Hanging at the library

This summer, our public library displayed a section of the AIDS quilt.  A lot of people came and really were moved by it.  In order to hang the quilt, the library had to install two sturdy rods on what used to be the outside brick of the building.  There's a relatively new two story addition with a balcony on the second floor over the circulation area.  Luckily, a volunteer handyman stepped forward to install the rod.  Miche isn't afraid of climbing tall ladders because he repairs chimneys all over the area.  In fact, he inspected ours a few summers ago.

After the AIDS quilt moved on to another site in the USA, the spot looked very empty, and the library staff asked me if I knew of any quilter who might have two quilts to hang in that spot.  Did I know any quilters?!?  I said I would be happy to hang some quilts, but I found that of my bed-sized quilts only one had a hanging sleeve.  I added a sleeve to another favorite and took them to the library where they were hung last weekend.  They look great although they are difficult to photograph from below or above.  Paul went down to the library yesterday with the camera as I thought my phone wouldn't do a good job.

Both quilts were made around 2000-2001 and graced beds in our B&B over the nine years we ran it.  

The purple one started with a pattern from a book called Stars in the Garden by Piece o' Cake Designs.  I liked it but didn't want to make any more appliqued blocks of that size, so I added borders in various purples.  I asked a long arm quilter in a town about an hour east of us to quilt it.  I never minded the drive back and forth because she did such a great job.  At that time machine quilting was mostly free motion.  Mary used to quilt all of my quilts, but then she started the Machine Quilters Expo and got way too busy.  

At any rate, after she finished quilting this, Mary encouraged me to enter it into a quilt show in her area.  It was the first show I ever entered, but I couldn't attend because we were very busy with fall foliage guests.  On Sunday night, after the show ended, Mary called to say that she noticed I hadn't come.   "I would have liked to have seen your face when your quilt won the Viewers Choice Award," she said.  I remember hopping all around the kitchen in amazement!

The heart quilt was part of a swap with an online group.  Each person put together a batch of fabric and told what theme she'd like blocks to be.  Then the blocks and fabric went from person to person around the country until they returned to me.  I had chosen red and pink fabrics and asked for heart blocks of any size.  When they all came back to me, I put the blocks together, adding other blocks and strips as needed.  I love the background fabric of this quilt; it has little hearts on a cream background.  

The way Mary quilted this freehand is just unbelievable.  Here and there she wrote words like "love" and "be mine."  It's very sweet.  My favorite block is the one in the upper right which I did in broderie perse, cutting out red cherries and arranging them in a heart shape.

I don't know how long the quilts will hang at the library, but I of course have several more than can go in their places!

Stick Season

Here in Vermont, we call the time between fall foliage and snow Stick Season, and there's even a popular song by Noah Kahan.   Some oak leaves still cling to their branches, but that's about it.  I don't mind it when it's not snowing.  When the sun shines, the birch and beech trees shine.  Of course, some days are gray and windy, but those are the times I stay inside and quilt.  Or read.  Right now, Louise Penny's latest book is really holding my attention.

Quilting the Dresden quilt is coming along slowly.  I need to make some progress on it this week because next week my brother Rob and his wife Linda are coming for a few days.  My quilting room is also the guest room.  I'm hoping to get rid of more of Sylvia's mother's fabric from the totes stacked up in the dining room.  I put as much as I could in bags and will take them to guild for the free table.  I took three bags to the ReStore yesterday and was surprised at how willing they were to take them.

Saturday's state quilt guild meeting went really well.  We had nearly double our usual attendance which was a shock, with 28 guests who may return in May and join.   People really seemed to enjoy the demos, including Tess' Temperature Quilts one (her example at left). Show and tell was fun, too, and there was a special category this time for Christmas and winter holiday-related items.  Soni does a great job organizing this, and people love gettng fat quarters as prizes! 

Making progress, albeit slowly

 Quilting the floral Dresden plate quilt is coming along nicely so far.  Yesterday, I ran parallel lines around the center plate, and today I'll work on the half plates.  Sorry the quilting isn't visible in this photo.  

After taking the class on walking foot quilting with Beth Ann Williams, I feel a whole lot more confident and comfortable with what I'm doing.  I ran out of basting pins mid-way through on Sunday, but managed to buy up all the rest that Joann Fabrics had.  Where do the pins go?  I should have gotten some more flower-headed pins while I was at it, too, since my supply is dwindling.  

Anyway, as I work my way out from the center, the quilting should get easier.  I will continue going diagonally down the center of each piece of the plates and echoing the center half circles today.  I'll switch to black thread on top for the half circles.  Echo quilting those butterflies will be my next challenge.  Once I move on to the succeeding rounds, quilting should be easier.

A great class

Thursday I zoomed a class with Beth Ann Williams called "Easy and Effective Machine Quilting with a Walking Foot."  It's a two part class, with more good info next Thursday.  Beth Ann showed a number of marking tools that I have but haven't tried very much, as well as those I haven't heard of.  I'm heading to the quilt shop this morning to see if I can find some.  Here's a link to her blog updating her test of marking tools.

We went over various ways of echo quilting as well as stabilizing the sandwich and moving it without turning.  Her hints were very helpful, and I enjoyed working on the homework.  That involved practicing marking and stitching.  If you are looking for a useful class, I would recommend Beth's.  She is practical and very approachable.  

Beth said that physical limitations have led her to quilt most things with a walking foot these days, and the quilts she showed were really nice.  I have stopped trying the do free motion quilting myself because I find it stressful.  I can never seem to regulate the tension and length of my stitches, but my walking foot stitches turn out great.  When I want curlicues, I take a quilt to a long armer.  Much of what she talked about, I already knew to some extent, but it felt good to dive a little deeper into the subject.  Can't wait til next Thursday!

Fall fun

 It's going to be a cloudy high 40s today, and I see the wind blowing.   That means it's chillier than it looks.  The foliage is still pretty, but I don't think I'll be going outside to do any yard work.  There is laundry going this morning, and this afternoon I have signed up for a machine quilting workshop online.  It's about using a walking foot more creatively, and I hope to pick up a few pointers.

Yesterday we met Diane and Bill for an early dinner downtown.  It was $5 Burger Night, and the burgers were really good.  I checked on Noom before ordering so found that my burger was within my range, thank goodness.  I am finding Noom quite interesting, but I don't know that I'll renew after my three months are up.  I'm not sure I've lost any weight this month.  Anyway, walking back to the car, Paul had to stop for a picture.  If you can enlarge it, you'll read some funny epitaphs.

 

Making quilting progress

The Friends of the Library book sale and my birthday got in the way of my quilting last week.  Then on Sunday, we went to the movies to see Oppenheimer.  Some years ago, I started to watch an opera based on his experiences at Los Alamos, but I just couldn't figure the story out, except for the fact that he smoked incessantly.   The music was very atonal, so I turned it off after about half an hour.  Oppenheimer smoked a lot in the movie, too, which was about the beginnings and workings of the Manhattan Project as well as the guilt and concern he experienced after the dropping of the bomb.  Three hours flew by, and, while one reviewer complained there was virtually no science in the film, that was a plus for me.  

But I digress!  Tuesday morning, I had a tutorial in using the long arm quilting machine at the Gypsy Moth Quilt Shop here in town.  Mary carries more modern fabrics which aren't always to my taste, but she does have some fun activities, including Quilt Bingo nights.  She also rents time on her Sweet 16 machine.  Now that I've taken my course, I can make appointments to use the machine even though I don't feel all that confident yet.  I hope that will come with time.

I took a small quilt to work on and managed to finish the quilting in a couple of hours.  There is one spot I need to redo on my machine and then I can put the binding (all ready to go) on.  Mary seemed surprised that I chose a fairly modern quilting design, but the Cakes on Stands seemed right for it. 

I haven't taken a photo yet but will soon.  Here's one of the blocks, made by my friend Susan from Washington state.  I worried about quilting on top of the rick rack, but it was no problem at all.

Yesterday I put the two sections of my Hankie quilt together, added the borders, did a little more quilting, and cut out the binding.  Today I sewed the binding t the front and started hand sewing it to the back.  I have just a few more spots to hand quilt, but you can see that most of the quilting is done.  

It's a fairly large throw and a little fragile.  While quilting, I got the walking foot caught in one of the hankies and then, to add insult to injury, poked the hole with my finger.  I have to figure out how to mend that spot.  Even if I never give it away, I risk making the hole bigger as I handle the quilt.  I'm thinking of embroidering some cross stitches at that spot, but I might also do a little sashiko.  I'll keep thinking about it as I sew that binding down, probably a side per day.

Toes and eagles

Machine quilting It's the Point is coming along nicely, and I hope to have all of the vertical lines done this afternoon.  When I look at it from a distance, I really like it.  Up close, it's apparent I can't sew in a straight line (can anyone?).  Well, I like the effect, and that's all that matters.

Yesterday I met Debb for our monthly pedicure and chin wag.  After all these months of just getting clear polish, much to Pedicurist Helen's dismay, I went for a soft pink polish, while Debb had purple.

Debb and I always talk about a lot of different things during these sessions, and this time she told me her grandson says everyone in his second grade class chose a "nature name" to be more in tune with the world around us.  He chose "Bald Eagle."  I told her how my friend Samantha took a bunch of spectacular bird photos on Lake Champlain a few weeks ago and shared her photo of an eagle for her grandson.  Isn't it amazing?

We speculated what our nature names should be although Debb's grandson has already given her "Cottontail."  I guess he's gearing up for Easter.  I think mine should be something floral, though, like tulip or violet.  Bulbs are beginning to pop out of the ground, and I'm hoping to see flowers in the yard very soon.   For now, I'll have to be content with the fabric kind.

 

Steadily working

 

Wish I could say I have finished something in the last few days, but nope!  Not happening!   It's been a busy week.  Tuesday, I made two batches of Chex Mix which I divided for gifts (kept just a little for me and Paul).   I did a bit of reading in between stirring every 15 minutes while it all baked.  I'll bake some cookies over the weekend and will put some in the freezer for after the holidays.

Wednesday, I helped set up and clean up a luncheon for the library staff.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, including the bowl cozies and soup mix in a jar I'd made them.  One person reminded me that one year I gave everyone Christmas socks - she had just worn hers the previous day.  I am glad the Friends of the Library can do something like this each year for the staff who have been working super hard to keep service going.

In between holiday stuff, I've been putting the quilted blocks of the "big block sampler" (for lack of a decent name) together.  After I quilted each of the four strips, I have been putting them together, one at a time, hand sewing the back seams and then machine quilting the sashing between the sections.  Fitting the sections together is a bit tricky but looks good in the end.  Cornerstones are essential to keeping it all square.

Above is my favorite block in the quilt because it used so many 2.5" squares and some of my stash of half-square triangles, too.   I enjoyed quilting each block separately, even the appliqued one.  Each block finishes at 16".  It feels good to end the year with a very scrappy quilt.  After I get the sections together and cream borders on, I'll decide about a final border - scrappy, strings, plain?  I'll wait and let the quilt "talk" to me about what it wants.

Pop Stars

The little (55" x 59") Pop Stars quilt is quilted and bound.  The pattern for the blocks came from a video tutorial by Jenny Doan of the Missouri Star Quilt Company, and I used it for a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project from the fall of last year until now.

I used mostly scraps from the various colors chosen for the RSC each month, although at the end I used scraps from my box marked "Wild Patterns."  It included fabrics with more than one color and some novelty prints.  The gray backgrounds were mostly scraps, too, left over from the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt last fall.  I did buy the darker gray border fabric.

The various border blocks were made from triangles cut off when making the stars.  It was quite an easy block to make, measuring a weird 8.5" finished, but by the time each month rolled around, I had completely forgotten how to make the block.  Two of the yellow blocks were made too big (9" finished), so I cut them down to fit into this quilt.  I do like the way each star floats on its own background.

I tried something new in quilting this quilt, wavy lines, fairly close together, all along the length of the quilt.  I decided to give it a try after an online lecture by Judi Kirk, a British quilter, through the Vermont Quilt Festival.  She spoke with a bed-sized quilt as a backdrop, and that quilt had the same type of quilting.  She uses that type of quilting because she says it does not distract from the quilt's piecing.  

It was easy but somewhat tedious, yet I liked the way it looked in the end.  When you start, you make the vertical lines 2-3" apart, and that doesn't look too good at all.  After doing those lines far apart all the way across (I started in the center), you fill in the spaces at random intervals.  It is the randomness that really helps the quilting blend in.

I also used Kirk's suggested polyester thread with a ballpoint needle, although I think cotton thread would work just as well.  The poly is finer and does shimmer a little, which is a nice effect.  I will definitely use this technique again, although I'd like to try a few other techniques first.

Dancing nine patches

 

It's summer - time for local strawberries!  When I saw the baskets at the supermarket, I just had to get some rhubarb to go along with them for jam.  How I miss my rhubarb patch from my old house! It made great jams and muffins when we ran the B&B.

I always make my jam early in the day to avoid the heat.  It's one of the hottest jobs I know.  But so worth it!  On most hot/humid days, I can be found in my sewing room with the air conditioning on.  Today I'll be there, quilting a Dancing Nine Patch quilt.

Last year sometime, I started making nine patch blocks whenever I was between projects or just wanted something simple to sew.  I used my overflowing box of 2.5" squares to make 6" blocks.  It was fun to see how they turned out since I just pulled them out at random after sorting lights and darks.  I had thought I'd try the Bonnie Hunter "leader/ender" thing, but I just couldn't keep at it.  There was just too much stuff on my sewing table if I was working on something else at the same time.    

Last weekend, I counted the blocks, made a few more, tested a few settings, and ended up with Bonnie's "Dancing Nine Patch" setting, adding a couple of yards of light blue "Dimples" fabric from my stash.  It all went together quickly, and was soon ready for quilting at 64" x 64".   After the VQF lecture I attended virtually Tuesday, I got some new ideas about quilting with a walking foot which I'm trying, including using machine embroidery thread.  I went to Joann's this morning to get some silver grey thread and batting (currently on sale at 50% off).  So far, the 100% viscous thread is working well with a slightly longer stitch length.  It has a nice sheen.  Luckily, my stash had a couple of yards of cream "Boundless" fabric from the old Craftsy for the back.   

I don't usually work so quickly, but I was on a roll.  I may go back to Joann's today for more batting.  That sale is too good to pass up.  Hope you have a great weekend!

A rainy day

 Yesterday's snow flurries turned to rain, so we stayed indoors and didn't even open the garage door until noon.  We rarely use the front door and always exit/enter through the garage, so it is usually open all day long.  It's a good thing I opened the garage door after lunch, though, because my order from Hancock's arrived with fabric for my Hannah's Journey quilt.  I'll be starting those blocks of the month in mid-March.

Meanwhile, I finished knitting and sewing together these very basic mitts.  They look fine on, but like weird tubes off!

I also finished my long-standing shredding project, eliminating many boxes containing old guest receipts from our B&B and records from Paul's late mother's estate.  It felt good to get the last box out for recycling along with the shreds.  

The hankie quilt got its last border attached and was sandwiched, too.  It's about 38" square and shouldn't take long to quilt.  The hankies belonged to Marj and Karen, so I will offer the wall quilt to their favorite charity, the Old Labor Hall, for fundraising when done.  Marj passed away last summer and is sorely missed.

In a flurry of productivity, I started a Gansey-style scarf, too, using some soft cotton/modal yarn.  While I'm not a great one for following a pattern row-by-row, I do enjoy an easy change in design and just discovered Gansey knitting which seems perfect for me.  Maybe it will help me learn to use charts for quick reference, too.  My row counter is getting a work out.  The pink seems a lot brighter than the online photo, but it's growing on me.  

Tomorrow will be March and, with warmer daytime temperatures, sugaring season is beginning.   This week we'll get our first COVID vaccinations.  Vermont is waking up in many ways.

"Encouraging Words" is finished

In July, I started a block of the month created by Abigail Dolinger called "Sisters" because it included patterns for two similar blocks each month, 6" and 12".  I worked hard to catch up with the previous months and then worked on blocks every month through December, using scraps from my stash.  I love mixing batiks, contemporary prints, and Civil War repros in the same quilt.  My background fabrics were cream scraps, but I did use a new printed fabric for the sashing and border.   

Aby had a suggested layout that resulted in a larger quilt, but a slightly "tighter" layout suited me better.  The finished quilt measures 60" x 64", so it's a nice-sized throw.  I'm calling it Encouraging Words because the printed sashing has words like "love," "snuggle," etc.  I guess it's meant for babies, but it seems very a propos for anyone at this stressful time.  

The back and binding were also purchased, from Dee's bargain area and is a print by Cotton and Steel.  As you may be able to see, I quilted each of the 12 sections of blocks with a simple grid, using my walking foot and a washout pen.  This caused some of the red in one of the prints to bleed a bit, but after washing, I noticed the color catchers came out clean (although one is missing - where did it go?).  

This quilt is destined for sale at the florist's shop downtown.  It's time to freshen up my display and to replace a lovely twin Log Cabin quilt that hasn't sold over the past two years.  It's time to fluff that quilt up and try it out on etsy again.   I was quite surprised to sell two quilts on etsy this year, including one that has languished there for a couple of years. 

The day I finished sewing the binding down on Encouraging Words, I also finished the binding on my Green Mountain Spring, based on Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery.  That quilt's 80" x 80", though, so harder to photograph.  One spring day I'll have Paul and Chris hold up the bigger quilts so I can.  Winter is really my most productive quilting time but the hardest time of year to take pictures of what I make.

Heart of Vermont Sampler

We finally got outside to take some photos of the quilt I finished quilting and binding last week!  It was either too hot, too cloudy, too rainy before, but yesterday was perfect weather.  

The blocks in the Sampler were 9" (finished) and some were made by members of my local Heart of Vermont guild.  Here's a closup.

These projects are always tricky because some of the blocks are wonderful but others are a bit "off."   I deal with those in various ways, including taking them apart and making new blocks; adding some coping strips to get them up to size; and putting them in my "orphan" box to use another time.   In this instance, I actually made one very similar to another block a friend had made, because it seemed to need an echo.  I also put a few on the back and surrounded them with scrap fabrics for a pieced back.   As you may be able to see from the back, I quilted all the blocks differently, using my walking foot.  I love the inner border fabric which I also used for the cornerstones.

This quilt will eventually go to an old library friend of Paul's who has retired to Kentucky.  We have talked about driving out to visit him (I'd like to go to Paducah, too), but we're not sure when we'll be able to.  So I will probably mail it to him.

Yesterday, I also made a blueberry-peach pie, with peaches I had frozen last summer and some blueberries from our bushes.  I even made the pie crust from scratch, using a recipe from King Arthur Flour.  It's the first time I've encountered buttermilk powder in a crust recipe, but it was delicious.  We had salad for dinner and will be having lite meals until the pie is gone!  In the early evening, we played croquet with the neighbors and gathered for wine and conversation in the back yard, at social distances (of course).  These are definitely the lazy days of summer.

Works progressing

This is the sixth month of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and this month's color is, thankfully, pink.  I have lots, despite having made the Good and Plenty 2 quilt (looks like a granny square) earlier this year.  I still have to quilt that, by the way.  Anyway, here are my three blocks for the rainbow quilt.

Yesterday we did quite a few little errands, but they were all really useful.  We got rid of a month's worth of compost at the dump, delivered gardening raffle items to the library which is going to open soon (our trunk is almost empty!), and planted more flowers in the back yard.  Then I finished basting The Avenue, a Jen Kingwell pattern by Louise Papas.  I managed to do three anchoring quilting lines in the ditches and will work on more machine quilting today.  I think I'll echo quilt the "trees" and do simple straight lines in the sashing and borders.

I really like the way this quilt is turning out.  It used up a lot of my black on white/cream scraps, and I'm using white on black scraps for the binding.  I actually machine appliqued the tree trunks which was a first for me.  I think that will be it for Jen Kingwell patterns for a me for a while, although I do love the scrappiness of them.  I have quite a few UFOs still waiting in the wings.

Everything "wash-away"

We had a busy day yesterday.  The weather was terrible - rain, ice, snow.  I went to the dermatologist who confirmed that the place where she removed cancerous cells a few months ago was all healed and show no signs of anything.  UPS delivered Euros we had obtained through AAA for our cruise in a few weeks.  And!  The car was fixed with parts that arrived in the morning.  What a relief to have a reliable vehicle again.  This past week or so was one of the few times when we missed having a second vehicle.

In the middle of all these things, I finished pin basting the guild mystery quilt that Chris says looks like something a grandmother would make.  I decided to anchor the quilt by using wash-away thread in the ditch between the blocks.  Now that I have started quilting, I can remove the pins and maneuver the quilt much more easily.

I hope you can see the quilting in this photo.  I drew criss-cross squiggly lines on the quilt with a wash-away pen, and am now echoing the line over the whole quilt.  I thought that, with the old fashioned look, it needed a more modern style of quilting.  Luckily, it's smallish so quilting shouldn't take too long.  When I finish the squiggles, I will quilt the borders very simply, bind, and wash away the marks and the basting thread.  This is my first time using this thread which Ricky Tims swears by.  Hope it all comes out!

Today we go to vote on school board members, I'll go down to the flower shop with quilts to hang and sell in her store, and then I'll make some hot cross buns.  And then I'll get a few more rows in on the quilt.  And I might get a load of wash in, too.

Quilting after the election

I am so glad I had a big quilt to wrestle under my machine this week.  It offers time to reflect on the election and cool down after some annoying disappointments.  My friend, for whom I am again serving as campaign treasurer, lost his bid for Vermont House.   We weren't all that surprised since he was running against two incumbents.   I need to file his final campaign finance report later today, but it was a shoestring campaign, making it easy.  We took in and spent less than $1,000.  The good news is that two friends in the neighboring city won their elections.  Some other local election results were head-scratchers, though, so I'm glad to have other things to occupy my mind.

I've been working a little each day on the red, white and blue medallion quilt which is about 85" square.  After pin-basting on Sunday, it took a couple of days to anchor each border.  I did some straight stitching through a couple of the skinnier borders, and now I'm using my walking foot to echo some wavy lines I drew in the 18" center square.  It's looking good so far, but I take plenty of breaks to do things around the house or read.

Yesterday morning I went to my hand-sewing guild for a few hours and got some yoyos sewn onto charm squares for the state guild quilt.  Robin was cutting out more charms for the same project, and Bronwen was making nine patches and cutting fabric for a future project.  It is relaxing to sew and chat with these ladies.  After I got home, I continued knitting a dish cloth using "Scrubby" yarn.  I don't like the scratchy way it feels, so I'm not sure I will make any more.  I do like having an easy knitting project while watching TV.

We are heading to Washington, DC, for a few days Wednesday, just for a pre-winter getaway.  But Tuesday we're heading to Hanover, NH, for a consultation with a cardiologist for Paul, which means I need to get our stuff together for the trip Monday.  Today's chores will be laundry and some grocery shopping before I can get back to quilting.

Storm at Sea

I finished this a few weeks ago but the weather has been so bad that we haven't been able to get out for photos.  Finally, it's warm (37 degrees!) and sunny today, so we took a few.

Here's a closeup - if you click on it, you should be able to see the quilting - it took me 3 weeks...

First 2018 project

Over the years, I've taken a lot of machine quilting classes, both in person and online, and I've learned quite a bit.  One of the best classes I took was was Frieda Anderson at the Vermont Quilt Festival some years ago.  Still, I'm not all that confident, especially with free motion quilting.  I always feel a little out of control.  My newer sewing machine has a slightly bigger harp and that helps, but I still haven't mastered setting the tension to look as good on the back as on the front.  I still feel better using my walking foot.

Recently, I got a copy of Leah Day's new book Explore Walking Foot Quilting and decided I'd try something on a string/scrappy quilt that's been waiting in the closet for a while.  Here's what I'm up to.

I like it!  I first quilted in the ditch from the center and around the string quilt section to stablize.  Now I'm echoing a gentle curve I drew in each of the four sections.  I thought this would be a good pattern for the irregular but straight blocks.  There are wobbles, but you can't see from the picture (just like you won't on a galloping horse!).  I don't know what I'll do with the scrappy/selvage borders, but I keep thinking about them as I quilt along.   Probably, I'll resort to my old stand-by, curvy lines across.

Reading Leah's book, I now have a thought about how to quilt my more recently finished Storm at Sea.  I'm so glad I got this book, if just for the confidence it is giving me.