Old Town Mystery

Yes, I'm fully committed this time -- well, half-committed.  I am going small initially until I see where this is going.

Like I said earlier, Bonnie's colors really spoke to me.  So I went searching in the new "sewing annex" in the bedroom for possible fabrics, trying to avoid asking DH to bring piles up from the fabric shelves downstairs.  Indeed, I had a collection of fabric that I had pulled for another project that I have decided not to pursue.

Tula Pink's Fairy Dust is my focus/inspiration fabric.  I don't have enough of it to be the overall background fabric so I will supplement it with a solid light gray.  Aquamarine and soft orange will be my other two colors.

Clue 1 - I have most of the "wings" cut for half of the flying geese and four sets complete.  My goal is to finish one set each day.

Clue 2 - I toiled most of this morning and, amazingly, I am only 30 short of half the tiny 4-patches.  

You can see that my pieces will be scrappy.  I've had to dig deep to get enough soft orange.  I might need to go shopping!

Holiday Update

Normally we alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between our sons' homes in Nashville (Son-1) and Conway, Arkansas (Son-2).  But this year we were able to have everyone join us at a state park halfway in between!  All contributed to the festivities with food, games, and lots of good humor.

Son-2 with family on the left, Son-1 with his bride on the right, SIL in between.  The other two grands are married and living in the Northeast.  We'll see them at Christmas time.

I think there's something sexy about men in the kitchen ...

Ash. the artist, helped me with an art project from a picture I saw on Facebook.  

Safely home now and ready to get back to Bonnie's mystery, Clue 2.  Hope y'all had a safe and festive holiday.

I Said Never Again!

 And yet here I am starting another Bonnie Hunter mystery ..

I think her colors spoke to me, or maybe I'm just looking for a sewing diversion.

The foot pedal has been ordered but I was notified it is currently on back-order from their supplier.  So I stitch on...

Nearing the Finish Line

I spent most of my sewing time on Tuesday making the corner blocks for Shadow of the Bear and I was whipped so I took yesterday off.  I finished the last few strips this morning.

Now I'm ready to square everything up and put the blocks together. I'm debating about a border and how big, if I decide to add one.  

I had hoped to have a quilt top by the end of today, but I decided to make headway on Quilt Two with the remaining SotB blocks.  

Well, I seemed to be thwarted at every turn--not enough of a certain fabric, lost pieces, wrong fabric on the outside corners of a checkerboard block...

Who could do anything with that mess?  Do you ever have projects/days like that?

I Made a Block!

And started yet another quilt!

I'm trying so hard to wrap up some WIPs, but my foot pedal situation (see earlier post) is slowing me down.  Time to make a call for a replacement.

Friday I did manage to finish a fourth Shadow of the Bear (SotB) block for the center of my abbreviated version.  The foot pedal operates so sporadically, sometimes fast, sometimes stitch-by-stitch.  Add to that it's a complicated block, I'm just glad I got it done.  (sorry, the angle of the photo distorts it a bit ... it's really square)

Now all I have to do is make the corner blocks -- I already have a plan -- and then add borders.  I still need to make one more shadow block for the second quilt I am working on.

Serendipity:  A Smores friend brought me Trudie Hughes' book that has the original SotB quilt and I discovered there is also a pattern for a small quilt which is exactly what I have planned!

Yesterday our new Creative Hands group at church had their second monthly gathering and I spent my time turning the binding on a smallish wall hanging.  It's a moldy-oldy and I will be so thrilled to have it finished.  I'll take a picture when it's done.

I received a Connecting Threads order of precut strips in solid colors this week so today I sewed 2-1/2" squares to some strips and made 9-patches. I don't know yet how I will set them.  It will be a small quilt.

The Encore Azaleas are going crazy in the garden below my window.

And my Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus is starting to bloom.

Retreating with the S'mores and More

If you're new to my blog, let me explain that the S'mores are a group of my quilting besties who decided back in the early 2000s that we wanted to eat some more, laugh some more, and quilt some more -- hence the name.  We've been retreating at least once if not more times a year ever since.  

This week is our Fall retreat at Loucon, a Methodist retreat and training center near Louisville, Kentucky.  Because of my mobility issues, I didn't think it was wise to attend but, since most of them live in other parts of Tennessee and Indiana, I really longed to see them again.  So DH drove the 4 hours to take me to Mecca.  I took them a cauldron of my world-famous chili -- and a good time was had by all!

It was SO nice to see everyone and be inspired by their creativity.  I didn't take any photos, so I'm going to steal some that Kim has been taking.

Lisa's ginormous log cabins ..

Ruth's T-shirt quilt:

Sharon was turning out 3-Yard Quilts:

Donna's WIP:

Peggy's After Dan:

Kim's WIP

I sure miss these girls!

Help! I Killed My Machine!

Actually, just the foot pedal.  I broke it yesterday where it fastens to the machine.  Thankfully I have a second lightweight travel machine.  But I much prefer sewing on the big workhorse.  I had a vision as I lay in bed last night that perhaps the foot pedal on the little machine would fit on my favorite.  And it did!  Well, kinda.  I can only press it a little way to make the machine go at a normal speed; otherwise it ... just ... creeps ... along ...

About my current projects:  I think I have come up with two good plans for the bear paw shadow blocks and I've begun planning a new Geese Migration quilt.  But first, I need a design wall.  Ta-Da!

I decided to use the brighter/bolder of the scrappy-background shadow blocks in a variation of Shadow of the Bear to balance with the brighter/bolder scrappy uneven log cabin blocks.  Progress so far:

I need to make one more shadow block for the center.  And the arrangement of the ULCs may need adjusting.  I'm also working on a block design for the corners that will use some of the bear paw blocks I made for border that I may or may not do.  As is, the top will be 40x60".

I have a plan for the remaining shadow blocks, but I need to make at least one more to make my scheme work.  Stay tuned...