BOUND and Determined!

It was a stretch (literally!) to go from the smaller, close to the body movements that I mentioned in my last post, to those with a greater range of motion; but, as my PT sessions continued, I was able to graduate to the longarm again and get a few tops quilted up and ready for finishing. First off the rails was the "Potato Chip" quilt, a fun and fast-to-make scrappy (all 2.5" X 4.5" rectangles) from last year. I quilted it with this Knit One, Purl Two panto by Urban Elementz. It was an easy, flowing pantograph and a good one with which to jump back in. 

After that I loaded and quilted up "St. Valentine's", a Villa Rosa Designs pattern called Cathedral, another quilt top pieced with rectangles only. I used U.E's Echoed Hearts panto on this one and, I'm not going to lie, keeping up with the quilting on this one was intense. It takes much concentration and a LOT of time and thread!

The results, however, were 100% worth the effort. This one is a smaller, lap-sized quilt.

I'm happily stacking up these quilts for binding now, my latest evening activity in front of TV.

It's all good...

Life is Good!

All Good Things...

...came to a crashing halt! Literally. Let me explain. Remember how I was on a roll?  Catching up on on UFOs and working both forward and backwards on those blocks-of-the month? I even promised to spend National Quilting Day piecing those blocks that I was behind on and showing you the leader-ender blocks that are taking shape at the same time. Well, truth be told, that didn't happen. Last Thursday evening, as I was wrapping up another whole-house cleaning day and rushing to get everything put away, I caught my foot on the vacuum cleaner hose, tripped and fell flat onto the floor; landing squarely on my left shoulder. Even though the pain was immediate and intense, I hoped it would improve and delayed a trip to the ER for eight hours until I couldn't stand it anymore. X-rays there revealed a three part fracture of the proximal humerus (there's nothing humorous about it!). The best laid plans... interrupted... just like that! I was going to report about quilting this Potato Chip scrappy quilt with the new (to me) Knit 1 Purl 2 pantograph shown here, which I just love. That will have to wait, for now.

I was planning to show you progress on Agnes Platt's Strawberry Sampler by Blackbird Designs, none has been made in the last seven days.

I wanted to share this easy-peasy egg salad tip; I tried this before the fall and was delighted with the results. Crack a few eggs into a greased baking dish. 325 degree oven for 12 minutes. Turn out the baked eggs directly onto a cutting board and chop. No fuss, no peeling hard-boiled eggs individually. Add whatever ingredients you use for delicious egg salad!

Also, while I was in the kitchen last week, I baked up a batch of whole grain pumpkin apple dog biscuits.  Augie wouldn't eat them! Seriously. He's sharing them with friends. 😉🦴

So, here we are; almost a week later. I've seen an Orthopedist and have been moved from an immobilizing splint to a sling. I've learned that there's no rotator cuff involvement and that surgery isn't necessary. Two big cheers! I'll return for a visit with him in two weeks and then begin PT. In the meantime it's rest and heal. The only food coming onto our plates is from the gracious kindness of friends and family who've rallied to fill our fridge and freezer not to mention our hearts! I have SO MUCH to be thankful for! I've been reading and watching a lot of TV; but I've also spent much time in thought and prayer. I know that I need to allow this time of  rest and recovery to occur without complaint so that God can work through me.  I admit though that my plans, and His, often seem misaligned! The words of that sampler above are in my mind today: "The bee~ his labor is a chant, his idleness a tune". I pray for God to let me learn that lesson and to allow this downtime idleness to be tuned... to Him. 

I shall return... it's all good.

Life is Good!

Button, Button...

... who's got the button? 

I do!

This huge jar of buttons represents three generations of button hoarders keepers collectors! I have inherited the button baskets that belonged to my grandmother as well as my mother; keep in mind that I already had a very healthy-sized, full, button tin of my own! In an effort to tidy up, organize and consolidate, these buttons now all occupy the same space! This jar itself stands well over a foot tall and is nine and half inches in diameter! Take a guess at how much that many buttons weigh*!

😲

It's become a decorative conversation piece on the desk in my sewing room now, along with the buttons it holds as much sentimental value to me as anything.

In other hot-weather happenings around here:

  One of last year's Blocks-of-the-Month is now quilted and ready for binding, this one is Lady's Scrap Basket by Bits 'n Pieces. Quilted with Daisy Swirl pantograph. 

And another one, same quilt shop different BOM from last year. Timeless with a Twist by Michelle Renee Hiatt for Studio 180. Quilted with Oh, My Feathers pantograph. 

As we've continued to clean out cabinets as is necessary with the current, ongoing, kitchen re-do project, I ran across a shelf devoted to candle shades such as this one pictured. I had collected them over the years and used them, seasonally, in decorating spaces here and there around the house. I was going to give them all away, thinking them to be just "one more thing" adding to the clutter. But, I just couldn't do it. I truly love them and each one meant something to me, connecting me with another time and place. Mr. G. reminded me to think about the Japanese Art of Tidying and Marie Kondo's mantra about sparking joy. "If you love them", he said, "keep them. After we're long gone if our children want to toss out or auction off all of our belongings they're free to do that". I took his words to heart. 💗 They're staying. 

Moving outdoors: I bare-root save my front porch geraniums over the winter in cardboard boxes in the basement. Come spring, I remove them from their dark storage containers, pot them up with fresh soil and begin watering them in. Here's a side by side for comparison. L: April 1st, R: today.  I've been doing this with the same plants for years. Honestly, I didn't think I'd removed them early enough this year (I forgot), I typically start them in March; they did struggle at first but, as you can see, they've done just fine again this year. Phew! 

And now, back to that kitchen project: Along with new cabinetry we're replacing our 22+ y.o. appliances. Here's the new dishwasher, someone decided to thoroughly check it out! I asked Mr. G what cycle he thought I should use on a load like this one. His reply "A short one!"

*So, did you hazard a guess as to how much "three-generations of buttons" jar weighs?  

21 lbs!

That's a LOT of buttons. 

 Life is Good!

New Pantographs and Block Boards

I saw a pantograph that I really loved and had to have; in true "one thing leads to another" form I found myself ordering more than one once I had logged onto the website, a dangerous place for me to spend too long! Anyway, one of these new (to  me) pantographs, that I didn't even know that I needed, is "Malachite". I'm excited about the resulting texture on this scrappy Maze quilt that I had pieced a year ago. The Malachite gemstone is a said to bring transformation and promote harmony. I'd say that this quilting design is well named, as it has provided both to this piece. 

I backed it with a length of fabric that I had found "by the pound" at a Pineapple warehouse sale some time ago; it was the perfect amount.  Now the binding's in place for the finishing handwork. 

Do you use Block Boards? It was high time for me to replace the ones I have been using, my old ones were ratty from years of use and abuse. If you'd like to make your own here's a how-to video. Mine are scrappy (I love the look!) because I'm using up the last of a fat quarter bundle that has already  yielded a full sized quilt, a throw, two doll quilts and now the edging for these block boards! Aren't they cute? The sizes that I have here are 18", 15" and 12"; I've found that these are the best sizes for my purposes.

The way that I use mine are as a help for block layout before carrying the pieces to the machine. 

I like to "web" my blocks (less pinning, greater accuracy) by chain piecing, this way everything stays in order and the proper sequence as I stitch the pieces and units together. 

Here's the completed block (on what becomes a great display board too 😉), "Stair Stepper" from the Wonderful Curves Sampler book by those smart and talented Sew Kind of Wonderful women.  Check it out. That's it from around here; a few new things to share and a new month on the horizon... how did that happen? Just when I thought that March would go out like it arrived, lion-like, the lamb has quickly crept in. What's new with you?

Life is Good!

Finishing Up...

I've been trying to wrap up some lingering projects-partially-done by getting them quilted, bound and ready for finishing. When I get on a roll it's really not that hard, I just need to keep focused and on track. 

This is "Fun~fetti" after trimming up. It's one from a couple of years ago where I tried my hand at the split-nine patch using low volume fabrics. I felt it was really much too blah, so set it with a colorful jelly roll that I had in the stash. The quilting design is "Plumage" by Jodi Beamish for Willow Leaf Studio, I quilted it using a darker tan thread that matched the backing fabric (same as the binding). I'm pleased with the results; it's a happy quilt. 

This scrappy hexie has been hanging around, half done, on the design wall for way too long! Last week I pulled the bin of already cut pieces and made quick work of adding the last six rows. I consulted with a few trusted quilter friends on whether or not to add a border and the consensus was "no", so, off the wall it came and in an hour is was loaded and ready for the Snowbird to give it some quilted texture. 

"Popcorn" is the chosen pantograph for this one (also Jodi Beamish for Willow Leaf): fun and lively. there are 280 4" hexagons from the scrap bin in this one.  I've decided to name it "Off the Wall", because it finally is. Hopefully it will be off the rails today too, and added to the stack for hand finishing.

After binding I hand baste the bindings down so that they're all ready when I am. 

The perennial garden just outside the door is putting on a colorful show right now. If the afternoons cool off just a bit I may carry that finishing handwork out to the side porch to fully enjoy this sight, not only do I delight in the blooms, but the birds and the butterflies too. How are you spending your summer days? It's such a good feeling to be finishing things. I'll dig around to see what else I can pull from the closet to put together, there are loads of nearly-completed things in there; and, luckily, I don't have to dig too deep!

 😉

Life is Good!

Day By Day, Stitch By Stitch

Time moves on... day by day, stitch by stitch. Life after buying the new church has taken on a more familiar rhythm again this week. I finished up the quilting on the second of two Life is Good T-shirt quilts for a church member in memory of his dear wife. This has been passed on to Quiltkeemosabe herself who will bind and label them for presentation to his daughters. The days are warming up nicely now, spring has definitely arrived in full force. We have the pollen to prove it! 

Today we took our annual pilgrimage to our favorite nursery east of here to stock up on plants and blooming annuals. It's an absolutely wonderful nursery; family owned and chock-full of perfect plants of every variety. It wouldn't be spring without a day trip there! I'll be busy potting for the next few days!

I finished up a customer order yesterday with a new (to me) pantograph. I was thrilled with the results.

And now this. My return to cross stitch; all thanks (and blame!) go the the afore-mentioned Quiltkeemosabe who is leading the march straight into this rabbit hole! Forty years ago I knew nothing about stitching on linen or stitching over two! Here I go again... with chart, floss, fabric, specialty needles and this time with all the cute little acroutements that I need not, but had to have! Have any of you quilt blog followers noticed how many are returning to cross stitch?  Count me in. There's a whole movement afoot! Rather then spending the evenings binding quilts in front of television as I used to do, I'm now stitching samplers. 

Who could have predicted this a few months ago? Certainly not me!

Life is Good!

Too Much?

I've been quilting pumpkins and leaves on "The Quiet Road". I fell in love with the pantograph and really wanted to add a bit of color and lots of texture to this simply pieced quilt top. 

As I worked along however, row after densely quilted row, I wondered if it was a perfect example of a project that was completely over-quilted; maybe this was just too much. I used a TON of thread! 

Off the frame and ready for inspection: no, I didn't feel that it was over-done any longer, I really liked the result-- this was exactly the way I had pictured this in my mind's eye.

The diagonal plaid on top is the chosen fabric for the binding, the orange piece, underneath is the backing. I am considering piping the binding with the orange. But then, the more I thought about it I wondered if, again, this was too much--  this time I'm thinking about the work involved just to get that binding applied and done, an additional step (albeit a striking one). Would this extra bit actually be gilding the lily? No, I hope not, I have to stop talking myself out of things! I'm going for it, why not? This humble quilt is getting the royal treatment all the way through to that final stitch!

But, back to the original question;

can you have too much of a good thing? 

Let me tell you the answer to that: "yes, you can"! A week ago Friday, at my well-patient exam, my PCP reminded me that it was time for me to receive the pneumonia vaccine. "Okay", I thought, "that's a good idea." I received the injection before leaving his office. At this same visit he suggested that I look further into getting both part #1 of the shingles vaccine as well as the flu shot which is available. He thought that it would serve me better, insurance-wise, to check into those at the local pharmacy. I was well-intentioned when I left his office and thought about getting to that right away. Then the ache set in; that pneumonia shot HURT, and ACHED, by Sunday that week I could barely lift my arm. I did call the local pharmacy a few days later and checked into receiving the other two. They pulled my paperwork and told me to come in when it was convenient. If you know me, you know that I like things to be quick and efficient. To have this all taken care of in one step seemed smart and like good time management. So, one week later, after the pain had barely subsided from the pneumonia vaccine I received two more vaccines in that same arm. (To me , at the time, it seemed smart to leave a "good" arm to roll onto while sleeping.) Those two put me over the edge; not with an aching arm this time, but with complete and pure fatigue. I was, literally, wiped out. I suppose my body didn't understand what antibodies it was supposed to be developing and supplying; I had reached overload status. If I live to serve any purpose, it is to be an example. Too much; sometimes, it just that-- too much! Moderation would have been a better guiding word here; if you need vaccinations I would suggest spacing-- them-- out. If for no other reason, simply to understand which vaccine you may be reacting to at any one time. Now I know-- and, hopefully, so do you; sometimes too much is NOT a good thing. Today, everything's back to normal and it's all good. 

Life is Good!