Makin' and Planning

On Saturday, National Quilting Day, I finished making an Essential Wristlet. This pattern, by DogUnderMyDesk, has become a favorite. I have made it for myself, family and friends... about ten times.

The two I made for myself are now worn out and faded, so it's time to make replacements using the vinyl I bought at QuiltCon.

For the first-time, I used my Bernina 770QE to make that decorative blanket stitch between the fabric (Effervescence by Robert Kaufman) and vinyl. When I made a test sample, I discovered that the 20C embroidery foot - or any regular machine foot, for that matter - wouldn't move at all on the vinyl. The vinyl is too sticky! So I placed a strip of Golden Threads paper (a tear-away quilting paper I once used for free motion quilting) over the vinyl. Then I stitched through the paper along the edge of the vinyl. It worked! The only extra step afterward was to tear away the paper, and use tweezers to pull tiny paper bits from beneath the stitches. It was worth the effort because I love how it looks!

For the first time, I used the larger wristlet pattern to accommodate my larger iPhone 8. As I have done before, I added this exterior zipper pocket - lime green! It's a handy place for keys. And you can see in the first picture (at the top of this post), on the opposite side, I also added a clear vinyl pocket for my Villages ID card.

Inside the wristlet is an open pocket for a cell phone (bottom of the picture below). I used the last of my favorite Maxine print that says, "blah, blah, blah" to make that pocket. (Anyone know where I might find more?) I also added an inside zipper pocket (not called for in the pattern) as it's a safe place for money and a charge card.

I like these wristlets so much! The size perfectly suits my needs because carrying a large purse or tote isn't my thing. 

My next wristlet will use this Tula Pink fabric with lime green vinyl, and pink zippers. That colorful shell print will be the lining. Though I really wanted to use orange zippers, I'm out of them! Gotta get that remedied!

I'm keeping up daily with my temperature quilt. The far right column, going from the bottom up, are high and low temperatures for the past week. Can you tell that it's been in the 80s every day? All those reds make me happy to have that bit of royal blue on January 31, when the low temperature was 36°. 

The Central Florida MQG quilt retreat begins next Friday, until Monday, March 25. I have some planning to do, as I've only today decided what I will work on.

Now I need to get crackin' on using my curve braid strip ruler to cut prints from my stash. I hope to piece the Cascade quilt top, a pattern from Victoria Findley Wolfe's book, Modern Quilt Magic.

I deliberated for a long time about which sewing machine to take. I've decide my Bernina 440 will suffice, because it has it's own table, and for the piecing (only) I will do.

My English paper piecing will probably go along too, for a change of pace. Only the last round remains to be added to my TulaNova (LindaNova) medallion.

On March 5 a new great-niece was welcomed into our family. This is a picture of my 88 year-old dad holding her - his 12th great-grandchild. I think it's the sweetest picture, and only wish our mother was still here to be part of it. 

This morning, after church, I came home and made waffles. Dan doesn't eat them, so I knew they'd just be for me. What better way to enjoy these big, naturally-sweet, Florida-grown blueberries than on top of banana-wheat waffles? Blueberries are in season, and I adore them. Also in-season are strawberries, but I haven't yet tasted one as sweet as those grown in Iowa. So for me, it's blueberries all the way. 

I have another book recommendation. I finished listening to The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth. It's a heart-warming story about a single mother, Alice, who's diagnosed with cancer, and Zoe, her 15 year-old daughter with severe social anxiety disorder. I gleaned insight about both illnesses, and how humans rise to meet difficult situations. The narrator did a fantastic job portraying each character. Linda's score: 3.75/5. (That's 3.75 stars out of 5 stars.)

Linda