Gone To The Beach

Friday, May 20, 2022

Mid-May Miscellaneous---And Something for the weekend

Tiny quilt by Sue McQuade

Good evening! Another Friday. A spring thunderstorm just rolled through. It's chilly, don't believe the Weather Bug fake news that it is hot in NYC. Here at the beach: 54* with a 20 mph wind off the ocean, from the east. Still wearing winter clothes. We did have one nice day this week. Mo and I had our first real sewing hour on the deck for summer '22.

I only have one chair out. I put out Mo's deck bed but he was doing his guard dog surveillance and hid behind the flower pots.

Seeds and canna tubers planted too.

Old crock for my sewing table.

I went inside briefly and ooops, when I came back 2 minutes later, look who hoisted his chubby butt up onto my chair.

He was all set. Not. Gonna. Move. Mommy Later Mo was not happy there was no ice cream though. Dogs DO have long term memories, he won't forget his decktime ice cream treat ever. [He can count and tell time too. ]

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I didn't have my TQC handwork prepped so I sewed on my crows for my Winter Marsh quilt. I am trying to accumulate hand work for the summer afternoons ahead, but always run short

Yesterday I cut random cute-pie fabric squares for a requested real world/ child use doll quilt. It was fun to get out all my saved special fabrics.

I don't know anyone except me who loves these funny novelty prints. But I buy them and hoard them anyway. Maybe a 2 1/2 year old will like finding the pictures, like a simplified I Spy quilt? And she can sternly put her stuffies down for naps beneath it.

Sorted TQC Shop Scrap Bag for TQC sewalong too. Must cut tomorrow.

After looking at Cartwheels, hung on the jelly cupboard all week, I did decide to add the cheddar side borders. It makes the quilt look finished. I can always later cut them off. This will hopefully address a measurement issue too, as one vertical side came out about 1 1/2" longer than the other, despite all my efforts at staying even and square. Hopefully a little ease, a little stretch will make the difference less.

For Winter Marsh, my May goal is/ was to make the five or seven smaller star blocks. I messed around with it for awhile but finally had to admit that a Hobby Lobby bundle of blue plaid fat eighths was never going to enough material to create the stars.I ordered this fat quarter set of plaids from Fat Quarter Shops. I love the flannels, deep rich blues and soft but not stretchy or flimsy hand.

Isn't it pretty. Cozy too, for January's dark cold nights.

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In the cottage, I'm removing the earlier spring accents: eggs, forsythia, yellow throw pillows, adding a few touches.

The ugly locust tree bestowed upon me a tiny branch for my seaglass bottle, and it has sprouted.

I moved this framed tiny quilt out into the living room. It was gifted to me by friend Sue McQuade, a dragonfly in the style of Janet Bolton, whose work we both admire. It always hangs in my sewing room, but I brought it out to welcome summer days ahead. Janet Bolton

I put my prize gift, the dandelion pin on it too. From my IG win. @weepeaceofnature

And parrot tulips from my grocery delivery, 6 stems/ 5.oo. Made them last.

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This was the week I had my IV treatment [13 years, every 8 weeks! who knew?], so actually not much got done. I am enjoying this book, below, recommended by blog friend Julie. It is more an autobiography than a painting how-too manual. Her musings about her own paintings resonate the most, along with her gorgeous high colored paintings. Descriptions of other painters' works, such as Matisse, fall down a bit because we don't see, or always know, which paintings she is speaking of. When I have a chance I'll reread the other artists chapters while looking up their work online.

And I treated myself to Amazon/ Brit Box free subscription and watched Season Six of Ann Cleeves Shetland . Six episodes, one story arc with many sub plots. I admit I couldn't tell the bad guys, male and female, apart and sort of lost the plot so to speak, yet some of the sub plots were glaringly obvious, something that always irks me. And I couldn't remember who used to be married to, or lovers with, whom.

Loved the general story, actors, Shetland itself, all the distinctive Scottish sweaters, lambswool on Inspector Perez, cashmere on the woman candidate for Parliament, handknits, some spectacular, on others, especially Sister Caroline; good cars, clothes, parkas, interiors, beaches, town scenes.

It fascinates me that Perez's second in command Tosh wears the same two plaid tartan blouses through six seasons! And Perez wears the same awful Hush Puppy shoes and doesn't try to hide his greying old dude stubble. Oddly Cassie, Perez's daughter, has aged about 15 years though it's the same actress who now looks 35 instead of 15; everyone else is still the same age as in season one. Tosh's boyfriend has matured nicely, Sandy is still an idiot--and oh wow, huge cliffhanger season ending. If you like Ann Cleeves books [Sue, Penny?] give it a try! Her Vera series is up next, also free for a month. Something for the weekend.

[I can't get a link up that doesn't go to my account, so just google Shetland on Amazon or Netflix.]

Shetland books by Ann Cleeves

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Seaglass found by my kids after full moon eclipse high tide.

Mo and I, enjoying the longer brighter days. Pink snow and fairy garden rocks.

This week's art so far: The Pug Glare, Immortalized

I just had to share this painting from Room Portrait Club, with the artist's generous permission. @sosunammy https://www.instagram.com/sosunammy/ Many of her paintings and drawings have Pugs! This one is so amazingly creative. The pears [see last week's post] have taken flight and become Pugs who are also bees? Or fairies, or butterflies. But tiny pugs! I am smitten!

by @sunammy

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

A Quilt Finish ~ Humble Quilts Antique Block Challenge

Lucky in Love is her name, part of my make-do small quilts Lucky Series, always featuring the horseshoe fabric[s]. *This is the challenge finish post, so regular readers may find it a tad repetitious. ]

Here is my block, sent to me by Lori of HQ. Not a fan of madder prints, that ugly brick rust red, and it was non-colorfast; and crooked, warped, and fragile. A challenge indeed. I believe the block is an Anvil variation, c. 1850-1875, for those who want names and dates.

I backed the block with very thin fusible interfacing, added a hopefully invisible narrow cream sashing to give me some seam allowances.

My initial plan/ sketched notes:

I was inspired by Australian crib quilts seen on the internet, pre 1860, often with multipieced borders, in a new to me medallion style, like the one below.

Also by modern Australian quilters on Instagram who do similar works. Sorry, I do not have a maker's name for this beauty.

My idea was that my quilt had the imaginary date of about 1840-50. Though in the end the scraps used were more US Civil War era, as was the central panel's added Remember Me motto.

My friend embroidered the motto in my handwriting. I was pleased that its fabric, a mottled batik, blended so well once appliqued.

Added the lucky hearts, because I love hearts and they show up on early crib quilts.

Here is a tiny turkey red heart on my 1840 red painted jelly cupboard.

The dark stripe's dyes ran as soon as I touched it with the steam iron. Looked dirty or scorched, so in the end I got up my nerve and machine washed the project with a tiny bit of OxiClean, plus ALL Free, and Retayne, four Color Catchers.

Hooray! Brown splotches gone, not a bit of bleeding.

Loved the Hourglass block, using my "TQC shops scraps'' /$6.oo a bundle , from TQC, and special gifted scraps from friends.

A few favorite fabrics. Anyone recognize the tiny light yellow calico?

I found the turquoise Dots.

My quilter did a beautiful scrolling Feather, as I requested. I felt feathers were more in keeping with the imaginary date, my go-to Baptist Fans would date it late 1800-early 20th century.

The same reasoning influenced my choice of the grey mushroom print for the binding. Though many of us loved the red choice, or the cheddar, earlier quilts are unlikely to have strong contrast binding. The grey flowed softly from the chintz borders.

The ''chintz'' border is from Two Thimbles "Dutch chintz'' category, dating around 1830-40? It doesn't, to me look like a chintz of that era, but I accepted the shop's expertise, and I loved the woodland feel and colors.

Note the antique horseshoe print, plus fabrics from Lori, my friend BJ, and Penny.

The backing---you may recall backings are a big deal for me. This print just arrived and I was/ am in love, lookit those fairy toadstools, oh my! Colors were just perfect, the ground color is deep grey, not black--- and what the heck, I went with anachronistic and fun. Very happy with it.

I feel all my design choices give an autumn feeling without having pumpkins and ghosts.

As mentioned I did wash the project successfully. I didn't put it in the dryer though which I normally do. Instead I smoothed it out on a kitchen counter, blocking and squaring it. Sometimes the dryer makes new quilts TOO crinkly, not my aim with this one. It was 30" square unwashed, 29" square when washed and air dried.

I do love the result. Working with antique blocks, studying them, has always been my favorite aspect of quilting. I never take a block apart and resew it, I respect the original maker and her efforts. Sometimes I may patch an area if absolutely needed but that is all. Opinions on this differ.

On the right corner area you can see how the old dyes are unstable and bled.

And so here it is: Lucky in Love

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My other ongoing antique project is Cart Wheels in Red and Cheddar. I have one more red bit to add. The layout is very long and skinny. I'm tempted to add cheddar panels to the sides to make it wider, but am unsure. Realistically it will be displayed folded so the final shape is not as important? I hope to have this out to Lori C my quilter before the end of May.

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In other news, Baby Mo had to be rushed to vet Monday. My friend helped me. He had / has a bad chronic ear infection and when trying to scratch it [probably very painful] he tore a big scratch behind his ear. Oh no!--- they shaved his neck to treat the sore and they gave him a Cone. Mo about had a heart attack, definitely had a panic attack, poor mite. The cone was choking him! He was so scared. I have him wearing a bandanna instead, so far so good, as the meds help his inner ear infection.

It's been that sort of week and it is only Wednesday. Friday I go yet again to try to get glasses to help me see and drive. I have to admit I am very discouraged. My little basket of bonbon pinkeeps from Penny always cheers me up, though. Penny and I may do the TQC mini sewalong, 4 installments of handpiecing. I have never handpieced an entire quilt! If anyone wants to join us, send me a message. I probably won't start mine til outdoor sewing beings late June, no rush.