Easter Eggs

 As I was trying to update the blog layout, I realized I neglected to show you the Easter Egg postcards taht I made for my grandchildren.  Here they are:

The backs were indicators (to me) of who they went to.  I later wrote their names on them, along with the year.

I'm sure I've missed a lot more post material over the past month.  Sorry about that!!

Busy, busy!

Birthday Cards

 A couple of weeks ago, I had cataracts surgery, so I haven't been doing a lot of sewing.  I finished the Jean Impey class, but only have 9 stars on my design wall.  I'm not sure if/when I will get back to them.  There's so much to do, and I seem to be lacking time to get things done.

But yesterday, I took the time to make a couple of birthday cards.  My middle son, when asked what he wanted for his birthday, replied, "World Peace."  yeah, yeah, okay.  He's said this before.  I made a card similar to the one I gave him the last time he said he wanted World Piece.  Here is this year's card:

It should fit with the first World Piece, though I'm not sure what kind of map it will create.  In looking at the fabric, it does not seem to have the entire world, just a small portion of it, repeated again and again.  oh well.

The other card I made is for my oldest granddaughter.  Her tenth birthday is next week.  I can't believe she is ten years old.  wow!

And that's all I've got for now.  Hopefully my eyes will settle and I will become more productive as I get used to seeing intense colors.  I am amazed by how washed out I'd thought the world had become.  

Happy Quilting!!

Be Mine, Valentine(s)

 For a change, I realized that Valentine's Day was quickly approaching...in early February.  I made plans to make valentines for my grandchildren, then realized I was running out of time.  Quick!!  Stitch those hearts!

Above shows the tops, below are the backs.  There is a bunny, for P, who was born in the year of the rabbit.  There are puppies for A, who LOVES dogs.  There are street signs for truck-loving J, books for F, and balls for the youngest, H.  Hopefully each will recognize his/her own valentine.  If not, I will.

Not wanting their parents to feel overlooked, I also made cards for my sons and their wives.  The boys will be here for breakfast with the children.  Two of the wives will be absent because of work.

As with the cards for the grands, I went with themed backgrounds.  Patriotic for A, cowgirl for A; strawberries for M, wood for A; woods for M, and measuring sticks for D.  A well-rounded bunch, for sure!

As I was sewing, I ran across this red background for a card, which I began in December.  I decided to finish it off as a valentine-ish birthday card for a friend.  I usually make winter-themed cards for her, since her birthday is in early February.  This one is quite different.

On Friday, I took part 1 of a Zoom class with Jean Impey.  The class is called "Twinkle," and it focuses on making Liberated Stars.  My design wall already had a UFO in residence.  hmmm.  These seem to play well together.  I wonder if they'll end up as a single piece?

Yesterday, I realized that with all of the valentines I'd already made, I'd yet to make one for my Valentine.  I spent the morning piecing this little house (the color of our big house), and trying to personalize it a bit.  Each year, I make a valentine for him.  You can see more of them here.  I'm sure I had another post with ALL of the valentines I've made for my husband, but apparently I neglected to tag it.  sigh.

In other news, I went to an estate sale on Friday, and had happy hunting.  I found this cement pagoda, that reminds me of my mom.  She had one similar, in her front yard.

I also found this pair of iris lamps.  I bought them for Cambria House, but may end up keeping them here.  I really like them!

And speaking of Cambria House, work continues.  I pulled up carpet last week, and found that the floor beneath the window is squishy and falling.  Not only does it need to be replaced, but the subflooring as well.  But first, the foundation.

All in all, the vacation home will be an adventure.  It may look like the above today, but that will change.  In contrast, it is a mile or two from the ocean, which also changes...but is always there, should we wish to visit.

And with that, I've got a breakfast to assemble before heading off to church.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This n That

 Ahhh.  Another post before the end of the month.  That is good news, because it means that I've spent at least a few minutes communing with my sewing machine.  I don't have a lot to show, but I have finished a few quiltlets and postcards.

First, the postcards:

For these sets, I cut up a panel, added a back, and zigzagged around the edges.

This one was made from scraps in my scrap pile.

These quiltlets were quilted and embellished, before adding the self-binding backing.

Yesterday, we celebrated two birthdays.  One for Henley, one for her mama.

Other than that, last weekend, I hit another estate sale.  I do love to find good embroidery, and I'm a sucker for pillowcases.

And these Sunbonnet Sues?  What was the quilter thinking, when she chose that orange for the arms?  What was it called?  Coppertone QT?  for quick tan?  In high school, I remember a lot of girls with that bright orange skin.  Then again, I do not remember them dressing like this!

Finally, I found 5 beautifully embroidered basket blocks, sporting pink ribbons.  I'm hopeful that they will wash up beautifully.  I might also put them in Retroclean, if the background remains discolored.

And I guess that's going to do it.  I am happy to report that I've been interacting with fabric.  I'm hopeful, that with the holidays ahead, I'll get even more studio time in the not too distant future.

Happy Quilting!

And, It's September

 Talk about the days rolling by with no signage.  It's hard to know which day of the week it is, let along which month.  I don't know about you, but I seem to have hit a bit of a malaise.  Without deadlines, it's hard to stay motivated to do anything.  sigh.  I've been reading a lot, not sewing much.

This past month, I've finished a few cards.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of all of them.  Here are some of the highlights:

They are all birthday cards, for friends and family.  I like the palm tree on the last one.  It was carved from a coconut shell.

I've also made a few postcards:

This is the only one finished and sent.

Yesterday, I made some masks.  It turns out that the first masks that I made were defective.  I used the elastic I had on hand, and it recently lost its stretch.  I guess it's good that it lasted this long.  Who would have thought we'd still be wearing them?

Other than that?  I've been doing a lot of babysitting, and not much else.  I am hopeful that I will post more, because I will have more to post.  But for now?  Who wants a selfie of me reading?

Hopefully, you have all been more productive than I!

Happy Quilting!

Where do the days go?

I can't believe it is mid-July and has been WEEKS since I last posted.  How is that even possible?  In June, I guess we tried to make up for what we'd missed out on in March, April, and May.  Now that it's July?  We're back under wraps.  ugh.

Back in June, we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary in Cambria.  What a lovely weekend!!  We ate in restaurants and stayed in a hotel and had a fabulous time!

 We walked up and down three different beaches, and had a delightful time in the 66 degrees.  At home, it was 107.

 We drove north of San Simeon to see the elephant seals.  Do these guys know how to snooze or what?  No social distancing here!!

 A nose only a mother could love. 

It took all month, but I finally finished some postcards that were begun in May.

 I mailed them out in June, but to date?  I've only heard from 3 people that they were received.  odd.  One arrived yesterday.  wow.  Almost 2 weeks from CA to CO.  What's with that?

 I also took the time to bake a few blackberry cobblers.  I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  Simple and delicious.  Or simply delicious.

Finally, I continue to work on my hand quilting project.  Quilt, quilt, quilt.  I'm not yet halfway through, though I try to quilt each day.  So far, July has been less than productive.  Oh well.  I've posted today, so that's something, right?

Stay healthy and enjoy life!!
Until next time.

Blursday

Well, Easter has come and gone, in a manner reminiscent of Christmas after the Grinch's visit.  It came without family, it came without congregating, it came without fancy clothes, it came without a feast, and yet?  It came just the same, via Zoom and online sermons and multi-family Facetime.  Indeed, He is risen!

I finished the fifth and final installment of the Mystery quilt, designed by Material Girlfriends, and shared by Calico Mermaid.  I altered the piecing of the second block, so my border blocks are unusual, and not according to design.  The colors are more vibrant than this shows, in gorgeous tropical batiks.

One step involved trimming the blocks from 9" to 8".  I used the trims to make these Easter cards for the grands.

 I thought about embroidering their initials, then decided to put my collection of Tsukineko inks to good use.  I was pleased with the results (and the ease with which they were reached!)

I made a few more masks, for family and friends, but I've put mask making on the back burner for a few days.

I continue to work on the hand quilted quilt from the early 90's.  I am hopeful that the quilting will be finished before the end of the month.  Goals are good!  I have 7 strips of color to complete.  Each strip is composed of 8" blocks, so, well, that's still a lot of blocks that need quilting.

I have to say that my days are consumed with stitching and working in the garden.  Without these hobbies?  I suppose my house would be a lot cleaner.  With them?  The house is still in the same state it was in when we first began the Stay at Home.

If I ever make it through my stash and finish my UFO's, I promise.  I'll focus on the house.

hahahaha!!

Stay safe, my friends, and take it one day at a time.
Happy Quilting!

Successful Retreat

 This past weekend was our Valley Oak Quilt Guild retreat at Wonder Valley.  wonderful!!  Four days of sewing...no laundry, no cooking.  Absolute bliss!  Fewer people than usual attended, so that meant that those of us who were there had plenty of space.  Here is my workspace:  an 8' table, plus my Sew-Ezi table to hold my machine.

 I always have trouble deciding what to bring.  I brought 4 boxes of thread, along with BINS full of fabric and projects.  Deciding what to work on is always a challenge.

The first thing I did was finish three postcards that have been half-done on my sewing table for  months.

 The above card was made using a linen purchased at an estate sale.  I think it came out very cute.

 These next two were leftovers from various projects.  I love using the scraps, rather than tossing them.

I also finished Day's End, my umbrellas quilt.  I redid the facing, and it looks square now.  It's still too small for any AQS show, but it makes me happy, and that's the main reason for quilting, right?  right!

 The quilt was based on my photo, taken in Oceanside, CA, a few years ago.  I was very careful with my machine quilting, but in the close-up?  I suddenly notice a tension error.  grrr.  It's just going to have to be fine, because I'm not going to take it apart again to fix it.  That's just too much work.  It is what it is.

Here is the close-up.  I am particularly happy with the chairs.

And that's it for now, though several other things were worked on and finished over the weekend.  Stay tuned.

And It's Over

Best of the Valley 2019 has come and gone.  All of the preparations, all the paperwork, everything.  Over and done with.  In retrospect?  I'd say it was a mighty fine show.  But I always say that.  I am biased.

When trying to think of what to enter, I went through my list of quilts finished in 2018.  I had two baby quilts, which are exactly that:  quilts designed to be used and spit up on by babies.  Are they show quilts?  No, they are not.  But my husband said, "Of course, enter them!"  And so I did.  After all, they did have a story to them.

Are they cute, or what?  My daughter-in-law wanted me to be prepared to participate in their gender reveal.  When push came to shove (no not THAT kind of pushing), she couldn't wait for a package to be shipped cross country.  A girl is due in late August.  I mailed the quilt on the left after the show.  It should arrive tomorrow.

I also had a number of my little seascape quilts to enter.  Three of them were in the same class, which all hung together, with the exception of one that was hung back with the quilts by quilters 80 and older.

They did okay, all wearing ribbons.

 I still don't know if I prefer California Dreamin' or O, Foggy Day.

Last, but not least, was Sunset Stroll.  It came in third, in a tough category, Wall Quilts, Pictorial Landscapes.

I spent some time both yesterday and today, making Easter eggs for the grands and our faraway son and DIL.

 Each one was cuter than the last.  I made them like postcards, with fusible peltex.  They go into the mail tomorrow.

And I guess that's going to do it for now.  We've got some plans for the remainder of April.  Part of it includes some hand quilting.  Goals are good!