Category: Uncategorized

I took the day off from work today because I have two personal days I need to take before June 30 or I lose them. I am not one who likes to lose my days off!

I had a nice sleep in and then got up and had some breakfast and some good coffee and then got ready to go because one thing I wanted to accomplish today was to get the green and blue batik quilt for my nephew’s wedding shipped off.

I’ve had a little bit of sewing enthusiasm the last few days, so I wanted to take advantage of it. When I got home I sewed a couple of rows of the scrappy hexagon quilt together. It looks like I may be able to finish this quilt top this weekend! There are only four full rows in this quilt, and 6 partial rows.

It was pretty hot today, so after lunch I sewed the center seams on the outer fabric and lining for 20 face masks made from Kaffe Fassett Collective scraps. Then I sat down in the shade outside and clipped the seam allowances on the curves.

I use a non woven fusible interfacing in my masks. This particular interfacing was a little thicker so I’m using it with the thinner Kaffe fabrics. It was a little too stiff with batiks, but works well with this fabric. I was finally able to get my hands on ten yards of the Pellon medium weight non woven fusible online. I’ve been trying to get some for a couple months.

For the lining I’m using a white on white cotton that I’ve had in my stash for years. it’s a great way to use up fabric that I don’t love as much as when I bought it!

I sat with a small garbage can on my lap as I clipped. Looks like I missed the can a few times.

I was covered with this confetti by the time I finished clipping all 20 masks!

Since it was so hot today I waited until after dinner to take the dogs for a walk so we only got one walk today. My friend’s dog Argos is staying with us for a few days. It’s more work to walk three dogs!

After our walk I decided to cut a few more masks. I had found some Kaffe scraps the other night that would work well and had some batik pieces I was planning on using for masks. I now have about 50 masks cut out and in various stages of construction. I still have to cut the lining and interfacing for about 20 Kaffe masks, and have to cut the interfacing for 20 or so batik masks.

I had made about 30 masks a couple of weeks ago and am down to only three! I’ve given the rest away to friends, co-workers, and I shipped a few to family. I’d really like to always have some on hand when people I know need one. I think we’re going to be needing them for quite some time.

I’m taking advantage of a brief spurt of enthusiasm for sewing to finish up the scrappy hexagon and blue spots quilt top.

It poured after dinner so I spent about a half hour sewing blue triangles to hexagon blocks and got ten done before the rain eased off a bit and we headed out the door.

To start the assembly I sew one blue triangle to opposite sides of the hexagons. Then these blocks will be sewn together in diagonal rows. This all goes together really quickly because these blocks are big.

It gets a little tricky on the bottom and top of the quilt, but it’s still pretty simple construction.

After our walk I finished sewing the triangles to all hexagon blocks that aren’t on the bottom or top row. I want to do those rows when I’m fresher because they require a little more attention.

But I did cut the remaining triangles I need to finish all the blocks. Then I sewed most of them into pairs. I’ll show how the bottom and top rows go together on another blog post.

We got rained on for the first two miles of our three-mile walk. But like they say in Oregon, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate equipment. So I put on a rain coat and a water proof baseball cap, leashed up the dogs and headed out. They got really wet, but they just don’t care!

For the final mile of our walk we got to watch a really beautiful sunset develop.

So, of course, I had to have the boys pose too!

The past couple of weeks I’ve been making sure to walk through our park on the way home from our walks and let the dogs run free for a few minutes. They really enjoyed their run in the cool and damp air tonight.

Rico’s enthusiasm shows all over his face… and his head… and all over Bender!

I told myself that I wanted to finish my scrappy hexagon blocks this weekend, and I finally dug in this afternoon and finished the last 8 blocks!

All I have to do is cut a few more blue spots triangles and then I can start putting the diagonal rows together. It will all go together quickly from this point because the blocks are big. Most of the work has been done.

I just love these blocks. How can you go wrong with a scrappy collection of Kaffe, Phillip and Brandon fabrics? They are so amazing and the colors are so bold and bright.

I even celebrated with my first beer since the end of January! It was delicious. It made me a little light headed! It was worth the 240 calories!

I’ll chunk away at putting these rows together over the next couple of weeks. And I need to decide which project I’ll finish next. I’m thinking I’ll start working on finishing up my crumb blocks quilt. You can see it on my blog here,  here, and here. (sorry… they’re not listed here in chronological order.)

You can also find some blog posts about this scrappy hexagon quilt here, here, and here.

I reached out to my long arm quilter this morning to see if she was currently taking work — and she is. This was the push I needed to finally piece the back for my Aboriginal quilt and get it all off to her for quilting.

This will be a gift for my brother and his wife. They will use it as a throw quilt in their living room. You can find blog posts about this quilt here,  here and here.

I used some of the leftover fabrics from the front to make a strip across the back. They were all nine inches wide and varying lengths. I separated each block with a strip of the sashing.

This is the first quilt I’ve made from the Aboriginal fabrics and I just love it. The fabrics are so gorgeous with colors that are rich and deep. The fabrics are really soft and wonderful to sew on.

I’ve been looking at quilt designs for this project and love these two options. My long armer said she doesn’t have these exact designs, but does have options that are very similar. Once I choose that and select a thread color for the quilting, it will be on its way.

I have enough of the blocks left over to make another one of these for my nephew. I even bought a piece of fabric for the backing a couple of months ago in an online sale. So all I need is a little time to get it done.

I took Friday off from work and will also take next Friday off as well. It was really good to get an extra day off. I slept in and puttered around the house, cut out a few masks, and then took the dogs for a five mile walk along the Fanno Creek Trail in SW Portland. It’s been rainy and that’s the best time to hit the trails since I get them almost all to myself.

We took another walk later in the evening, so got in about 7.5 miles yesterday. We took a nice 4.5 mile walk around the neighborhood this morning and will take another walk this evening. I try to talk 5 miles a day during the week and get in at least 7 or 8 miles a day on the weekends.

Tomorrow I’m going to work on one of my unfinished quilts. The scrappy hexagon with the blue spots background is on the design wall right now. I only need to sew 8 more hexagon blocks and can then start putting it all together. I think that will be my next finish.

I’m pretty sure that this quilt has been sitting in my closet completely done for at least two years.

I pieced the disappearing nine patch top several years ago starting with six inch squares, anticipating that my nephew and his girlfriend of many years would certainly be announcing a wedding soon.

Early last fall they finally announced they would be getting married on July 3, 2020. When I heard the date I knew I was ready. If only the world was ready now.

They will be going ahead with their wedding with just a small number of immediate family members present for the ceremony. They’ll have a party in celebration when everyone is safe to travel again. They’re thinking sometime next summer.

So I’m getting this all ready to box up and get on it’s way to Wisconsin. I made a label last night and got it all affixed to the back of the quilt. This is the first label I’ve made myself. My previous labels were made by a friend who has an embroidery machine. I did the lettering on my Bernina, which only allows memory of one line at a time.  The batik fabric I used for the label is in the front of the quilt and is also the border.

I had to program in each line letter by letter, manually line it all up, and keep the lines even by hand. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, but am not happy with the way I zig zagged the edge. For the next quilt label I’ll figure out a better way to finish the edges.

The quilt is made from beautiful blue and green batiks that I pulled from my stash. To me, it feels like cold water. And my nephew is finishing up his masters degree in biological sciences and loves the outdoors, so I selected a fishy quilting design stitched in variegated blue thread.

If you didn’t know the fish were there, you may never see them! They are pretty subtle, but really fun. And I love the way they make this a little whimsical.

This was the first quilt I made where I used up every single block that I had made for the front. The back includes a strip of the disappearing nine patch blocks across the width of the quilt.

The backing is a bright and cheerful green batik that I got at a local sale. The backing fabric was also used for the binding.

I’m always a little sad to box up a quilt and send it away. I just love holding it and burying my face in it. But I’m happy to know that this one will have a happy new home!

I’ve tried at least six different mask patterns — pleated masks, fitted masks, drawstring masks. And I’ve landed on my favorite. It’s really easy and quick to make up, and it fits really well. It has a nice amount of space between your mouth and nose and the front of the mask, so it’s really comfortable and doesn’t get too hot and stifling. I’ve worn this mask several times in public and am really happy with how it works.

A friend of mine is a dog groomer in southern Washington, right across the Columbia River from Portland, and her county was getting ready to start opening back up. She needed a dozen masks to get her through a week of work.

I had made her a couple different style of masks, and neither one worked well for her. Then she got one from someone she knows and she said she loved it. She took a picture for me and I looked through mask patterns online and didn’t have any luck in finding it.

So she loaned me one of hers, and I traced it, added the seam allowance, and made up my first prototype. It was really close. After a few minor adjustments I ended up with a pattern that works really well. I’ve also created a larger version. Both patterns are available below.

Occasionally I have a friend ask me if I’m making masks, so it’s nice to have some on hand to give away. I’ve also made some for family and for people at work. I currently have 27 that I’m making production line style. All I have to do is finish the top stitching and add the ear elastics.

I’ve made all my masks out of batiks as they have a higher thread count and offer a little better protection. I also use a light weight non-woven fusible interfacing, which is getting harder and harder to obtain. It’s supposed to add another layer of protection. I’m expecting more in the mail at the end of this week. We’ll see if it shows up.

Here are two PDFs of the pattern:

Anne’s Mask Regular Size Pattern. This would fit most women.

Anne’s Mask Large  This would fit most men and women who want a little more room.

I would love to know whose pattern it is so I can give them credit.

It can be tedious cutting out pattern pieces, so I cut two of these patterns out of freezer paper and was then able to press the pattern right onto the fabric. The wax on the freezer paper makes it stick to the fabric, so cutting it out with a rotary cutter is really easy and accurate. And then the pattern peels off easily and leaves no wax behind. I’ve even had luck cutting four layers of fabric with these freezer paper patterns. You have to be careful as you rotate your fabric for cutting so it all stays lined up. You could easily put one pin in the center of the pattern to keep it all together.

I made two of the freezer paper patterns so I could fit them more efficiently on my fabric, and produce less waste.

The assembly is really easy. Simply sew the curved center seam of the mask front and lining, clip along that curved seam, and then do a little pressing. I actually don’t open and press the lining, because it will fit inside the mask as it is prior to pressing.

Then nest the outer mask part inside the lining, pin it all together, and sew around the edges with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving an opening on one of the straight edges to turn it right side out.

One of the many mask tutorials I watched (can’t remember which one it was)  had a really great tip for making the opening easier to close. You simply sew a line from the end of the seam out across the seam allowance on each side of the opening. This makes it really slick to line up the fabrics along the opening and press them in preparation for top stitching. From now on I’m going to use this little trick every time I need to leave an opening in a lining.

Then clip the corners, turn it right side out, finger press all the edges in place, and then press with an iron. Then I run a line of top stitching all the way around the edges of the mask, making sure to catch both sides of fabric where you left the opening.

I’m using thin pony tail bands instead of elastic. The sides of the mask go back toward the ears far enough that these bands are really comfortable. Here’s the bands that I’ve found on Amazon. I have purchased enough to make over 100 masks. I anticipate that I’ll be making a lot of masks over the next number of months and am thinking that they will become hard to get.

To add the elastic, turn under about 3/8 of an inch on each end and press. Lay the elastic on the fold line and fold the fabric over. I use a zipper foot to sew the seam to secure this as my regular foot kept getting caught on the band and I made a couple of messes. I back tack at the beginning and end of this line of stitches to secure it.

If the elastic fails, it would be easy to pick out this line of stitches and sew in a new set.

I haven’t had much motivation for sewing the last few weeks. Work has calmed down but is still pretty crazy. I did take a couple days off two weekends ago and then got another long weekend last week. The days off were really wonderful!

May 23 was Forrest’s birthday. Can’t tell you how much I miss that dog. He’s been gone now for 2.5 years… so amazing that much time has passed. I will never love another dog the way I loved Forrest. All future dogs will be compared to him and none will measure up.

Look at how magnificent he was!

This picture was taken by my friend Heather Christenson on a cold rainy May hike three years ago. I wasn’t going to take Forrest with me because he was old and it was cold and rainy. He absolutely refused to let me leave the house without him, so I grabbed his little blue coat with the dog bones on it, and brought him along… knowing that I would have to carry him for a good portion of the hike. I am so glad I took him along. He had such a wonderful time with all those border collies!

Heather is an amazing photographer. You can see her photos here photos on Flickr.

So funny that I never realized that Rico’s ear hadn’t gone up full time yet when this photo was taken. He would have been about 7 months old here.

 

Social media is an amazing thing. I’m connected to people all over the world who make really amazingly beautiful things. And they really appreciate the things other people half way around the world make too.

Last week, after I commented on her post, someone I follow on Instagram asked if I wanted to trade something she made for something I made. Well, of course, my answer  was an immediate YES! And other than telling her what colors I like, she’s got free rein. And I asked her to look at my posts and let me know what she liked and I’d get sewing.

She loves KFC fabrics, and loves scrappy. She selected a very bright, vibrant and colorful zipper pouch. I had some fresh scraps from my scrappy hexagon quilt that would work really well. So this weekend I got cracking on it.

I just love making these scrappy crumb blocks. And I decided to combine the pieces with this pond spot, which is wildly fantastic! I also used it to line the pouch and the zipper pocket. it’s just pops off of the blue spots!!!

I’m not typically a lover of blue, but there’s something really fantastic about Kaffe’s blue spots!

The color in this photo is terrible, but at least it shows the quilting. I did a sort of tight meander, just on the crumb panel. I like to quilt these panels in pouches because I always worry a little about all those seams once the piece is washed. I feel like the quilting will keep everything in place better. Plus, it’s a really nice touch and I like things to be well made!

It’s all ready to go in the mail later this week. And that’s all the sewing I did this weekend.

I was talking to a friend last weekend who was making carnitas in her slow cooker, and that got us talking about her need for pickled onions to make a truly great taco. She went online and found a really quick and easy recipe and I whipped up a batch from it yesterday.

Here’s the recipe I used. It’s really simple and quick. You can choose your own seasonings from a handful of options. I used garlic, pepper corns and dried dill.

In one day it all turned the most beautiful shade of pink! I had some on my salad last night and again tonight and it adds a really nice acidic flavor. I also put some on my turkey sandwich for lunch today and it was just the pop of flavor that it needed!

I had to use every bit of vinegar I had in several different bottles, so I’ve already ordered more vinegar… and more onions because I see myself eating a lot of this in the future!

I was a walking fool over the weekend. I walked 7.5 miles on Friday in two different walks, and did another 5.5 miles on Saturday. Sunday was a rainy day so I squeezed in a morning walk and an evening walk, for a total of 6.5 miles.

I managed to get a two mile walk mid day today, and that makes my work day much better! So we took a relatively short walk of 3.5 miles before dinner tonight for a total to day of 5.5 miles.

Took a picture of Jack’s Tree this afternoon. This is a sequoia in my neighborhood that a friend of mine in Massachusetts just loves. I named it Jack’s Tree because I always think of him when I see it.

It was a gorgeous spring day today.

This was the first weekend since we’ve been in isolation where I felt like it went by too fast. And I even managed to be a little productive. I had a much needed sleep in on Saturday, then started sewing hexagons together after breakfast and a really good cup of coffee.

I made some good progress.

I really wish I could get a better photo of this. It looks darker and harsher than it does in person.

Once I started putting blocks up on the design wall I realized that I wasn’t going to have enough blocks to make a nice throw size quilt. Who knows what I was thinking when I put this project away. I was sure that all I had to do was sew it together. I had even divided all the pieces into sets for blocks.

So I dug into my Kaffe Fassett Collective scraps and found some 2.5 inch strips, sewed them into strip sets and cut more triangles. I needed 8 additional blocks to make a throw size. I like to make a throw quilt long enough to be over both my shoulders and my feet. I don’t want to have to choose one or the other.

Once I got some blocks up on the design wall I cut a pile of the blue spots background triangles and put them in place. And I absolutely love how it’s looking. It’s bold and colorful and blue. I’m not a huge fan of blue, but I really like this quilt. The bright colors really pop off of that blue background.

These blocks just make me so happy. As I look at each one I can remember how they made me feel when I first put the fabric combos together for my first hexagon quilt. These fabrics are so amazing!

Other than sewing, the dogs and I walked this weekend. We did nearly six miles on Saturday. It was warm, sunny and muggy. I had to stop a couple of times and let the boys rest in the cool grass. Their tongues were hanging out!

On Sunday, we walked in the evening so it was a little cooler. It’s just gorgeous here this time of year. So many things in bloom so our walks include a lot of stopping and looking at flowers and taking pictures of the boys.

One day last week I started taking photos of the blooms I saw on our walk, and it completely changed how I saw my neighborhood! I saw beautiful things that I’d never noticed before. Here’s a bunch of blooms from just one walk. Click on each image for a bigger view.

Here’s what these are, left to right:

Row 1: Pretty sure the first one may be a gardenia, apple blossoms, Stinky Bob, and I don’t know what this yellow flower is.

Row 2: tulips, some kind of iris, and a yellow bloom that is not forsythia.

Row 3: Tulips and rhododendron.

Row 4: Azaleas

Row 5: Azalea and dogwood

Row 6: Rhododendron, Azaleas and tulips with candytuft

On our four mile walk this evening we ventured into a new neighborhood. I’m really having a great time getting out and seeing the details of the neighborhoods around my house. I’m using an app that tracks how far I walk, and also saves our route on a map. It’s really fun to see how far we venture. This one is from our hot walk on Saturday.

My friends bought me some tomato plants and potting soil on their visit to a garden center today. I like to have my tomatoes in pots by mothers day. I have to keep this guy away from them or he’ll dig them out of the pots!

Getting these into big pots will be on the agenda for this coming weekend.

I’ve been working from home now for six weeks. When we first started working from home they told us it would be a couple of weeks. We were told this week that it will likely be at least through the month of May. I think that may be enthusiastic. I have a hard time seeing how we’d be back in the office by then.

I consider myself really fortunate that I’m still working. I have friends who run their own businesses and they can’t work. Not only do they not have income, but they have a lot of time to fill every day.

I’ve been frustrated that I’ve done virtually no sewing in these six weeks of isolation, with the exception of finishing up my Aboriginal quilt top. So the other night I sat down and made a list of all my unfinished quilts that I want to complete during isolation.

I have four tops done that need backings pieced. And I have five quilt tops that are in motion, but are not finished.

Here are the four quilt tops that need backs. I have the backing fabric for all of them. I just need to take some time and put them together and get them ready for my long armer.

This Aboriginal quilt is for my brother and his wife.

This quilt will go to my other brother and his wife. She has had a lifelong love for rainbows so all this color is perfect.

No plans for who will receive this blue Algorithm quilt.

No plans for who will receive this red one either. I just love these fabrics. I would love to keep it, but how many quilts do I need?

Here are the five quilts that are in progress:

I had almost enough of the Aboriginal blocks left over to make another quilt, so I decided to make one of these for my godson. I had to order some more of the sashing fabric and it came in the mail yesterday. I picked out a few fabrics from my stash to cut for the additional blocks I needed a couple evenings ago. I bought the backing (at the bottom of the photo) in an online sale a few weeks ago. The blocks all have the sashing on one side. Now I need to add the sashing and cornerstone to the second side. This one will go together quickly. Here’s my blog post about how I do the sashing on these blocks. And this post about how I assembled the sashed blocks.

This blue quilt is being made from fabrics left over from my Kaffe hexagon quilt. Here’s a link to my blog post on that finished quilt. The blue spots will be the background for the front, and the shields fabric is the backing. This will be a really fun and vibrant quilt. Blue is out of the ordinary for me. This is the quilt I plan to finish first, but I’m working on this and the Aboriginal above at the same time. Once the blocks are done I’ll have to make a decision as to which one goes on the design wall. they will both go together quickly. Here’s my blog post about the first moments of this quilt coming together. And another post about selecting the blue spots for the background.   I don’t yet know who will get this quilt.

This is a Japanese X and + quilt that I’m making for my guest bedroom. This has been in the works for a couple of years. I only have about ten more blocks to make and then I can start putting it all together. I keep going back and forth on whether to use sashing or not. I’m a little worried that in squaring up these blocks I’m going to make it impossible to match all those seams. I’m a bit indecisive on this one. I just need to make a decision and get moving! This one will have a big border in the brown dream and the darker Lotus leaf. The lotus leaf will also be the backing.  I just love this quilt pattern and I think my fabric choices are different and exciting. I can remember when I decided on the Pond spots for the background. It sort of makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!

Here’s a picture with the sashing. I think I’m leaning toward not using the sashing because then I get the effect of the pluses and Xs. These blocks are big, so once they’re all done, it will go together quickly.

This is my recent Kaffe crumb quilt blocks. I have all the blocks done, and have ordered and received all the spots I need for the block borders. I just need to start cutting strips and sewing it all together. I ordered the backing fabric for this a couple of months ago, so this is all ready to get done. I don’t have plans for who will receive this one. I might have to keep it for myself, I love it so much. Here’s a blog post about making these blocks.

This is the Jewel Frames  quilt I’m making for my bedroom. I have all the blocks done and sashed. These blocks were just tossed onto the design wall as I finished sewing on the sashing. So, the blocks are done and I have the fabric I need for the border and backing. What’s holding me back on this one is that I want to get a queen size bed and then make this quilt to specifically fit that mattress and bed frame. So this is on the back burner.  Here’s a blog post about putting these blocks together.

And then I have this wall hanging that will go in my office. the top is all done and I have the backing fabric. I just need to quilt it. I decided I want to do the free motion quilting on this myself on my domestic machine. But I find it a little intimidating. I just need to dig in and do it!!! Here’s a blog post about making this.

I’d better get cracking!!!

This might actually be the quickest quilt top I’ve ever made. And it’s one of my favorites.

I had planned to finish up this quilt top last weekend since I only had a few horizontal seams left to sew. And those seams are really quick because the blocks are so big — there aren’t a lot of seams to line up. I am a died-in-the-wool pinner when it comes to sewing rows of blocks together. So the fewer intersections I have to manage, the happier I am!

I typically sew rows together in sets of two, then I sew those sets together. And then sew the resulting pieces together. This makes it a little easier to manage all the bulk. I really don’t love maneuvering all that bulk through a sewing machine.

I like to accordion-fold my pinned rows to make a more compact strip that I have to move under my needle.

I had so much fun making this quilt top because the fabrics are just amazing and it went together really quickly! The colors are so vibrant and the large prints are so dynamic. I love that the blocks are irregular — the fabric designs are not carefully organized within each block. I love that it’s very organic and not overly manipulated. I think that’s part of what makes it work.

I’m in the middle of my third week of working from home. It’s been really busy and stressful. My internet the first week worked really well, and the last week it all went to hell. I couldn’t do much of anything that required the internet… which is pretty much everything these days! It took me several days to just reach a person at Centurylink. And finally, I had new internet installed yesterday. I really didn’t like the idea of having to bring someone into my home when I’ve been so careful about staying isolated. But I really didn’t have much of a choice… I have to be able to work.

And my new internet is screaming fast! It’s going to take some time for me to stop being startled by it!

I spent a little bit of time making a few face masks last weekend. I made six masks out of my substantial stack of batik scraps and still don’t have the pattern adjusted to where I like it. I got another pattern from a friend that I’m going to try this weekend. It’s really fitted and has less bulk. The pattern is pretty simple.

When I first told my dogs that I’d be working from home, they thought it would be a lot more fun. Not sure who is having more fun here!

Rico (with that big old ear) is a pretty chill guy. He slept on the bed next to me for a good portion of the day today. Bender, on the other hand, spends a good portion of the day gated out of my makeshift office. He just won’t leave me alone and I can’t concentrate on work with him shoving toys at me and climbing on me. He occasionally gets to make an appearance during a video meeting.

And once in awhile, he’ll take a nice nap.

Sometimes, this is my view as I work….