Dual duty

 

I had this quilt top (53" x 55") hanging in the closet since early fall.  It is a variation (as most of my quilts are) of Jen Kingwell's Green Tea and Sweet Beans pattern.  I got tired of working on it over the summer, so set it aside until fall when I added the striped Australian fabric as the border.   All of the appliqued blocks are wool applique which I hope will not run when washed.  I like the quilt's cheerfulness.

During March, I made a block a day of Pat Sloan's quarter log cabin blocks.  Of course, I had to catch up some when we went on vacation for a week, but that was OK.   I used my basket of strings for most of the blocks, and used the plain mottled black for all the centers.  

Strings weren't the best choice as the seams don't match up.  Other people posted photos of quilts they made with fabric they had bought for the project, and they really looked nice.  Nonetheless, my top turned out cheery but not enough to be anything but the back of the Green Beans quilt.  Hence, the name Dual Duty.  

I plan to wash the quilt first and then, perhaps, give it to Bags of Love for foster kids.  Now that it's quilted, I do like a bit more.  I chose most of the strings at random, based on their length.  I ran out of longer pieces, so I used some leftover binding pieces as well.  

My strings have all been sorted by color and put into bags in my string basket.  I plan to see how they work out for my next Dear Jane row.  I have neglected that quilt for months and would like to get back to it.   But it's a very satisfying feeling to have no quilts hanging in the closet, waiting to be quilted.  It won't last - I have several blocks of the month that will no doubt be finished this summer.  

This leaves me with hand sewing the binding down on the Exploding Heart.  That will take a while because I have quite a few meetings and other events this week, and I don't like to overwork my wrists with hand sewing.

Blocks of the month

I wanted to make all the blocks of the month for April right away so that I could concentrate on (1) finishing the Exploding Heart which came back from quilter Marie and (2) quilting the Greent Tea and Sweet Beans variation that's been hanging in the closet since September.  The latter has the weird quarter log cabin flimsey on the back. 

First, I worked on the Heart of Vermont guild's BOM as well as the one designed by Kristin Lauren.  The "attic windows" one I made for the guild lottery is on the left.  I'm using the same fabrics for the guild BOM and the Kristin Lauren quilt because neither provided enough blocks for a bigger quilt.  I think it's going to end up as a very nice one with a black speckled background. 

I used an 8" block made with cut offs of previous months' blocks for the center of the attic windows.  The attic windows blocks were very easy because, every month, a different guild member chooses or designs it.  That means that it may be difficult or simple, depending on that person's interest or skill level.  This month's was chosen by a begnning quilter.   The half-square triangle was a stretch for her, but made for quite an easy block.  I noticed that very few people made Dresden Plates the month it was my turn!

After I finished these, I turned my attention to the Optimism blocks designed by Aby Dolinger.  I'm going for the queen-size so am making two 15" blocks each month.  I'm using a consistent beige floral background for each block and am dipping into my stash for a scrappy look.  I thought I'd make these quilt-as-you-go, but now I'm thinking I'll wait due to the various colors.  I'm not sure about sashing anyway although I have a very large piece of teal I'd like to use.  

I picked up my knitting again yesterday and worked away at the shawl I started in January.  I'd like to finish and go back to making hats for kids in foster care.   I really don't enjoy using circular needles and the shawl is wide enough to require them.   It was more or a long term commitment than the hats are, but nice for watching TV on a winter's afternoon.

Our weather has been typical for April - warm, cold, rainy, snowy, sunny.  It's hard to know what to wear, especially jacket-wise, but I have put away my warmest jacket.  I still have gloves at the ready, though, along with my puddle jumper Bogs slipons.  Tomorrow night the library is holding its Spring Fling, and I sure hope it doesn't snow!  I'll be joining Pam to sell raffle tickets for a gardening basket - what to wear will be determined by the weather.  My friend Sally says she's wearing a dress, but I will probably drag out the old faithful black pants and a top, along with a sweater if needed!

March block a day

 I have a small laundry basket for strings that I throw stuff in while I'm cutting other things.  Recently, I sorted the strings by color and put them in plastic bags.   All the neutrals and all the bits of leftover binding are in separate bigger bags.  I thought that would make them easier to use.  And I guess they are.  I made two table runners out of string-pieced equilateral triangles, and then I started on Pat Sloan's block a day challenge.  Wish I could find the link, but it seems to have left her website.  

Pat offered two different quarter log cabin blocks, each 12" finished but with differently sized centers.  I cut out a bunch of 4.5" mottled charcoal black squares to give the quilt some unity and proceeded to use my strings for the blocks.  I noticed "everyone else" cut even strips from fabric, but I was determined to make this a scrappy quilt.  Our little vacation got in the way of my making a block a day, of course, so I spent a few days this past week making more blocks, ending up with 25 before I decided to stop.

Yesterday I put all the blocks together and, while the result isn't awful, it isn't great either.  The different widths of the strings make it awfully busy.  But it's 60" x 60" so it will make a nice pieced back for the Green Tea and Sweet Beans flimsey (at left) I have had waiting to be quilted since September.  Sandwiching the two for quilting will be my project for today.  

I hear freezing rain tapping on the windows which I hope will melt the 6" of wet snow we got yesterday.  The roads were very iffy in the morning, so we had to cancel the library book sale.  But we did OK with the sale the day before, and everyone got a nice day off.

Because of the freezing rain today, I guess I will make some bread, too, rather than venture out on the roads.  I just started Kristin Hannah's The Women so I'll spend some time reading, too.  Happy Sunday!

On to another UFO

I ended up adding a 4" border of scrappy, variable nine patch blocks to Lily of the West and putting it in time out (the closet) for a while.  I'll think about the next border(s) to finish it while I work on Green Beans and Sweet Tea which I started in September.   This is a Jen Kingwell pattern that I was attracted to due to the mix of applique and piecing.  It is really meant for hand sewing.   I have got stalled on this one which may be my last Kingwell design.  There are just too many other quilts I'd like to make, some easier, some more striking, although I do enjoy working on samplers over time.

I had really been struggling to sew the hexies together into an 8" x 12" block, even with my magnifying glasses on.  I finally just appliqued them by machine onto a piece of background fabric using a small zigzag stitch.  I don't think I'll be making anything with hexies any time soon (if ever!).  I like the blocks I've managed to put together, including the cute wool applique.

The piece now measures about 40" x 42", and I'm aiming for a small throw.  I could make a bigger checkerboard of 2.5" scraps around the whole quilt, but I'd also like to frame it all with a darker, more solid 6" (or so) pieced border.  I will play around with a few ideas today - piano keys? drunkard's path? rail fence?

After the morning fog clears, I will take the Barn Star Sampler outside for a photo shoot so I can list it on etsy.  My offerings need refreshing there, and with Christmas on the horizon, I need to make and add a few table runners soon.

Tulip Star

 

Before Paul's brother Jim arrived on Sunday, I made most of this month's Barn Star Quilt block.  After Jim left, I finished it while doing laundry.  Houseguests are nice, but I always feel I have to get the sheets and towels washed right away.  

I enjoyed making this 16" block which went together fairly easily.  I am thinking of making four blocks in various colors - red, blue, purple, yellow, with green "leaves" - for a baby quilt.  Our friend Karen has a new granddaughter, born on the day of the eclipse.  I am dying to know what her parents named her.  I'll find out soon enough, I guess.   Paul suggested "Aurora," a pretty name.

It's been a rather slow week as we recuperated from the excitement of the eclipse and Jim's visit.  On Tuesday morning we took him to the Wayside for breakfast, which is something many "natives" of the area get nostalgic about.   The restaurant has been in business since 1918 and has extremely reasonable prices.  Always busy, it serves old fashioned food like pot roast, liver and onions, and grapenuts pudding, as well as great breakfasts, burgers, and more.   Jim was anxious to get a lobster roll the last time he was here, but we couldn't find one until after he had left.  This time, we took him to a different restaurant on Sunday night, and he pronounced the lobster roll great.  It was a short visit, mostly to see the eclipse, but the two brothers seemed to have fun together.

I started putting sashing between my Dear Jane blocks and have a few more rows to go.  Today I won't do any sewing, but tomorrow I hope to get to the guild's block of the month and the state guild's raffle block.  We have a couple of busy weeks ahead with meetings and doctor's visits, but I hope to squeeze some hand sewing in, too.  I have hexies ready for one block in the Green Tea and Sweet Beans (or is it the other way around?) quilt and "just" have to sew them all together before piecing a few more blocks.  This afternoon we are off to the library to see a locally made movie.  Friends loved it, so I hope we do.

Ready to quilt

I got so involved finishing up the Birch Street collage yesterday that I forgot I had clothes in the washer.  They never got put into the dryer, so now I'm running a quick wash before doing so.  Such is the way of the quilter:  when we get really involved, all signs of "life" fall away.

After talking with Marie at the quilt shop on Thursday, I decided it was time to put pedal to the metal and finish up.  She made me feel better by saying that it took her 6 months to finish one of her collages.  And here I had been complaining that I started mine in October.  But the collage UFO took up most of the guest bed, and that's where I lay out quilts to be put together and/or quilted.  It was impeding my progress.

Yesterday, I added the "grass," the road in front, a few embellishments (including the tiny bicycles), and the border, and I ironed everything down with steam.  It is now ready for simple quilting which I will attempt to do with my Elna.  I've ordered some Mistyfuse to help me sandwich it with muslin backing and a pieced batt I've been saving.  

Big question:  how to "mark" the beginning center line?  I'm afraid to use painters tape for fear it will remove pieces (a window already fell off while I was putting the border on - glue to the rescue!).

Meanwhile, I will work on blocks for Dear Jane and Green Tea and Sweet Beans.  I want to get a few kits made up to take on our trip south in February.

Green tea and sweet beans

 

These are all the blocks I've made so far for this Jen Kingwell designed quilt.  (What a name!  I keep forgetting it.)  I have a ways to go but am enjoying it quite a bit.   I am using the same background, a cream with a small brownish print, and scraps of cotton and wool.  

As is typical with Kingwell, we make a lot of blocks, then some filler pieces, and then put the quilt together in sections that mix up all the blocks.  There are appliqued borders, too, and we'll have to wait and see if I have the energy to make those.  The wool makes the applique a bit easier, and I love how it feels.

Yesterday's snowstorm wasn't as bad as it might have been.  This was the third Monday in a row we've had wet, sloppy snow.  We had about 4", but because the temperatures hovered around freezing, the roads didn't look too bad.  Luckily, we didn't lose power so I was able to make a nice lunch - bacon, eggs, and raisin toast.  

We did lose the cable which provides internet, TV, and phone.   Paul had a Zoom meeting that he couldn't dial into, but he could use my cell phone to participate.  My preventing diabetes Zoom class was cancelled, but it all came back on in time to watch the TV news.

Because of the possibility of losing power, I didn't do much that required it like laundry, sewing, or baking.  But that meant I had a chance to finish the latest Marie Bostwick book, Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly, which I really enjoyed despite the unfortunate title.  It is set in Asheville, NC, and has some quilting in it.  I will have to go look at Bostwick's website, though, because there is a recipe for Caramel Cake, which the characters talk about all the time.