Unexpected...

What to do?  My Christmas quilts are done.  My baby quilts for the hospital are done.  I don't have any deadlines that I need to meet. My 500+ HSTs for a swap are done and bagged.  I have three quilts cut out…

• My wonderful Cherrywoods in a tote 
• A One Block Wonder waiting.
• Bonnie Hunter's mystery has all the parts done -- although I have no desire to work on it.

I wandered into the guest room where my Lollypop Tree blocks sit and unexpectedly decided that kind of color and process was just what I needed! I can't rush.  I can cover up with a quilt if I'm chilly.  I can stop whenever I need to.  Each element is a "completion".  I can work for five minutes or five hours if I want to.  And -- the Australian Open was starting last weekend and this makes for a "quiet" way to watch tennis (or at least replays).

It was the right decision.  It's been a good week and I have once again been reminded why I ordered this pattern within a week of happening upon it.  Many of you have read about this journey in other posts and I'll spare you the details again.  For those who are not familiar with Kim McLean and her marvelous patterns, here's a link to some eye candy that can take your breath away.

This quilt requires 16 blocks and each block takes me days to prep.  I am not fast.  The process I am using is not fast. I don't want to rush.  I want to enjoy the process of choosing all the different fabrics, cutting them, prepping them, and gluing them.  The color is just what the doctor ordered on a  gloomy winter's day.

I have four stitched and one more prepped.  Period.  That's it.   Right now it seems reasonable to think that I will spend a few days later this week prepping another block or two. Who knows what will seem reasonable later this week but for now, that's my plan and I'm sticking to it.  

I hope you are working on something that has wonderful colors and the process is as much fun as the completion!  

Jan

And then there were three!

The journey of Lollypops continues.  This is not the first, and is far from the last, post on my ongoing relationship with Kim McLean's Lollypop Quilt.  I will spare you all the links; if you're interested, you can click on Labels on the right side of the blog. Suffice it to say, I've chatted about this before.

I love the Tour de France!  Also not a new comment.  I also love Wimbledon!  So the last two weeks have been perfect for handwork. As I've had a few minutes, I've run up to my little quilting room and pulled out this block that I prepared months ago, and have done a little stitching. My tension on my stitches is a little wonky -- you can see some puckering in the block --but that will "quilt out" right?

This block that is prepped has fewer motifs to appliqué so it will be next.  My personality is to start with the hardest (or most unpleasant) first and get it done so the balance is easier (or less distasteful in some circumstances -- that's not the case here).  It's not distasteful in the least -- it will just take longer.

The last prepped block looks like a breeze, doesn't it?  Bigger motifs, fewer small circles, and fun colors.  And this is the actual design -- no editing from me.  While I now have three (of 16!) blocks completely appliqued and two more ready to go, I had a moment of epiphany and realized that if I put everything aside and just prepped blocks and appliqued like a madwoman, I probably could not finish this quilt by the end of the year.  Really?  YIKES.  I need to get my act in gear and be more deliberate about this wonderful quilt.  I love it.  It makes me happy.  BUT. Piecing makes me happy.  Long arm quilting makes me happy.  Giving people finished quilts makes me happy.  But not getting this done before I'm 90 doesn't make me too happy!  I need to give this some thought and decide on some priorities and commitments.

Let me say -- this little gem from Superior Threads is a lifesaver!  I would never have enough different colors to appliqué all these bright colors.  I do have four spools of silk thread and I like them a lot but sometimes the colors just work better.  What a beautiful rainbow!  I highly recommend it if you have an appliqué project in your future.

I hope you have something that you are working on that makes you happy!

Jan

No Sew Week....

Sort of!

I decided to put up my machine this week and focus only on handwork: applique, cutting fabrics, organizing fabrics, and even knitting.  My primary goal was to finish the second block from Kim McLean's Lollypop pattern!  I'm thrilled to say that this block joins the first and I now have two of 16 complete.  That's a little overwhelming and makes me wonder what on earth I was thinking when I decided to appliqué this "wowser" of a quilt by hand.

In checking my pictures, I actually laid this block out last spring and had only stitched the trunk and two bottom leaves.  So, I was able to to complete it in about five days of on-and-off stitching.  The real question is do I want to put aside my piecing to focus on this quilt alone.  The answer is NO!  But I do need to pick up the pace.  Block #1 was also worked on during the Australian Open - last year.  One block a year is not a good plan when you are about to be 63!

Laying these blocks out is the hardest for me.  Fabric goes everywhere and decisions take forever.  I'm thinking I'll layout two blocks at a time to see if that provides more impetus somehow.  It will at least minimize the number of times I make such a mess.  Prepping blocks and making circles is an all day process once decisions are made.

So, no sew week was a success just because the block is done!

I was also able to repurpose the sub-cut batik jelly roll from my-niece-the-quilter.  I have been wanting to make a Cross Quilt and use Wanda's tutorial.  Check it out at Exuberant Color. (Thank you, Wanda.) It took me a minute (or two) to internalize the second row of crosses but I think I have it down.  Time will tell.  Since I have very few batiks and no consistent color palette, I am able to add a few crosses from my stash but most will be from the jelly roll.  I'm looking forward to getting the whole quilt laid out and starting to stitch it next week.  Lots of seams so I am very grateful for my larger design wall.

I was also sure that I would cut up a lot of the shirts that you see on this shelf.  These are all men's shirts --most of which are compliments of Log Cabin Quilter.  The smaller cuts are sleeves that we've shared when friends were cutting up shirts and they are stacked two deep.  My goal was to just cut them up into 2.5" strips (or smaller).  Ha!  I have cut a few but not made a dent in them.  Not a dent.  They may be like rabbits and multiply over night.  And I love them all.  I want to use them.  But I need to make them more usuable.  That didn't happen this week.

Finally - there was a little knitting.  I'm working on my first pair of socks on one needle.  This is a stay at home project.  Managing two skeins of yarn is a bit tricky for me right now.  So, I keep a single sock on needles for travel.

This sock has been to Toronto, among other places, and this week went with us to Lexington (about 2.5 hours away) when I took my machine in for a one day service.  Obviously, I am not a fast knitter!

There isn't time to sew today -- but there will be tomorrow (I hope).  I'm looking forward to turning on my machine, listening to her hum, and playing with fabric -- all the while enjoying both Lollypops on my design wall.

I hope you have had a great week and done all kinds of fun things!

Jan

The Last Finish....

This was my final finish for last year!  It was a response to a really bad idea that looked really good in my head.  Ever had that happen?  I was sure I could make it work and cut a lot of floral fabrics...and then, as I assembled test blocks--it became clear I did not have the range of fabrics I need.  Too many mediums and darks.

So what does one do when she has blithely cut 3.0" squares and a lot of them?  Well, you can't just forget about them.  That's insult to injury in my book.  So I cut them some more and decided this would work for another one of Tonya Ricucci's lego quilts.  She talks about the process in this post.

And then I started pulling scraps and trimming them down.  There are a few batiks, a few vintage fabrics, some modern florals that came via my-niece-the-quilter, and lots of mid-range florals from my stash.

This quilt was assembled in the same way as It Takes a Village and I discussed that in this post.  I am happy to say I was able to use up most of those squares that I so optimistically cut.  A very good thing!

It has gone to live with my sister, tuthfairy, since she is our resident master gardener and all the fabrics are things that are grown - flowers, vegetables, and trees.I quilted leaves and flowers in it -- staying with the gardening theme.  I should have just done a meander....it's so wonderfully busy that the quilting isn't important and doesn't really show up.

There is lots of sewing in a lego quilt -- but it's easy and fast and a great use of scraps!  I highly recommend giving it a try and clearing out a tote or shopping bag or drawer of scraps!

I hope you are having a great week and have found time to do some fun piecing!  I am beginning a week of self-imposed "handwork" only in an effort to get me up from my machine and appliquéing.  We'll see if this works.

And very importantly, the Australian Open begins tomorrow.  Lots of afternoon and evening tennis.  I so love it!  Jan

Bring on the Aussie Open!

It's going to be a good week -- I'm sure of it.  In just minutes, the coverage of the Australian Open begins and one of the big advantages of the time difference is that there are matches to watch during the day.  I'm hoping for LOTS of coverage and am preparing a list of things to do when I want to watch a match vs just listen while I sew.

I have prepped my first "dotty" Lollypop and have the leaves sewn down.  Circles are glued and waiting for me -- we'll start tomorrow so I can be sure the glue is dry.

Once those are done, then I have my little stash of batik scraps.  My Chicago friends know I am a "scrap magnet" and if it's too small for them, it's likely not to small for me.  I'm cutting strips down to 1.5" or 1.5" squares.  I have a few batiks but don't work in them as much as they do - and I'm more than happy to take their scraps.  Aren't they yummy?  I can sit at my ironing board, press them, and cut them...all the while being able to listen (and watch) the matches.

This is my first major tennis event since we moved (the US Open was going on while we were in Hawaii) and I think being retired and watching tennis during the day is about as good as it gets. The women in our family are tennis fans -- and we all tend to like the same players and get aggravated by the attitudes of others. Since this is a two week event, I may have to prep another Lollypop (the fabrics are still in the floor after all!) or can always pull out my personal stash of scraps and start cutting them.  There will be plenty to do with sewing in between.

I hope you have something to look forward to this week -- and a project you love to work on!  Jan