Hello all! How's it going in your corner of the universe? Lots going on here, as we are finally getting some remodeling done, which had been postponed by the virus. We seem to have this thing where we buy houses that need some love and then make ourselves crazy getting them to where we want them to be. I have to tell you that this is the hardest time we've had getting contractors to even show up. No clue why this is, because boy, they are charging us plenty to do the work. More expensive even than Delaware, which is really saying something.
Anyway, while people were walking on my roof, I went downstairs and made these two lovely blocks:
These are the June blocks for the color challenge at Patterns by Jen. You can see that these are opposite colorways, which I've been making all year, but in the same fabrics. Maybe not the best choice, but I don't have a lot of blue and I wanted to use these batiks. I ordered some batiks from Connecting Threads, and they were supposed to be blue-greens, but they turned out to be just plain blue. There were only a couple of blue-greens in the fat quarter pack, which is disappointing, because I want to make the quilt for our bed from blue-greens, from aqua to turquoise. Think beach glass. If anyone knows of some nice aqua batiks, please point me in the right direction!
After that, I had to buckle down and finally get to hemming up some curtains for our windows.
This house is a mid-century modern, which is a great layout, but the windows are a problem. They are very high up on the walls, and since we're fairly short, we can only see out a little bit. It turns out, though, that there is no problem seeing in from the street, and I'm tired of the ugly, dirty blinds that came with the house. So, I've started cutting and hemming these curtains, and I may have to actually make some others. I did see that there are people on Etsy who make curtains for very tall windows, and if any of you have a recommendation of who to hire for this, please send that along too!
That's my update for now, at least in the sewing arena! Otherwise I'm getting a bunch of exercise, writing some new classes for the fall, doing what research I can without being able to actually go into the library, and generally trying to relax and let my brain recover from months of stress. I'll leave you with this picture of some lovely flowers I came across on a walk:
I don't know what they are, but they're very cheerful!
Hope you all are having as good a week as possible in these very fraught times. I'm still feeling discombobulated by everything that is happening in the world and our country right now, but I did realize that one of the things I can do about it is to teach better, so I've been redoing some of my materials to make sure I have a broad section of races and perspectives represented. Black lives matter, folks, and it's up to us to be sure the next generation knows it, too.
Sharing eventually at PBJ.
10 comments:
the yellow flower is Saint Johns Wort
House renovation is rarely fun, in my opinion. My husband grew up constructing houses with his father, so thankfully he can do much of the work himself. Hiring out construction work can be a real headache. So I feel for you. And curtains - I've never liked making them either! I don't have any recommendations though, sorry. I do like your blocks though! I have some aqua batik I'd be happy to send to you, and I owe you, because you gave me a bunch of scraps awhile back (which I have used abundantly, thanks). So let's talk if you are interested.
Good for you for adjusting your teaching! That's a positive, proactive step. Your curtain fabric is pretty, but I understand not really wanting to make them yourself. Any sewing other that quilting is just not as appealing, is it? You'll be glad when they are finished though :)
I've made curtains a few times to match a bedspread or paint color. Not a lot of fun, but can be done and the reward is good in getting just what I wanted. We also have odd-sized windows so special order is needed to replace them. I haven't tried Etsy but American Blinds has good prices on theirs.
Your blocks are so pretty! Bet it felt good to get some *me time* in!! you deserve it!
Good luck with those renovations! Hopefully your workers come at a reasonable hour. Our neighbors are having their deck made over, and my alarm clock lately is a power drill at 7:00!! Too early for me. I like your blue blocks, but yeah, not blue-green. A beach glass color scheme sounds pretty, though. I don’t really mind making curtains. I sort of lump them together with making quilts as opposed to clothing. They don’t need tricky fitting. I hope you figure out what works for you.
The only curtains we have are sheers on the big window in our dining room - we can see out but have a small sense of privacy since the window opens onto the front porch and front yard/street. There are a few sheer valances here and there, but no long heavy drapes anywhere.
As a teacher myself, I understand your desire to change your teaching to reflect what's been going on in our country for such a long time - such an important thing to do, Mari! We have to start somewhere. Your color challenge blocks look great - I always like them in the opposite colorways that you make! Best of luck with your house renovations, too!
Theresa is correct: It's hypericum, or St. John's Wort, a ground cover that grows in any soil, blooms in the summer months. Ours are just starting to bloom here in OR. Happy quilting!
Lovely blocks, they look very good together. Good luck with the curtains, I like to have a lot of light coming in so I have the smallest curtains possible (just covering the part of the window at eye level and below, not higher).
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