Heatwave? but I See Snowmen everyWhere (Coarsegold, CA)

Western Scrub Jay - Hanging out near our site

We are near Coarsegold, CA staying in an Escapees SKP RV Park called Park Sierra.  We are about 25 miles south of Yosemite National Park's south gate.  The park's sites are tiered with mature trees and seem to give a little more privacy to each one, but we are close to a busy highway which is very noisy.  Not noisy enough to keep us awake at night just that the sound of cars is always present when we go outside.

Quite a difference between here and Oregon.  It is certainly a lot hotter.  I admit that I was looking forward to some warmer weather around 80 degrees, but here, it is so hot and dry that everything crunches.  Well, except for the cats...they just wilt when we take them outside.

A lot of quails

There are birds everywhere along with lots of squirrels and other little critters.  I hope to get a photo of an Acorn Woodpecker.  They are everywhere, but a little shy.

 

On The Cutting Board

Trying to think cool, I decided to work on my snowman collector's block.  I finished embroidering the second block.  Ha! I am seeing snowmen.  I haven't been working on this block much so I thought with 600 miles of road travel, it was a good time to pull this block out and get it done.

I gave the scarves a little more texture using the Portuguese Stem stitch.

So far, I have finished two blocks.  I think there is something like 25 blocks to do.  Maybe, I'll cut the amount in half and make a smaller quilt.  Yep, sounds like a plan.....

We are off to Yosemite Valley this morning.  I should get some great shots of El Capitan.  We plan on two to three visits.  This park is so big and the roads are so windy that it takes a long time to get anywhere.

Happy Quilting!

True Lover's Knot Block (Spokane, WA)

On The Cutting Board

A couple of years ago, I read Emilie Richards' Lover's Knot.  I became interested in the quilt pattern and did a little research.   When I looked up the True Lover's Knot I found two different patterns.   One used the Bow Tie block:

The other one used a variation of the Orange Peel pattern which is what Emilie described in her book:

I don't know why, but I am attracted to curved patterns.  I have made a few Drunkards Path blocks in the past.  I love sewing the curves by hand and this one wasn't going to be any different.  I made templates using paper pattern rubber-glued to quilter's template plastic.  I dug out my trusty add-a-quarter-inch-seam wheel and some 1930s fabrics.  I use 0.7 mechanics pencil to get a nice crisp line to mark the pieces.  Plus, the tip fits nicely into the wheel's center.

I find marking and cutting my  pieces by hand to be very relaxing.  Using the rotary cutter is fast, but can be hard on my back and shoulders.

To pin curved pieces, I crease both in the center...

 

and that is where the first pin goes.  I slowly pin and adjust all the way to one end before starting the other side.

I know it looks like a pin cushion, but it saves me from having to re-position them if they shift.

Pins and lines match up - looks good on both sides...

Time to sew using the running stitch...

Soon, I have my first block... Don't you think the Retro colors are perfect for a traditional block? 

Okay, my fingers are starting to itch...I need to get back to my quilt blocks...but first here are a couple of photos from this area.....

Spokane

Everywhere I look in Spokane, I see flowers.  Of course, most of them are in people's yards and I don't want to be standing in front of their house taking photographs.  Spring time here in Spokane is wonderful!  Not great for the allergies, but it is worth taking a pill to enjoy the beauty.  

I saw some Quail on my way to the dumpster, so I ran back to our motorhome for my camera.  I only got a couple of pictures.  This guy seemed to be the leader.  While the others moved away, he stayed behind to see what I was doing.  Once the others were safe, he took off.  

Happy Quilting!