Works in progress!

I've been whining about all my works in progress (WIPS) since last summer when artquiltmaker artqultmaker.com/blog helped me pack them up when I moved last summer.  She pretty much ordered me to photograph them and blog about them in order to prod me into working on them.  So I have and here they are!

The first one, The Food Quilt, has actually morphed into two quilts.  One was way too big and a (the) grandchild expressed a desire for a food quilt so now the nephew and grandchild will both get a food quilt.

The next is a picture of all the paper pieced parts for a double wedding ring quilt.  I was going great guns on it but had to put it aside while waiting for Tap plastics to cut templates for the rest of the quilt.  Also, changed my mind about who would be the recipient.

Sampler Quilt

Doggy Love

The next two are completed tops I did but never got quilted.  I had forgotten about Doggy Love!  The sampler was made in a great class taught by Susan Bradford at College of Marin in 2003 (?).  We drafted the patterns and did most of the squares by hand.

Natalie's Quilt Top

My friend Natalie purchased this quilt top at the last Marin Needle Arts Show in Marin and asked me to quilt it.  I think I better get busy as I've had it eight years!

Magic Top

This is a quilt top that mysteriously appeared in my stash.  With a couple of borders this will be a whole top and ready to quilt.  I love the funky 60s fabric!  My friends Sharon and Becky and I are talking about getting a Flynn Quilt System together.  This will be a good quilt for the first one quilted on it.

Hugh's quilt

 This is an old quilt which belongs to our friend Hugh.  I have been repairing it and am almost done.  Then I will quilt it and return it to Hugh.  I've had this one about four years.  I really need to get busy!

Doggy Dreams

This is a wall hanging which I designed two or three years ago.  All the pieces are cut, just waiting for me to attach them!  It is based on a drawing and was supposed to be the first in a series.  May still be!

Love Catcher

This is a panel I did in a fabric painting class with Susan Shie.  I was going to be a purse but I have changed my mind.  I did it with SB daughter in mind.  I'm sure she wouldn't mind getting another quilt!

Mystery Kitty

This is one of three kitties who rest outside my studio.  This guy is bigger than Roxy and not frightened off when I open the shades.  I call him Big Red.

Retro

I started Retro in a class with Marion Nathan-Roberts at the Marin Needle Arts Guild.  I  love this small beginning and really want to finish it. I hand dyed the solid fabrics before I knew anything about dyeing.  I used Rit dyes, mason jars and hung the wet fabric in the trees outside the trailer we used to live in.  Perhaps it should be higher on my list?

Christmas Tree

Don't remember this and don't much like it.  The scrap heap is it's destination, perhaps?  Anybody want it?

Laurel Birch flannel back for some lucky quilt!

I love this fabric and have made it into a king size back for some lucky quilt!  It will have to be a quilt I keep because I like it so much.

Garden Quilt

This is fabric I collected to make a quilt for a friend.  I've only had it a year!  Still want to get a solid or small tone on tone to go with it.  Should be an easy quilt to make as I am going to fussy cut the center fabric and use the resulting blocks for most of the top.

Kim's collection

This is fabric My daughter gave me after unsuccessfully trying to start a quilt.  I made her some cloth napkins out of it (there is A LOT) for Christmas.  Eventually it will be a quilt.  I think. I hope.

Princess Quilt

Here is another collection of fabric for a princess quilt.  I already made one but, as usual, purchased too much fabric!  So any little princessy girls out there want a quilt?

 

These last pieces are leftovers from classes I have taken.  They are either bound for the scrap heap or for a scrap quilt.  For now they are at the bottom of the WIP bin.

So There you have it.  All my Works in Progress!  What do you think?

Quilting

I finally finished repairing Ozzy's quilt!  He was very happy with the job I did.  Now on to the next thing....

Detail of Ozzy's quilt

Today's stars.  New fabric is the yellow on the right.

I made two blocks for San Bruno Stars today. That makes five in the last two weeks.  I'll take them to Artquiltmaker tomorrow.

As I was searching for fabric I realized that my shelves were poorly organized.  I had an unpacked box on the bottom shelf where I could reach it and a good part of my fabric on the top shelves where I can't reach.  So I opened up the box and cleaned it out.  Only one thing in it went back on my shelves and I think it will get moved into the closet soon.  Unless one counts the light that was in the box - that is now clipped to the shelves and shining on my sewing machine.  Much easier to sew with light!  Aren't the shelves The Big Guy built great!  They are just what I needed.

While rearranging my fabric I came across NINE (!!!!#@%@#) WIPs (works in progress)!  Not one of which is in the LARGE bin with my 11 previously discovered WIPs.  Geeze, I have a lot of quilting to do.

Went to Thimble Creek in Concord yesterday with my friends Sharon and Becky.  And yes, I did buy fabric!  I just NEEDED 1/4 yard of yellow for a San Bruno Star.  And of course I had to buy a Quilter's Home mag that was 50% off because I pulled out a  page as I was flipping through it!  Just love that magazine.  It is so cheerful.  Got into a conversation with one of the lovely clerks at Thimble Creek and got on the subject of teaching and I went into teacher mode around the color class I teach!  It has been on my mind lately as I would like to teach again.  I guess I haven't lost it as the theory and all just came spewing out!  I do love to teach.

Also found my die cut red hearts while going through the fabric on my shelves.  And found an unopened pack of cool postcards.  So pulled out my gel medium and made valentines!  Hope I manage to get them written on and mailed :)

Roxy enjoying the sunshine.

The weather has been lovely.  Sunshine and relatively warm all day.  Have been able to hang laundry outside and it gets DRY!  POE, my orchid is loving the weather!  Her leaves are standing up and I think she is growing.  Considering my black thumb this is nothing short of miraculous!  I've been giving her orchid food every month so maybe she'll bloom.

Our grandchild came over Saturday and spent the night.  He made his first trip by himself on BART.  I picked him up at the end of the line and brought him home.  As usual, grandchild and The Big Guy had a great time!

The Big Guy was in the hospital, taken there by paramedics from his appointment at the VA, last week.  So having grandchild visit was especially nice.  Big Guy has developed congestive heart failure!  It is under control and as long as he follows orders he should be OK.  Need to keep him around to build shelves and play with grandchildren and nephews!  On his new salt free diet I have lost two pounds since Saturday.  Better scarf down some GF goodies so I don't loose my grandmotherly figure! :-))

SUNSHINE!

Woke up to sunshine this morning!  It is the first time in almost six weeks the sun has been out first thing in the morning.  What a treat.

As you can see, we have one orange on our tree!  Hate to pick it as it is so pretty.

Yesterday our friend dsfingers came over and helped The Big Guy clear tools and building material out of the Great Room (living room? den?).  It is really nice to see the floor and get to the couch to sit down!  I can reach the window blinds, too.  And, guess what?  They are OPEN!  The guys also taped the drywall on the ceiling and in the process dropped a scattering of plaster or something white all over the carpet.  So now The Big Guy is trying to find the bolt that holds the filter to the shop vac so that stuff can be vacuumed  up.  In the process he punctured his hand with a spiky thing.  Luckily, I'm home, know where the peroxide, antibiotic ointment and bandages are.  So I took a little break from blogging to do the Florence Nightingale wifely duty.


  I have been making "Stars for San Bruno", a project Artquiltmaker and I are sponsoring to make quilts for a family (friends of the grandchild) who lost their house in the San Bruno gas explosion last fall.  I made three friendship stars (the theme is yellow stars on a dark blue field) and wanted to try a different pattern.  I looked on the internet for free patterns and found a compass star that looked like fun to do.  It was a paper pieced pattern.  I enlarged it to 8" and picked fabric and pieced away.  Here is my result.

Imagine my surprise - this no way looks like a star!  I went back to the website and realized this patch is a border piece for the stars.  But that is not what it said.  Bummer.  So, only a little daunted, I went to my 1000 Blocks reference book, found another star pattern (Interlaced Star) and drafted that into an 8" block.  But by then it was late and I was tired so I haven't sewn it yet.  We would appreciate donation of blocks from you for this three quilt project.  E-mail me at peggycrrll@yahoo.com for directions to get your donation to us.

On the quilt repair front, all the blocks have been patched as have the  posts.  I decided not to replace the sashing.  I have started quilting it and realized that while heavy quilting will likely keep the fabric from wearing, it totally changes the feel of the quilt.  It is not as soft and cuddly.  When I realized this I had completed the outside border.  I have done most of the blocks, but not as heavily and still have the posts and sashing to do.  I think Ozzy will be on my list of people to make quilts for.  This repair has almost been a new quilt!

The New Year

The tree is down, the gifts put away and the new resolutions have already gone by the wayside.  It is time to tackle the house again.

But first I have come down to SoCal to visit my mom, Super Granny.  With the price of gas being so high I decided to check out train travel.  What a delight!  Not only was it pleasant but it was also interesting.  I took the "San Joaquin" which travels from Sacramento to Bakersfield.  I boarded in Stockton, twelve miles north of our home.  By the next stop, Modesto, I was very glad I had not driven.  The Valley was rife with the notorious January tule fog.  Until Fresno, about an hour and a half south, I had a four person table to myself.  But at each stop the train loaded more passengers and I Fresno a young attorney sat down opposite me.  At the next stop, two released prisoners from the local state prison boarded (with many other people) and sat at the table on the other side of the aisle.  It was fascinating to talk to the successful young attorney and at the same time listen to the released prisoners.  The younger of the two discussed the crime he went to prison for (grand theft of a cell phone, his second strike) and how he didn't understand why they make him serve two years because his first strike was a juvenile offense.  He didn't seem to get it that theft was wrong.  He was mostly sorry that his mother was upset.  The older parolee had been "saved" and seemed to be mentoring the younger one.  Will keep both of them in my good thoughts with hope for their success in their lives.
What a contrast and how lucky we are who have taken the high road for whatever reason we have (good families, enough money, fear, religious training or luck or...?)

The train terminated in Bakersfield and I transffered to an Amtrak thruway bus which brought me the rest of the way, dropping me in Newhall.  I had asked Super Granny to wait at home for me to call as I got close to Newhall.  When I phoned, there was no answer.  I phoned several times more hoping she just missed the call but there was still no answer.  When I got to the station  I called Homer's dogmother and Super G's neighbor, Marge but her line was busy.  So I called another of Mom's friends and found that Mom had gone for lunch at the Senior Center, which is just up the street from the depot, and had been seen walking around the station.  So I went in search of Mom's car.   I hauled my b--- and all my luggage around two parking lots without luck.  Went back to the station and stood there in a quandary. What now?  Then I noticed a little old lady with a book in her hand.  Viola!  Super G!

I am ashamed to say I gave her a tongue lashing for not doing what I asked.  So she got mad and wouldn't talk to me!  That was old behavior from when I was a teen which I recognized right off! (Growth for me)  So I told her how worried I had been when she didn't answer the phone and then when her friend had seen her at the station but I couldn't find her and I apologized for yelling.  Worked out much better than pouting.

We had a nice evening and she beat me at Upwords.

After enjoying  the week with Mom I traveled home again on the train.  A little excitement in Madera when a car full of youngsters tried to (and actually did) beat the train across the tracks!  The train barely scrapped the car.  The engineer stopped to check for damage.  There was none, thankfully and so we kept going.

I arrived in Stockton right on time but no Big Guy and Pup to pick me up!  I had called from Modesto so I knew he knew I would be arriving.   There were three other passengers whose rides didn't show, too.  We all laughed about it.  After waiting about a half an hour Big Guy and Pup arrived and I got to drive my big truck home.

Train travel is my new mode of transportation!  I loved it. 

Quilt Repair

Ozzy's quilt.

I'm in the middle of repairing, for the second time, the beloved quilt of a dear friend.  Our friend lives at the Community Housing associated with the Livermore Veterans Administration.  More than four years ago the quilt was among a group donated to the vets by unknown (to me), generous quilters.

An original block with two red patches from the last repair.

In my quilting life, I too, have made quilts to be donated to various organizations.  As I worked on Ozzy's quilt I realized that, had the maker known how treasured the quilt would become, she would have done as good a job with the quilting as she did with the piecing.  The blocks and sashing were hand-pieced with beautifully small stitching.  Had the quilting been done as meticulously, this quilt would have lasted much longer than it did.

The sad state of the sashing.

As I mentioned, this is the second time I have repaired this quilt.  Had it originally been quilted densely, instead of quickly, the fabric would not have worn out.  I can see from the wear patterns that light quilting allowed the fabric to move which created friction and eventually holes and tears on the top.

Two blocks I replaced previously with the added X quilt lines.

The last time I fixed Ozzy's quilt I quilted an X on each block. That bit of quilting kept the new blocks from wearing.  But the original blocks continued their downward spiral, even with the X quilting.

 

 I did not, last time, quilt any of the sashing.  This time much of the sashing needs repair.

So, you might be thinking, why don't I just make him a new quilt?  There are three reasons: he loves this quilt, it is faster to repair, and I have fourteen WIPs* in my line-up.  The good thing, for me, is that I know, next time I make a quilt to be donated, I will do a better job of quilting.  Sometimes donation quilts are our personal rejects and we don't spend the time on them we should.  But think of the recipients, often they are children who may have lost everything in a fire, or have been abused and are being removed from their home and all they are familiar with.  Or, like Ozzy, live in a nursing home environment where few personal possessions are allowed.  These donated quilts mean a lot to people, are well loved and much used.  The quilts and their recipients deserve our best as our quilt gifts are valued by their new owners.

Patching an existing block

I replaced most of this block. The upper right corner is original.

It is awaiting quilting.

*WIP: Work in progress; replaces the negative connotation of UFO, unfinished objects.

Necktie Christmas Tree Skirt

A couple of months before Christmas I was reading a magazine and saw a pattern for a tree skirt made from men's neckties.  I didn't keep the pattern or remember where I saw it.  But how hard could it be, I thought.  I have tons of neckties, a good little sewing machine and ingenuity soooooo.....

I started by cutting a circle about an inch and a half wide out of tag board.  I folded the ties around the circle and pinned them.  When the circle was full I sewed the neckties to the tag board.  It got quite clumsy as more ties were added.  Additionally, the ties wouldn't stay straight!

But I did get them together and laid the circle over the tree base (and stuck the tree top in the base).  My favorite critic, Roxy, contemplated the result.

After a few minutes, she decided that it looked O.K.  I thought that it needed more ties but didn't feel like grappling with the mess anymore.

We finished putting the tree together and you can see the results of this little experiment below.

We sit and look at the tree all the time and discuss ways to improve on this (pathetic) tree skirt!  Stay tuned, more to come - next Christmas!

Decorating for Christmas

Quite by accident we found this lovely 8 foot artificial tree at the Salvation Army store. As is usually the case, we weren't shopping for a tree. But it was there, The Big Guy talked the clerk down to $38 and we went home with my pick-up bed full of greenery.


It was relatively easy to put together. The only problem was that we couldn't find our decorations! I lent them to the grandchild's household last year but didn't leave them there. I made a(nother 82 mile, $11 in tolls) trip to storage to look there. After going through about 20 boxes, I found two that said 'xmas decs' and took them home. Roxy and I posed in front of the tree when Big Guy finished getting it up.

In those boxes were some of my candlesticks, which I put up on the mantle.
I had previously found my two Christmas lego sets - Santa and four reindeer (no Rudolph!) and the Nativity scene. There was also a little, wind-up train set. I drug out an old chest and covered it with red felt and set up the legos there. SB daughter came by for dinner and brought flowers. I put them on the chest, too.

I really enjoyed decorating the tree this year. It has been eight years since we have had a tree. We were going to put the train around it, may still - it is only the 13th after all!



I think beginning my Christmas shopping would be a good idea, now!

The newspaper and other thoughts

The Big Guy recently subscribed to the local newspaper for me. I enjoy reading the paper and the one I had subscribed to didn't really include enough local news to satisfy me. The Bulletin is almost totally local news. It drives me crazy! Not the local news part but the writing. The Managing Editor is the king of run-on sentences and misplaced modifiers! Doesn't he have grammar check on his computer????? I want to sit with a red pen when I read the paper! And then I want to mail the corrections back to him! Maybe I could get a job at the editorial desk.

It's raining again. The difference this time is we finally got everything that is still outside covered up today, before the rain started. It is supposed to rain through Monday. Can you say 'grim', anyone?

Speaking of raining, The "It's Raining Dogz and Catz" (aka The Red) sketchbook is well on its way to being done. I am all the way to the perforated pages.

Best Buds and Cherry - more granddogs

BEST BUDS - REDDOG AND NIXON

Red is now my oldest granddog, and, don't tell the others, my favorite. His best friend is Nix a VERY LARGE 14" Standard Beagle (with papers). He surpassed 14" at about six months! I used two photos to draw this because the dogs wouldn't pose for me - what a surprise! Again I did a light drawing with pencil and went over it with colored pencils. Wanted to use gouache but because my studio is in the throes of moving (e.g. a total mess!) I couldn't find them.

CHERRY

Cherry is the smallest of my granddogs. She is a feisty Maltese who loves to get in my daughter's purse and go shopping. Black and/or white dogs are very difficult to draw. I really like the line drawing I have done of Cherry. I think it catches her personality and my feelings for her. I sketched the drawing lightly in pencil first and then went over it with a silver watercolor pencil. The darks are graphite pencil.

I only have ten pages left in The Red Sketchbook unless I want to go back and draw on the backs of pages. I don''t really like to do that as it damages the drawings on the front, especially with the paper in this sketchbook. I am thinking about decorating the cover but that is the last the last thing I will do. Possibly use my dog and cat rubber stamps. Will see........

Catching up

LINCECUM, POSEY AND THE POES

I haven't posted in a while. Have been obsessed with the baseball playoffs and the World Series (Hurray Giants!) and of course, still trying to get all our stuff moved :(

The other day I unpacked some of my art stuff and found my plaster hand and my wooden hand models. So I named them! The plaster hand with the ball is Lincecum and the wooden hand is Posey! The POES are all of apaperaddicts plants which are visiting me for a couple of weeks. There is also a really cool mirror frame (I broke the mirror moving it) on the upper right that she made, too. Hard to see as the light is bad.

HOUSES ABOVE WILLIE THE CLOWN

This wonderful painting was done by apaperaddict earlier this year (pardon me but am having trouble with color/fonts tonight!). It is also visiting me for a while and I thought the safest place for it was on the wall. Besides, I like to look at it! The Willie the clown doll is a character of Emmett Kelly, a famous 1950's clown. I won the doll when I was about 12 at our church fiesta!

SHARON AND AURORA

I have been drawing and will catch you up on all of the ones I have done. This is my good friend, Sharon and her cat Aurora. Aurora wouldn't cooperate with the photography so Sharon had to hold her. Aurora and Roxy are pals. Roxy loves to visit and play in Aurora's large backyard.

RUBY BLUE EYE

This is a picture of the last dog I had before Roxy. I had her in the eighties. She was so much fun and she had a sense of humor! If you want a fun and challenging, energetic dog get a Basset Hound! Bassets are really good with children, too.
Ruby had one blue eye and one brown eye, a fault in dog show circles but a talking point in the world of pets. She also had the longest tongue in the world! I couldn't leave anything on the table or counters unless I wanted her to have it!

MARSHMALLOW KITTIES AND A CANDY KISS DOG

I watched a program on TV with the grandchild where an artist encouraged kids to draw and gave them an assignment. The assignment was to draw marshmallows. I adapted it to fit into my sketchbook. (can't turn off the italics!)

JUST SKETCHING

This is a page of messing around. What a sketchbook is about, after all.

???

I call this blue tongue for lack of a better name. I was still messing around and came up with this wonky dog.

R.I.P. COOCHIE

This is my late granddog, Coochie. He was an old, black Newf who had had lots of hip trouble and finally got to the point where he couldn't manage anymore. His doggy brothers and sisters miss him as do his human companions.

Another view of Lincecum, Posey and the POEs. This space is the top of my dresser and is usually a serene altar.

I took all these pictures with my webcam as my camera is out of commission currently. I am trying to ignore my desire for a new phone that has a camera in it. It would be less to carry around and maybe I could get one with a real keyboard. Looked at them today and saw two that I might like... That should go on the bottom of my list but it just doesn't want to!