May 18, 2023: The machine returns! Last of the basket blocks and more…

Greetings dear readers! I finally got my sewing machine back on Saturday, after 3 weeks! Apparently the shop I use (a fabric shop/Bernini dealer) has only one person, off site, who does maintenance and repairs and it’s a part time job, so prone to delays. Maybe this is an excuse for me to purchase a backup machine 😊; maybe a smaller and lighter one, easier to take to workshops…..😉. Anyway, I missed my routine of spending some time every morning doing machine work and am happy to finally be back in the groove. The first thing I did was finish the last 10 basket blocks:

That’s 98 of these done! I took them all off the design wall and will put them away for a few weeks while I finish other things. My older grandchildren got their “big bed” quilts when they were 7. Ursula, who is getting this, is only 4, so I have plenty of time!

The second thing I did on the machine was make the 4 corner blocks for the zig-zag donation quilt with the vine borders. These required machine appliquéing the petals.

The corner blocks are only 5 1/4 inches square and I was worried the machine appliqué would pucker and distort so I put a stabilizer on the back – the above pictured Sulky Totally Stable iron on – and it worked perfectly and was pretty easy to peel off and tear away after the appliqué was completed.

Next up is attaching the borders and corners to the quilt.

The third thing I did was make 6 more blocks for the curvy improv quilt I started in Cindy Grisdela’s class. Once they were done I played around, moving several pieces. Since this is a learning experience, I knew I didn’t want to overly obsess about it and quickly decided on a final layout. In the photo, the 4 blocks in the upper left corner are sewn together:

I actually don’t think it looks bad!! I like how the lower shape in the center looks like a basket. The challenge will continue with a border that uses curves and then a facing instead of a binding. Goal: finish in time to show at my guild’s July meeting in which members are to show a finished quilt started in a workshop.

Speaking of guild meetings, we had Timna Tarr as our speaker this week and she was excellent! I love her quilts, which have won lots of awards, and am especially drawn to her use of color. Here are some photos:

She said circles and strings are her go to design elements any time she needs to just sew something she’s comfortable with or struggles with what to make next. The next quilt is Cataena, the quilt based on the “endless chain” block and which inspired my own “Inner Reaches of Outer Space” – I used her basic pattern, but my own colors, values, etc.:

She is currently doing mosaic style quilts, mostly of animals. She showed a photo that was marked in a diagonal grid and the quilt made from it:

She did a workshop for the guild on the mosaic technique and I was unfortunately unable to take it.

I try to sew connector pieces to 1 or 2 hexagon stars each day. Here are the Row 14 ones done so far:

Last week I walked in the woods with a friend and her dog. She ended up taking more than 50 deer ticks off the dog and 2 off herself after she got home. I got one off my scalp. Where I live, in northern New England, we need to be very vigilant for ticks and aware of the danger of getting Lyme Disease. I usually am careful so not too worried about where I walk, but that dog was a magnet for ticks! Here are some of my recent “earthly delights”:

Fern opening up:

Close up on the fronds – are these some kind of spores?:

Chokeberry blossoms:

Dandelion!:

Be kind, be grateful, and cherish each day, Gladi