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







Saturday, October 9, 2021

Quilting Miscellany


Hi everyone! It's Columbus Day weekend already! Today is very blustery, the big winds of winter are looming closer as the weeks move on. Earlier the sky was filled with swirling flocks of tiny birds and some monarch butterflies. All headed east--wrong way, guys! And I believe the oystercatchers left on schedule, on October 2nd. Will try to walk down tomorrow if the wind lets up.

I keep getting locked out of Instagram, ever since the crash they had earlier this week. I have spent hours recovering the account, only to have it blocked again. I enjoy IG for the people and posts I wouldn't see on FB or Blogger, wonderful quilters and also home décor and ''mudlarkers''/ beachcombers. So I don't want to lose  access entirely. 

Between power failures, eye issues, IG probs, not so much quilting was done the past few weeks. But Mo insists on his daily afternoon sewing time every. single. day.

I was very surprised when my dogwalker said dogs have no sense of time. [she was 45 minutes late and Mo was frantic for morning walkies/ I had taken him out to potty when she didn't show]. 


Mo seems to know exactly when the walker should come for his morning run, and at 345 every day he wants his deck hour. And lately because of my vision issues I've been watching TV after dinner, my mid range and distance sights are still good. Mo likes to sit behind me on the sofa and snooze through House Hunters etc. Last night I wanted to work in my sewing room and he was quite miffed.

The Thanksgiving Pineapple is my main project, hand sewed wool---hopefully very forgiving. I don't know what I will do if  it looks awful when my eyes are treated and when/ if I see more clearly.


 I added the cutouts on the coxcomb flowers, used bright cheddar for reverse applique.


Mel suggested ages ago that she'd prefer a more realistic stem on the pineapple instead of the big star. I like the star but I think she may be right?

This is my antique block from Lori of Humble Quilts, the challenge to make a small quilt using an old block. I have a design all planned, for needleturn applique, but cannot do that right now. I think we have til May? My other choice is my Giraffe at the Pyramids block. It will get a machine pieced setting. May submit that instead, as I think I can machine sew some days. [my vision fluctuates, which is now making docs consider issues other than just cataracts, so scary!]


With mid-October approaching even I must begin letting go of summer.


I got out ALL or almost all of my big fall quilts. Why I do not know, as I can't possibly display them all even if I rotate for October then November.

I put this wonderfully brown prim quilt on my bed! Made in 2011/ 2012, it was my first large appliqued project. Designed by Lynda Hall here A sewalong, again with Lori/ HQ.  A Little Porch Time Oh I was so proud but of course it was slammed by my family. My son was the kindest, saying it looked like Fall not Summer [it represents a summer garden really]...


After almost ten years in the closet, I did bring it out for Fall. I kinda love it! 










However it's far too hot and heavy for the current temps [70s, sunny, pushing 80*] and after one night I put out this long stored Lone Star, an antique. Good for it to be aired for a few days.


Turkey red and very faded cheddar, beautiful quilting. It probably was a rainbow of colors, the blue and green long gone.

Next week I'll bring out the bright orange Halloween-y Wedding Ring quilt, maybe.


Probably will not use any/ many little quilts this year! I am paring down even more. Much as I love them



****************

Just because I have too many Fall quilts that doesn't stop me from planning more! I fell in love with this quilt in one Jan Patek's early books, found on Thriftbooks.com   here.


This is the book.



In the book, apropos of nothing, I LOVE this little Thanksgiving quilt. Next year 
someday?


Since I think perhaps my shirt thrifting days are over [covid/ distance/ thrift friend issues] I was so pleased to see this new group of homespuns in the new catalog for Connecting Threads. Love the look, though shirts are far easier to sew with. I am picturing butternut yellow [mustard/ old gold]; medium blue, browns, ivory palette.





This new group also caught my eye, with similar color planning: Maria's Sky [Mariah?] :



I especially loved these prints.

And from way back, must be 5 years now, I finally found a fabric for the background of the Blackbirds in the Marshes in winter, for my wintery version combining When the Wild Geese Fly and Blackbirds/ Morning etc, again by Jan Patek. Don't be put off by the pine and holly, both grow wild in my marsh.



You may recall first trial color way which was a Fail, not at all wintery!


So I have lots planned for the coming winter, staying as hopeful as I can. But right now, it is --again---deck time with Mo. Must wash the windows first though. Have a good weekend!


love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....



Off topic again: when I went for pre-op testing for my eyes I hurt my shoulder very badly. Not sure how or why, but a month later it's still agony. A friend gave me this and I am very impressed. It has kept me going. Expensive but only use a pea sized bit. Beware of the strong menthol around face and especially eyes; wash hands etc. [no I didn't see a doctor, couldn't deal with yet another issue. Hope it heals itself, etc...]

CBDMEDIC


not being paid to endorse!



8 comments:

  1. Oh, I love your stack of quilts. And the Jan Patek quilt on your bed is wonderful. I'm sorry it was too hot. I've been having the same problem. I put my Blackbird Designs Hallowe'en 1902 quilt on the bed because it's October. But, it is taking some getting used to because it is so much heavier than the summer quilt. The weather has turned cold the last few days (snow is expected next week) and so finally I'm grateful for it. I love your pineapple just the way it is and the cheddar reverse applique pieces on the coxcombs is the perfect choice. So sorry you're having health problems but you sound cheerful.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I love the prim brown quilt, will try to use it at some point. You are having snow! Early! You are out west? Thanks for kind words!
      lizzy
      x
      PS Which is your Halloween quilt> Can you send me a photo or link? Is it the black cat silhouette?

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  2. First of all I LOVE the Star to top the pineapple--so "you", really;))) And Porch time is super;)))love that stretched out kitty. Sorry about your eye issues...pretty difficult when you want/need to sew...hope it gets resolved soon...I am still dealing with the PT issues and have given in to a lot of resting time...so not much sewing going on here either...Hugs, Julierose

    P.S. All of our dogs KNEW exactly when to expect our car coming down the street even--they definitely have some kind of sense of time...at least I think so..^*)))

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  3. I think we all love these brown, cheddar and golden quilts because they evoke autumn, bright blue skies, trees ablaze with color, warm hearth, and comfort food. I love your 2012 quilt, don't think I've seen it before, or at least not remembering. You never know what the kids are going to think about our quilts, or how their tastes might change in 9 or 10 years! I hope you've created a photo book of all your beautiful quilts, both for yourself and for your children someday.

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  4. It's so frustrating when we get locked out of some program we love and use often. I hope IG gets it worked out soon!
    I'm pretty certain your dog walker is incorrect about dogs having a sense of time. Of course, they couldn't tell us that it's 3:00, but they know when it's time for any activity when we do it at nearly the same time every day. Poor Mo.
    I think you may be right about the star on the pineapple. It looks great to me. And so does your stitching on the coxcomb blocks.
    How fun to see your autumn quilts in a stack. I love the striped kitty with the heart! Maybe one of these days I will get brave and use cheddar in a quilt.
    Forget what your family said about A Little Porch Time. Lots of people don't understand that style of quilting. I think it's fabulous!
    About those shirt thrifting days -- around here it's hard to find a shirt worth buying. It seems like men have switched to knit shirts or don't give their cotton plaid shirts to the store where I shop. It's so disappointing. So those homespuns at CT look very inviting.
    I hope they figure out the problem with your eyes quickly so you can get back to doing what you love to do!

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  5. Lots of quilty goodness in this post, starting with the fabulous 2012 prim quilt. It's fantastic! I think people either love "prim" or they really don't. I do. And your stack of fall quilts - just terrific. I admit I laughed out loud at what your dog walker said! I think dogs can be super routine oriented! I hope you find relief with your eye problems.

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  6. I love all your quilts and love watching your progress as you make them, and super happy to see you use and enjoy them!

    I love the holly and pine fabric you found!

    I'm slow getting around to looking at this post - I was in a rush when I checked my e-mail and totally forgot to go back and actually LOOK at the post. The nice thing about your blog, though, is that it's still there when I go back to it! Sometimes I just browse through posts just to remember.

    I think pets CAN tell time - my kitties are always in the kitchen for their nightly treat, waiting patiently on the rug (where I have trouble seeing them if the light is off!). The only time they're off is when the time changes, lol. They're smarter than we think!

    Have a good week! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. The quilt on your bed is so cute. Fun looking back at your post from 2013!

    I hope you can get back to thrifting. Maybe someone will open a store closer to you.

    Oh, come on. Who is this dog walker, anyway. Lol.

    I hope your Instagram issues get resolved. I haven't experienced any trouble since it came back.

    Take care :)

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Hi! I'm allowing comments from everyone, even anonymous for awhile, to see what happens. With comments moderation. Hopefully the awful porn spammer has gone elsewhere. Or you can always email me! I love to hear from everyone.