A this ‘n that week

 

NOTE: I probably will not post next week; the week of the 17th I should be able to, then a 2-week hiatus as I travel.

Quilty wise it’s been a varied week. I was able to attend the monthly Babylock Sashiko machine workshop with Ellen Schmidt at Meissner Folsom and we did this:

Let me explain. Ellen did the quilt-the-design-on-paper-with-a-naked-needle thing; then we pounced it upon our project. Ellen provided the stabilized background. I didn’t have any light thread with me; this would have turned out better with a higher contrast thread. But I love this! All it needs is a border. We learned a lot about pivoting. I am getting more comfortable with my machine and I don’t forget everything between classes now.

I am taking “Breaking Boundaries With Blended Quilts” from Bethanne Nemesh, an online 3 month course. I am intent on upping my blending game and Bethanne is a pro. I really don’t have time for this pretty intense course, but I MUST make time if I want to improve!

She is a wizard at tech and has a ton of excellent videos and handouts. There is a LOT of content in the class. Many/most of the designs themselves I know, but it’s the combining of them and the nuances that sets her work above, and that is what I want to learn. I am intent on taking classes on targeted subjects to improve and expand my work.

This assignment was to take a placemat sized piece and create a border of sorts. Here is my take:

I am unhappy with the solid line I put in; I wanted this to be very blended and it would have been fabulous without that line. No, I can’t remove it. It is triple stitched (have you ever tried to rip out a triple stitched line?), the grid would stop at an awkward spot and it would be impossible to rip out just the triple stitch without ripping out the travel stitches of the grid in the same thread. I used Kimono 100 wt silk, Kona cotton and wool batting. I like the piece except that dog gone line.

Next we are to create some interpretation of a scene, very loosely defined. I am planning my Midwestern trip (more on that later) and this just popped into my mind:

I need time to be able to stitch this out; maybe over the holiday weekend? It is a bit more literal than I think is expected, but this came right to mind and I’m sticking with it.

I loved the “eyelash scallops” on my previous piece and they look grassy to me. Since I will be doing a lot of driving in the Midwest, I will be seeing lots of waving grass and crops. I hope to do this:

The grass is getting smaller in the background. Not sure if this will translate well to the actual piece, but I will try. I’m excited about this!

I also started my first block on my son and future DIL’s quilt:

I need LOTS of Appliquick paper to make a zillion leaves and I am not-so-patiently waiting for yardage to come. I can’t go forward without more paper. As you can see, I am machine appliqueing the leaves to the background. It’s fun!

On a silly personal note:

Day 43 of not wearing the same thing twice! I have to admit, some of the combinations are a reach and not the best look. But it’s a game now – how long can I go? I don’t have an extensive wardrobe, but there are so many combinations of separates; it seems like I might go on forever. Each summer before this one, I would get into a routine of wearing the same 5 or so outfits and the rest of the wardrobe went fallow.

And I do have a thing to say about “fast fashion” – I have lots of 4+ years old ‘”fast fashion” pieces in my wardrobe. It’s not “fast” unless you only wear it once or twice before discarding. See that linen top? I just bought it at one of my fav places to buy casual separates – Target! It has great heft to it, hangs well, is super cool in the heat and comfy without being sloppy.

I have made reservations for my Midwestern trip through Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. I will visit 3 quilt museums and my Aunt, and hopefully see friends from my hometown. I can’t wait!

The heat has started and I found this cookbook by Sarah Faris who I follow on IG:

One of the best cookbooks I own. I have made 5 recipes from the book so far and each one was a winner as well as a unique addition to my menu.

And here is my backyard in its glory:

It’s funny how in the photo you don’t see all the color from the plantings on the terraced areas. It is so colorful! Those stacked stones act like a lizard condo and in the heat of the afternoon they all come out and have a Happy Hour.

I’ll be linking up:

Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday