future. So do I stop making the larger items so things get finished? No, I have decided to continue to piece whatever I desire and then send out the larger pieces to be professionally quilted. Maybe someday I will have a long arm quilting machine at my disposal. But until that day comes, I will continue to pay someone to turn my "summer quilts" into "winter quilts".

PS.  This post should have been posted awhile ago.  But I was going to add pictures of the pile of "summer quilts".  Well I got distracted that day and now the pile has been somewhat dispersed into piles of tops hidden all over the house.  I have now decided to just post this without a picture.  If you have been reading my posts for any length of time, you know that there are many UFO quilts (ie quilt tops) in my home as well as pinned and ready to be quilted items.  So I am sure you can use your imagination!

Thursday Thoughts

What do you do when you wake up with quilt thoughts running rampant in your head, but you know you can do little about them due to other commitments?

Well that is my lot today!

The car in still at the mechanics, I have committed to staffing a volunteer project this morning and going to a sale with my sister this afternoon. Finally my small quilt group meets tonight. As you can tell my day is packed with obligations and very little time to deal with those Thursday morning quilt thoughts.

But I do have about an hour for playing before I begin honoring my commitments.

Wish me luck wading through my thoughts about this pile of fabric!

 

 

 

Oh yes, don't forget this quilt, after all it is what started "Thursday Thoughts".

 

 

Block 5

Block 5 cut and ready to sew. The project for the rest of Columbus Day afternoon.

Yes, some pieces need to be pressed.

Saturday Afternoon

Cutting strips into 4.5 square blocks, wanting to sit outside to enjoy the warmth, but realizing the wind will blow away anything I try to do on the deck!

So I am inside cutting away but enjoying the warmth and the breeze through the open windows. It doesn't seem like October but I am not complaining.

 

These will be finished today!

 

 

Have a great afternoon!

Addendum to Deck Time

Oh, by the way, here are the latest views from my chair on the deck.

I really need to keep up with the leaves!

Deck Time!

It is October and just for today the temperature is in the low seventies. It may be the last day to sit on the deck and enjoy the weather and the scenery.

Or to make a decision.

I just contacted another Long Arm quilter and have an appointment for next Wednesday. I am having difficulty deciding which quilt to have done next.

Here are 5 possibilities. All will get done eventually. But which one is next?

Maybe I should give you a chance to vote! If you read this and have a preference, let me know your choice.

Enjoy the day!

Midnight Flight

Ok, I am going to whine. Just thought I would prepare you!

I have been looking at Quiltmaker's Block Party which is coming up in March 2013 in Portland, Oregon. Since I was not able to go the the Williamsburg Block Party this past summer I thought I would try for Oregon. You know, nice city, great activity (quilting), great teachers (Bonnie Hunter, Jo Morton just to name two of them).

But when I started to price it out! OMG!!!

The fabric I could buy for that money! The flights alone! This was not going to happen!

So I continued to dream and printed out every teachers' supply list for a class I was interested in taking IF I were to go. I looked more closely at Bonnie's offerings. I decided to try to make my own "Block Party".

Midnight Flight appealed tonight so this is the first and maybe only block to make me feel better for not going to Oregon in the spring.

The block is fairly easy and is reminiscent of my doing "Orca Bay" in that there are small elements which fit together to make an 88 piece twelve inch block. As you can see in the picture, not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

This could be a new quilt while I wait for the next project to present itself.