New and Old Projects

This is what is on the wall in my studio. 

On the right are two Funky Chicken blocks.  I had the top one done early in the week and put the second one together on Sunday. 




I am really having fun dreaming up the colors for these chickens.  They are  fused using as colorful batiks I could find.

I am still 6 months behind in making these “funky chickens” so the fun is going to be going on for quite some time.  And I have several batiks I haven’t even used, yet.






And here are the five blocks I made for the Heart’s Desire BOM last year.  I loved making these blocks but they were way beyond my abilities.  So I stopped with just these 5.  And now I am feeling the need to figure out how to make them into a quilt.  So I put them on the wall so I can begin the process of designing. 





Sometimes this works as it did with this quilt.  It came from 5 leftover blocks that I didn’t much like.  I put these blocks on the wall three times before a quilt bloomed.  Because of how long it took, I called it “Better Late.”

Other times the blocks wind up back in their box waiting for another day to strut their stuff on my quilting stage: the design wall.

Design Wall Wednesday

OK, that’s only to say there is something different on my design wall today. I have been working on my Esther Eliu BOW and have got the 12 paper pieced blocks done.

They don’t go into a star, I don’t think, but it was fun to play with them as I put them on the wall. For some reason I had difficulty with these: I think I have forgotten how to count. Anyway they are done and I started tracing out the applique (I will be using the fused applique method).

I am only two weeks behind and of course I won’t be able to sew for the next 2-3 days. But everything is set up, ready for me to get back to over the weekend.

I did finish the Hugs & Kisses quilt and it was gifted today. I really think it looks great with the green binding.

And we have one new thing at our house. It rained here yesterday, first time in three weeks, and DH became worried that the cats (outside cats) were getting wet. So he made this “lean-to” for them. It is sitting on the deck, next to the front door. I know one of the cats has found the top for afternoon naps but I don’t know if they have tried the inside or not. This is real country living.

Design Wall Monday

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I participate in Design Wall Monday’s at Patchwork Times. It is a wonderful place to share and see the works of several other quilters. But I sometimes wonder if everyone who lists their blog there reads all the other blogs. I do. But I read them 10 at a time and sometimes it takes me all week to get through them all.

Here is what is on my wall this week.

All quilted and ready for binding.

I also have strips cut to begin paper piecing Esther Eliu’s 12 Days of Christmas BOW (block of the week). I haven’t let myself start this until I get the above quilt done.

I have sewn the binding together and will be

pressing it and sewing it on today.

So, that is where I am, how about you?

Frustrating

Oh, not in the studio/sewing room. Things are going along there swimmingly. I am right on track with my Christmas gifts: should be all completed by the end of this month. (don’t get jealous) And I am coming along nicely on the Better Late backing: pieced backings do take a little more time, don’t they?

I even had to piece the label into the backing because I was short on the fabric I chose.

My frustration is with my reading. I am reading a wonderful book written by someone I care for a lot. However, I have always been a slow reader. But there is one other problem. I tend to read the good/happy parts quite quickly but when there is sadness or threat, I tend to slow down to a complete stop. I don’t like to read bad things so when the plot starts to put the hero in danger, I stop reading. Today I have stopped to do laundry, eat lunch, and sew. And then it takes me a while to go back and read through that part so I can get the hero to a good/happy point again.

I worked as a psychotherapist for 25 years and heard all kinds of horror stories that people were living through. My job was to help them make peace with what had happened so that they could live comfortably in the life they had ahead of them. I was good at that. But when I am reading (or watching TV or seeing a movie) I tend to shy away from the problems.

Now, my current dilemma is that this is a very good book. I love the characters, I love the setting and the family interaction and I want to finish the book so I can tell the writer how much I liked/loved the book and all that she has put into it. But I am having trouble getting through it: not the book’s fault but mine. You should have seen how long it took me to read the Lord of the Ring’s books and I loved them so much I read them twice.

Well, now that I have vented, I will show you that I am using my new placemats so it must be Fall in AL.

Design Wall Monday

And I have something new on it.

I have started working on a backing for this quilt.

This is my plan and I plan to put lettering in the white squares.

I have been working on the machine embroidery letters and have them almost ready and they are what is on my design wall this week.

Here is a close-up of one of the letters.

I decided to finish this quilt for a friend who recently was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I want her to know that she is being wrapped in love.

While the letters were sewing out I was working on some placemats for our fall table.

And, being a thrifty person, I put Christmas fabric on the back so we can use them for 3 full months each year.

All that and over 450 miles for Weight Watchers. Busy, busy, busy.

But the nicest thing that happened this week was that our SIL came over today and washed the outside of our house and the studio. We live in the humid South and suffer from a little mildew. But now our buildings are beautiful. Thanks, Gary.