International Quilt Day is TODAY!

Usually we would get together and sew to our little hearts desire!  But not this year.  Someone came up with the idea of hanging a quilt at your house where someone could see it.  Spread the patchwork!!  

I also wrote to my family and asked them to wrap themselves in their favorite quilt and post it!  Let’s see if their favorite is my favorite too!!!

Here’s my quilt hanging off our balcony.  Hello Fishing boats!!  Surfers! And Highway 101 Travelers!

More to come!

Old quilt and old UFO!

 

My quilt hanging in Panama City - yep, 12th floor!!

PB's quilt hanging along 101

Even Meg has a favorite quilt!

Miss P loves the quilt we tied, using a Anthropology shower curtain!

Mr M - there are 2 quilts that have polka dot backs ... he doesn't have to share with the Dalmatian!

The Panama gang - they pared down to just 3 quilts when they moved.  After all, it averages 70 degrees year round!

If we must, we must

Self Quarantine is so much easier without children and home schooling!  Although DH is wandering around because there are NO SPORTS!  But still time to get a LOT done.  But first I had to ‘find’ my sewing space.  I was in Japan in January, then went to two retreats in February.  Our Guild retreat and Finishing School (which I head).  I hadn’t really unpacked sewing stuff from ANY of them!

AND I collected all 2019 ModSquad projects for the Library display, which didn’t happen!  I still have all those projects neatly piled on the twin bed.

I am chair of our QOV group.  So I have 4 tops and backs registered for Longarming but that’s been suspended for the time being.  So they are still here, plus my own QOVs in different stages of finishing.

I couldn’t resist - I took a picture when the room was at it’s rock-bottom worst ever.  It was when I was adding a binding to the QOV.  There was no room, it keep pulling away from me - so I had to empty the ironing board and place it to hold the Quilt.

View from the door

View from the design board

Top of the single bed!!

I can actually hear my Mom turning in her grave!!  She always told us our house should be clean enough to be featured in a magazine.  Is there a Hoarders publication???  LOL!

But of course, I worked on it today, between 3 loads of wash!  Stay tuned to tomorrow, see what my WORKING space looks like!!!  Still an over abundance of supplies, but at least room to move about!

Spring has Sprung!!

I finished the binding on my spring challenge last night.  It did not go smoothly! Years and years of experience binding and well, here were the problems!

I chose a light green plaid but had under a FQ of it.  It’s a small quilt - no problem, right?  But I cut an inch with the selvedge ... and then. I read the ruler wrong and cut it too thin.  So I had 5 seams for the binding the quilt.

Did I mention I was using the back of the fabric for the front of the binding??  That’s easy, right?  Not so much.  I ripped out 3 times and 2 partial seams - because I tended to automatically set it as usual.  Sometimes I discovered it after a few stitches!  My language became shocking!!!

I used a 3/8” seam - but I didn’t cut the binding wide enough for the corners to look good.  That’s okay - I can rip it off; trim the quilt just a little, use the usual 1/4” seam allowance.  It will be fine.

Do you trim your corners as you bind?  I do and there was a divot in my binding!  Okay.  I picked a new green binding, used the right side.  Cut it wider and lengthwise - just one seam!!  Smooth as silk - finally!!  LOL!

TA-DA!  Here it is!!

That’s a lot of quilting, don’t you think!!  As I was working on it for 2 different bindings, at night I folded it in half on top of my supplies - keep it out of the way of my insomniac DH.

It might be a cool book cover in a later life!!

Next project is bind a QOV.  I cut the strips last night, I’ll be using the front of the fabric so hopefully my brain will be working.  There is many more strips than 5 to join!

Stay safe and QUILT ON!!

The first UFO Finish!! (and the crowd goes wild!)

A very old pattern, but always popular in my crowd!  I've made many of these over the years.  These 3 little fishies are going to the Habitat Garden Tour/Auction.

Next up - my Spring Challenge.  The guild challenge is to donate a half yard of that season's fabric.  Something that feels, or reminds you of spring. Our fearless leader takes it all home and then cuts it, mixes it up, and gives back a packet of fabrics.  You have to use all of them, on the front! but you can add whatever fabrics work for you.

My challenge was inspired by a Pinterest photo I saved who knows how long ago!  That's the best part of Pinterest - use it as a personal scrapbook!!  So many ideas all in one place.  Granted it's a big space with that many boards and pins, but easier than looking through my sewing room for some idea!!!

Hope to get the binding on tonight!  But here is a little sneak preview ...  

I'm not saying I was feeling a little 'cabin fever' while doing this ... but I kept circling and circling in closer and closer.  The name is "Quarantine Spring"!

Let's hope I won't need a "Quarantine Summer" project next!!

Stay safe and QUILT ON!  

It's not raining right now .... hope I didn't jinx it!

It's not raining right now ... hope I didn't jinx it! And that makes it a little easier - at least we can take a walk outside.  We've yet to come across anybody else out there.  DH just came back from a walk and brought me this picture just in time to share it with you!! Thanks Honey!

A friend emailed me that she had given up on a book and moved on to the next. I do the same thing, now ... it's amazing to me.  I almost always finished a book I'd started, even if it was like pulling teeth! (antique analogy!)  But once I retired ... I just quit if the book's not talking to me!!  I've quit on the 3rd page; and I've quit on the next to last chapter!!!  AND I don't miss it!!

Yesterday a British spokesman said, "You're not self quarantining to avoid getting the virus, you're staying home so you don't give it to someone else."  Feels less selfish!

There's no sports on and that's a problem for our household!!We started binge re-watching HBO's The Sopranos.  Tony's mother is such a hoot!  I won't say who she reminds me of ... but we laugh and laugh at her antics!

I've been reading an international book on Hoopla - can't recommend it but it was the last book I needed to finish the whole bingo card-adult reading challenge-from the library. 

The Great Chetco New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge - bingo card

Books published before 1990  Summer of t Dragon  Elizabeth Peters

Author name starts with P  A Small Town  Thomas Perry (love his Jane Whitefield series - a one woman Native American Witness protection program)

Romance Theme  Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

Female Protagonist  Synapse by Steven James

Country you'd like to visit  The Dry by Jane Harper

Book from New Shelf  Beginner's Guide to Japan  by Pico Iyer

Librarian Recommended  Quiche of Death by  M C Beaton 

Asian Author  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

1950 -70 timeline  Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Book Published  in 2019  Neon Prey by John Sandford

Never Read Author  Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Biography  Educated by Tara Westover

Friend recommended  Where t Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Reread a book  A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow

Mystery novel  I found you by Lisa Jewell

Translated book  T Adventures of China Iron by G C Camara

Hugo Award Winner  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Romance Theme  Virgin River by Robyn Carr (watched the Netflix series too!)

NYT Best Seller  The Institute by Stephen King

Young Adult  T Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (saw new movie too!)

Male Protagonist  Bloody Genius by John Sandford (love Virgil Flowers!)

Author died in my lifetime  And then there was none by Agatha Christie

Graphic Novel  Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot? 

Novel in Oregon  Dies A Fire S M Stirling

-BINGO!-

You can call in check out requests to our library, they are open afternoons, and they will bring out the books to your car!!  What series would you like to reread, start at the beginning and read all the way thru?

I'd pick

John Sandford series - Prey, Virgil Flowers ...

S M Stirling?  Dies the Fire  SciFi series, end of the world based in Oregon

Janet Evanovich might be uplifting!!  One for the Money - I think she's on 26(?) now
Sue Grafton  A is for Alibi with Kinsey

I've always been a voracious reader! What were your favorite authors?

Clear Back in the 70s !!  I loved 

Mary Stewart, This Rough Magic  (international romance mystery)

Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody -female archaeologist in Egypt)

Dorothy Gilman  (Mrs Polilfax - sr citizen occasional CIA agent)

Stephen King - but he might be too prophetic for now!

Come to think of it - all those but Stephen King are my self-named "Adult Nancy Drew" series.  I love a Feisty Gal in charge mystery, doesn't everyone??

Well, the sun is still out - at least peeking from behind some clouds.  Going for a walk!!  Stay safe!

Entertaining ourselves during self quarantine days

Let me just say, I am not pleased to be in the targeted group!  Until now I had convinced myself that 67 was not old!

Here are my plans to entertain myself while at home:

Books - hardback, paperback, Kindle, ebook, hoopla (online library sponsored by local library) and deciphering my own handwriting from Japan trip!  What have you read lately?  I LOVED The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I reread Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.  I needed a Hugo Science Fiction Award winner for the adult reading challenge at our library.  My Bingo card is almost filled!

My DH is a sports fanatic.  I've watched alot of sports over the years.  I especially love the Super Bowl Commercials.  I remember a Foot Locker commercial, way back when, picture = the player comes into null gravity, shoes first.  The tag line was something like, "No matter what the game, we've got the shoes!"  It was like finding a secret message into my non-sports world!

Of course, Quilting - you knew that was coming, right!
I have 3 patriotic fish to finish for the Habitat auction/show locally.
I have a spring wall hanging challenge to finish before end of the month guild meeting. (if we're allowed to have it!)
A Quilt of Valor quilt to label and bind.
A hand quilting project that has been in time-out for far too long - now if I can only find the quilting thread I was using.  It's somewhere safe!!!  Help!

And of course, my sewing room is a disaster - home from Finishing School and planning to go to two more retreats, but I'm going to miss at least one of them.  Might as well unpack and reorganize!!

I had a hard time with jet lag after coming home from Japan.  We did everything right and yet, my nights and days were mixed up.  Walked around in a fog for a week.  Then life got busy again.  More about that later - I'll have some time on my hands this week! As will you!!!!

Here's a few favorite pictures from Japan.  I immediately learned how to bow there - I think that's going to come in handy now.

Brick work in a courtyard/alley

Kyoto Station - a nightly light show on a flight of stairs.  You can see a jogger heading up the stairs on the right. Live person - he looked pixelated running up the stairs!  Too cool!

We visited many shrines and temples

Bamboo scaffolding on a temple under repair 

McDonalds!!  They have Chocolate torts in Japan!!!