Into a Rainy Weekend -

I finished the hand quilting of the second neutral background corner last night.

Two big corner sections and one small side fill in left to go.

The borders are also being quilted while the hoop is in the right vicinity to do so.

I have had questions on how I'm quilting the background areas - and if you look closely you'll see that rows (columns) alternate with one column being quilted along two sides, the next column over is quilted with X's through each hexie, then another row of outlining, then another row of X's until the space is filled.  

It has added great texture. The center hexies of the border have a 3 line burst quilted in them - again, more texture.

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Speaking of Labels and More....

I am posting something quilty at the top of this post.

Something that makes me think of sunshine and spring.

And no, the blue project and the snails trail project are still not done - in fact, no sewing happened at all yesterday.  It was just one of those days.

But I AM planning on the next UFO to dig into as soon as the blue project (and the snails trail project) have at least reached top stage.

I am gearing up for a weekend ahead of pedal to the metal, baby because I'd like to see that happen. In one of the above mentioned projects.

And then THIS ONE will be moved to the front of the line - because, it has spent too many years in the "ehhhh!" pile.

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Projects in a Holding Pattern -

I'm at that stage where I am in the "middle"  of two projects.

As in - there is much already accomplished, but so much ahead before I start really seeing progress.

This is when projects seem to stall out for me.

I've reached the danger zone.  Do you have a danger zone too?

I know once I find myself past that half-way mark - getting closer to 75% - on the downhill side of things, and ready to set blocks together there is no stopping me.

But here at 50% I'm teetering on the edge and there are new things I want to play with. Different colors that are pulling at me as Spring draws near.

I'm not bored with what I'm working on - but it feels like other projects are passing me by. LOL!

Maybe it is spring fever?

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Good Things Come in Blue!

Yesterday was a work SEW from home kind of Tuesday!

It all came about due to the Hubs needing to be in Winston-Salem for the day - leaving Zoey's care up to yours truly.

Rather than haul Zoey to the QPO studio to do stuff there we stayed at the cabin.

And it was such a LOVELY day (Highs got to mid 50s! Whoowhooo!) that it seemed a shame to keep her inside at the QPO where she couldn't run and explore due to the busy road.  She has 42 acres to play up on the mountain.

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February '21 Quilty Box Gift-Away!

Look what arrived yesterday!

I have had my fingers crossed all month long that it would come!

Nothing says SPRING like a beautiful Quilty Box featuring Jennifer Sampou's gorgeous Spring Shimmer fabrics!

Jennifer's fabrics with Robert Kaufman are printed in Japan with pearlescent accents on vibrant, fresh spring colors designed with quilters in mind. 

And the February Quilty Box includes a curated bundle along with the pattern (In the included Bundles of Inspiration Magazine) to make the beautiful  Butterfly Window cover quilt!

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Weekend? What Weekend?

Does this look like we were packing for a picnic?

We weren't - we were bugging out and heading over to Quiltville Inn to wait for Monday's propane truck arrival -

I mentioned a couple of days ago that the propane tank to the cabin was dangerously close to running on fumes.⁣

⁣

Saturday afternoon when I came back from working at the QPO I was told by the hubster that the time for bugging out and staying at Quiltville Inn until the tank could be filled on Monday had come - We were under 12٪ and with temps in the teens overnight, and barely getting above freezing during the day we were likely to run out that night.⁣

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Winter at a Snail's Pace!

I spent my Friday at THIS for most of the day -

This isn't all of the blocks that were completed, but it really wasn't much more than this.  In true Quiltville fashion, I love big quilts made with small pieces that take a lot of time to complete..

Temps never got out of the 30s - but at least there was blue sky and sunshine for most of the day, and having the window shades up for all of the windows at the Quiltville Post Office brought on a bit of "greenhouse" effect and the light was just wonderful.

Lola spent much of her time being as close to me as she could.

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Blue Triangles of Happiness!

The ice storm adventures of February 2021 continue!

The power outages and generator kick-ons I talked about yesterday, well - through the day it only happened TWICE, and both times in the morning.

The longest the Generac ran was about 2 hours while I was blog-writing yesterday.

Mid morning, the power blipped one more time, and stayed off for about 20 minutes.

We have enough propane to last until Monday, as long as the power stays on.

So yes, in a way, we are still playing the waiting game but temps are rising and by Monday the propane truck should be able to navigate our steep (and formerly icy) drive  and fill our tank!

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Well THIS is interesting!

Freezing rain set in about midnight last night - I heard it overhead.

It's usually a pleasant sound, rain hitting the metal roof of the cabin -

And all through the night the power stayed on.

I even crawled back into bed after getting up around 5am, sinking myself back into the warm spot left by my body under 3 quilts.

At 7am the generator kicked on.  We'd lost power.

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Days of Rainbows & Ice!

The quilting is done on my Catching Rainbows quilt!

At one point I was worried that I would run out of the pastel variegated thread I was using on the top - but we made it!  with some to spare.

What remains on the cone won't be enough to quilt anything of any size - not even a baby quilt.  So the plan is to wind it on bobbins and use it for machine piecing.

Another empty cone bites the dust!  It feels so good - that cone has been hanging around more than a dozen years.

Thank heavens for multi-colored scrap quilts - as long as the thread color is lighter than medium on the value scale, it will likely blend through just about everything.

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Weekend of Winter Ice & Denim Quilts!

I took a couple of photos of branches in my yard before the rain melted the ice away.

Ice can be SO dangerously treacherous.  And yet, so beautiful!

I've listened to  branches cracking and falling over the past week due to the weight and stress put on the limbs.

Some smaller branches have fallen across the drive - but we've been lucky - the power has stayed on here.

This is one time I'm glad to be in Virginia in February - not Texas!

To all my Texas friends, hunker in, stay safe - this too shall pass (but not nearly fast enough!)

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New PDF Patterns! Grassy Creek & Shattered! (Gift-Away!)

It's a pattern release Monday!

Grassy Creek was our Winter 2020 Mystery, and it ran from Black Friday into January 2021.

As in the past, our mysteries are retired from the blog after a time, rewritten and offered as a PDF pattern booklet containing all of the hints, tips, tricks and optional construction methods presented while our mystery was running in real time.

The pattern for Grassy Creek is now found in the digital patterns section of the Quiltville Store where you will also find the many other digital patterns designed with the scrappy quilter in mind! Quilt size - 94'' x 94''

All of the unit methods are provided in a traditional pattern format, from start to beginning - not scrambled out of order as they are during mystery time.

This pattern booklet is chock full of 27 pages of visual instruction with full color photos and unit graphics so you will KNOW what you are making while you are making it!

I had a WONDERFUL time presenting Grassy Creek to the many who followed along while our mystery season was in full swing.

If you missed participating this time around, perhaps you'll join us for our 2021 mystery season!

Be watching for colors, yardage requirements and quilt theme to be released by Halloween.

As always, our first clue will drop Black Friday - November 26, 2021!

And because you asked for it!

I have written up the pattern for Shattered!  Those of you who love string piecing - or are wanting to jump in and explore the fancy-free fun of string piecing - are going to have a blast with this one.

All of those precious rainbow scraps -

Quilt size: 72'' x 96''

And to kick all of this off - 

We are going to have a Gift-Away!

Our winner will receive:

A Shattered! PDF pattern -

And a Colorcopia fabric roll and Neutral String Time string pack from Irene at  Cotton to Quilts!

Irene also has other fabric offerings perfect for our Quiltville Quilts in the Cotton to Quilts online shop, so check it out!

Are you ready to enter?

We will draw for our winner on Saturday, February 20, 2021!

Winner must have fabric prize shipped to a USA address.  If our winner is outside of the USA, they may have the fabric shipped to a friend within the USA who can forward the prize on to them.

Good luck, everyone!

I know it is A LOT to take in, but let's sweeten the deal!

ALL digital patterns in the Quiltville Store are 25% off through February 28th using coupon code DIGITAL25 at checkout!

To use a coupon code - click REDEEM YOUR COUPON beneath the the total. Enter the coupon code DIGITAL25 in the box that opens up.

PayPal is our credit card processor, but you don't need a PayPal account for your purchase.

Click the card you wish to use below the PayPal button when you reach the checkout page (sample above) and fill in the info in the next field that comes up.

If this is your first time downloading digital patterns from my store, and you intend to download to a tablet or phone (Especially of the apple variety) click HERE.

And there is more!

Today is the last day for FREE Priority Shipping on your SewPad order!

If you have been wanting a SewPad but were waiting for the next FREE PRIORITY SHIPPING (Within the USA) offer - this is it!

What is a SewPad?

SewPad™ is filled with a thick cushion of proprietary viscoelastic polymer gel– the same stuff used in surgical mats and wheelchair pads.

Unlike foam (memory foam or otherwise) gel doesn’t bottom-out and it provides comfort and support by diffusing and distributing pressure.

Upholstered in a plush layer of AirFlex™ fabric, SewPad™ helps your backside stay cool while the no-slip bottom keeps it from sliding around in your chair. 

SewPad™ was designed for quilters and crafters, but we think you’ll find other uses as well.

Church. Stadium seats, in the car and anywhere else that you might expect to be sitting for a good while.

Being comfortable is a wonderful thing!

I can sew happily for hours in comfort.  This thing goes where I go, to wherever I sew. It can even go to basketball games with me for bleacher seating (when that opens up again!) or on long car rides.

Our SewPad  Valentine’s Day Sale will kick-off on Friday February 12th and run thru Midnight Monday February 15th with FREE PRIORITY SHIPPING using Coupon Code SEWCOMFY at checkout.

And I think that is enough for this Monday, don't you?

It's President's Day - the USPS is closed, I do believe there is a whole day of sewing ahead!

I'll catch you up on things I'm working on in tomorrow's post -

Did you have a great weekend?  I know the weather is crummy across most of the USA.  Perfect weather for staying in and playing with fabric!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Midnight Flight quilt from my book MORE Adventures with Leaders & Enders 

Are you ready to push some boundaries this week?! 

Pick a skill or a technique you have always wanted to try, or improve on and take the time to do it well!

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

 

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On Thin Ice!

It's like everything has been dipped in glass -

It started on Thursday night, and I heard the rain.

But it wasn't until I stepped out onto the gravel parking area at the top of the cabin drive to warm up my van after uploading yesterday's post that I knew I wouldn't be going anywhere.  

Not for a few hours at least.

The falling rain had iced everything over, freezing even the gravel of the drive into a solid sheet of ice.

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Denim Blue & A Sew Pad Special!

Something is being prepped for the weekend ahead!

I moved this big ole tub of denim pieces up with the last big load I retrieved on a trip to the Wallburg house.

The last time I dug into this bin?  When I was adding borders to the denim quilt that my mom made for The Hubster in Boise State colors.  Original post HERE.

The hubster is a tall man at 6' 3'' and wanted the quilt to cover him when he took a couch nap.

We use this quilt nearly every evening - and yes, the hubster still bleeds Boise State blue & orange!

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Color Inspiration!

Isn't this fabric just the bomb?

It was one of those "I don't know what category this goes in" pieces that was more than a fat-quarter, less than a half yard.

Which means - not enough for binding, but do I want to cut it up?  NOT YET!

Instead, I used the inspiration from this piece (I don't even know who designed it as that part of the selvage is GONE!) to pull my fabric colors for the NOW NAMED Catching Rainbows (formerly Jackknife) blocks.

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Resistant to Change?

There are certain things I dread.

Top of the list - changes in formatting as when Blogger, Facebook or Instagram make huge changes to how things appear or function. (Drives me crazy!)

New phones and phone updates (Same reason as above.)

And something that had to happen for me - something that came yesterday - a new computer.

Oh, all of the logging in, the transferring of data, the "Why won't it accept that password?!?!"

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Quilting Up a Rainbow!

How many of you already had a good guess where my Jackknife blocks were leading me?

This project has been in the works for the past few months - relegated to being a "weekend at home" project.

I had a great time pulling fat quarters from my stash, and cutting into new ones I hadn't used yet.

I only used each block fabric ONCE in the quilt - so backgrounds or colors were only used in one block. There are no duplicate backgrounds or colors.

It helped clear out some space in my fat quarter boxes, and also added new strips to my Scrap User’s System - as once I cut for the blocks, if there was LESS than 1/2 a fat quarter leftover from that piece, I just sliced it all down to add new variety to my strip drawers.

No one wants to sew with the same old thing all the time, so breathing some new air into my scraps will make future quilts even scrap happier!

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Snow Day Sew Day Sunday!

Are you tired of seeing this?

Believe me - I haven't gone anywhere else worthy of taking photos of - this was my weekend!

We followed the forecast, which stated 4 to 6 inches would fall between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

They weren't lying!

Still - there is something magical about the quietness of snow fall, and waking up to it at dawn.

Clean, crisp, cold, beautiful - 

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Little Bits of Progress!

What a difference has been made in this little room!

The closet dismantling, the wall mudding, sanding, painting - it has made it so worth it in this little space!

When I first talked about the "storage room re-do" I asked what this room may have originally been used for.

If you look at the left of the photo just beyond that metal shelving unit that is closest to you you will see a door.  It opens into the master bedroom.  Or what we call "Bedroom 3", the room with the turret space as sitting area.

For generations (At least since the 1950s when the built-in closets were added) this was the master "dressing room."

Several have also suggested that it may have been used as a nursery, a "sick room" or even a sewing room over the 135+ years this house has been in existence.

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Crock Pot Peanut Clusters (Recipe)

Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  Like well, all right. It's 9 days away.

But one can't plan too far ahead, right?

And while purchased candy and flowers are well, OKAY - I like to make my own yummy goodies to spread around to friends and family.

This year of course, they will all stay with us, because, well COVID.

And that's okay because they freeze well. In fact, freezing much of the batch is the one thing that will keep them out of sight, out of mind, and away from my waistline!

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Even the Cutting Counts! (Zoom Meet!)

There are some moments just perfect for cutting -

But not sewing.

And that's okay!  Because sitting at a machine (I can stand at a computer, but can't stand at a machine, don't ask me why!) causes all of those nasty back problems that I have been working for months to solve between chiropractic and medical massage appointments.

We are finally making progress - but the main culprit is sitting!  And I need to strengthen my abs to help support my back from the inside of my spine, not just the obvious back side.

It's all about balance - and isn't that what we are always working toward?

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Zooming Through Yesterday!

My chauffeur was ready - right on time!

More snow had fallen overnight - (will this winter ever stop with it, already?!) and as the drive needed a good plowing before it turned to solid ice, my suggestion to just ride shot gun in the RZR as we plowed our way down made the morning a bit of an adventure!

If you are going to live this far out and this high up, you've got to embrace it whole heartedly.

And hold on to your hat!  And your gloves.  And the quilt that was coming along for the ride to play backdrop to yesterday's Zoom meet with the Iowa Quilt Museum!

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Winter Blues & Winter Reds!

Karen made her Winter Blues quilt in gorgeous reds!

It was the first thing I opened in my email this morning and it just knocked my socks off!

How perfect for valentine's day and beyond! She writes:

"I wanted to show you my latest finish - Winter Blues (in red).  I LOVE it!  Thank you for the wonderful pattern.

I added 4 additional columns to make it more of a king size. 

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When February Blows In!

We'll start with this right here!

I only had to step out onto the un-shoveled portion of the front deck to make this photo look like I waded out into a winter wonderland in the attempt to get a quilt photo in virgin snow.

Well not exactly virgin - you can see Zoey has had a hey day playing and prancing around in the fluffy white stuff.

Honestly - this winter has had more snow than I remember being up here.  And temps have been cold enough to keep it around much longer than it usually stays.

Snow today, gone tomorrow is usually the norm - but this winter?  It's been a doozy!

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