Bits & Snippets

I'm working steadily on my second piece for the online Katie Pasquini Masopust class.  So far, so good.  I was so very proud of my sea urchin shell...

 I fussy cut the fabric, prepped it, and put it together with 10 segments.

 I was thrilled with the results, until I showed it to my husband.  He thought it was an umbrella.  My son asked, "A pin cushion?"  groan

 It turns out that my boys don't know what a sea urchin shell looks like.  Here is a real one, next to my fabric one.  Now, what do you think?  Close, right?

 Next on my list is a conch.  I'm hoping to get it finished today.

Goals are good!

A Few More Littles

 I made and mailed three more cards.  Once again, you'll have to trust me on that.  I forgot to take pictures of all of them.  Here are the two I remembered to record.

 I finished this little seascape, and did a really poor job of facing it.  I am not happy with the swooping corners or the woobles, but it's done.  And it's for a demo, so it's a demo of how NOT to finish a quilt.  ;)

 Then again, I really like the beaded accents.  :)

I've started work on a design for quilt #2 for the Katie Pasquini Masopust online class I'm currently enrolled in.  The only thing I have to share at this point, is that it will include sea shells.

I washed some fabric that I bought at Best of the Valley back in April.

 I also discovered yet another collection of oceany fabrics.  I'm not even sure why I'd set them aside.  My stack of choices for future seascapes has doubled, if not tripled in size.  I could make these things for months to come and still have fabric leftover.

Other than that?  I've been hunkering down indoors, trying to pretend that the long stretch of triple digit temperatures is imaginary.

I'll leave you here, with a few more images from Oceanside:

 yep.

There's something about the beach that soothes the savage beast.

The ocean...and quilting.
Happy Summer!

To Oceanside, and Back

SO much has happened in the past three weeks.!  I'm not even sure where to begin.  I guess the best would be at the beginning.

On July 2, I had a MOHS procedure on my face, to remove a Basal Cell tumor.  I knew the "spot" was bigger than what showed, but the resulting suturing on my face?  Sixteen stitches.  My son asks, "Knife fight?"  Friends say, "It will fade."  It's still swollen and somewhat numb.  I'm assured that when the hidden two layers of dissolvable stitches finally do, "it will be a faint line."  Oh, how I hope so.  The current disfigurement, and it is that, catches my breath every time I glance at a mirror.  oh my.

So, anyway, on the heels of the surgery, we had already reserved a week in Oceanside, right on the beach.  I thought my husband would join me, but he had to go back to work.  He stayed less than 48 hours of the week I was there.

And, since I couldn't go into the sun because of the medications, I was trapped in my room for days.  Good thing I brought my sewing machine and projects along, right?  Actually, when my husband was with me, we did venture out to the beach for an hour, and into a couple of thrift stores.

I found this great stained glass lamp for the kids for $35.  I paid more than 10 times that, for the one hanging in my house!  (I am smiling, in both pictures.  I was so swollen you can't tell.)

 Once hubby headed back to the Valley, I set up shop.  I was upstairs, with little ventilation, other than the sliding glass door.  It was in the upper 80's the entire week, which is pretty toasty, without a/c.

 Here is my sewing/pressing station, with projects scattered about the room.

 Here is the cutting table, finally organized.  By this time, it was almost time to head home!

But I did get a lot put together, inspired by the view.  I took LOTS of pictures.

 Sometimes it was hazy, sometimes smoky (fire at Camp Pendleton),

 And on the last day?  Perfection!!

These were the first two pieces that I worked on.

 The piece on the left didn't flow properly.  I folded it this way and that, to see if I could salvage it.  Once I found a proportion that worked, I cut it apart and sewed it back together again.  Much better!

 Here are two more pieces.  The one on the left is new, the one on the right is the same one from above.  I thought the pieces of Tahitian bark cloth were great, but once I tried to applique them in place?  Not so great.  I had to take them off.  They looked tacky, due to poor workmanship (from poor eyesight).

 Here are three more.  I told you I was busy!!

And then I made cards, as well.  And chose fabrics for more seascapes.  I may be addicted to this!

 These are the only two that I have finished from that week at the ocean.  I've been working on cards, and finished one this morning, but mailed it before I remembered to take a picture.  groan.  You'll have to trust me on that.

In other news, someone dumped another dog out at the walnuts.  He's about 3 months old, was skin and bones, and covered with ticks.  Now that he's cleaned up and fed, he's making himself at home with the other dogs.

 Everyone's guess is that he's a husky.  He's got crazy light blue eyes, and a sweet attitude.  Just what the doctor ordered!!

And speaking of sweet, we wouldn't want to forget about our local cutie pie.

She's eating green beans and blueberries in this pic.  And she pulls herself up to stand all the time, and crawls faster than we can keep up with her.

So.  Sorry this was such a long post, but life has been good.  Busy.  But good.
Happy Quilting!!