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.  

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?

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!

Spring has sprung!

These last two weeks have flown by.  Last week my brother Rob and his wife Linda visited, and we spent a lot of time just catching up on our lives.   It was great to see them.  There was a lot to do before and after their visit, and then there was catching up on things not done.  I spent some time outside on nice days, picking up sticks in the yard, edging the front flower beds, and simply enjoying nicer weather.  I did snow - hard - one afternoon, but it all melted within a couple of hours.  We hope not to see that again until November.  

Our daffodils and tulips are blooming, and every day I see something new peeking out of the dirt.  There will be violets and lily of the valley soon, as well as flowering crabapple trees.  Spring is always a surprise around here after the long winter.

This week I finished Row H for my modern Dear Jane quilt and then caught up on some blocks of the month.

The block on the left is going into the lottery at my guild meeting later this month.  The other two are for me, with the one on the bottom being blocks for the quilt designed by Kristin Laura.  She has given our guild permission to make her quilt as a block of the month.  We will only have 9 guild blocks and 12 Kristin Laura blocks, so I decided to make them in the same colorway and combine them.  Hope it works out.

Then I made the "rows and pathways" (?) block for the lottery at the state quilt guild meeting May 10.  I initially wondered if it would turn out OK, but I like my block and assume the other quilters' blocks will turn out just as nice.  It will definitely be a scrappy quilt when they're all together.  It's supposed to look like garden paths.

I've spent some time in the last few days getting stuff together for the state guild meeting, too.  This will be my last meeting as president, and I'm looking forward to "just" being a participant and not responsible for anything.  We'll see how that turns out!

A friend and I are doing a short program on Dear Jane-type quilts at the meeting.  That's how Ginny and I met long ago.  We each have stories to tell and variations to show.  I have encouraged others in the guild to bring their variations along for show and tell, too.  One person has a mini that I think is just amazing.

And speaking of amazing, the other day as I was watering my indoor plants I noticed that my orchid, which I repotted a few weeks ago, is sporting two blossoms, with more on the way!  It hasn't bloomed in years, so it just goes to show that it needed a bigger pot.

  

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.

I told myself...

 ...I wasn't going to participate in the guild Block of the Month this year.  I just end up with too many orphans.  Then I realized I didn't need to put a slip of paper into the bag of names for the drawing.  So today I did make the block and will put it into the drawing at the October meeting without entering.

I did end up with two orphan pinwheel blocks from the cutoffs, and I will use them somewhere - on pot holders or mug rugs - eventually.   I did a little complaining about the requirement that the background fabric be a fall batik fabric, thinking that I didn't have any.  But I did find something in my stash that worked although the contrast with the darker fabric makes that fabric, which was supposed to be green, look blue.

This morning I finished machine quilting Rows D through F of my Dear Jane.  I'll roll it up with the first three rows and proceed... eventually.  I want to work on a few other projects first.  I offered to coordinate a Round Robin or a Block Robin for the guild, with a deadline to sign up of October 1.  No one jumped right on it, but maybe some people will by next week.  I enjoy either type of exchange project   It's a challenge to build on someone else's project, using someone else's choice of fabric.  The last Round Robin I worked on was mostly my least favorite color - brown - but I chose to add a little blue to the border and really liked it.

I received more of the "Flora" fabric from the Cute Little Fabric Shop in Utah yesterday, so I can work on the Dresden top and the lily block, both using parts of that line.  I'm thinking the lily block will end up as a table runner, but I'm not sure yet.

As I write this, I see some guys on top of the house across the street cleaning the chimney.  That's a sure sign of fall!  Our leaves are beginning to change but have a way to go yet.  This morning it was about 45 when I got up and today's high is to be in the high 60s.  I do love fall, but I'm not wild about what it turns into!

Dear Jane activity

Yesterday I finished Row G of Dear Jane.  I'm thinking of calling this quilt Scrappy Jane since that's what it is.  I'm using scraps from stash at whim - no particular order - with black and white backgrounds, and I like the way it looks.  I was torn between working on Row H and quilting Rows D, E, and F, and finally decided to get those three rows together for quilting.  They're all basted now and ready for quilting.

I finished these rows back in May, so it has been fun revisiting them.  I had to piece together some batting and also backing fabric for this long, thin section.  When I finish quilting this section, I'll add it to the one I quilted in May.  This Dear Jane is a slow but steady project.  I'll start working on the quilting today after I bake an apple cake or two to take to quilt guild tonight.  

I'm on the September "team" which means I need to get there early to help set up and plan to stay late to clean up.  I have my Round Robin from last year all quilted, so will take that and the Barn Star Sampler along for show and tell.  It will be good to see everyone - over 70 women and one or two men - again.

Sunny days

Good morning, friends!  Although it's been sunny and in the 70s, I've been recovering from a bad cold so moving a bit slowly.  The cold is finally gone - no more kleenex sticking out of pockets and sleeves, no more cough drops in every room, no more deciding about meds to help me sleep.  Paul had the same cold (or maybe it was COVID?  we never tested), so we've had company at least.  On the occasions when I had some energy, I worked on Light Up the Library preparations for the Friends of the Library - updating the mailing list, organizing committees, and writing the letter to donors.  The mailing list is almost ready for Nancy to generate mailing labels.  This year, I'm hoping to share the load as much as possible so that I can move on to non-Friends projects (like quilting).  Our little committee will get together soon to put the mailing together.

I did do some sewing every day, though.  Most of last week, I made string triangles in blues and neutrals when I felt like it.  Yesterday I went to the Calico County Quilters group for a two hour hand sewing session.  I finished a lily block that may become the beginning of a new medallion quilt and did a bit of Sashiko.  It's always nice to sit and sew with this little group while we catch up on each other's lives.

This past week, I got my Dear Jane background fabrics out and started on Row G.  I have quilted Rows A-C and have Rows D-F put together and now ready to sash and quilt.  I'll do that as soon as the Row G blocks are finished.  This row contains the very difficult G-6 block with a five pointed star and a little star in the middle.  I don't know why Betsy Ross suggested five pointed stars to George Washington - they are so hard to get even!  But, according to Wikipedia, no one really knows how the stars became five pointed.  Maybe it wasn't Betsy's idea after all.

At any rate, I had to add some coping strips to my star block and once again thought about what an amazing seamstress Jane Stickle was.  How many blocks or partial blocks did she throw away during the process of making her masterpiece?  None, I bet, since it was "in war time."  

Guild raffle

The treasurer of the state guild believes we need to step up our fundraising and suggested a raffle.  The board would make the quilt which would travel around the state during 2025, and members would sell tickets for a drawing in the fall of 2025.  I'm skeptical but game.  It would be good publicity and maybe encourage some quilters from around the state to join the guild.

At the cut-a-thon last Sunday afternoon, we each received kits to make six blocks.  One person couldn't come, so she will be receiving her kit this coming Saturday at our spring meeting.  Fabric came from one board member's extensive stash.  What a great shopper she is!  She's one of those people who buys multiple yards of fabric she likes.  I tend to get a yard or even less if I see something I love, so my stash is much smaller.  I buy background fabrics in larger quantities, but no more than 3 yards at a time.

We are making a disappearing nine patch quilt and setting them using a pattern from Jordan Fabrics in Maine.  I love the way my blocks turned out.  The light gray prints will be mixed, and the teal and black will be constants.  We will ask for a volunteer to quilt it for us, and I think it will appeal to non-quilters, especially men.

It was a rainy day yesterday, and I spent most of it in the sewing room for a change.  I worked on the guild block of the month and finished machine quilting Rows A, B and C of Dear Jane.  There are a few blocks that need hand quilting because the little Brother isn't great for free motion or doing sharp curves with the walking foot.  

A couple of finishes and some frustration

Thursday I picked up two quilts made of miscellaneous blocks from Marie, the long arm quilter.  Both will go to "Bags of Love," which puts together bags with toiletries, a book, a stuffed animal, a quilt, and more for kids going into foster care.  I bound both quilts over the weekend and feel so good to have two UFOs done.   I'll get them back to Marie this week or next, I hope.

The first quilt is made of orphan blocks that didn't really go with any other orphans in my growing pizza box.  I liked the setting I found on a pattern that I've had for a long time.

The second quilt is mostly made of blocks of the month I made in 2023 in my various guilds.  The two tulips were leftover from another quilt.

This was the first time using the walking foot on my little Brother, and, while noisy, it did a fine job.  I do miss the smoothness of the Elna's dual feed foot, but the end result is a binding on.  I always machine sew both sides of the binding on charity quilts and those going to children so that they wear well.

With those quilts out of the way, I sandwiched the first three rows of Dear Jane and started quilting it.  That should keep me busy most of the week.   I want to take my time working on each individual block with the walking foot.  I am definitely missing the large harp on the Elna, though.

My Fly with Me pattern arrived in the mail over the weekend.  I bought it because I was intrigued by its various sizes and shapes of flying geese.   I thought it would make a nice scrap quilt.  When I opened it, I was dismayed to find no foundation sheets or templates.  These all needed to be acquired by scanning a QR code which I did with my phone.  How to get the resulting information onto my computer in order to print the pattern pieces led to an afternoon's frustration.  

After I wrote to the designer in Germany and got no response, I wrote to the shop owner who sold me the pattern, Phyllis.  She had the same problem and also got no reply from the designer.  Now I don't feel so dumb, but neither of us can still use the pattern.  What a boondoggle!   

Phyllis says she is no longer going to stock any Zen Chic patterns without assurance that the pieces are included with the pattern, and she very kindly refunded my money.  She removed it from her website, too.  I started drafting the pattern with graph paper, but the blocks are all 12" and my graph paper is only 8.5" wide.   So I am making my pattern 6" square.  I could have done this to begin with but don't feel good about simply copying a design seen online.   Getting to know Phyllis was a good thing to come out of this.  I needed more backing fabric for Dear Jane, so I bought it online at Phyllis' shop.   She's very speedy at filling orders, and my fabric is already on its way.

Lottery blocks

Over the weekend, having finished Row F of Dear Jane, I decided to sash the rows together in groups of three.  I'll quilt each set of three when my Elna returns home and, eventually, put the sections together.  I suppose that will happen sometime in 2025!

Realizing that the local guild meeting is tomorrow,  I knuckled down yesterday and made the block of the month for March.  Some lucky person (hope it's not me!) will receive all the blocks that people bring in.  

I do like green and blue together so I made one for myself and one for the lottery.   I have all the Christmas blocks I won in the January lottery to put together, so I really don't want to win these.

This wasn't as easy to make as it looked at first, so this one with a few corners cut off is staying here.  The semi-perfect one will go to guild.

This morning I made the lottery block for the May state guild meeting.   It always makes me feel good to be ahead rather than catching up at the last minute.  I like this block, too, for its springy look.  Again, I made one for the lottery and one for me.  I'll have a nice batch of blocks for a sampler or a few table runners by June at this rate.

After finishing these blocks, I went back to sashing Dear Jane.  I'm cutting the charcoal gray sashing a little wider than Jane's 1" because I want the individual blocks to show up more.  I'm also using lighter gray cornerstones to make the sections line up more precisely.  This is a challenge of quilt-as-you-go.

That was all the sewing I did today.  Now I'm baking rolls and making vegetable soup for dinner.  It's perfect for the gloomy, rainy day we're having.

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.

Row F and more

I finished Row F of Dear Jane yesterday, and what a challenging row it was!  I hope Row G is easier, but first I'm planning to work on a few other things.  A big snowstorm is coming later today, so there will be plenty of time to sew tomorrow.  We hope it doesn't start until later this afternoon so that the "Senior Day" program at the library about the 1927 flood will still go on.

Here's Row F...  There was quite a lot of paper piecing here, some fusible applique, and even some hand applique.  Like Jane, I had to make a few blocks a little larger or straighter with added background strips.  

I decided to add the charcoal grunge sashing between the blocks, so I'll start with Row F and go back and sash the other rows.  It shouldn't take me long because I've been carefully measuring each block as I go.  I'll double check before stitching, though.

My plan is to quilt this in sections when my Elna comes home, so I'll leave the rows sashed but not attached for a while.  I've been keeping the blocks clipped together by rows in a large envelope, and once they're sashed, they can hang on a hanger in the closet.  

I made a delicious loaf of maple oat bread over the weekend and will most likely make another tomorrow.  It has a touch of whole wheat flour and some cinnamon, making it extra yummy.   I also made some granola because Paul's brother Jim seems to eat cereal for breakfast, and he's arriving Sunday.  

In between sewing and cooking, I started reading The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett who wrote a favorite of mine some years ago, World of Wonders, about the Amazon.  I'm reading a large print edition which is really easy on the eyes, but so far isn't as good as some of Patchett's earlier books.  My hold for the e-book of The Guest List by Lucy Foley came up from the library, so I've had to switch to reading that for a while.  It's very soap-operaish with unlikeable characters, so I'm not sure if I'll finish even if it did win "best mystery" on Goodreads in 2020.

As I write this, we are having a lovely red sky, a harbinger of things to come. The weather folk say it should go on for several days - rain, snow, sleet, wind, and everything else.  Yesterday, in advance of the storm, I started shopping for things we'll need for our Eclipse watch party Monday afternoon.  I'll do some more over the weekend.   We've invited neighbors and good friends and are hoping for sun and melting snow so we can go in the backyard to watch.   Mainly round foods are on the menu:  moon pies, black and white cookies, fruit with yogurt dip, Diane's lemon squares, round chips and salsa, punch, wine, soda.  Should be fun!