Staying at Home

 The above picture was taken in 2011, as I worked to hand quilt this queen-sized quilt.  This particular quilt has lived for YEARS in the UFO pile.  Last week, I picked it up.  I've gradually been working my way across it.  At the rate I am quilting, I hope to have it finished by April 30.  Goals are good.

 I made a second set of masks.  The smaller masks are for one DIL, the larger are for another.  I'm hopeful that they will fit.  If not, I will move on to making masks with ties, since I've run out of elastic.  I definitely have plenty of batiks available to make many more masks.

 Instead of adding the scraps to the scrap pile, I turned some into a birthday card (above).  A few weeks ago, I cut up a worn piece of embroidery to make a butterfly card (below).  I mailed them both yesterday.  And then I started some new cards.  I'm hopeful that some will be finished and mailed today.  Goals are good.

Things here are pretty quiet.  Husband still goes to work everyday, as Ag workers are essential.  Same with one son.  One DIL has been furloughed, though she is in a health-related field.  Those of us staying at home are spending time cleaning and organizing and the like.

But, for the most part?  I'm digging through my stash of fabrics and UFO's, and trying to make a dent.
Hope you are staying safe and sane.  Be well, and let's continue to illustrate what a good investment quilting is.  Goals are good.

Quiet Week

With the quilt show on postponement, I found several hours last week in which to sew.  I spent some time making masks for my DIL, who is a licensed social worker in the medical field.  Each day she interacts with patients.  She has been understandingly concerned.  They seemed a bit large for her, but I've yet to have a chance to make more.  Perhaps today.

 I attacked another UFO, which had been untouched for maybe 5 or 6 years.  The outer border is actually a reddish violet, lighter than it shows in the image.

 I've had a break from sewing this week, as I had surgery on Monday.  The hospital was eerily quiet, with no visitors allowed.  I came home on Tuesday, and have been keeping quiet.  Easy enough, with the prohibition on getting out and about.

It rained for several days, and now the gingko trees are pushing leaves.  Ahhh, the promise of Spring.

 And finally, my iris are putting on a show.  Love, love, love being here to enjoy them.

I have pulled out an OLD handquilting project.  It is the next easiest item on my UFO list to tackle.  I'm not to lift anything over 10 lbs, so UFO's in bins are going to have to sit idle for a while.

I do hope that you are staying safe.  It's a crazy time around the world to be sure.  I am thankful to be a quilter.  I do not expect to become bored, no matter how long this Stay at Home order stays in place.  I have more than enough to keep me busy.

Happy Quilting!

STAY AT HOME

Well, what better hobby/obsession to have than to be a quilter?  How long have you personally been looking for some extra quilting time?  Looks like we all have it, whether we want it or not, that is if you live in California.

I spent the first part of the week sending out notifications that Best of the Valley Quilt Show, originally scheduled for April, has been rescheduled for October 9-11.  The response has been very positive.  It does my heart good to know that people did NOT want it to be cancelled altogether.  We have a LOT of support from the quilting community.  Thank you!!

After finishing the bulk of the notifications, I took a few hours on Wednesday and Thursday to work on a UFO.  It's been hanging in my closet for over a year.  It required about 2 hours of quilting and then binding to finish it up.  And here you go, my first COVID19 UFO finish:

I still have 38 UFO's on my list.  That is more than enough to keep me busy for a long, long time.

This particular quilt was put together with one set of blocks from a two-block mystery quilt.  The blocks were made sometime in the 90's.  When I sewed them together, the result was hideous.  I took them all apart, and separated the blocks.  I believe this is the third quilt I've made from that particular project.

hmmm.  I wonder if I have digital pictures of the first two?  hmmm.  Seems not.  Maybe scanning more old-school photographs is something I can do if I find that I have idle hands as we wait out this emergency.

Last Friday, I probably went to the last local estate sale for a long time.  I bought 200 skeins of DMC perle cotton.  There were no duplicates in the bunch.  When there were two of one color, there was one skein of size 3, one skein of size 5.

 Finally, the pandemic has had no effect on my iris garden.  The buds are beginning to pop, and their beauty is enough to calm the most frantic heart beat.

Be wise, be safe, stay healthy...

And get some quilting done!  :D

Abundance of Caution

Now that's a phrase going around a lot these days.  Close this, close that, do not congregate.

What is a person to do, when planning a quilt show scheduled to take place in one month? With announcements of closures happening every time you turn your head, how does one make an informed decision?  If Spain is closing their entire country, following in the steps of Italy?  Well, does that make the decision to shut down any easier?  I just don't know.

We're meeting this week, to discuss our options.  Once we've come to a decision, we will be notifying our competitors, sponsors, vendors...but how do we get word out to the show-goers?  We have a page on Facebook, but not everyone has found Best of the Valley Quilt Show.

sigh.
'Tis a quandary, to be sure.

In other news, I finished the little bird quilt, and took a terrible picture of it.  I call it "Sing For Joy."

I think he turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

Other than that bit of sewing?  I've been thinking about the quilt show, pretty much day in and day out.  We will have a plan before April 1, though what it might be?  I just don't know.

In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy.  Aren't you glad that if you're anything like me, you have enough quilting supplies to keep you occupied at home for a long long time, should it come to that?

yep.  I am very glad that I am a quilter.  My husband?  If he ends up stuck at home?  Is going to climb the walls, because we don't have one single solitary dairy cow anywhere on our property.  huh.  Maybe he can take up quilting?

Stay healthy!!

woohoo!

I received an email late last week, from M-AQF Mancuso, regarding my quilt, "Sunset Stroll."  woohoo!!  It was awarded Best Handworkmanship at last week's show.  I am thrilled!

The entry deadline for the Best of the Valley Challenge, "Seasons," is March 15.  I've started mine, it features a little bird.  I'm basing the quilt on a picture I took at Asilomar, at least 5 years ago.  I heard this LOUD bird song, and looked around and around.  There was a tiny little thing on a hedge, singing for all he was worth.  He was definitely worthy of a quilt.

This picture doesn't do the blue justice.  It is really spectacular.

Okay, well, this little piece is not quilting itself.  I'd best get back to work.
Happy Quilting!