Row K is finished!

 

It's been a busy week, but I managed to peck away at Row K for Dear Jane here and there.  I'll continue to do the same on the next two rows, but I think this weekend I'll work on binding Double Date which I picked up from Marie the quilter.  She did a wonderful job, and I can't wait to finish it.

I missed the first Heart of Vermont guild meeting of the year, but response to my email to the guild about a round robin activity has been good.  There are now six of us planning to join in.  I don't know two of the people, but that will make it all the more fun.  I enjoy meeting people in smaller groups, especially because that guild has 60 members.  It's hard to get acquainted just at meetings.

We had a very nice time with my brother Rob and his wife Linda early in the week.   We took a guided tour of the Vermont State House, visited a sugar shack for maple ice cream, visited the Vermont Granite Museum, and took several nice walks in the sunshine.  Of course, meals out together and a lunch at home were fun, too.  Rob is totally immersed in changing his house over to solar power and driving his new-to-them electric vehicle.  The learning curve appears steep, and I'm not sure I could deal with it all.

Vermont is experiencing a drought, and our plants are all in need of soaking rain.  The foliage is changing color rapidly, but I don't think it will be as vibrant as usual.  Still, the visitors are beginning to come, including the tour buses.  That's our "bread and butter"!

Aging and the aged

This week we were busy helping friends who are just a few years older than we are.  One is in a nursing home after breaking a hip.  He'd like to come home, but after taking him and his wife (who is fine) out for lunch, we realized that he can't go home.  His physical and mental faculties have declined.  Is the latter due to being in the nursing home with very little stimulation?  Perhaps it's due to his declining hearing? 

A few days later, we had lunch with a friend who passed out at the restaurant, requiring an ambulance to the hospital.  We stayed with her in the ER until it was decided to insert a pacemaker at the university hospital in Burlington, about 45 minutes away.  Paul drove her car to our house, and two days later, we picked her up and took her home, along with her cute yellow car.  She was very perky by that time, but now we hear she has had another episode.  Perhaps the problem is more complex than the need for a pacemaker?

It all makes me very glad that I am still walking, talking, writing, reading, sewing!   My A1c and weight are both down, and the doctor has reduced my diabetes med.  She promised that it may be removed all together if I continue on this downward trajectory.  My visiting sister-in-law noticed the difference which is nice to hear.   She and my brother are visiting from New Jersey - early leaf peepers!  The fall colors are beginning, but it will be a few more weeks until peak foliage.  Still, visitors, including busloads, are arriving.

All this activity has slowed down my sewing, but I did manage to make a few blocks for Row K of Dear Jane.  Just two more full rows after that, and the center will be done.  I'm now thinking about a modern border instead of the triangles.  What would Jane have done?

I finished a sweet little burgundy hat for "Bags of Love," which makes three for kids going into foster care.  The picot edge on that hat will look cute on a little girl.  I have some variegated green yarn to make another hat, but it will have to wait.  I just started a striped sweater for myself.  Not sure i like the yarn, but if not, I'll make a few scarves and more hats.

Busy week ahead

We are heading to Burlington this morning for Paul's regular Retina Center visit.  I'm packing my Kindle and saving my New York Times puzzles for their always chilly waiting room.  Tomorrow I have a pedicure scheduled, Thursday and Friday we're meeting various friends for lunch, and Sunday my brother and his wife are coming for a few days' visit.  Fall foliage season is beginning!  We play catch up with old friends and host visitors.  Back in our B&B days, I took two weeks off to help Paul make up beds, do laundry, clean the house, and cook breakfasts.  It was a whirlwind time, but now it's just fun before the snow falls!

Over the weekend I started on Row K of Dear Jane.  This row has quite a few paper pieced blocks which can be tricky.  Yesterday I made a 36 patch block (K-2?) which turned out so small that I had to add coping strips all around.  What a sense of accomplishment one gets upon finishing each little block.

Here are most of the blocks in Row J.  That empty space, J-11, was a work in progress so didn't get into the photo.  I had to add that I cut some corners on J-9 and J-11, eliminating some fussy little melon appliques.  I decided to add them with quilting.

I watched Ricky Tims' unveiling of his new quilt, The Visitation, yesterday afternoon, and all I can say is "Wow!"  I wish he still sold his hand-dyed fabrics.  It's on You Tube if you want to watch.  

Fall is in the air

 

We took our daily walk around the neighborhood yesterday, and this is what we enjoyed.  It's an early tree - most have not begun to change colors although our burning bush has really begun turning red.  We do get some lovely views in the fall in Vermont.  This is the time of year when we're happy to live here.  During blizzards, not so much!  Leaf peepers will begin visiting soon with a vengeance.

I woke up early this morning so spent some time catching up on blogs.  I got an idea for something I can make for tonight's dinner with leftover chicken and looked at other quilters' works in progress.  I don't know how some people get so much done!  I am dawdling around with Dear Jane these days and taking my time reading a new mystery by Elly Griffiths.  I do a little housework and cooking here and there.  Where does the time go?  

I did get out and do about half an hour's worth of gardening yesterday before Paul's nephew stopped by for a visit.  We had some rain over night so I'm not sure I'll get outside today.  Yesterday I planted some iris and crocosmia, a new flower my neighbor introduced me to this year.  And it is lovely with leaves that resemble gladiolas.   They seem very hardy,

Making progress

 I made a number of Dear Jane blocks for Row J in the last few days. 

Unfortunately, blocks #10-12 require hand applique, so progress will slow down for a few days while I add a jillion orange peels to two blocks and the handle on the very sweet little basket block.  I wasn't thinking clearly when I said Row J will be easy - it has its high and low spots.  I'll get them done, but slowly!

Outdoor work

There is a touch of fall in the air which isn't unusual.  Years ago (40+), I lived in the country at about 2500 feet, and we often had a bit of frost around Labor Day.  Those days are gone, but it is quite cool in the mornings anyway.  Today's fog will burn off to a sunny, lovely day, I'm sure.  When it warms up a bit, I will do a little gardening in the back yard. 

Chris is coming over later to help me dig out some hostas that encroaching on the blueberries.  We'll grill burgers for lunch.  Yesterday I pulled out a lot of lilies of the valley that were choking other things out front.   I left a few because I like them, but I need to stay on top of them every year.  I have ordered more daffodil bulbs for that spot, but they haven't arrived yet.   I decided not to try any more tulips out front since the deer just won't leave them alone.  They haven't discovered the early blooming ones out back, thank goodness.

I hope to get back to Dear Jane in the coming week.  I have made five blocks and find Row J a little easier than Row I which is a relief.  That's the next block I need to make - J-6 - which should be easy.  The photo is from the Hobby Stash website where I get my paper piecing patterns.

I was running low on black/white prints for backgrounds, so just ordered another yard of pin dots and also picked up two other half yards at the quilt shop.  This quilt takes a lot of fabric, especially when one makes most of the blocks by paper piecing.  

A dry spell

 As I write this, it's finally raining.  I don't know how long it will last, but our grass can really need a good soaker.  It crunches underfoot.  I have been very lazy about doing fall gardening.  There are plants I should remove (e.g., two big hostas in our blueberry patch) and move (e.g., ladies' mantel in a spot that's too shady).  And there are bulbs I've ordered that will be coming in mid-September (I hope).  The rain will make all this easier to handle, and I'll have no excuse but to get outdoors and work.

I've been lazily reading and working on Dear Jane these last several weeks.  I discovered a mystery series by Paige Shelton called Alaska Wild and am on the latest book (#6).  I seem drawn to books about Alaska, and these combine all the elements I enjoy in cozy mysteries - interesting characters, unusual setting, not too much danger, intricate plots, a librarian with a sideline (not the main character), sweet dogs, etc.  I finished book #5 and immediately started on #6, just published.  Hope this isn't the end of the series...

On to Row J

 Over the weekend, I finished Row I of Dear Jane.  Here are the last seven blocks:

I started Row J right away and am on block #5 now. This row seems easier than Row I.  The last two blocks (the yellow and purple ones above) each had 40-some pieces.  That's a lot in 5" block!

Last Thursday, I took the Double Date quilt top, backing, and batting over to Marie for long arm quilting.   She thinks it needs a modern quilting pattern and is waiting for some software to arrive.  That's fine with me as I was sick of looking at it and need a break.  It has felt good to be working on DJ again.  There are only 3 more rows after Row J, left.  I don't think I'll include the triangles in my quilt, but you never know.   Working on one quilt at a time is different for me, but it has proved useful in that I concentrated on Double Date for about three months.  And got it done!

Over the weekend we met Paul's other sister and her husband for lunch and, the next day, attended the annual neighborhood picnic.   Tonight we're going to the library's author program.  This summer has been busy, but not all that bad.  Pat is still with us but may be returning to Florida in late October; things are going pretty well for her these days.   I've been reading quite a bit but ought to be outside gardening while the sun shines.  It's good to enjoy the lazy days of summer while they're still here.

Back to Dear Jane

 

It felt good to work on something "new" this weekend after working for two months on Double Date.  I am halfway through Row I of Dear Jane.   Because I'm sewing in the basement these days away from my stash, I bought two charm packs in bright colors to give me the variety my stash would have given me.  A couple of the blocks - #4 and 5 - have hand applique which went well, and #6 had some fusible applique.  #3 was paper pieced, and today I'll work on paper piecing #7, a pineapple-like block.

We had lovely weather this weekend - sunny, not humid, temperatures in the 70s and low 80s.  I should have worked in the flower beds but didn't feel like it.  That's the great thing about retirement.    We finished watching the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice on PBS last night - always a treat.

Heat wave is over

A heat wave in Vermont means temperatures over 90 degrees for three days (or more) in a row.  And that's just what has happened over the last week or so.  It's been hot, humid and wildfire smokey, making it extra difficult to do more than stay inside and read, sew, and snooze.   I did get a surprising amount of quilting work done this week, though.

On Saturday, I went to a quilt guild meeting which is usually held in the cool basement at the quilt shop.  Some people were continuing with their kawandi projects but, having finished mine, I started on a new sashiko.  It's a sampler/table topper that I will reserve to work on mostly at this group's meetings.  I enjoy getting together with these ladies for the wide-ranging conversations we have. 

Sunday, we spread Paul's brother-in-law's ashes at the island he and Pat owned about 45 minutes north.  Pat has been staying with us all summer and is hoping to sell the island and buy a condo near us.  We hope it all works out.  Meanwhile, I've been sewing in our basement while my stash is upstairs in the guest/sewing room.   I've been in one project at a time mode with my little backup Brother machine, and yesterday I finished the top that was that project (blocks below).   

Double Date got put together and had two borders added.  It looks great and is all bundled up to take to the quilter for long arming.  I am happy to get it all packed up.  Despite all the work it took, it's only about 63 x 74" with the 5" borders.  I ordered coordinating backing from Connecting Threads and hope it arrives fairly soon.  There's batting waiting in the closet in my sewing room, too.

Last week, I also managed to put the binding on my friend Pam's queen-sized green and peach log cabin quilt.  It was a lot to handle in my small space with my slow and less accurate Brother machine.  She started the quilt back in the 1980s so the colors and polyester blend fabrics are retro by now, and the long arm quilting and cream poly binding really look great.  I hope to deliver it to her this afternoon.

With Double Date finished, today I'll try to clean up all the greens and creams, put them away, and get out another project which I think will be Dear Jane for a while.  I think I left off at Row I, and my tub of black/white backgrounds has been waiting since last spring.  

I have some bright charm squares which I hope will be a good substitute for my stash which isn't as handy right now.  As you can see from Row E, every block has different bright colors on different black/white fabric.  I don't have a design wall in my temporary space, so you'll probably be seeing pictures of small groups of blocks as they're made for a while.  Who knows?  I might just finish all the Dear Jane blocks before summer ends?

Need six more blocks...

I started putting my Double Date blocks together yesterday.  Ironing the seams is a challenge and I finally decided to iron them however they wanted to be ironed.  I will do a final pressing before I take them to be quilted.  I got the blocks halfway together when I realized that I need six more blocks to get a six by seven row layout.  But I love the way it looks so far!

I'll take a deep dive into my green tub this afternoon and see if I have enough scraps to make what I need.  I know I'll need to get a little more fabric for the last border and the binding, but I think the finished size will be 72 x 78 or so.  I am using a light greenish grunge for the setting triangles, so may just get a bit darker grunge for the outer border.

I will have a few lighter blocks left when I finish which is OK.  I can maybe use them on the back or as a table runner. 

Our weather has been gloomy due to Canadian wildfires and steadily more humid here this week.   The basement sewing area is the place to be.

3 blocks to go!

If I've counted right, I only have three more paper pieced Double Date blocks to go before I can put the quilt together on point with triangles (as yet uncut).  I'm not sure whether I'll attempt to put the quilt together now or wait until I get back into the sewing room.  I have plenty of UFOs to keep me busy, including Dear Jane which I haven't touched in months.

Pat is still here, but yesterday we talked a bit about her next steps.  There will be a smaller condo coming on the market in our neighborhood eventually.  But when?  Or can she move to an apartment owned by a friend a few miles from us?  Our discussion was a good start, and we'll try to be patient as she continues to feel better.  

Today we have errands to run - post office, bank, haircuts for us both.  Tomorrow I'll be going to aerobic walking at the library following by a pedicure and a monthly chat fest with my friend Debb.  

I started another toddler hat a day or two ago and will continue with that while watching the news tonight.  Yesterday, I sewed up the latest hat made of scrap yarn.  I'm not wild about the beige so added a bit of purple to the mix.  It's will go to Bags of Love when I finish a couple more hats.  The ones I had been making were way too big, and these smaller versions are really quick to do.  With quilting stalled a bit, these finishes are a good boost.

Smokey morning

Canadian wildfire smoke has been heading our way again with warnings about air quality.  Yesterday was lovely, though, so I managed to get out and deadhead the daisies and do a little weeding.  Today I'll stay in and sew after a trip to the pharmacy.  I'm well into a new book by Kate Morton - Homecoming - which I'm enjoying, so I know I'll sit down and read for a while, too.   A perfect Sunday!

I had a birthday a few days ago, and want to share the range of cards I received.  

Aren't people sweet?   I'll put them away soon, but it's fun to look at them all lined up on the mantle.  My cousin sent me a card a few weeks ahead, but all the rest arrived around the actual day, last Thursday.  It's nice that people still send cards through the mail.  

All things blueberry

With Heritage Days in the books, I can get back to life as usual.  Grocery shopping, accumulated laundry, and a little housework are done, and I've made quite a pile of Double Date blocks.  I'm on the home stretch with about 12 left to make.   I think I've made 73 so far - a painstaking job!  I should be able to start cutting the triangles for the on-point setting by the middle of next week.  Laying the whole quilt out in the basement should be a challenge.

Our local quilt shop offers us a percentage of half our age around our birthdays, so Tuesday I spent some time picking out neutrals (blacks, beiges, and whites) for backgrounds as well as some prints and nearly solids (yellow, red, teal) to use in the coming year.  It was quite a haul, but I forgot to get any green for the final border and binding of Double Date.  Guess I'll try to piece it with leftovers if I can.  

I'm anxious to finish putting it all together so I can work on another UFO, definitely not paper pieced.  I have never worked so exclusively on a quilt before, but with Pat in the guest room (maybe for a couple more months), this is what I've been doing.  Lots of other quilters work on just one quilt at a time, but this is a first for me. 

Paul has picked quite a few blueberries. One night we had blueberry pancakes for dinner - yummy!   I froze several bags, gave one more bag to a neighbor, and have another to give away. I've had blueberries on my cereal and plan to make another blueberry buckle today.   My blueberry cookbook is getting a workout.  My friend Cindy sent me this sweet little plant for my birthday (last Friday) - I set it in the kitchen window to add a little cheer to doing the dishes.

Heritage Days

Today is the last day of Barre Heritage Days, our annual summer community extravaganza.   We set up the library book sale Thursday under tents on the library lawn, and a vast array of jewelry, used but cleaned and repaired, was set up inside.  The weather continued to be hot and humid which was simply exhausting.  

After setting up, Paul and I walked over to Subway for dinner and cool drinks before heading back to the library for a friend's talk about his most recent novella.  It was great to see about 30 people of all ages there to hear Alan speak.  I wanted to ask him what he's working on now, but I'll catch him later today.

While waiting for the program to begin, I chatted with a person I'd met long ago at the library book group.  Neither of us has time to attend these days, but she told me she's been going to one in a neighboring town that deals mostly with mysteries - just up my alley.  I may start going to that in the fall.

Yesterday, I worked at the sale in the middle of the day.  We had a half hour's cloudburst which eventually cooled things off.   We managed to cover up what we could with plastic when the rain started, but we all got soaking wet ourselves.  Our soggy crew went home to dry off when a new shift arrived.  There were books in boxes on the ground that may or may not still be wet - we'll find out when we clean up later today.

In the evening, Paul and I returned downtown to hear "Donna Thunder" and her band which includes our next door neighbor.  Unfortunately, he wasn't playing, but our neighbors on the other side arrived to have drinks and appetizers with us before going down the street for Mediterranean street food. 

Today I'll be back at the book sale which winds down at 1 pm for cleanup.  We'll pick out the best books for the "bargain basement" which is open whenever the library's open.  The rest will be stacked up (see photo from last year) and picked up on Monday morning by Shred-X for recycling.  Tonight, we'll stay home for dinner and tomorrow we'll catch up on household things.  I might even get a chance to sew!

It's not the heat...

...it's the humidity, they say.  And it truly has been unbearably warm and sticky for at least a week.  In Vermont, a heat wave is not considered "official" until we have three 90 degree days in a row, but if it wasn't 90 out, it sure was hovering around 89 most days.  We have a heat pump which keeps it cool - sometimes too much so - downstairs, but on the second floor the air conditioner is in our guest/sewing room.  Our bedroom is cooled by a fan, which was pretty effective, but did make sleeping somewhat difficult some nights.  

Well, enough grumbling.  It's summer and very pretty outside.  All of the flowers are at their peak, and the sun has been shining a lot.  Last Friday night, we went with neighbors to a fun Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, The Gondoliers, at a little theater in the country.  We had a very nice pot luck picnic beforehand and managed to keep the bugs away for the most part.  Sunday, I had dinner with my son Chris which was a nice, cool way to catch up.

This week has been quiet, with a whole lot of reading to keep us fairly cool.  I finished How to Solve Your Own Murder which was quite complicated and fun.  I did a little sewing in the basement because our houseguest is still with us and may be here for several weeks more.  She is nice about eating whatever I concoct, and on hot days, that's mostly salads.

Today it is lovely weather - sunny and relatively cool.  We did some grocery shopping and picked up and dropped off more boxes for next week's library book sale.  Now I'm doing the laundry, catching up on online reading, and goofing off.  This afternoon, I'll head down to the basement for some more paper piecing.  I took stock of my progress with Double Date and have around 20 more blocks to make.  They're going to be set on point, so I've had to draw it out roughly on paper.   On-point settings always make me a little nervous, but I persisit!

Double Date progress

One benefit of sewing in a space that isn't my usual sewing room is that I've been confined to work on just one project at this time.  That's not my usual way, but it's my current way since Pat has been in the guest/sewing room for three weeks (but who's counting??).   Not bouncing between projects might be more efficient, but I do find myself reading more instead.  That could also be a consequence of the humidity we've been having, though.  

In the basement, I have a tub of "muslin" which contains cream backgrounds and lots of snippets of muslin-like fabrics, along with a bunch of green fat quarters.  The little Brother machine works just fine with paper piecing the 6" Jen Kingwell Double Date blocks.  Each takes about half an hour to make, so I can get three or four done in a session.  

At some point today I will get the ones I've stuck to my design wall upstairs and do a count.  I had planned to make about 49 blocks, which would be a 7 x 7 layout, but I think I might need 7 x 8 for balance.   So far, I think I have made about 36 blocks and have at least 6 more cut out.  I'll try to lay them out on the basement floor which I recently vacuumed.  It's carpeted and stayed relatively clean until I started sewing there!  

I also need to get into the room to put away some of the fabric I bought from Mary who is moving.  She closed her quilt shop about a year and a half ago and didn't want to take any excess fabric with her.  A huge hodgepodge of yardage was purchased for $50, and I plan to use most of it for backs.  There's 4 yards of a cream print of Mary, Joseph, and a donkey along with a couple yards of light green angel print.  Great for the backs of holiday table runners and tree skirts.

Independence Day

For retirees, most holidays seem to be just normal days.  Sometimes we don't even remember that they're holidays.  We don't have a lot of family to gather with, but we might just have a special meal.  Yesterday was no exception.  We grilled hamburgers and had cole slaw and chips (a treat for us).  After dinner we went downtown for a candlelight vigil with some like-minded folks including our next door neighbors.  Our friend Beth, a retired Episcopal clergyperson, said it best,

We held candles to share light in a dark time. Our unhoused neighbors — 109 folks in Barre alone — were kicked out of the hotel shelter program on July 1, on top of the budget boondoggle, and the fragility of our democratic system) and we decided candles were a good metaphor since their light is fragile (it was windy), requires tending and help from others if they go out.

Some were sad about the end of the hotel/motel program for homeless families, pointing to three people getting ready to sleep on the steps of the Good Shepherd church across the street.  Others were concerned about the signing of the "Big Beautiful Bill" (which our Congresswoman Becka Balint called the "big ugly bill").  I am concerned about the capture and incarceration of immigrants without due process, and the potential removal of naturalization from people deemed "unsuitable" American citizens.   It was a sober event, but nice to be with people who care about more than fireworks and barbecues.

Sewing is my therapy

It has been two weeks since I last blogged; a lot (or maybe very little) has happened in the meantime.  Paul's sister Pat has come to stay with us.  It was to be a few days while she got her cabin on a lake habitable for the summer, but immediately upon her arrival, we could see she isn't fit to be alone there.  And she needs help.   Her husband passed away early this year, and she is both depressed (my diagnosis) and alcohol dependent (everyone else's).  She has been detoxing, and, while it initially was quite tense around here, we have settled into a fairly quiet situation.  Our house is fairly small, so it has taken a couple of weeks for us all to adjust.

My sewing room is also our guest room, so I haven't been sewing much.  I finished knitting one hat and started another.  I have a sashiko piece all ready to start, but we had a few extremely (for us) hot days when I just didn't feel like starting anything.  I'll save it for my next Calico County Quilters meeting July 12.

Yesterday we finally moved my backup machine into the basement.  Earlier in the week, we moved enough stuff so I could cut fabric.  Yesterday I set up my little Brother machine (internet photo above) and went back to making Jen Kingwell Double Date blocks.  I have made about 20 and need 44 more (I think).    I bought a few more green fat quarters one day last week and also discovered quite a few neutral fabrics here and there.  

Ahhh!  What a relief to be sewing again!  I kind of like sewing in the basement where it's cool and quiet.  I looked around and thought maybe I should move all of my sewing stuff downstairs.  That would require getting rid of the trundle bed that we just put stuff on these days.  No one has slept on it for years.  But where would I store my fabric?   And I really do enjoy looking out of the window onto the street when I'm sewing.  

Peace appears to be reigning as we continue to get used to a temporary change in our situation.  I do think it will be a few more weeks before we know what's next for Pat.  Meanwhile, she seems to be recovering slowly, and we are mostly going about our regular routines.  My sanity is returning now that I can sew again.

Progress?

Let me get this out in the open first.  Sometimes, but not too often, I make huge mistakes.  My recent baking of squash bread was an absolute disaster!  I set the timer for what I thought was 60 minutes, put two loaves of bread in the oven, and went off to look something up on the computer.   

It smelled good at one point, and I thought the time was nearly up.  Then, much to my surprise, my oven started making a very odd noise, one I'd never heard before.  When I went to check, the display said "F2" which I took to mean "fire" because the kitchen was somewhat smokey.  I looked to turn off the oven but it had already shut itself off.  I got the bread out and immediately took it outside to cool in the driveway.  Then I opened all the windows and turned on the exhaust fan.  Phew!  Crisis averted.

Later, I got the bread out of the pans and cut all the burnt parts off the loaves.  What was left tasted surprisingly good.  I had planned to make a loaf of regular bread in my bread machine, but somehow I had lost my appetite.  It was time to stop cooking and start sewing.  I have been cutting fabric for Double Date in advance, so it's easy to sit down for an hour or so and work on paper piecing the blocks.

I'm finding these to go together more easily as I go along because I've developed a routine.  Paper piecing can be rather tedious, so I just work on a few each day.  This means the quilt will take some time to finish.  But that's OK.

I like the way the blocks look together, and I hope to pick up a few more green fat quarters soon to augment my stash.  I have made a dent in my larger pieces of green, but I need some lighter shades for variety and sparkle.  I'm not sure exactly how many blocks I will need to make - 56? 64?

My sewing room will be off limits for the coming week, so I'll work on what's cut up today and tomorrow and then put most of my tools, including my ironing board, away.  

The air conditioner will need to go in the window so Paul's sister Pat doesn't roast.  She'll be here while getting her lake cabin habitable for the summer; we aren't sure how long that will take, but it's fine.  I'm hoping she will help me go through some of my quilts to give away to family members at a memorial event for her late husband June 28.

A Leisurely Vacation

Paul, son Chris and I got back late yesterday afternoon from a trip to Golden, Colorado, where my Mom lives.  My sister Jenny lives about an hour north and comes down to help Mom most weekends.  She works like a Trojan on the yard and keeping the house in order, too.  Mom, who will be 103 in a few weeks, is doing fine but doesn't get around as well as she used to.  She has caregivers a a few days a week, a cleaning person, and yard people.  All of these kind folks keep Mom in her house which has a great back porch that overlooks very pretty flower gardens.  Jenny has planted some vegetables in planters there, and it's fun to sit and watch the birds at the feeders.  The hummingbirds are particularly fascinating because, of course, out west, they are bigger than ours.

We spent a lot of time sitting outside, reading, talking, and, in my case, sewing.  I read two books and almost finished the Kawandi piece I brought.  It just needs one last small piece and three of the little corner triangle thingies ("phula").  I am now wondering what I'll do with the piece - maybe use it as the front of a tote bag?

We did a little sightseeing, ate well, played several rounds of "Rummikub" with Mom and Jenny, and watched some of Mom's favorite old movies.  She loves ones on TCM (Turner Classics) and can invariably recount most of each plot.  Her mind is pretty sharp still.

One morning, out of curiosity, we visited the Mother Cabrini Shrine, just outside Golden.   We had to drive up a steep, winding road about a mile from the main road.   But it was a lovely day and the views were amazing up there.  We didn't walk all the way up to the statue of Jesus, but we did hear voices up on the trail that leads there.

We visited the little chapel with stained glass windows that tell the story of her life, a grotto with holy water, and a small museum with memorabilia and a timeline about Mother Cabrini.  The atmosphere was very serene and, even though we aren't religious, we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it there.  Paul and Chris even drank the holy water.

Our week went by much too fast, and now we're back to our old routine:  laundry, grocery shopping, handling the mail, charging our devices.  Our flights were OK although our flight to Denver encountered bad weather and had to be diverted to Grand Junction until the storm passed.  I didn't mind that much because I had the window seat and loved looking at the mountains from both east and west.

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

We are already back home after a nice week in Golden, Colorado, visiting my mom and sister.  Mom will be 103 on June 27, and we in the family are spreading her birthday out so we can all enjoy each other to the fullest.  We took Mom out to breakfast at Denny's one morning - that's her favorite place to go with us.  Another morning was spent at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, just a few miles from Mom's house.   There are usually two exhibits going on, and this time there was large selection of modern quilts and a smaller room of sampler quilts by Japanese-American women.  Here are a few of the contemporary ones.

First is one with a pieced background, topped with applique and embellishments.  The "grass" is a grayish silk thread.

This is a fairly traditional string quilt made of 16 blocks, half cream and half strings in mostly blues and greens.  What was interesting is that it was closely quilted with a serpentine stitch.

I liked the blend of colors and the quilting of this beach scene.  It's hard to tell, but the waves include small stitches made with white perle cotton.

This was Paul's favorite.  "The End of the Rainbow" shows an appliqued trout colored with fabric pens or pencils.  Out of its tail are gold beads pouring into or out of a pot of gold.  There's lots of texture created by machine quilting in the background.

The museum shop is slated for expansion so it's bursting at the seams.  There doesn't appear to be a quilt shop in the area, so this may be the only in-person source for local quilters.  I love to look at the related items, and because there was a gallery with Japanese-related quilts, there was a nice selection of sashiko kits.  

I would like to do more sashiko but instead decided to buy this panel which was designed especially for the museum by David Taylor.    I don't usually buy panels, but this one called to me, especially with the sun and trees.  It will make a nice throw.  The picture shows a wide border, but the panel really stops before the thin brown border, which is fine with me.

Pre-vacation busy-ness

There are just two days before we head out to Colorado with Chris to see Mom and Jenny.  Can't wait!  I am amassing things I don't want to forget on the guest bed and trying not to make a big mess in that room which doubles as my sewing room.  

I don't want to start any big projects, but I am always hankering to sew a little each day.  What to do?  Work on the guild block of the month.  This month's is called Dutch Treat and I used purples for my block which will go into a lottery at the June guild meeting.

I don't usually put my name into the lottery even though I make a block because I have plenty of UFOs to keep me busy.   But this time, I hope I win.   A bunch of these would be a perfect border around the Holland map quilt I'd like to make this summer.  Karen Abrahamovich has made patterns for all 50 states and is working on countries now.  I bought the pattern last year with an eye toward making the country in blue scraps.

I think this pattern will take some concentration, and I haven't decided what size to make yet.  So I decided to get out the foundation piecing papers for Double Date by Jen Kingwell.  I tried one 6" block and found it not too difficult, so I made a few more over the last couple of days.  I'm going to like working on this, using up some of my green scraps.  I have never made a whole paper pieced quilt, so I suspect I'll spread the work out most of the summer.

This afternoon, I'm going to settle in to watch "Quilting Arts" on PBS and do a little knitting on the shawl I started in January.  It has been waiting to be finished for a long time.  I'm anxious to start on a few hats for Bags of Love soon.

It's been fun, but...

I haven't sold anything via Etsy in a long time, so today I finally decided to close the shop.  I've been thinking about it for a long time.  I give away many of my quilts and sell more items at the local florist's shop on consignment anyway.  Selling can sometimes be stressful - finding a box and getting things in the mail ASAP.  I don't like to make quilts with an eye toward what will sell anyway.  And lately I've been producing fewer quilts, perhaps because I've been making more complicated ones most of the time.

Paul's sister Pat is due here in the middle of the month, and we have a family gathering a few weeks after that.  I'm going to ask her to help me figure out which quilts might be good to give away at that time.  I think some of the folks will be driving up so I won't have to mail them.  I do want to send one to California after Paul's nephew, who has a new job, moves.  

Here is one of my unsold favorites from the shop.  I remember making these star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every month in 2023 (or was it 2022?).  It will make a cozy throw for someone's couch or dorm bed.

More rainy weather

We have not had a weekend without precipitation since December, and this weekend is no exception.  It is another gloomy day, but I do plan to get out into the garage and pot up some impatients for the front stoop.  Maybe I'll even transplant some houseplants that need larger pots.  Everyone is tired of this gloom, but the rain does make everything look lush and pretty.

Yesterday I sewed the binding to the back of this little table runner.

It's about 10" x 20" and made of scrap purples.  The focus fabric and the pattern came from the quilters auction at the state guild.  My friend Tess wrote the pattern, and I bet she put the fabric in with it.  I will send her a picture soon.  I chose to make the smaller size, but the pattern has instructions for a larger one, and I just might make that one, too.   These are just my colors.

Tonight, we are going to the opera downtown - La Traviata - put on by Opera Vermont with a soprano from Italy.  We have been invited to a "meet the cast" reception beforehand which should be fun but will mean a very early dinner.  And, as usual, I'm wondering how dressy it will be.  Vermonters don't dress up much, so I probably could wear almost anything at all.  And that's probably what will happen tonight.  

In just another week we'll be heading to Colorado for a week with my mom and sister Jenny.  I'm beginning to pile up things to take along.  Mom's 103rd birthday is on June 27, so we're visiting early to have plenty of time with her alone.   We like to spend time chatting on the back porch, so I'm taking the kawandi piece I started last weekend.   She's looking forward to going to brunch at Denny's with us, and I'm sure we'll do a little sightseeing, too.  Chris likes to shop at the Coors Brewery, and I have to go to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.   We're hoping for sun in Golden.

Exploding Heart reveal

I labored over the pieces and the charts to make this Exploding Heart quilt in May.  My friend Marie did a nice job quilting it, and then it took me a while to finish hand sewing the binding down.  But I finally got it done in time for the guild meeting Tuesday night.  I have been looking at the accumulating quilts in the house and have decided to give some away to Paul's nephews and nieces.  Who will receive this one?  BTW, this quilt didn't put a dent in my purple box, and it's the second one I've made this year!

Tuesday, Tuesday

Our weather has turned chilly again, so I guess we had summer last week.  I did manage to plant petunias between batches of rain over the weekend, and they look pretty good.  This year, I found "wave petunias," and I'm looking forward to not having to pinch them of dead blossoms all summer. 

Our shared garden looks quite good, thanks to neighbor Gale who works tirelessly there.  She moved a maidenhair fern from her old garden to our new one just because she knew I like them.  I must take her hiking in the town forest this year to show her the huge patch along one of the trails.   (I copied the photo below from the internet)

With gloomy weather, I spent quite a bit of time in the sewing room, and yesterday I put a small red and white sampler mostly together.  Paul and I had lunch with Ruth before I could finish putting the outer border on, but I got that done today.  It will sit in the closet until I can get it quilted.  

When we got home from lunch, I spent some the rest of the afternoon reading the last book in the Magpie Murders series.  I know there will be a PBS Masterpiece series and want to get a jump on it.  So far it's as intriguing as the other two, and I'm sort of sorry there won't be another.

I woke up early (1:30 am!) Monday and spent time in the dark thinking about the Wensleydale quilt.  The red/white block is in the little sampler top I finished, but I have 59 more foundation papers left to play with.  It's the rectangular block - middle right below.

I kept sleeplessly ruminating on what color combinations to use.  Scrappy?  Not scrappy?  Later in the day I broke down and ordered a bundle of Tula Pink leftovers on etsy.  I'm hoping to do some fussy cutting for that central rectangle.

Because of waking up so early yesterday, I fell asleep at 9 pm, listening to the dulcet tones of the Boston Red Sox last innings.  Today I felt refreshed enough to get back to the little red/white quilt before aerobic walking at the library.  Because it's still cold to work outside, I went to the hardware store and got some impatiens and some compost/manure for someday when the sun comes out.

Little bits here and there

We have had amazingly beautiful weather lately, calling for time outside in the garden or just soaking up the rays.  I bought a bunch of plants Monday and have slowly been getting them into the ground.  There are still some petunias to plant among the tulips that just stopped blooming.  I need to buy some impatiens for the flower boxes in the front of the house and also a couple of bags of "Moo Doo" to spread around.  Hope to do that today or tomorrow, with Paul's help.

My Fat Quarter Shop order of foundation papers came, so I made one of each this week.  I love the way "Double Date" came together and plan to make a few 6" blocks in green and cream each month until I have enough for a quilt.  Paper piecing seems the only way to make this block accurately.

"Wensleydale" makes a much bigger block and seems perfect for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I may hold off on that one until 2026.  I did try out a block in reds for a new sampler that's starting to develop.  The blocks end up at 7" x 9".  

I've decided to focus on one or two colors and work on quilts from just those tubs for a while.  Hence, the red and cream/white sampler and the green "Double Date" blocks.  I'll be making a few red/white blocks in different sizes this summer until I have enough for a Bags of Love quilt.  I will alternate green and cream backgrounds for the green quilt.

So far, I've made just a few red/white blocks, but I'm enjoying using those scraps in different ways.  I need to make some "filler" blocks next.

Friday I got out the fabric and table runner pattern I "won" in the quilters auction at the state guild meeting.  As is typical of designs by my friend Tess, there are tiny pieces, but I did manage to get them all together and even quilt it.  

Now I need to hand sew the binding down, and then I'll need to decide whether to try to sell it or give it away.  I have two birthdays coming up in June, so if I don't find something for one or the other, I'll give them away.  I have plenty of the focus fabric left so may just make another to sell when I get a chance.  I noticed the fabric came from Joann's, a store I am already missing.

And finally, yesterday I went to our little Saturday quilt guild meeting to learn "Kawandi" quilting from Sarah.  It was fun!  I plan to take my project to Colorado in a couple of weeks to work on while we sit with Mom on the back porch.   Here's my work in progress.

Mothers Day

 

Hope you all had a very nice Mother's Day.  I sure did!  We had the first sunny day all month, and everything outside is green.  My son came over to help me clean the garage and brought me a lovely bouquet.  We scraped the garage floor of road salt and sand, and then he investigated a possible leak in the garage roof.  I held the ladder while he hopped up there, and I worried the whole time.  That never stops when you're a mother, even if he is 43 years old.  He also took a broom and swept away the cobwebs on the ceiling.  The garage looks presentable, at least superficially.  It will never be squeaky clean, but that's OK.

Afterwards, we had a delicious ravioli dinner, Chris went home, and we all took naps.  Later, I talked to Mom on the phone and then even later watched Call the Midwife and Miss Austen, my two favorites on PBS.  A perfect day!

Dear Jane revisted

Yesterday's state quilt guild meeting is over, and I am now the former president!  It was a great meeting, if I do say so myself.  A large number of new people joined, and attendance was up by quite a bit.  It makes me especially happy because when this particular board took over six years ago, the previous board was set on folding up.  The treasury was pretty much depleted and no programs were planned.  We managed to weather the pandemic by publishing additional newsletters and upgrading our web presence.  Once it became safe to meet again, we returned to our twice annual gatherings, with excellent speakers from within the state and fun programs.

My favorite part of our meetings has always been "show and tell."  In the fall, I had issued a presidential challenge to use the "Snowflake Bentley" fabric that had been copies from plates at the Smithsonian.  Bentley was a Vermonter who photographed snowflakes and learned that no two are alike.  Here's what one quilter showed yesterday.

Debie cut the snowflake blocks from the panel and then added snowflake blocks she designed herself along with some she machine embroidered.  It's a huge quilt!  And!  When she finished this quilt, she made a lap quilt with blocks she'd made using sashiko embroidery.  

Ginny and I did a short program about our journeys with Dear Jane.  We showed some of the "Baby Jane" quilts we've made over the years since the book came out in 1996.  Here are a few of mine.

This is my Asian Jane, made with those stunning prints and a black background.  (That's Tess holding the quilt)  Mary quilted this on her longarm.

Here's the baby quilt using 1930 blocks, some of them swapped.  I machine quilted in the ditch on the sashing and then hand quilted the individual blocks.

And here's the Christmas one I drape on the couch every year, again with some blocks that were swapped.  I machine quilted this quilt.

I walked over 8,000 steps yesterday, but it was well worth it!