July 2016 – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

July 30, 2016July 30, 2016

Blogging when the brain is not engaged and Brinton Hall

Well, here we are the next day and I realized that I did not add anything about my Brinton Hall. Today is such a better day than yesterday. I am now certain that Mr Fibro and Mr Weather Changer got me but good this week along with Mr Reflux – darn it! But Zantac 150 saved me today – thinking about taking one a day until Mr Rebound Reflux goes away!!!!! I hate losing a day to my hobby when I cannot find my brain or my tummy hurts!

So here we go for another update! My Brinton Hall has been ignored long enough! All I need to do is to finish the center medallion hexagons and I can go on with my re-design of the quilt. I would love to have it ready for show next year (being the dreamer that I am). I have it back on the design board and filling in the remainder of the hexagons to square it. Then I will sew the medallion to a background fabric – oh joy – another fabric color decision!

Here is a picture of the center medallion hexagon placements pattern that I am now working on. This pattern is from a Quiltmania Magazine.

As you can see the top and bottom of the medallion requires 10 hexagons to fill in the “empty” space. I thought that it would look good to use the colors that were closest to the large flowers (color coordinator from the 1960’s). I will sew them together last because after working on the corners I may have to change the color selections – we will see.

Being the “UN-scrappy quilter” I am, for the 4 corners, I selected one section and then decided that I would use the same colors for each of the corners. I am hoping that the corners will look OK because I am not doing what I did with the top and bottom group of hexagons. (Hum I wonder if this is a wrong move – I may need to rethink this) (It may look better if I continue on with the “matching” of colors OR go scrappy with the top and bottom hexagons – time will tell.) After I selected my colors, I stacked them in 4’s, labeled them (hopefully I will not screw this up) and put them in order in my handy-dandy Plano fishing tackle storage container. Love those Plano’s!

Now I am ready to sew each row together and then the corners (4 times). If I try to go with different scrappy on each corner (probably like most quilters would do) it would be too unorganized for me. Oh well, another technique to work on next year, but so far I am doing much better with scrappy that I used to be.

Next on my list to select a piecing project to work on during the day. I am bound and determined to get that long arm going as I have 6 tops PLUS to quilt. It is nice to have a quilt loaded and when I get tired I can sit at the machine and sew on another project. I have 5 applique projects going now and no time for boredom there, just do not need to start another one although it is tempting!

Have a wonderful week-end, stay cool as winter is around the corner! 2017 is 5 months and 1 day away!!!!!!!!! Are we happy yet?

July 29, 2016

Stonefields, Bountiful Life, and Civil War Bride Progress

Here we are at the end of July 2016! WOW! Only one more month of hot weather and maybe we will all have a Fall Season that will begin in September! We have had a break in the 50 days of no rain and now are 5″ richer. Tomorrow the hot weather will return and I am hoping that the air will be a little dryer and not quite so humid, but who knows. I would have never guessed that we would have rain at the end of July and it is good that we are heading into the hottest month with green grass.

I am experiencing a “little” cabin fever with this hot weather, just the opposite of cabin fever that can hit in the winter. Maybe it is the weather change this week, but I have no desire to do anything, much less start a new piecing project, or start quilting on a quilt. Maybe tomorrow will bring me some drive and the desire, but for now it is movie time and work on some hand applique. We were scheduled for a trip to Durant, OK for 2 weeks, but somehow we realized that sitting in a 36 foot fifth wheel in 100 degree weather would be even worse than staying home. At least we have the Studio to come to each day and work on our hobbies. So that trip will be in September (darn) but it was the smart thing to do!

I have completed my current (not counting today’s) Circa 2016 blocks, finished Block 4 with CWB (Bountiful Life for me) and began working on my medallion on Brinton Hall quilt that I started late last year.

Cathy has finished Block 5 and progressing very well. I like the fabrics she used for her block and the changes she made. Remember – she is making this quilt with 10 1/2″ blocks – you go girl!

Here are my Circa Blocks through the 22nd of July.

Stonefields Segment 4 is WIP, but I have finished 6 of the 12 blocks for this segment. I incorporated some new fabrics and made the “mirror” block the same, but fussy cut 3 different flowers from Barbara Brackman’s Ladies Album fabric.

MVC-609S — The center has the same hexagons as my background fabric! Looks like it belongs together – LOL

Well, this is it for now. Maybe tomorrow will bring a better day – I am still dealing with the lovely “acid rebound” from quitting the Aciphex. It is getting better, but a very slow progress. I am hoping that by September things will be even better! Have a great day and keep on stitching! Stay cool!

July 3, 2016

Threads of Memory – Mini Dear Jane – Ms Potts Block

Just when one thinks that the weather is really HOT it gets HOTTER. Yikes 104 heat index today and believe you me – it is HOT!

But inside my Studio it is nice and cool! Today I have completed all of my UFO’s and am totally caught up with my monthly project blocks. I have even been working on Block 4 of Bountiful Life – hope to have it finished this next week.

A couple of months ago I sent Jaydee some batik blocks that I had made along with 3 other ladies in my one and ONLY block exchange. I decided that if I had not put those blocks together in 4 years that I was not interested, so they took a trip to Jaydee and here is the result. She did such a beautiful job putting all 96 blocks together to make a beautiful quilt for her bed! I know that she will enjoy it very much!

Today I finished my Mini Dear Jane quilt, the last of my UFO’s for now (remember the Texas quilt is still WIP status). I really like how it turned out. I auditioned 4 different fabrics for the background before I selected the Pin Money fabric.

Mini Dear Jane 2016 — Mini Dear Jane Quilt – 26″ X 26″

Moving right along, I have also finished my Threads of Memory quilt by Barbara Brackman. This will be a wonderful lap blanket for winter time (if it gets cold this winter).

And last, but not least, I finished the applique for Block 10 of Ms Potts from the BAS project.

Looking back, the month of June has been one of my productive months in quite awhile, mostly because I am feeling great and my energy level is at 100%! This is attributed to eliminating my acid medication Aciphex and Zantac! I did a cold turkey after I found out that the Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) can cause hip issues, gastroparesis, and in itself cause GERD! It was not easy to do this, but I knew that something was not right with my body and after 13 years of a GERD medication that I thought was helping me was actually hurting me! I have a very unique genetic makeup so not everyone needs to do what I did, but for me it was a God send that something told me to do this. Glad I did it. I may have to still stay on a modified diet, but boy do I ever feel great!

I may start up the long arm tomorrow and begin quilting some of these tops. That would really make me feel even better!

Have a wonderful 4th, be safe, and happy! Keep stitching!

July 1, 2016

Dear Jane (Mini) is Here along with Ms Potts

Happy Fourth of July week-end! It will be a hot hot hot one this year. Walking early in the morning at 7:30 AM or so is no better than walking at 10 AM! It is called Sweatsville in Hotsville, Texas.

I have a now finished my list of my UFO’s, with the exception of the Texas quilt blocks that are completed but the setting has yet to be designed! I am hoping that it will be completed in the next 6 months! Of course I did cheat on the house UFO because I sent a nice care package to Jaydee full of 16 each 16″ house blocks along with a few other goodies! Now she has another UFO to work on – LOL.

In late 2014 I joined the Dear Jane Bee with the Austin Quilt Guild. I had made 8 blocks of Dear Jane when I realized that I needed to select a specific color and fabrics if I were going to show it at a judged quilt show. I was not going to do anything special with those 8 blocks, but yesterday I determined that it would make a nice “mini-Jane” wall hanging. I made all of the blocks with machine piecing since I do not like paper piecing (sorry). This morning I looked for one more block to make it a 9 block wall hanging and put the blocks on point. The blocks are 5″ unfinished – 4 1/2″ finished. This is the block that I chose to finish the 9th block. The 9 patches are 2″ unfinished – 1 1/2″ finished!

I cut 1″ strips and made 2 strip sets to make the 9 patches. It is much easier than cutting 1″ squares and sew them together. The Circa 2016 has really helped me in making these small blocks. This block is 5″ unfinished.

Here is the layout of the 9 blocks for the Dear Jane Mini Wallhaging.

Next I will select fabric to fill in the blanks and figure out the cutting for the setting triangles. I will use my “Patchwork Math Using Quilting Design Components” by Lynn Wilder for Sew’n Wild Oaks. She has a great Blog and I would have set up a link but it is not working on this iPad! This is a great little book with all the quilting calculations that are needed at times like this!

I hope that everyone has a great 4th and remember how great our United States of America is now and how stronger it will be in the future! Happy Birthday America and may we always have our Independence from oppressive and over reaching government!