Spring Outside the Window

It's the end of spring break. It was early this year so spring wasn't in full form. This is the view outside my sewing room window. I LOVE my azaleas. They are just starting to pop. I absolutely love sitting in this spot to sew.

I have a new book that is motivating me. Kathy Doughty's Adding Layers. I first saw it on the Exuberant Color blog. 

I fell in love with this block. It is similar to a block she has in her Making Quilts book but this one is squared off. No sewing curves! This appeals to me. It is basically a dresden plate. I love sewing dresdens. They are quick and rewarding.

 I'm trying to choose fabric combinations that are wildly outside my comfort zone. I tried but not sure they will be wildly outside what I normally choose. Maybe a little bit.

I want to end up with a quilt for my king sized bed. It will have to have a lot of blue to look good in the room. Here's my first block.

Today I am grateful for my husband who made me the wedge I needed. He made it from MDF which is a great template. I'm so spoiled and grateful for that. 

Saw this on a blog and thought it would be good for me to live by. 

Path for 2014

Leader and Enders....

 My leader and ender project has been using my Accuquilt for half square triangles. The long range goal is a Lady of the Lake or Oceans Wave quilt. The pattern said something like 800 squares. I have several hundred done. It is amazing how quickly they add up. This is my first attempt at sewing all the squares and triangles together to make a block.

Now on to some accountability for myself....

My goals for 2014 are simple. They all involve spending more time doing the things I enjoy. In full disclosure, this has been my goal for at least the past 2 years. What I've faced is that the time will pass whether I spend it doing things I love or whittling the time away. So, here are my simple goals.

1. Let it go. I saw an interview of Bill Clinton reflecting on Nelson Mandela. Clinton asked Mandela if he wanted to call out his guards/captors at his inauguration. Mandela said something to the fact that if he held on to that emotion, he would still be captive to his guards. Mandela told Clinton you have to let it go. For me this also involves just not saying it. Let it go and keep my mouth shut. Simple.

2. Stick with hard projects. I spin around rather than jumping into the unknown. The Antique Wedding Sampler and Di Ford's Mystery Quilt will be my commitment to this goal.

3. Yoga and spinning. I love it when I do both. Just do it.

OK, that's enough. I will have accomplished a lot if I do those 3 things.

December in the Garden and Sewing Room

We have more blooming in the yard than I expected. Below is new growth on the yucca. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is a fresh, spiky new appendage. Brave to arrive in the middle of winter.

My new obsession is Christmas cactus. I bought one, got one, and then bought more 50% and 75% off. They are so striking in the winter garden.

 Our yellow Angel's Trumpet is blooming. I love this plant. It is so bizarre. We have a pink one that is in a pot. It hasn't done much and will be planted in the ground this spring.

 Coral berry. I just love these little purple/pink berries. The plant is slow growing but it is starting to make a statement in the flowerbed.

 The Dutchman's Pipe has bloomed through the month. This bloom looks like it is in jail behind the chain link fence. Another bizarre plant that I love.

 We now have 3 Japanese Lanterns. I can't stand to just throw cuttings away. I need to find people that want them or get over throwing the cuttings out. They are all in bloom. The one by the pergola is amazing. The blooms are so much fun.

 My sewing adventure includes Bonnie Hunter's mystery. I decided to shift from the king sized to the smaller quilt. That decision came after having to breathe into a bag because I was overwhelmed. I ditched the Tri-Recs ruler for my Accuquilt. Good decision.

 I love my new rotating cutting mat. This is a Matilda's Own. Much, much better than the Olfa. The Matilda's is sturdy. The Olfas kept falling off their base.

 I finally started sewing on my new, old Featherweight. I bought it this summer. I don't what took me so long to bring her out. Such a great machine. I'm so glad I bought her. I wonder who sewed on her in the past. Did she make dresses for girls to wear to school? Clothes and pretty things for the lady of the house? She just keeps stitching. Amazing.

I'm sewing my Leaders/Enders project which is red/neutral half square triangles. They will go together to make a Lady of the Lake/Ocean Waves quilt.

I'm off to sew clue #2 for the mystery quilt. I'm way behind but it will get done.

Celtic Solstice Start

 I got a slow start on my Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt. I had the whole week off with a Thanksgiving trip in the midst. Along the line I caught a bug/cold so took a few naps. Honestly, I would have taken the naps even if I didn't have a bug. Slow start, but I did get started.

 

I had some ripping to do to get to 3 1/2 squares. I even had to find the seam guide to put on the machine. Don't know why I was having issues with that.

I need more blues to have some variety. I'm very pleased with the orange.

Back to work and the balance of trying to have energy in the evening to quilt. Perhaps I need to do it anyway.

Bonnie Hunter Mystery Fabric and a Rooster

 

 

I certainly don't need another project to start but after watching the Bonnie Hunter mysteries for 2 years, I vowed to do it this year. She selected green, yellow, blue, and orange. I just couldn't do the orange so I chose a pumpkin gold color. I'm in love with this color this year. Two of my knit/crochet scarves are this color. I made a couch quilt with pumpkin colors. I like the colors I'll be working with and can't wait for the first clue.

 



 

I went on a retreat at Creations Quilt Shop in Kerrville. Susan Carlson was the teacher. I've been an admirer for quite a while. She has a playful way of just gluing fabric strips to create. No fusible. No turning under edges. Slap it on with a little glue. Very freeing. I'm still working on my rooster. I need to add more strips in areas to bring out the feathers. It is covered with red tuile (spelling?). What a difference with the hue of red.

It's a cold, rainy day in Texas. I'm here with the dogs and cat enjoying my coffee, reading blogs, and watching morning tv. Life is good.

French General Stars and YELLOW

 I'm in love with all things French General. Yesterday I finished this top. I'm trying to decide how to quilt other than stitch in the ditch. I have a habit of stitching the ditch just because I can't think of something that would go well. Then I start stitching those ditches and think I'll die of boredom.

 I picked up a couple of Tapestry by Fig Tree layer cakes when they were on sale. I love churn dash blocks, especially turned on point. I picked out some subtle yellow....ignoring what I know about yellow. A little goes a LONG way. When I put all these blocks together there is a LOT of yellow. My subtle yellow doesn't seem so subtle anymore. I got some Eggshell by Kona yesterday to try to lesson the yellow. I don't know if that will work. Lesson learned....think before you use any yellow.

Rollo is so proud of himself. He tore apart his new elephant toy in record time. The pure joy that a dog exhibits is a good life lesson. Simple things make them so happy. Look at that mess!

This is my sewing room, thanks to Rollo. The carpet was old but Rollo had a couple of accidents and I couldn't stand to be in the room with the nasty carpet anymore. We had planned on tiling so the time seems right. My wonderful husband is going to build shelves in the closet. The walls will get some fresh paint and the old blinds will be replaced.

When I move everything back in I'm going to give everything a home so that there are clear surfaces. I let it get so cluttered that I couldn't concentrate in there.

The house is a disaster with my sewing stuff in a spare bedroom and the dining room. Fabric everywhere. Stuff everywhere. It shows how much stuff I have. Too much! I'm going to have to let some projects go and cut up the fabric for scrap quilts. I would have to live another 100 years to finish it all!

Three of my plumeria are blooming. This one has several branches this full of blooms. Just lovely.

Today I'm off to a Begonia Society meeting. I'm sure I'll come home with new plants. Luckily, I kill a few so there is always room for more.

Jacob's Ladder

One of my favorite blooms is the Dutchman's Pipe. These giant, alien blooms emerge. I think they are so much fun. It grows along a chain link fence that I am using as a trellis for a variety of vines.

My camera battery died so I only have one picture of my sewing progress. I put blocks of my Jacob's Ladder on the design wall. I like this layout. I'm going to add one more row and a border.

King sized quilts sure are a commitment but that is the size of our bed. I want to have a variety of quilts that we really use. So, I need lap quilts and king sized. One extreme to the other.

My progress on my paper pieced stars is slow but steady. I've bought more fabric for them but we aren't surprised by that!

Happy Sewing,