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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Sometimes Life Requires Fudging!

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I had visitors yesterday!

Around 1pm, I heard an ATV side-by-side vehicle making its way up our road.

So did SADIE! 

It had been incredibly quiet all day because of the snow ---and when you hear the rumble of an ATV you just know someone is headed your way.

Sadie was perching her paws up on the window sill and whining with excitement as Rick, Mona and Beanie pulled up into our deep snow covered drive.

Now 6 inches of snow might not be deep for you, but for us – who usually just get “a dusting” and call it winter—this was the most snow fall I had seen up there, and it all happened over night on the sly, so it was a sight to behold and a force to be reckoned with.

The plan?  While Rick and the roads committee took care of treacherous spots on our mountain roads, Mona and Beanie were coming to visit with me for a few hours.

She brought her newly adopted 1937 Featherweight, Winnie for her first Sew Day Out!

I am proud to tell you that Mona has finished her SECOND top – I took this photo the day we found WInnie in the antique mall:

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Yeah, Mona!!

This one is going to get borders, so she will get her first lesson in adding borders to a quilt –on blocks that have bias edges!  There is nothing like going full steam ahead with NO FEAR! 

We are planning a “sleep over retreat” at my house here in Wallburg so we can get her quilts long-arm quilted.  She is in search of a backing for this one and just LOVES it.

So many lessons ahead – borders, quilting, binding.  Oh so much fun.

But we needed a project for her to sew yesterday.  And stash is limited at the cabin.  So a plan was devised:

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Mona is making her first Scrappy 9 patches!

Her first quilt was 4 patches….so now we are on to 9 patches.  I’m having her do short strip sets so she gets loads of variety and not a lot of the same repeat.  She is going to dig through what’s left in that box of scraps & strings and see what she can get as far as 2” segments goes.  I’ll be digging for more “Stuff” for her here.  This is going to be a lap quilt for her mom.

We covered all of the basics…cutting, stitching with the right seam, and then of course…..fudging when all else fails!

The fudging happened in MY department:

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Because sometimes THIS happens.

I am matching a pieced triangle to a solid triangle.  We KNOW the solid triangle is the size it needs to be.  The small one?  Well, even a mere thread off here or there can give you uneven edges.

To handle this I align the OUTSIDE edge of the unit, and let the short area just fall short in the seam, using the solid triangle’s edge to gauge my 1/4” seam.

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The solid triangle’s edge is up against my guide.

And pardon my blue tape!  The double stick remountable sticking strip was NOT sticking and so I taped it down to hold it in place until I can get some more.  But it’s at the perfect seam for me so I am reluctant to replace it right now..it’s ugly, but I’ll deal!  Ha!

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See how that short edge just floats away a bit from the edge of the solid triangle?

The seam FIXED my issue if I do it this way.  By the time I press, no one would know I was short within that seam.  The outside edge is what matters to keep the unit square and the proper size.  If I had aligned the inner edge instead of the outer edges, this unit would stay short in measurement and misshapen in appearance.

Measure Twice, Cut Once, and Fudge it to Fit!

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And Beanie and Sadie snooze on!

On the home front – I am HOME!

There is another 4-6 inches of snow in the forecast, so last evening The Hubster came up with the 4wd pickup –he wanted to bring one of the 4 wheelers home here to work on, and we were able to get me and the van off the mountain. 

This is why there was no post from me last night – I was driving.  The only white knuckling happened going down the mountain and up Pumpkin Run which wasn’t bad.  By the time we hit highway 421 we were clear sailing all the way home.

I was so pooped by the time we got home close to 9pm that I just crashed.

And woke to this this morning:

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Just a bit of white here in the woods off my back deck.

They are expecting BIG SNOW here tomorrow, but who knows if that will really happen or not.  At this point I’m looking forward to Tampa, Florida on Friday!  Something has to thaw out my feet at some point.

Since I am home – how about Quilt-Cam tonight at 9pm EST??

I’m looking forward to it.  I’ve got a Spider Web quilt in rows ready to assemble.  I’ll see you here!


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23 comments:

  1. Glad you had time at the cabin and were able to get back safely. I am just up the road from you in Winston-Salem on the other Teague Rd. I am also not a fan of the cold but suffer from the cold feet thing year round, go figure. Be safe.

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  2. Great news that you are home safe! Thanks for letting us all know.

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  3. glad you're safely home. looking forward to quilt cam tonight.

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  4. Glad you got off the mountain safely and had a fun sew day with Mona too!

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  5. Glad you made it off the mountain! Hope to see you on quilt cam tonight!

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  6. Anonymous9:01 AM EST

    I am so glad to see someone who doesn't let a little thing like "not quite enough" stop her. I sometime do that when I am down to the last bit and need a bit more. just be sure one of the pieces is the "standard"! A bit early but welcome to Florida. I am hoping to be able to come see you! Joaniegirl Quilts in Lakelandl

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  7. YEA for Neighborly Visits! I just read on my Weather App that the S-word is headed my way. Getting my Grand Illusion together. If I get snowed in - it will get quilted. QuiltCam sounds great!

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  8. Isn't it fun to have a surprise visitor who wants to hang out and sew with you. I bet Sadie had a great time too. Glad you were able to "get off the mountain" safely.

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  9. 3 Things:

    1. I LOVE the quietness of the snow!
    2. Winnie had her first "Snow Sew Day Out!" haha!
    3. Misery loves company~I'm so happy to see you get these slightly smaller pieces sometimes, too! It proves you are human once in awhile (when you're not being "SuperHuman!")

    Seriously, thank you for all you do to make our quilt lives so full! Hugs to you!

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  10. Having a visitor is great but one that wants to sew along with you ...even better. I find driving in wintery weather very exhausting. Glad you got home safely. Six inches of snow isn't much for us here in Northern Ontario Canada...we might call it a heavy dusting!! haha

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  11. Mona has the best teacher in the world! She can only be successful. Bonnie would not have it any other way. I love watching your friendship blossom.

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  12. Anonymous10:55 AM EST

    Mona looks soooo happy. Glad you are back safe and sound. Quiltcam sounds awesome!!
    Nadine
    Anyahta@aol.com

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  13. Hoping you have time for the Strawberry Festival while you're in Tampa.

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  14. Sounds like fun with Mona. Glad to hear you are home safe and sound. Looking forward to quilt cam tonight.

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  15. Did something happen to the Quiltville Open Studio Group on Facebook? I have been unable to access it for several weeks.

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  16. Thanks for the short edge lesson! I always wonder if I could do that and use the "good" edge as the seam! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! Welcome home! Start packing warm weather clothes-its going for 80's in south Florida!

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  17. a wild and crazy winter for sure!

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  18. Thanks, Bonnie for the "Fudging Tutorial". I've been too timid to try that particular block till now.
    Cwoosley12@yahoo.com

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  19. Anonymous3:09 PM EST

    I got in a bit of early morning stitching today (school was cancelled for students and staff were told not to report until 10 AM) and did just the kind of fudging you were demonstrating. With the amount of snow predicted for tonight, it looks like I'll get a couple of unexpected sew days. Of course, we'll be in school until July 4th to make up all this missed time! Hope you will be able to get out Friday morning.

    Cindy in NC

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  20. I'm glad you are home safely. I have a friend who lives in North Carolina, and she is beside herself with the snow.

    I also appreciate that tip. It is a really good one. Thank you.

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  21. Glad that you are off the mountain safely. Were here waiting for THE snow. In the meantime i found that the notes that I had taken at your Gate City Guild meeting were, wait for it, eaten by our little schnauzer Francie.
    Happily, i was able to find all that helpful information in my newly purchased book. "More Adventures with Leaders and Enders". Whew! Thanks for being so thorough.
    Hoping your plans to travel will happen.

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  22. Yeah! Mona. So nice to someone after my own heart. Thanks for bringing her into our crowd. Great that you made it home safe. I lived most of my life in southern Manitoba Canada so am used to the sudden drops of snow on ice. Have to get ready for quilt-cam....Marilyn

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  23. Have a great day. So happy for Mona to have you as a quilt coach. Hey wait so happy for all of us that follow you as our quilt coach. Looking forward to tonight.

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