I'm Back!

Retreatin' and Meetin'

As I suspected, I was not able to connect to the internet last week at Rock Island State Park. Oh, well, there was nothing earth-shaking to report, anyway.

The yellow/gray exploding pineapple that was supposed to be finished on Day 1, took the better part of two days.



Exploding Pineapple

All I had to do was insert the sashing between the rows and add the borders. But it's a big quilt and I had to fussy-cut the sashing and make sure the blocks lined up. I'm sure eating and visiting with our neighbors had nothing to do with the time it took ....

It came out to be a nice queen size (I borrowed The Queen's bed -- only one in the cabin -- for this photo shoot). I'm not totally happy with the cornerstones in the border (not shown) -- they're kinda klunky -- so I may rework them. I'll put the back together this week and this will probably be the next thing to go to the LAQ.

With the time left in Day 2, I tried working on RSC16 Twinkler Stars for the column-along, however my Tri-Recs (a/k/a Peaky and Spike, a/k/a V-Block) units were coming out 1/8" too narrow. (Sorry, I forgot to photograph.) I could probably fudge the difference in the seam allowance but I was just so annoyed that despite my careful attention to detail they were not accurate. They NEVER are!!! Am I the only one who despises them???

So I shifted my attention to the borders on Celtic Solstice. (Another lost photo op.) Turns out if I used the narrow light inner border that the pattern called for, the pieced borders would be a block short. I had enough extra fabric to make more blocks but guess what? That pieced border is made from Tri-Recs units and I just wasn't in the mood -- wonder why .....

I decided on Day 3 to start something new. All the pieces for Starfall were cut at Diana's New Year house party so it should have been easy-peasy.  Two days later I had only finished 3/4 of the blocks. Granted, I started with the largest and most complex ....

Starfall - a sampling of Blocks C-A

The remaining stars have wonky star points so they should go quickly. All the mis-matched size blocks go together with filler rectangles. That one dark grey in the center is not really that dark in real life.

It was a somewhat productive week but, in the end, Geese on the Move never saw the light of day ...

I'm not complaining. It was a wonderful week with great friends. The weather was perfect (and cold). And I was able to get away from the pressures at home for a bit. (MIL is still holding her own, BTW.)

Saturday was a sew-day at the modern guild meeting. I worked on a name tag which I will share with you in another post.

Four weeks coming up with very little on the calendar. Maybe it's time to do some cleaning and organizing in the sewing room ....

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Retreat Time

Rock Island, Rock On!

This will be my eleventh year -- or is it 12? -- hosting a small quilt retreat at Rock Island State Park near McMinnville, TN.



Rock Island 2010

There will be 8 or 9 of us in two cabins.  Lots of running back and forth, I'm sure. I wrote about what I plan to accomplish here.

The park is in a remote area with very limited cell service. Last year they were installing WiFi so I might be able to file daily reports. But if you don't hear anything from me for a week, just know I'm having a grand time!

Goals

... it's about time

I'm finally putting fingers to keyboard while thinking about quilting plans for 2016.

• My first goal is to only set monthly goals -- eat the elephant one bite at a time, as they say. In the past I have set grand goals for the entire year, only to find my attention diverted or my circumstances changed and the goals are either unattainable or immaterial.  

Heidi at Red Letter Quilts  has issued the OMG challenge (One Monthly Goal) with a linkup at the beginning of the month where I can state my goal and a linkup at the end of the month to report my progress.

• Related to OMG, a second activity will involve stash reduction. I want to take some time each month to re-evaluate, reorganize, and reduce the amount of fabric I have. The more I use, the less I'll have to pack when we move! 

Circumstances here with the Queen Mother have not changed (thanks to all who have sent encouraging messages and offered prayers), so we'll remain here for a while longer. The new house is still in the design stage, but the Main Man can work on that anywhere we live and we certainly want to be in East Tennessee when construction begins.

• Also related to OMG, I want to address UFOs without setting a particular overall goal for completion. One or two might pop up in a monthly goal from time to time, but I refuse to feel guilty if my children inherit some partially finished projects! However, I will attempt to do something with them, even if it means passing them on to others or completely trashing.

I have recently reduced the number of boxes containing "someday" projects by returning uncut fabric to the shelves. If I ever decide to make those quilts, it might involve some shopping ..... just sayin' ...

• My major goal for the year is to update and improve my blog -- basically freshen it up, add some of my personality to the template, index/tag my posts, and figure out how to do pages. I also want to devote semi-regular times to writing. 

Ideally this will also manifest itself in more participation with new linkups, thus reaching a new audience of potential friends. I can't tell you how special my blog relationships are to me.

OMG - My goal for January:

• Finish assembly of yellow/gray pineapple top, make back, take to LAQ, name and label.

Yellow/gray exploding pineapple -- needs a name

 Heidi said we could only have one goal, so that's it. However, I also plan to:

• Finish blocks for Geese on the Move, look for appropriate setting/sashing fabric.

• Make 6-8 blue Twinkler Stars for the column-along that Angela at So Scrappy is hosting as part of Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2016.

Waiting to become Twinkler Stars

•  Put borders on Celtic Solstice

Celtic Solstice - Bonnie Hunter mystery 2014

• Start working on Starfall

Starfall - needs a name

I know this sounds ambitious, but I'll be heading out to my annual Rock Island Retreat next week with four whole days (and some nights) devoted to nothing but sewing ... and eating ... and walking ... and eating ... 

Hop over to Red Letter Quilts and see what others are working on this month.

Things that make us smile

Two of my favorite girls

snuggled under the Christmas gift quilt ...

DIL and CG watching Supergirl

No, Supergirl is not one of them -- There's a little head tucked on the other side of mom ...

House Party!

I could live here ...

It was my first visit to friend Diana's house (which is stunning, BTW), but take a peak at her studio! 

With a full bath and small kitchenette area, I could stay forever!

Spacious cutting table

I spent two days standing at the cutting table, prepping for the January Rainbow Scrap Challenge (blue) ...

and cutting pieces for a new quilt (Starfall).

The year is starting to take shape already.

Feeling like a slug ...

... waiting for the other shoe to fall ...

It seems like the entire blogging world is reviewing their years, reminiscing on their most successful blog posts, and setting goals for 2016, while I sit here, moving as slowly as a slug, trying to be motivated, but kinda numb instead.

My mother-in-law, whom we lovingly refer to as the Queen Mother, has been declining in the last few weeks and we have finally enlisted the aid of Alive Hospice to help us through this time. Known for her stubborn determination (a/k/a Eveready Bunny), she could hang on for quite a bit longer, but we can finally see what the future holds for her. Our goal is to keep her comfortable, free from pain.

And while I'm not directly related, nor the primary caregiver, I feel helpless, not knowing what to do. Can I cook with gas while she's on oxygen ... what hair care products can  we use ... what does that cough mean ... silly stuff we take for granted under ordinary circumstances.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, it IS January 1, a new year extends in front of me, and so today I intentionally turned to quilting for both comfort and motivation.  I actually have two new projects in the works!

First is a class sample to accompany a proposal for Fall Quilt Camp at Cedar Lakes 2016.  I am working up a class from blogger Jan Ochterbeck's book Cut and Shuffle Quilts.

She presents such a fun concept of starting with a simple framed block, the Block Mama, and then cutting it into 9 pieces which can be turned and shuffled and repositioned into several new and exciting block designs.

Positivity in progress, using the Plus Block

Second, I have decided to not only participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2016, hosted by Angela at SoScrappy, but I will be doing her column-quilt-along in addition to other random scrap blocks in the color of the month. I have an ulterior motive in doing the column quilt-along as it will become a class sample for another Quilt Camp proposal on strippy quilts.

My friend Diana invited the S'mores to a house party at her new home and studio when her husband decided to go hunting this weekend. Oh, what trouble we can get into! I spent a good portion of today cutting up my blue scraps, the January color for RSC2016. I just went for the day since I will be cooking breakfast for the homeless Saturday morning, but I plan to go back and get another project cut for an upcoming retreat.

Maybe the mojo is coming back ...

I do have a few goals in mind for the year which I will share in future posts.

My wish for all ...

A Joyous New Year

The big reveal

 

The hours leading up to Christmas were filled with much last-minute sewing. The secret project:



Trip to Melbourne
(a/k/a Spare Change)

And the recipient's response:

@donnadb is thrilled!

The pattern is Spare Change from the book Loose Change by Kansas Troubles. I had been gifted a pack of 10" squares of Melbourne by Benartex -- hence the name "Trip to Melbourne" -- and I cut the 5" charms from my stash with a wavy blade when I couldn't find my pinking blade.

"Cool Beans" quilting

Even though it's a little larger than a lap quilt, the colors are perfect for their family room.

Also up, Triangle Frenzy.

Triangle Frenzy Table Runners

I had assembled the tops to these table runners back in July, but I put off the finishing work until it was almost too late.  I used a lightweight batting (Quilter's Dream Select) and did a stitch-and-turn-right-side-out finish (I'm sure there's an "official" term for that). Simple stitch-in-the-ditch quilting holds the layers together. This is one of those projects where the fabric does the work.



Displayed on my husband's plotter because there was no room elsewhere

I managed to get four finished for the sitters who are such faithful companions for my mother-in-law (a/k/a The Queen Mother). We would not have been able to manage have a life the last 8 years without them.

Santa was very good to me.

The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters and Red and White Quilts: Infinite Variety.  Kinda all over the place, isn't it? But I am thrilled with both!

Christmas Dinner - pot roast, pasta, red/green salad

Waiting for cheesecake followed by another tabletop tournament game.

 

 

Merry Christmas, Y'all!