Gone To The Beach: 09.21.2018

Friday, September 21, 2018

TQC 1880 Sampler and Other Fun Things ~

Hi, everyone. Another Friday, how can that beeeee? This is the first Friday since January without an update on the 1880 Sampler Block of the week project! Last week was the final post here. I'll miss this fun sewalong! It was so fun to see the newest block each Friday.

A page for each block, in case I make it in red next year.

I mostly kept up, in the sense that I'd accumulate 4 or 6 blocks and do them all at once. That was my game plan from the beginning. Finally towards summer's end I had quite a few to do but one rainy day before the last post, I was able to catch up completely.

Such a thrill to open my special project box and see the stacks of tiny 4 1/2" blocks. To remind you all of size, 1880 blocks are the same size as the Dotty 365 squares.

Now let me mention, to my non quilter friends---making tiny pieced blocks is NOT easier than making ''normal'' sized 8" or 12" etc blocks. Everything is tiny and important, the seams proportionately so big and thick. Finicky. But the colors and designs of 1880 were just so charming and the challenge was not beyond my grasp.

I think it is so very generous of Sheryl Johnson, owner of the TQC shop to offer such a long and intricate project to her fans / readers/ followers for FREE. Yes, free. Thank you, Sheryl and TQC!

Here are my final blocks.

Subbed crazy blocks and half blocks:

A mistake here and there....

This was not supposed to be a Star but I think it's okay. I didn't at all understand the instructions so I made up my own. I also added my name and the fictitious date of the quilt.

The final project post shows a way to set the blocks but not the original way.

from TQC blog

1880 original: here

Sheryl says the set in seams were too complex to explain on a blog setting. However I loved the funny zigzag setting and plan to at least try to figure it out myself. For one thing it is not L-shaped sashings with set in, partial seams but triangles set on side and on the diagonal, a setting called Streak of Lightning.

In a week or so, after my etsy shop is restocked, I'll lay out everything and we'll choose my background, so stay tuned.
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One very hot day last week, for a change of pace, [and too hot to sit out and sew on Bitty], I picked up a tiny project from my to do stack.

I think it will be sweet. It was so hot that night that it gave me a migraine, laboring away under the bright work lights and I had to set it aside. I love summer but the sweating, heat, and humidity, the headaches have been nasty at times.

It is my version of an antique doll quilt and it uses the last of the 19th century mostly madder stars from my collection.

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Poor SG/ Antebellum Album quilt is also in the stack, two months behind. Fabric chosen, something very special will be included!---but no time recently. By the next block reveal on Wednesday next week, I ll be 3 months, 6 blocks, behind. I am loving the Hideous fabrics and I sincerely admire Brackman's scholarly writing and the time and effort involved in such an erudite project, but I am finding the women who wrote their diaries and made the quilts this time to be unpleasant and un-admirable, tedious at best. Very unlike the inspiring pioneer women of Westering Women. It shouldn't depress me, but it does; I find I do not want to make the quilt block of a spoiled southern belle who fled North to escape the rigors of war or rich entitled northern princess who assumed lahdidah airs at a Charleston ladies' finishing school.

Another handwork project, the pattern was missing and September Eagles got set aside.

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And just for fun. I removed this patriotic quilt from the pine bench in my living room, too summery,

but instead of putting it away I stuck it in the drawer of the little pine chest in my bedroom. It's a perfect fit!

How fun. Later, maybe, for fall, I'll add my red and chrome yellow and salmon boxes to the stacks of Shaker boxes. Put out a different little quilt?

Last quilt note: Lori of Humble Quilts announced today that her Fall doll quilt sewalong will begins soon! I am excited, I look forward to this event all year. I hope my teal fabrics from my friend BJ are suitable.
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~Something for the weekend ~

in honor of the autumnal equinox/ first day of astronomical fall arriving tomorrow, Saturday the 22nd:

I saw this at the supermarket this week. I am not a beer or ale drinker but I thought it was so creative and fun, great merchandising. I am guessing these are local craft beers, but maybe not?

Autumn beer and ale selection for your tailgate party, Oktoberfest, for fall picnics and BBQs, for Halloween!

The artwork and graphics on the labels are great. Who is this guy!? A pumpkin in an antique diving helmet? Spooky!

And note the tiny people by the Jack on this box!

Made me wish I'd expand my horizons beyond white wine and margaritas, and take a taste! But, ugh, no. And Mo got cute pumpkin spice treats too! Chewy.com

From Chewy.com---since his fave teeny micro treats are out of stock. This is a one time deal, because these are not big but not tiny, too big for an insatiable boy who consumes many many treats each day. [hence the invention of micro treats].

"'Come, Mo?' What's in it for me, mommy?"

You may not know but pugs are entirely food driven dogs. They're somewhat hard to train and while they are smarter than they look and certainly understand commands---Mo knows what he is supposed to do!---they will only do whatever, for a treat. The good news is they love to perform; Mo has quite the repertoire. [Probably they think we humans are hard to train! as they wait patiently for their treat and rewards.]