Longarm lessons

 Hi all! How is your week going so far? It is so incredibly humid here that I'm having a hard time breathing outside. I didn't go out walking this morning because when I got up there was already an air quality alert and the humidity was at 88 percent. Okay, I'll sit on the sofa for the morning, thanks! I'm almost hoping for rain. Do you think that would help?

Unbelievably, I have a finish to show today! Everyone knows that finishes are for Fridays, but I'm too excited about it to wait, plus I might forget. Why take the chance? Here is the finish:

 

 

Hurray! This is the top that I made from the blocks in the Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen last year. I'm not doing the challenge this year, but there is something else that is special about this quilt-- it's the first one that I've ever longarmed myself!

 

I had planned to rent time on a long arm a long time ago, before we moved to Maryland, but with one thing and another, it never happened. (I even lost my deposit!) Here we are two years later and this past week I've finally taken the required class and gotten permission to use the long arm at a shop here in Maryland. It's about a half hour from me, but I'm willing to drive it for the chance to do this again.

 

The class was one of the most fun times I've ever had stitching on any machine. There were only two of us in the "class" because there were only two machines for rent, and we each got to use one. We each brought a quilt top and back and actually got to quilt it up during the class. We only used a big meander, which went fast, but we did get through all the steps and the whole quilt. It was so awesome that I have no words.

 

The instructor was really good, and using the machine itself was a dream. Five minutes into the work I was wondering how fast I could save enough money to get myself a long arm. I actually thought, "I have got to get me one of these!" Alas, I'll be renting for a long time!

 

So, here's how nervous I was about using the long arm-- I actually made a pieced backing for the quilt. I never do this, but I figured that if I ruined it, it wouldn't be so bad if it was just leftover pieces. It was actually really hard to mess up, so the backing turned out great, too. These "stripes" are just leftover pieces from previous backings. I bound it in a nice gold from my basket o' scrap bindings, so everything in this quilt except the border is a scrap of some sort.

This quilt is a bit dear to my heart because it kept me sane through the very challenging year of 2020. Sometimes I forget it's 2021 because last year was so weird and stressful. I feel like we should have a do-over! The blocks brought me comfort, and the finishing brought me joy, so I'm donating this one so that someone else can have some comfort and joy, too, especially if they're in a challenging situation. I washed it and it came out nice and crinkly, and now it's off to it's new home.

There's the story of this quilt! I've already made another longarm reservation for a few weeks from now, and I'll be trying out some better freehand patterns then. The meandering was just learning to use the machine, go the right speed, etc. There is no computerization on these machines, so I'm on the lookout for a simple pattern I can practice. It will be fun, if imperfect!

Hope you all are having a good week. If anyone needs me, I'll be sitting next to the dehumidifier!

Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Brag About Your Beauties, Finished or Not Friday, and Oh Scrap!

Starting with a finish

 Hi everyone! How are you doing so far in 2021? I have been doing something really unusual-- relaxing. It's a weird feeling, I've got to tell you. The machines have been cleaned, the rotary blades changed, and the I've even treated myself to a handful of new seam rippers, marking pencils, and thread snips. Oh, and I've even vacuumed the floor. That was an adventure. It's amazing what was stuck in that carpeting.

So, let's get this party started! While I was relaxing, I also finished several things, which just enhanced my relaxed state, or at least made me feel less stressed. The first thing I finished was this scrappy sampler top:

 Oh, look at those colors! This is the quilt top made from the blocks I made all year for the Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen. I made a couple of blocks a month, and it's one of the things that kept me sane, because the blocks required very little thought on my part.

 

 

I didn't really intend to put this top together, but there were the blocks, all up on the design wall, so why not? I sent a few of the blocks on to a friend to help her finish her top, so I ended up with 20, which was perfect for me.

 

 

I used a pale gray for the sashing and random squares for the cornerstones. I wasn't sure I would use a border, but this Sharon Holland print worked nicely as a frame. I think it adds to the quilt.

 

I think this is going to become a donation top. I measured it, but I didn't write it down, so of course I've forgotten. It's 60 something by 70 something. Not sure where it's going to go, but that's a good donation size for a lot of groups. In spite of how well this top turned out, I'm not sure that I'll do the color challenge this year. Easy blocks make me a little restless, and I am starting to feel better and more optimistic. That could change, but fingers crossed!

So, while I was out on the deck taking the photo above, a couple of deer showed up in the back yard. Apparently quilt tops attract them. Who knew? They blended really well, but you can see two of them in this picture:

 

 

And I'll leave you with that! My big "new year's resolution" is to cook better, because I'm sick of every bit of food in the house, and even if I dislike cooking, learning to do it better can't hurt. I still need practice, though, and I'm trying to decide if making cookies is "cooking." What do you think? Have a good week, friends!

Sharing at Midweek Makers, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Brag About your Beauties, and Finished or Not Friday.

Challenge met

 Hi everyone, and welcome to December, the last month of this wretched year. Has winter arrived in your area? I understand many places have had snow. We haven't had snow, but we did have a lot of rain and it's gotten a good bit chillier. I am not up for this, I have to confess. It seems like the cold is just 2020 piling on. I really dislike beaches (sand is just dirt, you know) but for maybe the first time ever I feel like a beach would be a good idea. This year has definitely turned everything upside down.

By the time you read this, I will have taught my last class for 2020. Yahoo! Let the chorus of Hallelujah begin! We still have finals next week, but my exams are all written and so for the next few days I am relaxing just a tiny bit for what feels like the first time since July. As a part of this new relaxation regime, I finished off the Color Challenge blocks this afternoon after class:

To be clear, I only made the red ones today. The "buff" ones were for November, though somehow they never got posted. Oh, well! I know the December block just came out yesterday, but there it was, all ready to make, so why not? It was easy enough, though it did involve a lot of pieces. I'm not sure I like either of these blocks, but they're finished, so let's call that good. No fair checking the points on those blocks, either.

And speaking of finished, here are all of the 2020 blocks:

Twenty four finished, colorful blocks! The question now is how to set them. I'm thinking that I should make one more block and set these five by five, just like they're shown here. The other option is to just set them four by six, which might make for a better donation quilt. Thoughts?

I'm so happy to have finished these off and be at this stage, and I can't believe I kept up with it! Seems like a miracle right now. And I'm really, really happy to have spent some time in the sewing room today. A little relaxation is good, right?

Hope you are all having a relaxing day and are getting some stitches in, too. And maybe dreaming of beaches. . .

Sharing at  Midweek Makers at at Patterns by Jen for her linkup.

Color challenged

 Hello everyone! We are having some beautiful fall days right now, interrupted by furious bouts of banging and hammering. I'm happy for both! I have been outside every day, and it's been quite chilly when I go out walking in the morning. Why does 55 degrees feel so great in April and so bad in October? 

Today I have the September and October blocks that I've been doing for the Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen. This has been a fun project for me during this crazy stressful year. I don't usually go for blocks with big pieces, but they have saved some of my sanity and given me a nice distraction. Here's September and October:

 

Hey, look at that, they're all the same size! And the right size, too. At least one thing this year is going right. 

My big challenge with these blocks was the colors, though September also gave me a challenge with the layout of the block. September's color was cinnamon, and this warm brownish batik is as close as I got:

I think it looks cinnamon-y enough, and coordinates well with the leaves that have started to fall, too. Jen's block had only four flying geese with large plain sections, and I just couldn't do that. I kept the flying geese but added some others to make Dutchman's Puzzle blocks. I like them! They fit my style a bit better.

October's blocks are olive, which is yet another color I don't have. (Amazingly, I have a bunch of next month's color, which is buff.) I knew going in that I didn't have olive, but I figured I would just substitute another green, so I did:

 

This is a dusty-ish green, and I really like how these blocks turned out. Those of you with eagle eyes will notice that I re-drafted the block and pieced it a little differently so that I would have solid pieces in the middle. When I first saw the block all I could see was the cool diamond design in the middle, and I really liked that and wanted to be sure it was emphasized. Plus, at this point, who could be sure that all of my pieces would actually meet in the center?

So, there's those blocks! I do love blocks, you know. And somehow I am all caught up on this project. How does *that* happen? I couldn't tell you, but I'm enjoying it for now!

Hope everyone is having a good week, in spite of the upheaval in our country right now. It's too much to even think about, and doing so just makes me tired, so here is an artsy picture instead of a comment:

 

Everyone stay healthy! And sane, too!

Sharing at Midweek Makers.

Going a little rogue

 Hi everyone, and happy September! Really, it's September. I usually really like September, but I feel like it should be May right now, so I'm all discombobulated. But school seems to be going well, thank heavens, and I'm kind of starting to relax about it. The students are awesome right now and are pretty much game for almost anything, although they hate that their cameras have to be on all the time. Hey, it's a rule, and if I have to be on camera, so do you. Seems fair, right?

So, it's been very busy, but I've gotten to steal a few moments to make these pretty blocks this week:

 

Pink hovering hawks! And just look at those lovely geraniums. They were pretty stressed from the heat for a while, but they've really rallied in the last week, so I had to get them in the pictures, too. 

Why did I make these blocks? I've been doing the color challenge at Patterns by Jen, but I really did not like the block for August. Sometimes things in a pattern just don't click for you, so you have to go a little off track and do your own thing. That's what I had to do here, and these blocks will be in whatever quilt is the end result of this project. The important thing is that they are very pretty and pink, and made from scraps. Which is the point, right?

 

The geraniums are giving me so much joy right now that I tried to get pictures of the blocks with them.  The fabric was not really cooperating with staying straight, but the color is pretty happy, don't you think? The blocks look complicated, but they're made mostly with simple hsts, so they were actually pretty relaxing. I keep meaning to take a picture of all the blocks for this project together so far, but I just haven't done that yet. Maybe next month, which is actually this month now. Oh, my. I really can't keep up!

 

I hope you all are having a good week and are surrounded by happy things,and that you're all still washing those hands and staying healthy. On a *completely* unrelated note, what kind of hand lotions are you using for those chapped hands? I may need a recommendation!

Sharing at Midweek Makers and Oh Scrap!

A little rusty

Hi all, and happy heat dome! It's hotter than blazes here. We are okay, but I think we're locking ourselves down again voluntarily. Virus cases seem to be rising here and it's probably not a good time for us to be out. Also, it's supposed to be 100 degrees today, so I might as well be in the house. I'm pretty bummed about this, but at least this time there are some better survival strategies for us. And I'm not giving up curbside grocery pickup even when this over, just so you know. Or Target pickup, either! Although you have to go inside to buy toilet paper, which defeats the whole purpose of curbside pickup, doesn't it?

This weekend I finally got around to making the July blocks for the Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen.  This was challenging, all right, though the block was super easy to make.  The color for this month was rust. Rust? How would you describe that color? Some people have gone toward the oranges, but I think of rust as a red brown. Even if it was an orange brown, it would have been extra challenging this month. Why? Because I have none of those colors in my stash. None. I have a few browns, some happier reds, plenty of bright orange scraps, but no red browns or orange browns. Yeah... In the spirit of using things up, though, here's what I settled on:

It's a red that tends a little towards burgundy and is a much more muted shade than I would usually use. It also has polka dots, which makes it at least a bit festive. Not much like a robin, but definitely not a cardinal!

As I said, the block itself was quite easy and I think it is one of the nicer blocks that we've done this year.  I'm really looking forward to next month, which is pink. I could use some bright happy colors! A little while ago someone posted on Instagram about the "corona coaster--" some days you're up, some days you're down. I am definitely feeling that way! I'm trying to do something every day to keep my spirits up, even if it's just eating some really lovely peaches that we had this weekend.

The only other thing I've worked on so far this week is to pull out this old serger and get it running again:

I bought this at least 20 years ago, and it served me faithfully through many years of clothing and home decor sewing. I haven't used it in a long time, and it needs some cleaning, some oil, and some general tuning up. Fortunately, this generation of sergers (which are a nightmare to thread) are all mechanical and easy to rehab. If I let it sit overnight with some oil in the important parts, it should be just fine.

Why am I rehabbing the serger now? I need it to alter some clothes because folks, I have lost about 85 pounds. The quarantine has slowed me down some, but otherwise, I hope to be to 100 pounds down by my birthday in September. Maybe I'll post a picture. In the meantime, though, I'll need something to wear, because clothes that are too big are actually more uncomfortable than clothes that are too small. (Before you ask: I did this with the help of a great therapist, so I'm sorry that I can't offer you a magic bullet. It's taken about 15 months now, and every bit has been hard. But worth it!)

Hope everyone is having a good week! As usual, wash those hands and wear those masks! And since it's so hot, maybe get some ice cream or other cool things delivered, too. I read that even epidemiologists will get takeout, so I am seriously looking forward to more of that. I miss restaurants soooo much. . .

Sharing at Midweek Makers

Drawing the curtains

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.

Looking green out there

Hi all! I really didn't fall off the earth, I promise! The worst semester ever finally ended, and since I turned in the final grades I've just kind of been floating a bit. Feeling a little unmoored without 10 to 12 hours of work to do, ya know? And I wouldn't want to insult anyone who has actual PTSD, but it's felt a little like PTSD, if you know what I mean. So I've just been kind of disjointed, petting some fabric, cleaning some things, planting a few flowers. It's been kind of peaceful, to tell the truth.

As a result, I only have one picture to show today. This is a first!

These are the blocks I made for the color challenge at Patterns by Jen. These were very easy and were almost mindless to piece. Usually I dislike big blocks with big pieces, but these blocks have really been saving my sanity through this whole virus experience. And I love the green leaves and the flowers, too. So looking forward to planting more stuff outside.

The only other fabric-related things I have to show today are the fun new fabrics I got from Bernie's shop:

Turns out that shopping online is super-easy to do from your sofa, even when your brain is really tired. Seriously, though, I have a plan for all of these fabrics. The birds are going to grace my living room, just as soon as I get motivated to make a few baskets from them.

Finally, a couple of pictures from my sanity-saving walks around the neighborhood. First, some rocks painted by my neighbor's kids to cheer us all up:

Also, the last of the forsythia, which everyone here seems to have (except us, for some odd reason):

So that's what's going on here! I'm still pretty mentally exhausted, so I'll spend this weekend going to our virtual graduation, then wandering around the house some more. It's going to rain a good part of next week, so I have high hopes of actually accomplishing things then. Have a safe and happy weekend, folks!

Sharing at soscrappy because of the dark green, and later (if I remember) at Patterns by Jen.

Quaran-stitching

Hello all! How is your quarantine coming along? I'm hanging in there, still teaching and still putting in a ton of hours every week. I'm pretty sure when the semester is over I'm going to need to sleep for two solid weeks. Thankfully, I'll have the time since we're not going to go meet our new granddaughter yet. And if I think about that, I'll go down the rabbit hole of depression, so let's not go there! Let's talk stitching instead!

I've been distracting myself by organizing things in the sewing room, putting up some new shelves, and finally hanging up some of my wall quilts. I also finally made these:

These are the April blocks for the monthly color challenge at Patterns by Jen. The block on the right is freaking me out just a little. The picture is in focus, but the fabric looks like it isn't. Next month is green, so I'm kind of looking forward to that.  Speaking of which. . . look, there are leaves on those trees! This is what passes for excitement around here right now.

I've also been making some more of the modern squares blocks. I have about half of what I'll need done now:

These are super satisfying to make, and very easy. These blocks are just kind of thrown up on the wall, not really arranged in any order. All subject to change without notice!  I really like these a lot more than I thought I would. I'm not seeing the X's nearly as much any more. It does look more like lattice to me now. I have a nice stack of squares all sorted out and ready to go, so I'll keep on making these.

Of course, you all know that I've also been buying some happy fabrics online from time to time. Here is my latest haul:

These are all intended as backgrounds for some applique blocks I intend to make this summer. I've actually been planning this quilt for a long time, and it's why I have several yards of Kona Bone. I'm sure this is a lovely and useful color for someone, but it made me so sad that I didn't even wrap it on a fabric board. There was no way that I could use it as a background. The green and the yellow above turn out to be too dark for backgrounds, but I know I can find a use for those pieces somewhere.

Want a sneak peek at my applique project? Here we go:

That's all I'm showing for right now, because there is a real story behind this project. I'll let you in on it once this crazy, weird semester is over.

Stay well, everyone, and keep each other safe! And stitch something other than masks, just for your own sanity!

Sharing at Patterns by Jen for the Color Challenge.

Partially pieced

Hi everyone! How is your week going? I don't mind telling you that it's been fairly good here for the past little while. It has been unseasonably warm and mostly just lovely outside. I spent last weekend at an academic conference in Washington DC without a coat. In January. It was so nice that a couple of us skipped out on the afternoon session and went sightseeing-- and we walked. It was awesome. The conference might have been okay, too. At least my paper was!

So now I'm home and I have a ton of work to do, and the temperatures are about to plunge, just in time for the first day of class. I might even get to wear the new coat that I bought just because it reminded me of the coats I wore in Wisconsin. While I'm waiting for that, though, I've been working on a couple of things.  First up are these:

These are half the 4-patches I need for the January blocks for the Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen. A friend and I decided to make these together, but I read the directions wrong so I only have half as many parts as I needed. Yeah, I know they wouldn't have taken long to finish, but in my defense, it was very, very nice outside.

The other thing I'm working on is this little stuffie:

This is a very cute little kit that I got from Bernie's shop that I've been wanting to make for my tiniest granddaughter.  She turns one year old really soon and I thought this would be a cute little gift. The kit really does come with everything, including stuffing, a sewing needle, and straight pins.  Because she's just a tiny girl, I'll have to embroider the eyes and nose instead of using the buttons that came in the kit, but I think I don't mind that.

The only other thing I'm doing is continuing to put all the new fabric I bought over the last couple of weeks on boards and put them away. I really should not have shopped quite as much, but it's just so easy, you know? I got these pretties from Shabby Fabrics:

I have a plan for the one on the right edge, but the others are just because I had no blues at all and these were a good price.  And these lovely batik pieces came from Jinny Beyer's shop:

I'm planning to use these lovely batiks (plus plenty of others) to finally make a (gigantic) quilt for my own bed. Somehow I've forgotten to do that for all these years.

That's what's up around here for now, along with waaayyy too much computer time.  When I became a professor it was all about the books.  Now it's all about the course website. The world has changed and we must change with it, but I never thought it would involve this much typing!

Happy stitching, friends!