It's Monday! What am I working on? An elephant, bindings & a modern quilt

Good morning! What an unexpected weekend I had. I tried to fill it with as much quilting as possible! On Saturday my friend Randi came up to help me on a paper piecing pattern that she drafted for me. I had struggled with it earlier in the week but I think that all of my issues have been resolved! 

I spent a lot of time next door with my FIL   . Husband had lots of outside farm work this weekend & I needed to stay close to home. So I worked on my Wild & Goosey blocks while I was next door. I'm very close to having my first row of 17 blocks done! Two years ago while at a friends mystery quilt retreat one of the steps was a stitch-n-flip with bonus hst! I asked my fellow quilters that if they didn't want those bonus HST could I have them? This is what I got

We'll see how long this lasts. I've already taken 85 triangles out & you can't tell that I've touched it. 

Yesterday I decided was a binding day. It was time to finish up these projects & get them done! Binding is not my favorite so I generally put it off as long as possible. First up was my hand quilting project

I know where I want to hang it I just need to bring some pins home from next door.

Next up was my moms wall hanging. The fabric that I had originally planned to use for the binding I didn't have enough of so it sat. Finally I realized that I probably had something very close that I could use. Low & behold I did & this one is done!

The last binding done yesterday was the purple quilt. 

I'm really happy to have this one done. It doesn't excite me like a scrappy quilt does. Though I am happy to have the yardage used up!😊

My modern version of my Nostalgia pattern is still looking like this 

I really need to make this a priority & get this finished this week. 

On the farm front it was quiet & peaceful until Friday morning. While checking the cows I found one stuck in the mud/manure. I was able to get her out with the help of of a neighbor & the farm equipment. She can't stand & by doing some investigating we believe that she was standing in some manure & when the bull was doing his thing, she couldn't hold herself & him up & fell. There's not a whole lot that we can do for her. She's in her own pen with her baby getting feed, water & physical therapy. Time will tell if she'll walk again. Then there was this silly creature

He was up there just a crying. I walked over to the roof but I couldn't reach him & he backed up. So I thought that if you figured out how to get up there you could figure out how to get down & he did 😃. 

I hope y'all have a great day. It's going to be 80 & beautiful here today. Check out what other quilters are up to at patchworktimes.com 

more later on,

Vicky

Eating an elephant

You know that saying " how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time". I've jumped off the deep end & have started my most intense quilt yet. I've started "Wild & Goosey". It's a Bonnie Hunter pattern from her Quiltmaker articles. I've done the math & there will be over 15,000 pieces in it. Holy smokes what have I started? It is a paper pieced quilt so I've brought out the hand crank. These are the 4 blocks that I finished up today

I've got about 10 or so blocks done just need to work on the remaining 279. I'm hoping to have it done by my birthday in July. We'll see, I'm going to take it one block st a time. I hope yall are having a great day. More later on,

Vicky

Monday Morning design floor

It's going to be a glorious day today. This weekend it was in the 70's & I was loving every minute of it. I figure if I can't (and didn't get) the snow bring on the green! I asked my husband if he would help me take my treadle outside. He rolled his eyes & asked if I could just take my hand crank out instead. I said sure but we'd need to make a makeshift table. It didn't end up happening but at least I know that he can help make it happen the next time. 

I'm getting very close to finishing my morning project. I just need to finish the top & bottom borders (which I hope to do today). I'm hoping I can get them done so that I can take it to my LAQ today. 

While there I'll pick up the orange & purple hexagon quilt. I love picking up & dropping off on the same trip😊. 

Progress has also been made on the "home" project. I was able to sew 200+ hst on my treadle yesterday. 

I've got another couple hundred to go. I don't like to sew with shoes on but that pedal hurts my feet. So I keep that one worn out sandal there just for treadling. 

On the farm front it was fairly quiet, which is a good thing. The barn cats are loving the weather & were posed so I just had to take a picture

There has been lots of sunbathing going on as well

No he's not dead just completely oblivious to everything around him. They were all like this. Life is good for them. The weather is nice & the flies have not shown up yet. Give it another week & the flies will be here. 

Kiddo got a backhoe lesson this weekend 

Both of our dogs have died so it's time to  tear down the old dog pen. There was a concrete footing that went around the pen so they couldn't dig out & that's what my kiddo is digging out. He did well & he has a great & patient teacher. 

Update on my FIL. He's doing well. He hadn't eaten anything in about week but this weekend he's eaten a BBQ brisket sandwich & hot dogs. It can be a roller coaster but we're doing the best we can. 

 I hope yall have a great day. I'm going to do my best to enjoy every minute of it. More later on,

Vicky

Good Monday morning!

It has been a little bit since I've posted. My life has been more of an upset the fruit basket than normal. We've kinda gotten into a routine in the last week. I go over & take care/watch my FIL from about 8-1 everyday. That way my MIL can get some sleep & do whatever she needs to do. Sometimes it's longer if the folks from hospice come later in the afternoon. I've got my featherweight set up on their dining room table with this project going

I'm not sure what the final design will be. I've kinda been designing on the fly with this one. I had been gifted a huge stack of layer cakes. (The stack was 6" before I started taking from it.) my original plan was to cut tumblers with my accuquilt. Well I could get 4 tumblers from each piece of fabric. That left a big 2" chunck on the ends so I turned all of those chunks into 9 patches (got 84 nine patches). Then I made string blocks from the 1.5"X10" strips that were leftover. ( I think there's 55, 5" string blocks). Now I'm working on putting the 743 tumblers into 27 rows of 27 tumblers. 

This project keeps evolving as it grows. 

My project at home has been to get everything ready for my trip to Winfield KS next week. I'm getting closer to getting done. I've also started a project here at home. I'm making my "Nostalgia " quilt in an alternate color way. 

The new modern color way

I'm hoping to have the top done so that I can take it with me next week. When I get back & it gets quilted both quilts will hang in the local quilt shop (Meadows Quilting & Sewing).

On the farm front it's been busy but I'm hoping it'll calm down. In the last week we've had a breakout 

& the last of the baby calves. The last one is this adorable white bull. I've named him "The Ghost"

When he grows into his ear tags he's going to be huge! 

We also had one get stuck. I believe that raising calves is like taking care of toddlers in teenagers bodies. They find themselves in trouble & you & them don't know how they got there. This calf had found a way around this paneling & had gotten his head stuck between the lug on the tractor tire & the wall

Getting him unstuck was not a problem. Getting him out was. 

He couldn't back up because the draw bar was in his way. Somehow by Gods grace & humor the calf turned, crouched down & walked besides the tire so I could reach him & help him the rest of the way out. It's never dull here. 

I hope y'all have a great day. I'm thankful for the sunshine. ☀️More later on,

Vicky

P.S. Checkout what other quilters are up to at patchworktimes.com

Hand quilting, it's not that bad

I had stayed away from doing hand quilting since I started quilting. I kept coming up with excuses on why I couldn't do it. I've got man hands ( which I do) there's no way I can manipulate that needle or it takes way to too long. I do have patient problems. Well this past year I had decided to bust all of those silly reasons & just jump in & give it a go. Through trial & error I found the method that works for me. I do not use a hoop. I use an embroidery needle & pearlized 8 or 12 cotton thread. This was a block I had made & I slapped a border on it, found a backing & some batting. 

The stitches aren't perfect & that's what makes it wonderfully unique to me. 

This is going to be the year for me to bust through these techs that I had always thought was too hard or not for me. I'm not going to let fear stop me from trying. I hope yall are having a great day. It's awfully windy here but it's been a good day. More later on,

Vicky

Trying to decide which was is up

The last 2-3 weeks have been about survival for me. During my FILS hospital stay my world was consumed with his care, taking care of my MIL, keeping occupied/busy during the slow times & figuring out who would be at home when the kiddo gets off the bus. 

We've hit the one week at home Anniversary & it's been a rough week, though it has gotten better as the week has gone on. I've been sleeping at my in laws because he has needed me but the last two nights they've done well & haven't needed me. So tonight I'm going to be sleeping at home ( our houses are 60' apart so I'm not that far away) & I'm hoping all goes well. I spend my mornings over there so my MIL can take a nap or do whatever she needs to do & I sew while he sleeps. I was able to get the Y seams quilt done! 

I'm thrilled that's it's done. Now I'll need to figure out how to get it to my LAQ. 

Since this project was done what was I going to work on next? I grabbed a bag of scraps this am & headed over. This is what it looked like

There were so many goodies in this bag. Lots of zip lock baggies of HST! Some were just cut out, some were already sewed & I got really lucky & some were already pressed & ready to go. 

I sewed up 2 baggies & am working on getting them squared up. I was getting very excited about some quilt block ideas & then for some reason which I haven't figured out yet it's like the wind has been let out of my sails & my quilting mojo has left the building. I've pulled out my hand quilting project that needs to be finished & maybe I can work on that & get it completed. I think that the quilting mojo will come back when I start getting more sleep. I hope y'all are doing well & have a great night,

More later on

Vicky

It's Monday & I'm working on a finish!

I think the end is in sight for this quilt. This is my "Y" seams project. Have I made it just like the pattern is written, nope, I've made it my own & that is ok. 

 

I've got one more row to put on & then it will be on to borders. It won't be as big as I generally make my quilts. I bought this yardage years ago & my chances of finding more are slim. I have completely used up all of the purple yardage that goes around the hexies. There's only itty bits left that have found their way into my string bin. I've got more yardage that goes with all of this & I'm hoping that through the borders I can use some or a lot of that up as well. 

I've been doing my sewing over at my in-laws house. They are 60feet to the west of my house. My father in law come home from a week in the hospital last Tuesday & is now on hospice. My mother in law & I are his primary caregivers. We are finding our new "normal". I do know that quilting will definitely be a part of that new normal. I've set up my featherweight on their dining room table & I can look right up & see him in the living room. I believe that his generation (those born in the 20's) are extremely resilient & have an incredible will to live. I hope that y'all will bear with me as there might be time between posts. I'm going to do my best to post as often as I can. I am continueing to do my presentations. I've got 2 this week. Tomorrow night I'm with the Kansas Capital Quilters in Topeka Ks & Thursday night I'm with the Northland quilters guild in North Kansas City. If you're in the area I'd love  for you to come. I'd better cut this off. I need to get my fabric cut & head back over. I hope y'all are having a great day. More later on,

Vicky