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.
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!
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).
Looks like fun!In My Garden by Dawn Heese Mary Brown – 16 Corner Blocks
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.
Center Medallion Blocks for Stars Around the Garden 318 Squares for the border! Testing the Sashing Color
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.
Rocks and Road!
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!
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.
Moda Holiday Sew Along Block 3 (Still)
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
NEW PROJECT – Bat’s and Boo’s
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.
A Small Project!
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.
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!
Raggedy Ann and Andy 2002 – 2022
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.
Chopin - A Passionate Quilter From Texas 