Here is Rachel's block rendered in fabric, floss, and crayon. The bus and details were done in fusible applique. The rest is hand embroidered.
When that was finished, I took off for the grocery store. Something about going to the grocery store totally wipes me out, and then I need a nap when I get home. (I know...boo hoo, right?) In truth, I have always had a weird aversion to grocery shopping, which is better than it used to be when I was a working person. It has occurred to me that it is all the decision-making that one must do when one gets inside: Fresh or frozen? Heinz or Del Monte? Raspberry jam or orange marmalade? Crunchy or smooth? White or wheat? Chicken or fish? Paper or plastic? There was a time when I used to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes steeling myself to go inside. Fortunately, that level of foreboding is a thing of the past, but it still makes me tired.
Anyway...when I got home I did take a nap, and then I got to work on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Wheel Estate block for March. Remember when I started this project, I needed more of this fabric for the background?
And since it had been in my stash a long time, I despaired of finding any more. Not to worry, however, because where old fabrics are concerned, the internet is your friend. And I found some on a site called "Bonanza". Only...when it arrived, the polka dots were a different gauge. Bummer.
Oh well. No problem. I'll just do the 12 blocks half and half, and I don't think it will matter. Who says quilters aren't flexible? (Actually, nobody says that, but I'm setting the record straight just in case. One can never be too careful.)
So I cut six from the large scale polka dot just to keep myself on track with the count. I already have two blocks with the smaller gauge, and so I made yesterday's block using the larger gauge. The pattern has me doing the grass in applique throughout, and that seems silly to me. I'm just sewing the grass to the bottom with a seam. Why use all that fusible if you don't need to?
It does mean, however, that my blocks are all built in the lower 2/3 of the background, and so I'm going to have to trim them in the end to keep the trailer centered.
Most likely, I'll take about two inches off the top, and it'll end up looking more like this:
You might be able to see the lines I've drawn in below the umbrella. It has a string of lights hanging from it, and I'll add that today. I'm still undecided whether to use hot fix crystals or buttons for the lights. There's also a line stitched down the middle of the window. Do you see the cat?
Today I'll finish all the top-stitching and embellishing for this, and then I'll move on to quilting the Vintage Kitchen quilt.
It's a small quilt, and it won't take long. What's on your agenda for the day?
11 comments:
Love the bus block, such a fun idea. I also like the camper pieces, another fun design.
I am giving up, seems like sewing is not in the cards for me today, everything is going wrong including my thread breaking, so I will work on something else.
Debbie
I hate grocery shopping, too. What do we want to eat this week? I have not found 'I don't know' and 'I don't care' in the stores!
I like the idea of using small and large polka dots for your backgrounds. I think that will add even more "spark" to the quilt. Sometimes I worry that my quilts are a bit predictable, with everything just so. The last quilt I made (which was for our cats), I decided to use only what I had in my stash. The horizontal and vertical sashing didn't match because I didn't have enough of either--and then I had to patch one little bit of the horizontal with a swatch of the vertical fabric when I ran short again. I used more shades of blues and greens together than I would normally have felt comfortable with, because I needed to in order to come up with nine blocks. But I'll be darned if that quilt doesn't have a verve to it that I couldn't have mapped out in advance. The unexpected--like two different sizes of polka dots--can make a quilt sing a cheerier song, I think.
Gee, there is someone else like me. LOL
I see the cat on the table. Whenever I see dots, I want to start connecting them with lines. Grocery shopping tires me out too. I can be in there 20 minutes and it feels like an hour. And that doesn't include putting away the stuff when I get home. Actually, any kind of shopping tires me out. Clothes and shoe shopping are worse than grocery shopping for me.
I agree with Beth, the different sized dots will add a different look to the quilt that should make it more interesting without distracting from those cute campers. I don't mind the grocery shopping so much, it's the decision making on what to make that bums me out.
Yes, Barbara, quilters can be flexible! We just don't promote it. :-) As for the sting of lights on the umbrella, Cosmo makes a wonderful glittery floss in various colors that would be great for French knot lights on the embroidered strings. No matter how you do the lights, this will be great!
I agree with the others - two size dots will give it a special touch. I get tired from shopping too, but it is the lights that affect me.
The bus block is such fun. Love your camper block too!
I'm not much of a shopper, period. And now that I have a "personal grocery shopper", it's better! Hah! My friend Mary Ann (of Auntie's Ceramics) always knows when the chicken or meat, etc is on sale at the Baja Ranch Market by her shop. Last sale was chicken legs for $0.29 / lb.!! And they are big legs too. She had gotten some for me before that were in my freezer. About 15 lbs or so maybe. Unfortunately neither one of us considered what would happen when she put them in the shop freezer until I could get them. They were all in one bag....yep and GIANT ball-o-chicken legs that took over about 1/2 of my freezer at home! I decided I'd better take them out & cook 'em and it's taken about 6 days for them to completely thaw out! Yesterday I managed to pry one large crock pot full loose & cooked those with a jar of Chipotle salsa. Yum, came out great & I'll be using the 'juice' for tortilla soup I think. Got another pot cooking today with some herbs & spices & the last of them will be done tomorrow. Now the freezer will be filled with pre-cooked food! Yay!!
Those are just adorable.
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