Monday, August 25, 2014

Summer Flies By

A whole month has flown by and it's almost September.  It just went so fast!  Barb and I took a little road trip a couple of weeks ago.  We went to Sisters, OR just to hang our for a few hours as we missed the Outdoor Quilt Show this year.




Then we went to Bend, OR for a couple of days, for a float down the Deschutes River and a visit to quilt shops and a couple of boutiques.



Then we checked out the natural wonder that is Crater Lake.  The air is clear, the colors are saturated and the view is unbeatable.  


 From there we drove down to Medford where we visited my mom and Barb took in some plays in Ashland.  The turkey hens who visited several times a week last summer aren't coming around this year.  Somebody must have told them that a busy street is no place for birds who mostly walk.  Or maybe they aren't in love with the thunderstorms we experienced while there.


On the way home we stopped at Wildlife Safari and saw zebras, yaks, giraffes, lots of different antelope, bears, birds and this guy.  One can buy food for the animals in this section and the fact that we elected not to was not appreciated.  He'd have come into the car to check for himself had we let him.

All in all, it was a fun and relaxing trip.

While I was gone, the veggie garden got completely out of hand.  I had no idea that one cucumber plant could produce so many cukes.  It even sneaked over and grabbed onto a neighboring tomato plant so that I found a cucumber  among the tomatoes.





The sewing machine hasn't been as lonely as it may sound.  I belong to a small quilt group that does round robin quilts and I did my row for two quilts this month.  Because no one gets to see her quilt before all the rows are finished, I can't show them off until the reveal next month.  But I'll post some pictures then.

I also just finished a top for a new pattern called "Autumn Greetings."  I used a layer cake called "Hello Fall" by Sandy Gervais, and ⅔ yard solid golden yellow and ¾ yard burnt orange.  It's a fun way to try out some new fabrics without committing to lots of yardage.  It's quick and easy, which any quilt should be when attempted at the end of summer or the very beginning of fall.


This pattern will be featured when our new website goes live in a couple of weeks.

The availability of precuts brings up an old quilting discussion about the pre washing of fabrics.  While many quilters like the instant aging effect of not washing the fabrics until the quilt is completed, I generally rinse my fabrics in the washer with a dye-catching product and dry them in the dryer before they ever get to the studio.  I like to have any dye transference or shrinkage addressed before I invest time in sewing.  It's true:  I'm not really a gambler.  The exception I make is with precut fabrics.  I'd hate to lose the whole width of a little piece to raveling or shrinkage.  If I use precuts, I generally don't prewash the other fabrics in the top.  Just seems safer that way.  I have been known to cheat and get lucky, but again, I don't really like to gamble.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!
Candy


PS  I'm a new great-aunt.  To see a picture of the lovely Laurel and her beautiful parents, check out the blog, I Make Quilts at imakequilts.blogspot.com