Making good use of my time at home

I just finished up transposing 20 years of journals, 1973 - 1993.

That is what I've been working on during this "unprecedented" time.  I started mid-March and I worked on it a little everyday.  These years were  during what I call the "thick" of my parenting time.  I am exhausted!!  It was a busy, emotional, exciting, joyful, tumultuous time with deaths, graduations, teaching, enforcing, comforting, constant chauffeuring, and realizing how human I am, warts and all.

I had journals in spiral notebooks, steno pads, sheets printed from a matrix printer, and just loose pieces of paper.  I also included letters in the mix. I knew if I didn't transpose all that confused mass of memories it would just get put in a box and forgotten. 

The uninterrupted time I have had for the last 2 1/2  months was perfect for this kind of project.

I used the scissors for a size reference.

I need to go on to the next collection of papers but the binder I was using is full so I'll have to start another one.  That's okay I've got 27 more years to fill it up.


I didn't get anything done on my Alice Jane Blue quilt this month unless you count unpicking this map

so I can replace it with a different map fabric.  This green just didn't look good with the rest of the blocks.

Go check out the others that are participating in this sew along.
Karen at Log Cabin quilter
Cathy at Big Lake Quilter
Julie at JulieKQuilts
Rebecca at Quilting in a polar bear garden
Nanette and Jan at  Do it right quilter
Jennie at Over the hill and running.

Hopefully I'll get more blocks done soon.
Robin

Sweet little underdog

This picture is a little light but it shows the 2" grid quilting.

I finished the quilting on the little 1857 quilt from a SAL in 2015 by Gay Bommers of
Sentimental Stitches.  There were 60+ blocks but I only did 30 so it ended up measuring 59" X 71".

I quilted it with a big stitch using DMC Pearl Cotton.  I have a color card from my cross stitching days and it's for floss and pearl cotton so I was able to match the background fabric perfectly

The backing is a piece of fabric that I've had in my stash for a long time.

This is a better picture of the true colors of the backing fabric

I used it to border another quilt. It was cut in strips because I just used the white stripe.  So I sewed long 3" strips together to make one side of the backing.  The other side is regular yardage.

  As I was doing the quilting I found a little hole in the background fabric.  You can see the little white place inside a circle on the right of the heart.

My DH came up with the idea of just appliqueing a circle over it and another circle on the other side of the heart to balance it.  I will do that today.

Again, a little washed out. . .

This picture shows the "fleur de lis" border all the way around it.  (and the exercise equipment in the lower right corner - ha!)

This poor quilt has had a hard time and as a result is very dear to me.  There is one block that I back basted the corner diamonds on it and then when I was trimming the back - I started trimming the background instead of the applique so I had to repair it.  It is really hard to find  but it's there.  I also got a little off as I was marking the grid but there again, unless you are absolutely studying the quilt top, it is hard to find.

I marked it with blue washable marker.  I rinsed it twice in a tub of cold water to get the markings off.  The first rinse water had a slight dirty look to it from the brown backing.  The second rinse was clear.

I put it in the washer on the drain and spin cycle.  Then I put it in the dryer until it was just barely damp.  I took it out and spread it on the bed to finish drying.  It didn't shrink as much as I thought it would and I'm glad.  I used an 80/20 batting by Hobbs.

I'll make those little circles this morning and then the quilt will be complete.

Thanks for checkin' in,
Robin

As the flowers bloom, so does the quilt

I finished Linda Brannock's Flowers quilt top last week.  This is the first chance I have had to photograph it.    The border is hard to see but the quilt fits right in with the blooming going on in the corner of our yard.  The garden gnome (DH) holding up the quilt is not quite tall enough to spread out the border and still keep it off the ground.  He is precariously standing on the lower wooden part of the fence.

His boysenberries are going to town on the left and the iris' are marching in a parade of color on the right.  Too bad you can't see the blooms behind the quilt.

I didn't add the pieced baskets like the original pattern.  I made a cutting of a rose and put it on it's side in that smallest block above the tulip.  You can see that little block better in the first picture.  I think it might need another leaf?

Since I finished that project (in 2 months) I decided to get out an old UFO.  It's not as old as some others but it's been about 2 years since I worked on it last.  I've always wanted to make one of these quilts (the block is called Jack's Chain) so finishing this up is a good idea.

I wanted to make each 9-patch with a different fabric.  I still need to make 16 purple and 16 orange patches and I've started cutting them out below.

I think I want to use this soft yellow (the triangles are cut out) as the background.  I'll try a few circles of 9-patches  and see how it looks.

I've finished quilting the quilt on the frames (sidebar) and am putting on the binding.  I quilted it in a two inch grid.  At some point the grid got a little wonky.  Drat!  I tried to fix it but, short of picking out the diagonal from upper left to lower right on the whole quilt, it will just have to be wonky.  I blame it on the pandemic. . .

The rhubarb has been harvested and I made a raspberry rhubarb crisp.  Delightful!

Don't you think rhubarb is a funny word?  It is late middle English, from old French "Reubarbe", and that is from Latin "Rheubarbarum".   More than you wanted to know~
Robin

Applique blocks are done

Now it's time to get busy on the pieced HST sashing.  I think this part will go fast.

This is the Stocks block and the last one I had to finish.  In the original pattern the vase is tall and tapered from wide at the brim to narrow at the base.

I wanted to use this fabric not because of the pattern by because of the shade of green.

I used it to fussy cut this cone shape for the quilt below.

And all I had were scraps that looked like this.

So I cut one of the wider shapes to the length I wanted,  cut off some of the odd angles, and made it into the vase for the stocks above.  I like it a lot.  The narrow place at the top of the base of my vase is not even but being slightly off balance adds to the mood of this quilt.

The other two blocks I finished were the marigolds below.  I definitely chose a bright gold for these.  I made need to rearrange the blocks so this isn't next to the pineapple block because they are both so gold.

And this next block is a replacement for the cacti block.  I wasn't really fond of the pattern and after making the pineapple block twice (previous post) I wanted something easy.

First I found a flower in a dish that looked interesting in one of Linda Brannock's other books.

The original pattern was too big (I learned that lesson on the pineapple) so I drew a sketch on some graph paper and then started tracing it to make patterns.  But, I was looking for something simple and I had really made this block complicated.  Maybe I'll use it in something in the future but not this time.

I ended up using the stem and leaf on the right of the pattern and then just made a tulip.  I decided to make a pot with handles and this red is the only fabric that would go with the rest.  I had used it in the Cockcomb block so it needed to be repeated anyway.

Also, I needed to repeat the pink from the "Volunteer Bloom" block so this block fit the bill in a number of ways.  It looks like it needs more leaves but each time I tried to add another one, it just didn't look right.  So, I really made a non-complicated block and it went together quickly.

So I'm looking for sashing fabric to make all the HSTs.  I tried the fabric below and I like it but I wanted to see what else I had.  I think it would be funny to use this fabric because it has dandelions on it.  Every flower garden needs a few weeds - ha!

So I tried a fabric with a light background and little flecks of blue and brown in it.

I didn't like this fabric at all.  It is too light and just makes everything look washed out.

This isn't all the blocks nor the actual arrangement for them.

I really like this fabric.  It brightens everything up, it looks good with the background fabrics, and the little design adds some movement.  It also goes well with the fabric (on the outside) that I want to use for the border.  I also have 2 yds. of it which should be plenty for my needs.

It's all coming together.

Robin

Pandemic Spring

Wisteria by my front porch

The virus cannot ruin spring.  Everything is blooming and enjoying the rain.

These are current blossoms

One lone (late) tulip

Even the grapevines look like they are blooming with those pink buds.

The rhubarb decided it wanted to be included - silly plant.

Love the lilacs

Arial view of the Bleeding Heart and violets (post blooming)

Violets blooming previously

Previous daffodils

There is such beauty this time of year.  I have a hard time being discouraged when I see nature smiling all around me.
Robin