Quilt Along ~ Episodes Done and Done!

 Quilt along ~ finished!

I'm so glad that Carmen and Nancy did this, it's so much funner to do together....even when "together" means thousands of miles and too many weeks apart.  :)  Plus, you have to click over and see Nancy's finished quilt...it's pretty spectacular.  ;)

 I used fabric from the give-away I had won over on RoseHip.  The fabric is so wonderful, and it made quilting a pleasure.  I usually get all twisted up with 'what colors' and 'what patterns' and argh!

 Beata makes the most wonderful crocheted edgings.  I've been wanting to make some pillow cases from some repurposed sheets, and I've known I would try my hand at the edgings when I do so.  She's such an inspiration!  So at some point, when I was imagining this blanket done, I thought maybe I would do the crochet edging on it, as a tribute to sweet Betta and her generous fabric give away.

I struggled with the decision because I couldn't find any source that described sewing, turning, closing, then quilting.  It seemed like you need to quilt first, then bind.  It just seemed like the whole "quilting thing" was sort of the point of doing the quilt along, so it gave me pause to skip it.  I wasn't in the mood to experiment with my blanket (the cutting!  so much cutting!) and Carmen encouraged me to stop fretting and go for it, so that's exactly what I did!

And you know what?  I LOVE it!!!  I've always been in awe of Betta's (and Alice's, too!) perfectly perfect blanket stitches, and I have to say that the green gingham check fabric provided the perfect pre-made grid so that even I could have perfectly perfect blanket stitches.  I used 100% cotton for the edging.

Did I mention that I love it???  It's the perfect size for cuddling on the couch, but I really picture it on the sand at the beach, the star of a picnic; later, you can cozy under it as the sun sets on the water.

Or is that just too much pressure to put on a blanket?

Progress!

 My quilt-along-quilt.  Dude.  It's a six week project.  I'm on....um....the fifth month?  Yeah, I think that's right.  Five months.  June to October, give or take?  I found this perfect green gingham sheet at the thrift some time ago (ahem) and knew it was exactly the backing I'd been looking for.  Score for three bucks!  There's a few steps left to go, on this one, but there's a chance that it will be done some time this weekend.  Or, in three months.  Just saying.

Okay, here we go.  I started this ripple lap-ghan almost two years ago.  I'm serious.  I tried to convince myself it was last November, but no, I'm sure it was the November before that because I had started it for Erik's dad when he started chemo.  Pancreatic cancer, however, is a merciless thug, and not even 10 weeks later, he passed away.  I set this blanket aside, because his passing was so hard on my honey, and it wasn't until Easter of 2009 that I pulled it out again and decided to finish it for Erik.  

It's a lovely variegated wool, and I am hopelessly in love with the (excessively boring to crochet) ripple stitch.  It's so sweet and old-fashioned!  Last time I set this project aside, I had purchased more of the yarn, in order to make it even bigger, thinking Erik would prefer a full-sized blanket over the lap-sized..  The ripple stitch just eats skeins!  I finished a dozen more rows this week, but you know what?  When I laid it out it was starting to look like a runner...all long and skinny...so I went back to the original lap-ghan tip and ended up pulling out ten rows.  

I won't cry though, because it's just right at the moment, and I have to say, I think it's going to be just perfect for bleacher seats at little league games this spring.  :)

Quilt Along ~ Episode 2: I Don't Enjoy The Cutting So Much

Well now!  The "quilt along" is going well.  I mean, in the sense that it's taking me two weeks to do each week's assignment....you know, that kind of well.  I cut 7.5" x 3.5" rectangles, ten each from ten different fabrics.  I still need to cut 100 3.5" x 3.5" neutral squares...I'm thinking a blue sheet? Or maybe a pale pink sheet?  I think I have both.  After work tomorrow, I'll go through my thrifted sheets and pick something that says, "I'm a quilt!"

Nancy and her friend are cut and ready to go...I love those paisley squares! And although I'm counting on Carmen to be 10 days behind at all times, she's let me down by completing most of her sewing already. 

We're following the (long ago finished) quilt-along from "I Have to Say".   It's never too late to start...and, the good news for you?  You'll pull ahead of me in no time at all. 

I just can't get over these tomato plants.  The one in the back and the one in the front were planted on the same day.  The one in the back is towering over the top of the cage!

(Confidential to Jason:  Doesn't kitty look majestic?!)

This tomato plant?  Planted on the same day.

Here...these tomato plants?   You guessed it!  Same day.  Why so different?  The ones closest to me our taller than Scotty; but look at the ones just to the right here....so tiny!  It's really so strange!

Looking at this picture...aren't the flowers so pretty?  They remind me that....

We still have visitors!  When they showed up last weekend, I was so (happily) bewildered.  What could they possibly see in our underdeveloped patch of land?  The flowers above were planted last year, virtually ignored, and now lookit ~ so pretty.  It makes me wonder if they're suddenly so stellar because that's what bees do...make things flourish.  I know bees travel far and wide to get their pollen, but still, I have to believe our little gardens are majorly benefiting!

One of the things their arrival has done is to make me so much more aware (and appreciative) of all the plant life.  The green bin they've moved into is under a pine tree, and for the first time ever, I realized how gorgeous these purple blooms are that become pine cones.  I'd never stopped to notice such a thing!

There's also a wee-bit of blooming going on inside ~ my fabric!  This is the fabric I won in a giveaway at Beautiful Beatta's blog last fall, and I'm finally going to make it into a quilt.   I'm joining Carmen for a quilt along...this will be the first quilt I do from start to finish!  Wish me luck.  It's six weeks, and each week to tackle just a part of the project.  This was the week the wash and iron the fabrics.  Check.  It's never too late to join if you want to throw your hat in the ring!


Alright.  Just so you know.  As I was writing this up and waiting for pictures to upload, we got another nasty (but quick) jolt.  Earthquake.  There were two last Thursday night, too.  Almost exactly the same time.  All three have been between 2.5 and 3.0.  I'm a native Californian, so I won't even get out of my chair for less than 5.0, and even then, I wait to see how long it will last ~ I perk up, but I'm not going to get hysterical.  It could be over by the time I finally stand, so why break my neck hopping up?  Anyway, when I came home tonight, Erik said, "Earthquake weather."  I'm pretty sure he did it to tease me, as it is one of my long-standing pet peeves (right up there with stickers on fruit) that any time it gets "muggy" in the Bay Area, some dork starts in on 'earthquake weather' (I assure you, there is no such thing) but man....now I'm wondering!  The epicenter last week was less than 2 miles from our house (we live ON the Hayward Fault, I'm telling you) and this one I'm seeing here was also 2 miles away (in the other direction) and at 2.5.  Even when you're right on top of a 2.5, it's not a whole lot of shaking...but man, they're just loud when you're that close.  You hear it before you feel it, even.  Anyway, all this to warn you, that I'm fairly certain I feel a hey-I-updated-the-earthquake kit kind of post coming up.

Final Block

Maia sent me this adorable picture of my favorite pup, Miss Chula! Chula loves the blanket I made for Maia and Lenny....just look at her all cozied up and adorable. Oh, this dog, she is so unbelievably cute! She's called a Maltese, I think, but I can tell you from experience that not every Maltese is this cute. During the time that they were planning their wedding, Maia was living here and Lenny was already living in London, so we got to spend many a Friday night with Chulita chasing our boys and curled up for movie time.

Too much cuteness!


That picture cheered me up so much! Yesterday was hard, and today was long, but look at that face! I think I finally have the emotional strength to share the final block of our running-themed round robin.

This is Jessica's finished block. I mailed it out on Tuesday, which means she'll probably have it by this weekend. I'm so nervous!


I thought I was done here, with three bigger feet on the bottom, and three smaller pairs on the top. I hung it up and passed by it a dozen times, from every angle, and I decided it couldn't possibly be done until I added a fourth foot on the bottom.





I really like the way the 'folded ribbon' looks going down the side, but it was never my intention to do the folded ribbon on all four sides. I had originally thought that the folded ribbons would fade into 'rolling paths' across the top and bottom, and I was going to put the feet on top of the path, running along. In the end, the path didn't work. Though I still think that could have been great.



Jessica's original block used turquoises, white, and red. It had two feet in the center. I really wanted to pull in some of the original colors, and use the feet again to tie it all together. I think picking the colors for the feet was the hardest part. In addition to trying to use fabric she had sent with the block, I added purple, because of the border ribbons.



I just don't know. Erik was very critical of my choices. He kept saying I was 'ruining' it. OMG. Seriously? I'm already a nervous wreck!!! (He's not a jerk, though this makes him sound like a jackass! I can't explain it...it was partly funny, and partly horrifying, the way he kept saying it.) So the center feet and red border was Jessica, the flower embroidery and striped-flowers fabric was added by Brit, and Juls did the green and purple window-panes on the bottom, with a red border. I had to cut the red border down, since it was the same size as the final border I was adding. My addition is the green boarder with purple folded-ribbons down two sides and running feet along two sides.

I guess I was torn because I wanted to bring back some of the design elements that she had started with...things like the turquoise, and the feet. But what I'm second-guessing is, I don't know if that worked with the other additions. Should I have just done something totally different? I mean, my block didn't look anything like what I would have imagined. (Largely because 'my' contribution was not the center block! It was, in fact, Jessica who made the brilliant creative decision to add on a second block, rather than a border around the block I made.) (Does that mean she would approve of divergent creative decisions?) (I have my fingers crossed that it means exactly that!)

Thunder and Lightning!

Tommy and I went to see Gram today. He insists. I'm glad.

When we got there, she was at physical therapy. She used a walker to stroll back to her room for lunch. She is amazing! And her teeth were in this time, so Tommy was generally less alarmed. You can't tell, because I refuse to emoticon here, but I'm cracking up when I write that. Everything is sunnier when you've got your choppers on!

Here she is graciously accepting the gift of some Yugi-Oh cards from Tommy. He thought she might be in the mood to duel, but was easily convinced that getting to push her around in the wheelchair is, like, way better.





As I write this, I am listening to the rain. Oh, yes, the rain! Thunder and lightning and everything, this whole weekend! I'm feeling so schizophrenic about the weather...on the one hand, I'm bummed about the rain, because I wasn't prepared for it and I've left some tools out and certainly the patio furniture hasn't been battened down in the least. I'm also hoping for several more weeks of fairly warm ~ hot would be even better! ~ weather so my garden has as much opportunity to 'turn' as possible. (Though I swear, I peaked outside tonight using the porch light, and I believe all plants have grown about a foot taller since the rain started!)

On the other hand, despite this strong desire for more heat, I can't deny that fall is my most favorite time of the year. I love the turning of the weather, the long sleeves, the hot chocolate, the pumpkins, the clouds, and, yes, the first rains. I love it just like it is tonight, with all of us toasty and cozy and the sound of the rain pittering and pattering away. Heavenly!

I spent the weekend mostly inside (besides being gone most of the day, today...not complaining, though, because I really only have the weekends to see my grandma. Did I mention how happy I am that Tommy doesn't just deign to go, but happily, merrily, insistently tags along? So happy.) I worked on my applique project while we visited. I don't have much to report on that at the moment, but I will confess that the orange trio is shaping up to be my very favorite!

And I worked on a baby quilt. I'm really just designing it right now, but I moved from all-out patchwork to being inspired by pi. We'll see! I'm sure it will change a dozen more times before I really get down to it.





And I sewed up some (very simple) curtains for my dear friend Dana's son's bedroom. He'll be two in February, and he just got a "Cars" themed bedroom makeover. Oh, he's happy! Scotty was also very excited...'Are you making me a flag, Mommy?!?' Uh. Well....I am now! Just give me a minute, son.




And I finished my contribution to Jessica's block for the Running Round Robin. I'm sending it out in the mail tomorrow, and a proper update will follow, no doubt. I need to sit with this one for a few days, though, as Erik has made many, many comments about it this weekend, culminating last night (as I put the finishing touches on) with, "Huh. It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be."

I should add that that positive comment was a compromise, after many coaching sessions, based off of what not to say to me when I'm already way over my head in a project I'm already scared to death I may possibly be ruining.

Projects

So much to do! I've got a writing deadline for the end of this month. I contribute to a project that analyzes student work (math, of course!) and makes 'tools for teachers' to help us look at how students are approaching problem solving situations, and how we can create experiences that improve student understanding.

I'm a ludite when it comes to looking at student work. I use paper and tally marks and I insist on looking at every paper they write on. There are so many scantron/standardized/multiple choice hey-can't-the-computer-sort-that-for-me kind of options that it may seem pathetically old-school to do it the way I do, but you can't beat it for really getting your head around what is happening in a seven year old kid's mind.

In the picture above, you can see the one nod to technology...my new iPhone! A completely necessary tool for writing, as it allows me to listen to the This American Life podcast. Nothing would happen without it!

Tonight I took a break from writing to force myself to make a decision about the round robin block I'm working on. The last one! Don't let it end! Jessica doesn't read this, so I feel assured that this won't ruin any surprises. Besides, all the steps leading up to mine have been documented.

Here's my new sewing nook. LOVE having the ironing table right next to the sewing machine, with this silly swivel chair! The table is long enough for the cutting mat, too, so I just wheel around, from place to place, measuring and cutting/sewing/ironing. I can't recommend this set up enough!

You would not believe me if I told how lucky I got with the measurements on this border. I was supposed to measure for repeats and there was some talk about 'coping strips', but in the end, after staring at it for three days, I just started cutting and sewing.

The borders? Fit like a glove. It's truly unbelievable. I'm not EVEN done, there is a major design element I haven't even touched yet, but I was just so pleased with how this 'folded ribbon' border came together...I love it! It's my first crack at a pieced border. I'm a fan.

And, for your listening pleasure, I present Babysitting, which is easily one of the funniest things I've ever heard. If you've ever been babysat by an older sibling (or Honie, who lived with Gram), then you'll love the first story. I can remember being left with Honie, and he had a 'three strikes you're out policy'. He lined us up like suspects on Gram's scratchy green couch in East Oakland, and if you talked, fidgeted, or breathed wrong, you'd get two warnings and then, on the third one, he'd whip you with a wet handtowel. The last story on this segment is truly mesmerizing. It's old, like a few years old, but I go back and listen to it a couple times a year.

Don't you just love a good story? Me too!

Botanical

I'm trying something very new for the final round robin block I'm working on. It involves reading and calculating and, frankly, sweating. I am not interested in screwing this up! I already scrapped what I was working on earlier this week. Time to man up.




You might remember these purple flowers that I appliqued. I'm making...well, it's not clear what I'm making. Right now? I'm making either twelve or fifteen flower-themed blocks. What they eventually become? We'll all be surprised together!





The next set of three that I just finished is blue. I didn't love this one when I first started it; I declare that it is still the weak link of the three blue blocks.















This one here is probably my favorite of this three. It's just... the orientation is really the horizontal one, but see here, how the correct view is the one on the tilt? Bummer.

The last of the blues. I like the stems on this one the least. They seem...stilted. Not very graceful, the way real stems would move.







And, now that I've gone over in excruciating detail just how wrong each and every block is, I present them as a trio. My original theory was that once you see them all together, all the mistakes in execution and color choice would be minimized, and the whole would be greater than the sum of the parts.

So far, I still think that's true! I think the next set will be orange flowers. Wish me luck!

Round Robin ~ My Block

A very special package came in the mail today! I was pretty excited, as you can see!

I wanted to enjoy every moment of the grand unveiling of our round robin, so I waited until after dinner, chores, baths and books, and everything in between, was done for the evening.



I carefully pulled the quilt out of the package, and found it wrapped beautifully in a bag that I am guessing (it's an intelligent guess, to be sure!) was added by Miss Brit.






The quilt block itself was wrapped inside out, and as I carefully unfolded it...I fell in love. I just don't know how else to say it! It is the happiest, silliest, most adorable thing I've ever seen! These pictures, this camera, nothing could do it justice. When you see it in person, you just grin!




Part of what tickles me so, is that I started with this ridiculous block here. My first quilt block, that I ever made! I told the story of the quilt block here. Every stitch had meaning to me, but I actually sent a note apologizing that it was such a freak show, and that I would understand if they just couldn't do anything with it!




This little heart, tucked into this little pocket, is a favorite. I mean, I know I did it, so I hope it doesn't sound too ridiculous, but I have been so worried about working on everybody else's that I had put my own right out of my mind. So seeing this was a happy treat, as I had forgotten about it.




Jessica got it first, and she added this adorable embroidered interpretation of the SF run I was paying tribute to with my original story block. You can't see it in this picture, but there's a wee little 'me' coming into the frame in the lower right!





So then it looked like this. She's so clever!











When Brit worked on the block, she added the goddess. Look at that sun and moon fabric! I could swoon. The colors are so tart and amazing in person. This one made me teary. And I'm not a weeper, but dang. I'm only human! Except I'm a goddess too. Thanks for the reminder, Miss Britt.









I just can't get over their creativity! This is what the block looked like when it was sent to Juls.







I haven't shown the pictures yet of the last block I've been working on. It belongs to Jessica, and I'm the last person to work on it before I'll send it back to her. I held onto her block for almost the whole month (now I'm furiously working to get it done so I can send it out in the next few days!) because I was really struggling with how/what to add. The reason? What Britt and Juls had already done was amazing. Juls did this window pane effect, using the precious fabric that Brit had used (from a childhood dress, no less!) and a gorgeous border. I have been totally in awe the whole month, at whatever possessed her to do what she did. It was perfect, and it gives me a stomach ache trying to work on it now!

And now look what Juls added to the final border on mine! Isn't it amazing? I just LOVE it! She pulled in all the crazy fabrics from my original block, and wrapped the whole thing in the entire story, one more time! And that is not the same sun and moon fabric that Brit used, but it is sun and moon (and earth!) and doesn't it just pull everything together so perfectly??? It's just too precious.






When I look at it here, I am just so taken by their boldness! Here I was, worried that my choices were just too nutty, and yet they didn't back down at all. The border fabric is a happy little circus, and Juls pulled in a turquoise that somehow compliments it all. The moon and stars fabric with the goddess is pure chaos...in the best possible way!

And I love it. Truly, truly, truly, I adore it. Me encanta!

Thank you Brit, for organizing this! And thank you Juls and Jessica and Brit for all your thoughtful creativity...I am totally smitten.

Mia Goddess Center block

Mia Goddess Center block
Originally uploaded by brit

Brit just shared the block she made for me in the Round Robin we're doing. I feel so emotional when I see her work, and read her words. Completely overwhelmed with emotion.

This seriously makes me want to run. Fast. I love it. And I love her.

Round Robin ~ Brit

I finished Brit's block. It's actually been done for awhile now (I finished it on Monday) but I had to sit with it before I realized it really is done. It's not exactly how I pictured it in my head; my skillz aren't that closely aligned with my imagination! I just have to put my hands up and say it's done, otherwise I'll worry it and stress over it until I literally make myself sick! (Have I mentioned how fun a round robin is? Because it is! It's fun! Just. It's stressful too!)

When Pippa and I were working on our swap project, she mentioned that it is a tradition, when swapping, to use the opportunity to try something new. I really took that to heart; in this case, I've always wanted to applique. It appeals to me, as I like to do hand-work, and I like to worry about little details. My friend Monica showed me how, and she's a great teacher so I was off and at it in no time at all.


I was inspired by the center block that showed her whole family running (via the magic of embroidery!) across the landscape. I knew I wanted to add turtles, because of The Turtledash Half Marathon that they host every year, and my original idea was to also applique leaves of some sort, since The Turtledash happens in the fall.

I fooled around quite a bit with pattern, fabric, and placement. Making these two turtles (they are Brit, and her husband, Scott) was a no-brainer.








And these wee little turtles were uncontroversial, as well. They are Moo and Wah, their adorable boys.







Everything else was pure drama. I decided at some point that appliqueing the leaves would be way too busy. Just too much. So I picked up on the embroidery from the center block by mimicking the trees in three of the border squares, and embroidering a heart in each of the corner squares.




Just today I decided to use french knots to put an eye on each turtle. But I think that's it. Unless she hates it. In which case, I'm prepared to take the whole thing apart and start over. Because did I mention it's not 'due' until August 1st? Yeah, I'm a badass.