An Outing and Chilhowie--Post 2

Shrimp and grits

Last Monday, my friend, Theresa took me on a mystery outing. I pulled out my jeans which I haven't had on since COVID locked us down in March 2020. I was surprised that the jeans fit! This outing was my first long outing since I came down with the flu December 11! We were gone about five hours.

Theresa shared one of her Christmas presents with me. First, we went to The Hive Social restaurant in Oregon City. It is a farm to table restaurant. We ordered from the brunch menu. She had shrimp and grits. I had poached eggs, roasted vegetables and brisket. She enjoyed her dish almost as much as I enjoyed my order! We both took half of our entree home with us. Next, she took me on drive to another secret location. Imagine my surprise when she pulled up to Cup of Tea in Clackamas. 

Beef brisket, poached eggs
and roasted vegetables

I hadn't been there to enjoy a cup of tea since the lockdown. The previous Friday, I was thinking about making a stop there as my tea supply is beginning to thin. I used to drink tea more than coffee. During the pandemic, I drank more coffee than tea. After recovering from the flu, I'm finding that I enjoy one cup of coffee in the morning and tea the remainder of the day.

Oops, I missed a piecing error

We had a flight of tea which meant we sampled five teas. She purchased two teas to add to her collection. I will purchase a tea once I finish the leaves in my storage tin! We both enjoyed how quiet and laid back the tea shop was during the time we were there. It was an enjoyable outing; but, the company was what made it extra special. 

I thought that I had held up rather well. Then, I rested in my chair after returning home and didn't do much else the remainder of the day! The following day, I was still recovering! It is so interesting how long it takes a body to recover from an illness!

I also worked two days this week helping staff earn their CPR certificates. I was so exhausted after the work day! I continue to be shocked at how little stamina I have!

Chilhowie Update from last week: I thought that I had caught my piecing error; but, thanks to the sharp eye of Ivani, she found an error I totally missed! Bless her heart, she even sent me a photo with the error circled. Thank you Ivani for taking the time to point out the mistake to me! I don't think I would have spotted that second error on my own! I have corrected that error too.

Center together

Our quilting community is amazing. I am so fortunate to have had Ivani's support! She has been making crumb blocks from small bits of scraps that many quilters would have tossed. She is going to have a fun project to
share. She can say that using the bits kept them out of the landfill! Click the link above to read her blog post.

Pieces cut for the inner border

Leader ender block kit

I was berating myself for not catching either error sooner. Then I took a breath and counted the number of pieces in the block. There are 111 pieces in the quilt block. One hundred eleven translates to me that there are tons of opportunities to go awry so two isn't many at all!

The last clue of this mystery was Clue #7. Some years, there are more than seven clues. Not knowing how many clues there will be or when the reveal will be are fun parts of the mystery! The reveal is always an exciting post to read. As I viewed Bonnie's finished quilt, I enjoyed seeing her vision for the project. My eyes look for where she placed the units made during the mystery. Rarely has Bonnie used the units like I imagined. 

The last clue involved sashing the blocks together and adding a couple pieced borders. It seems like the steps won't take long; but, the process always takes longer than I think it will!

Block almost ready for sewing

This year, we cut some fabric for the sashing and then pieced it together. There are two pieced borders. For the inner border, we were to cut some fabric and position the appropriate triangle next to its corresponding block. For the outer border, we were to piece together the units from Clue #2. We also made and added some four patch units. 

For a few days,  I worked on the sashing. Ensuring that the seam lines with the triangle piece lined up to its mate in the adjoining block took some time. I like that Bonnie constructed the design so it finishes in the sashing. I also like the secondary pattern the piecing created. By the end of putting the quilt together, I was better at matching those intersections.

I cut the pieces for the first border and next week, I'll be working to piece that together to attach to the top. There is one more border to make before the top is finished. I'm getting closer to a finish every day!

As I'm working on this project, I'm making Bonnie's current leader and ender project, Triple Treat. A leader and ender means you start (leader) sewing with a couple pieces of fabric to ensure that you've a quarter inch seam. Then you sew the pieces for your current project. When you've sewn the your project units, you finish (ender) with another couple of pieces of fabric. Many people use a scrap of fabric; but, using parts to make a block, you actually can sew an additional quilt top at the same time. Using this method also saves on thread.

A few completed Triple Treat leader and ender blocks

I spent some time last week cutting fabrics for 20 blocks. Then I made kits. I lay out one block and stitch parts of it in between my Chilhowie project. I have about 11 blocks stitched. For now, I'm just making blocks and using up the many inch and a half squares that I have in my precuts! I'm also using the two and a half inch strips that have been in my precuts for a long time. These are the strips that may have a lot of pattern or colors in them.

If stitching blocks with scraps or you have a use it up philosophy, another quilter where I find inspiration is Cynthia at Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework.