CHANGING THREADS

I'm having to change thread colors a lot with this quilt.

I'm enjoying using this new HQ Ditch Ruler from HandiQuilter.  It does it's job very well.  It has a little arch at each end that I'm using on the smaller leaves.  

I got my mom to do a paint-by-numbers of sunflowers to add to my collection.  And then was pleasantly thrilled when my sister, Sue, surprised me with a colored pencil drawing she did.

Mom's is bottom left, Sue's is bottom middle.  I did the paint-by-number in the center and the original painting on the bottom right.  Van Gogh did the two big ones.  The upper middle that you can't really see is what started it.  I bought this really cool instant-photo art of sunflowers and haven't been able to stop.

I'M WORKING ON IT!

I've been procrastinating about the quilting on my Autumn Quilt.  It's been on the machine for over a week.

I took today off, because they made me crazy yesterday.  So, part of the deal I made with myself was to get started on it.

So, I did.  It's looking good so far.

I started by doing stitch in the ditch around the leaves, then I put the 'wind' in between them.

Next, it was doing different designs in the leaves - with different colored threads to match the leaves.  (I think I need more thread!)

I got most of this part done, but had to stop - my knees hurt.

DUMP KITTIES

It was back to work today.  After it gets light out I usually walk out to the ladies locker room trailer and see how the feral kitties are doing.

One of the gals that retired last year, used to be their main provider.  I have sort of taken over the job.  But since I'm only there every other week, I don't know what happens when I'm not working.

I've been trying to talk one of the newly hired women to take over, since I'm leaving soon.

There are two kitties that live under the Ladies locker room - Tux and One-Eye.  They were both captured and neutered, but they are definitely feral.  They have been here for 3-4 years at least.  They will only let me get so close when I feed them.

They are still looking quite healthy.

STAINED!

I was happily sewing the rows together, when my old Rowenta iron decided to puke up on my project!  I drenched the spots with water and rubbed and rubbed.  They mostly came out.  Then I put some citrus cleaner on it, which scared me.  I wasn't sure what it would do to the colors.  But, it looks okay, so far.  I put lots more water on it and then gave up, because I couldn't iron it dry.

Now what do I do, I don't trust that iron anymore.

Before

After - I put it back up on the wall.  You can see the top three rows are wet.

MONTHLY PRESENT

I signed up to receive a monthly shipment of Kona Solids from Circa15 Fabric Studios.  The plan is that over the next 12 months I will receive all of the existing colors, 340 in all, plus some bonus items.  It's so exciting!  I have been thinking that I should start buying all of the different colors anyway.  This will make it really easy!  

I got my first shipment yesterday.

I spent a few hours sewing on the Dots and Triangles quilt too.  Here's one of the blocks where I used some of the fabric I dyed using leaves.  It was the perfect color.

You can see the leaf imprint in the gold fabric here. 

ROW BY ROW

I'm sewing the triangles in each row together, but not sewing the rows to each other.  I was thinking I might flip every other one so that all of the triangles that line up vertically point in the same direction.

I've got about half of the rows sewn now. I'm really loving how this seams-pressed-open looks on the back.  It takes a little more time, but it's going to be worth it.

The top half has the triangles sewn together and the triangles are vertically all pointing in the same direction.  The bottom half, that I haven't sewn together is how I originally put it up on the wall, with every other row the triangles are going the opposite directions.  (This is very hard to explain, I hope you're following me). 

TWO ROWS

I've just got two of the rows sewn, and I realized that I had miscalculated and it was going to be too wide if I went ten across.  So, I stopped at nine across and added another row to the bottom.

And, I included a picture of the backing that I'm drawing the colors from.

TRIANGLES AND DOTS

Of course I've started a new project.  Those 128 old ones are just boring.  I bought some fabric a little while ago to use as the back of a project.  I'm using sorta matching colors of mostly solids on the front.  I don't have the colors I wished I had, so we are making do. 

I'm doing triangles.

I've finally decided to press seams open.

Up on  the wall - needs lots of work yet.

FIRST DAY OF 2018

I finally turned my finished needlepoint fox into a pillow.  I finished the needlepoint a while back, but had problems finding the right fabric and color for the back.  I wanted green wool velvet.  I don't think they make such a thing anymore.  The few green velvets I found were the wrong color green.  I ended up going with an orangy-brown back - it matches the fox!  Even after I got that fabric, I procrastinated because I don't really know how to make a pillow.

So, I just went ahead and did the best I could.  I wanted it to be done.

And it is!