Quilts completed in 2020

The year 2020 was mostly a year of pandemic and lockdowns.  I got a new longarm just before the pandemic began and had fun getting comfortable with it over the course of the year.  In September I got serious about trying to sew up my stash of Christmas fabrics as part of my decluttering project.  I started zoom sewing with my sewing group which really encouraged me to set aside time to sew.  I'm not sure if this is a complete list of things I completed in 2020, but it feels like more than I have ever done in one year.  So, in no particular order here they are.

This was a table runner that only needed binding. It ended up being the last finish of the year. I’ll look forward to using it earlier next year. I believe I started this in a class I took at the Houston International Quilt Festival the first time I went…?2001?

This is the scrappy Hunter Star. I started it as a leader ender project early in the year. In October I concentrated on it and got the top finished. It was quilted in December and gifted to Beth. The quilting was a free-motion design. It was a challenge and maybe a bit above my level, but it turned out ok and is one of my favorites. 

This is the Hope quilt.  It was made from a bundle of flannel fat quarters I won several years past. I made this quilt during the Hope quilt a long during lockdown with GE Designs. Our quilting group participated and also had zoom meeting between ourselves. It was fun sewing together but apart. I gifted the quilt to Marilynn as a housewarming gift for her new home. It fit perfectly with her color scheme and as soon as I saw her place I knew where this quilt belonged. 

 

The next two quilts were put together in 2019 during a retreat weekend at my house with Pam. They were the first quilts I quilted on my new Longarm in 2020.  The first one is made from leftover blocks from Orange Crush mystery.

 

This one was put together from some blocks that were part of a block exchange from many years ago.  I made two small lap quilts from the blocks.  One I backed with minke and took over to Dad while he was in the hospital in Spokane the summer of 2019.

Barb picked this quilt. It was put together at one of our retreats at the “Kingston” house. Great memories of retreating there with the great sound views. I love the fabrics in this quilt. I did free motion quilting on it with a holly leaf border.

  

                                                     

 

This quilt was gifted to Marilynn. It was made from a kit I purchased at the long closed Sue Rags Quilt Shop. It has a great setting for a panel. I quilted it with a pantograph with holly.

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The zigzag quilt went to Connie. This was a pattern by Gudrun from GE Designs. A unique way to use strips. I had fun trying new free motion quilting techniques. 

 

This scrappy quilt was made from Pat Sloan’s pattern “Traffic Jam”. It was made primarily as a leader-ender. I think it turned out quite fun. It was gifted to Elissa. 

 

The tumbler quilt is another scrap quilt. I used the accuquilt die to cut the scraps. Mostly sewed this as a leader-ender as well. A secret way to sew two quilts at once!  This was gifted to Tammy. 

 

The next quilt was made from the Merrily line by Gingiber for Moda. Modern Christmas colors. I gifted this to Trav, Lauren and family. I hope the girls enjoy the animals. Another playing with free-motion and some ruler work.

 

This is the ugly-fungly quilt. Kind of a failure. I tried to graduate the scraps to be tree like. The best part of it is the minke backing and poly batting making it quite snuggly.  Jace accepted it just the same.

This is the quilt that I made for Nate.  Not too Christmassy, but colors he likes with deer and trees. I quilted it with a tree panto using a poly batting.  It turned out cozy.

The snowflake quilt was made as a sew a long with the Fat Quarter shop.  It is the first two color quilt I have made. I love the backing.  I’m using this for my kitchen table during the winter

  

The scrappy log cabin was cut out using the accuquilt. Lots of fabrics!  I sent this to Shawna along with Dad's southwest quilt that Marlene had started and I finished.  I think I need to make another log cabin. So classic!

   

I used a snowflake pantograph on the log cabin.  It's one of my favorites.

Here's a stack of some of the quilts waiting to find homes.

And Harley helping me by laying on my arm while I try to finish up this quilt.

This is a scrap floral flannel quilt that was one of the first I quilted on the LA for practice.  I used a floral pantograph.  It's nice and cozy and the quilting sure gave the quilt life.

I think that was it for 2020.  I don't think I've ever made so many quilts in one year...or rather finished as many were started in prior years.  I guess I can thank COVID19 and the shutdown for that!  Being retired doesn't hurt either.  I still have many more quilts to finish and new ones to make!

(Really wish I could remember how this blogger site worked better...can't seem to get pictures and text where I want them!  Don't know why it looks different in the draft than when published?  I guess I've got some relearning to do if I'm going to pursue continuing the blog.)

Goodbye 2020!

I didn’t post at all in 2020, in fact it’s been so long since I posted I wonder if I really want to at all. I feel the need to record the year in someway somewhere. It was the year of the pandemic...historical to say the least. The news grew old fast even in the spring with new cases and new deaths being reported every day...and we are still getting that on the last day of the year...incredibly sad the number of lives lost. We have record highs for deaths the last two days of the year...not good news!  Hope is on the horizon with the vaccine beginning to be distributed. 

The year didn’t start out bad...in January I went to California to Road2ca Quilt show with a few friends. Lots more fun with friends than previous years when I have gone alone. Took a few classes, one from Jen Kingwell and went on a bus tour that included a stop at Eleanor Burns studio and store.  Eleanor was a hoot and going strong.  Very glad to have had the opportunity to meet both of those quilters among many others.  The big event at the show was spontaneously buying a new longarm HOURS before it was time to go home!  I did include a visit to dad in Desert Hot Springs prior to the show.  

While we were in CA the first case of corona virus was reported in the US...seemed to barely make the news and was very much downplayed. Maybe that was us tho...we saw little news as we spent full days at the show 😊.

In February my Longarm was delivered and set up! There wasn’t much time to get comfortable with it as I spent many days visiting assisted living and adult family homes.  Phylis had decided that dad was too much to care for by herself.  We found a very nice assisted living facility where we thought he would have a good quality of life and set things in motion.  Feb 29th Washington became ground zero for the corona virus with an outbreak at a nursing home.  Stil, it wasn’t much of a big thing, just interesting but not affecting everyone.

The beginning of March I drove to CA with a plan to help with dad, get what we needed for assisted living set up and move him up to Washington about the middle of the month...right when the shutdown went into effect. Then things got interesting....

We had to make a plan B since the pandemic started in a longterm care facility in Washington it didn’t seem wise to move him to a large community when he was essentially in quarantine at home. He seemed to be status quo but more care than his Phylis was up to providing. Nonetheless, she agreed that it was better to postpone the move and keep him with her and use the help of a friend.  It was not ideal but seemed to be the best choice at the time. Little did we know how long we would be in this pandemic! I left California on the first of April and they left about a week later to return to eastern Washington.

Dad and I got into a routine of playing cribbage 2 to 3 times a day while I was visiting.  After lunch I'd get him to go out to the sunroom to play.  He still was sharp and winning most of the games.  Only a few times did I beat him.  He always knew the score and often helped my score along.

I tried to get him out of the house but once everything shut down that was difficult.  We took a ride to Joshua Tree National Park one day and out a couple of times for milkshakes at McDonalds.

It was a interesting drive from Palm Springs to Seattle during the lockdown. Nothing much was open for food along the way...a few drive-thru fast food places only. Gas stations had their restrooms closed. Rest areas were open and staffed and clean thankfully. I had packed food and drinks so it didn’t become a problem.   The motel I had booked for the night refused me when I got there as I was “not essential”.  I was traveling with Tula so not just any hotel would work and we ended up at a Motel 6. Traveling with Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer and keeping my distance from anyone...masks hadn’t become mandatory yet. 

Soon as I got home we made masks.  I made them with my sisters for most all the family, then made more for some special friends and more for family and myself.  Made about 150 masks and didn’t see a dent in my fabric but elastic was scarce.  Tried some alternatives like shoe ties, t-shirt strips and dollar store elastic headbands.  Masks became mandatory everywhere, many places closed, and many more people started working from home.  Restaurants initially were closed though many were able to switch to carry out. I started grocery shopping online and picking it up in the parking lot. 

May began the country upheaval with the horrendous George Floyd event.  More and more info coming to light of examples of blatant racism. Just unbelievable! May 29th began protests in Seattle for BLM that evolved into being hijacked by others with different antiestablishment agendas. Seattle was on national news for the "Free Zone" that was set up on after the police station was attacked and shutdown.  It’s a lot a heartache all around but I hope more awareness too.

Dad began having issues in June with swallowing and a growth on his cheek from the parotid gland.  He ended up being hospitalized in Davenport.  There was a brief letup of COVID restrictions as the curve seemed to be flattening and we had a weekend that we were able to visit with him.  It didn’t last and visiting was not allowed again.  

Dad was transferred to a long-term care facility in Spokane in July without contact being allowed.  He passed the day after arriving with allowance for visitation being granted less than 12 hours prior.  He did not have anyone with him due to the logistics, not only because of the distance but also constraints of the shutdown.  He didn’t deserve that, and I so regret that it happened that way.  And he didn’t have COVID, just a victim of the timing.

July was goodbye for my minivan, yet hopefully she did some good going to habitat for Humanity. I also took down the shed in the backyard and distributed its contents to the garage and giveaways.  Simplifying.

August was more of the same with some lessening of restrictions.  We had a partial family gathering in Chelan.  We spent most of together time outside on beach in our pod.  Also had 2 condos for 7 of us. It was a great refresher and time to get to know Zoe!

I also did some painting in the upstairs bedrooms, decluttering my closet, refreshing my vanity and getting new carpet installed.  I wish I could say I had completed the task, but as usual once I got the project to a usable state and there are no deadlines it has become a stalemate. On the top of my project list for the new year 😊

As we turned into fall COVID news didn’t get any better, predictions of it worsening with people moving inside seemed to come true even though we continued mask wearing and social distancing.  Definitely a fatigue of restrictions going on.  Every time I left the house the traffic and people out and about seemed like pre-pandemic levels.  I doubled down on staying home. 

At the end of September, I challenged myself to finish 14 Christmas quilts by mid-December.   I came close but lost steam when I realized we wouldn’t be having our annual gathering where I could give them away.  I did finish 11 and gift 10.  Still intend to finish a few that are in the works before I change course.   It gave me something to work on and I gained experience with my Longarm.  I started hosting zoom meetings of our quilt group which filled the gap for not being able to meet at the library.

The fall brought increased COVID cases and more shutdowns. We have continued unrest with protests and looting with no resolution on the horizon, tremendous homeless issues, unemployment and uncertainties. 

Thanksgiving was quiet with no large family gatherings.  I spent it with Beth and the boys and Zoe.  Trav and family had gotten COVID tested as did I. 

Christmas again with very limited family gathering.  I went to Marilyn’s for Christmas Eve.  Barb and Todd and Jace were also there.  We had a quiet Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas morning brunch.  The weather was windy and wet...no beach going for me.  

News Years I spent with Beth babysitting Zoe. Except for the fireworks in the neighborhood, we had a mellow evening and lots of fun with sweet little Zoe.

The contacts I’ve had have been calculated risks.  Very little public contact and only with masks and social gatherings with small numbers and with those who are practicing isolation.  No guarantees but our Western WA family contingent has not experienced any COVID infection, knock on wood 😊 We have family in other parts of the country who have not been so fortunate. My niece and family in Texas and my uncle in Virginia.  Since their cases are new, I’m praying that they are mild versions.

The year has had trials and tribulations for so many.  So much isolation, depression, anger and division. This is my accounting of how the year was for me so that I don’t forget. I thankfully did not feel the angst at having to stay home that many did.  I don’t have a particularly high need for being in groups, especially large ones and crowds.  Being home was fine, only somewhat inconvenient.  I learned to grocery shop online and do curbside pickup, other online shopping was pretty comfortable prior to the shutdown so I didn’t miss shopping.  I was able to get what I needed in limited outings being careful and making calculated risks. I learned how to zoom and now am holding weekly zoom get togethers with my quilting group.  I’ve made some progress on my home projects over the year.  The hardest part of the year has been the uncertainty.  I feel on hold with moving forward to getting a different house and moving to a sunnier climate. Since I’m ambivalent about that overall, the year really has given me a reprieve from making a decision 😊

The vaccines are here and there is hope on the horizon that we will get past this pandemic.  In any case it will be a year for the history pages and longer than we hope before we are out of the woods.

Addendum:  It’s now more than a year since I wrote this post…where does time go?  I’m just going to post it anyway.  2020 was a significant year.  

Is the garage for a car?

The garage, oh my!  I like most of America have a two car garage that doesn't house a car.  If there is a car in the garage, let alone two you just can't move around.  No way to get to tools etc.  I have had my car in the garage a few times, but then I start a DIY house project and it gets moved out and never gets back in.  Well today was the day to make space!  The weather forecast is for possible snow...

The Before pictures.  Quite a mess!  A lot of this was boxes from Christmas and online shopping that needed to be broken down and recycled.  I like to save boxes to make sure I don't need to return an item, but then it just  laziness...I'll do it later.  My miter saw was out and there were shelves and lots of stuff that I had cleaned out of the house waiting to go to the Goodwill.  I was able to find someone who wanted the wood bookshelves and got them picked up. Win-win!

Loaded my car with boxes (8) for the Goodwill, put away stuff (as best I could) and took care of all the boxes.  Also loaded the stryofoam into the car to take to the recycling center. Volla!  There was space for my car.  It's a tight fit tho.  I can get out of the car but I can't walk around it...tradeoffs.

Took the loot to Goodwill and on the way home took a detour to the State Park near my home to watch the Sunset and walk Tula.  Lovely day, tide was really low!  I don't ever remember being at this park at low tide before.  Surprised at how far it went out.  Weather has been unseasonable warm in the 50's and today was a sunny day, a very big plus!

Hand stitching project

This is a top that I purchased off of eBay many years ago. I recently rescued it from a bin in my garage. It has twelve blocks set with sashing.

I think the blocks were made using trichem paints on an embroidery design. All the blocks are the same. I’m not sure I knew that when I was bidding. I believe I thought it was embroidered. That’s eBay.

It was all pin basted and two blocks were quilted. Initially I thought I would use it for practice on my HQ16. Well that never happened and I learned how to use the HQ16 in other ways. (Well, I’m still learning...seem to avoid that thing...story for another day)

So, in August I was starting my process of downsizing and I put it out at my garage sale along with the other 4 quilt tops I had “won” on eBay. No takers. 3 of the tops went to Goodwill, this one and another stayed behind for awhile longer.

I’m hand quilting this one. First time ever hand quilting. The original maker was using quilting thread in red and large stitches marked on the embroidery design. It just wasn’t doing anything for the quilt, in my opinion. So I’m using Aurifil 12 wt embroidery thread that I have used for redwork. Not quite a quilting stitch but not quite a big stitch either from what I can tell, but I’m happy with it. Not sure what I will do for the sashings.

I’m sure I’m breaking every rule for hand quilting. Just sort of making it up as I go. Tried using a
hoop but it didn’t work for me. It’s pin basted but I think it’s alittle sparse, I move a few extra pins to each block as I go.

Twelve blocks for the quilt. I’ve completed 5, starting #6.  I’m attempting to do at least 20 mins a day, it’s going to take a while.  I do see improvement in my work. It’s definitely not perfect but I am enjoying the process. I see myself finishing it...eventually.

The cats seem to like it. In fact Harley will come straight in from the wet and icky outside to hop in my lap when I’m working on it, dirty feet and all. I’m sure that is only because it is white...with a few paw prints. Hope it washes well!

Begin again?

Wow it’s been along time since I posted!  Actually I really kind of forgot I had a blog. I guess they don’t go away with inactivity. That’s good in a way, it’s been interesting to review the past. And sad too because even with my good intentions I’m pretty much in the same place with my house and quilting. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been changes...

Let’s see...the last post was the start of the Grand Allusion mystery. I didn’t keep up with it as intended, but that was a blessing of sorts. I really didn’t like the outcome on that quilt so I was able to adapt mine to a smaller version with some changes. It’s still a UFO...what a surprise...but it’s in the TBQ que.

The clutter around my house in general has lessened a bit. I participated in the challenge of 2017 and 2018 to rid myself of 2017 and 2018 items respectively. I was able to accomplish that and beyond and I can tell that there is some more space but there is still way too much stuff!  Especially when it comes to my quilting. My space is so crowded I do not like being in it and therefore have done very little sewing at home over the past several years. The sewing I do is limited to my quilt group meetings twice a month or so and quilt retreats, about 3 per year. Fairly stagnant I would say. I have slowed the acquisition pace, thank goodness!

Am I going to resume blogging?  I think I’ll give it a try. Having just retired a few months ago this is going to be a year of transitions. It will be a journal of the progress and I hope motivation to be mindful through the changes.

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt progress

I'm going slow but steady.  I've been off work for the holiday but have had to work on some other things around home. I am glad to say that I have spent a little time each day on the GIMQ.

I've started on the HST and they are turning out well after a slight adjustment to my seam allowance. All the cutting is done.

Not sure if I'll get anymore sewing done until my day off...but if I don't I'll be pressed to get clue 1 done before clue 2 comes out on Friday.  I really want to keep up with this mystery and not fall behind like I have in the past!  Maybe I'll surprise myself and sew after work the next couple of days...one can always hope:-)   

Grand Illusion mystery is underway!

 I was counting on the excitement of the mystery to give me some momentum getting my sewing area put back together. So the first step of this mystery was to get my work surfaces cleared. That pretty much took up Friday, but I ended the day with my fabrics out and ready to play!

Those are my colors. Looking at the picture they look pretty close to Bonnie's choices, but they really aren't. I'm using green, yellow, orangy red, teal, plum and neutrals. 

I wasn't sure how I wanted to substitute my colors. The straightforward way would have been to use the orange for the pink and the plum for the black and leave the rest the same.  However, I didn't go that route. I decided to use the green in place of the turquoise attempting to match the value of the color rather than the actual color.  Next I used the yardage Bonnie gave to decide on the prominence of the color. So, we'll just have to wait and see....it is a mystery after all and I'm going for it!

There's Harley...he doesn't seem to get the concept that if I clean off the ironing surface I didn't do it for him!

And not to forget about Molly, who thinks if I get up from my work chair she's supposed to keep it warm!



Today I started the cutting. Boy oh boy!  Cutting so many different fabrics is time consuming!  I hate wasting fabric with each cut to straighten the edge... now since I've been introduced to string piecing I always cut an inch or more off when I straighten the edges.  Lots of goodies for the string bins!

The other thing I've learned about cutting that gives me a more accurate cut is to use the straightened edge as the guide for multiple cuts. 

When cutting 2.5 inch strips (in this case I'm cutting 2 strips) start with making the first cut 5 inches, then using the same straightened edge make a 2.5 inch cut. This will maintain the straight edge to measure from and means you don't have to restraighten the edge after every 3 or 4 cuts.

The other time saver I use for cutting from 2.5 inch strips is the 45° half square triangle ruler from  creative grids.  After pairing my strips right sides together and stacking 2 pairs, it makes pretty quick work of cutting the half square triangles. Much easier for me than flipping that easy angle ruler back and forth.  Don't get me wrong, the easy angle ruler works great, but when I have 2.5 inch strips to work with I like the creative grids ruler. I was able to get 12 pairs from a half width of fabric strip. I like to cut my strips in half to match up with fat quarter strips and to make add variety to the pairs. 

There's my 288 half square triangle pairs. Took about 50 mins to cut these. Haven't started sewing or cut the squares but I think there is hope I might start tomorrow before it gets dark out!