Week Forty-Four, November 5, 2015Week Forty-Four, November 5, 2015

That pesky cold is back again, along with a sprained lower back… Yesterday morning was husband’s high school class monthly breakfast so we had to get up early to get there.  

And then there was last night — a night football game, kick-off at 8PM. It was televised so each 15 minute quarter lasted an hour (we finally gave up and left at 11 PM, end of the third quarter, when our team was leading 48 - 17). It was warm for November (70 at kickoff) and the President’s Suite was crowded with people (there are 35 seats, give or take a few, but there were a LOT of people standing as well) and since it’s a close space, it was HOT in there. With this cold starting up again, I wasn’t too keen on staying for the whole game, however much I love my Falcons, and I surely wasn’t going to take up my needlework when we arrived home around Midnight!  

Final Score 62 - 24!

So I wasn’t very good for stitchery this week.

I did get some work done, however. I quilted (!!!). Those three place mats are finished and ready to take to guild next Thursday night. I know that the Meals on Wheels gifting is currently oversubscribed but some others have stepped up with nursing, assisted living and retirement homes as possible recipients so I will take my poor first attempts at serious quilting in and hope they get good homes…

Here they are, front and back…

Placemat #1 - front

Placemat #1 - back

Placemat #2 - front

Placemat #2 - back

Placemat #3 - front

Placemat #3 - back

I also started the color fill on the Roll Your Own Mandala “Re #3 0venge; color # 1 is roughly 1/4 complete:

Cold permitting this next week looks pretty much unencumbered by events. Also, I’m hoping I can stitch all day long Friday night/Saturday when husband will be off daylily conferencing. 

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, Pt. 1

IHSW was posted early this month as part 1 (I assume there will be a part 2 coming on the assigned date of August 21-23, 2015.  At any rates, I was stitching this weekend so here is what I accomplished...

A completion! "Jan" the second of the "Spawn of Roll Your Own", a series of mandalas designed by Tracy Horner, if now finished:

It was started back in the first week of April, 2015, and shouldn't have taken THIS long but other events intervened (nasty sinus infection, road trip to Florida and Georgia, etc) and I really didn't get back to it until the last weeks of July. It is in the "Tropical Ocean" colorway on "Iris Garden" dyed 32-ct Jobelin. Here is how it looks with it's "sister", Marcia, and the first three large mandalas, "Roll Your Own", "Reloaded" and "Bride of Roll Your Own":

The outline for the third "Spawn" ("Cindy") is now started to the left of "Jan" and there are three more large mandalas which will be lined up below the spawn (eventually!).

I also spent some time with my sewing machine this weekend. The quilt guild I belong to is making place mats to take along at the holidays for the local version of "Meals on Wheels". I cut and stitched two place mats and they are ready to sandwich, quilt and bind:

These place mats and "Cindy" of the Roll Your Own mandalas will be my projects to stitch on this coming weekend.

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirty-four

Stitched on and completed this past week were:

The "Dossier" block required of all quilt guild members (it's a log cabin with the "chimney" center signed and dated for when I joined the guild; as you can see, I'm four years late in getting it ready!):

This is the second block I made, since I misread instructions and the first one was too large by far (it came out 7.5"!).  I'm going to use it for my "practice fabric" for the "Seed Bead Botany" class...

Both aren't square either --- 1/2 inch larger one way than the other. Have NO idea what I'm doing wrong here...

My August atc/ornament for the Bead Journal Project:

I think it's a cardinal (our state bird) who thinks it should be summer and he's masquerading as a firebird. Until this week, it never really felt like summer here, and it's not supposed to last. Maybe his fire dance brought on the heat and humidity?

The two Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches: #126 Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole and #127 Beaded Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole:

As you can see, I seem to have lost my place in the beaded version and it stopped being up-and-down in two places! Too lazy to rip it out so I made it part of the pattern (my story and I'm sticking to it!).

I started again on the outline for "Brides" of RYO, but didn't get very far (my stitching mojo seems to have flown):

And I did a floss toss for a John Clayton golf piece which will be for next year's fair entry (whose theme is Get in the Game" - i.e. sports!)

Husband, the golfer in the family, picked the chart! Turns out I was 68 skeins short in my stash for the asked-for floss (John Clayton designs use a LOT of floss, an these two use a lot of dull green floss!) and I also didn't have any cuts of neutral fabric that will fit the charts. A trip to Michaels on Sunday resulted in a remaining missing list of roughly 20 skeins! Looks like an online shopping trip is in my future!

Untouched, and needing attention are:

"Save the Stitches", blocks 10 - 15 (I expect ##16 and 17 will be out next week)

The Funk & Weber Finishing class on piecing - (I've printed out and scanned lesson four of this third class but...)

The "Seed Bead Botany Class - (They are already on lesson 3 and I have only just finished prepping my project fabrics!)

"Biltmore", which is back in the travel bag after the frog attack!

And of course, there will be the September Crazy Quilt Challenge Block, the September Bead Journal Project ornament, the next Take-a-Stitch-Tuesday stitches, the quilt guild retreat bock (needs quilting and binding) and the Meals On Wheels Christmas place mat... I need some time, LOTS of time! and I don't see where it's going to come from. Oh well...

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Forty-Six and IHSW November 15 - 17

This week, I managed two more completions --- my November monochromatic orange crazy quilt block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project and the two TAST stitches that were assigned. Otherwise, I tried calculatiing  how to place the nine Roll Your Own Mandalas and think I have come up with a plan, using Iris Garden overdyed 32ct linen (even though my husband is no fan of the fabric) and the Tropical Ocean color scheme. The I forced myself to work on two neglected pieces --- the Chinese Coins quilt and the November BJP butterfly. The Chinese Coins top is finished, even though the top and bottom borders had to be sewn on twice because I forgot to put right sides together when pinning! 37 inches x 2 (because I didn't catch my mistake until I had done both borders) of ripping! AAARGH! Here it is laid out on my craft space floor:

and as you can see, I am at the limits of my "design floor" so basting it will be an issue... You can get a better idea of how it looks, hung from the two Chinese armoires in my craft space:

At present it is roughly 37 inches wide and 41 inches long so will probably finish nicely at 36 x 40...

I also started the November butterfly, which will be in shades of brown and yellow - probably turn out to be anoher "camoflage" butterfly!. The body of the butterfly is done and the wings are (barely) started:

Spent a good portion of Sunday (roughly 4 PM through 7 PM) watching live coverage of the storm that passed through here, getting ready to bail to the basement when our tornado warning sirens went off (and they did).. Needless to say --- NOT conducive to stitching! 

Luckily, all we "lost" was a decorative flag that blew UP from the lake onto a sidewalk, but there was significant damage to the east and south of us, much of which has yet to be assessed. Lots of people without power, many buildings with roofs blown off and windows blown out - there were reported hurricane-strength wind gusts in nearby Bowling Green from straight line winds... and one house collapsed onto four inhabitants who were watching a football game and were slightly injured), and many road closures due to downed power lines, lack of traffic signals, cars blown into median strips and other debris not only in the roadway but also still blowing around in 35 - 30 mph gusts (sustained winds around 20mph).

I think I'll take Tuesday off!

Two more "small" finishes for me...

My "Mug Rug" which is 9 x 12, and (GET THIS) I did some needleturn applique on the front and QUILTED IT MYSELF!  WAHOO! MY FIRST EVER QUILT, even if it is only 9 x 12! LOL I even applied the binding by machine, at least partly --- but found it wouldn't work for stitch-in-the-ditch for the back side so I hand stitched that part...I can't believe this --- I will now HAVE to go to guild on Thursday, despite the pot luck part, and show this one off! 

Front (top) with the needleturn (motif cut from the backing fabric):

Back (bottom):

And my March Crazy Quilt Journal block, monochromeaticred:

Monday was a productive day!