Dresden Heaven – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

February 1, 2022

To-Do Tuesday – 1 February 2022!

Today is the first day of 2022 for me – for sure. I did my 30 minute walk today. Yup could feel the heaviness of the 99% humidity in the air and the stupid bronchitis cough is back every now and then, but I must keep up the walk to get my lungs working better. I lost too many days of walking in January! Not sure how many more I will get done after tomorrow, as we are headed to get the Canadian Cold front and I predict it will be a whopper! I am thinking the weather people keep telling everyone it won’t be as bad as last years Texas Snow, but I believe we could have ice! Hummmm time will tell!

Today I washed my blue fabrics that I MIGHT use in Alaska – debating on this one – it may end up as a batik quilt in blues. There were a lot of blue fat quarters in this group and if you want to see the how to ruin a quilt if a quilter does not pre-wash fabrics, check these pictures out. PS – I always pre-wash my fabrics because one time I did not in my early days of quilting and to see red dye bleed on a quilt was not nice!

I decided to wash the fat quarters by hand and what a shocker! Look at the sink full of blue dye!

Water from soaking the Mary Koval fabrics

Then I thought I would rinse them in the sink – No Thank You and off to the washing machine to run them through 2 more rinses!

Next was to dry them and remove strings and raw edges from the lovely washing machine and dryer. Look at the wasted fabric from this group of 24 fat quarters. I know better than to get these fat quarters unless I am willing to wash time by hand and hang them to dry! Oh Well.

Here are my finishes that I am so happy about! I am not sure what I will try to accomplish by next Tuesday – 7 Feb 2022 – but I know that I will have my list ready to go and start quilting again. Of course I always need to get the long arm going, but not yet. I am excited to be taking 3 quilts to the Long Arm quilter on the 14th of February.

Here are my finished for January 2022!

Bountiful Life (maybe this was December)

For Holiday SAL there are 14 blocks. I have one that I am working on and have 2 more traced. I am working towards having the remainder of them traced this week.

So now I am into 2022 projects having finished all UFOs. I need to establish priorities for Stars Around the Garden, the Primitive Quilt 2 color quilt, and many more and additionally for my Holiday SAL and my “Love” Cross Stitch project. But I need to really make some realistic goals. Here’s hoping that by next Tuesday I will be more organized.

Have a wonderful week and stay warm and quilt!

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To: My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts; Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021;

January 21, 2022January 21, 2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR – 21 January 2022!

Greetings, I am now starting 2022, this is hanks to the nice wintery mix in the Hill Country, where the lovely Cedar Trees reside. They had some sleet and maybe ice on those love trees. and today the Cedar Count is down, and I am going to assume that it will now be less of a problem for me going forward. I woke up today normal, no coughing, etc. I also did my 30 minute walk – not as fast as I normally do – but it was 33 degrees and I had missed the last 20 days. So I am happy with doing 1 and 1/4th of a mile in 30 minutes! Even with a few stops just to let the body know I was not planning on killing it today.

Today is my 2022 New Years Day as I am well and starting to clear up a few things that I want finished by 1 February!

Last night I started my Fat Quarter Shop Cross Stitch project, of which I call ’Love’. It is a free download and Kimberly has YouTube videos to walk beginners through the process. They call it Cross Stitch University!

I am changing the thread colors. I wanted a black outline where they used grey and a red outline where they used blue. This will make my house more of a Barn! I have tons of floss that were purchased around 2008 and when they quit making the thread in France. How lucky I was to be able to have nothing but floss made in France!

I started working on ‘Love’ last night. Kathy gave me some great tips the other day on figuring where to start on this project. Instead of using the painter’s tape around the edges, I am trying to see how cutting the Aida cloth with my pinking rotary cutter. So far so good!

For today I am going to try to sew buttons on my Dresden Heaven using a quilting hoop. We shall see how that goes. I want to also work on ’Love’! Then there are 12 blocks to trace for my Holiday Sew Along quilt! Sounds like a busy afternoon doesn’t it! Feels good to me!

Have a great week-end and it feels so good to be ME AGAIN!

Hug’s Nanette

December 20, 2021

Oh Happy Day!!!!!

Good Monday morning! The weather has been more like winter for the week-end, overcast, rain and cold. Now we will have summer again for a week or so. Looks like a cooler New Year’s Eve. We will be playing in the sun and warm weather for awhile soon. Looking forward to it. We have had only had approximately 6 days of sunshine since we arrived home last month from the coast. I am certainly looking forward to getting my nice tan back. It looks like it might be more cloudy than sun shine at home this winter and we are in a roller coaster ride as far as cool, cold, hot, and hotter. Oh well, maybe next year.

I reached a milestone and goal last night!!!! Of the 2 UFOs left over from previous years (Dresden Heaven and A Bountiful Life) I completed A Bountiful Life was last night. Thank goodness for football! Lesson learned the hard way. Because there was not a pattern for my border I got the brainy idea to put the border on, trace the vine, and then add the leaves and flowers. I do NOT recommend doing appliqued borders this way to anyone. But all I wanted was to get this one done, and it is. It would have gone much faster if I had just done the applique on 4 sections of the border, then joined the vines, etc. But I love to learn lessons the hard way! LOL. I started this project in 2015 or 2016, did not make the 20 blocks and very glad that I did not. I call it DONE!

I finished Dresden Plates a couple of months ago, but had another brainy idea to do buttons instead of the tiny circles – Lazy and another big mistake. The quilt is completed, but now in order to reach all the blocks to add the buttons it will require me taking a couple of rows apart to reach the blocks……DUH. One thing I hope for 2022 is that I lose the stupid ideas and really get back on track on working on my new projects. We shall see!

I am adding Counted Cross Stitch to my hobby list. I ordered all the supplies and patterns that I need to start. I signed up for the Fat Quarter Shop Cross Stitch Newsletter which led me to a free pattern and their YouTube classes on cross stitching. Great site! I find that the hand work is so relaxing for me at this time. I will be taking cross stitch, knitting, and sashiko projects to work on while we sit on the our balcony and listen to the water rush to shore. No need for books!

I will also take some time while we are enjoying the peacefulness of the area to really think about and decide on how I will divide my time working on my hobbies in 2022. I really have too many things I want to accomplish and I must prioritize them in a workable schedule (not binding of course) I want to establish ”wish goals” for my projects, no more hard and fast deadlines for the quilts I need to quilt either. I have been in touch with the longarm quilter who will take care of 8 or 9 of my quilt tops and that leaves me with the smaller projects that I know I can get completed. I just need to be in the mood. I have finished all my UFOs from previous years with the exception of getting the quilt tops quilted. So even though it took me longer to reach the goal I had set, I am happy that I stuck to my goal.

In January, I think I will go back and post all that I have accomplished this year – that always makes a quilter happy!

Again, I wish all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Be happy and hang in there only 3 more years of you know who!

Hugs to all,

Nanette

September 30, 2021

To Do Tuesday – 30 September 2021

I am always late for my To Do Tuesday post, but that is OK. Celiacs who eat 1/3 of a Bear Claw should suffer!!!!

OK, so time is speeding towards Christmas and 2022 and it is interesting that the first 8 months of each year tend to be a little slower in passing than October through December, so watch out for 30 September! I am making great progress on UFOs (finishing up the last 2) and will be starting new things in October. I am excited!

But for the time being, Here are my small goals completed in the last week.

Completed with the border on Dresden Heaven!

The last UFO is Beautiful Life quilt border! I have the vines appliqued on the side borders! but I have a problem with the vine on the right one. Looks like Jack the Ripper will be here today to correct that! I have never done a border like this before so Lesson learned – FOLLOW THE LINES STUPID that is why you drew them the same and marked the top and bottom of each side! LOL

Goals for 5 October 2021:

Have buttons sew on Dresden centers
Complete vines on top and bottom borders for ABL (above) and all flowers and leaves prepared for applique

It has been a long 9 months, but I finally have arrived at a point where I will be able to start a new project and I am looking forward to retiring these quilts to the “To Be Quilted Que”!

Have a great rest of the week and the week-end and hoping we receive about 5″ of rain. Then cold weather can come anytime.

Hugs, Nanette

September 26, 2021September 27, 2021

Not What I Wanted….. But It Is Done!

Well, I worked on my idea for this quilt most of the day. My idea was to cut a border out of the background fabric and applique pink scallops on the same background fabric of the blocks, but it looked horrible. Then I tried numerous ways to come up with a second design for the border for Dresden Heaven (which is turning into Dresden Hell)….. and that did not work.

The background fabrics for this quilt are from the P&B Apple Cider line and the border is from the same line and the color ties in with the background fabric.

I am happy that I am to this point. Now to sew the buttons on and it will be in the “quilting” que. This one has to be hand quilted, but it will be long stitch quilting as there is not enough to really do heavy quilting. Machine and long arm are out since I chose to go with buttons.

Like I said, it is not what I had envisioned for the border but at least it is done and now I am down to 2 quilts! Yea. The border fabric has a very small swirling pattern and it really compliments the background fabric, but it does not appear that way in the picture. Thanks to Clay, it is a good picture. One good thing about the border I used now can be replaced if I change my mind! But NOT NOW! I am DONE! LOL

Have a wonderful week, happy stitching and hopefully some Fall weather!

Hugs, Nanette

September 26, 2021

Slow Sunday Stitching 26 September 2021

Good Sunday morning! Weather was great for my morning walk, but starting tomorrow and the rest of the week the humidity comes back and I certainly hope it brings us some rain!

Today I will be working on the border for my Dresden Heaven quilt. I finished it yesterday and now it needs a border – a special one.

I am also working on the borders for A Bountiful Life which will be vines and leaves with a few flowers mixed in. Today I hope to start on ironing the freezer paper leaves on the fabric and then cutting them out this week. It should go fast because the quilt is only 9 blocks. Maybe I will have it completed in October.

Other than that, it will be another wonderful peaceful and productive quilting day for me.

Hugs, Nanette

September 25, 2021

Dresden Heaven – 25 September 2021

Good afternoon! We have had very nice weather in the morning for the last 3 days. Great for walking. We will be getting the humidity back starting tomorrow and through next week and hoping for rain. BAMC has finally reimbursed us for the surgery charge and we have now recouped all the monies we paid out last year. It is so hard to believe that it has been 21 months (almost 2 years) since that New Year’s Eve in 2019. But it was such the blessing from God in the end! He has recovered from the hand injury and has a new Heart Valve that provides us more time together! What a blessing!

I have finished sewing Dresden Heaven together this afternoon. I have a special idea for the border that I believe will really make this quilt unique! But for today – here she is without the border.

I am very excited now about finishing this quilt. It has been a long time in the making and the idea I have for the border is going to be fun to make! It will delay me finishing it by tomorrow, but this quilt requires that I spend more time with the Border. After all the work that went into it a plain border will not do it justice.

As soon as I finish the border I will only have A Bountiful Life (border in the making) and Stars Around the Garden to finish sewing the quilt blocks together! Then it will be time to start a 2021 project! I certainly have a lot of quilts that I want to make to chose from. LOL

On a personal note, on 12 August 2021 Clay lost his only Daughter Melissa who was such a beautiful Lady. She was only 54 years old. She was a carbon copy of her Father in her facial looks with that beautiful Indian Hair (Clay and his children are Choctaws on his Mother Clara June Cook’s side of the family and related to the original Choctaw Chief MoShuLaTubbe). I always wanted my hair to be as thick as hers as I grew older but mine thinned and she always wanted my skin type that I inherited from my French side. We had many good and bad times together with Melissa during the last 25 years. Just as other families experience the ups and downs with their children. She is now at peace with life and with her brother Darryl and her Mother Linda in Heaven. Please remember Clay in your prayers as he was devastated when we got the call. We are doing better now, but the loss is very much on both of our minds as we go on with our lives.

Melissa Dawn Cook Lane – 22 February 1967 – 12 August 2021

Have a wonderful week end.

Hugs, Nanette

September 19, 2021

Slow Sunday Stitching – 19 August 2021

Good evening! It was a cool 104 today here at in our town. We are so blessed to have our home and Studio while the world is going absolutely nuts with the lovely uptick of the CV! Tuesday evening we are going to have a cool front arrive – the first of the season! This will certainly make my morning walk a lot easier (it will be in the ’60s rather than the mid-to high 70’s. Hopefully the humidity will also drop!

Today I finished sewing the larger Dresden Plates to the background fabric! YIPEE!

I was going to sew the buttons on before I put the quilt top together, BUT, alas, my brain kicked in and realized that I needed to sew the top together WITHOUT BUTTONS or I would have had a BIG mess! So tomorrow will be a day to move the cutting table out and put all the blocks on the design board. It will be fun to see how it turns out. I used 1930 fabrics for this quilt.

I also have the borders for A Bountiful Life cut out and the side borders are marked where the vines will go, so I will be working on that in the evening. Once I get all the vines, leaves, and flowers appliqued on the side borders, I will then mark the top and bottom borders. I am hoping to complete this quilt top by the end of October.

I am really feeling good about getting very close to completing all of my UFOs left over from previous years. After I finish sewing Dresden Heaven together, it will be more night work, but only to sew on 110 buttons.

Hopefully by Wednesday (or sooner) I can start on putting Stars Around the Garden together! All blocks are ready to be sewn together but I have to cut out the sashing strips and after I have the top together, I will have some applique for the top left and bottom right corners. It is easy applique, so I do believe that by the the first of October I will be making a new quilt! I am really getting excited now.

I am not concerned about the quilt tops that I need to complete. On 20 October I get another Radio Frequency treatment that will cauterize the nerves again. After that I will begin to focus on getting those quilts quilted! In November or December, the professional long arm quilter is supposed to call about quilting 10 quilts for me. I have my fingers crossed that this will happen.

Have a wonderful week!

Hugs, Nanette

September 14, 2021

To Do Tuesday, HQAL, Slow Sunday Stitching All in One Post

Good afternoon! What a weather change today from yesterday! The last 3 days were rather cool with lower humidity, but today it is heading to a 100! UGH! I am back to walking and each day I am getting closer to my 1.5 miles each morning. I have done 1.25 for the last 2 days, takes me a little longer, but in time I will be back to my normal 20 minute mile. I can certainly tell the difference in how my days are better! I also believe that I will start losing the 10 pounds that need to go away.

Today I finished Stonefields quilt top! Anyone wishing to purchase the pattern can have it for $125.00 with postage. I never mark on my originals so it is just as it was when I purchased it at $200.00 (2015) and Sentimental Stitches now sells it for $190. If no one wants it I will keep it as a memory pattern. I purchased this pattern in July 2015! Amazing when life goes South and we end up with long awaited UFOs to be completed! So finish date is September 2021! I would have never thought it would have taken me this long to make the quilt.

I changed the border as I did not want to put anymore time into this project. This is the fabric I used – it is a Robert Kaufman border fabric that came from Japan called La Scala. It is a rich gold and I fussy cut the fabric and it went together beautifully.

So here is Stonefields Redesigned by Nanette! I am very happy how it has turned out and it will go on the rack for hand quilting.

Starting tomorrow I will cut out the border for A Bountiful Life. I am pleased with my decision to not add anymore blocks to this quilt as I am burned out working on it! The border will be vines and leaves. I may get creative and add either flowers or something else, but I want this one finished and do not want to spend 2 months appliquéing the border.

The background is not quite this dark! A Bountiful LIfe – shortened – ready for the border!

Then I plan on getting A Quilter’s Dream marked for hand quilting and loaded on the Z44 – any bets going on out there that maybe by October this will be accomplished? LOL

I am still working on Dresden Heaven. I have 6 of the 16 large Dresdens sewn to the background grid. I am hoping to be in the mood to complete them this week. I hope that I could have this quilt completed by next Tuesday as it would be a large relief. I started this quilt in August 2016!!! You can see where I am in this UFO here.

The very last UFO will be the completion of the top for Stars Around the Garden! I have the Medallion Center completed and all the star blocks finished also. This LAST UFO was started in the March 2020 timeframe and the Medallion was finished in early 2021. After sewing the top together, the border will require more applique, but not difficult. My goal for completion for these 3 projects will be mid-October and hopefully sooner. It has been a long 9 months trying to finish all of my UFOs, but the end is near and I can start making something new. Heck, I may even pick up with Mary Brown quilt! We shall see as I no longer set short time goals because life always provides Unforeseen Requirements for me as I get a smidgen older! But take heart! I will be back to 100% soon!

Am I glad that I stopped making new quilts this year so far and deal with all the UFOs? You bet! I still have quilts to quilt, but that will also come in time.

So I leave you with a wish for a Happy Stitching week! I am so looking forward for Fall weather and am sure most all!

Hugs, Nanette

September 10, 2021September 10, 2021

Stonefields is on the Design Board!

Greetings! It was 68 this morning with lower humidity and a nice breeze. I am back to my walking, albeit a little out of shape (lung wise). That will be easily fixed by doing some breathing lessons and walking every day. It has been about 2 months or more since I had to ride the indoor bike which does not require near the energy that my walking does. But I digress from the subject matter!

Last week I made a decision to finish the last 3 UFOs. Dresden Heaven is “close” to being ready to hit the design board, but I have taken a break from it at this time. I then decided that it was time to just ‘FINISH’ the other two. So the second one is Stonefields, one of the most expensive patterns that I have ever purchased and will not do that again! This is a pattern that is not for a beginner, it is a pattern for a Master Quilter who loves math and enjoys a challenge! There are 121 blocks (6 1/2″) in this pattern. I made it to 81! First of all, I became frustrated and tired of the pattern when I quit it for awhile a couple of years ago. I had forgotten why it remained a UFO, but when I picked it up and started making more blocks, I remembered why it had become a UFO! There are absolutely no directions, no measurements, only copies of graph paper with the design hand drawn with this $200 pattern. Colored pictures of the blocks were sent through the internet and Susan Smith is definitely not a proficient hand Appliquer. The quilt is unique and very popular, but as I previously stated, it is not for a beginner quilter. Here is my version of the 81 blocks on my design wall. You will note the Center with 5 Eight Pointed Stars, Cameo pictures, and the cutest Bunny Rabbit. This was my design choice.

I changed many of the blocks in this quilt. Some of the blocks were not my favorites, so I made the quilt for me to enjoy! I will not be doing the border that is on the original quilt as I want to get this one done and out of the way. It will be hand quilted with long stitches.

The next and last UFO will be A Bountiful Life (ABL). I am also sticking to my latest decision to not make any more blocks as 9 blocks will be great as this quilt just needs to be FINISHED! I have selected the pattern for the border which will be vines with leaves and some flowers. As soon as I finish Stonefields ABL will be next.

I have a lot of choice words for the idiot who is turning our country into a Marxism country but will keep them to myself. BUT I will say that this country just may not survive him, Susan Rice, Pelosi, Schumer, Obama and all the idiot Democrats who voted this idiot into office! I just keep on praying that God will intervene and help this Nation return to a Democracy. Yesterday was the most threatening speech to the American public given by a President of the United States that I have ever witnessed. I am only glad that I am retired now and they have no control over me other than to tax us to the poor house.

Have a great week-end and enjoy stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

August 31, 2021August 31, 2021

Dresden Plates and Sadness for Our Country

It is a very warm week down here in South Texas. Today I have ZIP, NADDA, for energy. This is what happens when I try to be normal in the eating area. Take Philadephia Cream Cheese and Dill Relish off the menu please. Heck, I do better eating a pizza or 2 flour tacos.

But I guess I needed a day to do nothing that I should be doing besides feeling bad, I am very upset with the Afghanistan debacle. There is always tomorrow to catch up – at least for Americans!

I have finished all of the Mini Dresden Plates as far as appliquéing them to the background squares.

The next step was to cut them into separate blocks.

Then I will sew the buttons to the center rather than the lovely circles. I did 5 of them this morning before I realized that I needed to square each of the lovely 105 blocks to 5″. Of course, since this is a dumb day for me today, so I put buttons on 5 blocks, THEN squared them to the 5″. Made a decision to stop for the day as it was a little difficult to square the block with a button in the center.

A day off is also good because I have stirred up my carpel tunnel with all the hand work and have an issue with my left shoulder. Doing something different will be good – Nothing!

Now to the Disaster for our Country. My heart bleeds for the 13 Fallen Soldiers and their families. To watch the “Heartless Commander-in-Chief” look at his watch after each coffin was taken off the plane at Dover just adds one more of the many reasons that this man should be given the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution on a silver platter!

,When he spoke with the families of the Fallen he had the gall to just talk about his son who died! The Audacity of the man! The sooner he is gone the better for this Nation even if we are stuck with an equal air head VP as President. At the age of 76 I have never seen anything like this in my life, nor in the 33 years of working for the US Government. I can just image how the 20,000 Service Men and Women who were injured, the 2,600+ who gave their lives, to give the Afghan people a taste of freedom, feel, now that the CIC gave the Country back to the Terrorist that we were killing for 20 years. I do wonder if anyone who voted for this person last November has any regrets? IF NOT THEY SHOULD.

I agree with the Mother of one of the soldiers who was killed – EVERY WORD! Blood on his hands forever. I believe that one of the Sisters of one of the Serviceman killed was heard saying to Biden that, “I hope YOU rot in HELL”! I am sure that there is a place for him there.

You won’t hear this on the Mainstream Media – they are still covering up for the person they put in office!

This disaster and the fallout is not over with. Remember Afghanistan in 2022 Elections!

Hugs and enjoy living in a FREE Nation, or at least until the Democrats screw that up too!

Nanette

August 29, 2021

Slow Sunday Stitching

Yup! August is a done deal (only 2 days to go)! Hot and humid was the weather of the day here! I am now trying to walk 10 minutes in the Sauna bath and then 30 minutes on the indoor exercise bike. Makes it possible to get those endorphins going each day. Not doing anything for those 10 pounds, but it will eventually!

I have really been working steadily on Dresden Heaven quilt. I have completed appliquéing 96 of the 105 Mini Dresden plates to the background grids! YEA. Only 9 more to do today. Then I have 16 Large Dresden plates to applique to 10” background fabric.

I am NOT going to do 105 one inch circles for the center of the Mini’s or the Large Dresden Plates. I have decided to use buttons instead and ordered them from Amazon Friday. I am hoping that there will be plenty to match colors.

93 Mini Dresden Plates – Ready for Buttons!

After I have completed the above grid, I will prepare the background grids for the larger Dresden Plates and applique them to the background fabric. After that, the next step will be to cut the individual blocks and then sew the buttons on.

When I finish this top (hopefully in the next 2 weeks or sooner), I will be down to only 2 UFOs remaining from previous years. A Bountiful Life and Stonefields. This quilt will be hand quilted with long stitching. I plan on advising a piano key border using as many of the 1930 fabrics that I have. If I have enough, it will be all the fabrics that I used in the Dresden Plates!

I have had a great week of peace and quiet – absolutely no problems. BAMC has generated a check to cover the remaining balance due back to us. So relieved that project is complete. So I can finally say that our normal lives are coming back to us. Sometimes we tend to forget how wonderful it is to not have to deal with problems and when things calm down, it is a wonderful gift!

Pray for the families of those lost in Afghanistan.

Hugs, Nanette