Overdue

My post is what is overdue, not the quilt. I received my quilt from Cecile (Patchwork Inspirations blog) in the first week of the month, but haven't seemed to be able to get a post written in order to share it. So here it is! We were participants in the Humble Quilts Doll Quilt Swap, and Cecile had my name. Lucky me!!

This little treasure came all the way from France, along with that clever card in the corner with wildflower seeds embedded in the paper. The wonderfully scrappy Ocean Waves pattern is one I have long admired, and the beautifully hand quilted feathered wreath in the center is an added bonus.  Thank you so much, Cecile. It is an honor to have a quilt made by you!

Another thing that was overdue was getting my little miniature quilt rack stained. You can read about this rack here.  I hired one of the many woodworkers in our community to make this for me. He had it finished in October, but I had told him to leave the staining for me. I love staining wood and it only took me 7 months to get to it. :)

This is where the rack was sitting before it was stained, and I liked it here. But now that it is pretty much the same color as the floor, the baseboard, and the hutch, it is a little way too much brown. So I moved it over by my full-size quilt rack (made by another woodworking neighbor).  I think it fits in better here visually, but physically it is a bit awkward. Still, it will remain here for now.

I know many of you would have painted this piece a pretty color, and it would have been lovely. I also know I have far too much wood in my home, but I love the look of natural wood grain, and I can't bring myself to paint over it. The red oak in this is gorgeous. Here is a view of the side.

Another thing that was even longer overdue was the clearcoat finish on the quilt ladder I bought from a sweet elderly woman at a craft show over 7 years ago (I'm probably getting very close now to the age of that "sweet elderly woman"). It had already been stained, but it really needed a light sanding with fine grit, and then a couple of coats of clearcoat. It is smooth as silk now, with just a hint of a shine.

 

Of all the quilts in this photo of the ladder, I only made one--the top one on the ladder. The next one down was by Jill Reid (this link takes you to her patterns at Windham Fabrics website), and the lower one is by Barbara Black. The one over the chest is by Barb Vedder. Love them all! This is kind of a red/green/cheddar corner.

 

Nothing overdue about this. Is anyone else as excited about this pattern as I am? My copy just arrived and I wish I wasn't buried under so many projects. I'd love to work on this now, but I will try to exercise restraint. Those little baskets finish around 3", you know. So fun! You can find the pattern here.

 

The final overdue item is my blogiversary. On May 16th, three days ago, it was the 10th anniversary of my blog. I never dreamed I would still be at it, and that I would have made so many amazing friends from around this country and the world. I have learned many lessons from you, my friends--some about quilting, but equally as many, if not more, about life. Several dear friends have departed, and I miss their wisdom and insight, along with the shared humor. Whether via Zoom, texts, emails, or phone, the laughter has been good for my soul. As time consuming as blogging can be, I have to say that it has enriched my life by expanding my circle.

You know there is always a drawing for thank-you gifts around this time. I am giving away a couple of little quilts from SALs. To me these SALs are a symbol of the community we create with our blogs. 

 

This first one is from the most recent Humble Quilts doll quilt SAL. I have given away a few of the quilts I have made from her SALs and I am always a little torn to let one go. I call this one "Mud Pies". You can read about it here.

 

Some of you may remember Cheri Payne. This second quilt was from a post of hers on Labor Day  in 2012, where she shared the instructions for this little quilt. She called it Labor of Love. I made mine a bit larger than the original (highly out of character for me). 

I will draw two names and send each one a little quilt with a few other goodies. Please don't publicize this drawing. It is just for those who are regulars here. Thank you for your friendship, and for all you have shared with me. And don't forget--if you never receive a reply to comments you make here, or if you don't usually comment, so you have no idea if you would receive a reply or not, PLEASE leave your email address IN your comment. If I can't contact you, I draw another name. I reply to everyone who comments and has their email linked to their comment.

Enough of that. I hope COVID numbers are decreasing in your area and that you are able to look forward to a greater degree of normalcy going forward. Let's make this a great day by making it better for someone else!

Until next time, 

Janet O.

Drawing is now closed

You may have noticed I have no header photo. I removed the old one to replace it and now it is doing crazy things and will only load my header photo into a small corner of the header space. The photo file is large enough, but no matter what I do it shows up very small on the screen. I've even tried a few other photos. So this would have been my header photo, and may be one day if this ever gets fixed. Click to enlarge it and soak in the serenity.

Anyone else have this problem changing headers, or am I just lucky? It's not like I've never changed my header photo before!

Humble Quilts SAL--and then some rambling

I finally got my little version of the Humble Quilts fall SAL completed. Named by Lori, "50 Shades of Brown," I have chosen to call my version "Mud Pies." While using the hose in my Mom's back yard recently to water of few of her perennials, I found myself remembering that our sandbox used to be by that hose. We would sometimes employ the hose to create lakes and rivers in the sandbox. Occasionally we would also be found making mud pies, which could take on many shades of brown. Hence the name.

This photo may give you a better idea of the quilting. I really wanted to hand quilt this, but I accepted my reality and quilted it using the walking foot on my machine. Then I squirted it with water and let it air dry to give it a semi-crinkly appearance (my dryer is broken--repairs happening this weekend).

 

I was so grateful that Lori kept it simple for us this time around. I don't think I would have had the brain power to make anything complex. I couldn't even handle making it smaller, or making a duplicate, both of which have been known to happen with regularity around here.

In case you are wondering about the little display rack in the first photo, I will tell you what I am able. Last year I briefly joined a couple of miniature quilt groups on Facebook. But it all began to be too much for me--too many ideas, too many people, too much time spent scrolling through trying to keep up. I soon dropped out of them. But while still in them, one quilter posted a great magazine rack she had picked up at a thrift store and repurposed for miniature quilts. I absolutely loved it. Many readers asked her questions as to dimensions. I copied the picture with the measurements she shared and filed it on my hard drive. Out of sight--out of mind.

Last month hubby and I were helping an elderly friend paint his home, and as this man is still an active  woodworker, I recalled the great little quilt rack and asked if I could hire him to make it for me. I found the photo with dimensions on my hard drive and emailed it to him. He used red oak, and I told him to leave it unfinished--I will stain it. I love staining wood (but may not get to it for a while). He brought it to me last week. I think he did a beautiful job. I had him put a few less rungs on it so more of each quilt shows. I love it as is, but I know it will really be beautiful when it is stained.

I can't recall who it was that originally posted this in the Facebook group. I can't believe I didn't put that info on the photo. There are some of you readers that are in that group, I know. If you recall who posted this, please share it. I should be giving her credit.

 

Lately I have received some much appreciated fun mail. Sandi sent the cute soap, pretty scissor fob, and great quilt magnet. I won a giveaway on Wendy's blog and received the beautiful magazines and charm squares. Then Barb sent the sweet, wee quilt and lovely FQs. During stressful times it is such a delight to find a wonderful surprise in the mailbox. I also appreciate those who have sent a text or email to check in. My blog friends are amazing. I know I am really lax in my blogging. I am hopeful that it won't always be so hard to find time to quilt so that I have something to post. 

I almost didn't watch the presidential debate, the last one was so disheartening. But I joined it a few minutes late and was grateful that a small degree of civility was present that had been sorely lacking in the first one. Something that has really impressed me is that the two candidates in my state's race for governor have appeared in an ad together, promoting civility. Don't believe me? It can be viewed here, and it is gaining some national attention. Kind of sad that such a thing is so rare. It shouldn't be.

 

Not only is it election time, it is also Pumpkin Spice time! I got a giggle out of this. Maybe I just need a Pumpkin Spice oil change to get out of my mental funk.:)                                                        Has anyone else sat out in the wee hours of the morning with a few blankets and a warm drink to see how many meteors they can spot? That would be me two nights ago, for a total of 7 meteors in 35 minutes--starting at 2 a.m. It was magical. You have to take joy where you can, and anything involving the sights in the heavens makes my heart happy.

Spent an afternoon last week making soap, and when it has finished curing in 2 1/2 more weeks, I will draw a name from the comments and send them a few bars. I'd like to pay it forward on the fun mail. I may tuck in a few other surprises.

 

Until next time,

Janet O.