Sylvester’s Bean Pot – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

January 17, 2015

Happy Scrappy and 2014! On to 2015!

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.

November 12, 2014

The Bean Pot is Finished and Winter has Arrived!

Winter has arrived in South Texas – Very interesting weather pattern. We had a late HOT summer that extended in to late October, then a few cool snaps, and now a real cold wave! Because we bypassed Fall, our leaves are still green. It will be interesting to see if the freeze will provide a delayed changing of the colors or if they will just fly off the tree and we will be up to our ears in leaves. We are hoping that we receive some more rain so that Clay can burn the leaves rather than continue to mulch them as he has had to do the last 4 years. Either way, I love sitting at my sewing machine looking out my bay windows at the birds, squirrels and deer. Peaceful times.

I finished Darryl’s quilt last night (Tuesday) just as I had planned! This is the first time this year I have been able to meet a set goal for a project! Making a quilt is such a fun thing, yet there are times when we are in the middle of the project that we just want to hurry up and finish it. Then when the top has been completed there is a feeling of accomplishment. Of course a quilt top is not really a “finished” quilt, so we move on to the final phases of quilting and binding. At the end of each of the 3 phases of quilting a pieced quilt always provides me that sense of accomplishment and when I have completely finished the quilt I really feel relief! Now on to the next project.

This quilt is so special to me. I wanted to make Darryl a quilt for him to enjoy during this difficult time of his life. I am so glad that I put everything else on hold and was able to complete his Bean Pot quilt just as ole’ man winter rolled into town. He will enjoy the warmth of this quilt that his Momette (that is his nickname for me as his Step-Mother) AND I will always have the memory of making it and knowing that I was able to give him a gift of love through my passion of quilting. I want to thank JayDee for giving me her extra book with the Sylvester’s Bean Pot pattern. I really love this pattern and plan on making more in the future.

Darryl's Bean Pot Quilt — Darryl’s Bean Pot Quilt – 11/11/2014

Lesson learned on this one – when quilting a top with a lot of seams, lengthen the stitch to 10 stitches per inch – there is a slight flare on the binding area, but nothing earth shattering. I love learning by error……….One never forgets that little error….. or at least until the next time I do that. LOL.

I received a wonderful gift from Happy Appliquer LuAnn in the mail Tuesday! She had extra border fabric from the Judi Rothermel 25th Anniversary fabric for the Di Ford Mystery Quilt – Monuntmellick! This is a very special gift because I was unable to find the fabric in March. (see previous posts). THANK YOU LuAnn! I follow her blog Happy Appliquer and love her projects. Now I will be able to go back to the project and actually have the fabric to make the quilt. What a wonderful gift!

Di Ford Mystery Border Fabric — Judi Rothermel’s 25th Anniversary Border Fabric

When I decided to make the Mountmellick Quilt and realized I was out of luck in finding any of the border fabric, I purchased the Amelia line for a border, only to realize that it was too large and wide to use in the quilt. I was a ‘babe in the woods’ for this one and very new to Quiltmania, Reproduction fabrics, and the beautiful Australian quilts. I also decided to purchase some Dutch Chintz fabric as suggested in the pattern, but that was also sold out. I selected a border print thinking it would blend with my fabric selection and that the flowers would be able to be used in the center medallion. I was so wrong. Yesterday I called Happiness is Quilting in McKinney, Texas (they carry the Dutch Chintz) and asked them if they had any of the chintz that would go with the Di Ford project. They recommended 5/8″ of a Dutch fabric that would provide plenty of flowers and leaves. I also ask them to assist me with the Dutch piece I had previously purchased. Well, I found out that I had purchased the border fabric for the “Tree of Life” panel. Penny was such a great help, she is sending me some red fabric and an additional fabric with matching flowers that I can use in making a nice size quilt using the panel. This will be a “Dutch Chintz” quilt and a lot of fun to design another border quilt. So now I will have 2 quilts to make!

Dutch Chintz Border Fabric for the Tree of Life Panel

Life in my quilting world has really been blessed by LuAnn, Jaydee, and now Penny. How blessed I am and Thx to all.

I am now going to put the binding on my Civil War quilt that I finally quilted early in the year. It will be nice to have this one completed and put in the stack of “let’s have a binding party” stack!

Have a blessed day and enjoy Winter – I know I will. This is the best time for quilting and knitting!

October 21, 2014

Fat Quarter Stash and the Bean Pot Blocks

Greetings from South Texas – where the weather is TRYING to turn into Fall, but cannot quite make it. But it is so much better than the 100’s!

It looks like I have 10 more days before I really become OLD! Yup – Halloween will be flying on my broomstick at the age of 70! Great age if one can still enjoy retirement, quilting, and spending time with Hubby.

Last week, I decided to order some fat quarters and was still looking for Richmond Reds to be on sale! When I started working on Di Ford’s I purchased 2 and 3 yard pieces and then I started working on reproduction blocks. I could have used a lot of fat quarters instead of doing what I did. I was lucky and found some great bargains. Here are some of the bargains I found:

I finally found a good bargain for the Richmond Reds – I was so excited. I love this line and the Ladies Albums by Barbara Brackman.

Now for the real deal – 48 Jo Morton Fat Quarters – They are from some of the older lines – but who cares – I just love the fabrics.

In this bundle I found two border prints that I really liked and wish I could find them – they just might work with Di Ford Quilt. But I am sure that they are long gone, and I am not sure which line they are from. Need to do some Dick Tracy on these. Maybe I would be lucky and find a few yards in someone’s sale bin.

OK – Here we go – an update on my Alexander’s Bean Pot blocks! I have finished 16 blocks – I am thinking that 30 total will make a nice lap quilt for Darryl. I am hoping to get this one finished and quilted by Halloween. Wish me luck. I am really enjoying making this little quilt – not only that it is for Darryl, but the fact that it is fun selecting the fabrics and then making the block within an hour – Nice to see a finished block that did not take 6 hours because of issues!

Sylvester's Bean Pot Blocks -16 — Sylvester’s Bean Pot Blocks

The sashings will be fun to make too. They will be corner 9 patches measuring 2 3/4″ – OH BOY…. I was working on Block 17 when I realized that I had played too much with this one – I was intrigued with the light color fabric and messed up! I also loved the idea of “fussy cutting” the SnS corner blocks – Well YUP – I put the light where the dark should have been and the dark where the light should have been! But – hey – I rather like the look for another project.