Hoffman Challenge - 2009

I've told you how much I dislike this year's challenge fabric. No sense in continuing to beat that dead horse. Instead, it's time to deal with it.

The way I deal best with ugly fabric is to cut it into tiny pieces. Okay, so maybe I could have gone smaller, but I didn't. These 9-patch blocks measure 3.5", unfinished.

I'm looking at an approximately 27" square wallhanging. The background is almost done. I've drawn my pattern and need to prepare the applique.

I guess I'm in it again this year. I'm having more success working on this than I am with my handquilting. I've discovered that I'm not seeing very well, and even the progressive lenses aren't helping with the handquilting. I guess it's time to look into one of those well-lit magnifying lenses...

In the meantime, quilt on! Oops! I'm late. I need to be somewhere in 5 minutes. Gotta zoom!

Playing With Color

I was asked what I was doing with those strips from a previous post. I'm playing with them, doncha know? May as well strip the strips, right? I've got the first 4 strips together, 9 more to go. It's time for a lunch break and maybe some cleaning.


I realize that the quilt is nothing spectacular, but it certainly is happy, cheery, quick, and fun!

And in case you thought I tossed out the scrappies? No, I didn't. This little piece of piecework measures 8.25" x 12.5"...It's going to be a playground for experimentation...eventually.

But for now? Scraps are being made into tops large and small, and one little UFO bin is almost empty. Quilt on!!

Keeping Busy

It's been a while since I've blogged regularly. Sorry about that. I don't mean to be ignoring you, there's just so much to do in a day, I don't get it all done. Much of what I do is so BORING I don't want to take pictures.

But today was a colorful day. I hoped to spend some time with my machine, and I was successful. yay. I'm not doing anything particularly noteworthy, but I am cutting up some pre-cut strips, trying to do something useful with them. I think I showed this little bucket once before, when I was listing out my UFOs. These were leftover strips from "The Color Went to Tahiti."

Presto! Change-o! Some time with the Bernina and voila!

(I was trying out the delay on the camera. If I'm going to take self-portraits, I need to learn to look at the lens.)

Finally, for dinner we had fresh squash. Thank you, Elaine! You're the best!!

The goal for tonight is to pick up that hand quilting and put in some stitches. Goals are good, doncha know?

Maybe It Belongs to These Guys...

Weekend Fun

In an earlier post, I showed you the "before" area in front of my sewing room:

On Saturday, Pete and Caleb (a friend) worked to beautify the area. I supplied the tree and chose the pavers. They had a bit of a connection problem when completing the path. Some time this week one of us will get out there and relocate one half of the pavers...

In other news, my car is back. Yay!!

Adam cleaned it out yesterday, I finished the job today. I'd heard that he used it to transport his friend, when he accidentally broke his friend's leg..."that's how the wheat thins got spilled." Hmmm. But what is the sand all over the floor? I guess it was nice that there was only one smashed Gatorade bottle under the seat. And, hey? What's this? Who does it belong to and what did they need it for?

Nope. I don't think it's mine...

Oh, and big news. For Mother's Day, Adam signed me up for Facebook. I've got 6 friends! Yeah, I know. I'm working on it. Enjoy your day!!!

Double Your Pleasure

I had a special treat for Mother's Day. In a surprise move, Daniel announced he was coming home on Saturday. In a bigger surprise, Adam decided to come with. They arrived just after 6pm Saturday, and left at 4pm Sunday. Less than 24 hours, but I loved every minute of it.

Okay, so maybe Daniel didn't love it as much as I did...or maybe it was just that this was our third attempt at a photo and the sun was in his eyes...

You know that saying, "Boys will be boys"? And brothers will be brothers, and they're always trying to outdo one another. Today's competition involved hand kicking. One would put up his hand, the other would attempt to kick it. Unfortunately the digital camera is too pokey to keep up with them. Each shot was taken on the way down, after successful contact...

They've got some hops for some big guys, don't they?

But it all ended too quickly, and they were on the road again. Here they are preparing...Adam is finding the right iTunes, Daniel is tuning his ukulele...

Thanks for coming home, boys!! Love you!!! xxoo Mom

Yard Work, etc.

I've been busy, but I haven't been quilting. My brain is THINKING about quilting, but my body is doing other things. This morning it sat at the car dealer while the oil was changed and the tires were rotated. I read 2 issues of Country Living, and am now caught up to March. yeah.

Yesterday I took a third load from my garage to the BOTV mini-storage. Funny. It seems like a lot of stuff when it's in my garage. It doesn't seem like much when it's in storage. Oh wait. This isn't everything. But it's everything that made my garage unfit for my car. (Get it? Un-fit? haha I crack myself up.) Now stop groaning! ;)

While at the dealer, my phone rang. It was my hubby. Interesting. He said that tomorrow he's going to be doing a lot of yard work. Again. He thinks he wants to spread humus. And here's a first, "Is there anything you'd like done in the yard?" Areyoukiddingme?!!! ABSOLUTELY!!

I've got this space in front of my sewing room window. Last fall we cleared it out, removing the lollipop bushes. (I say "we." Adam did the hard labor.) I've had visions of planting a Japanese Maple and adding stepping stones and flower borders. When I offered that, he asked where he should get a Japanese Maple. Be still my heart! "How about if I get it?" "GREAT!" Great? GREAT!

Give me a green light and I'm not going to stop. I picked up this little beauty on the way home from the car dealer.

I've since cleared all the weeds from the area, and now I'm off to find some stepping stones. Wow. Will he really do this? I am amazed! You've seen the before, I can't wait for the after!

While I was pulling weeds, I heard some birds in a bit of a tiff. This little guy took on two hawks. Were they after his kids? I have no idea, but he finally ran them off. Fascinating.

Oh. And while I was weed-pulling, I thought of the perfect use for the extra strips from my "Color Went to Tahiti" quilt. I've been toying with this idea for a while, and now seems the perfect time to just jump in and do some brainless sewing. But first I'd better get those stepping stones, lest I miss the opportunity to have the front area beautified.

Ingredients

I received a question via yesterday's post. PB wanted to know what kind of thread I used for my April Step. I suppose a picture is worth 1000 words, so here are most of the threads I used.

I quilted the clothes with the solid color Mettler. I used the various King Tut threads and the cone of Valdani for the grasses and background. I once again bought a spool of Superior Rainbow polyester thread, and once again I hate it. You'd think I would learn my lesson. Maybe this time. Sure, it works well for most people, but I don't want to invest in yet another spool (of Bottom Line) to make the $7.99 spool of Rainbow work.

King Tut continues to be my absolute favorite. It works well for me and I never have trouble balancing the tension.

I've been going through my stash over and over again, looking for something that might blend with the 2009 Hoffman Challenge fabric. sigh. gag me with a spoon. The green Ricky Tims hand-dye works well, as does the dark brown stripe. The beige collection also works. The other three on the left have the right colors, but they don't excite me in the least when paired with the Challenge fabric.

After 5 straight years of participation, I'd really like to continue my streak. This year's selection might just be the one to knock me out of the competition. If I can't do anything with it, I'm not going to get anything done.

That's all for today, folks. Thanks for stopping by.

Finished April's Step

I did it! It may have been a week late, but my little April Step is finished. Isn't he cute? I was going to add more embellishments, but the rocks at his feet seem to be enough. We'll see as the days go by. Maybe it's enough, maybe it needs more. I don't know yet.


I spent yesterday quilting the little piece. It measures about 13.5" x 13.5". It is heavily quilted.

This is the first time I've "faced" a quilt instead of given it a traditional quilt binding. Does that mean it's an Art Quilt? I think it might.

This morning I had the door closed while I was dressing. When I came into the hall, look who was waiting for me. These boys are so patient!

Look who showed up as soon as I went to get the camera. Is anyone else's household like that? When the kids were little, they were always within a 10' radius of my ankles. The kitties (unless they are sleeping) are the same. (Right now Malcolm is lounging behind the monitor.)

Do you see the kitty pawprints on the carpet along the walls? Every day I see kitty prints in those two paths. How many times do they go back and forth to make that many prints? I wonder...

Finally, on Monday, Charlie caught a lizard. Edgar catches lizards regularly. Edgar's never get away. Charlie's did. Later, when Charlie was asleep in the house, his lizard crept out of his hiding place.

I had never seen lizards in all the 15 years that we've lived here, but the boys (the kitty boys) have been bringing them home on almost a daily basis. I wonder where they're coming from?

Pete says this guy's motto is, "Some of us survived the Pleistocene Era!"

Childlike Wonder

I told you it was a quick trip. We've been there and back again, all in less than 48 hours. zoom zoom. Faster than Mazda. ;)

It rained most of the time we were up there. They said they got 8". In Fresno/Visalia, we were happy to get 1/4". wow. I don't know if you can see the traffic ahead of me, but it was bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see. It was 4pm on a Friday.

We didn't go to the Yosemite valley floor - the weather could have been better, and Pete wanted a nap. But we did take a trip on the Sugar Pine Railroad. We've been on it once before, and Pete couldn't wait to do it again. He LOVES the train, any train.

Halfway through the trip, they stop to refill the water compartment. This is a steam locomotive, and I believe they said it burns 40 gallons of oil and 400 gallons of water each hour. The fellow on top is adding the water, along with a de-scaler, to keep the water boiling most efficiently.

I lurked behind trees, and got several pictures of Pete watching the process. I've been trying to analyze the expression on his face. It's something I rarely see. It's excitement, but he's relaxed; he's totally mesmerized, yet it looks like he wants to jump in and help. This morning I finally decided that this is Childlike Wonder.

I took this picture as they were finishing up and beginning to urge us to reboard the train. Here he is, loving every minute of it.

Other than the train stop, it was too wet to take any pictures of scenery. Here is the one picture I took. The red of the manzanita was looking spectacular, too bad it's not exactly focused. (We were on the move.)

Finally, I did get more hand-quilting done. But, once it was out of the hoop, I realized that I've got a lot more quilting to do than I imagined. I'm going to be working on this Step all month!

Seeya!

No Pictures

I'm sitting here with Pete's hijacked laptop, watching the rain pour from the sky. Rain, rain, rain. It's been raining steadily since 3pm yesterday, and shows absolutely no signs of stopping. sigh. The giant trees across the road are barely visible, poof! they just disappeared as the rain kicked it up a notch. Again.

I have been doing some hand-quilting, and have finished the quilting on another background block of my May Step. That leaves only one to finish. And the borders. And the interior applique. But the quilting is progressing: my hands are tired and my eyes are burning.

I have no excuses not to be quilting right now. I can't take a walk (my umbrella is in my car in Davis and the sole of my new shoes broke in half). I don't feel like watching TV. I might read a book for a bit, or even take a nap...but what I really should be doing is quilting.

yep. Y'all are helping me procrastinate on this one. ;) Not really. It's not your fault. I'll get back to it soon. I promise.

Just a Quickie

Wow. I was supposed to skeddaddle about 3 hours ago, but I'm still here. I may as well take a minute to post before hauling my way up the mountain. I'm not thrilled about that right now. I ran a few errands and heard the brakes squeal. That's never good, especially when headed to the mountains.

Also, the weatherman says "Sierra Storm Watch." Doesn't that mean snow? I'm not driving in snow, even if I have chains. I may make it as far as Oakhurst and then call for a cab. Or not. We'll see.

I finished the quilt-for-hire, and I've halfway delivered it. I've left it at the quilt store, and the owner will pick it up when she returns to town. I thought you might like to see some of the quilting on the back.

Here are the gingko leaves:

And here are the pseudo-chrysanthemums in the border:

I didn't finish my April Step - boo hoo - but I did get to the point of quilting. I'm now looking for a green/brown variegated thread. Good luck with that, eh? ;)


I thought you might like to see the photo the piece was based on. Obviously I still need to add some rocks and flowers...

Finally, here is my May Step. I'd like to finish the hand-quilting on this project.

I realized that I've had this in my "active" mental list, but I haven't touched it in 6 months. I drafted the quilt in October 2007, pieced and appliqued it the same month, and did the stenciling shortly thereafter. I had several false-starts with the stenciling, but I'm pretty sure the quilt has been in the quilting stage for at least a year. And there's no way it's got a year's worth of quilting in it. It shouldn't have taken more than a month or 6 weeks at the most.

Since it's May 1, that means I have ALL MONTH to work on it. And I'll start today, if I ever get to my destination. Maybe I'll end up snowed in and get it finished sooner rather than later. ha! I hope not! I'm not eager to experience a May snowstorm.

But I am eager to see the mountains, and I'm guessing I'll be posting pictures on Monday...unless the weather does not cooperate.

Have a great weekend!!