Thursday, May 26, 2022

Really Random Thursday, 5/26/22

 It's been a quiet week. 

The other day I picked Charlotte up from school and we went to a new boba place to try it out. But their menu was kind of confusing so we went to our standby, Boba Addict. Do you like boba? Interestingly, both places really like to decorate with strings of silk flowers...

I have a first cousin, Sherry, who lives in Canada. She posted that her son, Will Bonness, won a JUNO (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for best jazz album 2022. I think that is awesome. I've listened to it via Spotify and he's really an amazing musician.


Speaking of music...It has always been such a huge part of my life. I'm so thankful my parents brought me up to be a lover of music.

We watched the Preakness last Saturday. Skippylongstocking is such a great name! I wonder if I could use it for a quilt name. Hmmm...

I was able to get some photos from my sister-in-law from when they visited my dad.

It was 103 degrees yesterday but it's supposed to be nice for the Memorial Day weekend. Hope it's cool where you are.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

WIP Wednesday, 5/25/22

 Today my mother would have been 94. Hard to believe she's been gone nearly four years.

The other day I got a new "friend" chair for my sewing room. It was kismet, I think. I had been feeling bored with all the things at home and my entire wardrobe--probably fallout from nearly 2 1/2 years of the same old thing, day after day.

Anyway, on the way home from an errand, a neighbor was having a garage sale and I spied this chair. I love this color. Case in point: the Making Mischief quilt on the wall. So I stopped, asked her how much she was asking, didn't even try to bargain her down and paid her on the spot. I told her we lived one street over and gave her the approximate location. She then said, "Oh, are you the house with quilts on the wall?" (you can see my design wall from the street because my sewing room used to be our unused living room). Yes, I said. 


She then said, "You know that old pickup truck across the street from  your house?" Of course. It's in my quilt calendar from last year. "Well, it belongs to my uncle!" Like I said. Kismet.
My mother might have even liked the color this chair. She loved fall colors. And she like hearing me talk about quilting. I wish she could come spend an hour visiting with me.

So. The Making Mischief quilt (it now has an official name...)

The square-in-a-square border is on. And I love it! 
Even the trimmings are pretty.

Where to next? 

That limey green makes my heart sing. I would have to order from Oakshott in the UK and I would be willing to do that. But I have decided that green isn't working for me. Purple for sure. And that Kaffe Fassett stripe on the bottom will make an appearance at some point. I'm just not sure when or where. But I got out my sketch pad and I think I have a plan. I'm going to keep it to myself for now. I'll either sink or swim with this quilt. It's really making me work. 
The latest Moda Blockheads 4 block is number 10, "Autumnal" designed by Chelsi Stratton. It was nice to have a block that went together so quickly.

Sunday I had a virtual sewing session with Stephanie @stephiepeterson and Pam @purduepam. We are making the Hygge sampler by Annemarie Chany. We usually manage to schedule a sewing session every other month, and then work on two blocks. 

This month we made the teabags.

And five tree blocks (I realize there are only four blocks here but I wanted a square photograph, and the fifth is pretty much just the same).

It was so much fun to chat and sew.

Yesterday, Mary @maryonlakepulaski and I worked on our perfect pineapple blocks. She is WAY ahead of me but I'll keep working to catch up. Virtual sewing is the perfect thing for these blocks as they are so repetitive.

Thanks, friends. Sewing with you was just what I needed!

I just finished binding my two Oakshott quilts today and found the perfect presser foot for machine binding. I'll take a picture and post it next week. Until then....

May Monthly Report:
Used up/donated: 6 5/8 yards
Brought in: 11 3/8 yards
Net: + 4 3/4 yards
Year to date: -107.25 yards

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Really Random Thursday, 5/19/22

  A week ago today, I headed up to a cabin just outside Yosemite for a few days of sewing. This was the 22nd year I have been able to attend this retreat. It's a small one--it started out with just three of us, and actually our friend, Ruth, was not even a quilter back in 2000. But Dotty and I talked her into it and we joke that we created a monster because she became a prolific quilter. She now lives in Washington State and was planning to attend again, after missing a couple of years due to Covid. But right before our retreat she took a fall and it looks like she will require knee replacement. Such a bummer. We really missed her.

There were just the four of us, which is a really nice size. I worked only on my pineapple blocks, and even though I only made six, I consider that good progress as they are really time consuming. I now have a total of 8 and plan on making 30.

Dotty, Vicki and Marilyn each completed several quilt tops and, as per tradition, they are hung over the stair railing.

I didn't take any pictures of our meals, but our dinners were delicious each night. We don't eat breakfast or lunch. Ha! That's what we say, but in fact our early morning and midday "snacks" had more variety than I ever have at home--cheese, crackers, veggies, fruit--let's just say there was no lack of something to eat. 

One of the best parts of this year was that we hired someone to haul all our machines, fabric, suitcases, food, etc., down from the road to the cabin on Thursday. And he came back on Sunday and hauled it all back up (can you see that car up there?)  We paid him nicely and it was worth every single penny!

I took walks each day and the sky was just so unbelievably blue.
One day, in search of a phone signal, I walked to the road below the cabin and took a picture of the cabin from the other side.
The sunsets were gorgeous.

Spending these few days with friends was such a welcome treat. I hope we are able to continue to do this for years to come.


Meanwhile, Mark attended another of Charlotte's drama performances. I was sorry I missed it (I'm asking for a private performance), as she did the entire thing in a British accent.


 A final note: we didn't have internet at the cabin so you had to walk and find just the right spot to even get any kind of phone signal. It's kind of nice once you get used to the fact that you can't scroll through Instagram or Facebook or check your emails. And I thought this was funny.


Wednesday, May 18, 2022

WIP Wednesday, 5/18/22

 Last weekend I was at a cabin just outside of Yosemite for several glorious days of sewing (more pictures tomorrow). While my friends finished several quilt tops, I worked only on my foundation paper pieced pineapple blocks. They are time consuming. The good thing is that you kind of get in a rhythm, and what monotony there was was alleviated by chatting with friends as I sewed.  I completed six! I know that doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment, only six blocks, but I was thrilled. I decided that I am going to try to not repeat any of the prints. I did the math. The center red and white polka dot will be the same in each block, as will the cream and black dot. Each block requires 32 different prints and I plan to make 30 blocks. So. A total of 960 different prints. I don't think Mark will doubt for a minute that I can pull this feat off! My friends added a couple of their scraps and those are fun additions.



This was the last week of the Riley Blake Designs quiltalong. Block 16 is A Single Blossom, designed by Gerri Robinson of @plantedseeddesigns.

Setting instructions will be given next week, and the information says that the setting will require 17 blocks, and to either repeat one of this year's blocks or choose a block from a previous year. I did not want to repeat any of the blocks so I browsed through the quiltalong from last year and chose Summer Picnic by Christopher Thompson of @the_tattooed_quilter. Because I had made half of the blocks in the blue colorway and half in pink, I tried to combine the colors in this block.
I'm excited to see the plan for these blocks next week.
I just finished getting caught up on Moda Blockheads 4 with Block 9, Cross My Mind, by Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic.

I noticed that there was another bonus block, the fourth one, called Zipper.
I made a few more square in a square blocks for the medallion so hopefully by next week I will have that border completed and sewn on. 

It's been a good week.

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Really Random Thursday, 5/12/22

 After three long years of schooling, Christa graduated Saturday from the Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary with a master's in ministry, leadership and culture. 

The ceremony was held at Selland Arena in downtown Fresno.


Aaron is on the board of trustees for the university so he always has to be at graduation ceremonies wearing his regalia. But this ceremony was very special for him.


There were so many people but we had a good meeting location. Of course, Gabe wanted to try on the cap. 


Good friends, Jane and Jamie.


Stacie was here for the weekend.

Aaron and Christa had a great party in their newly redone backyard that evening (taco truck!) and I'm sorry I didn't take any photos of it. 

On Sunday, Mother's Day, Mark and I headed out to the coast for the day.

Spending time by the waves is so restorative for both of us. As much as we would like to leave this state, we would find it hard to move away close proximity to the coast.

After we had been there awhile, we noticed that the blue sky was getting grey and foggy. 

The next thing we knew, it was raining! We both considered that a gift, as we see rain so rarely here in California.

But sky began clearing up again.
We drove into Carmel and had an early dinner at our favorite restaurant, A.W. Shucks. It is a really small place and was crowded but we were happy to find two seats at the bar.


I'll end with this, just because we have an optometrist for a son.

Happy weekend.