Interim Week

This week has been interesting because I'm in between cataract surgeries on both eyes. Monday morning my left eye cataract was replaced with an Odyssey multi-focal lens. From my perspective, the difference has been surprising, though expected, because many, many friends and acquaintances have told me about their cataract surgery experiences. 

A optician removed my left eyeglass lens from the frame, so I've been wearing them like this - no lens in the left eye opening.

What I notice most, when comparing colors by putting a hand over one eye, then the other, is that white is white. The cataract eye seems to give a golden color to everything... sort of like the weird evening/sunset light that can wash everything in a gold hue. It's like that. Not bad, but not clear.

Anyway, I had a very positive experience with my doc and surgery center, and look forward to having my right eye fixed too. 

Cataract surgery didn't slow me down too much, as I made another cap on a round loom. This one is child-sized and involved me learning how to change colors. I'll donate this one too. 

Most of my week was spent making the first of two Diagonal Scrap Quilts, using the pattern by Maryline Collioud-Robert @mary_and_patch.

I cut out 90 blocks from black and white prints; used strips and 1½" X 1½" patches to piece the center strips; and added two solid strips gleaned from scraps stored in plastic shoeboxes.

There was endless chain piecing... 

cutting apart the chains...

more piecing... 

endless chain pressing...

and final trimming that produced a gratifying pile for the pet bed bag. 

Though the top isn't pieced together (that will happen this weekend), it should come out at about 70" X 78" - a nice, usable size. 

Now my biggest problem is coming up with a backing! At this point in my use-my-stash efforts, what remains is small pieces. I'd have to piece about 30 prints to come up with a 72" X 80" backing. I might just make my life easy and buy a wide back.

At the Tuesday meeting of Big Cypress Quilters - which yes, I was able to drive myself to - we shared our Paint Chip Challenge projects. Many makers made items other than quilts - like project bags, tote bags, and machine covers. It was impressive that everyone found fabrics (stashed and store-bought) in their paint chip colors to make something. 

In case you missed my previous blog post, here's my Paint Chip Challenge quilt: Turnabout. My paint chip colors were pink and purple.

I've been trying to give away my quilts, and one "outlet" has been my cousin in Ohio who has a home with a "dorm room" where grandkids stay when they visit. She's prepping for their annual summer visit and shared a picture of two cots with two of my quilts on them.

The quilt in the back is Satisfaction, a FPP pattern by Amy Friend; and the quilt in front is Bonnie Lass, a pattern by Jen Kingwell.

Don't those beds look inviting?! I absolutely love seeing my makes being used. I've promised more quilts, as they have a total of six cots to cover. 

 

Have you had a good week? Holy Week is always special, and I'm grateful Lutheran Church of Hope offers online services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Have a blessed Easter. Linda

Turnabout Finish

My Paint Chip Challenge project for Big Cypress Quilters is finished, just in time for the reveal next Tuesday, April 15. The design I came up with has a very mid-century modern vibe - many stripes and several circles. I was inspired by this picture.

After drawing the U-shapes on freezer paper, I pressed the freezer paper onto a rectangle of fabric. Then, to the back of the same piece of fabric, I fused two layers (three layers in some places) of Misty Fuse. Then, I cut out all the U-shapes.

Purple and pink are paint chip colors

I pressed to fuse the Misty-fused U-shapes onto another piece of fabric. 

Originally I thought that after fusing each U-shape to the background I would then only sandwich and quilt the layers. This is the method shared in Sue Bleiweiss's MQG video about how she uses Misty Fuse. She fuses every fabric piece to a background, then sandwiches and quilts the piece. 

I was extremely disappointed when, what I thought were fused U-shapes, did not adhere to the background. I pressed a lot, with dry heat. And then pressed again as pieces came unstuck. 

Other quilters have speculated:

• I didn't use enough layers of Misty Fuse. Two layers, and three layers in some places,   aren't enough?
• The Misty Fuse was old. Well, I ordered it through a local quilt shop and she got it just for me, in June, 2024. Does eight months make it old?
• I didn't prewash my fabrics. Yes, I did.
• I used a fabric softener or dryer sheet. No, I didn't.
• I didn't follow Misty Fuse instructions. 

🤷
I'd sure like to know why Misty Fuse didn't stick!

I ended up having to raw edge appliqué along all the edges. For appliqué, I set my Bernina to this zig-zag (photo so I don't forget the settings): #2 stitch; 2.5 width; 1.5 length. 

For appliqué, I used Wonderfil Invisifil thread on top and Aurifil 50-weight in the bobbin.  

The eye-popping addition (one other color could be added) of Painter's Palette Lemon Ice really makes this color combo work. I'm giving credit to Candi @candipursuits for suggesting this color rather than the (very boring) Oyster (off-white) I originally planned to use. 

I made quick work of machine quilting, using my walking foot and Bernina 770QE machine stitch length set to 3.2 to quilt very close to each appliqué. I want my machine quilting to hold the quilt sandwich together, not create quilting texture.

For quilting, I used 100-weight Wonderfil Invisifil thread on top, and 80-weight Wonderfil DecoBob in the bobbin. It's invisible! Quilting can be seen only on the quilt back.

Big stitch hand-quilting was with size 8 Wonderfil Eleganza perle cotton.

Ain't it Wonderfil?! 😀 Ha, ha. I do love these threads

Running out of thread didn't stop me from going ahead to add facing. I was able to match the sides with the backing fabric, but didn't have enough fabric for the four corners, so they're all this print

I used-up all the Eleganza in the color Sulfur (lemon-lime), and nearly all of the dark purple, Baubles. I've reordered both so I can add a little more quilting at a later time.

I think I've done a pretty good job of making this quilt match my paint chip colors. But isn't it interesting to see the slight color variations from one photo to the next?

Lastly, I added a label. Thanks to several friends who made great name suggestions, I was able to narrow down options to my favorite: Turnabout.  Thank you Karen! 

I've also now gotten into the good habit of including the quilt's dimensions just below the title. Turnabout finished at 59" X 61.

Linda

Rushing into April

Where do the days go? That old adage is true: "The older I get the faster time goes by." 

When I Googled that phrase, look what artificial intelligence came up with as an explanation: 

"The feeling that time speeds up as you age is a common experience, and it's linked to how our brains process information and experiences, with fewer new experiences and routines making time seem to pass faster."

Does "fewer new experiences" stand separate from "routines"? Does it mean that because we have routines, time seems to pass more quickly?

Or should that sentence have a comma and is meant to be understood as "fewer new experiences, and (fewer new) routines"?

AI appears to use poor sentence structure, and poor punctuation. 

Either way, I wholeheartedly disagree with AI's assessment of the phrase because I DO have new experiences, and change-up my routine activities, and still time passes quickly. 

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I had a "new experience" going to the Boomer Loomers group. I attended today for the second time, and was happy to turn in my round loom knitted donations of three baby caps and a pair of booties. 

My first knitting was the two plain caps, and then, using a YouTube video, I tried the "brick stitch" on the third cap (right). I then used my long-remember Brownies method of making a pom-pon with two cardboard circles. It worked nicely!

Those booties were knitted on a 12-peg round loom, a blue loom that I just got this week. The booties are not perfect, as they're not exactly the same size, but I'll keep trying to get my tension more even. 

I'm glad to have the 12-peg loom. Supposedly yarn daisies can be made with it, though I'd like to knit some face scrubbies. 

Using my 31-peg loom, I'm now knitting/purling a kid-sized cap. Yarn is this super-soft "Baby Bee Adore-A-Ball."

I continued to work on my paint chip challenge quilt, and have used-up one ball of Wonderfil Eleganza perle cotton that I wish I had more of - the greenish-yellow color EZ2118. And I almost-finished a second color - purple 506. 

Knowing I can add more quilting even after facing the quilt, I went ahead with facing.

For the four long strips at the sides, I eeked out 2"-wide pieces from backing fabric hanging off the quilt sides. But I had to resort to using a print for the 5" squares (folded into triangle shapes) for the four corners. In case you're interested, I use the facing method and tutorial shared on the We All Sew website, here. 

Finishing this paint chip challenge quilt by the April 15 deadline has been a priority, especially since learning last week that on April 14 I'll have my first of two cataract surgeries one week apart. Though I'm a bit apprehensive about having the procedures, I'm super-excited about having better vision, as cloudiness has continued to worsen in the six weeks since the opthamologist saw me. I'll be able to see more clearly, and that will be wonderful. 

In between other things, I'm hand-piecing Inner City blocks that go with me whenever it's appropriate. 

I also continue to listen to audiobooks. Since we're watching Will Trent on TV, I'm listening to the Will Trent books written by Karin Slaughter. The first book, Triptych, was pretty gruesome; I enjoyed book two, Fractured more. I'm on to Undone now. If you like police/detective - Georgia Bureau of Investigations - type books, you'll enjoy these. Will Trent is an interesting, flawed character. 

Linda

End of March

Didn't March fly by? It sure did for me. The good news is that this month begins a new trend I can carry through every month for the rest of 2025. I used-up more fabric than I brought in! Hooray!

The quantity of "out yardage" isn't very high because it reflects only two newly-made items. 

The first item that used-up most of the March total is my paint chip challenge quilt. I made (mostly raw edge appliqué) and sandwiched the top during March.

Fabric colors are Ruby + Bee salvia and night sky, (purples); and Painter's Palette carnation (pink); and lemon ice (yellow).

I have spent most of March hand quilting it with Wonderfil Eleganza perle cotton. 

I'm not quite finished with quilting, but I should see the piece faced and finished by the first week of April. It's due at Big Cypress Quilters on Tuesday, April 15. If you can think of a name for this, I'd appreciate suggestions!

The second use of fabric was to make this caddy cover for a Sterlite five-drawer container. The idea is to make the drawers portable with a zippered cover and webbing handles.

For cover fabric pieces, I sandwiched and quilted part of a improv quilt top that I wasn't happy with - begun during the pandemic as an along with the Boulder MQG.

I will fill the drawers and take it on the May retreat with Central Florida MQG.

The only other fabric use I'm counting in March was hand-piecing more Inner City blocks. I made 26 more blocks this month, so I'm up to 140 blocks made - 218 needed for the quilt top, and that doesn't count the smaller two-patch blocks needed to fill in around the four sides. 

Though it took me a while to put these all on the design wall, it was good to see which colors I have an abundance of - reds - and which colors are lacking - greens and yellows. I know what to cut more of next. 

As happy as I am about having pieced these blocks, and I'm lovin' how they look together - even hubs commented, "That's pretty cool!" - I know what lies ahead. Lots of time spent hand-piecing to join blocks together once they're all completed! 

Incoming this month wasn't fabric, but batting! After having to Frankenbatt the last two quilts I made, I'm happy to have this.

Not only was it on sale, but shipping was free - from Linda's Electric Quilt, in Texas.

The batt is a queen roll (93" X 30 yards) of Quilter's Dream Natural Cotton Request. As I always do, I'm splitting the roll and the cost with a friend. 

Saturday afternoon, I visited a new (to me) activity group called "Boomer Loomers." About 60 women and one man were in attendance. The best aspect of this group is generosity. They're 100 percent into accepting yarn donations, and 100 percent into knitting and crocheting 100 percent of that yarn into useable items to donate to charities - about five charities, by my count. 

I went to learn how to use my round knitting looms, and was given guidance by a very helpful maker from Minnesota, Mary, who showed me how to knit a baby cap. I took home yarn to make more that I will donate.

It's gratifying to learn something new, and know that what I make has a purpose.

As much as I want to learn more round loom knitting techniques, my open Saturday afternoons are few, already taken up each month with a Central Florida MQG meeting, a Central Florida MQG Sew-In, and Sumter County 4-H. 

In spite of busy-ness, or perhaps because of it - I have to keep my ducks in a row! - March was a productive month.

I'll leave you with the pretty view outside the rec center where Boomer Loomers met. We've had beautiful (low humidity) weather lately, and flowers are in glorious bloom.  

Linda

Book Scores

I checked-out many good books this month! In most cases, they were books others had recommended.

For my top two favorites I was on a long library waitlist. Then, wouldn't you know, each of them popped up on my Boundless app as available within three days of each other! Both are long listens too! Here One Moment is 15 hours 53 minutes; The Huntress is 19 hours 4 minutes. Each of them was worth every second. 

1. 4.8 - Here One Moment, Liane Moriarty
2. 4.6 - The Huntress, Kate Quinn
3. 4.5 - The Rom-commers, Katherine Center
4. 4.4 - Breaking the Silence, Diane Chamberlain
5. 4.4 - Nosy Parker, Lesley Crewe
6. 4.4 - More Harm Than Good #3 Kilteegan Bridge, Jean Grainger
7. 4.4 - When Irish Eyes Are Lying #4 Kilteegan Bridge, Jean Grainger
8. 4.4 - A Silent Understanding #5 Kilteegan Bridge, Jean Grainger
9. 4.2 - Every Moment Since, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
10. 4.1 - Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
11. 4.0 - The Midnight Feast, Lucy Foley
12. 3.0 - The Husbands, Holly Gramazio

Here One Moment is an intriguing story, following several people who have been passengers on a flight from Hobart, Tasmania to Sydney, Australia. The narrator's talent and accent made the story captivating. I also admired the author's skill in offering the protagonist's profound thoughts about mortality and death.  

The Huntress is another story (like Kate Quinn's The Diamond Eye) that takes place in Russia during WWII and then jumps to post-war 1960's, where a team of people are tracking down Nazi war criminals to bring them to trial. Kate Quinn wrote other outstanding books like The Alice Network and The Briar Club, so if you haven't read any of these, put them all on your list!

I giggled aloud a few times while listening to The Rom-commers. It's about a woman who's a wanna-be screenwriter and a guy who is a screenwriter, but he needs help. From the get-go they're at odds with one another. But she's engaging, with self-deprecating good humor- a mostly light-hearted read. 

Nosy Parker is what's called a coming-of-age book about a 12 year-old girl, Audrey, who lives with her dad. It's 1967 and they're in Montreal, having just moved to the neighborhood. Audrey has to make new friends, who she finds are from diverse cultures, and for the most part, enjoyable to be around. Her primary objective though is to learn about her mother, who her dad won't talk about.   

Gotta recommend the entire Kilteegan Bridge series by Jean Grainger. Start with The Trouble With Secrets. Each book includes lovely pastoral scenes in rural Ireland and the small village of Kilteegan Bridge. The general store owners, the doctor, the rigid parish priest, young girls who think they're women, abuse, and love... all narrated with Irish accents. Each books is filled with real life scenarios, drama, and charm.

A few words about Every Moment Since... This is a fictional story about the night an 11 year-old boy went missing, and his family who have lived with not-knowing for 21 years. It touched me that in the forward, the author dedicates the book to several young boys whose disappearances have never been resolved. One boy mentioned is John Gosch, a Des Moines Register newspaper boy who disappeared in 1982. While preparing to deliver Sunday morning newspapers, he went missing from a neighborhood corner in West Des Moines... near where we lived from 1989 to 2012. 

I gave The Husbands a lower score because the whole storyline is fantasy - about a single woman who returns home from a night of drinking to find there's a man in her house claiming to be her husband. He's just come down from the attic, and when she sends him back up to get something for her, a different husband comes down the attic steps. Throughout the book, she's trying on new guys. Implausible. The ending made me feel "meh."      

Here are all the book covers, in score order.

Something Else

Every once in a while, a blog reader will let me know they've made a pattern or followed a tutorial on my blog. I always appreciate it when that happens, especially when they have pictures to share. 

Deb, who lives in Minnesota, saw my selvedge quilt on Pinterest, followed the picture to my blog, and used my October 2019 tutorial to make her own selvedge quilt. Colorful! Pretty!

Deb emailed to say, "I did not use all my selvedges, but most of my best colorful ones. I still have a basket full." Do you have a never-ending supply of selvedges too?

She did such a nice job, including those pretty quilted concentric circles. And don't we all love a black and white striped binding? So good!

If you'd like to make a selvedges quilt like Deb's, you can access my free pattern and tutorial HERE. When you make it, please share pictures with me so I can post them on my blog for others to see and enjoy. Thanks Deb for doing just that! 

Happy reading! Happy making! Linda