Another project that got worked on over the past weekend was the ’30s Drunkard’s Path quilt. Eleven more blocks done. Now the numbers are 386 done, 446 left to make. Even typing that makes me shake my head, but I … Continue reading
It took a while, but the cream hexagon frames for the POTC blocks are all ready to be attached to the 10 blocks that are not yet finished. A little more printing of the setting pieces and I’ll have everything I need for the outer edges of the quilt top ready as well.
Now that I’ve got the frames made and ready to attach to the blocks, I’m really quite enthused about working on this quilt again. Stitching cream hexagons to one another endlessly was a real stumbling block for me. Now that this is done, I can almost imagine having the top finished by the spring.
As I type this at around midnight, the snow has just started to fall here although the wind hasn’t yet picked up. They say by morning we will have near blizzard conditions. I’ve taken enough migraine medication to take the edge off, but it’s not gone yet. I’m hoping once the storm is over, the headache will be gone.
Smudge spent much of Tuesday snoozing.
Lester seemed to be almost posing for the camera.
… cream hexagons together, that is. When we took this photo last night, I had 48 left to join. By the time the evening was over, I had finished stitching them into sets of three. So now it’s solely a matter of adding 24 of them around each of the remaining POTC blocks. Getting the cream hexagons stitched was a big hurdle, and one that I could have avoided had I done them as I finished each block rather than left them all to the end. Lesson learned!
We have an enormous winter storm heading toward us. Light snow today but then tonight into Wednesday, a lot of snow and high winds. I’ve been battling a migraine since late yesterday, so the cream hexagon stitching was the perfect thing to work on — just lots and lots of straight stitching, no thinking involved!
Lester decided to curl up and have a snooze.
Smudge in an impossibly cute pose with a teddy bear!
The POTC blocks, that is. I was looking for a particular fabric and, along with finding it, found these blocks. I knew they weren’t lost, just incredibly well tucked away. It was a good thing I found them so easily as this is one of the projects that I’m determined to finish in 2011.
There aren’t many blocks that still need their cream hexagon frame, so I decided to add the framing hexagons to one block on Sunday. It still needs the purple connecting squares, but those don’t take long to add.
The back:
The weekend was bitterly, bitterly cold. We’re supposed to get somewhat warmer temperatures on Tuesday, so just have to get through today when they say we may have wind chills of -30 yet again. I’ll be spending time this afternoon crawling around on our neighbour’s floor as I baste a couple of quilts, including the baby quilt.
On Saturday, we noticed Lester on the loveseat and had to take this picture. Made us laugh to see his tail hanging straight down to the floor.
Smudge couldn’t resist an empty bag. He was in it before we could turn around and we got this shot just shortly after he came back out.
Blocks stitched and shapes printed for three projects on Wednesday, that is. Project one, the big pink and cream stars. One more finished so there are now three completed. Tuesday night I started thinking about different settings for the big pink stars and have decided on one that will include 6 of the large stars and some other elements. Three more big stars to go and then the setting and it will be done.
The pieces printed and cut out for the remaining three big pink and cream stars.
Project two, two of the Pickled Ladies done.
Lots of clamshells printed and cut out for project two.
Lots of the shapes needed for the arcs also printed and ready to cut.
Project three, the Harpsichord Quilt. One new block pieced and pressed. Smudge was determined to be part of this photo — you can see his shadow.
Lots and lots of black and gold octagons and the little coloured squares printed for project three.
While my printer wasn’t going quite as quickly as in the video I showed yesterday, it was humming along for about half an hour last night. I like working on projects in groups of three. Getting the freezer paper sorted out made it all so easy. In next to no time I had the fabric pressed to freezer paper and printed for all three of this Wednesday’s projects. Perhaps if I keep doing this for the next couple of weeks I can have all the pieces printed and ready to stitch for another 3 or 6 projects. What other ones? The Summer Picnic Dish, also known as pickle dish. The Rouenneries Drunkard’s Path — I have another 3 sets of charms to print for that one. The Storm at Sea is definitely on the list for next week.
For the most part, the cats had no interest in what was going on. Lester had a nap.
Smudge was looking a bit bored, I think.
The Harpsichord Quilt blocks have been neglected for months, it seems. They were last seen here. The story behind why I’m calling this the Harpsichord Quilt can be seen here. Tuesday night I decided to remedy that neglect by making two of them, one with partial sashing and one without. The backs:
I was going to make a flower or two for One Flower Wednesday, but in my organizing I have managed to put the box containing all the hexagons I have cut out and ready to stitch in a very safe spot. So safe, in fact, that I can’t find it. I’m sure it will eventually turn up.
While we were at the birthday celebration for my aunt on Sunday, Mr. Q.O. got this shot of the view from the dining room.
It was very hot and humid here on Tuesday but we spent an hour or two out on the roof garden where it was wonderful. It’s always somewhat cooler and there was a wonderful breeze. While out there, I got all the planning for the baby quilt done. A little stash shopping is the next step.
Tuesday afternoon, Smudge was quite content to curl up on the sofa.
While Lester was curled up on the floor.
Now there are four complete circles showing. This is really a fun top to put together as each row reveals another set of completed circles. It’s like watching a bit of a mystery unfold. Winning the quilt frame has absolutely decided it. This will be a king-size quilt. I was hesitating as the thought of basting it for quilting was rather daunting. But with the quilt frame meaning no basting, once I finish adding rows and rows of blocks it will be ready to quilt immediately. It will be solely a matter of getting the batt and a backing ready.
Mr. Q.O. keeps asking me if I’m making drapes with this one. He’s kidding, of course, but it makes me think of a picture in the book, The Patchworks of Lucy Boston, in which a hexagon patchwork is used as a window treatment. I’d love to find a fabric that looked something like this that could be used for drapes.
Finding a name for this quilt is already something I’m thinking about. At the moment, it’s known in this household as “The Thing”. Not very flattering. It really does deserve a nice name, I think.
It poured and poured and poured rain some more on Wednesday. But suddenly, the roof garden is looking greener and greener and the first daffodil has bloomed. I think we’re to have nothing but rain and perhaps even a thunderstorm or two today. Hopefully we see the sun again on Friday.
The cats know what to do on a rainy day. Curl up and snooze. Smudge, in one of his classic poses that always manage to make us laugh:
And Lester sound asleep.
There are still four purple squares to be added in the corners but, as that will take only minutes, this block is basically finished. I love the colours in this one. They remind me of pretty pastel dresses at Easter.
The back:
These books have been languishing on the bookshelves for ages. I remember starting the first book in Anthony Trollope’s Barsetshire novels ages ago and quite liking it but, for some reason, I put it down and didn’t go back to it. Truth be told, I probably got distracted by a mystery. This time I intend to read my way through both the Barsetshire and Palliser series. I love having a stack of unread books like this. This stack is the Barsetshire series. The Palliser series is another 6 books. These should keep me busy for a couple of months. Next up after Trollope? Maybe Dickens. I have read some of his books, but not all and would really like to make my way through those as well.
The weather is improving every day and I think by mid-week we’ll see temperatures back near 50, if not a bit better. Lester spent a fair amount of time on the windowsill on Monday. At one point I was watching him and saw a bird fly by with wings that seemed to be tipped with quite a vibrant blue. I didn’t see the bird again Monday but will be watching to see if we have some blue jays out on the roof garden. Still haven’t seen a robin, although I have heard one.
A new favourite shot of Lester:
And Smudge working on his lounging:
I know I said I was going to keep joining the cream hexagons but I couldn’t resist and just had to add the cream hexagons and purple squares to this block. Our weather feels so much like spring and a pink and green block says spring to me so I went with it. For some reason the darker pink hexagons aren’t showing as their true colour in this photo. It’s not quite as red as it appears.
The back of the block. When I was joining the cream hexagons to the block, I used two colours of thread — green and a deep pink.
This photo is definitely a contender in the “where is his head” category. When we saw Lester lying like this, we practically fell over each other to get the camera.
Smudge in a photo that is a bit soft focus, but I love the expression on his face.
Remember these? That picture is one I posted about 5 months ago of 9 of the Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses blocks . There are others that have been surrounded by the white hexagons and purple batik squares but not all of them yet. It’s time to get these done and find the right fabric for the connecting squares at the intersection of the blocks. So what have I been working on?
The surrounding cream hexagons are what I’ve been working on. I join them into groups of three which I’ll later join to make the frame for each block. I have a stack of these cream hexagons all printed and cut out, ready to stitch and that’s what I’m going to concentrate on until that stack is all put together into frames ready to stitch to the blocks. It has been so long now that I can’t remember how many more I’ll need to print, so once I get this grouping of them stitched I’ll be able to figure out how many more I need to complete the top. While I work on these, I’m going to contemplate whether I want to make a few more of the blocks with some other fabrics, just for fun to see what other effects I can get with some stripes and other directional fabrics.
We had another early spring day on Tuesday, marvelous really for mid March. But it sounds like winter isn’t quite done with us as we’re going to drop from temperatures around the mid 50s down to wind chills in the minus range sometime between Sunday and Monday. I hope the forecast is wrong and that the cold weather will miss us.
Lester is ready for spring. He’s spending more and more time on the windowsill or, to be more precise, on the heating unit stretched out, watching out the window for that first bird or squirrel to make an appearance.
Smudge won’t bother until he hears the birds. The windowsill is really Lester’s territory. Smudge is much more interested in looking cute and getting attention than paying attention to what’s going on outdoors. Who could resist this face?
Quilt Obsession 