Back From Texas

If you noticed my blogging hiatus, you are observant. From early Tuesday morning, April 17, to 12:30 AM Thursday, April 26, I was away from home. I visited our son and his family in Austin, Texas.

I've never been a good flyer, so it always takes me many prayers and considerable courage to board a plane. Those take-offs, bumpy flights, and landings - how is it possible that such a heavy machine remains in the air?! I always pray for my pilots, traffic control personnel, and the mechanics who take care of these sky wonders.

I flew on Southwest Airlines the same day the explosion occurred on another Southwest flight, killing a woman who was struck by a fan blade from an engine. The whole 20-minute scene sounds nightmarish. Yet, on my return-to-Florida flight I felt more safe than before, knowing that Southwest had run checks on all their aircraft following that incident. Still, I'm always grateful to return to terra firma. God knows.

Austin and Luke appeared to like the turtles I made for them (here). By the way, this picture was taken in the guest room. The wall hanging and quilt on the bed were made by me as wedding presents to Brent and Lyn who lived in Florida at the time.

We went to The Salt Lick, in Driftwood - my all-time favorite barbecue restaurant. The fire pit is amazing - the aromas! I ate my "usual" which is a half-pound of pulled pork followed by blackberry cobbler á la mode.

And speaking of food... my sweet tooth seems to go extra crazy when I'm around DIL Lyn who likes the same things I do. The day after I arrived, I made a pecan pie using Texas-grown Kiowa pecans. She and I ate pecan pie for four days! When that was gone, I made Pavlova. They had never eaten it.

This is the Pav fresh from the oven - a crumbly meringue cake.

This is it heaped with fresh-whipped cream, and topped with strawberries and bananas. Even the boys, who are very picky eaters, liked it.

Both boys had soccer on Saturday. Austin is a pretty good player. 

Four year-old Luke... not so much. He runs around, following the other kids who are chasing the ball. At that age, that's pretty much all they do - run around. My sister calls it best: it's amoeba-ball. 

We went on a Sunday excursion to Pace Bend Park in Spicewood, Texas. Limestone cliffs, a lake, hiking trails, and a glorious day. I took this picture using the timer on my Canon camera.

We hiked for more than an hour. Both boys kept up, though Luke needed a little urging. 

It was a treat to get to see the prickly pear cactus in bloom.

Austin played hooky from school on Monday. We went to San Marcos to ride a glass bottom boat on Aquarena Springs, at the Meadows Center on the campus of Texas State University. I'm glad I had a chance to compare this to my previous glass bottom boat rides at Silver Spring State Park in Florida. Many similarities. I won't ever tire of appreciating the clear water of a fresh spring. 

Luke didn't like having his picture taken. 

I used the timer on my camera timer to take this picture too - another beautiful day.

My visit wasn't entirely without quilt-y stuff. Lyn and I went to Valli and Kim, a Dripping Springs quilt shop. I didn't buy any fabric, and you can imagine what kind of challenge that was for me in a modern quilt shop! I'm sticking to my no fabric-buying goal, though I did buy The Tunic Bible.

Lyn and I worked on "Texas Forever", her first big quilt. She had pieced the 45" X 45" top and was a bit reluctant to piece the backing so the prints aligned. We did that together, then made the quilt sandwich and got it pin-basted. Before I left, she made a couple walking foot quilting passes across the quilt top to make sure she knows what she's doing. She does.

This is what I accomplished - a couple more of 20 small medallions needed for the perimeter of my English paper-pieced Tula Nova quilt - the one I'm calling Linda Nova. Slow progress, but that's fine by me.

Since returning home I've been writing every day. I'm working on an article for the next issue of Curated Quilts magazine! Yep. I'm freelance writing again. The piece will be 750 words on the topic of triangles. It feels good to be writing - professionally - again.

You might just see this picture in my article. A triangle. A slice of pie. You do see the similarities, don't you?

Texas Pie Company, Kyle, Texas

Linda

Some Happy Things

On Thursday I received good news... my Triangle Mini Challenge Quilt was accepted, and will appear in the next issue - #4 - of Curated Quilts magazine!

Because I was asked for the quilt name, for publication, I had to come up with something! I named it "Always Add Orange," based on the fact that I include orange in almost every quilt I make, and in my home decor.

15" X 15"

It looks like 111 quilts were submitted for the challenge - you can see all of them here - though I don't know how many have been chosen to appear in the magazine. I only know I'm honored and thrilled!

For Easter Sunday dinner we were invited to the neighbor's house. After the yummy meal, I watched Dave, the hubs, pull on a sweatshirt because he felt cold, I suggested that he might like one of my quilts. I explained that they were brightly colored, and might not suit their home decor, but he said he was interested.

So this week I walked over with four of my quilts, ready to give away whichever one he chose. He picked "Wiggle Me Colourful." The quilt's strips of color were made with saved-up pre-cut 2-1/2" squares, and pieced on my kid-sized aqua Janome machine during numerous Big Cypress Quilters meetings.

This quilt was my first finish in 2017, and it's been in the top of the closet since then.

57" X 65"

I was happy to give it to Dave, and appreciated seeing it in use in this picture sent by his wife.

This week I used a freshly-made batch of homemade basting spray to sandwich the first wedges quilt I put together. After posting this picture to Instagram, and mentioning that the quilt needs a name, I received several suggestions. Stephie in Kalamazoo, Michigan suggested "Roulette" and I'm rolling (ha!) with it. 

The first quilting stitches are in. So far I've used three colors of Aurifil 50-weight threads: white, silver gray, and turquoise.

For quilting I'm using both my Bernina Aurora 440, and Janome 1600p machines - the Bernina because I prefer its walking foot that I used to quilt the large curves; and the Janome because it has a larger harp (9-1/2") for ruler work. The 1" circles were free motion quilted on the Janome. 

I might be adding quite a bit more straight line quilting because this is such a busy design already. Certainly, quilting days are ahead.

I'm also going to make a book recommendation: "The Woman in the Window," by A. J. Finn. I've been listening to it in audiobook format, and I'm spellbound! It has a sort of "Rear Window" (the movie) feel to it. I can't wait to take another long walk or fold laundry, so I can listen more! Linda

April's First Makes

Didn't April start nicely? It was wonderful to celebrate Easter, and if I do say so myself, our choir sounded good! We sang "He is Risen" (Martin Hambyl) at two services. The link is NOT to our choir! :-)

Now that PBStudio's Mad for Solids competition is over - Did you see that my friend Elizabeth Eastmond @opquilt won?! I'm so happy for her! - I'm able to return to projects as desired. For my part in the Mad for Solids competition, though my Tiffany Lights color bundle didn't win I'm using it to make a wedge quilt.

The nine-degree wedge sections are sewn together, and I inserted a pieced center.... pieced with two different grays because I didn't have either gray in a single large piece! I'm calling this quilt Spin Art because it reminds me of the fun and result of pouring different paint colors over a spinning board.

This is also the quilt top that forced me to order fabric - on March 30 - in spite of my 2018 goal to not buy fabric!

But I'm sort of not counting it against myself. The 10-yard bolt of Painter's Palette Solid white that's coming from PineappleFabrics.com will allow me to finish the outside/background of this quilt top, as well as have enough white to continue sewing from stash. I will just continue to work around my limited stash of grays.

With grandchildren in mind, I made two more "Shell Shelters" (by Java House Quilts) soft turtles for two grandsons in Texas. Each turtle's shell is Elizabeth Haugh's Rhoda Ruth fabric.

I still think this is a good gift for kids, because of the zippered "treasure storage" area in the belly.

Blocks for Leila's "Year of Scrappy Triangles," which she releases every Tuesday on her blog (SewnbyLeila), were piling up, so I took care of that. I print each block onto Carol Doak foundation paper, and save them for a few hours of sewing. I'm now caught up to week 26, which should be about half-way through all the blocks. These are the latest six blocks.

I like that I can work strictly from my scrap bins to come up with what's needed for each one. Of course, my anything-goes approach to colors and prints is apparent!

I've also tackled a long-time need... a new cover for my ironing board. My ironing board is quite literally that - a 30" X 48" oak board. It's covered with a piece of quilted ironing board fabric, with an outer covering of plain white duck. It's the plain white that I'm replacing, even to the point of reusing the white bias binding into which will go new elastic.

I like having a plain white ironing surface because it's a nice, oftenly-used background for photos.

Today finds me prepping to sandwich and baste a quilt - the circular wedges quilt top I showed here. (It needs a name!) The first step for me meant making, this morning, another batch of homemade basting spray. It sprays nicely from a re-used Mary Ellen's Best Pressed spray bottle, with a little leftover. 

All pictures I've shown (above) in this post were taken with my new iPhone 8, which is a late (March) birthday present from Dan.

You see, on Monday I turned in my iPhone 5 which held up well to three years and eight months of continuous use and abuse. It was literally worn out as the volume buttons didn't work (without "twisting" the phone), and a screen message would occasionally pop up "Are you sure you want to shut down?" Ha. I don't think that iPhone 5 would have lasted many more days. 

Besides the fact that the iPhone 8 takes better photos, I appreciate that it holds a longer battery charge, and seemingly has better connectivity with our home wireless. I can now read Instagram from bed!

And check out this glittery "waterfall" cell phone cover for my 8. It's like a lava lamp with sparkles!

I'm a happy (un)birthday girl. Linda

March Wrap-Up

When we travel to/from Kansas City, which is about 18 hours each way, I always take along handwork. In between helping navigate around traffic slowdowns in Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville, handwork is what occupies my hands and makes me feel productive.

It turns out that for our March trip to KC I didn't plan very well. I thought I'd grabbed plenty of English paper-pieced medallions (for my LindaNova/TulaNova quilt) for many happy hours of hand stitching. But in fact, I'd picked up enough fabric and papers for only three medallions - stitched during the first day of riding in the car. The rest of the clipped-together bundles of fabrics were missing papers... I had left at home.

😤😩 I was so upset with myself, and horrified at the thought of having nothing to do all the way home!

So while in KC, I bought a pattern, crochet hook, and yarn to make a teddy bear. But still, it didn't go as planned. I should have read the instructions in advance, as the bear needed to be stuffed as I went along. I didn't have stuffing. So, I crocheted the head until stuffing was called for. Then I crocheted an arm, until stuffing was called for. The I crocheted the foot... you get the picture. Since returning home I've bought stuffing, but the bear hasn't made much progress. 

The first thing I worked on last weekend was a mini quilt - my entry in Curated Quilts Triangle Mini Challenge. The quilt must be square; no larger than 16" X 16"; and use some of these colors in solids or prints. I emailed to ask if a neutral could be added, and received a "yes."

Though I'm not a "pink person," pink/rose was the only color with three values that I could work with given my continued interest in the effect of transparency. I tried to make two large triangles look like they overlap.

Triangle Mini Challenge, 15" X 15"

I quilted on my Bernina Aurora 440QE, as I prefer the walking foot on it to the walking foot on my Janome 1600P. 

The picture of my mini has been uploaded to the Curated Quilts website to meet their April 1 deadline. By April 30 I should learn if the quilt has been accepted into the magazine. 

Having now made four quilts this year, I was behind on label-making. My favorite way to make a label is to design it on my computer (on a Macbook, I use Pages software) - in this case I designed four labels for one 8-1/2" X 11" page of paper - print on paper to proofread and the check for errors, and then print on Printed Treasures. I've found that the texture of Printed Treasures is difficult to hand-sew through, so I border each label with fabric. 

Yes, I like to put a lot of information on my labels, and add a picture where it's appropriate. These were hand-sewn to the back of each quilt during the monthly business meeting of Big Cypress Quilters.

If you voted for my "Tiffany Lights" fabric bundle in PBStudios' Mad for Solids challenge, thank you! Though my bundle won in the first round - and I appreciate everyones' votes -  I'm pretty sure it didn't win in the second round which ended Monday evening. Mine competed against a lovely color combination of blues and greens called "Heirloom Opal" put together by ShelleyBrooksQuilts.

In any case, every quilter who competed has been invited to use her bundle of Painter's Palette Solids to make a quilt. Since I'm still swooning over all the many ways that wedges can be used to make a quilt - according to Christina Camelli's (AFewScraps) book "Wedge Quilt Workshop" - I wanted to play more. 

I used a Mini Quick Curve ruler to insert unexpected arcs of color into some of the wedges. Those flower-head pins have A, B, C, D, E, written in Sharpie on the heads, so I can keep track of the sizes of each wedge. It's still a work in progress and I'm not exactly sure where it's going, but I know I love the riot of color. 

Updating you on our boy Hogan... he continues to do well at 14 years and 5 months old. He's still crazy for green beans and eats about four pounds-worth a week!

I had to take this picture of him while we were in Kansas City... sleeping in the bed belonging to Milson, a nine-pound teacup poodle. Hogan thought he fit!

Here at home, we've had absolutely glorious weather, so it's been nice for him to feel like he's outdoors, laying in front of the front screen door.

It's Holy Week, and I'm singing! I joined the choir at the church we've been attending, Amazing Grace Lutheran. Though I've always been an alto, because all eight women in the choir (13 singers in total) are altos, several of us have been assigned soprano. That's quite a stretch - literally - for me. In one song, the highest note is F# in the octave above middle C! Eek. However, it's all about praising the Lord, right? We'll sing at services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.

Have a blessed Easter. Hosanna! He is Risen! Linda

Blue and Green Turtles

First, thank you to all of you who entered my book giveaway: "Modern Plus Sign Quilts." I enjoyed reading your comments - and compliments! When I chose winning comment #38, using random number generator, I discovered that the commenter had not left a way for me to reach her. Generating a second number, #28, I contacted a very happy Mandy. She lives in Iowa, and we discovered some mutual cities of residence. Small world. She's thrilled to receive the book, and is already planning a quilt for her daughter! 

Second, I'd like to say thank you for your support during round 1 of the Mad for Solids competitive voting. My Painter's Palette fabric bundle - Tiffany Lights - won! (Read more about it here.)

Thank you for voting on the InspiredbyFabric blog, Instagram, and Facebook!

Tiffany Lights will again compete in round 9 on March 26 beginning at 6 pm through 6 pm March 27 (one vote per person/per medium). I don't yet know which fabric bundle is opposite mine, though I'd love your support. The Mad for Solids winner will design a quilt made from the fabrics in her bundle.

When we reach the final round on April 1, your votes on InspiredbyFabric blog, Instagram, and Facebook enter you in several giveaways of fat quarter bundles, so don't miss that! 

All this excitement happened while I was away from home! Dan, Hogan, and I traveled by car - 18 hours each way - to Kansas City to spend spring break with our daughter and her family. Not only were the kids out of school, but our granddaughter was home from Colorado State. I saw my dad three times, and both my siblings and their spouses, so it was a nice visiting time. I also celebrated a birthday with them. The only negative: not nice weather - gray and gloomy. Oh, how I prefer the (mostly) sunshine, and temperatures in Florida!

Anticipating our trip, I decided to "whip up" a couple gifties for the boys. These turtles are made according to the large size of this Shell Shelter pattern by Java House Quilts.

In this picture I had all the parts and pieces made, only needing to join them all together. The head and eyes were stuffed with cotton fiberfill.

I chose the colors, blue and green, because our daughter assigned these colors to her boys when they were little. Being 13 months apart in age, color-coding each boy helped others who thought they were twins!

Instead of sewing buttons for eyes, I used 1 mm sequins. 

What makes each turtle special is the zippered storage area in the belly.

Adhering to my self-imposed plan to sew only from my stash, where the pattern called for "decorator weight fabric," I cut up Dan's old blue jeans and used the legs to piece the bellies of both turtles. The orange interior wouldn't have been my first choice, but that orange print was the appropriate decorator-weight lining fabric.

Both boys loved their turtles! Aesa immediately stuffed his with his favorite toys, including a stuffed shark! Hmmm. A little irony? Aesa named his turtle Shelly.

Tay named his turtle George, and was very impressed that Bapa's jeans were used for George's belly.

A few more turtle-making days are in my sewing future. After all, I have four grandsons! 😊 Linda

Birthday and Tiffany Lights

I'm a little embarrassed to make a big deal about my own birthday. I wouldn't normally do this, but I have two reasons to celebrate today.

Reason Number 1

I'm proud to be 65 years old. Wrinkles, gray hairs, and all. This past week I reached five years as a breast cancer survivor. No one can belittle the significance of that! And claiming Medicare benefits is a bonus.

Reason Number 2

I'm a contestant in Painter's Palette Solids: Mad for Solids "Sweet Sixteen" that launches today! 

Sixteen of us were invited to curate a bundle of eight Painter's Palette Solids.

Colors for my fabric bundle were inspired by this photo, taken at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida. (My Australian friend Di, and I visited a year ago.) It's where a huge collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass and art is displayed.

Based on these colors, my fabric bundle is called "Tiffany Lights."

(Credit: The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum, Winter Park, Florida; Pair of color wheels; c. 1904–10 Fountain, reception hall, Laurelton Hall Lead, brass, glass (U-102:1, 2)

The interlocking stained glass color wheels were actually hidden at the base of a fountain. They turned, diffusing colors through a pool located on the grounds of Mr. Tiffany's home, Laurelton Hall.

Tiffany Lights

Of the 168 solid colors in the Painter's Palette Solids collection these are the eight I chose for Tiffany Lights. (Top to bottom) Dewberry, Aquarius, Beryl, Maize, Poppy Red, Daredevil, Island, and Paradise.

Tiffany Lights

If you like this combo, I'd love your vote for Tiffany Lights. Remember: It's my birthday! 😁

Your vote for my bundle on Instagram, Facebook, and Inspired by Fabric (one vote per medium per day, please) will advance me toward the final. 

Voting runs Sunday, March 18 through Monday, April 1

Another Reason to Vote (besides it being my birthday!) To win fabric!  Painter's Palette Solids/Paintbrush Studios will randomly select four winners from the championship game voting to receive fat quarter bundles of the winning palette. Help your favorite palette advance all the way to the championship game! First bracket voting begins at 6 p.m. today and continues for the next 24 hours Vote Here - One vote per medium per day  Instagram Facebook Inspired by Fabric blog

Thank you for your birthday present! 💝 Linda