Austen Family Quilt – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

I hope all had a great New Year and that the year is starting off in a positive manner for everyone. Mine still has a few hiccups but things have settled down for us a little bit. I look back at the year and realize that I did not produce as much as I have in the past with my quilting. I do not know if it is age, Darryl’s illness, the stress of losing him, the extreme dampness this winter, or if I have really done something to my back to cause me so many problems with my Fibromylagia and Sciatica – whichever it is – I am not a happy camper when it comes to physical slow downs. I definitely am not going into my 70s gracefully! My mind says I can but the body is balking! We will see who wins! LOL But life does get in the way sometimes and we must remain as positive as we can and move forward.

–I was so ready to do all of the selected projects that I found on line – Barbara Brackman, Pat Sloan, Ester – Love Entwined, etc, when I started my Blog. I love keeping up with all of my favorite Bloggers now. Looking back over the year here is my progress (or no progress)

–I did make 2 quilt tops for the San Antonio Show this year and they are ready to be quilted. One of the tops was from Pat Sloan’s Globetrotting.

–I started on the Austen Family quilt, but had issues with time and interruptions and problems with reducing the block size to 6 inch blocks.

–Threads of Memory is almost completed with only 2 blocks to finish and then I can decide on a setting for the quilt.

–I still have one more block to finish on Wanda’s Antebellum Ladies Quilt and only one (1) bird to finish on Block Number 1 of The Lost Boy Quilt!

–Rosemary Young’s Happy Scrappy BOM was to be a challenge quilt and for me to work on my desire to develop quilt designing skills. This project has taken me longer than I thought it would.

–I finished one wall hanging for the Baltimore Applique Society On-Line Auction and that was very satisfying to be a part of the fund raiser for BAS.

–Darryl’s quilt – Sylvester’s Bean Pot

— Sentimental Scraps – that one needs to be finished – almost forgot about Edyta Sitar project.

++On the negative side of positive – I did not get the bindings done from left over “ready to be finished” quilts from 2013. Maybe I will get in the mood soon to get those done.

This year I made a decision that before I would start any major new project that I would try to finish the projects that are begging to be completed from 2014, BUT I now find out that decisions and plans sometimes need to be changed! Here I am already changing that decision on not starting a new project!

The Austin, Texas Guild has a Dear Jane Bee and I joined it. We do 4 blocks a month (hum… wonder if I will be able to maintain this challenge) The Bee will meet in Austin quarterly on a Saturday for a sew in and I am so looking forward to this. Today I downloaded the 4 blocks for the month (will see where I am in February – they are “due” to be completed (if possible) by the 19th of February – this will be interesting. I have the book, rulers, and the EQ Dear Jane. I am thinking that I am going to hand piece each block. I printed out the templates on the 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of freezer paper and this will cut down some of the time in preparation work. Next decision on this project will be the fabrics. I miss working with my batiks, but think that might be a bit challenging for hand piecing and take away from the original time frame of the quilt. I sincerely hope that I will be able to complete this project as I had purchased everything (less fabric) for a Dear Jane in 2009!!!! Where has time gone?

The other project is Ester’s Oma’s Blue Quilt. What a beautiful quilt in Blue. I am thinking that this one would be beautiful in my Batiks and either in Blues, Reds, or Purples. Decisions Decisions Decisions! I will probably shoot for a March start date on this one if life permits.

— Oh yes – and then there is Di Ford’s 2014 Quiltmania Mystery Quilt………….yup still in the drawer along with a lot of my money that I spent on Dutch Chintz fabric. WOW – where have I been?

So here we are and I am so happy because I have completed the top and bottom “block rows” of my Happy Scrappy quilt. I am pleased with it so far. Next I will begin to design the side panels from there – who knows.

Happy Scrappy Top and Bottom Block Borders

Here is a picture of my Lost Boy Quilt (also Civil War Bride) Block 1. – One little brown bird to finish! I am using Batiks for this quilt. I miss working with them, especially when I am working on an applique project!

I am grateful to have completed the projects that I did and the one’s that I am trying to finish. Life is good to Clay and I even with the impending heartache that is coming sooner than later. I just hope that we can make it through the rough times. Quilting has really saved my sanity many times over. I have missed working on special projects for my Show Quilts, but if God allows it, there is next year.

Have a blessed day and enjoy all that you can. I am thinking that next winter Sierra Vista, AZ would be a good place to be.

I hope that all are enjoying your family and/or friends for a great celebration of the United States of America. Our wonderful Country is having some hard times now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!!

Darryl is doing well with the Chemo and we are enjoying spending time with him here, at his home, and a lot of phone conversations. We have decided that Darryl and I are two peas in a pod – we laughed about that last night on one of our 2 hour phone calls. He is an absolute Hoot! So funny and both of us are the Perfectionists and Big Worry Warts and absolutely hate taking medicine! We cherish all the minutes that we have with him!

Now back to my quilting progress. This last Monday I had the feeling that this was going to be a great week and it has been. I have kept my promise of doing my 1.5 miles each morning – yes here in South Texas we get to walk even in the 90+ degree weather with about the same for humidity. Hoping that this summer brings us tons of rain. I believe that this just may be the year that we get a Hurricane in the Gulf and that it will be South of us and we will get out of this horrible drought. Terrible to have to want that….

I have now caught up with Barbara Brackman’s Threads of Memory, Pat Sloan’s Globetrotting, and so excited about Rosemary Youngs Happy Scrappy BOM! Austen Family and I are still debating what to do. That debate and struggle will start in the morning, or may be Sunday as we have company coming tomorrow.

Of course all my favorite shops are having 4th of July sales – Sylvia Pippin, Hancock’s of Paducah, and Paper Pieces. They now have my money. (LOL).

My creative streak has finally returned. AND, I have finally figured how to make sure a block comes out to the EXACT unfinished size! Below is a picture of the center star of Block 6 of Threads of Memory. When I cut out the star points I added 1/16″ to the cutting measurements and GUESS WHAT —— A PERFECT 6 1/2″ SQUARE STAR………….. Now it is not easy to get that measurement if you do not like math, but being the one who loves math, I finally figured out how to make a 12 1/2″ block come out square also!

Block 6 Threads of Memory — Final Block 6 – This is one of my favorites – Heck – the are all my favorites!

Here is a “group picture” of my finished Blocks for Threads of Memory:

B 1-6 Threads of Memory — Threads of Memory – Blocks 1 through 6

Now on to Pat Sloan’s Globetrotting BOM. I am probably repeating myself, but Pat is one after my own quilting heart because she allows for that extra fabric when making Half Square Triangles ( HSTs!) By doing this in her directions, making her blocks are a sure thing when having the block come out to the 10 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ No time wasted here! Thx Pat!

Block 7 - Globetrotting BOM — Block 7 – Pat Sloan’s Globetrotting BOM for 2014

How about let’s go to Rosemary Young’s Happy Scrappy BOM. I am learning so much from Rosemary. She has really challenged me by taking on all of my projects and through working on her Happy Scrappy. My design and creativity potential is coming out with this project. I selected some fabrics that I had in my stash from 2009. It was a Moda fabric line called Ruby’s Flower Garden and Summer Flower Garden. Of course, as always, I had another project in mind when I purchased it. I was going to do an applique project with the fabric, so I only purchased 1/3 of a yard of the fabric line. I did purchase 2 yards of the focus fabric and that was a good thing. Here is how I started with my Center Medallion:

Happy Scrappy Fabric Selection – 26 June 2014

Next, I made the Medallion Center Block. When I started with the cutting, I decided I would do the 1/16″ extra bit….. but I think on Thursday the 26th it was not my best math day – I cut it 1/8″ bigger……Slight mistake and correctable, but not the perfection I wanted. But I knew that I was short on fabric and could not waste any. So I dealt with it! This is how I figured out that adding 1/8″ to cutting instructions would not work. Because the first border was plain, I got away with it. I could trim the extra 1/8″ and come out at 18 1/2″ x 18 1/2″… See, I am learning all the “secrets” that all the other quilters know about – THE HARD WAY! Now on to the Center Block:

Here is the First Border:

Now to Border 2. I changed my border – I turned the HSTs, in a different way that Rosemary had done hers. I am hoping this works. I have a great idea for Border 3, BUT I am waiting for my favorite shop – Martha’s Quilting Corner – to send me 3 scraps so I can compare (they are Crackle’s by Moda) with the fabric I am using. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I am now caught up on 3 projects (at least until fabric arrives next week for Happy Scrappy). Poor Di Ford is just “hanging around” and my center medallion is still begging to be appliqued. I need to finish up on my Baltimore Applique project and get it turned in for their Auction in October. I will post more about that soon. Then there is a Pam Buda project, but am thinking I might use those blocks in my Happy Scrappy quilt and kill “two birds with one stone” as they say. I am also doing some knitting and now I feel like I can start on playing with my Sashiko in the evenings. Ahhhhhhhh life is good…… Quilting is so relaxing and fulfilling. I hope that all are finding the time to enjoy your hobby. It feels good to be back in my Studio everyday – just playing. Remember – Life is Short! So much to do and so little time.

Until next posting. Have a Blessed Life.

Nanette