Friday Finish: Swoon

So, apparently I took the Summer and Fall off from blogging! I didn't intend on that happening, but with one thing and another, sewing and writing about it just didn't end up being a priority.

I was hired to sew this quilt for a milestone anniversary in September. My customer gave me a rough idea of color palate and then basically set me free to do what I wanted, aside from a few brief texts that went something like this:

Me: Do you like this color?

Them: Yes!

Me: Great!

As you can see, they were pretty easy to work with :)

 

I've been wanting to sew this "Swoon" pattern from Camille Roskelley for years now. Her original design has enormous blocks that are 24" in size, but a couple years back she came out with a different version that has 16" blocks, and I decided to use that. It wasn't complicated sewing, but it's an intricate pattern and I found myself doing a decent amount of seam ripping. In fact, in the top picture I spotted a block that I had to redo. Thank goodness I found the mistake before sewing the whole business together!

 

When it came time for the quilting, I was a little nervous about doing a King size quilt on my sewing machine. I knew the machine could handle it, but I wasn't so sure I'd be able to handle the physical toll of maneuvering the weight and heft of it through my machine. In the end, I sewed it together in to halves and quilted one half at a time. I connected the two parts by hand and then quilted over the seams, and it turned out amazingly well - you can't tell at all that it was originally in two pieces.

One bad thing about my apartment is that I don't have a good place to photograph my finished quilts! I settled for just draping it over my bed, but it's hard to get a good sense of how it turned out. My customers were thrilled though, and it was a good project to get me through the summer!

Bloom: Take Two

One of the quilt commissions I'm working on is a request for another one of something I made back in 2017 - this Lori Holt applique pattern was lots of fun to make and my customer wants one that's similar, only in a queen size and with mainly yellow and blue fabrics for a more scandinavian feel.

I've been working on it for the past couple weeks, but decided to make ALL my applique shapes first before assembling the blocks. I'm using my glue and freezer paper method of applique, and so far it's all going pretty well. As you can see from the pic of all my pieces very carefully organized by block, I only have three more to go.

So far I've used only fabric from my scrap stash to make everything, but each block gets a double border and I'll need to shop for those fabrics. My favorite wholesaler has reopened, so I see a long-awaited trip to the fabric store in my near future!

Scrappy Progress

I've been working on these paper-pieced string blocks for awhile now, and every now and then I like to pull them out, arrange them and sew a few larger blocks together. This will eventually be a quilt for my friend, but it's only about 1/2 done at this point, so I've got a ways to go still.

These are pieced completely serendipitously, just using whatever scraps I have at the moment. So there's no planning, no color placement, nothing. I just grab a piece of fabric and sew it on and repeat. Despite that chaos, it's still pretty, isn't it? I ran out of the gray linen strips that run through the middle of each block, so I've just switched to using whatever gray fabric I have, and even that variation adds a nice touch.

Corona Sewing

Hard to believe I've been in isolation for Six Weeks now! No big changes since the last time I posted, except I have been doing a bit more sewing. Two people reached out to hire me for commissions, which I haven't done any of in awhile, so that's kind of exciting and also motivating.

Unfortunately, fabric shopping is a little difficult right now, since my go-to wholesaler is closed, and lots of my indie sellers are also dealing with closures or very limited supply. Fortunately, my customers are an understanding bunch, and have assured me that whatever I come up with will be fine, so it's pretty much carte blanche for me, and between my own fabric stash and whatever I can scrounge up, all will be well.

I finished up the top to the 2016 Craftsy Block of the Month quilt. The final big step was a sawtooth piano key border, which was tedious. All the individual "keys" needed to have triangles sewn unto the corners and that took awhile. I love how it looks though! And then finally, two more borders sewn on. This is a big quilt (queen size) and very traditional looking with the reproduction fabrics and layout.

One thing I'm very proud of is that I kept things pretty accurate throughout the sewing process with this one. Medallion quilts can be tricky that way since they're constructed from the middle and then out with each new border. If you're off even a little, you can screw the whole thing up. And of course, I've done that many a time. This one stayed pretty even though - I think I fudged about 1/2 inch on the final border, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. So yay me!

Rabbit Hole

Last month I signed up for Satsuma Street's Mystery Cross Stitch stitch-along, mainly because it was Alice in Wonderland-themed, and I love that story. The first week was stitching all the black and white borders, the 2nd week we added the flower corners. Last week, my first week of Corona Isolation, I stitched Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole - a perfect metaphor for how I feel right now.

Ironically, my vertigo has also decided to act up a bit in the last few days as well. My vertigo usually rears its head in the spring for some reason, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was somehow a stress response to everything going on right now. I've had a couple people tell me they've experienced chest pains or panic attacks. Am I just going to become literally dizzy with stress? I've  been able to ward off having a full-on attack so far by doing my PT inner ear exercise routine and being REALLY careful when getting out of bed, so fingers crossed it'll go away. Because NOW IS NOT THE TIME for this shit.

You know what is surprisingly helpful? Arnold Schwarzenegger sternly telling us to stay home while sharing carrots with his rescue donkey's Lulu and Whiskey. "That's all ve do now. Ve don't go out, ve don't go anyvhere, ve just stay home and eat vith Vhiskey and Lulu!"

Stay at home as much as possible. Listen to the experts, ignore the morons (foreheads). We will get through this together. pic.twitter.com/FRg41QehuB

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 16, 2020

Also helpful? Steve Martin playing a nice song to us on his banjo out in the woods somewhere. It made me cry AND want to play the banjo, both very surprising. It also made all those celebrities singing "Imagine" look like a bunch of idiots.

Banjo balm. pic.twitter.com/eQ6jUkHSHm

— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) March 21, 2020

Not helpful? Celebrities continuing to plug whatever products they're contracted to endorse. Nobody wants to buy your stupid expensive whisky right now (and as someone who buys stupid expensive whiskies, that's saying something) or your amazing skincare line. Quit with the selling, it's not a good look.

In case you can't tell, I'm spending an enormous amount of time online scrolling. For some reason, my attention span is struggling with settling down to read or even watch TV.  I'm planning on exercising a bit more self-discipline this coming week by curtailing my screen time and maybe going out for a walk and eating a vegetable now and then. Steve Martin strumming his banjo can only take me so far, I get that.

Still Here

Whelp...the last couple weeks have been a wild ride, haven't they? I work in healthcare education, and after the initial exhausting frenzy of cancelling meetings and events and emotional conversations with colleagues about planning for an unknown future, now I'm home working in isolation for the foreseeable future. I'm in introvert, so this is pretty much paradise for me, but I'm quickly discovering there's a big difference between choosing to be alone, and being forced to be alone. The latter isn't nearly as satisfying.

We were told to halt all non-essential work so that resources can be freed up for those in direct patient care, and it's a bit frightening how once you quit working on non-essential tasks how little remains. My friend and I joked with each other yesterday about this, but it's not a great feeling to discover how very non-essential most of what we do is. Please don't tell my boss, I don't think she's realized this yet. Laugh. Gulp.

In sewing news, there's not much to share really. I did get my sewing corner set-up, and resurrected the design wall. My applique blocks were completed weeks ago, so now it's time to get them sewn onto the next border. I've cut out the pieces for the next part, a piano key border with sawtooth edges, but beyond that I'm just not terribly motivated to sit down and sew right now.

I keep seeing all kinds of inspirational posts about how we can use this time of forced seclusion to be creative and productive and finish projects and clean closets and write that amazing novel or paint a masterpiece or come up with the next big invention. That's feels like a lot of pressure to me! These days I'm all about reading smutty novels (now is not the time for Moby Dick people!), watching trashy TV and laughing hysterically at twitter threads titled "Tell me your most embarrassing sex stories" (there are over 7k responses and it's golden). 

I'm resisting the idea that I have to be productive, that there's a right or a wrong way to use my time. Some of us will create masterpieces, other will bury themselves in a bag of doritos, and it's all OK. Right now, I'm at the Doritos stage of dealing with Corona, but who knows - a masterpiece might also be around the corner.

Goings Ons

 
Hey there! Just wanted to pop in to this space and say I'm still here, but my sewing room is in a large heap of boxes in my new apartment. My goal this weekend is to get everything set-up the way I want it and maybe even do some actual sewing!

I spent 5 days in NYC for the Westminster Dog Show and other shenanigans. Dog show's are pretty crazy, I have to say. It's a whole different subculture, and one that was fun to be a part of.

There was also lots of eating and a broadway show.

 And also a day spent touring around in a 1928 Ford Model T!

Looking Back: 2019 Favorite Reads

I keep track of all the books I read on a spreadsheet, because I'm nerdy that way, and I'm pleased to report that I read 59 books in 2019! I go in streaks with reading - weeks go by with nothing, and then I'll hunker down and binge through a bunch. Sometimes I felt like I didn't read much at all, but the numbers don't lie, and 59 books perhaps explains why I only finished 9 quilts...hmmm...

Here were my Top Ten favorites:

All the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon - 2019 was totally the Year of Outlander for me. I read all the books, and then watched the TV series, and then read all the books again, and then went down the rabbit hole of Outlander Fan Fiction, and then watched the shows, and then read the books again....well, you get the picture. It was an obsession that will probably continue in 2020, because the 9th book is going to be published soon, and the 5th season of the show starts in February...Je Suis Pres!

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer - Loved this novel about a shy college freshman who develops a relationship with one of her idols, a leader in the women's movement. We all have an inner spark flickering inside us waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right moment. This book delves into the intoxication, excitement and danger of how it feels when that happens so beautifully.

The Ensemble by Aja Gabel - This story about a string quartet and their experience of wild success and devastating failure, heartbreak, marriage, betrayal and loyalty over the years was really fun for me, especially as a former classical music nerd. Loved all the musical references and insider lingo since I actually knew what they were talking about, and it was fun being back in that world for a little bit.

Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin - A young woman takes a road trip across Texas with the man she suspects murdered her sister. He may or may not have dementia—and may or may not be a serial killer. Is he a liar or a broken old man? Is he a pathological con artist? Or is she? This eerie, suspenseful mystery kept me on the edge of my seat right until the final terrifying twist at the end.

Ashes of Fiery Weather by Kathleen Donohoe - Lovely, absorbing novel about the loves and tragic losses of six generations of Irish women in a family of firefighters, spanning from famine-era Ireland to Brooklyn a decade after 9/11. The stories are beautifully woven together.

Circe by Madeline Miller - I've always loved Greek mythology, and this retelling of Circe, daughter of the mightiest of Titans is powerful and moving. Scorned and rejected, she grows up in the shadows and discovers a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long – and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything. This is one I keep thinking about, months after reading.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn - I'm a sucker for good WWII historical fiction, and I really loved this story about three characters risking their lives to hunt down a Nazi war criminal known as "The Huntress". Spanning across icy Russia to 1950's Boston, this was suspenseful, sexy and absorbing.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - fun, frothy read about 19 year old Vivian who goes to live with her bohemian aunt in 1940's NYC, and  gets swept up in the exotic world of theater, dance, sex and romance. When Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves - and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. "At some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time," she muses. "After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is."

In the Days of Rain: A Father, a Daughter, and a Cult by Rebecca Stott - In the Days of Rain is Rebecca Stott’s attempt to make sense of her childhood in the exclusive Brethren cult in England, to understand her father’s role in the cult and in the breaking apart of her family, and to come to be at peace with her relationship with him. A father-daughter story as well as a memoir of growing up in a closed-off community and then finding a way out of it, this is an inspiring and beautiful account of the bonds of family and the power of self-invention. Loved this so much. Finished it, and then started right over again. 

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - Amazing sequel to The Handmaid's Tale that was just breathtaking and had me in tears by the end. So satisfying.

Looking Back: 2019 Quilt Finishes

I'm not sewing anything right now until the move is complete, so I thought it'd be fun to do a few posts on my 2019 highlights. The first one, of course should be about the quilts I was able to finish! Thanks to my big end of the year push, I was able to complete 9 quilts in 2019, which isn't exactly prolific, but isn't terrible either.

I think it's comical that 3 of them are Dr. Seuss themed - you'd think I was some sort of big fan, and you'd be right, but it's surprising that 2019 ended up being the Dr. Seuss year because that was completely unplanned.

I'm also pleased that 4 of these were scrap quilts, because I really enjoy using up what I have, and I just like the look of scrappy, unplanned things.

Changes

St. Paul, MN - New skyline to get used to!

Sewing has come to a halt recently because I'll be moving in a few weeks! This possibility has been brewing for awhile, and I decided to take the leap when a cute apartment I've always liked became available.

I'm in the midst of packing hell right now, and wondering why I have so much stuff. I generally consider myself a sort of minimalist, but after a few hours of packing I've realized that's definitely not true.

Despite all my sewing stuff being currently in boxes, I've managed to keep working on the quilt I started a couple weeks ago. The next part of it fortuitously happened to be a border of applique flowers, so it's the perfect time to work on my hand applique! The pieces are large and simple, so it's perfect for me, since I haven't done much of this before. This will have tide me over until I get everything unpacked again in February!

Fresh Start

After two months of quilting on my machine only, I was looking forward to doing some piecing again! Since I just finished the 2015 Craftsy Block-of-the-Month, I figured I should start on the 2016 one! This uses pretty traditional design and fabrics, and I'm enjoying good old 1/2 square triangles, flying geese, etc.

Medallion designs are fun because you make them from the inside out, and each border you add is different, so you never really get sick of whatever you're making.

I've finished the first two (center, made of hourglass blocks, and 1st border, which was flying geese). Now I'm working on the 3rd, which are two different star blocks.

Final Finish: One Fish Patchwork

When my friend's little niece was in the hospital for a week over christmas, a comforting quilt was in order. I had some fabric leftover from this Dr. Seuss quilt I sewed for another baby earlier in the spring, and it took just a few hours to cut it into squares and sew up a quick patchwork quilt. I ran a little short on fabric, and just pieced a few bits together to make up enough blocks - Double Patchwork!

A nice thick border, and a cute green and white polka dot for the backing and border added the finishing touches. I quilted this in a diagonal grid with my walking foot, and within 4 hours, the quilt was finished!

I know this isn't a Friday, but I thought I'd share anyway and end the year right!