Absolutely no name ideas come to mind for this one. I look at it and love the effect I got with the middle fabric but can I think of a name for it? No! Any ideas?
Thursday was unbelievably overcast. We had lamps on from first thing in the morning. Smudge didn’t much care — he was comfortable.
Lester tries to make sure Mr. Quilt Obsession can’t go out by lying on his sneakers.
For some reason, this block says lilacs in spring to me. Here I go again — this may be my favourite for today, at least.
I did a small exchange with Terri at Purple and Paisley of goodies related to stitching, quilting and crocheting. In the package I received I got all these glorious DMC flosses, some of which will be used in the Mary Wigham sampler, some floss cards, floss project cards and the appropriate-sized needles. I love these floss colours — all very cheerful.
Tucked in with the other items were these buttons. They’re absolutely adorable — the faces on the cats are priceless! Mr. Quilt Obsession immediately asked if they were for him!
Wednesday was pretty overcast and, once again, rather cool for July. This is definitely turning into the summer that wasn’t. A long-range forecast I heard Wednesday night indicates August isn’t going to be much warmer than July has been. I suppose the thing to hope for at this point is a warmer than usual September.
Smudge stretched out on the sofa.
Lester draped on the chair.
The samplers I’ve seen on various blogs have fascinated me, particularly the Quaker samplers. I found a pretty one here called Quaker a 6 Mains. For this I’m working with 28-count Quaker Cloth, 2 over 2.
Tuesday I stayed away from the computer for the most part and avoided doing anything that would stress my hands/wrists any further. I think the Omega 3 capsules are starting to work already. Maybe I’ll have learned my lesson this time and will remember to take them every day. Depending how it feels after I finish working today, I may finally be able to get back to the Patchwork of the Crosses blocks and do some more cutting and printing and stitching. It hasn’t been that long, but I am so anxious to work on them that it feels like weeks.
Smudge has an odd look on his face in this one.
Lester looking out the window:
Another block with its surrounding cream hexagons. Every time I look at this one I think of peppermints.
My hands/wrists are giving me a bit of a problem at the moment. I can’t use the rotary cutter or iron and am finding even using the computer mouse a bit challenging. My intake of Omega 3 capsules has increased so I’m hoping this won’t last too long as I’ve run out of the cream hexagons and need to print some more. In order to do that, I need to cut some of the cream fabric and press it.
Lester in his normal windowsill spot:
Smudge curled up on the couch.
The biscornu I’ve seen on various blogs have absolutely fascinated me and then, when I found a pattern that gives very detailed instructions on making them, I was hooked! I’m stitching this on 32-count Irish linen with DMC variegated thread and hope to have the stitching done in the next day or two and then go about putting it together.
Over the last week or so, I’ve not been too good at responding to comments on my blog or, for that matter, commenting on the blogs I read. Work was so intense over the past couple of weeks that everything else seemed to get away from me. Hopefully I can remedy that this week.
Smudge had a bit of an adventure Sunday. I looked over at one point and he was sitting on the desk Mr. Quilt Obsession has his computer on, behind the computer.
Then he appeared to be peeking around to look at the screen:
His fascination with the computer went on for about 20 minutes. Then a little time was spent on the windowsill watching for kitty entertainment. And then he was just so tired out that he had to rest. The pose completely cracks me up.
The latest of the blocks to get its surrounding cream hexagons makes me think of orange marmalade. It’s not pressed yet as I plan to press these in groups of 10 or 12 but do finger press as I join each set of three of the cream hexagons to a block. For the next Patchwork of the Crosses quilt, I am going to sort out what fabric I want to use for the outer hexagons and attach those as I make each block.
This was Smudge Wednesday before he decided to use the little duck as a pillow.
And yet another Lester on the windowsill shot.
It seems I will be showing some of these blocks as I add the cream hexagons. My plan is to work on this pretty well exclusively, although I’m sure I will need a break here and there. I now have six of the blocks completed with their surrounding cream hexagons. I will have to print more of the cream hexagons this weekend as I only have enough printed for another 2 blocks. Perhaps adding the cream hexagons as I made each block would have been a good idea. That said, it’s nice mindless stitching with lots and lots of continuous stitching and does go rather quickly.
Lester — where else but the windowsill!
Smudge the great hunter with his prize — a toy stuffed duck. It was so funny to see him resting his head on the little thing and he stayed like that for a very long time!
Given the amount of purple I used in the blocks, I decided to use this purple batik for the 1″ connecting squares along the edges of the blocks. The intersection where four blocks meet will be composed of 8 of the 1″ squares, or a 1″ x 2″ rectangle, and something 2″ square in the centre of those. At the moment, I’m playing with the idea of a stripe of some sort for that 2″ square. The original Patchwork of the Crosses has some gorgeous fussy cutting done for that 2″ area, which I will do for the large quilt when I make it but for this one I think I want to do something with a stripe. That may change.
I need help! An online friend moved a couple of months ago. Her ISP seems to be rejecting e-mails from my ISP. I’ve tried e-mailing her from my gmail account but those don’t appear to be getting through either. She has been sending e-mails asking if everything is okay as she hasn’t heard from me and even reply e-mails from me don’t appear to get through. Of course, I never dreamt this could happen and don’t have her new address or phone number so am rather at a loss when it comes to a way to contact her. Lesson learned for me — I should not depend on electronic contact only! Any ideas out there?
Lester in his favourite spot — again!
Smudge, sound asleep. It’s one of the few times a photo has been taken of him that he hasn’t been partially watching us photographing him.
I’m not going to show each of the blocks again as I get the surrounding cream hexagons surrounding stitched on, but I couldn’t resist showing at least one! Still no picture of the blocks all laid out. It was way too windy today. I would have been chasing blocks all over the roof garden if we had tried.
This is the back of the block. Because I’ve now made sure that all the blocks are pressed identically, joining them will be a breeze as the seams will be lying just right.
Lester in his favourite spot. I love this picture of him!
Smudge — with a big paw stretched towards the camera.
I remember this little beauty being set up in the breakfast nook of our house when I was growing up but do not remember my mother ever using it. I had totally forgotten about it until about 15 years ago when my cousin, who is a quilter, reminded me that Mom had a sewing machine and informed me that it was a Featherweight.
Having not taken up quilting at that point, I had no idea of the significance of something called a Featherweight and didn’t even really look for it. A few years later, when I did begin quilting, we went through the storage locker and there was the little black carrying case in which the Featherweight had been for at least 35 years, untouched. Off it went to a Singer repair shop to have a good going over and I’ve been rather happily using it, on and off, ever since.
It is in fantastic shape. I really doubt it got much, if any, use at all when it was brand new. In the carrying case, there was a receipt from a repair shop Mom had taken it to at one point. I wonder if she got frustrated by whatever the problem was and it languished in its carrying case. Whatever happened, I am very grateful that she kept it all those years.
It was a very strange weekend. Friday it was very hot, with humidex readings around 30C. Saturday morning we woke up to rumbling thunder and lots of rain. While it was warm during the day, the temperature at night dropped to about 14C. Summer seems to not want to grace us with more than a tease or two of nice hot weather. Usually by this time we’ve had at least a few days, here and there, of nice hot humid weather. Not this year! I hope August is better than July has been so far. I barely feel like we’ve had a chance to thaw out from winter yet!
Smudge, curled up with the leather jacket teddy bear:
And Lester snoozing on the windowsill:
All of the little stars are now made and last night I started surrounding them with the white squares. It takes less than an hour to get two stars surrounded.
Seams graded and pressed.
There are now 17 of the little stars left to surround with the white squares. From here on out, it’s just nothing but continuous stitching to add the squares, then the connecting red diamonds and octagons and turn this into a finished quilt top. If I can stay focused, and I am pretty intent on doing just that, I could have this finished by the end of next week and be ready to quilt it next weekend.
I may take some time out this weekend and get the binding ready for Candy Stars as well as start printing for the Inklingo Periwinkle reverse mystery quilt. I think I’ve finally decided on the colours I want to work with for the Periwinkle quilt. No big surprise here — it will be pinks, pinks and more pinks. Maybe a mauve thrown in for a little relief from the pink. Maybe. Lessons 1 to 4 are available, free, at the All About Inklingo blog.
If you’re here to see who won the giveaway from the April Showers post, the winner will be announced later this afternoon after Baxter picks a winner.
“Mum’s Making Stars” is the title of today’s ‘toon.
As we were setting up to take pictures of the two little blue stars, he was right there just waiting for his photo to be taken because, after all, there is nothing that we could possibly want to photograph other than him!
Quilt Obsession 