I think I felt such a sense of accomplishment by getting that Wensleydale quilt top finished that I deserved a break from sewing this weekend. So I got nearly nothing done in my sewing room since Friday.
Nearly nothing. I did stand in my sewing room and look at that Japanese X & + quilt a few times and noodle over the arrangement of the blocks, moving squares around to separate places where one fabric showed up a lot in different blocks, balance the darks and lights, and make sure my favorite blocks had prominent placement.
Here’s where I’ve landed as of tonight.
This is feeling pretty good to me, but I see at least one thing I want to fix.
My brain wants to make every other block brown, with the alternating blocks yellow. But I have more brown blocks that yellow blocks. So that just won’t work unless I make more blocks and that’s just not going to happen.
It looks pretty balanced in this black and white photo.
The bottom doesn’t look as dark in person. It’s all how the light hits it. But I am going to have to look at that lower left corner next time I’m in that rom.
I wish I had taken a photo, but I looked at this when I got up this morning and opened the blinds and saw it with the bright morning sun coming through the window. It looked so bright and cheery and makes me really want to see this done and on the bed.
Yesterday was pretty much a wash. I took Rico for his sheep herding lesson and we did some driving work in a smaller field. He was a good boy and his brain was tired by the time our lesson ended.
On the way home we stopped at the field with the creek so the boys could get a good run. I only walked about a mile but they must have run six or seven! They love running through the trees and bushes to get to the creek. Then they come tearing out all wet.
I love to play a hide and seek game with them when they tear into the bushes to get to the creek. I’ll hide and let them find me.
They usually find me pretty quickly! Rico is a little better at following his nose.
They do love a chance to run and having access to the creek is even better.
It was a gorgeous day and wasn’t too hot. But when they’re running they get heated up.
That walk in that field took me back to my childhood. There were wild roses all over the place. The air was full of their scent.
The hot air, the bugs buzzing, and the scent of wild roses reminds me of summers at my grandfather’s home in Hudson, Wyoming, when I was a kid. It brought back all kinds of memories.
Here’s my boys posing in front of some of the roses.
Other than taking the boys for a walk later in the evening yesterday, I really can’t remember what else I did. I think I probably wasted a lot of time.
Today I slept in a little and then went and played pickleball for 3.5 hours! I had so much fun! I went to a different place and there were more courts so that I got to play more ad didn’t have to wait my turn as much. I may go back to this place on Sundays. I’m pretty wiped out tonight, but I did manage to take my boys for a three mile walk after dinner.
It was a gorgeous evening. Our weather has been pretty perfect the last few days. With the exception of Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with temps at or near 90, the next ten days look amazing!
agilejack 
Sent from my iPad
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Your comment didn’t come through.
Anne
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The Japanese X & + looks good. There is one than keeps drawing my eye, the one with Bekah(?), the purple. I know it not much and value wise it works. Just me.
I love the wild roses but here I have a rose problem. An invasive white rose is taking over. It was the base of a grafted rose…It smells great but is out competing the natives. It it very hard to get rid of. Also smelling great is the honeysuckle, also invasive, but easier to remove. One thing at a time.
Looks like the boys had fun! A creek! yea!
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The Beech block is better in person. there are little pieces of purple throughout the quilt top, so when you see all that in person, the purple block makes more sense. In fact, I LOVE the purple block!!
Your white roses sound like our blackberries!
Anne
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Bottom left corner bothers me and the purple block also. It seems out of place and draws my attention.
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The purple block is better ij person. there are little pieces of purple throughout the quilt top, so when you see all that, the purple block makes more sense. In fact, I LOVE the purple block!!
Anne
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I love your blocks but it seems to me you might need to tweak more. I have to be honest when people ask what is your most difficult thing to do when making a quilt and it’s getting the blocks in a great setting. I’ve read that some people just sew them together without much tweaking or they give themselves 30 minutes. And then there’s me who might spend days looking and changing blocks. This will be absolutely gorgeous when it’s finished. Your pictures and video are great, your boys found you pretty quickly, my beagle Ruby is lying across my lap and she heard you whispering and it bothered her. I envy your playing pickleball, I can barely walk after this knee surgery, a nerve just isn’t being helpful.
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I Find that when I move a block to fix something, I typically create three or four more problems! Eventually it just has to be good enough.
A nne
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Good morning Anne
I’ve been following your blog for some time now. I find your creative process inspirational and I also find the lives of your dogs and the sheep herding lessons interesting.
I want to share this with you.
I met a woman yesterday in Asheville, NC. Short version of the backstory. I was in Asheville along with my husband for a 2 night visit ( I live in SE North Carolina) and we went to an art studio shop. The owners have 3 Boarder Collies. I proceeded to tell them that I followed a quilter’s blog who has the same dogs and your involvement with lessons and herding. She said she does the same. I gave her your name. She looked you up on FB and said that she is friends with some of your FB friends in the sheep herding community. Her name is Tina DeAngelo. Small world. She would be interested in connecting with you. Her husband Philip is the artist. You can find him on FB and has an internet site. Some of his painting have included their dogs.
I just thought I would share this with you. Strange how the quilting community is so large, yet so small.
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Hah! Funny. The dog world can be a pretty small world with thousands of people in it!
I’ll check out the artwork.
Thanks!!!
Anne
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As always, your quilt is beautiful. There is one block, a very light one in the middle, that pops out. How about switching g it with one if the darker ones in the lower left corner? You’ll figure it out and your quilt will be magnificent!
Love hearing about your boys. Don’t have a dog anymore only two cats that keep me company!
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the lighting is off on the photos. So I have to look at the photo for things that look like issues, and most times they are fine in the actual quilt in good light.
Anne
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Hudson Wyoming?! I’ve driven past that tiny little town many times and have always wondered about it & the people who live there. I’ve not known anyone from there nor anyone who’ve had friends or relatives from there and now here you are, a total stranger living in Oregon telling of visiting her grandpa who lived there. Isn’t life strange sometimes. 😁
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My grand parents were immigrants from Northern Italy. There were quite a few families in Hudson that were from the same region. It was a nice little community but a tiny town. My grand parents and an uncle are buried in the Hudson cemetery.
Anne
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I smiled while watching the boys look for you. My kids played hide and seek with our Scottie when they were little. We got him when the girls were 3 and 4 and he considered himself one of the kids. Wonderful memories. I really enjoy seeing your boys.
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That field is a perfect place for hide and seek. They go through the bushes to the creek and disappear. then I have lots of places to hide. I’m surprised they continue to trust me!
Anne
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Love the x & + quilt. Also love the wild rose pic, I used to have a 25 acre place in SW Washington State and the entire west fence row was covered with wild roses. This time of year there was a profusion of pink and my 2 daughters, who were very young then, would squeal with delight at the sight of them and picking a bouquet for the house. Thanks for stirring the memories. Deborah
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Amazing how strong those memories can be.
Anne
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I love following your blog. I’m inspired, and jealous of your design wall. LOL Question about the Wensleydale quilt. Did you simply get the papers for piecing and take off, or is it worth investing in the pattern? I’m really interested in making that with batiks. Beautiful quilt you’ve put together!
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I just got the papers and dove in. I had a quilt I was using as inspiration so I had a direction I wanted to go. I Have experience paper piecing. But I’m all about just diving into a new project with little preparation and planning!
Anne
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