November 2014 – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

November 17, 2014

Bird of Paradise Quilt Top – Karma Correction

The following is provided as a correction to my earlier post (paragraph 2) about the Bird of Paradise Quilt Top.

The Lost Boy Quilt is the exact replica of the Bird of Paradise Quilt Top Blocks. The border is a Scalloped Border that has been added.

Folk Art in New York for Jean by Patricia Cox has different blocks and borders, but is based on the Bird of Paradise Quilt Top.

The Civil War Bride quilt pattern is an exact replica of the original Bird of Paradise Quilt Blocks, but the Border has flowers and leaves with Birds.

A Bountiful Life pattern has the exact replica of the original Bird of Paradise Quilt Blocks and Border, WITH the exception that the men on horseback have been omitted.

Now we all know more than we ever wanted to about the original and all the patterns that have been reproduced! I will now have to make a decision on whether to make the Lost Boy – with Block size of 14″x14″ or the CWB with Block size of 11″x14″. Whichever way I go I will wait for a decision on the border (hummmm will probably have problems with that decision at the end – but a nice challenge for later!)

Here is a picture of the original Bird of Paradise Quilt Top from the New York Museum. Have a great evening.

November 17, 2014

Threads of Memory and Civil War Bride Questions

Well! I finished Block 10 of Threads of Memory – only 3 weeks late and just in time for Block 11 on the 29th! Whew!

Block 10 Threads of Memory 1 — Block 10 Threads of Memory

I have tried many ways to do the elongated star points. First try was with the EZ rulers, templates, and finally I found Eleanor Burns had a wonderful way to make them. Just like her rulers for flying geese – these come out perfect every time. It is so much more fun when a quilter finds a ruler that really works to perfection every time.

Now on to my review of the 4 patterns for my Bird of Paradise Quilt Top (CWB, Lost Boy Quilt, A Bountiful Life). I did a little research this afternoon and found that on the New York Museum website that the quilt top that really matches the original is Lost Boy Quilt and A Bountiful Life. Patricia Cox has changed the outer border by adding leaves and flowers, CWB added birds and flowers only – no animals.

So I believe I will stick with the Lost Boy Quilt and use other pieces of the other patterns if I like their animal or people templates better than the original ones.

Because Karma was hanging over my head today – no electricity from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. I should have known that the day was not going to be the best Monday for me – I have a Pedometer for my morning walk. This morning the dumb counter was not working correctly – I only walk about 30 minutes and after walking 20 minutes it was not registering – HA – I fixed that problem! I sat down on the porch and shook the dumb thing until it registered my 30 minutes. Now you might think this is cheating, but since I had walked my time and I track my steps each day and keep a record – I was not going to let that little ole’ Pedometer mess my day up! Heck No. Our electric company was doing that for me without even realizing it!

Being without electricity and heat did not bother me because I have 2 nice size windows in my Studio (in the ’30’s with a nice wind chill), so I tried to pull some fabrics and work on Happy Scrappy decisions (a little difficult to do with a flashlight), reviewed my 4 patterns (outside in the sunlight before Clay started gassing me with the tractor fumes) and started to bring a quilt outside to finish the binding, but at the last-minute decided to knit! Well, that was not the smart thing to do – I messed up a row and did not realize it soon enough – so now I have a big mess and hopefully I can correct it! I finally just gave up and completed some “have to do” things and at least I have made a decision to start on preparing all the blocks for my Bird of Paradise Quilt Top during the day and work on other UFO applique projects in the evening.

My friend Jaydee told me I could be a Sponge (soak it all in and worry and fret) or be a Duck (let it roll off one’s back) Quack Quack Quack. Cross your fingers – hopefully I can kick Karma out and be a better Duck – Quack Quack – tomorrow! I even have Clay Quacking when things tend to not turn out like we perfectionist/planners/organizers prefer! Somehow it does help to laugh and start saying Quack Quack!

So Happy Quack Quack Day to all and hopefully my day tomorrow will be more productive. Who knows. Maybe it will be a quiet and peaceful day tomorrow.

Happy Quilting!

November 15, 2014November 15, 2014

Does Organization Count in Quilting?

Greetings again from La Vernia, Texas. The weather is exactly what I have been waiting for – cold, damp, and Winter is definitely here. Now having said that, I hope that this is not a trick from Mother Nature and that we go back to summer hot and humid days before the end of the year. I have so much more energy with the cooler weather. Although it would have been nice to have a Fall Season, but here we are in the 40’s during the day and high 30’s at night, green grass and green leaves on the trees. Well, as long as I wake up in the mornings, I am a happy camper. Here is what I see when look at out my Bay Windows in my Studio while sewing.

Window View 1 — View of our Back Porch of the House

Window View 2 — View from the other Window – Notice the Deer Corn, Water, and Bird Feeder

OK – Now to what I have accomplished since I finished Darryl’s quilt. Yesterday I washed all of the fat quarters that I had purchased last month….Over 150… So much fun. I was looking for that Recliner by 5PM. Today I finished ironing them and putting them away. Next I pulled all the fabric I had thrown in the drawers the last 2 months and rearranged them in the 2 new Elfa drawers. I bet I am the most 2014 Organized Quilter in Texas, have not met all of my 2015 goals, but hey does being organized count? LOL.

New Elfa's — New Elfa Drawers – The first one is for my Long Arm supplies

On Tuesday I found out that the Dutch Chintz I had purchased (the border fabric) was for the Tree of Life Panel…..Oops…..So in order to use that expensive purchase, I ordered the Tree of Life panel along with 2 other pieces of Dutch Chintz to complete the Tree of Life and for the Mountmellick quilt (see how positive I am – I just know I can do this).

Here are the other pieces of fabric that I will use with both of the quilts.

I have not abandoned my Happy Scrappy quilt – Here is the 3rd border. The circles are little flowers from the line of fabrics I will be using. Not sure what is going to be next – a surprise to you and probably me too.

Besides Happy Scrappy, Threads of Memory, Mountmellick projects, I want to start on the Civil War Bride Quilt…….There are four (4) different versions of this pattern. Each has a different name. Quite interesting. I purchased the first one in 2004 from Pat Cox at the Houston Show and had no idea what I was buying – just like the picture and dreamed of making the quilt. Here they are – let me know your favorite. I am thinking I will be mixing and matching.

And now to the kitchen to play Suzy Homemaker and make some 2 Alarm Chili and beans for Clay and Spaghetti Sauce for tomorrow for Dan and Clay…..Hopefully tomorrow I will make a decision and get with the quilting program and quit increasing my “Stash” and make some serious quilts. Have a wonderful week-end – Cannot believe it is the 15th of November 2014! Enjoy.

November 12, 2014

The Bean Pot is Finished and Winter has Arrived!

Winter has arrived in South Texas – Very interesting weather pattern. We had a late HOT summer that extended in to late October, then a few cool snaps, and now a real cold wave! Because we bypassed Fall, our leaves are still green. It will be interesting to see if the freeze will provide a delayed changing of the colors or if they will just fly off the tree and we will be up to our ears in leaves. We are hoping that we receive some more rain so that Clay can burn the leaves rather than continue to mulch them as he has had to do the last 4 years. Either way, I love sitting at my sewing machine looking out my bay windows at the birds, squirrels and deer. Peaceful times.

I finished Darryl’s quilt last night (Tuesday) just as I had planned! This is the first time this year I have been able to meet a set goal for a project! Making a quilt is such a fun thing, yet there are times when we are in the middle of the project that we just want to hurry up and finish it. Then when the top has been completed there is a feeling of accomplishment. Of course a quilt top is not really a “finished” quilt, so we move on to the final phases of quilting and binding. At the end of each of the 3 phases of quilting a pieced quilt always provides me that sense of accomplishment and when I have completely finished the quilt I really feel relief! Now on to the next project.

This quilt is so special to me. I wanted to make Darryl a quilt for him to enjoy during this difficult time of his life. I am so glad that I put everything else on hold and was able to complete his Bean Pot quilt just as ole’ man winter rolled into town. He will enjoy the warmth of this quilt that his Momette (that is his nickname for me as his Step-Mother) AND I will always have the memory of making it and knowing that I was able to give him a gift of love through my passion of quilting. I want to thank JayDee for giving me her extra book with the Sylvester’s Bean Pot pattern. I really love this pattern and plan on making more in the future.

Darryl's Bean Pot Quilt — Darryl’s Bean Pot Quilt – 11/11/2014

Lesson learned on this one – when quilting a top with a lot of seams, lengthen the stitch to 10 stitches per inch – there is a slight flare on the binding area, but nothing earth shattering. I love learning by error……….One never forgets that little error….. or at least until the next time I do that. LOL.

I received a wonderful gift from Happy Appliquer LuAnn in the mail Tuesday! She had extra border fabric from the Judi Rothermel 25th Anniversary fabric for the Di Ford Mystery Quilt – Monuntmellick! This is a very special gift because I was unable to find the fabric in March. (see previous posts). THANK YOU LuAnn! I follow her blog Happy Appliquer and love her projects. Now I will be able to go back to the project and actually have the fabric to make the quilt. What a wonderful gift!

Di Ford Mystery Border Fabric — Judi Rothermel’s 25th Anniversary Border Fabric

When I decided to make the Mountmellick Quilt and realized I was out of luck in finding any of the border fabric, I purchased the Amelia line for a border, only to realize that it was too large and wide to use in the quilt. I was a ‘babe in the woods’ for this one and very new to Quiltmania, Reproduction fabrics, and the beautiful Australian quilts. I also decided to purchase some Dutch Chintz fabric as suggested in the pattern, but that was also sold out. I selected a border print thinking it would blend with my fabric selection and that the flowers would be able to be used in the center medallion. I was so wrong. Yesterday I called Happiness is Quilting in McKinney, Texas (they carry the Dutch Chintz) and asked them if they had any of the chintz that would go with the Di Ford project. They recommended 5/8″ of a Dutch fabric that would provide plenty of flowers and leaves. I also ask them to assist me with the Dutch piece I had previously purchased. Well, I found out that I had purchased the border fabric for the “Tree of Life” panel. Penny was such a great help, she is sending me some red fabric and an additional fabric with matching flowers that I can use in making a nice size quilt using the panel. This will be a “Dutch Chintz” quilt and a lot of fun to design another border quilt. So now I will have 2 quilts to make!

Dutch Chintz Border Fabric for the Tree of Life Panel

Life in my quilting world has really been blessed by LuAnn, Jaydee, and now Penny. How blessed I am and Thx to all.

I am now going to put the binding on my Civil War quilt that I finally quilted early in the year. It will be nice to have this one completed and put in the stack of “let’s have a binding party” stack!

Have a blessed day and enjoy Winter – I know I will. This is the best time for quilting and knitting!

November 9, 2014

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Greetings from “almost” winter time in Texas. I am testing the waters to see if the Bloglovin link shows up.

I have completed Darryls Bean Pot Quilt and it is loaded in the long arm frame and I have half of it finished. Of course – as with everything this year – the regulator went off on its own and now I am in the process of ripping some stitches out. Hopefully tomorrow it will be quilted and the binding completed by Tuesday

This is not the best picture, but it is a start. I had fun making the blocks and the quilt. Now to get it finished.

Of course, now I am behind with Threads of Memory and late in starting new projects. I would love to purchase the Stonefield’s pattern, but need to gather some quarters up for that one!

Have a great evening and Thank you to all Veterans.