Six More Weeks? (Sutherlin, OR)

I bet some people are not happy hearing that news from Punxsutawney Phil.  I wonder if he ever consults the Farmer's Almanac?  I really feel for those dealing with another snow and ice storm.  Our weather has been looking a lot better.  A little more sunshine less fog and a few degrees higher.  We are seeing more people outside enjoying a little walk or getting a few outdoor chores done.  Time for a change of scenery for us, we are moving back to the coast on Tuesday.

I have been spending most of my winter getting a few projects done and getting in some reading time.  I recently finished this book by Gil McNeil....

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil

A.K.A. “Divas Don’t Knit” (don't make the mistake and buy the same book twice!)

I found these two books in a book warehouse in Seaside, OR last summer.  As soon as I read the description of this story being set in a small village on England’s coast, I was pretty sure I would enjoy reading them.  It sounded so quaint.  I immediately thought of my friend Maggie traveling to a seaside village in her Harvey J, shopping for wool and spending cozy evenings knitting.   Plus, I always enjoy reading about knitting groups as much as I do quilting or crocheting or any other kind of women’s social gathering.  I have often thought of taking up knitting as well.  Just what I need to do - add another hobby to my list.

And I did enjoy the first book despite all the swearing in it which I found rather irrelevant to most of the story.  I really did not understand the need for the f-word unless the writer is trying to attract a younger crowd.  I’m not sure how that works for a book.  It isn't like books get ratings like movies do for language, sex, and violence.  I had to look up quite a few the British slang words and swearing.  I definitely learned quite a bit about British slang while reading the book.

So, if you can forgive and overlook the swearing, the story about Jo - a recently widowed mother of two young boys whose husband had announced just before his car accident that he wanted a divorce.  If that wasn't bad enough for Jo, she finds out they are broke and she has been a stay-at-home mom all this time. 

No job and no house, she decides to move out of London when Gran (grandma) offers Jo full-ownership of the family’s rundown wool and yarn shop.  Jo’s journey to start a new life for herself and her sons while surrounded by quirky yet lovable family and friends is filled with funny and heart-warming moments.

I plan to start reading the next book "Needles and Pearls" soon.

On The Cutting Board

It took me three evenings to finish the basting on my Hawaiian turtles.  I usually find basting boring especially when it is a large quilt and I need to do long stretches of basting from one end to the other.  This was more of a challenge to baste only a quarter of an inch from the edge...around all the edges....actually this made it more interesting and I finished a lot faster than I thought I would.  So, that's done and I did start appliqueing the center, but I had to stop.

I also got the binding sewed onto all the quilts, but I did not get the chance to finish the binding or any of my other projects..

...because I got my first custom order for the year.  It is sort of a rush job, so I had to drop everything....big thump!!  It took a couple of days of emailing to get the order right.  I finally got started on the mug rug yesterday.  The customer would like it for St. Valentine's day.

As soon as I'm done with this order, I'll be back on track with my other projects.  

Happy Quilting!

Bound To Try (Sutherlin, OR)

 I summed up the courage to start my first Hawaiian quilt block.  I have been wanting to make one since reading Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Aloha Quilt".  Reading how Bonnie was taught to make her first block really peaked my curiosity.  The applique techniques sounded so interesting and quite different from anything I have done in the past with applique.

I bought this fabric along with the book (below) last July during the Sister's quilt show.  Gorgeous fabric.  I probably should start with fabric that I don't mind messing up.  But if I'm going to do this, I might as well start with the 'star' fabric because I am not so sure I will want to do this technique very often.  Of course, there is a chance I might take quite a liking to it and do a lot more.  Hard to say...anyway.....

Washed, ironed, and folded....deep breath and I start cutting....

Done.  Not an easy task to cut through so many folded layers of fabric.  I used my spring-loaded precise shears this time.  The shears are meant for flannel rag quilts which I still have not made...yet.  Okay, time to unfold and see what kind of damage I have done.

Oh wow!  This looks great!  I love the way this came out.  Now, I'm getting excited so I need to iron out the folds, pin, and baste.

The basting alone is going to take awhile.  The instructions say I need to baste 1/4 inch around all the edges.  The basting will also be my guide while I am turning under the edge for appliqueing.  I'm going to need my old sewing gauge (ruler) because my eyeing a 1/4 inch will end up very uneven.  I can see those turtles turning into blobs!

I have also been working on binding for all four quilts.  I haven't quilted the last top, but I should have it done within the next couple of days.

So, do you use the bias binding or do you just cut on the straight?  I like using the bias binding.

I was told the stretching of the bias will help make the binding last longer through wear and tear.  That comes in handy when it comes to little ones and their quilts.

So, the binding is folded in half and ready to sew to the quilts.  The turtles are ready for basting with lots of pins holding it in place.  It should make for an interesting evening trying to keep cats off the block while I am basting it!
Happy Quilting!

Binding Quilt Stories (Las Vegas)

No Peeking!

Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini

When I start reading one of Jennifer Chiaverini's books, I anticipate a story filled with quilters finding friendship through their love of quilting.  There are few books published by a writer that understands quilters and our love to quilt or to talk quilt.  

I can understand an author wanting to spread her wings and write about something new.  I just feel Sonoma Rose should have been marketed separate from the Elm Creek series.  The only connection to Elm Creek was a couple of flashbacks to Elizabeth from The Quilter's Homecoming.  Otherwise, this story was about Rosa's family and Lars.

As you can tell, I never tire of reading about the process of quilting - no matter what is being describe.  But, this story did not focus on the quilter's life or quilting.  Basically, the only quilt talk came from Rosa thinking about block patterns and colors for each of her children's quilts, her mother's two quilts barely get describe, and she cuddles under her own quilt.  Towards the end, Rosa started to teach a friend how to quilt, but that ended before they even got started. Great!

If you are interested in Prohibition and life on a vineyard then this book is for you.  I enjoyed Rosa's story and I learned a few things about the Prohibition era. I often read Jennifer's books more than once, but I doubt that I will read this one again anytime soon.  I'll have to run out of reading material first.

I won't give up on her though... Jennifer's next book The Giving Quilt will make up the difference since it is about the Elm Creek's Quiltsgiving Day.  Two of my favorite subjects: Quilts and Project Linus.  

But, I have to wait until the end of October...so in the meantime, I found a new author, Clare O'Donohue.  I started reading her first book The Lover's Knot: A Someday Quilts Mystery today.  Quilts! Mystery!  Now that's my kind of story!

 

 On the Cutting Board

Okay!  I got all the binding done yesterday.  Can you see that the red binding is a lot thinner than the other two?

I was a little short on red material so I made the red binding 2 inches instead of my usual 2.5 inches width.  I would rather be narrow than short on length.  I have used binding this narrow before, but it is not easy to wrap around the raw edges of the quilt.

Tuesday Treasury

Like a buffet, I pick out one or two items that strike my interest and move on to the next section.  The more eclectic - the better I like it!

New Mug Rugs

I listed four mug rugs for the Fall season yesterday.  Here are a couple of pumpkins ready to harvest with Autumn colors.

Pumpkin Mug Rug

Pumpkin Mug Rug

All the designs are by  Nancy Halvorsen from Art to Heart.  I love the whimsical folk look of the black cat sitting in the pumpkin patch.

This whimsical Black Cat sits in the pumpkin patch
while holding your hot drink on long winter evenings. No jinx here!

I used fabric with spider webs on this mug rug to give it more of a Halloween look.  I also added a couple of small bats to fly around kitty's head.

Black Cat Mug Rug with Spider Webs

Back to the two quilts - I made binding for both quilts and got  the binding on yesterday.  I make a bias-cut and doubled binding for better strength and endurance.

Dusty decided to be my inspector to make up for his attitude the other day.  While I trimmed the edges before hand-sewing the binding to the back, he gave it a good inspection from above.......

I don't know I think I might need a closer look.

and below..........Yep, he's a helper...........

Feels good here...Check!

This is my favorite part: sitting in my chair, watching a good TV show or movie, a cup of tea, and hand sewing - quietly for at least a couple of hours.  It feels good to be almost finished with these two quilts and a little sad to see it end.

 I need to start thinking about my next project.  I do have a lot of UFOs(UnFinished Objects) to consider....