It's slightly foggy and lightly misty outside, a welcome sign that (5 weeks after the Autumnal Equinox) Fall weather might be just around the corner.
This was finished yesterday. It feels like the fastest flimsy-to-finish I've ever accomplished (not counting baby quilts).
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| 70" x 90" |
A couple of months ago several hunks and kits and collections of fabrics magically appeared on the "Show and Tell" table at the Community First! Quilters' monthly meeting (I suspect someone was clearing out her sewing room in preparation for moving). Once the dust had settled and everyone took what they wanted, I brought the remaining hunks and kits and collections home with me to either add to our stash, or list on ebay.
There were 4 panels that called out to me, however, with a promise of an easy twin-sized quilt to create. And it was! I had plenty of yellows, oranges, greens, and browns to either pull from my 2.5" square collection, or cut from my own drawers of hunks and chunks. (Note to self: 4:30 pm in late August is a terrible time for picture-taking. The sun casts a shadow on the fence, and the temperature is still in the 100s.)
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| 70" x 90" |
Finally got out of my comfy recliner last night (when the temps were finally below 90F but there was still daylight) and took "Done!" photos of the Sugar Skull quilt that will be donated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
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| 70" x 90" |
I did it! I made garlands as planned!! When I finally sandwiched, quilted, and trimmed all the strips and scraps, I had 367 strips (7.25"x1.5") to make into chains.
Last month around this time something internal switched itself off, and I've spent the last 4 weeks drifting through a depression. I could get the bare minimum done that any given day required, but for the most part I acted as a lap for Zoe and read Dick Francis novels, starting with his first and chain reading the days away.
Last weekend it became apparent that I was going to have to get my rear in gear and get some sewing done. The annual Competition for Sweet Adelines Region 10 is coming up this Saturday, and I wanted to make a couple of things for my chorus Secret Sister. I mainly wanted to make a personalized Cabana Mesh Tote bag for her, and I knew it would take several days.
I started with this, a hastily photographed signature on a sign-up sheet at one of our rehearsals. My i-for-idiot flip-phone doesn't do close-up photography well.
I was this close to having a quilt done today. How close, you ask? This close:
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| Two-inch binding strips cut and ready to be sewn together. |
But today is Dreadful Tuesday, and another project took its rightful place at the head of the line.
I'm going to take a page out of Lane's book blog and insert anything political, that I feel I must get off my chest, at the bottom of my entry under a line of asterisks. I am also giving a hugely grateful "Thank you!" to Nann and Caroline for their comments of support and virtual hugs. Those, along with reading some of my favorite bloggers (The Bloggess in particular) and having Real Time conversations with friends (of both persuasions), have helped me work out and through my feelings and get back to a semblance of my normal, bubbly-but-sarcastic self. I'm singing again, ready to perform for The Great Unwashed in our upcoming Holiday gigs.
On a completely surprising note, in the midst of my utter depression I had a dream about making a colorful quilt from a panel of this fabric I have on hand. There was hope yet, and I clung to it!!
"Glitter is the herpes of the craft world." John Heffron
There's another expression along the lines of 'If you want to find a Sweet Adeline, just follow the trail of glitter and sequins.'
These days, that trail will lead you straight to my dining room.
. . . but ain't nobody here laffin'.
I attached bunny's second arm last night. I generally will follow a pattern to the letter the first time I use it. This pattern instructed the arms be assembled by folding down the top edge, sewing the pieces together all around the perimeter (excluding the top), stuffing the turned arm, sewing the top closed, then hand-sewing it to the body.
As a final flourish to a year-long project, it ended right on schedule. I finished this before my regular departure time, and was very happy to have it on her banner on the first day of this new year.
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| line 1: (Brl = Braille) / line 2: Lit- / line 3: (er)acy / line 4: Mon(th) |
When Christmas is over, the general mindset seems to be that Winter should be nearly over too. But here we are, in the first week of Winter and the last week of the calendar year 2023.
Today I sold the Singer 329 Fashion Mate to a sweet young lady who was very excited to have her.
"... the point is not to make something perfect, but is actually to just make a thing." Wil Wheaton
(I'm a complete-ist, and this is as far along his journey as I've gotten. It's interesting reading blogs from decades ago, knowing what's coming in the universal timeline.)
So, I made a thing, and I was chuffed. Thing One picked out the fabrics as a gift to his bestie, Jesse.
A reminder of a Christmas-themed gift basket to be raffled off at the chorus's show this Saturday (YIKES!!!!), and the near-empty state of said basket, got me back in the Trash Bags saddle for one last push. From the fabrics un-/dis-covered in the Christmas POUT drawer, I made 4 more bags:
The chorus had its tech rehearsal last night (for our December 2nd show) and we're sorted for all the Christmas gigs in the next 3 to 4 weeks, so I feel as though I'm on the countdown toward finishing the holiday season. As a result, I was quite relaxed during my day "off" today. That's the funny reality about performers/performing: by the 2nd week in December, we're done! It takes two more weeks for the rest of the world to catch up with the fact that Christmas is "over".
After accomplishing the two tasks I had promised myself I'd do (clean the litter boxes, catch up on Mom's finances/bills), for my reward I spent most of the afternoon planning Mom's December banner. It didn't take long to go from an idea of four 4" blocks and a series of 2" blocks as borders, to the idea of three 5" blocks with snowflake fabric (for the first day of Winter) separating and bordering them.
Fabric pull:
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| Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah |
I sewed down the upper edge of the last of the trash bags this morning. I think I made a total of 39 this time around (and I keep telling myself that 39 is as legitimate a number as 40, and I don't HAVE to make one more to even things out!)
It's impossible to iron them once the plastic lining is sewn in, but I've found that stacking and squashing them does a great job of pressing out wrinkles. These are them.
I've been immersed in a ... new? continuing? ... project these past several days: making car trash bags (although I use them elsewhere too). The bags in their various stages are stashed have taken over all areas of my studio, as well as the dining room.
These 4 are done:
I just put in the final stitches, then sat down for lunch and blogging.
A variety of regular threads and quilting threads was used to make the labels. Not overly thrilled with the gold sections of the variegated "November" thread, but I'll take that as a lesson and move on. (The 'month of...' is a Thoreau quote.)
