Photos at last

 We finally had a sunny day!  Never mind the fact that it was 16 degrees this morning.  We had to wait for a very heavy coating of frost to melt before we could go out and take these pictures.

Here is the trellis quilt I made out of 5" charms received in a swap with other squares from my stash.  

I quilted it on a grid which was very easy.  The borders were quilted with wavy lines.

I had been fretting about quilting the medallion quilt I've been working on most of the year.  It was a virtual round robin that I organized with an online group.  Each month, we'd have an assignment (e.g., squares, triangles, etc.).  

After the last border, I decided it was big enough, so I added some plain borders and then pondered how to quilt it.  Measuring 79" x 79" by now, it would be a lot to do on my home machine, even though I've found that medallions are easier for me to quilt than sashed blocks.   I do want to hand quilt the center which is sashiko embroidery, but my longarm friend Marie says she can work around that.  

It really requires two people to hold it, but Paul did manage to hang on to half for this photo.  You'll see the whole thing when it's finished.  The binding has been cut and sewn already and is in a bag for whenever it comes home from Marie's.   I told her there is no hurry, but she is very speedy so I'll probably see it back here soon.

We also took some photos of a little quilt I made for someone for Christmas, but I will wait to show it after it's been opened, just in case s/he sees this blog!

Back at it

I lost my sew-jo for a few days, which is OK.   I don't have a deadline for anything.  I spent that time reading and knitting mostly, and even washed a few windows.  But yesterday I pieced a back for the little blue scrap quilt top I made last weekend, and I hope to sandwich it soon.   I cut out several pieces to make chapstick keychains - they just take a 3 1/2" x 9" strip of fabric and a key chain ring - and I messed around with interfacing.  To use it or not?  It makes a more useful item, so I will fiddle around with placement today.  Slipping the ring on is the hardest part for me as I pry the end apart with my fingernail.

I have two Dutch nieces and their husbands that I like to send little Christmas gifts to.  One loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and I just happened to find ornaments at Walmart for her that I can easily mail with my Christmas letter.  But I can't send something to one without the other, so I'll send the keychains to the other niece and her husband who loves motorcycle racing.  She'll get a floral one while he'll get one that looks like tire tracks.

That leaves a few others to tuck into packages and Christmas stockings.   Other than that, I have to finish sewing down a hanging sleeve on a little quilt I made out of a panel for my friend in California.  It has been so gloomy lately that I haven't taken any pictures at all, either inside or outside.  Today it's supposed to be sunny so I hope to rectify the situation.

Gloomy days are good days for baking, and yesterday I made some apple donuts.  We delivered 8 to neighbors, including two men who had recently come home from extended hospital/rehab stays.  That left us with 4 which we enjoyed.  A perfect distribution of "wealth!"  Alas, they were gone before I could get a photo but rest assured, they were delicious.

Family history

 Over my 35+ years as a librarian, I tried to avoid genealogical reference work whenever possible.  But since I've been retired, I've been drawn deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.  Now I run a genealogy club for people in the area.  It's basically a support group of very nice people, all doing our own thing.  Some like to keep expanding their family trees, while others are sorting through family memorabilia to discover clues to ancestry.  We even organized a genealogy "fair" for the community last fall to share what we've learned.  

It's been an interesting journey so far for me.  I've learned that 1/4 of my roots are firmly southeast Asian stemming from many Indonesian foremothers on both sides.  These ladies had no written documents beyond basic data.  Some didn't have family names; others adopted Christian names after marrying Dutch men, schooling or other life events (unknown to me).  It's very typical for people living in colonized parts of the world.   I have become accustomed to almost every branch of my tree dead-ending somewhere on the maternal side.

As a librarian and an amateur writer, finding more branches of the tree isn't as important as finding and writing stories of relatives anyway.  I started with a story about my great-grandmother who went around the world with her second husband, a journalist, back in the 1930s.

That was a lot of fun to research and write about, and my Mom especially loved that there were even newspaper accounts and interviews to include.  I then wrote a story about the summer my brother and I spent with my grandmother and great-grandmother in the Netherlands in 1960.  My brother added some memories from his six year old point of view, which made the writing especially fun.  Next, I tackled a brief biography of my grandfather, an entrepreneur and journalist who spent World War II in Suriname as a political prisoner of the Dutch.  My Mom added some valuable insight on that story, and I need to continue to capture more while I can.  She's 98, has a great memory, and wrote a detailed memoir of her early days.

Talking with my brother about various aspects of family history, I decided to write a biography of my stepfather next.  He was a generous spirit with very strong opinions about politics, right/wrong, cars, sports, and more.  Luckily for me, he had written some memoirs in a class and also given a long speech for his 85th birthday a few years before passing away.  I had also written his obituary before he passed away, making sure to check with him about basic facts.  More research has turned up facts about his life that could be included in what is now a ten page story.  Sorting through and scanning photos to include is the next step in the process before I share the draft with my Mom and siblings.

Who's next?  That remains to be seen.  

Pretty, but ominous

 

It's already blooming!  Is this the first sign of winter?  I love this Christmas cactus.  It was my neighbor's, and I admired it when I watched her house and plants every winter when she went to Florida.  After she passed away, her kids gave it to me.  It bloomed for many months last year but didn't start this early.  I have two other Christmas cacti, one pink and one orangey.  They bloom at different times, with one sometimes blooming at Thanksgiving and other years at Easter.  This morning, a former co-worker reported snow at her house just 3 miles or so from us, but luckily we only had rain.  Guess I'd better get out and plant those daffodils ASAP.  Guess winter is breathing down our necks.

2020: Endless Worry and Chaos

 The Green Mountain Quilter, newsletter of our state quilt guild, is planning to print a couple more issues this year since we haven't been able to hold a meeting.  I contributed the following to the upcoming newsletter and thought I'd share it with you.  

        This has been a weird year.  Almost everyone I know is looking forward to 2021.  Society around the globe is in turmoil.  Many of us have experienced illness, anxiety, and even fear in our lives and those of our loved ones.  Calls, emails, and Zoom aren’t great substitutes for our usual closeness.   We are exhorted to believe “we’re all in this together,” but we can’t be together.

            Looking for ways to cope (besides quilting more than usual and cleaning closets), I’ve read a bit about the angst we are experiencing.  One of the best and most succinct things I’ve seen has been by author Marie Bostwick.   She recently posted 9 Things To Do To Stop Worrying on her blog (https://mariebostwick.com/9-things-to-do-to-stop-worrying/), and it is solid advice:

      1.      Unplug – the news, social media, etc.  As Marie says, “how many of us really need news 24 hours a day?”

2.      Phone a friend – maintain connections with those who can give you good advice and help you stop worrying.  My wacky brother helps, as do regular emails from my dear friend Cindy in California.

3.     Take a walk – fresh air and sunshine will do your body good so you can calm your mind.  And maybe you’ll be able to sleep better and recharge.  Paul and I try to take a couple of walks a day, around the neighborhood.

4.     Say a prayer – I’m not religious, but I look for the things I’m grateful for, with living in Vermont being close to the top.

5.     Read a book – escape to another world or time, read about someone else’s troubles and how s/he resolved them.  Marie's books are good for this.

6.     Have a laugh – watch a funny movie or TV show.  Our neighbors got together this summer for an outdoor Marx Brothers film which was so-so, but we really enjoyed social distancing… with BYO wine and snacks!

7.     Get a hobby – maybe quilting is enough for you, but if not, you could knit, try a new recipe, work on genealogy, write your memoirs, etc.  My bread machine has gotten a real workout in the last few months.

8.     Bust a move – Marie turns on the music and dances.  I do yoga instead.

9.     Make a list – when all else fails, Marie suggests writing an action plan to deal with the things you’re worrying about.  I haven't done this, but I do keep a list of UFOs and finished projects which makes me feel good.

             Wishing you all the best as this “annus horribilis,” as Queen Elizabeth called the year Princess Diana died, comes to an end! 

A bunch of blocks

An organizer of one of my quilt guilds - the Heart of Vermont guild - who worked at my local quilt shop is moving over the river into New Hampshire.  We will all miss Paula's cheerful encouragement, good ideas, and sense of humor, so we're making 9" friendship star blocks for her to remember us by.  We like sending her a UFO!  

I appliqued the guild logo block to go with the star blocks.  My hands won't allow me to do much fine applique these days so I embroidered the heart in the mountains instead.  I see that red heart doesn't show up very well - sorry!  My blocks for Paula are ready to go once we figure out her new address.

My online group has been swapping 6" blocks this year in the color of each recipient's choice.  I chose purples and so far have received about 25 blocks.  Some of the members of the swap have had personal troubles or problems mailing, so they are dribbling in a bit.  But most have arrived so I can start sashing in a log cabin fashion with purples and creams to make each block 12".  I'm even making some crumb blocks to fill in the centers.  I'll see how it looks and may make a few more 6" center blocks if I want it bigger.   This is my annual purple quilt - it's my favorite color.

It rained steadily all day yesterday so I wasn't able to take a picture of the red trellis quilt I finished Sunday.  Maybe we'll be able to today.

Happy Saturday!

It's been a good day so far.  I finished quilting this little red quilt in a very simple grid pattern and cut out and sewed the binding pieces together.  I'll sew the binding on tomorrow, probably.  I ran down to the post office for stamps, the bakery for cookies, and the little grocery store down the hill for scallops for tonight's dinner.  I like to cook something special on Saturday nights, especially now that we rarely go out to eat.

It was beautiful weather this morning, so Paul and I took a couple of walks around the neighborhood.  We met the new neighbor kitty corner from us who asked for directions to the post office.  A young man came and cleaned out our dryer vent.  I bet it had not been cleaned in 30 years, and from the before and after pictures he showed me, we really needed it.  

I had put a post up on our local e-bulletin board asking for recommendations.   Several people responded, including this young man who recommends cleaning dryer vents about every five years.  I've been meaning to do it for about a year.  My dryer has been taking longer and longer to dry things lately, so I knew it needed doing... or we need a new dryer.  I would rather spend my money on fun things like fabric!  I love the e-bulletin board - people are so helpful.

We're expecting thunderstorms this afternoon, and it feels like it, so I'll stay inside and applique.  A friend from guild is moving, so everyone who wishes to will be making a 9" friendship star block to send her in her new home.  I will make one of those and am also making a block with our guild logo on it.  I designed it nine or ten years ago when the Heart of Vermont guild was getting started.  It's a 10" take-off on Moon Over the Mountains, and I have made several over the years.  I don't seem to have a photo so I'll try to take one of this version when finished.  

The squash that ate Barre

 Kabocha squash.  It looks a bit like buttercup but doesn't have the "turban" part.   It's also called Japanese pumpkin and is supposed to be very healthy.   Its size reminds me of the old song, The Eggplant that Ate Chicago.

Chris brought me one last year from his boss, and this year his boss harvested enough to fill a bucket loader.  Saturday, I was gifted with four of them.  After giving two away, I decided to work on one and leave the other in the garage for a while.  The result was a full Dutch oven of mashed squash, created by roasting first, then peeling and chopping, and finally boiling a while before mashing.  It felt like a full day's work!

Today I made some ginger squash soup to go along with bread baked in a wood-fired oven from the Rise Up Bakery.  It's delicious, and I'm sure I'll make more over the next few weeks.  I thought I'd try making a bread like pumpkin bread later this week, and Chris' boss recommends making a squash pie like pumpkin.  We'll see.   But we are definitely having squash with our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

It was a lovely fall day and perfect weather for putting flower beds to bed, doing a little reorganization of the garage, and taking the air conditioner out of the sewing room window.  Temperatures are in the 30s at night now, and leaves and pine needles are falling.   It's a beautiful time of year, but, as Vermonters say, "you know what's coming next!"

"Sisters" quilt along

Hope you are all enjoying this nice fall weekend.  We had a rainy day yesterday, and it's a bit gloomy today, but the colored leaves look fabulous against the gray sky.  

This is what I get for not printing the directions out.  I missed two small colored triangles across from the long sides of the big ones, and I also put the smaller set of triangles in an opposite direction.  This month's 12" and 6" blocks in the quilt along are "Old Maid's Puzzle."  My blocks remind me of butterflies and I'm not going to re-do them.  I actually kind of like them the way they are, and I sure like using up more blue scraps.  I have quite a few.

Today's project was making some Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks.  This month's color is yellow and I found some nice scraps for my two blocks.  I always cut the corners off when making the flying geese so have been making little bonus blocks with those.  This month's little blocks are 2.5" Broken Dishes, which is also the guild block of the month.

I'm reading Robert Galbraith's latest book, Troubled Blood, #5 in the Cormoran Strike series by the pseudonymous J. K. Rowling.  She can really put a complicated story together.  This book is nearly 1,000 pages and has been quite controversial.   Apparently transgendered people are up in arms about her portrayal of a male murderer who dresses as a woman to entice his prey.   But, so far, I'm really liking it as usual.  

That's what I'll be doing this afternoon before we go to the Grange Hall to pick up some items I "won" in an online auction (hankies and notecards).  I gave them a scrappy baby quilt for the auction, and it sold for $175!  After that, we'll head down to Sarducci's for dinner under a tent with a new heater with Pauline and Bob, old librarian friends.  

Lots going on, but no pictures

Early this week, I finished the October border on my Virtual Round Robin, a blue and white quilt that has now grown to about 72" x 72".  I have added 8" scrappy Jewel Box blocks all the way around to get to that size.  Then I cut out two plain borders and because they will be my last, I fully intended to take a picture before sewing them on.   But life's many choices got in the way.  I folded the top up and put it in the closet while I worked on a Christmas gift for a friend (no photos just in case she reads this) and some Halloween masks for my brother Axel.  He works parttime as a school bus monitor for kids K through 5th grade in Wisconsin.  I think these will be fun for him to wear in the next few weeks.   He is very popular with the kids and the bus company, and he loves his retirement job even though his health is not the best.  Guess I'll make him some Christmas masks, too.

I also wove in about 1,000 loose threads on the brown sweater I've been knitting for months and attached the sleeves.  It actually fits!  Paul said it looks professional, but I know where all the booboos are (and I'm not telling).  The knit in pockets were a bit bulgy, so I used a blanket stitch to get them to lie a little flatter.   I decided to put a zipper down the front rather than buttons, so now I have to wait for it to arrive.  Will post a photo after it's all done.  I started a little scarf because I wanted to try the Mosaic stitch using two contrasting skeins of yarn.  After that I'll knit Paul a hat and will try to stick to smaller projects in the future.  That sweater took eight months!

With the turn of the calendar, I used the random number generator online to determine the winner of the guild block lottery and mailed my block to lucky Cathy.  Then I posted October's block, maple leaf, and came up with November's block.  I'm making four blocks each month, one for the guild lottery, and three to add to the Dear Jen quilt I plan to work on in 2021.

Today I'll turn my attention to the "Sisters block of the month," Old Maid's Puzzle in 12" and 6" sizes.  Just two more months to go and this quilt along will be ready to put together.  I'm enjoying using all my blue scraps for it - and I just seem to accumulate more all the time.