Month: August 2018

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I am a Permanent Resident at York Lodge

Again – welcome to the new Desert of the South!  We are working on records of heat – There have been over 7 days straight of 101 + with horrible heat indexes!  But they say…. yup ‘Fall is around the Corner’.  We will see!

Things have been rather hectic here for the last week and it threw me off my Compulsive (OCD) behavior in making York Lodge blocks!  Living in the country really has advantages and disadvantages!  Mostly inconvenience with Internet and Phones.  We both got the brilliant  idea to increase our cell support and discontinue the land line.  That was the week that was.  Clay climbed his 60 foot tower 7 times trying to get the “top of the line” Cell phone booster mounted and trying to get a steady system.  Friday that system was in the mail at UPS as a ‘return – did not work’ item.  We are now waiting for another system that will not be as complex and will work (we tried it first thinking the more expensive would be better)!   I am glad that experience is over with and he said that he feels he will not have to climb the tower anymore – I hope not – he is 74!  But a very sure-footed 74 and I have faith that he will be fine if he does climb it again!

Now on to my ‘poor me’ story and status on York Lodge.  One day last week for some reason I realized that I had renamed York Lodge to Yoder Lodge – I do believe that was due to the stress of making these puppies!  (Is that a good excuse?)  I went back and made corrections and was lucky no one picked up on my renaming the quilt!  LOL!

Here are a few stats.  I started this learning project in late June.  It has been quite a learning experience!  This is not a quilt for the faint of heart!  I would have put it aside, but my goal for this year is to clear out the UFO’s from the past 2 years!  My friend Gretchen is way ahead of me on doing that! Hat’s off to her!

Back to York Lodge!  I had finished 10 blocks and really thought I was on a roll to finish in July only to find out that I had 8 of the 10 that were delivered to the trash!  Too many issues.  I bit the bullet and started over again.  I prepared 5 blocks and figured I could catch up – no problem.  Well, there were problems with them also!  Two were made and in the trash and then I started checking my work and realized the other 3 would have not made the cut either – more trash.  Two more in the last 2 days have bitten the dust – So in total I have made a total of 28 and only 18 have survived.  There are a total of 30 for the quilt!  I am down to 12 now to complete the project!

I have not used that much fabric, but am on my 3 spool of 1,422 yards of thread, and at least 350 hours of work.  Will I ever sell this quilt – NO – but I will show it next year and have it appraised.

There is a strict process that has to be followed and accomplished for each block and one screw up and it will be toast.  Interruptions (like this past week) tend to make it more difficult to focus on the project.  Number 18 block was made perfect!  Yesterday’s work did not yield a block – but I have high hopes today.  I have made the same lime green block 3 times and each one went in the trash.  I am beginning to think that this color will not make it in the quilt!  We shall see.

Here are my accomplishments as of today!  Hoping to get at least 2 done today – but I have set that goal so many times (to make 2 a day) that I wonder if it is possible!

It is time now to head out to the sauna and do a 30 minute mental relief walk!  Maybe today will be a great day for York Lodge as I am ready to check out of this facility and get on with another piecing project that has been sitting!

Have a great day!

Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Sew Can She; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Fiber Tuesday;    Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Show and Tell Monday with Bambi; Quilt Fabrication

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HQAL 26 August 2018 – Nesting is a Flimsy and My 250th Post!

Good morning!  I guess I am getting used to the heat – at least I only spend about 35 minutes in it during my morning walk.  Other than that – it is in the 70’s inside!  I hate to see the electric bill this month, but at least we have been very comfortable!  Maybe Canada will send us an early Fall.  This is probably wishful thinking!

I have just finished all the work on Nesting!!!!  It is now on the infamous “to be quilted” rack!  I am so pleased with this quilt.  The first time I made a block was for a Quilt Show donation project!  I believe I started this quilt in 2017 and poor baby was ignored too many times for what reasons I cannot remember at this time!  But it is a pretty flimsy and ready for hand quilting – not now though.  I will have to have it completed by next June, but will start quilting sometimes in the late Fall!  Always feels so good to complete a project!!!!

I changed the original border because the Designer did not provide an adequate picture of her version.  I decided to put the group of 4 leaves in each corner and mirror imaged the vines!

Have a great Sunday and week!  My next hand projects (UFO’s) are Mountmellick and Brinton Hall.

Nanette

Linking to:

My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Sew Can She; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Fiber Tuesday;   Esther’s Wednesday WOW; Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Show and Tell Monday with Bambi;

Kathy, Lori, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Deborah,  Susan, Jessisca, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, Sharon and Karrin

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A few Cudo’s to my Blogger Buddies!

A short post to give a shout out to Lori who is a neat Lady and Blogger.  She can take a bad situation and find some humor in it all the time!  Her posts are funny and express things we all feel at times!  The other day she sent me a surprise package with some goodies and the nicest (very large) pin cushion!  It is just what I need to hold my long pins when I load quilts on my long arm!  What a great gift!  She is a ‘Good Hearted Woman‘ as Willie’s song goes!  So thank you Lori for the gift – so nice to have a Blogger friend!  Thank you Lori!

 

Another thank you to Susan who showcased my post on Yoder Lodge the other day!  So sweet of her to do that as this is one of the most trying and difficult quilts I have ever made.  Susan has some very neat patterns that she has designed and she just finished one that is so neat!  I enjoy watching her creative in designing quilts.  Keep up the good work Susan!

I would also like to direct you to Gretchen who has inspired me to stop making new projects and finish up my UFO’s in 2018.  I did start Yoder because I only had applique projects to work on and wanted to work on a pieced project during the day!  Gretchen has finished up some beautiful quilts so far this year and has even beat her own schedule!  If you have time, check out her Sweet Surrender, Nearly Insane, and Pastor’s Attic.  Absolutely beautiful work!  Gretchen hand quilts a lot of her quilts, to perfection!

Now to moving out of the York Lodge.  Have you ever ‘hit the wall’ when working on an intense project?  Sometimes I feel that we need to run into that wall and then get up the next day and go forward.  Yesterday was that day for me!  BUT, this morning I am ready to get going again.  I was having some more issues when I finally figured out why I was having issues again!  It was a DUH time!  Using a ‘scant’ versus a full ‘1/4″‘ seam allowance when sewing the strip sets together! No wonder things were not coming out at 1″ finished!!  I continue to ask myself why have I had such a problem with things with this quilt!  It is not hard to answer that – NEW GLASSES!  I knew that I was having issues the last 3 months, but kept on going.  The new lens will be here next week, until then I will have to really double-check my work! – I will continue to stay at the Yoder Lodge, but I really want to rename this quilt!

Have a great day and thank you again Lori for thinking of me and you too Susan – so nice to have quilting friends!

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York Lodge

Greetings!  I will not have to find a sauna to sit in – just take a 30 minute walk in 75 degrees and 99% humidity!!!  The good news is that we probably have about 20 more days of the hottest month!  Maybe we will settle into the mid-90’s, but that humidity will still be here.

York Lodge is coming along.  The new foot for the HQ D1 is really working great!  I have found that some of the errors started when I did the initial strip piecing.  It is imperative that each strip set must be checked before cutting to ensure seams are an accurate 1/4”.  I cut the strips in 11” strips rather than the 22” now to prevent other issues   The longer the strips the easier it is to have issues with wavy seams, or accidentally moving the fabric as I am sewing.  Additionally the new Creative Grid rulers are working great!  Keeping the fabric stable when cutting the 45 degree angle strips.  I am concerned that a few may have to be re made but I will deal with that problem when I finish the 30 blocks.  I have now finished 13 blocks – back where I had hoped to be 3 weeks ago.  But looking back is not worth the time so I am going forward and enjoy the process – besides – it is too hot to do anything else so I am making ‘hay’ while the sun shines.

I do believe that I am addicted to this quilt project!  I have no idea how it will be quilted, but I will not hand quilt it for sure – Batiks are not conducive to that!

Nesting is down to 2 red birds and some embroidery work!  I am so pleased with this quilt.

I follow Tazzie Quilts Blog and she has just finished Phoebe!  What a masterpiece.  This quilt is going on my Quilt Bucket List.  She Is now going to finish up her Honoring Our Quiltig Heritage Quilt which is a BOM stated last year using Reproductions and Shirtings only!  Lori Smith designed the quilt.  I miss working with my Reproduction fabrics so either this quilt may be the next piecing project.

Tummy Update!  I have now realized why I felt so bad with the tummy!  One who eats 2 flour tortilla tacos, 2 pieces of ham, a peanut butter with jelly sandwich, bacon, and eating Cheetos two times in a period of a week  = Not feeling so well.  I did not eat all in one day – it was spread out over a week and I really paid for it as it affected my breathing this time.   Now this is a normal diet for some people, but not me, and it can be so difficult at times to just live on eggs, chicken, yeast free rice bread, Lays Lightly Salted chips, and Almond Breeze milk, but if I do not want anymore days where I feel bad, I just have to become more disciplined again and quit thinking I can eat normally!  It is not fun, but better than where I have been the last week.  Celiac and Gastroparesis and food intolerance’s (corn, wheat, sugar, salt, dairy and preservatives) are just not fun to live with but IT COULD BE MUCH WORSE!  I wish that they would not have started the GMO food supply in th early 1990’s because it has really impacted my ability to eat the foods that I love like Salads, vegetables, and other heathy foods but fiber is not my friend.  I have never been a junk food eater, but now that I cannot eat them it seems that I crave them.

This morning as I am writing this post I have been enjoying watching our Deer eating.  We have 2 young babies (who are growing fast) and one of them is the instigator!  It loves to jump up and down and then run off and do circles around the Mothers, and then it will get the other baby to start chasing her.  This morning the Doe’s were even feeling frisky!  So much fun to stop and just watch them!

Have a great sewing day, I am hoping to finish more than 1 block today as they go together much faster now.

Nanette

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HQAL – Nesting Progress

Greetings, well as we enter the lovely month of August, I am beginning to become accustomed to the horrible heat and humidity!  If only I could quit cheating on the Celiac Diet, I would have more days with high energy!  Oh well.  Today is a great day!  Walked and the cool towels really do help!  This week was busy and not with my York Lodge blocks.  Tuesday was annual ‘fun and games with the Mamo’ and on Wednesday the Den A/C went belly up!  We were sooooo blessed when this happened!  We found a Handyman who lives around the corner and Thursday afternoon he came over, drove to Home Depot and picked up a new unit, and by 10 AM Friday we had a brand new A/C in the Den.  No fuss, no hassle, and a great person that we have now available to help Clay as he needs assistance!  So life is good, and better if I am a good girl and do not stray off my very very limited diet!

Now to the important thing!  I tried to have Nesting completed today, but still have a couple of evenings to applique the Red Birds and a few more leaves on the top center of the quilt along with some embroidery for connecting twigs to leaves.  This is going to be one of my very favorite quilts that I have made when completed.  I will hand quilt it and enter it in the SA Show next September!  Here is a peek at my progress!  On the top left, the quilt is not laying flat and the stem looks crooked, it isn’t.  I see I may have to add some embroidery stems in the top 2 blocks!  Oh well!

Update on York Lodge – I have now completed 11 blocks and have 5 in the preparation stage.  I ordered a new 1/4″ foot for the D1 Husqvarna and that has made a difference.  I also ordered a new Creative Grid 6.5 x 12.5 ruler and they now have changed the rulers where my fabric is not slipping on me when cutting the 45 degree strips.  My blocks are taking less time and fewer mistakes in matching strips that make each quadrant.  I am hoping that I do not have to remake anymore, but if I do it will be when I am finished with 30 blocks total!

Have a wonderful week – we start our Monday off with our annual eye checkup and bone density – we are hoping to be home by 2 – Hum  wonder if this will happen!  One never knows when heading off to San Antonio!

Nanette

Check out the other participants in HQAL!

Kathy, Lori, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Deborah,  Susan, Jessisca, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, Sharon and Bella.

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Sew Can She; Em’s Scrap Bag;  Fiber Tuesday;    Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Show and Tell Monday with Bambi;