Making Progress

Good morning, my friends. There was a lot on yesterday's agenda. Not as much was accomplished in the sewing room as I'd hoped, but there was some progress. Probably I'll end the day with some top-stitching. But first, I'm going to finish off the last of the snowman and the reindeer.

When I finished with yesterday's slow-stitching, I happened to look outside to see Smitty sitting in his favorite spot. He can keep watch on his entire terrortory from this spot, and the sunshine isn't too intense. They were smart to enjoy the sunshine yesterday because we're back to rain today and tomorrow, at least.

Toward the end of the day, I found Sadie stretched out in the afternoon sunshine.

In the sewing room, I finished off the applique for the Outhouse.

I'm making this quilt two blocks per go-round. The next one I'll make is the Loon. Here's the picture from the book.

First, I created the quilt block. 

Some time ago, I mistook the block above for a "Dutchman's Puzzle." Maybe you would too. My friend, Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts, set me straight that time. A Dutchman's Puzzle has the flying geese oriented to form a pinwheel in the center like the one below. (Think of it as a windmill.) 

And the block I made for the Loon background does not. Somehow my brain grabbed hold of this riddle: What is its name if it's not a Dutchman's Puzzle? I asked in a group on Facebook and the answers I got were of two varieties: It's a Dutchman's Puzzle (no, it isn't), or it's pieced wrong (no, again). So I went perusing my bookshelf and started paging through this book.

It has a good index. It took me a bit of flipping back and forth, but I finally found it. When the flying geese are oriented as my block is, it's called "Return of the Swallows." (Polishes fingernails on shirt.) When I first learned to quilt, realizing that all the blocks had names was, for me, part of quilting's charm.

Okay, but I wasn't finished yet. I still needed to add the surrounding pieces to create the background.

Somehow I wasn't in the right head space to start on the applique. I might have packed everything up at that point, but then remembered I needed to trace out my next embroidery project. Next up will be October's block for A Year in the Garden. Probably I won't start on this until tomorrow.

There was still time in the day. The pile of leaders and enders was growing scarily large, and so I decided it was a good time to trim and sort them. Now I'm back to zero with these.

Okay, and then it really was time to stop. I tried this new recipe for dinner last night. This is Butter-Soy Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry. With asparagus in season, how could I resist?

It's easy to make, but a little unusual. The chicken is marinated for anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours in what amounts to a coating made from a lot of dry ingredients, a little oil, some soy sauce, and a portion of egg white. Then, the chicken is first boiled for 90 seconds before adding it to the rest of the dish. Meanwhile, the vegetables were stir-fried before adding the chicken. After that...some butter and soy sauce is added to the pan making another coating for the veggies and chicken. I'd say it was a "sauce" except that it was too skimpy to qualify. It was easy enough, and it was good. It's not going to win any cooking contests, but I'd make it again. Also, the recipe specifies to serve it with rice. It really could be served with anything, including noodles.

That brought me to the end of my day. Today is still busy. I want to get in a walk on the treadmill, and I have one housekeeping chore on the calendar. Also, it seems like a good day to get the laundry taken care of. There should still be plenty of time to finish the applique on the Loon. If I feel up to it (and there's still time), I'll get started on the top-stitching. It's doubtful that I can finish it all today, but I'll give it a valiant effort.

Slow Start

Good morning, my friends. It was a busy morning yesterday. There were several items on my to-do list, and so it was late in the day before I was able to get any sewing done. Today will be much the same, but I think I can swing an earlier start.

Yesterday's sewing goal was to at least get a start on the first of two blocks for the Northern Wilderness project. I'm making blocks 9 and 10. These are the blocks I've made so far:

Next, I'll be making this block, called "The Outhouse." With as much as there is to see in Alaska, this one seems a little silly. I don't make the rules. I just make the blocks. This is the picture from the pattern book.

The first step is to make the background. For that, I needed four shades of blue.

It's a log cabin block, and these are the pieces I needed.

Smitty was kind enough to help with that.

When the block was finished, it looked like this. It ended up at 8-1/2 inches (unfinished).

From there, I added the rest of the background pieces. The background pieces are slightly different in each block, but all the blocks are trimmed to 13 x 17-1/2 inches.

From there, I could start adding the applique. Cutting all those little nooks and crannies on the trees took quite some time. When I needed to stop for the day, I had it this far:

There should be plenty of time to finish this off today, and then I'll get started on Block 10. I'll want to have both blocks finished before I start on the top-stitching. 

Also on today's agenda, I'll be doing my PT exercises...grudgingly...always grudgingly. After having done them three times, I've noticed no change whatsoever, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. Four full months of unremitting shoulder pain makes it had to be optimistic, and so I whine as often as possible. There's one housekeeping chore on the day's list of to-do's as well.

For now, I'll get back to my slow-stitching, and then get started on my day. I'd like to get the two blocks ready for top-stitching, but that might be overly optimistic.

Gardening and Sewing

Good morning, my friends. It was such a pretty day yesterday, and unexpectedly warm. My usual morning routine was still intact, though. I took the first stitches on the ninth block for the Snowmen and Reindeer. I stitched their faces first so that we could chat while I stitched the rest of their bodies. (Doesn’t everyone do that?)

When I finished with my stitching, I could see Mike outside doing something in the greenhouse. I’d asked him to help me fill these large pots with dirt so that I could repot the tomatoes. When I saw him there, I decided it was going to be a gardening day. Now, the tomatoes are happily ensconsed in their largest pots of the season. Make lots of tomatoes, you guys.

Also, I planted two kinds of lettuce in these window box planters. 

And I can’t remember if I blogged about this when it happened.

The pot you see above used to have poppies. It was a happy place for them, and they bloomed huge flowers as big as my hand.

Toward the end of last summer, I noticed the pot was filled with water and the poppies were dead. Drowned. It broke my heart. Yesterday, he dumped the dirt out of the pot, and we found the drainage holes at the bottom were plugged with mud. Apparently it sank into a wet impression and the drainage was clogged. So, he drilled more holes on the sides toward the bottom of the pot. We put a few inches of rock in the bottom of the pot and added rock to the impression below the pot, and then filled it with soil. So, it’s ready to receive poppies again.

Since I never have any luck sowing seeds directly into the ground, I’m starting some new ones in these little pots. (I have a feeling the birds eat seeds sown directly into the ground.) When they’ve sprouted and grown a little, I’ll move them to the larger pot outside, and all will be well with the poppies. They’re biannual, and so I won’t see any flowers from these until next year.

There are still more seeds to plant, but I’m going to wait just a bit longer to start them. It’s generally not safe to plant vegetables until closer to Memorial Day where we are, and so I’ll wait until May 1st to start any seeds for the garden.

From there, I filled the bird feeders. The Bleeding Heart is the star of the garden right now. I expect the azaleas to pick up the slack soon.

For now, I was excited to see buds on another one of the peonies. This one is called Fairy Princess.

We missed it’s flowers last year while we were in Alaska, but our neighbor sent us this picture:

Also, there is more color showing on this peony. (I think this is the one called “Joker.”)

Okay, and so I have to show you Mike’s newest 3-D printer creation. He’s been making a lot of tools and organizers and little gadgets he can use. Recently, he told me he asked himself, “What can I make now?” Apparently 3-D printing is a lot like quilting. Once you start, it becomes a habit. So, he saw this little whirlygig, and he decided he needed it.

We used to have a sort of sunflower-like spinner in this area, but it rusted and fell apart. This one, made of plastic, won’t do that. It tells us which way the wind is blowing, and it gave Mike something to do. As if.

Okay, and so gardening done, there was still time in the day to sew. These are the Land & Sea blocks. With no sashings and no borders, these went together fast. I sewed together the top three rows.

And then, the bottom three rows.

And then I sewed the bottom and the top together, and my quilt was finished. It ends up at 50 x 61 inches.

I’d pulled some fabrics for the back, but I was kind of “meh” about them. Also, I didn’t have enough of any of them. So, I’ll reward this week’s PT session with a trip to the nearby Boersma’s quilt shop to find something I like better.

It’s cloudy and cooler today. There are a few things on today’s agenda. I want to get in a walk on the treadmill, and I have a housekeeping chore to do. Also, I’ll need to make our dinner of crab cakes and cucumber salad early in the day since the crab cakes work best if they’re made ahead and given time to chill. (Don’t we all do better when we have time to chill?) 

When I can make my way into the sewing room, I’ll get started making two more blocks for the Northern Wilderness project. It’s been quite some time since I worked on this. These are the blocks I have so far:

These generally take a few days to make, and so that will keep me busy for the next couple of days.

Right now…it’s time for our Sunday morning pancakes, and then I’ll get back to my slow-stitching.

Fast Flimsy

Good morning, my friends. I sewed fast yesterday, and now the Kittens in Cups quilt is ready for sandwiching. Before I could get to that, though, I finished off Block 5 for Home is Where My Flock Is.

Here are the five blocks I have for this quilt so far. There is still a long way to go on this, but these blocks stitch up in just a few days.

And that meant I needed a new stitching project. The ninth block for the Snowmen and Reindeer is traced and ready to go. This one is called Snowmen, Reindeer, and Birdie Friends.

From there, I was ready to sew the Kittens in Cups blocks together. But first, I took time to press and trim the leaders and enders I'd accumulated. I'm getting better at remembering to use them. And since I don't want to end up with a bunch of HST's for trimming, I'm trying to keep up with them as I go. There were a lot of those orange ones leftover from when I abandoned a certain quilt block I was making.

From the Fantastic Felines, this was the block that gave me so much trouble. I created these triangles from triangles...

To frame these panel blocks. Only, I had to stop because I was considering using my rotary cutter to slit my own throat by the time I had these finished.

And so I abandoned the effort, leaving myself with all of these triangles for my leaders and enders box.

Okay, and with those trimmed and sorted, I was ready to start sewing together the Kittens in Cups. When Smitty heard I was going to be making a cat quilt, he was all about it. It's good to have expurrt advice.

And that was pretty cinchy to sew together. I just needed sashings and an outer border. Everything fit for a change. No fudging. I laid out a couple of fabrics to give it an outer border. After consulting with the Resident Engineer, we agreed we liked it just the way it is. This was my Rainbow Scrap Challenge project for 2025.

From there, I cut a backing for it. The quilt ends up at 36 x 48 inches, and so my fabric was wide enough. I just needed to measure and cut enough for the length.

Smitty appurroves of this fabric. We briefly discussed when he was small enough to fit in a tea cup.

Then, I went digging through my stash for an appropriate binding fabric. I had only about a quarter yard of this one, and so that seemed like a good choice.

Okay, so I'm checking those finished block sets off one by one. There's still one more to go...this one I'm calling "Land and Sea." 

This is what's known as a "Duckworth" quilt. I first heard about these on a scrappy quilt Facebook page I follow. You can see more examples at that link I've given you. All the ones I've seen were made with straight cuts. Rebel that I am, I decided to make mine wonky. Also, I'm engaged in a desperate effort to pare down my blue and green scraps. This is the second of at least three blue and green quilts I have in the works. I still can't see even a dent in my scraps. So, I haven't thought a lot about how to finish this off. I'm going to sew the blocks together without sashings. Then I'll decide whether I want to add any borders. Time will tell on this one, and I'm hoping to have it sewn together by this afternoon.

Okay, so I'm ready to take the first stitches on the ninth Snowmen and Reindeer block. After that I'll grudgingly do my PT exercises. There's one housekeeping chore on today's agenda, but then there will be plenty of time for sewing. It's going to be a good day. I hope you have a good day planned for yourself.

A Raggedy Flimsy

Good morning, my friends. It's another sunny day here at the Three Cats Ranch. We've had our typical spring weather with a little bit of everything during the day. A few days ago, we even had some hail. No snow, thank goodness, although we do sometimes get snow in April. 

When I left you yesterday, I was on my way to fill the birdfeeders. Along my way, I saw a few little things going on in the garden. For one thing, I'm seeing colors on the Lavender Whisper peony. I'll admit I'm anxious to see this one bloom.

The plum tree is gaining more flowers, mostly at the top so far.

The stargazer lily is poking its head above ground. Sometimes we get to see its flowers. Sometimes the critters eat the flowers before they have a chance to open. Still, it keeps trying.

I brushed away some of the dead leaves to reveal the greenery of the echinacea making an appearance. We won't see any flowers from this until fall. The bees love it.

Also, the lilac is showing signs of flowering soon. 

In my wanderings, I caught Smitty surveilling his happy hunting grounds behind the garage.

Sadie was enjoying a zen moment in the shade of the cypress tree. Black cats to not spend a lot of time in the sun.

Speaking of Sadie, it's Tortoiseshell Cat Appreciation Day. Feel free to celebrate Sadie in whatever manner you feel is appropriate. She purrfers plenty of treats.

Back inside, I went to work sewing together the Raggedy & Friends blocks. The first row was finished. I sewed together the second row and then sewed the two rows together.

About that time, Sadie showed up to help.

Purrhaps I may be of assistance.

The remaining blocks were stacked up in order. Sadie held them in place for me while I sewed.

I knew that I'd need to add sashings to both the top and bottom of one row of blocks. I decided to do that with the smallest of them.

When the bottom row was finished, I could sew the bottom half together...

And then I sewed the top half and the bottom half together. 

The last thing I neeed to do was to add the yellow border...

And I had myself a finished flimsy. It's a big quilt at 81 x 66 inches. 

There was still time left in the day to piece together a back for it. Happily, this was a wide fabric at 45 inches, and so I just needed one seam to get the size I wanted.

I didn't want just a plain binding, and so I pulled this long-time resident of my stash and used it to cut binding strips. It'll zazz up the edges of the finished quilt a little bit.

Okay, so that brings me to today's sewing. I'm very close to finishing the current block for Home is Where My Flock Is. I expect I'll finish this today.

And that means I need to trace the ninth block for the Snowmen and Reindeer project.

When that's finished, I'm going to start sewing together the Kittens in Cups. I don't know if I can finish it in a single day, but I'm going to give it a righteous try.

Also today, I want to get in a walk on the treadmill, and I need to do a couple of easy housekeeping chores. Possibly, I'll get outside for a bit and plant the tarragon that's been waiting it's turn inside the greenhouse. Mike and I are going to repot the tomatoes tomorrow. Also, I have some lettuce seeds to plant. All of that lives in the greenhouse. We'll be planting a smallish vegetable garden this year as well, but we're still a couple of weeks early for that.

Okay, so it's a long list of to-do's. Time to get going on my day.