Tag Archives: Craft

Sparkling Stormy Seas

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Two of the batiks I’m using in the Stormy Seas blocks have some metallic gold which I’m hoping will give the impression of sunlight sparkling on the waves.  I couldn’t resist making at least one block with both of those batiks.  It’s going to be fun when all the blocks are done and I start playing with their placement.  I’m thinking that I may concentrate the blocks which have one of the metallic batiks in one area to really give the impression of light on the water.  But that’s way off in the future.

More of the setting pieces are added to the baby quilt top.  It’s going to take slightly longer than I had anticipated to add them, but I think I’m still on target to have the top completed by the end of the weekend.  Between now and then I’ll get the flannel for the backing washed so that as soon as the top is done and pressed I can get it basted and start the quilting.

Smudge is still being syringe fed, although he is eating a bit more every day on his own.  So there is progress.  And he definitely feels like he’s gaining more weight. Here he was having a snooze after a feeding.

Lester was once again posing for the camera.

Baby Quilt Almost Done

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The main piecing, other than the pieces around the edges, is done.  I’ve started adding the edge pieces along one side so know it won’t take long to finish adding them and then it will be complete.  I have a piece of flannel that’s perfect for the backing and there’s batting on hand, so this won’t take long now to finish and have ready.  The only thing I’ll be waiting for is what the baby’s name is once it’s born and I can add that to the label.

I’ve been contemplating what, if any, quilting goals I have for 2011.  I am not making resolutions because I know I’d break them.  But goals?  Goals is another matter.  I have a few.  I’d like to try making a small quilt in solids.  I’ve never worked with just solids and am not sure how much I’ll enjoy that, but I want to give it a try.

My second goal, and probably the biggest one, is to try to limit myself to making small quilts when I start anything new this year.  I have many UFOs that are going to be large quilts on the go as it is, all of which I want to spend time on, and hopefully complete, this year.  Summer Picnic Dish, the Harpsichord quilt, my POTC blocks, the Pickled Ladies, the clamshell diamonds in Kaffe fabrics, the Christmas Feathered Star quilt (and probably some others I’ve forgotten at the moment) are quilts I want to finish sooner rather than later.

I also know that when I get ideas, some of which are in the ideas book already, I want to be able to play with fabric.  Playing with designs on the computer, while it is a good way to get an idea about how something might work, just doesn’t seem to be the best way for me.  I want to see what it looks like in fabric. So small quilts is the answer.  Then, if something I’ve made as a small quilt top really appeals, I can set it aside to make as a larger quilt.

A third goal is to make sure I have one thing added to the Christmas box every month.  2010 taught me a very good lesson; that I can’t count on having all the time to do things for Christmas in the last 4 or 5 weeks of the year.

Saturday was an incredibly mild day.  We broke records and had temperatures in the 52 Fahrenheit range.  It was lovely to think it was that mild on January 1.  Only a dozen weeks or so and we’ll be starting to get spring weather.  I’m already counting the days until we go back to Daylight Savings Time. Along with the mild weather on Saturday, we had fog.

Smudge seemed to be looking at a quilt book as he reclined on the couch.

Lester posed for the camera Sunday night.

Stormy Seas Block 8

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The eighth block is finished.  It didn’t take long, as I had already put the units together and really had only 2 long seams to stitch.  My wrist felt much better on Wednesday, although I am going to try to not push it for another couple of days. While I’m dying to haul out the bin with the brights and other appropriate prints for the baby quilt idea I have, I’m resisting it as I don’t think it’s going to take much to set this off again.

All the pieces for the remaining Stormy Seas blocks are sorted and in individual glassine envelopes.  Something tells me I need to find a larger box for them or get half a dozen of these blocks made up rather quickly.  The box seems as though it’s rather overflowing at the moment.

I was looking for a two-fabric applique pattern last night that I’ve had tucked away for a while.  When I started reorganizing a few months ago, I put it and the other applique patterns like it somewhere.  But where that somewhere might be has become a puzzle.  I searched and searched and couldn’t find it.  I remember putting them all in one spot … somewhere.  It looks as though I’ll be through with work sometime early next week for the balance of the year.  Perhaps I’d better have another go at reorganizing, and when I put things in “safe spots” I’m thinking I need to keep a list in a notebook of just where those safe spots might be!

Smudge is much more active, playing with toys and having the odd mock battle with Lester.  And treating us to poses like this, showing off his paws.

Lester was also showing off his huge paws while he relaxed on the couch.

Seven Stormy Seas Blocks

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The first seven blocks are done and the eighth is close to being finished.  The circular effect that these blocks give is something I absolutely love.  I can’t wait till they’re all done and I can lay them out and decide on placement.

I got all the remaining fabrics printed.  In just slightly over 2 hours I had all the fabrics ironed to freezer paper, printed and cut out.  Then I started sorting them into glassine envelopes in sets for each block.  This box has all the pieces for each of 17 or 18 blocks, ready to stitch.

This box has the remaining pieces, all sorted in envelopes by fabric, ready to be pulled and put into block envelopes to join those in the first box.  I love having lots ready to stitch like this.

I wanted to get all the Storm at Sea shapes printed on the fabrics and ready to stitch before I somehow or another “borrowed” one of those fabrics for use in something else.  Two of the fabrics I’ve picked for this are batiks with a slight dusting of a gold metallic that I think are going to look rather like light reflecting on the water.  The best part of this is I know I won’t get bored making the blocks as each one will be slightly different.  There will be 41 blocks to go once I get the current one finished.

We’ve yet to do any decorating for Christmas.  But our door decoration is up.  A few years ago we decided to find something that was a bit different than a formal wreath.  I think we managed to definitely find that something different.

The weekend was relatively mild, but we’ve had a real drop in temperatures that started overnight.  While there was a lot of snow around us, the city once again didn’t seem to get any.  I have a feeling the roads and sidewalks are slippery, though, as it rained on and off throughout Sunday and then the temperature dropped suddenly.

Smudge definitely seems on the mend.  Trying to figure out what he’ll eat on his own is becoming an adventure.  What he likes today, he won’t like tomorrow.  We’re fortunate in that he is still being quite cooperative with the syringe feeding.  I can’t wait until tomorrow when we take him in to the vet.  We can’t see any signs of jaundice now and I think he may have put on another pound.  He was very lively on the weekend and even had one of his play fights with Lester.   He also found a few spots to sprawl out and snooze.

Lester was also in snooze mode a lot of the weekend.

More Stormy Seas

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Up until last night, I had only 3 of the 7 fabrics that will be in the Stormy Seas quilt ready and printed. Last night I got the fabric for the remaining 4 fabrics ready to print and will print all the shapes over the weekend.  Once that’s done, I’ll have everything ready to stitch the blocks.  I’ve found a stitching sequence that makes the blocks relatively quick to construct.

I’ve made blocks using the three fabrics that have been printed so far and am thrilled with how they’re turning out. These three were stitched over the course of the last 10 days or so.

While I had initially thought I’d use 11 fabrics in the Stormy Seas quilt, I’ve now decided to narrow it down to 7 fabrics and will make a slightly smaller quilt. It will be a lap quilt. Making that decision actually got me thinking about the size of quilts I want to make going forward.   Lap quilts seem like the best idea for me.  While I want to make a king-size quilt for us to use, I still haven’t decided on a specific pattern although it may end up being a large Chintz Circles, aka Alabama Beauty, quilt.  I have been slowly printing pieces to make another one of those for us and am debating whether I want to make it a lap or bed quilt.  It would be beautiful thrown over the back of the pink loveseat but would also go wonderfully with the toile wallpaper in the bedroom.

Do you have a favourite size of quilt to make?  Are they all large enough for a bed or lap quilts or wall hangings?  If you do have a favourite size to make, why did you choose that size of quilt?

Smudge continues to improve daily now.  Thursday he was eating more on his own and was livelier than he has been in a couple of weeks.  He and Lester were curled up together Thursday night.

Twinkling Stars

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This isn’t a new project.  It’s something I’ve been playing with for ages using some of the shapes in the Tumbler collection.  Stitching arcs for the Pickled Ladies quilt didn’t really appeal last night as I was battling a migraine, so I started organizing some of the things I have in varying stages of progress.  That long skinny triangle from the Tumbler collection is something I love working with.  I’ve made about a dozen of these blocks that finish at 5″ and am now pondering some setting ideas.  I think I’ll probably make another dozen or so of them and then come up with a setting for a little quilt.

The back:

While I was going through some of the projects, I was able to identify a couple that require only another block or two or a setting plan in order to finish them.  I may spend a little time on one of them this weekend and see if I can come up with a plan and finish it off rather quickly.  Then again, I may just put it away and concentrate on more arcs for the Pickled Ladies.  I also want to get another of the clamshell diamonds done and have picked out the clamshells for that.

Lester is continuing to improve.  We’re thrilled with how quickly the antibiotics have started to do their job.  He was playing with toys today, up on the windowsill for a while and, of course, resting.

Smudge was sleeping on the couch with one paw on the little “Quilts, A Beautiful History” book I like to look through frequently.

Recap of Projects on List

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It has been so long since I’ve worked on a few of these projects that I thought it might be a good idea to have a look at them again.  First up are a few of the 30 Pink Ice blocks.

Than a few of the 30 Patchwork of the Crosses blocks.

Looking at these first two pictures makes me realize how nice it would be to have a design wall!  I could lay out all 30 blocks for each quilt and photograph them. Reorganizing the living room is on the horizon, so perhaps a design wall can get incorporated into that reorganization.

Next up are a few of the harpsichord blocks.  While I had started putting them into the first row, I have quite a few more done but not added to a row yet.  That will be something that I think I’ll start doing every 10 or 12 blocks or so.

While only one Storm at Sea block is done, as shown below, I have the fabrics for my Stormy Seas quilt ready to print and have worked out how many of each shape I’ll need.  Perhaps this weekend I can get some of the printing done.

The Pickled Ladies, which have clearly captured my interest almost exclusively for the past month and a half.

Then the sunshine star clams which are almost twice the size of the Pickled Ladies blocks:

The final item on the list is the baby quilt, which is ready to quilt as soon as I find the right backing.  Who knew finding a wider flannel would be such an adventure?  I may end up making a pieced backing with some ’30s FQs for it.  No picture of it yet but as soon as it’s quilted there will be.

Every one of these quilts has been/is being made with Inklingo templates printed on my fabric.  It has made even complex patterns like the clamshell pickles simple.

Smudge looking angelic in lace.

And Lester curled up beside Mr. Q.O.’s desk chair.