Saturday, June 2, 2018

Doing, and Blogging Hesitantly

Since posting to this blog eight days ago, I've been keeping busy in the sewing room. Though I have some things to share, I have been reluctant to write a blog post due to the problem Blogger/blogspot.com has been having. The issue began May 23.

Blogspot blog authors, worldwide, have not been receiving comments. Though readers comment on blog posts, the blog post author is not receiving notification of comments.

For me that means the only way I know if my post has received a comment is to actually go to the blog post to check. I can certainly do that, but if you've commented and I don't know you, I won't have your email address to reply to you.

Blogger is owned by Google, so I've been following the Google Forum discussions about this. Google acknowledged a problem on May 30 (a week after people began complaining), and said the problem would be fixed "soon," as far as I can tell, nothing has changed.

This has prompted some bloggers, including me, to consider switching from Blogspot to WordPress. It's a change that needs to be understood though, before taking a leap. I have more than nine years of blog posts and photos that I don't want to lose.

In the meantime, hoping that a Blogspot fix is in sight, here's some of what I've been up to.

#ComfortQuiltQAL
For the past six weeks I've been keeping up with making the large and small blocks for AmysCreativeSide quilt along. These are the 20 large and 25 small blocks for week 6.  During the hours of machine time spent piecing those 3-1/2" X 3-1/2" small blocks, I was glad to finally introduce orange-colored pluses to the aqua and green pluses.

Amy suggested we have a little play with all the blocks we'd made so far and this is what mine look like on my design wall. In the blank rows, during week 8, I'll be adding strips of low volume fabrics.

I've been working ahead, and made all the blocks - 20 large and 30 small - for week 7 which begins this coming Monday. All the blocks I made, including those hidden in the piles, are orange.  

Binding
Two quilts have binding sewn to them and are ready for hand sewing! Yay! These are: a quilt I'm pattern-testing for a friend; and "Roulette." I enjoy adding binding, perhaps because it signifies a near-finish. Happily, I have lots of Wonder Clips!

Curated Quilts Mini Challenge
Every issue of Curated Quilts magazine (a friend calls it a "journal" since it has no advertising) is designed with a theme that's also a challenge. For issue 5 the challenge is improv, using "connections," as the theme. 

As with every Curated Quilts Mini Challenge, the quilt can use some or all of the colors, and must be 10" to 16" square. I'm learning that's this challenge is a good exercise of my design skills. (My triangle quilt was accepted into issue 4 that comes out in July.)

This is the improv I started a few days ago... as I beat my head against the wall and wondered what in the world I was doing! Improvisational piecing is not my gift. It's so un-fun for me that I decided I'd rather do laundry. Or clean toilets! Or. Or. I was looking for excuses to not work on it because I didn't know what I wanted to do. 

Yet, I persisted, cutting apart sections - using only my rotary cutter (no ruler) - piecing fabric insertions, cutting again, and repeating. Every action meant trying to figure out where "connection" fit into the piece. This is what I ended up with.  

It didn't take much backing (navy-colored pearl bracelets) or batting (an old hunk of Warm 'n Natural), nor many safety pins, to put the sandwich together.

And quilting was almost a snap - lots of walking foot quilting on the Bernina, and a little free motion quilting through the middle. Then big stitch hand-quilting to accent the "Splices." Yep, that's what I named it. The deadline for submissions is June 15, so I'm happy to submit it to the website a little early. I've never been much of a last-minute person. Only 25 mini quilts are accepted for publication, so it remains to be seen whether this will appear in the magazine or not. Here are the submissions thus far.
Splices, 14-1/2" X 14-1/2"
How do I feel about improv now that this is done? Well, it's still very much a challenge for me. And I can't say I enjoy the process - it's really work - but I am more than pleased with how this one turned out. I will do improv again, and continue to hope that with practice, this design style eventually becomes a little easier.

I'm ending this post with a picture of our sweet old boy. Hogan is now 14 years and 8 months old, and doesn't show too many signs of slowing down. Though his walks are sometimes more like meanders, and he occasionally gets up stiffly from the floor, he can still jump up on his window bench in my sewing room, and he still likes to go and do and even play with toys in the evening. Like his human counterparts, in his head he thinks he's still young. Linda

15 comments:

  1. Always enjoy seeing what you are workin on! And to see Hogan is doing well for his age!!!
    As for blogger, I even put a note on my last post about possibility of missing to reply to a comment. Blogger is working on it and I'm not ready to switch to WordPress...I'll hang in there! I hope! HA

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  2. Well you knew more about blogger than I did. Because of the timing of my posts, it took me a few days to realize anything was wrong! Fingers crossed it gets fixed soon.
    Anyway, love your mini. Sorry improv is such 'work' but you sure came up with a terrific one here!

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  3. Wow, a lot of beautiful work, your comfort quilt is successfull so far (i make mine in yellow/ orange/ pink colorway) and I absolutely love your improv mini, congrats.

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  4. Blogspot. It is a good blogging venue but if there are problems like this, they should fix this. There is no "winning" here. C'mon silly Google.
    Your projects are beautiful, all of them!!! You are a busy bee. I am trying to keep up. I just got my 3rd grand baby daughter and she is cute and sweet.
    My daddy also keeps me busy.
    Today is a pouring rain kind of day here in No Va. I am going to sew all day.
    I have been thinking about you. I am so happy you are off of those pills. Are there "withdrawal" effects, or mainly just feeling better?
    Either way, I am so happy, just keep getting all of your plans accomplished.
    ❤️

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  5. Hogan hangs in- what a great guy. That is a lot of blocks, and they're looking great. The quilting on your improv challenge really brought it alive. Hang in with Blogger- I'm sure they'll get things righted around.

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  6. Love. love this Improv and the hand work is amazing. In my next life (lol), I want to be Hogan. Fresh green beans everyday, walks in the Villages, and a sunny spot to nap listening to the soft sounds of a sewing machine humming along. Our furry friends are so special. Hugs

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    1. Hi! So sorry that I can't come up with your email address so I can reply to such a nice comment! (Grrr... that Blogger!) But thank you so much for the compliment about my improv mini, and the quilting. I think it's the navy-color big stitch that pulls the quilt together. I'm happy with it. As for being Hogan in your next life... you'd sure have it good! You're right about the green beans, walks in The Villages, and sunny napping places near people. He definitely has a good dog's life! :-) Linda

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  7. I love your improv mini, the hand stitching is a great addition. I agree about blogger, I am thinking about a move to wordpress but I really don't want to deal with that.

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  8. That is such a lovely photo of Hogan...what a wonderful companion he is! I love your improv quilt! And looking at the submissions so far, yours is definitely one of my favourites. Good luck! It deserves a place in the magazine for sure!

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  9. Wow, I never would have guessed that improv was not your thing by looking at that beautiful mini! It’s stunning.

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  10. Wonderful blog post! And if you move to Wordpress, you can export ALL your posts to Wordpress. See https://en.support.wordpress.com/import/coming-from-blogger/

    That page says "The import transfers your posts and comments — including text, photos, videos, and other embedded files." I've been using Wordpress for several years, and I started that way--by importing my Blogger blog over to WP.

    So, no worries. Fun to see all your projects, your beautiful improv and that lovely Hogan.

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  11. Nothings ever easy! Blogger or improv. I, too, find improv to be difficult. I think it’s just in my nature to be more accurate and precise. The same is true for my FMQ. I wish I had more 'wild abandon' in me! With that said, I truly love your curated quilt and I applaud you for embracing the challenge and following it through. I’m slowly finishing up a pile of WIPs, but I’m hoping later this summer to have some play time to explore more. Bottom line? Well done, Linda! I hope to follow your lead in time. XO

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  12. I’d be willing to place a bet that your mini will be included. It evokes emotion, more specifically (to me) devotion. The world and its terrain colors pass by, rotating on an axis while the deep blue transcends time and space, always connected and reaching higher. I see a spiritual beauty in this piece that is magical and magnificent. If the judges don’t see it as well as feel it, I’d be verrry surprised. ✨

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  13. I love your mini! Improv is one of my favorite ways to quilt, but I must admit it took me a while to get comfortable with it. Okay, maybe years.
    Your description of Hogan is almost exactly the way I'd describe our Maltese, Cotton, also 14+ years. It amazes me how much energy he has at times, yet other times we have to give him pain medicine.
    As for Blogger, I've decided to check comments on the blog dashboard and wait it out. If enough people are unhappy, surely Google will have to do something. Hopefully it really will be soon.

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