Ridiculous

Ridiculous because I don't have much to show for the weeks I haven't blogged!

 I did finish quilting, binding, and adding a label to my Dotty quilt. The pattern is "Bright Squares" designed by Kaffe Fassett. This was begun in a class at Houston Quilt Festival several years ago and now all 2028 squares are sewn together to make this quilt. One less UFO, makes me happy!

This year whenever possible, I'm piecing quilt backs to try to use up some of my older fabric. These are all Kaffe or Kaffe Collective. Not pretty but its out of my stash.

I've begun working on some applique blocks for our quilt guild's opportunity quilt. No pictures yet because so far, there are just stems on backgrounds.

 

I told you I didn't have much to show for myself so now you'll get to enjoy my latest cat photo. This is Jesse and Clyde "playing" with a fish toy which was passed on to me. Apparently, wrestling with it once was enough. My cats must not be playful!

 

My lilac bush and irises made it through a late freeze! The iris was blown down by the wind so I brought it inside to enjoy. The peonies also look like they'll bloom soon.

I've been spending a lot of time working outside in the yard. This year we've got several landscape projects in process. I'm adding another flower bed and edging an existing bed. My husband lays and levels the landscape block and I tote the blocks which weigh 20 pounds each. Working in the yard is our way of keeping active as long as we can. 

Until next time, Mayleen

 

A little of this, a little of that

 

I struggle to make blue quilts so this months RSC of light and/or bright blue was a challenge. Because I don't use blue often, my tub of blue scrap fabric is full so you'd think I could find fabric that would inspire me. That didn't happen. I finally ended up with this baby quilt top which will be donated. I'm ready to move on to another project.

 

I started my version of the "Mrs. Billings" quilt years ago and it became a UFO at this stage. It seems overwhelming now but my thought is to work on it a week each month or perhaps just add another border each month. Whatever I choose, I need to make progress! Before I begin on it, I need to finish the Kaffe polka dot quilt.

 

The top was "finished" but I decided to add 3 more blocks to make it a rectangle instead of a square quilt. That's been done and it measures approximately 60x80. I've begun to machine quilt it.

 

I work on it a few hours here and there. Unfortunately, hauling the sandwich around and through my machine is causing my shoulder bursitis to flare up. In other words, it may take me longer than I thought to finish and move on to the next project. Every quilting step is a season and I've decided not to push myself but try to enjoy what I can do!

Until next time, Mayleen

Spring!

 "Keukenhof" is finished! I wasn't sure that was going to happen this spring but it did. Even has a label and a real hanging sleeve versus me just pinning one on. I machine quilted wavy lines with my walking foot. Nothing spectacular but I like it.

 

"Keukenhof" is a pattern found in the March/April 2017 Quiltmania magazine. When I was going through my quilting magazines, I saw it on the cover and decided I needed a spring wall hanging. Most of my wall hangings are not springy but rather more fall like.

Have you been to Keukenhof in the Netherlands and admired the beautiful flowers there? I have!

 

The tulips are raw edge fusible applique and then hand big stitched around the edges. I'd forgotten how much fun that is to do through fused batiks.

 The pattern called for scrappy green binding and yes, I could have just cut into yardage but I challenged myself to make it scrappy. I didn't have any leftover large green pieces so I started piecing together. Here you see one example of scrappy. Yes, it made for a lot of seams and two corners of the quilt are a little bulky because of it. I'm OK with it. If they bother me later, I'll steam them and them whack them to try to flatten them.

 

The daffodils are blooming but we've had some high winds lately so I rescued these daffodils and am enjoying them inside.

 

Do you know what is blooming? I've never noticed it before. This started as a peony bush but I notice several other flowers are trying to take over.

 

Rhubarb! I experimented and grew two plants in large containers and one is coming up. This winter we had a really cold stretch which probably killed the other plant. I'm trying to grow them in containers because moles/voles munched on the rhubarb plants I used to have.

 

The clematis vine I thought I killed last year is coming up!

 

I'm not excited about the henbit (a weed) which is coming up everywhere. One day last fall, I noticed a lot of seeds being broadcast by the wind in our yard. Now I know what it was. I read that each plant can produce 2000 seeds. I've got to pull or spray these before it gets that far.

 

Happy Easter! 

Until next time, Mayleen