I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Thursday, November 12, 2015

Grey Rain, High Winds---November/ Quilting



Hi guys! We're supposed to get a storm wind, but so far it's just a grey and drizzly week. Perfect days for my little craft space, and I can just leave the mess when I have to go out.




Right now I'm wearing wet jeans---Mo and I mistimed our walk. At least it's not cold, instead a soggy and very humid 60*. That doesn't sound too appealing, does it! But I do love November---summer's craziness and heat has finally gone, the days are short and quiet. Autumn is finally here.

Mo has made a nest

This is a useful little trick I recalled from my days in the garment industry. The samplemakers' tables had yardsticks on the fronts. I just glued an inexpensive wooden one here. 


I've been spending quite a bit of time in my craft room. Stand by for some patting-on-the-back, lol. First I want to show you this interesting new project. It comes from Audrey at Quilty Folks. Check out her link here : Quilty 365 because I know she explains it better. It is a one year quilt diary, 365 squares, each day with an appliqued simple circle that embodies one's feelings or experiences about the day. [and maybe I'll even finally figure out how to add the quiltalong badge to my sidebar....]



I hesitated because I have never managed more than a few days with a written diary. I keep nature diaries and beach sketchbooks, but the only journals I ever succeeded with were the shared journals my mother and I wrote and swapped for years. [I don't read them now, they make me so sad, but they're boxed and cherished for someday.] I miss that ongoing mindfulness of each day's passing, so I was intrigued by Audrey's project. 


It's meant to be personal, not showy or competitive.  Though hopefully the result will be graphic enough to create an interesting textile.
But then I look at the few dots so far---too literal? Instead of a dog image on a dog park day maybe a bright yellow patch would be better, because the day with Mo made me happy? Is ''happy'' yellow even?--- maybe it is blue?




I made my block a smidge smaller, 4", and used a jam jar lid for my circles. No excuses that I lost the template; I can always buy another jar of marmalade. I also plan to make brief notes in a little book for each day, to remind me why I chose what I did.


I hope I continue. 

I know I am too tired at day's end to do decent applique. The blocks will accumulate. As I told Audrey, I  am picturing myself next summer on the beach with 300 little dots to hand sew.  Huh.

I also prepped and put aside a Cherie Payne Halloween mini quilt. here  I just could not finish it. It will maybe be my New Years project. I like to have a special little project planned for when my family all leave for skiing the day after Christmas through New Years. Temecula Quilt Company is also doing a mini holiday quiltalong that is a candidate for that project. ''We Wish You a Mini Christmas''


Poorly cut strips hang on my scissors caddy, here. I'm trying to learn to use a rotary cutter; results are NOT pretty.



And I caught up on the fall portions of the Spring Break [aka Summertime] quilt by Jan Patek from Prim Quilts and Projects magazine.






This is a BIG quilt, or will be. It gets another approx. 18" all around. This is my queen sized bed.


I think on the last border, the block border, that I sort of lost touch with my color scheme. [blueberry /lemon/ raspberry].It's muddy? I'll decide about redoing it when the entire quilt is pieced.
.

I'm having issues with the complex Nine Patch cornerstones, next on my to do list. I had planned to make them the same as the ones below, here, but they attach to a pink sawtooth border. The pink in the four-patch will visually make an odd oblong. Should I sub lemon yellow? Or the stripe in the ugly block border? Obviously I will have to cut some audition versions.


Here's a pic of the magazine page: {I changed the colors.]

Primitive Quilts and Projects, quilt by Jan Patek

I'm still enjoying my wool work too, on days when it's warm enough to sew outside. Though this ever shrinking felted sweater has me baffled. Toss or save?



I also made a wool strawberry with folky applique. Do we like it?



I'd been planning it for months.


Here is my emery sand, being sifted after a few days drying in the sun. It just exactly filled my old quart Mason jar.




On deck: velvet or toile pinkeeps. And if the rain stays,  another block of Pokeberry.

Busy days are fulfilling. Too bad I forgot to buy tomato paste for tonight's spaghetti and meatballs dinner. Or the cans are rolling around in my car somewhere under my beach chair. That's okay, it's Project Runway night anyway---we'll have soup and salad. 


How about you? Fave rainy day dinner? [My friend of the yoyo's , Sue, was making split pea soup!] And how about November--love it, hate, just another month to get through, or what? Tell me.

Mo says hi! "Let's play!"



love

lizzy

gone to the beach .....










here's Audrey's link again for the Dotty project

11 comments:

  1. I always enjoy your posts. So interesting to see your projects and of course a peek at the beach! I have to smile when you say you'll be sitting on the beach with a stack of hundreds of circles to applique! If you get desperate, you could always stitch them on the machine and leave them raw edged.:) Your big quilt is coming along very well, even that darker block border. I'm sure you'll figure out the best plan for the rest!

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  2. I think your round on the quilt looks good. The lighter colours are in the next round so the darker ones are needed. Keep going!

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  3. How fun to see you doing the 365 circles! I love the dog- you must keep it.
    November for me can be difficult. I don't love short daylight hours, but look forward to hosting a fun family Thanksgiving.I love throwing a roast in the oven on a cold rainy day. Super simple, but satisfying and can use leftovers in so many ways!
    Love Mo's next!!

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  4. I like the wool strawberry, and I like the darker block border on the Summertime quilt. Like Dorothy, I think it'll be good with the lighter colors of the next layer. I'm not a big fan of the little Halloween quilt... The Christmas quilt-along will probably be fun, though.

    Mo always makes me smile, he's so much like a cat - making himself comfortable right on top of whatever you're trying to do!

    I had an idea for the extreme-felted sweater bits, but might not be handy for you. It occurred to me that the thick felted wool would make excellent soles for crocheted or knitted slippers, LOL. Slippers are on my mind because we gave up and turned the furnace on today - it got pretty chilly in the house last night!

    Thanks for sharing, it's always fun to see what you're doing! But maybe you ought to wear a rain jacket on walks while it's damp out, LOL.

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  5. It is summer every day here, so November feels the same to me as every other month.

    Our son is coming to visit this year, though, so this November feels very special.

    He's arriving on the 27th, so I'm even thinking about decorating for Christmas. We haven't spent a Christmas together for several years, so some part of me thinks it would be fun.

    I'm off to write. Thanks for sharing all your projects.

    Hunter

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    1. How wonderful that your son is coming! And lucky you and Kelley, with summer everyday.

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  6. I just love your quilt project! I will enjoy seeing your progress and the doggy patch is cute as is Mo' s nest. :) You and I love November. Cold, rainy weather has me making stew and molasses cookies. I love to "nest" and for some reason I love to sew at this time. Liz have an excellent weekend! Kit

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    1. Love the menu of stew and molasses cookies! Your house must smell amazing.

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  7. Hi Liz! I think the strawberry is VERY cute, as is your Mo!
    He's irresistible.

    I feel a little like Hunter. It does get a little cooler here, but November doesn't seem that much different than any other time of year. The nights have been a little chilly and I had to laugh at Mel's comment about caving and turning on the furnace. I always try to hold out till Thanksgiving, though I have been tempted this week. I do have a little electric heater in the bathroom that I broke out a couple of days ago ;)

    I made spaghetti this week. That, with a glass of red wine, sure tastes great on a chilly evening. I'm putting a pork butt in the slow cooker tonight to feed us over the next few days.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Kel

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    1. I just said lucky Hunter, summer everyday,--and you also! Your foods sound delicious! I never did make my spaghetti sauce but I did find the tomato paste, as surmised, under the beach chairs in my car. Does the pork butt make--? Pulled pork?

      I try not to turn the heat on until after New Years! But Mo and the kids are wimpy, so I let them turn it on if it s cold or very windy. My 50* thermostat is hated and ridiculed by my family but I love the cold air on my face. And so cozy for sleeping.

      Were you in MD? Did you have a bit of autumn color and season change?

      lizzy

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    2. Lol, do your beach chairs stay in you car year 'round? Mine do. Not so much because I might need them at any time, more that it's just a good place to store them ;) Yes, pulled pork for whatever you want to use it for. Tonight we ate it on cilantro rice. Will add bbq sauce to some of it for sandwiches. Maybe tacos? one night too.

      Oh jeeze, you have me beat then. I have to laugh about your family grousing over the thermostat temp. Definitely good for sleeping.

      Yes, saw some color on the trees while driving from Baltimore to the Eastern Shore. Very windy day and it almost seemed as though we were driving in a snow storm, but it was LEAVES that were coming fast and furious at the windshield. Just one day later driving back, the trees were almost bare. We had fun spending time with family. It does a person good :)

      Kel

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