BINDING BY HAND

 It's been a while since I've sewn a binding down by hand.  It's a long slightly painful job.

But, it's gotta be done - and soon.

Binding and a sleeve for my quilt, Covid 19: Shards.

DARRELL'S TREE

 In 2005 on Darrell's birthday - November 18th - we planted a tree out front of our house on Wells Street in Renton.  The idea was for it to provide shade (eventually) because the house faced west and in the summer the sun would beat in to the upstairs bedroom windows and it could get incredibly hot, too hot to sleep.

Planting the tree in 2005

We sold the house in 2007 and moved to Seattle.  We've gone back a few times to take his picture with the tree as it grows up.

November 18, 2015

We went back today, on his birthday, and we were surprised.  The tree might almost be tall enough now to shade the house.  

MORE THREAD ISSUES

 Okay, so I was using the bobbin thread to finish off the top and used a 40wt grey Aurifil on the back for the quilting on my Covid quilt.

I almost made it all the way, but one and half passes from the bottom I ran out of thread again! 

So, here's where I ran out of thread again - just one more row to go!

So, I just used that grey Aurifil for the last of the quilting and called it a day.  It actually matches pretty good.  The thread is a bit small in diameter, but I doubt if anyone will notice. 

So, it's done and off the longarm machine.

SCREECHED TO A STOP

 I thought I could finish the quilting on the Covid quilt today - and I could have - if I hadn't run out of thread!

I had loaded up three more bobbins, because I went through three bobbins on the first half.  So, I was down to the last few rows when :screeeeech: I ran out of thread on the top.  

As I was pulling out some of the stitches so I could knot them off and bury them I was thinking about how to proceed.  I figured I'd call the store where I'd bought this thread a long time ago and see if they had another spool.  That would mean I'd have to drive to Southcenter to buy it.  I don't like driving and I don't like taking time out of the day to go get something like that - it seems like such a waste.  And, I'd have another giant spool of thread I'll not be likely to use again.

Then!  it occurred to me that I could use the thread in the bobbin and use a similar thread that I had on the backing.  So, tomorrow, that's what I'll do!  Today I'm going to zoom and watch a Patricia and Joe chat and then a Brave Patch sew-in.

LOADED COVID ON LONGARM

 I finished the backing for the Covid quilt this morning.

Then, I got it loaded onto my longarm, Eduard and the fun began.  I'm quilting horizontal lines all across and down it.  They are about 1/4" to 1/2" apart.  What was I thinking?  I'm using King Tut 40 wt. thread and I'm going through a lot of it.

I got about half way done today.

BACKING STARTED

 I started on the backing for the Covid quilt.  It always takes longer than I think it should.

COVID 19 QUILT TOP FINISHED

Ta da!

I started on the backing, too.

MORE PARTS NEEDED

 I still need to make more triangle parts for the Covid quilt.  I need blue ones and grey/white ones.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

 I have to decide on which colors I want to use on these little improv blocks.   All of the colors will stay the same, except for the right and left side points. I'm happy with rest, but I go back and forth about these.

The green is Peapod (brighter)

Green is Olive (duller, but the same as fabric in middle of block)

This is Leather - not used in blocks at all.

HALF WAY THROUGH

I've gotten about half way through piecing the rows together on my Covid-19 quilt.  It is made up of foundation pieced scraps from my scrap bucket onto 60 degree triangles blocks.  The triangles will finish at about 4" high and 4-1/2" wide.  I still have to make a few more blocks, and the end pieces that are a little bigger than half blocks.

It's getting heavy and it's only half way.

'

It's been nice, not only am I using up a lot of scraps, I'm using up the thread on bobbins to make them available for future projects. 

On another note, I made a chili-type soup for dinner using the dried Hidatsa beans we grew and harvested in our garden this last summer.  It was pretty good, too.

Just starting, before I added tomatoes and sausage.

MORE BACKGROUND NEEDED

 I got so far and ran out of background pieces f or the Covid quilt.  I counted up how many I still need and it's something like 54.  So, I got busy making more.  I've run out of a lot of the greys I'd used.  But, it should all work out.

I still have a lot to make.

BLUE MOON

 

PIKE PLACE MARKET

 We ventured out into the world this morning.  Darrell needed to go to his upholsterer to pick up some samples for a client (turns out they weren't there, so we will be going  back on Monday).

But before that, we stopped at Pike Place Market for breakfast at Honest Biscuit (yum).

We first looked for a parking place on Western Avenue, but couldn't find one.  So, we went up to First Avenue and turned onto Pike Place where, lo and behold, there were places to be had!  This is probably the first time we've parked on that street in decades.

We had breakfast sandwiches and sat out on the deck overlooking Elliott Bay.  It was so beautiful!

WORKING ON COVID QUILT

 I pulled out the pieces I made for my Covid quilt.  They are 60* triangles made from scraps from my scrap bucket.  I think I need to make a few more...maybe more than a few.  Definitely the half-triangles for the edges.

I thought it might be easier to start sewing rows together.  I started half way down because I had previously sewn some of those rows together before I came up with this design.

QUILT LABEL

 I forgot to show the label I made for the October 2020 Tablerunner.  And you can see the matchstick quilting I did with the walking foot on my Bernina.

OCTOBER ENTRY

 I put my new October Tablerunner onto the entry way table along with the haunted house I made years ago. (and pumpkins from our garden)

OCTOBER TABLERUNNER

 I worked on the tablerunner I started a few weeks ago.  I got inspiration for this from a friend on  Instagram - and I stole her idea.  I used the technique of staring at her project until I absorbed it, then I put it away and made mine.  It turned out different than hers, but similar.

Finally finished making enough squares and sewed them together.  It's about 20" by 50".  Now to make a back and get it quilted.  I'd like to put it in the entry way on our server.

PNP3 AND A PLAN

 I made nine more little blocks today with a little different process.  This time I added the bias tape.  I was afraid I wouldn't like it, but I do!

I came up with a plan for a quilt.  I'm thinking I'll make a version of the quilt seen at the International Quilt Museum where Joe taught this workshop from.  (See post from last Saturday, it's in the picture with Joe).  Of course, I need more fabric than I have.  I went to Fat Quarter Shop online and was greatly surprised to discover they had all of the fabrics I need.  So, I'll be waiting for them all to get here.  It could be a week or more.  In the meantime, I have enough 'Kona Parsley' to put a border around each block to make them 8".  I got today's blocks done.

PNP2

 Second day of Process not Pattern.  I made another set of 10, which actually turned out to be 11.  I used a new set of steps but the same fabrics.

PROCESS NOT PATTERN

Joe Cunningham's Quilt Freedom Workshop this month was about following a process instead of a pattern.  

He was broadcasting from the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska.  He and the curator showed us several Log Cabin type quilts along with some cotton crazies. 

We all fell in love with this quilt.  Maybe I'll do something like this someday.

His assignment was to follow a few steps and create ten 6" blocks.  What we do with them is up to us. 

Starting with an approximate 7" square:

1. Add a strip.

2. Cut in half, flip one side and sew back together.

3. Remove one corner and replace with a different fabric.

4. Insert a strip.

Then square up to 6" squares.

Some of mine ended up as rectangles so I had to cut off the long side and add it back to the short side to make them big enough to make a 6" squares.  That just added more interest!

I loved making these.  I'm much more engaged in improvising than I would be if I was making the same block over and over.

Here are my first ten, I'm really looking forward to making some more. Maybe with different steps.

 

DISTRACTION

I probably should be working on finishing my Floating Squares, but... 

I saw this design on Instagram and thought it would be great as a tablerunner for the front hallway.  So, I stole the idea.

I'm only about half way done with making these little blocks.

STILL LIFE - Z

 

Well, I did the whole alphabet.  It took a bit longer than I'd planned.  But, it's done.  I'm happy and sad that it's over.

I'm going to take a break from painting.  But...I've ordered some canvases and they will be here in a few days.

STILL LIFE - Z BEGINNING

 I didn't have much time today to paint.  But I did manage to get a little done.  I wanted to get some of the zigzags done and give it a chance to dry a bit.

STILL LIFE - Y

 

In case you were wondering, that is some Yarrow on the Yellow background with Yogurt and Yams.

STILL LIFE - X

 You'd think X would be a really tough one.  It is, but after I looked in the dictionary, I came up with some interesting results:

I'll explain.

Xanthium is a common weed, basically a cockleburr.  I painted from an image of the Canada Cockleburr - Xanthium strumarium var, canadense.

Xanthophyll is a yellow or brown carotenoid plant pigment which causes the autumn colors of leaves.  Cool, huh?!

Xylography is the art of carving on wood.

And, of course, my very useful X-acto knife.

That little yellow leaf is one of several I picked up this morning on my morning walk in Lincoln Park with the dogs.  There's this tree that gets the most spectacularly bright yellow in  the fall.  Here is a picture from a few years ago.

STILL LIFE - W

 

And, yes, I have my own weasel.

STILL LIFE - V

 And now for something completely different:

I couldn't help myself, I had to include the 'virus' in there.

STILL LIFE - U

 

STILL LIFE - T

 

STILL LIFE - S

 It's not done, I still have to put black lines on the yellow 'square' ruler.