Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas – I love to share my Quilting projects with other Quilters. My goal is to share my progress on projects that I am working on. I would love for you to follow along with me during my endeavors. I hope you enjoy watching me tackle new techniques and projects. Hopefully you can learn from my "hiccups" and mistakes and make your journey easier.

May 17, 2022

To Do Tuesday

Greetings Greetings Greetings! I am so happy to be where I am now! First of all the 1 mile only (at a 20 minute pace), losing weight, and quilting most of the day! Hearing Aids are great and I got an exception on my GERD medication which saves a lot of $$$! What else could I want after the years of life not going well! It was like the old superstition of breaking a mirror and having 7 years of bad luck. I can at last say I am HAPPY and glad to be back with a bundle of energy (mostly attributed to sitting in the sun each day for good Vitamin D) Now I just need to get excited about firing up that long arm quilter and get some quilts quilted (maybe in June). Tammy (my long arm lady) and I have decided that August will be the month to get together and now I have 10 quilts ready for her. Stars Around the Garden will probably be custom quilted. I would love to enter it in a Quilt Show in 2023.

This last week I have been a busy bee and loving it. I have completed the 16 blocks for my new quilt and only have 7 blocks that will be 4 1/2” easy blocks to do. I have finished 2 and the remaining 7 will fill in the blanks on the Design Wall. Then doing the setting blocks and borders. Here is where I finished this evening. I plan on having this quilt top completed by next Tuesday!

The No Name Quilt – Maybe ”My Life’s Crossing in Texas”

I will be adding the smaller blocks, a blue 2 inch sashing to frame the blocks, and then a surprise final border. I am very pleased with my first EQ8 quilt! The blocks are 8” finished and the block really doesn’t look that difficult, but looks can be deceiving. Getting them correctly was tricky!

With all of my UFOs completed, I have decided to work on the following applique projects again. I miss having some applique to work on. There are 3 projects that I am going to start at the same time. Lilly Rosenberry Quilt will be the most difficult one and hopefully I can finish it within a year (providing I remain dedicated to doing so). Tazzie has been working on this quilt for the last year and has finished 10 blocks. I fell in love with the pattern and now I want to see if I love it enough to make 16 blocks with tons of circles! I have to really think on which colors to use. This quilt really speaks to Red and Greens – scrappy will not cut it. I am going to lean toward Batiks. No hurry in this decision though. I am going to work along with Tazzie. The blocks measure 18” so I will probably start off with just one block to start with.

The next applique project will be a Lori Smith quilt. I will be doing a mini-applique along with Jaydee Price from Sequim WA. Jaydee is a prolific quilter whom I met through The Applique Society over 12 years ago. We are working with Fit to Frame Quilts numbers 1713 and 1716. Jaydee and I are combining both patterns to make a quilt of 24 – 6” blocks. I have selected the fabrics for this one. It is a Reproduction fat quarter bundle called Rose. Jaydee and I have decided to do 3 blocks at a time. This project will start within the next 2 weeks.

Next in the list of new applique projects is In the Garden. I am going to start by preparing the 4 bunny blocks.

I am really leaning toward using one of my Le Beau Papillon fat quarter bundles for In the Garden. I THINK the orange for the carrots can blend in. Fabric selection is so much fun when starting a new project.

On the Cross Stitch project. I made the Bats and Boos Quilt, (notice I had the name reversed) but will be changing the border to one like Laura’s. At the time I did the border I did not have anymore background fabric, but was very lucky to find 3 more yards. So I will be removing the current border and may add either 1 or 2 more borders. I think it will look so much better!

I am now starting on Bats and Boos Cross Stitch project that will match my quilt. I ran into problems with starting the project (I am a beginner). When I first started with the counted Cross Stitch I purchased Aida cloth that had thread running through the cloth every 10 stitches, but for this project I purchased a Wichelt-Permin Aida Icelandic Grey Cloth. I quickly realized it was great when working on Aida Cloth that had the thread already in place every 10 stitches. I asked Jaydee about this and she said to just take regular thread, find the middle of the cloth and just do a running stitch every 10 stitches! I started with the light blue but will now try some yellow to see if it is better.

Aid Cloth for Bats and Boos Cross Stitch Pattern

Of course I want to start a new pieced quilt for daytime quilting. I made a Double Wedding Ring years ago and gave it away to a dear friend. This time it will remain with me. I have not selected fabrics for this quilt, but I have plenty of fabric selections in my stash. It may be a 2 color quilt, or a scrappy reproduction quilt. Batiks are my favorite go to, but it depends on what hits my fancy when I start audition the fabrics. Sharlene Jorgenson’s pattern and her templates are great to make this quilt. I may have Marti Michell’s templates also, will have to check my ruler stash from Marti. This one probably won’t be started until the first of June.

Yesterday morning I found this little darling baby deer by our back fence line. Clay found it this morning in the same place. We are worried about where the mother is. When I started my walk, I noticed 2 Doe’s and hopefully one of them is the baby’s Mother! Of course the baby ran back toward the high grass area and then I saw one of the Doe’s running over there. Fingers crossed!

Thank you for visiting and looking at goals for new projects. I am praying that I can enjoy the next 6 months working on them without any Unforeseen Requirements.

Have a great week and we in South Texas need to start praying and doing some rain dances!!

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To: My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts; Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party, To Do Tuesdays

May 10, 2022

To Do Tuesdays 10 May 2022

Flash News! I have decided to come out of retirement and open a business that will take on any problems that you might have with Insurance Companies, Doctor Invoices, the US Postal Service in your town, Medicare, and any other business that takes up your day and away from quilting! APRIL FOOL’s. But believe you me, I should do that because I could make a lot of money running interference with idiots who are supposed to know their jobs!

WHEW! Do I ever feel better now that I have VENTED!!!!! I am certain that I am the only one with all the dumb UNFORESEEN REQUIREMENTS!! (not really – everyone has them!)

On a VERY positive note. Hearing Aids. I gave up on Tru Hearing and found my own hearing aid specialist who is absolutely wonderful. He switched me to Oticon hearing aids (a bit more expensive) but what a difference. They work on providing hearing aids for brain hearing and more sound intelligence which means they focus on Clarity – not Volume! My hearing is normal but the high pitches have a problem along with the Tinnitus. I am so happy about finding them. I am using a Demo set now and tomorrow I pick up mine. So that problem resolved.

OK now to the post for Tuesday – South Texas is so much fun to do a 7 AM walk! It was 76 degrees with Humidity of 91% and I did a mile in 19.54 minutes~. Whoopee Ding! I have had to cut down to the mile due to the cold weather (another April fools joke). But at 77 I am so very happy that I do have some good genes from the Chopin line! I am not the typical 77!

I was on a roll making a new quilt Saturday, but somehow Sunday, Monday, and Today were filled with “there will be no quilting today Nanette”. But I am starting to handle the interruptions in a very different way. I just handle the crap and go forward! Much easier on the stress level!

I have now finished 3 of the Moda Holiday Sew Along that Jocelyn got me started on! I just might finish this by Fall- hopefully sooner.

I ditched this Cross Stitch pattern – too many beginner errors in counting!

Ready to Start on Bats and Boos Cross Stitch to match my quilt (of which I will be changing the border). See the Bats and Boos Quilt post here. I like Laura’s border and think I will see if it will be OK if I copy one of her borders and then add more. I am not happy with the fabric I used for my border as to me it adds nothing to my quilt.

The new project is not going to be a very difficult one but when making about 500 HSTs at 1.5″ it can be. Marsh McCloskey uses the Bias HST method when making Feathered Stars and I used this method when making my Star of Chamblee (which is hanging in the “waiting for Tammy” to be quilted)! I believe that I changed my mind on my original idea of borders – click here to see the original post when I finally finished the quilt – Click here.

Here are the blocks that I will be working on to make my new unnamed quilt.

I started this project a couple of years ago when playing with my EQ8 software. There are so many HSTs that I decided to use the Bias HST method. The setting may look like this with different borders. I will decide after the blocks are completed. Then I will have to decide on a name for my project. I am using the chart that Marsha included in her Feathered Star book series to make the HSTs.

I cut a 12″ square from the blue and beige, pressed them right sides together and it yielded 44 HSTs. I made 2 or 3 bad cuts so rather than getting 50… should I say anymore? LOL After you have made the first cut, you will go back and cut the ones that you skipped – hope this makes sense! The rest of the squares will be 15″ as I should be able to yield 80 HSTs with a larger square!

15″ Square (Blue and Beige right sides together)

Cut Diagonally in the middle, the cut 2″ strips

Sew the blue and beige strip pieces together, then sew all together

Press seams open – Cut starting with the 2nd set

Let me know if it is clear as mud…. and maybe I can provide more information.

For now that is all I will be working on and hopefully it won’t take too long to make this quilt. My last post showed my Stars Around the Garden finished top and I forgot give a shout out to the Designer Judy Hale! I highly recommend her patterns. She is great!

We are enjoying all of Clay’s hard work around the place – the bird feeders are up and the Cardinals are back along with the Doves! For some reason all of the problem squirrels have disappeared – Hum!!! Our birds are fun to watch if only we can get through tomorrow and then for the rest of the month is all of ours to play with only 1 more eye check up next week and it is done for May!

Have a great week and enjoy stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

May 4, 2022

To-Do Tuesdays 3 May 2022

April is gone and here we are in May 2022 and before we know it 2023 will be here.
I have now finished the last UFO that I had started in 2020. I purposely left this quilt last because I wanted to make sure I could concentrate 100% on the quilt without interruptions, and to work on it at a slow pace to prevent issues. My hat is off to the Designer as the pattern directions and visuals were perfect! it took a lot of time in fabric selection, cutting 3 1/2” strips and squares for the borders.

The quilt measures 86” x 96”and no I will not quilt it. I am hoping my quilter will be able to add it to the other 9 that are waiting in the que for her.

The quilt is too large to hang it for the picture. This picture shows how large it is.

This picture is reduced by my iPhone and shows the entire quilt!

My iPhone allows me to take smaller pictures

For me scrappy is difficult, but I am very pleased with the effect that the middle row shows with my color placements in the border. If I were still entering Quilt Shows I know this one could be a winner!

I am not sure what I will start on next. I have so many quilts that I really would like to make, I just need to sit down and review all the patterns that I really might want to start on.

On the home front weather is hot and Humid so looking like it will be much of the same all summer. Clay has finished all the zero land scapping, which was very hard work. I miss working with Clay on our home projects, but not ready to go have back surgery #5! At 78 and with that new heart valve in 2020, he has really been working a lot and doing it the right way – early in the morning and stopping by noon. We decided to zero scape because of the extreme drought that we have here in South Texas.

I will be going to an Audiologist Thursday for ordering the 3rd pair of hearing aids Maybe this will be a charm! Last week I developed an eye issue. Clogged oil glands and was lucky to just send them pictures and they gave me an antibiotic to use for 2 weeks. It is getting better! Walking update! It is just so hot and humid with no breeze that I am giving in and will only do 20 minutes or until I get my mile in. This morning I did it in 21 minutes. I now wear shorts and halter top along with my blue wet towel to keep cool. Then I run and sit in front of our big fan on the Studio porch until I cool off. I would rather reduce the time and distance and still be able to do the walk as the 1.5 mile walk in 30 minutes in this horrible summer heat is just not an option at 77! I must be smart like Clay and remember I am not 50! DARN!

I have a dental appointment in June – called to get an estimate on the dental work – How about $8,000 to $9,000 for something that used to cost $4,500 to $5,000. I want to personally thank the Democrats and especially the Idiot in the WH! Inflation is so much fun and I really love it when I go fill up the vehicle’s with fuel! I am praying for the SCOTUS and that the person who leaked the document is caught and dis-barred from ever being an Attorney. The only place where we all felt that would never experience leaks on Opinions. I feel that R vs W should be overturned and turn it over to the States! OK – off my political box!!!!

Have a wonderful rest of the week and enjoy stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

April 24, 2022

Stars Around the Garden – 2020-2022!

Shock and Awe. Stars Around the Garden is ALMOST finished as a quilt top! Yesterday I finished putting the sashings on and I am so pleased with it. Now on to the pieced border – all 318 of the 3 1/2” squares. I will now have to play ”auditioning the colors” and how I will put them together to make up the 9 1/2” borders.

This is the last of the quilts that I started prior to 2022 and it has been waiting in the wings to be finished. I am sure that I will be sending this one to Tammy my longarm quilter this year. It feels good to get this one to this point. I kept it for the last of the UFOs because I knew that there could not be any errors in putting the top together!!! The sashings are a beautiful emerald dark green that really brings all the colors together!

The only other project started and not completed is Celebrating Mary Brown. It is a needle turn applique reproduction quilt and a very large one. I have completed 16 blocks (corner blocks) and the decision is whether or not to continue with it or just put the 16 blocks together for a wall hanging. Maybe when I finish the border for Stars… I will review the pattern and decide if I want to continue and also start a new applique project!

Now it is time to get busy with the border. Have a wonderful week and enjoy stitching or any other hobby that you love. My calendar is free until 5 May – YIPPEE!

Hugs, Nanette

April 24, 2022

Slow Sunday Stitching, etc – 24 April 2022

Happy Sunday to all! It has been a busy week but nothing stressful! Walking is on track, but there are some days I take off due to the high humidity and 70 degrees in the morning. I am not sure but I guess at 77 it is OK to take a day off from exercise when I am tired and today is one of those ”age” days! We are hoping for some rain the next 2 days – time will tell! It would be nice since we have only had about 3 inches since last October 2021! Drought city

On the fun side of life I have been working on a small Counted Cross Stitch project. It should have been finished by now, but some evenings I just wanted to veg!! I have learned to outline with a back stitch and a long stitch! Outlining the glasses will be tricky as I think I put the ”wine” too close together. But this is the way I learn how to do things – make mistakes and never do it again! LOL

I would like to start on a needle turn applique project. The choices are Lily Rosenberry by Sue Garman, In My Garden by Dawn Heese, or continue on with my Mary Brown quilt. I have finished 16 blocks (all corner blocks of this quilt in 2020).

Have a great Sunday and week! Happy Stitching

Hugs Nanette

April 19, 2022

To Do Tuesday – 19 April 2022

OK – here goes – Can anyone believe that April is over halfway GONE!!! I have cleared my calendar and have nothing to do but ONE stop to HEB this week for a few groceries. It will be the most time I have had without having to go somewhere this year. My next commitment is 5 May and that is fine with me!!!

Here is the Thyroid update – My thyroid is not bad enough for medication, although my NP gave me a prescription to see how I would react, but of course Mr Tummy did not like it as I found out that the medication is hard on the digestive system. So unless it gets serious I opted out of that one. I have been feeling much better and back to normal on the low heart rate I guess it comes and goes with low potassium. I also seem to be better when I walk each day.

How about an update on my new hearing aid mess – I purchased the new pair on 8 Feb 2022 – and it is now 19 April and I have no new hearing aids. I am changing to a Audiologist (thought that the lady I was going to was one but found out different yesterday). Did you know the difference between an Audiologist and a Hearing Instrument Specialists (HIS)? I certainly did not know. No wonder the person who I had been buying my hearing aids from did not understand the effects of Meniere’s. She is a HIS! She also is really beyond her knowledge of the software settings for the new hearing aids (I have had 2 pairs since February and she could not get them to work for me!). Yesterday was spent working with TruHearing trying to find me an Audiologist who is proficient in Meniere’s and the new Resound One hearing aids.

If you are sick of hearing about me and the dumb issues, you should be me and have to deal with stupid people and I guess that must include me since I was under the impression my previous person was an Audiologist! I have high hopes that things will be better in May! Just think – Once May arrives we are 8 months to 2023 but who is counting!

With all the fun I had last week (commitments everyday) I finally did started working on the borders for Stars Around the Garden.

Saturday I spent my time deciding on the placement of the 12″ blocks that will be set around the center Medallion. Sunday I spent most of the time auditioning fabrics for the sashings I could not decide on using the turquoise blue or going to a dark green – the green won. The pattern calls for cutting the 3 1/2″ strips the length of the fabric! So today I will drive myself nuts cutting 8 each 3 1/2″ strips x 104″. Sounds like fun Huh? I also need to square the Medallion, but I wanted to make sure that when I start on the cutting I am feeling good and the brain is engaged.

The pattern provides two different borders. One with a plain border with flowers in each corner and the other one with 3″ (finished squares). Since I am not in the mood for applique I am going to do the border with squares – all 318 are ready to be sewn together.

I plan on finishing this quilt top in a few days (maybe) and then not sure what the next project will be.

Here is the new look for our new Rock and Road area in front of the Studio. I love the new road because now I only have to walk from the Barn to the front gate 5 times instead of walking the circle drive to the gate 10 times. (Seems to make the walk go faster – mind over matter is what that is called) LOL.

This is the view of the front of the house and the circle that I walk when it is dark in the mornings. The front gate is still about 300 feet behind me in this picture. Clay smooths the road with his modified lawn mower that has a blade when the deer make too many tracks, or as in this case – too many big trucks bring rocks, road base, and now black dirt!

Have a great week – and happy stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

April 12, 2022

To Do Tuesday ON TUESDAY! 12 April 2022

Greetings to all! It is Easter Week and I hope that all have a blessed Easter Day even though our world as we know it has been turned upside down and may never recoup. Let’s pray that God will be there for us as things continue to take a downward turn.

Since September 2021 I have not really been able to gather steam in my quilting or other hobbies. Things were taking me longer, Fog Brain was around, Fibromylgia was definitely around and we can throw in a little depression. But I kept pushing myself to get back to my power walking schedule and then my quilting schedule. (I do not allow age to be a factor – LOL).

I began having issues with low heart rate (Bradycardia) in November and was checked by Clay’s Cardiologist (love this guy). Echo Cardiogram was perfect along with a perfect EKG. Then in January the “whatever” hit us (was not Chinese crap), so that put me behind again. In February, March , and the first 8 days of April I pushed and worked very hard to reach my power walking goal again (30 minutes = 1.5 miles). I had made it back, but began to notice that I was experiencing fatigue along with “do nothing” desire.

On the 5th of April we had our quarterly blood tests done. The results for me is looking like a Classic case of Hypothyroidism. I have done my research on the subject, and yesterday had our 6 month checkup with the Heart Guy (love this guy) and all was fine. He confirmed that Hypothyroidism will cause Bradycardia!!!!!

I will see my NP on Thursday and next month the Endocrinologist in May (I was concerned in August about my Thyroid but the levels were not high enough I guess). So I am hoping that they both conclude that I will need to take a little pill to wake up my Thyroid. I used to take the medication in the 1970’s but for some reason quit it. Who knows. So I will know in 2 days the outcome of this mess.

Now for the fun part – my projects. I have finished the binding for Raggedy Ann and Andy – click here!

Next finish was my Sentimental Scraps quilt. I made the 9 patches (3 1/2″) in 2014 (Quiltmania Magazine for January-February 2014)but did not really like them and then life got in the way. The only problem I had with this quilt was a problem with the BIAS when I cut the border strips. I know now why I prefer Batiks when making a quilt- no stretchy Bias problems.). After some ripping and using some Sizing, I made this puppy work out. I am pleased with it, but will need to do a nice stay stitch all around the border before I quilt it.

Next on the list are my other projects that I like to work on in the evening. I have not progressed as much as I wanted to, mostly because of being tired in the evenings. But here is where I am with Cross Stitch and Embroidery.

I wanted to do a Bats and Boos Cross Stitch to match my quilt ( I am going to change the border that I originally used as I have more of the background fabric now to use rather than the border that is on it now). Click Here! Notice I was not of great mind when I named mine Boo’s and Bat’s. LOL

I am working on this Cross Stitch project that is quick and easy, BUT I will watch the Fat Quarter Shop video on how to outline. I am off 1 line, but who is counting? Practice makes perfect! I am using variegated grey/black for the lettering and a pretty mauve pink variegated thread for the wine glasses! Have not had a good wine cooler since early 1980’s.

Well, that is what I have been up to. I will settle in to working on Stars Around the Garden later this week and work on hand projects. Not ready to start anything new.

Have a very good week stitching and may you have a Blessed Easter.

Hugs, Nanette

April 9, 2022

HQAL – 10 April 2022

Today is Palm Sunday and next week is Easter. Time is flying by eve though Easter was late. this year. I have forgotten how Easter is decided on and especially when it is so late in April. I guess I need to do some research on this one. So I wish each and every Christian that we will be sad in the memory, yet rejoice when Easter Day comes.

Hand quilting around here has only consisted of finishing the binding on Raggedy Ann and Andy. It is a heavy quilt and difficult to get a good picture of the entire quilt, but here they are waving to all!

The fabric was purchased from Walmart, Cotton Mill in Seguin Texas (gone long ago), and the original Quilt Haus in New Branfels. Walmart had put out the fabric with the R and A, the blue is a denim from the Mill, and the “pick up sticks” fabric from the Quilt Haus. I had never purchased any fabric from a quilt store before. I had felt the price was high ($8.00 a yard) (Oh for those days again!). When I first started quilting I was show how to do fusible and button hole stitching (by hand – no machine here). It was fun to work on when we traveled. It took me a L-O-N-G time to quilt it but it is done and I am happy, now to figure out where to put all these quilts.

Have a great day and be sure to check on the other ladies to participate in HQAL today.

Hugs, Nanette

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piercers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Sharon, Sherrie, Karrin, Daisey, Connie, Theresa

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022

To-Do Tuesday – 31 March 2022

Morning all. Welcome to almost Spring! The trees are producing leaves each day and daylight in the early morning is arriving, thus walking is done the first thing in the morning which gives the the rest of the day to play! YEA It appears that all the unforeseen problems are over with and the hearing aids will be returned and a new set coming soon. Right now just using the old ones and they work just fine.

Clay ordered a picture frame for my ”Love”. It was plain wood and he put a nice stain on the wood which I really liked. Then he set it up for me.

Last week was a week to stop working on Alaska quilt. I made a little ”mini” quilt (?) with the 4 blocks I had made. If anyone is interested in my experience with this ”project” click here and here.

Tuesday I ripped out some of the ”strips” that I had started for Sentimental Scraps. I was having an issues getting things to line up so I took all apart to re-check the squaring of the 200 each 9 patch blocks. That is all done and today I will begin sewing them together.

Yesterday was a very relaxing day for me and I did FaceTime with Kathy for a short period of time while finishing up my ripping project. Then I decided to finish the 3 1/2 ” Friendship Star blocks for a BOM that I decided to not do. I now need to press them and put them away to be used in another project. I have a lot of 3 1/2” blocks using Reproductions of Stars and Churn Dash blocks, but I used shirtings for the backgrounds. The fabric I used for the Friendship Stars is from a Brackman collection.

I feel for Stars Around the Garden, I must get with it and put it together. Tammy has not called for the quilts yet, if I get it together in the next 2 weeks it will go along with the other 9 quilts for her to quilt!

So mini goals for next week will be to start ripping the binding out on the Southwest quilt that the long arm quilter screwed up. It is a very very large quilt – this should be fun. I will finish Sentimental Stitches and begin work on Stars Around the Garden. THEN I will select a brand new project to work on!

For those who follow me, you know I am the ultimate Traditional Quilter AND the Ultimate Perfectionist. Call me nuts, but I want my quilts to not have cut off points, or mistakes. I strive for perfection and if something is wrong, I stop and take the time to figure out what I have done wrong, or if the pattern has an issue. Call me nuts, but it keeps my 77 year old brain working and that is so important to me.

Talk about staying in shape, Look what Clay and I did today. He is napping and I am wrapped in heating pads! Guess that is par for a 77 and 78 year old. now just waiting for our contractor to come finish the job to move the rocks onto the lawn fabric and lay the new road from the from the garage to the Studio.

.Have a wonderful end of March and Let’s welcome in April 2022 tomorrow! Just 9 more months until New Year’s Eve!

Hugs, Nanette

zLinking To: My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts; Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021;

March 28, 2022March 28, 2022

WordPress Problem and Alaska Update

Greetings. Boy this has really be a day – Walking, HEB, Post Office, Pharmacy, and home again and have breakfast. Then Clay told me that Amazon sent the wrong item for the lawn mat, the Doctor did not send in my prescription, WordPress was giving me fits, the hearing aids go nuts, and too many phone calls. Started my day at 6:00 – it I now 3:10 and I am finished with all the ‘UNFORESEEN REQUIREMENTS’.

Now for the WordPress issues. I wanted to share this information for those who use WordPress, IF YOU HAVE AN APPLE PRODUCT, like an iMAC, iPad, iPhone, etc., on the last update for the iPads, iPhones, iMAC and Safari, there is a setting in Safari that allows you to check a block to “Prevent cross-site-tracking”. Well, what it did for me was the following every time I wanted to Reply to a Comment on a Post! I had to go through 3 steps to sign in for each reply I sent. I tried this week-end on my own to figure it out and could not.

Because I pay an annual fee, I get technical support. After 1 hour of trying different things and being told that I needed to use Google, or FoxFire (I even downloaded FoxFire to prove that theory wrong) for my browser they send me a link that discussed what happens when this “Prevent cross -site tracking” box is checked!!!. Mine is now unchecked. BIG PROBLEM RESOLVED!

For an update on the Edyta Sitar Creative Grid Ruler issue on my previous post. Amazon took the ruler back (it was $38.00) and I have already received my credit. I provided the Seller with a complete description of the problem and provided pictures to back it up. I also sent emails to Sitar and to Creative Grid advising them of the problems I had and provided pictures. Sitar support told me the following in their response:

“Hello Nanette,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Here is a link for the Mystery Quilt 2022 Templates available on our website:

https://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/online-store/Mystery-2022-Templates-p444609306

The Alaska Templates will not work for this project because the Mystery is much bigger than the Alaska templates.

Due to the size differences, they will not work.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with. Happy Quilting!

Thank you,

Laundry Basket Quilts

support@laundrybasketquilts.com

www.laundrybasketquilts.com

www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog“

This response was shocking since her website clearly states that the Alaska Ruler can be used for the 2022 Mystery Quilt. Click here to see that it clearly stated that the templates and the Creative Grid Ruler can be used…..Hummmm

WELL I am not doing the 2022 Mystery with them, I was trying to make the original Alaska quilt, so they did not understand what I was telling them. No wonder they have problems in writing patterns and that the ruler will not work for the original Alaska pattern. They do not answer their phone either.

I also sent an email to Creative Grids and received a very nice response with a POC to speak with. The representative and I spoke for 45 minutes. They were glad to hear from me regarding my concern with the Alaska Ruler. I told the Representative that I did not want Creative Grids Company to be blamed for the issue. This problem begins and ends with Edytar Sitar’s company. It was a great conversation with a Lady who was highly involved in working with Sitar, so I would image some things might just change with their Quality Assurance Department at Laundry Basket Quilts.

Now you ask – Well Nanette, what are you going to work on this week? It is called RIPPING! Last night I was working on the binding on a quilt that the quilter “sewed the binding for me” in 2014. That was the worst thing I could have done for this quilt. I now have to rip the entire binding out and re-sew it as she did not leave adequate room to turn it for hand binding or even for machine sewing. This is not a small quilt – it is for a California King bed and it is very very heavy! I am going to have so much fun!.

To top it off while working on my Sentimental Scraps, I began to realize that JUST MAYBE, when I put it aside I had not checked 9 patch to make sure it was squared at 3 1/2″. I started having issues when I sewed strips together. Most of you know I am the ultimate Perfectionist when making a quilt, so it has to be corrected even if I spend a week ripping, checking all 200 9 patches, and sewing things back together.

SO you ask me, what will I be doing this week when I am in the Studio, RIPPING! BRAINLESS WORK. Thursday Clay and I will be laying the lawn mat down for the contractor to lay the decorative rocks. So it won’t be a very productive sewing week here but that is OK. There is always another day – somewhere where someone doesn’t cause me to have to clean up their mistakes!

Have a blessed week, and enjoy stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

March 27, 2022

Slow Sunday Stitching-27 March 2022

Greetings – summer is just around the corner now. The temperature is starting to go up in the early mornings. Pleasant walk today, but doing that power walk really makes one sweat! Difficult to believe that we are going into the 2nd quarter of 2022. Time flies when you have so much fun!

I have finished my 2nd Counted Cross Stitch project. This pattern was a free download from the Fat Quarter Shop. I changed all the colors in mine to be more vibrant. I will order a frame for it this week.

Next on the list was to do something with the 4 blocks I had made when I started and finished Alaska. I named it Memories of Alaska

In 2014 I had 7 quilts quilted by a professional quilter. I have 4 of the 7 left to bind! (Shame on me). I started on one a couple of weeks ago and am going to try to finish it this week in the evenings now that I have finished “Love”. I love this Southwest quilt as it will be large enough for me to use on our California King. I am not certain, but think it is an Atkinson Design quilt.

Today I want to work on Sentimental Scraps (a Sitar pattern that you cannot mess up with just 9 patches and squares).

Sentimental Stitches from Quiltmania Magazine

MAYBE this week will be quieter (no appointments, no commitments, no cleaning up of other’s mistakes) and I will be able to finish the top and then begin to put Stars Around the Garden quilt together. This would be 2 more quilts for Tammy! Yea! I am ready to move on to new projects.

Have a great week! Hugs

Nanette

March 26, 2022

A Week from Hell – And a Beautiful Work of Art from Jaydee

Good Saturday morning! The sun is out and it was a very pleasant walk this morning. Hearing aids are working – the Audiologist changed the Receiver to a lower one because she found out that the one she had used caused Meniere’s patients HEADACHES. what a surprise! I lost a lot of quilting time the last 2 weeks and it frustrates me so much!!!

Status on my exercise goals is moving in the right direction. My goal of reaching a VO2 in the 20’s again is getting closer each day. By the end of April I will be where I was in December. I figured out how VO2 level was measured on my Apple Watch. As I began to walk a faster pace my VO2 went up to 20!!!! Now to get to over 20 and I will be back where I was a year ago. The VO2 measures your Cardiac Fitness. The faster the pace the higher the number. I have been in the Below Average in the 18’s since last year. I had never been below 20 but that is what “not exercising” and “stress” can do to a body. I have always been in the above average 21 – 26 range. The App keeps an average of the last 90 days. In January when we had the “whatever” I lost most of the month as far as exercise went. By the end of April my average will be in the Above Average because January will not be counted in the 90 day count. YEA – Reminds me of the 90 day average for the A1C level. I know that everyone wanted to know all about VO2!!! LOL. So on to what I have been up to the last week or so.

Now on to Alaska by Sitar. This is a beautiful quilt pattern, but it Sitar has some SERIOUS problems with her directions and templates and now her new Creative Grid Ruler. Kathy and I were going to make this quilt together. On the 18 of March I started working on a sample block for Block 1. I have learned through the years that when making a complex quilt that a sample block will point out all the pitfalls of the pattern and especially which seam allowance to use. Click on the Block 1 link above to see my previous post about how I started this project.

For an update to this Disaster Sitar Alaska project. I purchased the Creative Grids ruler (they are the only rulers I use) rather than using her templates because the cutting would go much faster. BUT Ms Sitar, has horrible quality control in writing her pattern directions, and now in the development of the new ruler. I prefer a ruler over templates and anything you purchase from Ms Sitar is EXPENSIVE. One would expect that the ruler and the templates would be one and the same but they are not. The new ruler is off 1/16 of an inch OR her templates are off. I feel that her templates are wrong and Creative Ruler is correct. Ms Sitar does not provide the “finished size” for the diamonds, or the finished size of any of the pieces in the 9″ finished blocks. This can make it very difficult to reach a perfect 9″ finished lock with 1/4″ seam allowance on the outer points. In my samples I tried using a scant and ended up with very little seam allowance to prevent cutting off my points.

Then I cut the diamond shape using the directions for the ruler for the diamonds. Problem here.

I wasted over 4 hours in making the sample blocks and the blocks below took about 6 hours to cut the fabric and sew them. I spent a lot of time working to have the outside points with 1/4″ seam allowance. As an added PITA, the quilt is cut on the bias on all pieces. Total time wasted – about 3 days of my life!

I thought I had mastered things as I moved on to Block 2, but that is when I found out the real problem – Sitar does not provide adequate information to make this quilt. To use the CG Ruler I needed the finished sizes of all pieces that make up each block!

So now I will return to making Sentimental Scraps ONLY because I bought the fabric that would only go with the 200 Nine patches I had made in 2014. Then I guess I will finally put Stars Around the Garden together. When I have issues such as what I just went through with Alaska, it takes me a day to move forward. Anyone else experience this?

On the brighter side of a Quilter – Here is my friend Jaydee’s Civil War Bride quilt. She started this quilt about 7 years ago, stopped working on it from time to time (I did the same) and about 2 years ago she started designing her own border. She did a beautiful job on the Border design and so much prettier than the original Australian pattern. She hand quilted the quilt and has just finished it. Jaydee is an awesome quilter and I have learned a lot through the years from her. I met her when I belonged to the Applique Society pre 2010. I give you a Best of Show (as soon as they have a real quilt show in her area) as this one is a Winner.