Happy Thanksgiving

Last Tuesday it was dark and rainy all day.  I'd had a head cold for  a week and basically felt like the last poppy of the year:

I was about to embark on a major whine when I saw a picture of Washington, Illinois.  Then I thought about the typhoon damage in the Philippines.  People, I've got nothing to complain about.  And we're having some bright sunshine, which always helps me look on the bright side.

I have these three little Christmas Cacti.  I love them because they don't take much upkeep.  And every year at about Thanksgiving, they bloom.  By Christmas, they're finished, but better early than never.  When the days are short and the nights long, that little bit of cheer is special.

I've often said that I learn something on every quilt I make.  I showed the top of my new quilt a couple of weeks ago (tentatively named "Mother Goes Mod") and last week I got ready to quilt it.  To sandwich the quilt, I lightly spray adhesive on the wrong side of the back (outside, of course) and then  masking tape it to the wood floor in the dining room.  Then I spray one side of the batting, spread it over the back and then add the top.  It's fairly quick (patience is not my best) and works well for me.
Only last week, the tape wouldn't stick to the backing.  I thought maybe the tape was old and got a different roll.  Same problem.  It got really frustrating really fast.  It took me a while, but I think I have it figured out.

I usually wash all my fabric as soon as it comes in the door.  Because I was using a layer cake for this project and I needed all ten inches of the squares, I didn't wash them and I didn't wash any of the other fabrics that went into it, including the backing.  (Imagine a tiny light going on here.)  Whatever finish is added to the fabric by the manufacturer is usually washed out.  But since I didn't wash these fabrics . . .

I finally just layered fabrics and batting, turned them over, smoothed out the back, turned it over and smoothed the front.  Checked the back one more time and started quilting.  So far, so good.  Live and learn.

On most of it I'm quilting from the back, using the flowered fabric as a guide.  Where that fabric appears on the front, I quilt from the front.  I'm using the same Aurifil thread on the top and in the bobbin.  It should be finished by the end of the week and next week I'll work on directions so the pattern will be ready by the first of the year.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Candy

It's Not Cheating To Do It the Easy Way

The run -up to the holidays has started and I formally announce that it's not cheating to do it the easy way.

The end-of-year holidays are supposed to be fun.  Sometimes being the Mom, Dad, Host or Hostess kind of sucks the fun out of it.  I'm pretty sure that too much to do, too many projects, too much stress and feeling crabby while waiting for it to be over is not the point.  Just keep saying to yourself, "I have nothing to prove." And let 'em make their own sandwiches.

While cleaning some stuff out, I came across a very simple runner pattern in the October, 2000 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.  I had saved the pattern many years ago and filed it away.  The border fabric I used is actually what's pictured in the magazine.  I really loved it and bought a bunch as I knew it would eventually go away. The project was quick and easy and I did only the most basic of quilting in about an hour.  I trimmed the batting and backing separately so I could just fold the backing over the front to finish instead of cutting separate binding.

It will live on my kitchen table for a few weeks.
Is it original?  No
Is every point perfect? No
Is every quilting stitch where it should be?  No
Will something probably get spilled on it?  Hey, it's me.  Of course.
Will I worry about any of the above?  NO

It was quick.  It was fun.  It's cute.  End of story.

A New Little Quilt

Now that it's November, I can no longer pretend it's just late summer.  As un-PC as it may seem, I miss the smell of burning leaves.  Watching someone unclog leaf-blocked storm drains just doesn't do it.

I've put off a few chores like mulching the hydrangeas and planting bulbs and now regret it as it's really chilly out.  The good news is that sunny weather isn't beckoning me out of the studio. Now I have no excuses.

Ever wonder what to do with a Layer Cake?  Not the yellow cake with chocolate frosting type.  We all know what to do with that.  I'm talking about the stack of ten inch squares of fabric. They're interesting and colorful and tempting, but what can you do with them?

I finally bought one a couple of weeks ago because it seemed like an interesting challenge and I had an idea.  I've been looking at Modern Quilts the last couple of years and liked many of them, but decided that they weren't really me.  What if I could do something sort of modern without a big commitment?

I chose Pat Sloan's Bobbins and Bits by Moda.  There are 42 squares in the collection and since they're designed as a group, everything goes with everything.  Also, the pinking at the edges is so shallow that you really have a usable 10 inches.  The only other thing I bought was a coordinating solid.

(At this point, I have to go off on a little tangent to say that there are so many more great solids than there used to be.  At least it seems like it to me.  If Modern Quilting has sparked that, I'd like to say "Thank you so much.")

One 10 inch square gave me an 8 ½ inch square and seven 1 ½ inch squares with just a bit left over.  In theory, I could've made 42 12- inch blocks.  Because I was experimenting, I goofed a couple up, but I have plenty more to play with.

This turned out to be a good way to play with some fabrics that I wouldn't necessarily want to buy yardage of (sorry to dangle that participle).  It also gave me lots of combinations to try.  I even decided that I kind of like gray.

Here's the basic block:

And the twelve block top:

It makes a cheery quilt for dark winter days and it's quick to do.

I have to show you something that made me chuckle.  

I didn't catch it right away, but now it just shouts at me.  Comment back when you see it.  Can you imagine how many yards (in more than one color) were printed this way?  

The pattern for this will be out about the first of the year at which time I'll give readers of this blog a discount, so check back.

Here are the familiars looking cute.  It's not Ella's (left) best pic, but I'm posting it anyway because she likes to play in the mud and bring it into the house.  This is Toby's "I'm a good boy" face.  Because there are so few places that are out of his reach, being good is especially hard for him.

Take time to quilt,
Candy