Dresden Plates – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

September 5, 2021September 14, 2021

Slow Sunday Stitching – 5 September 2021

Happy Labor Day and can anyone tell me where August has gone? I guess it went by just as fast like the other 7 months of 2021. I am concerned that our September will be the old August – HOT HUMID AND MUGGY! I would be happy to see 65 in the mornings with lower humidity rather than 78-80 and 90-95% humidity, but then I am dreaming again. I have increased my daily exercise to 10 minutes walking outside and 30 minutes on the bike. Personally I think I am nuts, but the exercise keeps me healthy, wealthy and wise! LOL

I have finished the Mini-Dresden plates and they are waiting for me to add the buttons. I had a couple of burn out days from working on them everyday for 2 weeks and did not accomplish a lot with the buttons. A quick preview of how the blocks will look with the buttons and a picture of 105 – 5″ blocks waiting for buttons!

Mini Dresdens with Buttons for the Center

I have 16 Large 9″ Dresden Plates to sew to the background fabrics and have 4 finished. I will be working on them in the evening!

After finishing the Dresden Mini’s I knew I was at the point where I had to have a SERIOUS talk with myself about making final decisions on my remaining 2 UFOs. I have been vacillating too long on decisions on what to do with them and it was time to stop that! We have had 2 wonderful weeks of peace and quiet and this has allowed me to make the best decisions on A Bountiful Life and Stonefields. They are now on the road to completion.

A Bountiful Life will only be 9 blocks and I have already selected the border and will be cutting the fabric, marking it for stems and leaves, along a few flowers thrown in! I think she will finish at close to 60″ x 60″. I am pleased with the decision to proceed to completion.

Now Stonefields is another issue. I have 70 blocks completed, but have now weeded out 5 blocks that I did not like (you can see the small stack on the left hand side of the cutting table). I selected the 35 remaining blocks that I will need to make to complete the quilt. I am going to make a total of 100 blocks (original calls for 121!).

Yesterday I started the process of setting the blocks on the design wall. Jaydee reminded me how to do that when you are working with a quilt like this. Thank you Jaydee – you always guide me to where I need to go with a quilt when I need a Mentor.

I do have one issue and am hoping to clear it up. I had the brilliant idea to use the same background fabric for this quilt but one is a little lighter than the other. I now will have to make sure that I make the remaining block with the lighter fabric in order to be able to alternate light/dark setting. Otherwise, I am in trouble. My nice clean and neat room has now turned into chaos! But not for long. I will get organized and things will smooth out.

Today will be to prepare the border for A Bountiful Life and work on Stonefields. I am taking the day off from exercise – feels good and will give me more time to work on my UFOs. I can see more hand work in my future.

The long arm is calling for me to finish Raggity Ann and Andy, but quilting tops will wait until I have finished all the prepping work on the ABL and Stonefields before continue on quilting tops that have hung around a long time.

For the first time in my life, I am taking each day as it comes – no deadlines – no stress! I am realizing that setting a lot of “self imposed” deadlines on finishing my UFOs only causes me more stress and I have had enough stress for awhile. I will enjoy the process as I go along and when I finish something, I will feel productive. We shall see how long this mind set lasts! LOL

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend and enjoy Sunday and Monday (holiday) slow stitching!

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;

March 30, 2021

To-Do Tuesdays – 30 March 2021

Greetings from South Texas where we are about to receive the last cold front of 2021. It appears after Easter that the high 80’s will be returning for the summer and of course gradually turn into the 100’s!!! I am not sure, but I do not think El Niño is going to visit like they thought! But that is OK after all, it is the end of March (well OK 1 more day to go)!

I have not set anymore goals this month because of the need for me to finish OMIGOSH! Today I finished the last of the 8 remaining blocks. There are 30 blocks all together. Each block is made up of 2 each 5” UF 9 patch blocks and 2 each 5” UF Shoo Fly blocks which make up a “block”. The 9 patches and the Square in a Square 4 patch blocks are 2” UF. I have no idea how to count the pieces and all the cutting I did for this project, but if I EVER sold it – it would be expensive as there a many hours spent in making it. I may get it appraised someday. They are all on the design wall, and so now I give you Nanette’s OMIGOSH Am I Ever Crazy Quilt:

I am pleased with the setting, so tomorrow morning I will be putting the quilt top together!

My goals for 29 March through 5 April 2021 will be to finish this quilt. If I am blessed enough to do so, I will be reviewing my UFO list again and see if it would be better to put Stars Around the Garden (SAG) together and start on the borders at night; put Sweet Stitches together, or just to save my sanity – start on a new quilt that I have been wanting to make. I have some fabric that will look great with this quilt from Missouri Quilt Company. I also have Dresden Plates to applique to background blocks, hand quilting on Indian Summer, oops, Mary Brown, Stonefields, and Jacobean Lights for applique. Talk about being so far behind in UFOs. Unbelievable I have a lot of money and time already invested in these UFOs and it looks like it will take me the rest of the year to complete them. This doesn’t include the 29 quilts that need to be quilted on the long arm…..No wonder I have high anxiety! LOL

Last Friday Clay and I went to the quilt store and I purchased some French General fabrics, and 2 end of bolts of 108” fabric for backgrounds. I will try to get pictures of all my French General fabric soon in another post. I have ordered a bolt of French General Favorites Pearl Linen. The FQS is a great on-line shop as they provide great service and when buying a bolt you get a discount. This bolt will strictly be used with all of my French General fabrics.

Maybe by next week I will have a list of To-Do’s and get back on track with life and quilting. I know one thing. I will NOT take any generics that have polyethylene glycol. Those 3 generic fluid pills I took last week because they quit making my Brand Name medication, activated my Meniere’s, increased my sugar, gave me 2 horrible Migraines with Aura, ended up with floaters in my right eye and activated my anxiety! That ingredient is in the lovely CHINESE virus vaccine. I believe this inactive ingredient is the reason that people are having bad reactions like extreme tiredness and headaches possibly Migraines. The Owner of the Texas Road House Cafe killed himself because he could not cope with the Tinnitus that comes with Meniere’s after taking the Vaccine!!! Horrible. Johnson and Johnson uses aborted fetus tissue. I will NEVER take this vaccine and NEVER take another Flu Shot. This is MY OPINION based on my PROBLEMS with inactive ingredients in medications and preservatives in foods.

Have a wonderful week. Thursday I will get a hair cut – have not had a real one for over a year (Between Clay and I we kept it trimmed). Tomorrow is Facetime with my friend Kathy. The time we spend together is so uplifting to me just to sit and sew and talk with another quilter is a gift from Heaven!

It seems that I am learning to deal with the new software for WordPress! I pay an annual fee, so I can get help and support if I run into a problem while writing a post. I do appreciate that! I learned a few more things tonight while writing this post on my iPad!

Hugs, Nanette (haven’t figured out how to change the color of my text – maybe next time!)

January 1, 2021

A Year for Completion of Projects (COP)!

Good Morning and Happy New Year – Again! In my last post Happy 2021, I listed all the quilts that I want to quilt this year. Now I am going to list my UFO’s by Technique that are PHD (Piled High and Deeper) waiting to become completed projects.

As far as goals go, I have THREE! Number One is to Be Happy and No Negative Thoughts (BHNNT).(Maybe) Number Two is to QUIT BUYING FABRIC AND PATTERNS (QBFAP)! FOR SURE THIS TIME. NUMBER THREE is to limit the time on the computer! This is why I am calling it a year for Completion of Projects (COP)!

Applique Projects: In Various Stages of Completions:

- Jacobean Lights – 4 blocks remaining – 95% complete
- Stars Around the Garden Medallion – 90% complete waiting on Medallion
- Dresden Plates – Applique Plates to background fabric – 75% complete
- Stonefields – Finish Sections 6-10 – 60% complete
- Celebrating Mary Brown – Continue making a block a month – 10% complete
- A Bountiful Life – Decision on doing a Border or make more blocks – ??

Pieced Projects: In Various Stages:

- OMIGOSH – 10 Blocks Completed – Working on 12 more.
- The Arrowhead Block project – This will be a new project. NEW
- Sweet Stitches – All blocks completed – Need to decide on setting.
- Antique Blue and White Quilt – Started in 2019 – Restart this year. NEW
- Eleanor Burns Egg Money Quilt – 1930 Fabric! NEW
- RSC Challenge 2021 – NEW

Embroidery Projects: Prepared in 2019 – New Projects

- Happy Little Things – NEW
- Aunt Bea’s Parlor – NEW

Sashiko: Pre printed panels

- Sashiko Reef – Sylvia Pippen Designs. NEW
- Nordic Christmas Tree – Sylvia Pippen Designs. NEW

Knitting:

- Knit more dish cloths – NEW
- Work on re-learning how to knit socks – NEW

New Techniques/Hobbies:

- Lap Weaving – I have all the materials just need to DO IT!
- Cross Stitch – I tried it in early 2000 but did not stay with it.

I will start the year with To-Do Tuesdays with Roseanne to get me back in the groove. I will attempt to join One Monthly Goal in February.

I am really trying to finish up these projects and getting finish the 30 quilts that require quilting. I want to finish the hand applique projects first and then start on my embroidery along with the one hand quilted, Indian Summer quilt that needs to be completed. A lot of work but it either “finish them” or give them away for someone else to complete! We shall see how I do. I should not be bored with any aspect of my hobbies this year!

Have a great 2021!

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, For the Love of Geese,Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021.

January 9, 2019

My 2019-2020 Project List

Greetings from South Texas where we are now enjoying some dry cooler air and I love it. My walk was so enjoyable compared to yesterday when the Humidity was so high! I am slowly catching up on the ‘mundane’ things like updating my Blog and doing this post! Maybe you will see something that sparks an interest for your quilt making projects.

I have been working on reviewing a stack of quilt patterns to work on in the next 2 years (yes I decided that if I chose them now and say 2 years I am ahead of the game) so that I do not feel I have to finish them all (which would be impossible). Here is what I started with and ended with:

Now for the 2019-2020 “List”. I have no time frame for finishing the list just hoping to finish all by the end of 2020. As I studied each pattern I labeled it from an Easy to Complex quilt. This allows me to easily pick out what I want to work on at the time – NO THINKING or INTENSE WORK!

1. Enduring Love by Carol Hopkins book Vintage Legacies. Easy. About a week (I want to remake the borders on this quilt)

2. Make 2 baby quilts – Use Jewel Box Quilt book by Eleanor Burns Easy 2 Weeks.

3. Stonefields – Complete Sections 6 through 10 Rest of the year Easy

4. Feather Star Quilt – Marsha McCloskey – Challenge Quilt: Blue and White Star of Chamble. Fabric is in the drawer by the design board. Plan on a month!

5. Bear Mountain Cabin – Intermediate – Log Cabins, Flying Geese and Bear Paw blocks.

6. Love Warm by Pam Buda – Easy Lots of 2″ squares Scrappy Quilt –

7. Infinity by Eileen Wright in Twist and Turn Bargello Quilts – Red and a Teal One! Maybe Nebula from the same book Intermediate – New Technique

8. Terracina Fabrics – a Panel Play quilt! Will take some up front time for placement and fillers. Use Panel Play by Barbara Becker for ideas on the setting – A fun project Easy

9. Ancient Stars – Sue Garman Requires Lots of Stars and HSTs – Need to decide if I am going to do it all at once, or space it out like a BOM. This quilt requires at least a month or more to make. Intermediate

10. Double Wedding Ring by Sharlene Jorgensen – Templates provided. Intermediate/Advance – At least a month.

11. Lynn Wilder Patterns – Lynns patterns are great and instructions excellent! I will pick one and maybe the wall hanging! Time consuming due to colorway selections.

The House on Edgewood Lane Intermediate/Advance
Country Sunshine Intermediate/Advance
Country Charmer Intermediate/Advance
Heritage Intermediate/Advance
Cute as a Button 31 x 31. Easy

12. Star Dance by Jilly Studio – some applique on the border. Easy

13. Eagle – Cheryl Phillips – Challenge Quilt – Circular quilt – New Technique

14. Liberty Homestead. 36 x 36 Wall Hanging – Easy and Fun pattern. About 2 weeks Purchased hand dyed fabrics from Liberty Homestead in March 2018 at the Dallas Show

15. With This Ring – Linda Ballard – 9” blocks! Easy Pattern – About a week or so. (Also known as Cog Wheels Block)

16. Boston Commons – Heritage Quilts – New Technique 2 weeks, maybe 3 weeks

17. Karen Combs Illusions and 3-D Fun with Pandora’s Box – New Technique – 3 weeks

18. Jelly Roll Book – Both Sides of the Pond. Unique Block Easy Fun to make 2 weeks

Appliqué
A Bountiful Life UFO from 2015
Dresden Plate UFO from 2018

New Appliqué Projects: Sue Garman’s – Maybe in 2020

Mama Said – Advance Applique
Yuletide Joy – Intermediate/Easy

On-Line BOMs

Blue Delft – I will download this pattern for a future project.

Capital “T” BOM – 1 Block a Month! This is my only BOM to work on each month!

If I participate in So Scrappy RSC 2019 Challenge this year, I will be using their colors With This Ring pattern (See Number 15 on the list above)

My Goals for January are:

Capital “T” BOM – 1 Block a Month! I am behind 3 months and plan on getting caught up today!

Baby Quilts for my Cousin’s great grand babies Addison and Brooklyn!

Remake the borders for Enduring Love (a 2015 quilt that I had given up on the Star Borders)

Have a wonderful day and 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

August 28, 2016

Grammy Squares, Circa 2016, Ms Potts, and Dresden Heaven!!!! The fun things in life!

I cannot believe that it is the end of August and we are not in the 100’s anymore! This summer we have had 20 inches of rain here on our quiet little hill. The 100’s appear to be a thing of the past now and I can live with the 90’s and decent humidity! I am so ready for Fall, end of Daylight Savings TIme and a cold winter that would bring us some snow. It has been almost 30 years since we had 16 inches of snow in the San Antonio area! Maybe this year we will have a “real” winter!

I have been working on my Grammy Squares. They are fun to make and I have the process down pat now! I have pre-cut some of my strips but not all. I had so much fabric out on the cutting table and was going to cut the strips as I needed them, but I could not take the “mess” so I have about 12 blocks (strips) ready to sew and the fabric is back in the drawer until I need more strips. I am trying to use up the Summer of Baskets fabric by Moda. There are 2 or 3 of the squares that may not make it in the quilt as the contracts in color did not work as well as I would like. But that decision will not have to be made for a while!

Here are a few of the blocks close up! The first one may be a candidate for “not in this quilt”…. I think I messed up when I used the light green for the first round, and the last picture shows a very dark block. Maybe I will make a pillow top with them!

I am caught up with Circa 2016 (well OK – I have not done the ones for the 26th of August). I hated to waste the 2 extra blocks, so will see if I can use them in the quilt.

I am caught up with Ms Potts blocks. I love the way Blocks 17 and 13 turned out, but when it came to Block 20, I gave up! I tried 3 times to do the stars, EPP, making a whole star (not piecing) with a red batik, and then back to EPP! I gave up – and so I am going to make Block 20 with a bias circle and the 4 flowers on it! May throw in a few leaves, but not the Stars! When it takes me a month to finish a simple block that turns into a nightmare, I am out of there!

And now – Dresden Heaven. I enjoy making these little Dresden plates – so much fun! I have this one down pat also. Today I had hoped to make another 20, but all I was able to achieve was to have them ready to put together! Oh well, tomorrow is another sew day!

I have no idea where I am going on this one, other than to just make them. I may just make the quilt with the small ones, then again if I end up with too many of the same color I can make 2 quilts! I just am enjoying making them.

Have a great week – getaway is just around the corner for us so my machine stitching will probably come to an end for a while after Tuesday.