Friday check in: flinging, finishes, and a flimsy

Vintage Fiesta and vintage tablecoth  

Sunrise 12/28

 

 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very cold but clear.   On Christmas Day we had time for presents and a festive breakfast (pancakes, bacon, and eggs) before the Sunday service for which I was liturgist.   Our Christmas dinner was at regular suppertime:  roast beef, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, popovers.   We watched several PBS/Netflix Mary Berry cooking shows where she made turkey. British friends said that nowadays turkey is for Christmas since they don't have our Thanksgiving holiday.  I'll stick to the old-fashioned menu.  (Especially since we still have leftover turkey in the freezer.)     

We celebrated Christmas with my sister and her family on Wednesday.   My nephew, his wife, and their daughter were there.  Rusty, the puppy, is a Vizsla.   (My sister and BIL are hunters and their dogs--right now an elderly Vizsla, the puppy, a springer, and a pointer--are workers.)

(BTW, the entree was venison.)   

We took advantage of the warmer temperature on Thursday.  Though the trail was muddy (snowmelt) I had a good walk.

Lower right:  collaborative effort by the beavers and the forest preserve guys.  (That kept the tree from falling across the road.)    

Flinging in-- my sister flung our mother's jewelry box.  The box is Bombay Co., circa 1991.  I know that because mine is just like it.  Much costume jewelry was sold in the 2002 estate sale.  I think this jewelry box was for current (at the time) and sentimental/valuable items.  I identified M's original wedding ring (a plain platinum band;  M said they were saving to buy furniture) and the Scottish Rite ring Dad wore in lieu of a wedding band. 

Top right:  the good stuff.  The little gold bar is stamped 10K/ 120 grains, worth about $250 per a gold-value calculator.  Bottom left: M liked rings. Most are costume, one diamond/gold, some turquoise/sterling. Bottom right: hers and hers.

 
Top left:  definitely costume; the copper base metal has corroded.   Top right:  I knew I'd given M an Alpha Gamma Delta Mother's Pin.  She had it made into a charm.  Bottom:  P.E.O. convention souvenir from that moment of stickpin revival in the 80's.   Right:  luggage keys from M's last set of suitcases.  No value at all, just a fond reminder.  Stevens used the larger suitcase until the zipper gave out.  When I packed the smaller one for our trip this summer I found M's i.d. in the i.d. pocket.   

Flinging out -- I sent a box of scraps to a quilting friend.   I also took a box of clothing (too big for me now!) and "misc. household" to the thrift shop.  I used great restraint and did not buy two all-cotton sheets, but I did indulge in six new-to-me quilt books.  Two had Amazon shipping receipts inside and I know the person who'd owned the books.  

Finishes -- three of the eleven wheelchair quilts are finished.  A fourth is quilted.   I'll bind it this evening.

I made the December guild BOM blocks (one of my OMGs for the month).  

A flimsy -- I've kept a box of 1.5" x 3.5" rails going for years.  They've been the basis of five red rails quilts. In October I began sewing the rails in a different design that was inspired by Lynn/Klein Meisje "thirteen" Here's how it turned out.  

The blocks are 9.5" unfinished.

There are more 1.5" x 3.5" rails in the box!

Linking up with Finished or Not Friday

P.S.  Happiness is a warm puppy!

 

Friday check in: brrrr! and yet another flimsy!

 It's cold and windy this morning -- temp is -4 and wind chill makes it -28, but the sun is shining.  We had only 2" of snow out of the storm.  (We lived in Maine and in North Dakota. We can get through this!)   I've run all the errands so we'll stay inside today. 

I was taken by one of Cathy K's quilts -- see  this post -- and had to give it a try.  I did it jelly-roll-race style by sewing the black/white/gray strips, adding a brightly colored patch, and repeating. When I had sewn a 300"-long piece I sliced it into 39" pieces.  I arranged those on the design wall (to avoid no-two-fabrics touching).  

It's 36 x 48, 1-7/8 yards.

In retrospect I might have balanced it better with a couple of brights on the right side, but I can live with this.

I need to declare a basting day and then a quilting day to turn all these wheelchair flimsies into quilts.

Linking up with Finished or Not Friday

Midweek: the tenth flimsy!

 

Quick post . . . lots to do today and tomorrow before the blizzard roars in. Snowfall estimates range from 2" to 10" but all forecasters say the danger will be from high winds and very, very cold temperatures.

The tenth wheelchair quilt is a flimsy.  The blocks are 9" finished.

 I had four blocks on hand.  I spent more time than I anticipated with fabric selection for the other sixteen blocks.   Many of the center patches are fussy-cut from Australian prints.

These ten flimsies used 19-3/8 yards which is pretty darn close to the 20 yards I said I'd use. (The guild charity committee packaged kits as starters for these wheelchair (35 x 48) quilts.  I took several packages totaling 20 yards (by weight).  I used some of the kit fabric but also orphan blocks and fabric from my stash.  I'll use the rest of the kit fabric eventually!)  

Linking up with Midweek Makers and Wednesday Wait Loss

P.S.  Almost sunset, day-before-solstice on my neighborhood walk Tuesday.

Weekly update: ninth flimsy + WIP

 

The Lake County Symphony Orchestra's Welcome Christmas concert was Saturday evening.  Guest soloists sang recitatives  from the Messiah.    Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite was mashed up with Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Sweets -- the symphonic version vs. the jazz version.  The concert ended with an audience sing-along to Leroy Anderson's Christmas Festival.

There was a raffle to win a chance to conduct the orchestra in Anderson's "Sleigh Ride."  A guy named Bill was the winner. "Have you ever conducted before?" asked Ron, the real conductor. "Never!" Bill replied.  Fortunately the musicians knew the piece very well! 

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The beavers have been busy at Sand Pond where I walked on Friday afternoon. 

They have put out Christmas decorations, though. (One rock was atop a tree stump and the other on a snow-topped picnic table.)

It's turned quite cold--the weather map shows most of the U.S. is affected--so I doubt I'll take any long walks this week.

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In the studio:

Wheelchair quilt #9 is a flimsy.  I emptied a box of 2.5" four-patches. Hooray! 

#10 is in process.  I had four 9" Ohio Stars in the Orphans Box.   It's been fun to come up with similar combinations for the 4 x 5 setting I have in mind.

Linking up with Oh Scrap!   Design Wall Monday

Friday check in: two more!

 

Here are #7 and #8 in the wheelchair series.  

The pinwheels were my 2019 RSC block.  I had 73 remaining from the original 365.  (Full disclosure:  I had to make a few more to get the colors I wanted for this design.)

The four-patch blocks are 4.5" unfinished.  I had a small stack of "four-patch same" meaning four-patches made of two pairs of squares (as opposed "four-patch different" with four different fabrics).  

And flimsy #9 is in progress!

P.S.  Also in progress:  the new flooring in the three bedrooms!  One room was finished yesterday.  Today the carpenter is working on the office (the third bedroom). That means  my weekend will be spent hauling boxes in from the garage where they've been since August. Silly me to think the remodeling would be done quickly.

Out with the old! (And this wasn't the oldest carpet.) 

In with the new!

Linking up with  Finished or Not Friday   

Midweek: two more flimsies in the series

 

On Monday I wrote about the burst of inspiration from the guild's charity project, wheelchair-sized lap quilts that are 36" x 48".  

Here are the next two in the series.  I'm using units from the parts department and orphan blocks so half the work is done.  (Full disclosure:  I've had to make a few extra blocks -- for example, I had nine Scrappy Trips blocks so made six more, and had nine Positivity blocks so made one more.) 

Come back on Friday to see what else I've come up with!  

Linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss Midweek Makers    

Weekly update: the social whirl, Blue Heaven, and a burst of flimsies

Holiday gatherings this week were great fun.

Tuesday noon:  I was co-hostess for the Zion Woman's Club luncheon and used my vintage tablecloths on each table. In lieu of a white elephant gift exchange we each packaged "festive food."  (I gave a gift box of Penzey's spices and received four different kinds of treats from Trader Joe's.)    We collected hats and mittens for kids at Elmwood  School in Zion. 

Tuesday evening:  my P.E.O. chapter had dinner at a great Italian restaurant.   There was another festive food exchange.  (I gave Penzey's, again, and got a trio of red pepper spreads and jelly.)   Sisters brought gift cards (Target, etc.) that I will give to Our Shining Stars, an agency that helps under-resourced families and senior citizens. 

Wednesday evening:  quilt guild holiday dinner.  The boxed dinners were catered but members brought desserts.  There's a fat quarter exchange, a grab bag gift swap, and an ornament exchange.  Santa Claus made a surprise visit .

Friday afternoon:   I was a guest for the holiday dessert party given by P.E.O. chapters AP and HS (both based in Waukegan).  I know many (most!) of these sisters. Jane from HS played the hammered dulcimer and we sang carols.   I took a photo of the group with one phone and then took a selfie with them for myself.

Saturday noon:   AAUW luncheon.  The silent auction is a fundraising tradition ($345 this year).   I brought more stuff than I bought!   This is the 20th year I've made a holiday-themed quilt to raffle ($245 raised).   Joanne and Janice bought tickets including one for their daughter-in-law/sister-in-law Michelle who couldn't attend.   Michelle won!  She had major surgery this fall and I hope the quilt will provide cheer and comfort.   (Joanne won the state convention quilt back in 2003 and Janice won  the holiday quilt in 2017  

Sunday afternoon:  I joined my ZWC friends for the Kenosha Women's Club holiday tea.  Jessica Michna gave a very informative portrayal of Mrs. Charles Dickens.   KWC was chartered in 1891 and has  owned a clubhouse in downtown Kenosha since 1922.   This was the first time I'd been inside. 

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In the studio:

Blue Heaven is a flimsy!  9-1/2 yards by weight.   

 

The scraps have been sewn into HSTs, all trimmed and pressed.

At the guild meeting Wednesday the charity committee chairmen had kits for wheelchair quilts for residents of the area nursing home we've partnered with.   They emphasized that the kits are only a suggestion and we are welcome to use all or part of the kits.  Simple piecing is fine; the quilts will be washed often.   Of course I cannot resist free fabric. I took several kits -- 20 yards by weight -- and the ideas started flowing.   

Wheelchair-size is 36 x 48 or thereabouts, big enough to cover lap and legs but not too big to get caught in the wheels.   I opened the Parts and Orphans boxes.   Here's the result as of Sunday evening. When most of the blocks are already made the setting and assembly go quickly.

I had units (49-patch and 21-patch) left over from Growing Up Odd .

 

I had to make a few more gray 16ps and a couple of red pinwheels.  (Left overs from this project.)

The green and blue Yankee puzzle blocks were made right after I finished the wedding quilt in 2020.  

And as I type this there are more orphan blocks on the design wall. 

Each of these is approx. 2 yards (by weight).  I want to make 10 tops to account for the 20 yards in the kits.   I plan to have them all quilted for our next in-person guild meeting.  That's not until March because we are Zooming in January and February.

Linking up with Oh Scrap! and Design Wall Monday 

P.S. The lake plain at Illinois Beach State Park on Thursday. 

 It won't be long until gravity takes down the beaver-chewed tree.

 

Weekly update: holiday concerts + goal progress

 There's a flurry of Christmas/holiday festivities the first two weeks of December and then things quiet down.   I had two luncheons -- GFWC District 10 on Wednesday and Lake County Women's Coalition steering committee on Saturday.  At both I sat next to women I'd met but didn't know well. The conversations were very pleasant.  

The huge cross in the Carthage chapel

Friday evening Stevens and I and our friends Debbie and Bill went out to dinner and then to the annual Christmas festival at Carthage College.  The concert has become a holiday tradition.   We noted fewer people in the audience (they've numbered the seats in the pews so no longer packed shoulder-to-shoulder, plus they now charge ($20) when it used to be free) and, significantly, fewer students in the orchestra and the choirs.   But the performance was still wonderful and the music was magnificent!  

The Lake County Community Concert Assn. presented Classical Blast at Waukegan High School on Sunday afternoon.    Traditional Christmas carols and songs were mashed up with contemporary rock. Energetic and not-the-usual!

And at home Sunday evening we watched the first two episodes of Three Pines, the new series based on Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books.  As the French would say, "Formidable!"  (= Terrific! Tremendous!)

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I entertained myself at the sewing machine, too.

Part 1 of my OMG:  a mug rug for the ornament exchange at the upcoming quilt guild party.(Ornaments don't have to hang on the tree.)   

Part 2 of my OMG:   the November installment of the guild BOM (no photo).   I have to make the October blocks.  The December block instructions were just emailed.

I have assembled the Blue Heaven blocks into columns.  One block is turned the wrong way (marked with green masking tape, right center).

Linking up with Oh Scrap! and Design Wall Monday

P.S. When I posted the photo of the nutcrackers on the mantel (see last Monday's post)  a friend said I might find German nutcrackers at the HomeGoods store in Mundelein. That happened to be on the way home from the D10 luncheon and I shopped -- and bought!  

This link goes to a website for the Erzebirge workshops that make nutcrackers and other wooden figurines.  

Our concert selfie. 

Friday check in: heavens, it's blue + stash report + OMG December

 A quick check in post today.

We revisited Sedge Meadow along the Des Plaines River on Tuesday afternoon.  

Right: interesting fungus, busy beavers.

This is a phenomenon called witch's broom. Wikipedia says it is “a deformity in a woody plant, typically a tree, when the natural structure is change. A dense mass of shoots grows from a single point, with the resulting structure resembling a broom…It is sometimes caused by pathogens.” I’ve only seen it in this forest preserve on the river willows. 

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In the studio:  I finished all the units for My Blue Heaven and I'm nearly finished with the blocks.  I tamed the mess in the blue bin.

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The stash report for November:

Fabric IN:   48-1/8 yards, $34, average .71 per yard.

Fabric OUT: 51-/14 yards.

YTD fabric IN: 1766-1/2 yards,$1165, average .66 per yard

YTD fabric OUT: 284-1/8 yards

As I've said, if I can't not acquire fabric I can at least get bargains! 

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My One Monthly Goal for December -- again,  multi-part:

a)  Make an ornament for the exchange at the guild meeting next week

b)  Complete the first three months of the guild BOM 

c)  Begin plans for the MQG modern mini swap.  It's a 24 x 24 quilt, due in February.  I've learned that the design/thought process takes a long time.

d)  Bonus:  assemble My Blue Heaven.

Linking up with Finished or Not Friday and OMG December link up  

P.S.  The hogs were out in the field at the farm on the state line road about a half mile from our house. They are a heritage breed called Red Wattle because they have wattles on their cheeks.  The breed thrive with foraging.    Good way to recycle those Halloween pumpkins!   We haven't ordered meat from them yet.  (50 yrs ago Stevens had a small farm and raised a few pigs and he is still partial to them.)

Weekly update: the blue bins

 

Both Friday and Saturday were sunny and warm. We enjoyed outings to Ray Lake and Pine Dunes.   

Lower left: a beaver lodge. Lower right: a ladder.   The trails at both preserves were 2.25 miles.  The more I walk the easier it gets!

A front came through and today (Sunday) was overcast and much colder.  After church we stayed home.  We put out the Christmas decorations.   The boys are back! (The biggest one never went away....)   These are all German nutcrackers (and four smokers) acquired over many years.  

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In the studio: 

The blue bin, home to fat quarters and chunks, was overflowing.  It's been a long time since I made a mostly blue quilt.  Bonnie Hunter's "My Blue Heaven" popped into mind. I looked up the pattern and got to cutting. And sewing. And trimming. Repeat. Count. And repeat some more.

(Bonnie's directions call for making the flying geese out of strips. I'm making four-at-a-time (see the lower right in the photo of two 3" squares layered on a 5-1/2" square).  My method avoids cut-away corners that I either throw away or make into bonus triangles. I don't need any more bonus triangles!)

The date on the printout is 2007.  

It's generating its own pile of scraps. 

Linking up with  Design Wall Monday Stitching Stuff and Oh Scrap! 

P.S.  Bonnie was interviewed for the Save Our Stories project.  The Textile Talks recording is on YouTube here