It is so hard to believe that my last post was 26 August!  Since them we have been blessed with 12” of rain that was desperately needed.  We now have great cell phone service thanks to Clay working all during the month of August trying 4 different Cell Phone Boosters, and climbing his 60’ tower 10 times!  Pretty good for a 74-year-old!!!

I will now get back to doing more posts on my Blog.  I will do more updates on projects as I make progress.  I found that I had to get away from the Computer in order to focus 100% on York Lodge.

I have been working on York Lodge since late June.  I wanted a challenge and boy did I ever find one!  In my last post on 26 August I discussed the precision required to make this quilt.  I never thought I would really get through the 30 blocks.  Heck, I loved this project so much that I made and/or prepped at least 45 blocks (12 made it to the trash can) and the remainder never even made the finish line.  I had a lot of interruptions during the process of making this quilt in July and August.  This quilt requires 100% dedication, and no interruptions.  One would have to go on a month-long quilting retreat where Life stands still!  Life seemed to get in the way and that is OK.  I have enjoyed every moment making this quilt, even the days where I would spend 6 hours trying to make one block only to have it not turn out.  I learned how to work with bias, precision cutting on a 45 degree angle, and most of all, S-L-O-W stitching.

Today – 18 September 2018 – I finished the 30th block for the quilt.  Now I am ready for the next step – try to figure out how to put the blocks together.  When I as having issues with the blocks, I went back to the book hoping to find something I had missed in the directions.  Was I ever surprised when I read page one again.  At the very bottom of the description of the quilt, the last sentence stated, …”in the original quilt not one of the blocks were the same size…”    I can attest to this statement because my blocks range anywhere from 10 5/8” to 11” square.  I wish I had seen the small print at the beginning!  Oh well.  Many memories made in making this quilt!

Summer Time at York Lodge

I have two thoughts in mind that will allow me to square each block the same size.  The pattern called for a light/white background sashing, but I will not use white.  I am thinking that I will add a 2” border to each block that matches the individual block background and then either add a beige sashing OR I may put a border on each block that matches the color of each Star, square them the same, and put the quilt together.  But the overall goal will be to make the Stars float!   We will see what happens!

I will continue to work on different UFO’s the remainder of the year.  I have decided to not increase the size of Mountmellick!  I am no longer interested in pursuing it any further.  I have some border fabric left over from.    Lu Ann who was so kind in 2015 to send me a remaining piece of the Di Ford border fabric for Mountmellick.  I will be making a mitered border and MM will become a nice Wall Hanging! – This will make 3 more finishes since July!  YEA!

The next UFO that I will be working on (after completing the York Lodge flimsy) will be my Brinton Hall.  I started this project in 2015.   The quilt pattern is in Quiltmania Magazine Number 107 and 108.  I will be using Asian prints for most of the quilt.  Here is a picture of where I last left with this project.

I need to finish sewing the hexagons for the corners and then I can progress to the rest of the quilt.  This is the Center Medallion.  I will use this project as my day time work.  There are a lot of blocks to make which will keep me busy.  Here is a picture of the quilt that was featured in Quiltmania Magaine.  Looks like I may have started this one in early 2015.

Here is a picture of the original quilt.

And I thought I was OCD with York Lodge!

My friend Lori from Quilting Needs is experiencing the loss of her Sister.  They have taken her off life support and Lori saw her this afternoon to tell her goodbye.  This is such a traumatic loss for Lori.  Lori has really had it tough when it comes to losing loved ones.  If you keep up with her on her blog, keep her in your prayers.

We were watching the movie The Debt and one of the characters played the piano and was playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.  I realized that I really how much I missed playing the piano, especially the Methodist Hymns and Moonlight Sonata. My Mother was an accomplished Pianist, a Smith marrying a Chopin!   I started piano lessons when I was 6 and trained in Classical music.  I am rusty, but it was very relaxing for me to go play for an hour or so and I really needed it last week.  I am going to make time in my schedule for practicing Moonlight and my Hymns.

Have a great week!

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

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

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!