Kaleidoscope, dark corners and something NEW

 

If you add DARK corners to the outside Kaleidoscope block, the entire "look" of a regular Kaleidoscope is altered.

I added the fused triangles to the one piece border when it seemed the border needed something extra.  Fused triangles are difficult to piece onto other triangles.  Live and Learn.

Backing fabric was perfect.  I'm going back for another 6 yards for another project.  

My "old" Janome 6500 just could no longer be fixed for free-motion quilting, altho is does regular sewing perfectly.  After trying out a number of other machines, until I was just plain discouraged and/or confused, my dealer suggested the Janome 6700P, which is pretty close to the 6500, but with a  nice     W   I   D   E   10 -inch bed.  

Yeaaaaa -- Perfectly wonderful, out of the gate!  I'm happy.  This block is from a book - yes, I actually used a pattern - Rock that Quilt Block by Linda Hahn & Deborah Stanley.  This star is one of many crown/star arrangements from almost the same design, yet colored in many ways to suggest different designs.   I wanted a block that filled up the 12 in. space, and I also came up with 20 different star designs.  They blend because of general shape and/or fabrics.   Corners were pp'ed and made that secondary design when the sashing was inserted between blocks.   

Where have I been?  right here, teaching, sewing and quilting, a little mentoring, running a household, keeping up the yard, etc.,  moving furniture, just like the rest of you.  It's been 4 long years since DH passed - still very difficult to be without him.  

 

Another Quarter Log Cabin

 

Quarter Log Cabin in Blue .  Friend Linda "cleaned up her sewing space before company arrived" and donated a LOT of lovely blue fabrics to the FREE TABLE at our local All Day Sew.  I snatched it up and 2 months later it turned into this!  Thank you Linda.  I added the background blue-gray .  Note the unexpected lavendar strips!  This is the 3rd or 4th Quarter Log Cabin I've made.  Size is approx. 70 x 82.  I added a faux flange binding.  

The back.  I am practicing with rulers.  

Plaid Pleasures was made from real left-over fabric from real shirts I've made over many years.  NO SHIRTS were cut up.  The unexpected "spools" was a nice surprise.  

Back.  Size is approx. 56 x 73.   LOVE the colors, but I did toooooo much quilting and am unhapy with the end result altho ... "from a galloping horse...".   Live and Learn.

Hopefully I will post more frequently.  This last summer was totally lost due to having an old body inside an active mind!  Get your mammograms - the  advances in medical technology makes some "repairs" almost simple altho time-consuming.  

Kaleidoscope Variation, Quarter Log Cabins, Star Quilt

 Just playing with variations.  mmm how to border it ???  Kinda "heavy" with so much action.  I wanted to make the star main focus, but perhaps plain wedges would have been better.  Live and learn.  

A BONANZA from the FREE TABLE at All Day Sew!  This one is gonna be stunning!!!!!!!

New railing on new deck is PERFECT for showing off quilts!  The quarter log cabin is NOT the same as the above quarter log cabin.  I've made FIVE Quarter Log Cabins!  Wowsa - a perfect project for  those scraps.   

Not sure if I ever posted this.  Note there are dark stars, AND light stars.  

Close up of quilting on my DSM.

I'm still here - just busy with living!  Still quilting a lot, and home AND BODY maintenance is taking more time and needing more attention!  I happily discovered the Blogger changes made things easier.   

Almost the last Home Improvement

THINK PINK -  This was made up by All Day Sew friends, from gifted PINKS.  Some of the sewists wanted to learn a little about QAYGo, and also String Quilting, so many contributed to this project, while learning.  This will be donated to our annual Quilt Show.  It turned out well and several of the sewists are already thinking about it's purchase!

Kaleidoscope Quilt in Blue made up in a few days, after being asked to present a Trunk Show and lesson, so I wanted something fresh and new. 

 AND if you've visited me previously, you might notice -- ta dahhhh, new deck!  It took a while to get it started, the old top pulled off, and we salvaged what was possible.  This is composite material, deck is 14' x 22', not a small project but what a nice improvement!  And NO painting, staining, treatments, nada is the plan.  

I also have a pre-existing Sunsetter awning to the right of the photo, keeping out summer sun and also giving the space the feeling of an extra room.  I have fed 6 people seated under that awning, when it was rainng and no one got wet!  With Nebraska wind, I must keep an eye on the awning.  

Like many of you, spring is a busy time with gardening, lawns, improvements, fixing what became broken over winter, there is a LOT to do, outside of Blogging!  That darned 30 channels on the TV (as well as ME) is also partly to blame for not posting anything new.  

I am adding a few "new deck" photos so my family can also see.  

The stair railing units looked just like the deck railing units and we only "discovered" the vertical stairway rails were hinged for whatever angle was neeed - what a timesaver and great idea.  The local lumberyard was most helpful and agreeable to solve minor supply issues and purchase errors.  I had no idea almost EVERYTHING came with the order.  Before I made the final purchase, carpenter Brian, the lumberyard ordering guy and me all met at the same time to finalize the unknowns.  This was an extremely helpful meeting. 

All the work was done by Brian, same carpenter who installed my kitchen improvements.  He has an "arty" air about him that I like!  Thank you Brian - you did a beautiful job!

Yesterday, I actually painted the posts that holds it all up!  Ohhhh, that getting up and down was somethin' else!

hmmmm - that space around the base would be perfect for a garden of some sort.  Nothing grows under my evergreen so perhaps a rock garden or .... ????  my sister said I'd come up with another job so perhaps ???? 

New Challenges

 

Wow - trying to find where my photos got downloaded is a new trial! 

 G'daughter asked me to make her a Hawaiian quilt - a new kind of quilt project, so I found this book of patterns, altho these are not the colors she is wanting, it's a beginning.  She lives 6 hours from me, so that's another challenge and she is not familiar with sewing.   I'm going to start in June when we have a Guild class for this project, and then I'll make simply one block for a pillow. and see how it goes.  The plan calls for needleturn applique but that might tire quickly and I may fall back to fusible applique. 
 
Winter was just plain demanding this year -  SHOVELING was repeated too many times and sometimes it was called XXXX SHOVELING!   I finished this "I Spy" quilt - it looks a lot like previous ones.  This is for a great grandchild, now over 2 years old.  Oh dear.  

You may remember a quarter log cabin quilt I finished about a year ago, that had strips in it that I learned after it was finished, that they would bleed.  Fear kept me from washing it but finally, last weekend I put my big girl panties on and washed it in the washer, gentle, with mild homemade soap, plus a quarter cup of Dawn and 2 color catchers and happily, the quilt washed beautifully, with NO bleeding to be seen.  The Color Catchers were only mildly soft pink.  (I'm at a loss to find the photos now somewhere on this computer. )

All is well with me - just taking care of  everything takes more time and energy than I expected.  Plus, I was gifted membership in a multitude of  wonderful TV and Internet Channels which have been a terrible temptation!   Every quilt video ever made is available!   Plus other subjects I never dreamed wouild be so interesting when you see it on the big screen TV.   I am weak and sitting too much but can't seem to turn it off!!!  

Two quilting friends and I are preparing quilt instruction classes for Adult Ed.  This should redirect me and may help more folks learn some quilting techniques.  

My sewing machine goes to the repair shop Monday - Machine quilting that is just not "doing".  It worked fine on the "I Spy Quilt" that finished 2 days earlier, but today on a Pineapple Quilt, no cooperation at all.  Go figure!  8-(

Latest kid QAYG.  Batting squares aland backings were already cut and counted, kid-like prints were all in one place.  Life is good.   It went together in about one month.  

A little closer.  I made 4 blocks at a time, wanting each group of 4 to look similar to each other.  There was NO effort to "matching" seams perfectly.   This quilt was so much fun to make ... fun for ME!  Each unit of 4 features at least one a cute kid print.   Perfect for games with cousins, siblings, parents, grannies, etc.   And some of the fabrics are from BLOGGERS!  

The back, with 1-inch folded strips - thank you to the bias/tape maker.  

Below ... Best thing since sliced bread.  This gadget is often called a bias tape maker but I used regular SOGrain strips.  There are 5 sizes in this purchase which was very affordable - I remember $8.00 for all.  I LOVE a good tool.  You simply slide the strip into the gadget, pull thru with a pin,  and it comes out folded and you place your iron onto the newly folded strip. Each strip is DONE in a matter of seconds.  I'm trying to invent new ways to use it!  It was close to perfect each time, and even with a seam in the strip, the gadget only complained a bit and was simple to tidy up the seam area, and NO BURNED fingers.  Then I sewed the strips down over the quilt's exposed seams, leaving neat, visible quilting strips on the front. Very quick, neat and tidy.   

I've made a LOT of kid's QAYG quilts, LOVE the process, and am slowly learning which method is better for which reason. A person has to try many and decide for self.   With this project.  I used the same size of batting as  the block and backing, which meant a lot of bulk in those corners on the back.  Next time I will cut the batting smaller which will result in less bulk.  I'm going to wash the quilt today to soften up that bulky joint.  

Happy quilting everyone!

I'm still here!

 

* This QOV was donated, as well as 2 kids quilts 

* I made a LOT of zip pouches until zipper stash was depleted.  

* Made a pleasant drive (2 days) by myself to Indiana to surprise my sister who was making a rest stop in Indiana, on her way from Canada to Florida.  She WAS surprised and due to my weight loss and new, long never-previously-seen curly hair, she didn't reognize me!  It's been a long time since we last had seen each other. 

* Picked up a girlfriend on the way home from Indiana to my home in western Nebraska.

* We also, both picked up SUPAVIRUS from somewhere that was NOT fun, and required one ambulance/hospital trip.

* Friend picked up Covid immediately after flying home to Illinois.

* Lived thru 2 major snow storms.

* Survived 8 days of the first storm, with NO TV, no Wi-fi and sporadic cell phone.  Fortunately I didn't lose power, but I WAS rapidly losing courage!  Perhaps we had 10-12 inches of snow.  

* Started a new quilt during this time named  "-20 Degrees and No WiFi".    It's currently a WIP on my design floor, blocks almost all made.    

* Shoveled  (yes, me, at my age!) 4 separate times during the first storm, temps below zero  and winds that blew it all back.  Obviously, I could not navigate to my usual Wellness Center for needed exercise.

* Replaced a near-dead battery .

* Cancelled my planned Christmas trip to extreme northeast Nebraska due to dangerous cold and snow and numerous road closures into unknown location.  It was a blessing that I had NOT taken that  Christmas trip with a bad battery.  

* Shoveled my walk and sidewalk at least 4 times with second snowfall of 8-10 inches?? , altho a kind "someone" did it several times as well.

* Shoveled my car out twice myself and one time by a kind neighbor with a huge snowblower.  I was sorry I had sold my own snowblower.

* Got stuck only one time in the alley, and was miracously shoveled out within minutes by 2 angels with shovels who suddenly appeared out of nowhere!  8-)))   

The above list of "what did you do all that time?" is pretty boring but I enjoy my own blog posts and might need a reminder!  ...and it's only January.