Author: Texas Quilter

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RSC 2018 is a Flimsy!

Good evening from South Texas where we have not seen the sun since Sunday!!  We are now in a rainy spell, or just overcast skies!  This type of weather does not bother me, especially if it stays in the 50’s and 60’s during the day!  So much better than the 100’s.  Life is good!  The first part of the week I was wearing sweats.  Today I wore my shorts and walked in the rain!

Today I have completed RSC 2018 Sampler quilt!  I would like to also thank Mari for providing block suggestions each month – that was a lot of work on her part!  I must say that I really enjoyed making this quilt making 3 blocks a month and catching up last week with August, September and October.  Gretchen suggested to me to set the blocks on point and I am so glad I took her advice.  It really made this quilt pop!   I love the white background fabric I used in making the blocks and thought about using the dark blue/violet 1” border with a white border, but I am not a favorite of a lot of white in my quilts.  So I used the light complementary blue!  I am a happy Quilter!

Next, I finished Block 7 of A Bountiful Life!  I am on a Roll.  This week 2 flimsy’s and one more BL block – I am closer to my goal of finishing prior UFO’s from the last couple of years!  I can now start on Block 8 tonight or tomorrow night!

For my day projects now I am going to finish making the 1/2” hexagon flowers for the border on Mountmellick and then the remainder of the quilt will be pieced blocks!  I also want to work on sewing the corner hexagons on the Center Medallion for Brinton Hall.  Once that is complete I will applique it to a background fabric and I believe I may have to make some more hexagons to complete the Medallion.  But the bottom line is that I will be doing hand work on both of the quilts concurrently in order to get to the point where I will be piecing blocks!  I am hoping to finish them by the end of the year or sooner!

 

The next border has a vine and hexagon flowers with leaves! I just need to finish the flowers.

 

Brinton Hall Medallion – Corners need to be sewn together

I am also behind in quilting some of my quilts, so in between I will try to load a quilt and attempt to quilt all my finished flimsy’s.  I counted 4 tops that will be hand quilted and about 10 that need to be quilted on a long arm.  I have 3 that will be custom quilted and entered in local Quilt Shows.

Have a great week-end.

Nanette

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Checking Out of York Lodge!

It is a finish – I finished the border this afternoon on York Lodge.  This quilt was a monumental task and a great challenge for me.  There were good days and bad days, but in the end it has been worth it.  I hope everyone likes it as much as I do.

Here is another view of York Lodge.  It measures 83 x 99, a lot bigger than I expected.  But those Stars really float!

 

I am having one of the best weeks in many years – pays to quit eating carbs!  Have a great week-end!

Nanette

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RSC 2018 Sampler

Greetings from South Texas where it is 51, overcast, a light mist in the air, and cold! – Finally.  This is my kind of weather and so much more palatable for my 30 minute walk in the mornings.  Today is a day where one just would like to coil up in the recliner and read a book, but I am on a mission, so not time to relax now.

I am ‘almost’ finished with RSC 2018 Sampler.  I finished the setting triangles yesterday, but made a boo boo (Gretchen warned me) and turned the center strip the wrong way!  Darn!  It was ripping time last night.  This morning I fixed that and ordered more of the fabric for the borders.   I always purchase my batiks from Web Fabrics in Virginia.  I have traded with Carly since 2004!  I belong to the 100 Club which provides me a 10% discount on all purchases!  Cannot beat that!  She has a booming on line business now and a store in Purcellville, VA.  It is a wonderful Quilt Shop to deal with.

RSC 2018 Sampler – without borders

I will have a 1 inch dark blue border to frame the quilt and then a 4 inch light blue border to complete it.  I am so excited to have this one completed on time.

Now on to cutting the border for York Lodge!  York is going to be a large quilt as the measurements are currently 73″ x 88″ and I will be adding 10 inches in borders.

Have a wonderful week and I am hoping that this cool weather continues for the rest of the week and that we do not go back to the 90’s until next summer!

Nanette 

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RSC 2018 Setting (First Cut)

Well, I did get the blocks on the design wall and here is my first cut at setting it on point.  I have 5 blocks left over, but they are ones that were not my favorites.  Trying to decide on sashings.  Always good to get a start on what looks good together.  This is more of a planned scrappy.  Of course I did not plan anything on this top – just made 3 each 10” blocks each month!  So neat to have a quilt made without stress!

I and done for the day!  Great time in the Studio.  Now to get this top and York Lodge borders on and my room will be in order again……

Nanette

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October Progress in Quilts and Life

Greetings from South Texas where it will be 40 degrees cooler in less than 24 hours.  I am going to be so happy when the Canadian air hits us in the morning.  I may even break out the sweat pants!  Prediction is for the next 2 weeks to be almost ‘winter’.  I am happy, Clay is not so happy, as he is cold natured.

On October 3rd, my life changed.  During our 6 month checkup I was advised I was a Diabetic!  WHAT?  YUP!  I have learned that as much as I watch over my health I missed asking more questions on Diabetics.   (Father was Type 2). I have been in shock for the last 12 days!  I knew that this last year that some days I felt great, some not so great.  I ASSUMED it had been other issues.  My NP understands all my “stupid” issues – and now this is not a “stupid issue”!   I am very frustrated with ME and my NP because I was not warned early enough about the Glucose going up and up.    March my A1C was at 6.7 and was NOT advised that I was now a Diabetic.  Heck I thought that I was just at risk!  I DID NOT PAY ATTENTION!   It was a wake up call for me.  I checked on my BCBS insurance account and found that the diagnoses was reported in March, but they did not tell me until the 3rd of October!  The good part of this news is that it is under control and no medication required, but in my book that is not enough.  It is time to correct my eating habits.  Exercise is not a problem for me as I have been a walker for 30 years.  I must also remember that stress plays a large part in this game of Diabetes.

Now 12 days later, I am now almost 6 pounds lighter, and do not eat any of those Hershey Kisses and potato chips for a long LONG time!  I am eating low carb foods (although I cannot give up the morning potato because I need potassium).  I have always watched the sugar and salt but never counted carbs!  Well, I am counting them now – as few as I can get away with!   I have an appointment with a Nutritionist on 23 October to try to figure out how to manage things with the limited list of foods I can tolerate, have a glucose monitor on order, and tomorrow I receive two books on diabetics!  I am NOT playing around with this.  I want to lose another 15 pounds by the end of the year and I will do it!  I have a goal!   Now this Diabetes is a gift from the Chopin side!  BUT LET’S MOVE ON TO QUILTING!

I have been planning to be in the Studio every morning for the last 2 weeks at 10:00 AM!  Here is proof that I finally made that goal this morning!  LOL  This is the clock that My Buddy Lori gave me this year – I love it!  She is a neat buddy to have and I love her posts.  She is an open book and that is so rare these days!  Thank you Lori – things will get better!

9:50 AM – 15 October 2018

I had been remiss in keeping up with RSC 2018 blocks since August while working on York Lodge quilt.  This last week I have finally been able to catch up with everyone else.  Here are my August, September, and October blocks.  I have enjoyed making simple easy blocks for a change after York Lodge.

August, September, October Blocks

I now have all the blocks on the design wall – and need to decide on the setting.  There were only 10 months this year for different colors.

I am progressing on my Bountiful Life block and should finish it tonight or tomorrow night!   Check out

Slow Stitching Sunday

Bountiful Life Block

Last year at the San Antonio Quilt Show I purchased a Cutterpillar Glow for craft projects.  It was the smaller one.  This year at the Austin Show I purchased the larger one.  I love both of them.  They are a wonderful tool for cutting, trimming, and tracing applique patterns on background fabric.

Goals for the next few days will be to complete the borders on York Lodge and my RSC 2018 flimsy!  I am beginning to feel now that I can complete more of my UFOs by the end of the year than I thought I would be able to!

Have a wonderful Sunday and week!  I know I will because it will not be hot and humid and because with each pound I lose I feel better!!!

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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York Lodge, Mountmellick, Austin BOS, and HQAL

Good Sunday afternoon!  A surprise came this afternoon – RAIN!  Of course we have been under a High with 75-79 degrees in the morning (early) with 100% humidity – Walk – NOPE! Not until the humidity and dew points become lower!  Hopefully the cool front coming in Tuesday evening will begin the cooler weather and I can walk each day!

I have finished sewing all the blocks together of York Lodge!  I will be adding a 1” border to frame the quilt and a 3” border to complete it.  I have decided to use a dark purple and a light lavender for the 3” border.   I was so happy to complete this quilt top and I do believe my body is glad!  The stress that I put myself under to do this “challenging” quilt was well worth it.   After pushing on a project it usually takes me a week to ‘relax’ and start another UFO.

York Lodge Blocks sewn together!

Borders for York Lodge

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a comment from Lisa on one of my posts, one of the designers of York Lodge.  I had asked if they had experienced any issues when working on their quilt.  Here is her response:

“Lou made the quilt in the book. I did one block as a test block to make sure our maths worked. we did not have any issues with it sorry. It does require very accurate cutting and piecing though with so many diamonds. we were both given 3 antique blocks from a cut up quilt so the block was drafted from them. Not for the faint hearted this quilt, and we think you have done an amazing job.”

It made me feel so good that they took the time to comment!  I do hope they are pleased with the top when I have completed the borders!

I have been working on Block 20 of A Bountiful Life – NO I only have 6 blocks completed it is one of the blocks that I had prepared last year!  The rose buds it will make the block.  For some reason I chose a light and dark brown for the bird.  I may revisit that choice as the green is very dark I think that I may make the bird a different color.

Block 20 – A Bountiful Life

I have now changed my mind on Brinton Hall and decided to continue on with Mountmellick and not just add a border to make a wall hanging!  I am now going to make the flowers for the border, but changing  the flowers to blue with a red center and not the red flowers with a contrasting center.   The corner flowers will match the flowers in the center medallions and they will be intermixed with my blue flowers.  I am going to dedicate my day sewing time to finishing the flowers this week.  Then the remainder of the quilt will be the different borders that will be pieced!

Just could not stop with Mountmellick!

Looks like fun! Hope to be through this week with the flowers.

On 28 Sep we went to the Austin, Texas Quilt Show.  This is the Best of Show.  I was so happy to see this quilt won!  It is a Sue Garman quilt pattern and done very well.  There was one issue that my eye immediately went to and it was on the left red border.  It was either the long arm quilters mistake, or the top was not square.  Either way it did not detract the beauty of the completed quilt.  It is not for the faint of heart also!  Cudo’s to the maker of the quilt!

Well, I do believe I am caught up on my post for the week!  Hopefully this week I will have completed my flowers and Block 20 will be an easy finish – not difficult at all!  (Especially compared to York Lodge – of which I am almost ready to ‘check out’!

Have a great week and enjoy stitching!

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

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

 

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Progress Can Be S-L-O-W!

Greetings from South Texas where the weather is getting somewhat better, closer to Fall, and away from 100 + degree weather.  I finished the 30 blocks for York Tuesday and have taken a few days to slow down and relax.   But had to ramp up a little so I can put borders around the 30 blocks.

I have finished 14 blocks finished!

I have 6 more blocks ready to put the borders on the Stars.  Today I realized that I will have to put a border on the quilt because without one a long arm quilter and I would have issues with just a 2 inch border!  I have already decided on the border color and have plenty of fabric!  I think it will really add to the quilt!

The other night I did strait hand quilting on Indian Summer, but did not get very far!  Will try again tonight!

Have a great week and hopefully by next week-end the quilt will be a flimsy!