Trouble in Paradise!

I had dreams at the beginning of this self-isolation - Impossible dreams, of course!  It was like when I was working at the University - we pooled our minor Holidays to have the week off around Christmas.  Oh, the plans we had for that week!!  LOL!

As you know, I'm participating in the #100dayproject over at instagram.  My 3rd year and I have never followed thru to the end!  Usually I promise to work on one project to the finish.  And about a month in - I've petered out.

This year I decided to work on whatever I want to - no matter how many deadline projects are looming!!  There are several quilts I've been dreaming of for years - but never allowed myself to start.  This is the year!!  I picked scrap projects because they are my favorite and duh, quarantine!  

Plus / X quilt is one I've wanted to make. I make a block a day.  All those years, waiting, and the block takes 15 minutes!!

Funny story, though it is so-o me these days:  I studied the instructions on the web, pinned pictures of finished tops, and gathered fun fabrics.  But never looked at my notes again.  I've made 29 blocks WRONG! (Color placement) So I switched over and made 2 the right way.  

I had several plans to fix this.  

A. Scatter within the other blocks.  

B.  Use at top and bottom borders around the other blocks 

BUT they are so darn cute done right - so last night during TV I ripped the 4 squares out of 7 blocks.  They look very weird!  But I came up with a easy-looking method to resew.  Today I tested that out!!  

Two new blocks with corrected background squares

 

Since I like the New (Original) block - how can I correct the 29 I made?  Very painstakingly in front of the TV with a ripper.  It's selective, but I can resew 2 blocks together in under 30 minutes.  And that was the first go at it.  I have resewn 7 now and I know I got much faster!!  I have found that I can reuse the squares I'm taking out by using them in another block! 

So let's compare blocks before and after!

  

 

Note:  the light squares now in the block came from the block above it!

  

Ok - more pictures to compare. How do the blocks look together?

Old variation side by side

Old side by side with new

Two new blocks side by side

As you can see, the new - alright original block - sets a grid illusion over the blocks.  Very graphic!  I think I'll correct all of them to original ignored blocks! 

I'm binge watching Voyager anyway!!  Stay safe and QUILT ON!!

Weekend! Hmm, seems the same as the rest of the week!!

I'm in charge of the "Bobbin Reminder" at Stashbusters Online
Quilt group.  Here's what I sent out this rainy Saturday!

It’s the weekend and you know what that means.  Time to
check your bobbin supply.  Is it time to reorder or rewind?
And your job doesn’t end there, you have to keep your eye
on that little gem.  It loves to run out at the darnedest times
 and that’s NOT progressing in an orderly fashion!!

Boy, face masks really go thru the bobbins!!  And of course,
I’m sewing other quilt blocks too.  I’ve started trying to corral
all the scrappiness all over my sewing room!

There’s all the fabrics for Plus/Super X blocks.  I have 29 now!!
And all the scraps for Road to Oklahoma.  8 inch scrappy blocks,
not so much a starter/ender project, I don't remember to do it!!
So it's mindless sewing in amongst the "gotta do" sewing! 

 Next I cleaned out the 3 paper supply boxes of QOV donations /
leftovers / collection.  I cut a 4” high pile of 7 x 7 squares for masks
for a friend.  Then cut out more 6.5 x 9 for patriotic masks to hand
out at the QOV presentation - whenever we end up having that.

Then there is Edyta’s mystery - I changed one border block set.
Just didn’t like it!  The middle of outside row with the 2 squares ...
I’ve got half of the design done - but have to dig for more of a
specific fabric.  Then I can lay out my blocks.  It’s scrappy and
I may be just a little nervous!!  

Pineapple blossom supplies are out because before face masking
(!) I was going to add blocks to the Christmas quilt I’ve been working
on.  Well, you see my dilemma!!  How to clean it up without getting
lost in the treasures!!!

Our Guild Quilt show has been cancelled this year.  Usually it is
 Memorial Day weekend, but got moved to July.  But we decided
 we haven’t been carefully isolating to be trapped at a show with
loads of people.  It was hard to decide, but there was a feeling of
relief after we did it.  Oregon is reopening slowly, and at this point
we’re not even confident we’ll be out and about with groups at
 that time!

I took a bunch of photos inside our apartment.  All the kids spend
time here in the summer, and we haven't redecorated - I'm almost
sure they will recognize these.  So far, mixed reactions!!
Here's the puzzle photos:

 

 

 

I'm now up to 29 Plus/X blocks!! I'll make 6 rows of 7 and I'm starting 

the 5th row!!  I got a picture  of them hanging on the design board, probably the last one because the bed and end of the ironing board 

are in the way now.  What do you think?

Oops!  Lazing about this am, it's raining, I looked back at some

 pictures of the Plus/X block on Pinterest.  I pinned a BUNCH of

 them as I was planning this.  Well, apparently, this is an unique 

variation ... alright, I can hear you snickering - how rude!!

This new bit of brain ageing is hard to remember!!  I think I know 

exactly what I'm doing. The  famous 'we don't need no stinking

map' syndrome. And that's how I made a new variation and also 

how I gave the quilted QOV back to the wrong topper!!!  So I guess 

I'll make the original variation of the block - if it doesn't blend well 

with the others, I can make 2 borders?? 

Apparently, I can't just make lists now, I actually have to refer

back to them!!  Who knew?? Life is an adventure!!  But there 

is a good deal of back-tracking involved!!

Here are the reveal photos, how many did you guess right??

  

Alphabet blocks                          Starfish

 

 Whale Measuring cups             Mug of pens

 

Big Screen TV                                  Breakfast!

I’m so glad I’ve been able to sew like the wind during this time!
Going thru the stash is like meeting up with old friends again!
Stay safe and QUILT ON!

-doni at rainy Oregon coast

ReplyForward

Did anyone think that this would go this long??

We may have talked about it, but, down in our hearts, we expected to be surprised by how fast we would solve it.  WELL, Surprise!  We didn't, and we're still here at home.  Is anyone else dreaming they have COVID 19?

How do you feel about all the protest and reopening of states without following the 14 days of slowdown?   And where in the world did those protesters come up with "it's my constitutional right?"  I don't remember the part that says: "I can do whatever I want, anytime I want, and I don't have to be concerned with what happens to other people when I do!!"

We're all alittle stir-crazy and way ready for this to be over.  But forcing it is not going to shorten it!

I am worried about the food processing plants.  I'd be a little more confident if the people making the decision took a shift on the line.  Portlandia series is a little less ridiculous with the food issues now!  Name that chicken!!

Well, time for some distraction - mostly for me, probably.  I've been busy in the sewing room.  '6' face masks a day really does add up.  I've made over 100 masks this month!  And I owe it all to JOT!  "Just One Thing"



  Kid masks!

I divide up the tasks to work sessions:

• Zig-zag the twist tie into the seam allowance at the top.  Sew top seam and bottom seam, leaving that opening at the bottom
• Put in elastic or ties
• Hand over to DH to turn!
• Press and pin tucks.
• Press and top stitch all the way around, tacking down tucks.
• Press, take photo, put in 'finished' box!
• Repeat!

The #100dayproject is going well.  Granted there are days that I'm making the Plus/X block out of habit.  But there are other days that I'm excited about looking thru the scraps to find a great combo!  I was really excited last night when I hung up the latest block and saw that I'm just 1 block (today's) away from finishing the 4th of 6 rows!!  Time flies in captivity!  Here's the latest blocks:

 

Reds!                                       Sewing!

  

Bikes!                                                  Healthy Foods!

Books I've been reading:

The Lost Man  Jane Harper

The Last Child  John Hart

American By Day  Derek B Miller

The Lola Quartet  Emily St John Mandel

The Keeper of Lost Things  Ruth Hogan

Photo Contest:  We're down to 2 players and I don't send the same photo on the same day!  So there are repeats.

Reveals will be tomorrow!!  Not enough space between!!

Stay Safe and QUILT ON!

Oops! That was a BUSY week!

Wednesday was a tough day around here.  I'm basically a cheerful person (I think!)  But during this self-quarantine crap, about every week or so, I wake up feeling like I could cry all day.  Anything sets me off - commercials, news stories, a book, a movie I've seen 100s of times.  Actually just thinking about this makes me start to feel like it too!  Usually, I wake up the next morning normal - ready to go get'em for another week?  I guess I prefer it to feeling bad every day.  It is what it is, whatever it takes to get us through.

The news hasn't been too good lately, immunity strength may tie into how sick you were.  Vaccines have not been found yet for corona viruses, just treatments.

Yesterday, the Sisters Quilt Festival was cancelled for July.  Now, I agree that it should be.  And if it wasn't, I wasn't attending this year.  BUT man, it sure brought it home!  We don't know what the new normal will be, but we're pretty sure it won't be anything like life in 2019.

Well, we had a GKs uprising this week!  DS and DDIL are way too piled on to help the little guys guess the photos.  We decided that they could just text me everyday to keep in touch.  And then they didn't for 3 days!!!!  LOL!  But those boys, 7 & 9 this month - are energy in a bag!  And the almost 3 year old is becoming her own person and is learning way too much from the boys!!  I'd be lucky if I could stand up without help after a day with them!

On the other hand ... the 11 yr old came back to the game!  I sent him a text that he didn't have to play if he didn't have the 5 minutes ... trying to guilt him.  Didn't work!  But the next day, I told him if he wasn't playing, he needed to send me a text about his day everyday.  The next morning he sent me a photo puzzle!!

The 13 yr old has been steady and is getting smarter ... I have to find some harder subjects to send her - they are way too easy!  J, a friend in Nebraska said she couldn't guess them so she was out!!

So here is a sample of this weeks puzzles:

   

M guessed my sewing basket!                P guessed all my thread!

Papa said my basket wasn't that neat!               Not All my thread!!         

   

Too bad I didn't have an even number of pictures!  Answers are at the bottom of the post.

Face masks requests exploded this week!!  We have a variety of quilters in different clubs and associations, and they have been contacted individually.  We have quilters with children in medical fields, and they have been working faithfully.  And people contact the guild with requests.  Finally we all got smart enough to ask for help when we are getting overwhelmed.

Here are just some of the places that have our masks:

Pelican Bay Prison

Curry County Health

Sutter Hospital

Gold Beach Hospital

Asante Hospital in Medford

OHSU Hospital in Portland

Veterinarian offices

Police and Fire Stations

Headstart Program

Grocery stores

And every friend that knows a quilter!!!

I've been keeping up with my daily block, although sometimes I have to disappear after dinner to finish one!!  22 as of yesterday.  I think 48 will make the size I want - 60 x 80.  Here is the picture of them all together on the design wall that I promised last Tuesday!!  Better late than never???

Pretty wild!!  Of course, these blocks are in the order they were made ... there will be some switching about!  The middle seams are all pressed to the center, so I have to figure out how to do that?  I'm halfway done, so I could just switch then all the other way ... but we've talked about 'old dog new tricks' lately.  OR I can just put a thin sash between them all??  I'll keep you informed!!

Here are close-ups of the ones I didn't post this week.

 Maps                                 

 Birds, Bees and Whales!

 Typewriters!                    

Ok - Photo reveal time!

 

 

 

Stay safe!!