This has been a full week with many distractions. :) I last wrote on Tuesday evening, late. Wednesday dawned sunny and warmer than usual - the high for the day was 74 degrees! Random temperature fluctuations are not that unusual here in Maryland and this one was welcome. :)
My friends Barbara, Patty and I took a road trip southward to La Plata, MD in the sunshine. We braved Washington beltway traffic to go around the city to the east, past Andrews Air Force base, and then south to Charles County, to visit Material Girls quilt shop. It took us just over an hour to get there (we made good time). I have not been down since late last summer and it was a pleasure to visit. I always enjoy chatting with Robin (Mom) and Amy (major operator). :)
I actually made a shopping list of 'basic' things I could think of that I need in my sewing room ... and, of course, I bought some niceties, too. Here are some pics of my haul:
I saw this sample on the front wall of the shop as I walked in and snatched up the pattern. It is made with 1.5" strips which is one of my scrap cut sizes. I'm always attracted to interlacing designs, too.
I saw a review of this book online and was glad to get a look inside. I bought it because there are a number of good ideas for using scrappy bits.
For some reason I had 'background' prints on my mind when I looked at fabrics. The cute scissors/case went straight onto my computer desk for 'tv' sewing when I got home. :)
These goodies fell under the 'basic' shopping list - more machine needles, some clear vinyl for making project pouches - as well as 'squirrel' pretty threads (on sale for $2 a spool).
So, shopping was fun. We had lunch at the little deli around the corner from the shop. Their salads are a pleasure to eat. :) The drive home was sunny. Could not have asked for a happier day! I was tired when I got home, though. Gotta go into training to ramp up my stamina for quilt show visitations. :) Wednesday evening is a regular weekly Zoom chat & sew with my Baltimore Modern guild buddies ... but this time I just sat in my comfy chair and chatted while they sewed.
Thursday was a quiet day. I sat and thumbed through that Crumb Quilting book a bit. There were a few patterns that really caught my eye:
I like the idea of using scrappy bits to make applique shapes. Leaves always get my attention, too.
Here the applique design is probably reverse and there is hand embroidery to accent it. Hits several of my check points :) I can see myself making an entire (small) quilt of this design.
I've been thinking about making a quilt with irregular flower blocks like this for a while. Not sure I'd do the block-block-block assembly like this one, but the idea _should_ stick to me.
I managed to do some sewing on the Morris interlaced quilt I'm making for my daughter in the afternoon. It is sloooow going as I have no design wall (yet!) in my sewing room ... so I had to carefully choose what fabric squares to place where so the interlacing design was clear.
I also started working again on my embroidered silk hand project on Thursday evening while watching episodes of Time Team on YouTube. :) I carried it with me to Barbara's house on Friday afternoon for Sewing Together with B and Patty, too. Don't know which time I did these bits so am sharing them together:
The way I've been approaching these fingers is to embroider a 'spine' of some kind and then embellish it with other stitching. Here is the Hungarian Chain stitch spine I made for finger number three.
And here is how that spine/finger looked after additional embroidery.
Here is the thumb area showing the Chevron stitch spine and embellishing.
And my stab at the littlest finger area with a Fly stitch 'spine' and leaves/flowers from there.
I am really enjoying this project! I'm at the stage now where I will do small areas of various 'braid' stitched around the central heart in the palm area. Still have not decided exactly what I will put inside the heart.
Saturday (yesterday) afternoon is the usual Quilting With Friends zoom for the Columbia area of the Baltimore modern guild. I _thought_ I would work on the Morris interlacing project ... but, when I got out the bit I had finished on Thursday to look it over, I realized I had made a BUNCH of errors when piecing last. Grrr!
Here is where the squirrel comes in. I was so annoyed with myself and the struggling with my dyslexia, I dragged out my scrap bags and started a charity baby quilt to calm my piecing nerves. :) Barbara had hung an uneven log cabin top on Friday afternoon as one of our 'discussion' events (she often solicits opinions from Patty and me about fabric choices) ... and I remembered that I like the circular visual illusion of those blocks. So I got some bright 2.5" strips and some 'background' 1.5" strips and went to piecing.
I made four 'round' log cabin blocks and then four spiral design log cabins (my very favorite log cabin layout). Today I pieced a Housetop log cabin (giving it the Gee's Bend name:) and put this top together (it measures about 42" square):
I like this a lot and am glad I could turn my negative annoyance feelings into a positive outcome. :) That makes TWO charity tops I will need to quilt.
Now I'm off to eat some dinner and then probably embroider some more. I have two Netflix dvds to watch (not at the same time) while I work. Life in retirement has its compensations.
:) Linda
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