A Vist From The Granddaughters--First Finish 3rd Quarter FAL

Completed energy bites

Earlier this week, our son-in-law had elective surgery. Our granddaughters got to spend most of the day with us. They haven't been on their own at our house since mid-March or pre-COVID. They found the mailbox and learned the projects for the day. Earlier, they had put in their order for breakfast which was sourdough pancakes, fried bacon and runny eggs!

They weren't in the house five minutes before they had the yoga cards out and were doing yoga moves. We started making snack for the afternoon. We tried a new recipe called energy bites. It had few ingredients (rolled oats, honey, peanut butter, dried cranberries and almonds.) They took turns measuring ingredients. It tasted good; but, it was difficult for the girls and me to make the contents into a ball. Next, we made dessert for lunch. In their opinion, dessert is an important part of a meal. We made Rice Krispie cookies. They took turns stirring the marshmallows. Miss J provided the muscle to pack the cookies into the pan.

Rice Krispie cookies are a favorite of their dad's so we made plans to pack most of the batch for home so that their dad would have a homemade treat from his girls when he came home from his surgery.

Melting marshmallows for cookies

Then we moved on to cooking breakfast. It has been awhile since we've made sourdough pancakes for breakfast; but, it is a favorite menu item as are bacon and runny eggs! Eight year old, Miss K put the pancakes together and ladled the batter into creative shapes on the griddle. She even flipped the pancakes successfully. Once she had cooked several batches, she asked if I'd take over so that she could enjoy "the fruits of her labor!"

Six year old, Miss J cooked the bacon. She effectively managed two frying pans, cooking each piece of bacon to the perfect doneness. She was attentive and turned the bacon when it needed to be turned. She made the best browned bacon I've had for breakfast in a long time! I forgot how much fun they can be in the kitchen!

During most of the activities, we took a few photos for the girls to share with their mom so she would have something to do while she waited for the surgery to be over. After breakfast we took a walk with Miss B, our dog. We visited the lion and as was our practice when we had our weekly visits. They posed at the lion and identified the flowers that that they remembered. We saw a couple squirrels; but no rabbits. Unfortunately, the horses were too far away to feed them apple treats.

Frying bacon

Making pancak

Posing with the lion

After our walk, they played princesses and made a face time call to their Auntie. Notice that with all indoor activities, we wore masks. We are working to keep each other safe from COVID. None of us wants to contract it or share it!

They asked their papa (grandpa) if he could make them hot dogs for lunch and if he would swim with them in the pool. Of course he did both and one better--he gave them each a popsicle after their swim session.

They asked if they could stay for dinner and have Papa's spaghetti, we said it depended on when their dad would be released. Papa took their order for what they wanted in their spaghetti sauce--no onions, no celery, no meat, olives, red pepper, carrots, rosemary, garlic and basil. 

Papa cooked the sauce; but, their mama came too early for them to stay for dinner. There were tears because they were going to miss Papa's spaghetti. Papa sent dinner home with them. (He is a terrific Papa!) Our daughter said that dinner was a hit. We wondered how the spaghetti sauce was so it was good to have feedback! We both said how much we missed having the girls over on a regular basis.

Playing princesses 

Our daughter also said how nice it was to not have to plan dinner because she didn't realize how much energy was involved with the hospital part of the day. Their dad's surgery went well and his recovery is going well.

An activity that we didn't get time to do was make the flounce leggings. They brought a pair of leggings that they liked the fit so I could use it as a sample when I drew off their pattern. This week, I drew their pattern and made the leggings.

If you want to make a pair for your little one, check out this tutorial from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom's blog. In the tutorial is the link for the free pattern.

Cutting out the leggings

I used stretch thread in the lower loopers of the serger to construct the leggings. It was my first experience to use this thread in active wear. I looked at a You Tube video and read a couple blog posts about how to use it with the best results. I found the information helpful. It took no time at all to sew these leggings. There was a front, a back, inner leg and flounce seam. I stitched the elastic at the waist. I used colored elastic so the elastic can either be worn so it shows or turned in if the wearer chooses not to show the elastic.

It took me a couple hours to make the two pair of leggings. I'm curious to see how they fit the granddaughters! I used one yard of fabric from the stash. I have used a total of 50 and three quarters yards of fabric from my stash this year. This is my first finish for the third quarter. This was goal number 12 on my Finish A Long list. 

I am sharing this finish on Instagram at #2020falq3finish.

Finished leggings

Regarding COVID:

Worldwide: 23.1M confirmed; 14.8M recovered; 803K deaths

United States: 5.75M confirmed; 2.93M recovered; 179K deaths

Oregon: 24,421 confirmed; 414 deaths

In Oregon, over the past three weeks the percentage of people testing positive for Covid has been 5.4% each week. Interesting that the percentage has remained the same.

Wednesday, Oregon launched its one time $500 emergency check program. One of the eligibility requirements was for those who have not received all the unemployment benefits owed to them. The line outside one of the credit unions distributing payments was more than two blocks long. People were supposed to make appointments; but, their need was too great to wait. From the photos, it didn't look like much social distancing occurred.

Regarding the protests:

We are in the twelfth week. Protests begin peaceful and turn violent. People continue smashing windows and setting fire to buildings. Last week a reporter interviewed a retired Attorney U.S. General for his view on the situation. A news reporter shared that one of the persons arrested on a charge of criminal mischief has served time for a similar offense. Here, criminal mischief is a misdemeanor and the attorney general has stated that those charges won't be prosecuted. It appears that those violent protestors work their chaos just outside of crossing the prosecution line. Meanwhile, business owners and property owners bear the cost of the repairs.

Unity--post 11 Borders Three and Four Quilted

 

Detail of the pebble border

Since my last post, I quilted pebbles in the second skinny border. Again, I used my thimble to draw the circles. I eyeballed the placement of the circles. It takes time and thread to quilt a border like this. The texture created with this design is wonderful.

Sometimes, I like quilting pebbles because it doesn't require much thought and it allows my brain to think about what I could quilt in the next section of the quilt. When I had finished the border, I took a photo of the finished sections. I sure like the texture that the pebbles create in the skinny borders.

View of the quilted section 

The star border was the next section to quilt. I stitched a large circle in the center of the stars and added doodles. This was the same design that I quilted in the previous border.

I quilted continuous curves in the star legs. In the background, I quilted the doodle that I had quilted in the background of the center pinwheel block. I matched the thread to the fabric so the quilting would add texture and to allow the piecing of the quilt to be the star. It took me about a week to quilt each border.  I have continued to quilt about an hour to two hours each day. 

Quilting components detail in border three

Wearing quilting gloves and placing my fingers on one hand in the inside of the circle template to smooth the fabric improved the circle shape. Lowering the foot pressure to about 9 from 50 on my machine, helped also. The circles are not perfect; but, the shape is better. The seam allowance bulk makes it difficult to hold the template in place while advancing the needle. 

The next border to quilt is the third skinny border. My plan is to again quilt a combination of circles and pebbles. Repetition is good because it provides continuity of the quilting. It also means fewer motifs to quilt!

I am planning to take a little break on this project to stitch a couple pair of flounce leggings for the grandkids. Summer is about over and if they are going to get to wear them this season, I'd better get them completed! Each granddaughter lent me a pair of leggings that they like to wear so I have a sample to compare to a pattern I found through Pinterest.

I haven't had a finish for Finish-A-Long (FAL) in more than a month. I'm not doing well on my goals for the quarter! No worries, I can roll any unfinished projects into the fourth quarter for the year!

I'm linking up with Rebecca at Cheeky Cognoscenti and Longarm Quilting.

View of the project after quilting four borders

 

Licensed to Cut Loose--Post 5

Working on the final layout

At the beginning of week seven, I worked with the outer skinny shape of the lower wings first. As per usual, some parts of the section flowed together easily while other parts didn't. The whole project has progressed in this manner.

Once I had the final layout started, I continued with the other side. One side worked great and the other side did not. I moved on to the outer section of the butterfly to let what wasn't working marinate for bit!

From my previous post, I thought that I would continue adding a few red triangles at the top of the butterfly. I tried a variety of red fabrics. I found that my eye didn't notice the red. I think the colors in the lower part of the wing contrasted better to the dark geometric print. I saved the red triangles for either another part of this project or a whole other project!

Lest you think that I cut a piece of fabric for that outer section of the wing, I did not. These are all triangles. I liked the way the pattern changed using small shapes. Although, you need to be nose close to the project to see the pattern change!

Close up of the outer edge of the wing

Each session that I worked on the butterfly, I would also look at the balance of the piece. Sometimes, I deleted a piece. More often, I either added a few pieces or I moved pieces to a different location.

Once I had completed the outer wing, I let it sit for a few days. Each day, I'd place different fabrics in the outer part of the wing. Nothing made me want to change from the black geometric print fabric. I decided I'd leave it as it was!

I took some time to glue baste the pieces in place. I added some of the lime green swimsuit fabric to the upper wing. That was a good add as there is a better balance of overall sparkle in the butterfly.  I haven't glue basted those pieces yet.

View at the end of the seventh week

A couple days later, I trimmed the outer edges of the butterfly. I was surprised at how much the trimming improved the look of the piece!

I'm pondering collaging additional shapes as well as some letters in the background. I've thought about shading the background. When I've placed blue fabrics next to the butterfly, the edge of the wing is lost because I don't have enough contrast. Lighter blue fabrics feel too light to me. Perhaps, I'll have a consult with JoJo and the granddaughters which will undoubtedly help me with the next steps! In the meantime, I can make more quilting progress on Unity. 

Progress at the end of the eighth week

Regarding Covid:

Worldwide: 21.5M confirmed; 13.5M recovered; 772K deaths

U.S.: 5.44M confirmed; 2.74M recovered; 171K deaths

Oregon: 22,613 confirmed; 385 deaths

The hospital where I work, now has thermal imaging cameras that take entrants' temperatures as they walk through the door. This makes getting in much faster. At certain times of the day, there could have been a line. Staff working within six feet of patients and visitors are also required to wear an eye shield. 

Both quilt guilds that I am a member of continue to have meetings using Zoom. Both guilds' membership numbers have decreased dramatically.  I imagine technology and lack of personal social contact are contributing factors.

Yesterday, my niece was married at a brand new outdoor venue in Central Oregon. She and her groom planned for 200 guests. I'm sure it was a wonderful event and that she was a beautiful bride; but, Covid kept me and my family from attending. 

Regarding the protests:

The violence continues every night. We are now in the eleventh week. A couple nights ago, the media reported that the protesting turned into a riot. It was reported that police had to use tear gas as well as other methods to control the situation. Some arrests were made; but, arrests don't seem to be a deterrent.  In Chicago, protestors systematically looted upscale clothing and electronic stores. Seattle is another city that has had prolonged unrest as well.

Licensed to Cut Loose--post 4

Progress at the end of the fifth week

Work has continued on the butterfly which I affectionately call "Buggy." At the end of the fifth week, I had filled most of the top area of the wings with various fabrics. I also worked on the base of the butterfly. While I worked, I kept in mind Miss K's comment that the butterfly has dark colors in it. I pulled brown and dark purple scrap bits and placed them in the lower section. Miss K was right about adding some dark fabrics within the butterfly wings. 

I cut the purple print batik chunk apart that is primarily placed in the lower section of the butterfly. Originally, I had planned to place a few "flowers" of that print in that area. However, I liked the overall effect so I cut more shapes instead! 

In Martha's scraps was a print of circles on a green background. There was a tiny amount of those scraps. You can see the two of the three pieces in the lower part of the photo. However, I wanted to use it because adding more green to that section would mesh better with the purple flowers. I thought about Miss K comment that butterflies are translucent and shimmery. I remembered that I had saved the leftovers from the girls' workout tops. 

The green stretch fabric has a shimmer. I placed a few small pieces under the brown section and next to the batik flowers. I stepped back to view the pieces. I liked 

Some of the collage with the green fabrics

what I saw. I cut apart some of the dots and added the pieces to that open section. Slowly, I filled in the space.

Next, I moved to filling the lower edge of the butterfly. I had a small amount of red batik triangles that I added to outer edge of the butterfly. These were "trimmings" from making a half square triangle on the corner of a square. I don't even remember what piecing project it was! I placed a few red batik triangles in the outer edge. 

While I liked the design, it felt too clunky when I filled in the spaces with a dark fabric. I auditioned two different dark fabrics instead of one. I tried leaving the spaces and imagining what it would look like if background fabric surrounded the shapes.  

I took a break and tried a different approach with the pieces. I used the same black fabric as was in the outer edge of the butterfly wing. I oriented the

First attempt at the section

pieces differently. I liked the direction it was going.  I cut more triangles of the black geometric print. I ran out of pins so I took some time to glue the pieces.

I liked the addition of the red triangles around the outer edge. I barely found enough red scraps to fill in the available spaces. When I looked at the piece, I thought that if I could find another chunk of the red I would be able to carry it through the top section of the butterfly.

Only the black geometric fabric was yardage. All the other fabrics in this project are small scraps. Many of Martha's scraps are in this project along with scraps that I had saved. I looked in my red bag of scraps that I had taken to the class. I found another couple of triangles a couple tiny scraps of the same fabric! I also uncovered a couple red batik strips that might work.

I cut the diamond shapes of the red batik into two triangles. Originally, I thought the diamond shape would transition well in the lowest and longest section of the wing. I learned the triangle shape was the better looking option. I tried various arrangements over several days. Then, I tried continuing the red triangles along one edge and filling in the spaces with the black geometric fabric. I liked that approach best!

Beginning of the shape that stayed

At the end of the sixth week, I had filled in most of the sections. I made some great progress. What I like about this project is being able to use so many bits! 

The other surprise I found was that this project has grown on me. I am liking what I am creating. Instead of it being an "exercise" to practice the technique, it has become playtime to audition and place the pieces.

Of course, the small bits that I have to work with translate to small pieces. There are thousands of shapes in this top with thousands left to put in place before it is at the finish line! I'm okay with more to go as every project I work on is a journey!

I have found it helpful to take a photo of the piece often and especially before I glue the pieces to look for balance. Because I use Susan Carlson's technique of leaving the edges of the pieces free and trying to place a small amount of clue on the piece, if I want to make a change later, it isn't too difficult. 

When the top is complete, she glues all the edges before layering, basting and quilting the piece. I am planning to do the same. Although, I am a long way from that step!

Progress at the end of the sixth week

Pen Pal--a non quilt post

Letter and envelopes

I have a pen pal. We have exchanged two letters so far. My pen pal lives about a 20 minute drive from me. We used to get together once a week; however, COVID has nixed get togethers until there is a vaccine. My pen pal is my eight year old granddaughter. Most of the time in this blog, I refer to her as "K."

When I was eight, I wrote to my great-grandmother who lived in Homedale, Idaho. She would answer my letters. I felt special getting my own mail! When I was in college, her daughter, my grandmother, wrote me once a week. I answered once a week. I remember catching up on my letter writing when I did my weekly wash! 

I didn't ask my granddaughter if she wanted to be my pen pal. I did ask what she thought about getting her own mail. She, of course, liked the idea. We chatted about what you would need to do to receive a letter. She was quick to determine you would need to write a reply! My first letter arrived at the end of July. It was simply addressed to "Gran" with my post office box information. My second letter was addressed to "Gran Knott." I appreciate the postal employees getting the letters to me! 

She usually includes a story in her letter. It could be about a vacation memory. She shared what it was like to be in

Apples ready to pick

Disneyland when there was an earthquake--she wrote she thought she peed her pants! It could be about a fun time she had in an on line "camp" she attended. Her letters have been one page long which she wrote on college ruled notebook paper. She has been determined to learn cursive writing. With every letter, she is making progress on that goal. I told her that I didn't write much cursive until I was nine.

We have talked about what it was like to communicate in the olden days before phones, internet and computers. She thinks letter writing is a cool way to communicate even though it takes a long time for an answer. She likes being able to re-read the letters. Her mama tells me that Miss K shares no part of her writing with her mama. She told her mama that her letters were for Gran first! I'm excited that I'm that special! She said that she reads parts of my letters to her sister. . .sometimes!

Picking the Apples

I hope that we can continue to be pen pals for a super long time! I wrote to my grandmother for many years even when she lost the ability to return letters. She had developed alheizmer's disease. In the adult foster home, she used to carry the latest letter. It amazes me what pieces of information the mind continues to hold as important. 

When I was eight, my letters didn't contain much more information than what the weather was like, what we had for dinner and what I was studying in school. I know because when my great grandmother moved from Homedale to Madras, Oregon, my grandma, mother and I went to help her close her home. It was there that I found my letters to her tied with ribbon. . .stacks for every year!

The apple harvest

Miss K's letters contain lots of details. I tell her it is like reading a chapter in a book because she can write a series of paragraphs that develop her topic. Spelling is what the word sounds like unless she thinks the word is interesting from reading in her books and then she writes the word. Sometimes, she writes what it means! Receiving her letters are a bright part of the week. Even, her papa makes sure that I know a pen pal letter arrived!

On another family front, our apple trees that I grafted from my grandmother's tree were ready to harvest. These are dwarf trees so it is easy to pick the apples! A bird initially planted the seed of the first apple tree. My grandmother, who loved to garden, nurtured the plant that she thought was a quince for years. She was excited when the plant bloomed because she knew she would be making quince jelly soon! Imagine her surprise when she had apples instead! 

Applesauce ready to consume next winter

My granddad knew all along that it wasn't a quince tree and told her she had an apple tree growing too close to the house that she needed to replant before it grew into the house. She ignored him. Yes, the tree grew almost into the house! She never moved it!

What is special about this variety of apple is that the tree bark is a reddish brown. The blooms are reddish pink in the spring. The apples are red all the way through. Even the seeds are reddish brown! It makes the best applesauce. People think that we've added food coloring to get the color; but, it is just apples and a little cinnamon that ends up in each jar.

Bob has made the applesauce since he retired. He says that it gives him something to do. He does a great job. The green apples are from the dwarf stock. I had one tree that didn't graft. We've enjoyed the bounty for at least twenty five years! This week he also canned 16 pints of hot peppers.

Now for a Covid update:

Worldwide: 19.7M confirmed cases, 12M recovered, 728K deaths

U.S.: 5.09M confirmed cases, 2.49M recovered; 164K deaths

Oregon: 20,636 confirmed cases, 348 deaths

Parts of the state continue to have an increase in cases so much that the governor may move those counties back to phase one which is pretty much only going out for necessary items. Many restaurants have closed or are closing their doors at month end because they can't make a go of the business when they can only have 25 percent capacity. We had another week of more that 300 cases being confirmed. 

Protesting is now in the tenth week. The violence continues every night. Last night, protestors targeted a police building throwing rocks and in explosive devices. The damage to property continues. This was the first week police officers spoke to the media regarding what it is like during a protest. Media reporting contains a lot of information about what the police do and not so much about the protestors. The link above is a chronological account of one evening. Protestors tell officers how they want to hurt the officers. It is a sad state of affairs. 

July Recap and Santa Ornament--post 1

Santa ornament packaging

Even though, I didn't have one finish to list, I'm calling July a win! Of the seven goals I listed for myself in July, I completed two of them. I organized a fabric shelf in the studio and I started cross stitching the Santa ornaments which is goal number nine on my FAL (Finish A Long) list. I didn't start the flounce leggings for the girls, nor did I quilt the small wall hanging, nor did I start piecing the scrap tie fabrics. 

I didn't finish quilting Unity; but, I am making steady progress on the project. Unless something earth shattering happens and at the rate I'm stitching, it will be a September or October finish. I did manage to place a lot of applique shapes on the butterfly project. I've many more shapes to place before the top is complete. 

Regarding the cross stitch Santa ornaments, this kit was in Martha's stash. The Fred Meyer price on the package was marked clearance at $1.17. Martha had an eagle eye for a bargain! The copyright on the packaging was dated 1994. The kit has been around for awhile!

In my first evening of stitching, I didn't make much progress. The piece of plastic is large enough for all of the ornaments and I wanted

Starting the ornament

to be sure I had positioned the first ornament with enough room for the other ornaments to be stitched!

I do like that the chart is large and it is easier for me to read. I haven't stitched on plastic canvas before. I do like how it holds it shape and I do like it will be a sturdier base for the ornament. I think the girls would like the plastic because it is easier to count!

At the end of the July, I had one ornament mostly finished. I needed to add the backstitching. At the rate, I'm stitching, I won't finish this project either by September; but, I am making progress and enjoying the stitching. In the end, progress

Ready for outline stitching

and fun are what counts!

I am paying attention to what the back of my work looks like. I have thought about cutting a piece of felt to cover the back of the ornaments because it would look more finished. This is a decision that can wait! I plan to gift the ornaments as they would make a nice gift as a set of six!

My August goals are to rolled over from July!

1. Continue to make progress on the Unity quilting.

---I'm setting aside one to hours most days to work on this project. (That is about all the quilting that my body can handle!)

2. Continue to make progress on the applique butterfly project.

--I'm setting aside a minimum of an hour a day to place shapes on this project. I'm also taking a photo at the end of each week to document my progress.

3. Make the flounce leggings for the girls.

4. Stitch a couple Santa ornaments on the plastic canvas. (One ornament is almost finished!)

5. Add hand embroidery to the little flower wall hanging.

6. Start piecing together scraps from the tie project.

7. Thin clothing patterns by one box.

Let's see what I've accomplished at the end of the month!

Unity--Post 10

Continuing with stitching lines

Determining what motifs to quilt in the next round had me thinking for awhile. I try to use a ruler in a different way or to quilt a motif in several sizes so I can practice a similar design using the same tools. My first thought when looking at the HSTs was to stitch continuous curves. I've stitched continuous curves often over the years and then there was the decision of what to do in the background of the HST. 

When I can't decide what to quilt, I will look at what I have quilted and determine if a motif could be repeated or changed slightly. The word repeated gave me an idea. Thinking a bit more I had a plan. I would stitch lines in the HSTs as I had done in the angled shapes in the center of the quilt. I used a 50 wt cotton thread in a color that blended with the fabrics in the needle and the polyester red thread in the bobbin.

I do like the effect. The bulk of the seams

Circle in the center of square in a square block

caused some of the lines to go askew. For awhile, I ripped and restitched; but, the result usually didn't make much of a difference. Also, any fullness that was in the square skewed the lines. I decided that I would aim for an organic line and leave the lines.

In the center of the square in a square blocks, I wanted to use the Westalee circle template. I wasn't able to use this template in the center block of the quilt because I was unable to hold it in place as I quilted the circle. The center of the square in a square block has no seams to cross so I was able to stitch a circle that was mostly round.

Detail of the shapes around the circle 

Again, I used thread that blended with the quilt fabrics. For this project, the piecing is what I want to highlight so the quilting should compliment the piecing and provide texture. In the large triangles, I stitched half a circle. In the corners, I stitched three quarters of a circle.

I liked the circles; but, they seemed a bit bare so I decided to add some shapes to the outer edge of the circle. It is just a doodle.  I didn't try to make each circle the same either; but, as I worked on the second border, I found a doodle that I sort of repeated. 

I used 50 wt thread in the bobbin and in the needle. Again, I matched the color in the

View of the quilted border

needle; but, used an off white in the bobbin. It took some time; eventually, I finished quilting this border! 

The skinny border is the next section that I will quilt. I plan to quilt circles and pebbles, like I did on the first skinny border. It is going to take me some time! 

I'l be linking this blog to Longarm Quilting on Tuesday. I added her linkey to my blog post so feel free to check it out. I encourage you to check out Cheeky Cognoscenti's blog as she writes interesting posts about a variety of quilting topics. 

In regards to Covid:

Worldwide: 17.9K confirmed; 10.6K recovered; 685K deaths

U.S.: 4.71M confirmed; 2.3M recovered; 157K deaths

Oregon: 18,492 confirmed; 322 deaths

Over all view of completed quilting

Umatilla County had so many new cases that the governor reverted the county's status back to staying at home! Cases in Clackamas County, where I live, continue to rise; but, at a lower rate. Still, we are all being cautious.

School plans are confirmed that distance learning will be in place at least until the end of October. Parents at that point have the choice of hybrid learning or continuing with distance learning. 

A vaccine is in the third stage of trials. It could be available as early as December. My fingers are crossed it will be available and effective then!

Regarding the protesting, it continues into the ninth week. Friday was the first night of media reported "peaceful" protests. The state police replaced the federal marshals in protecting federal property. The media reported that there were still fires started; but, other protestors put out the fires. 

We had a run of hot temperatures--upper 90s and day of 100 degrees! My daughter ordered a wading pool for the grandkids. It was supposed to arrive between July 19 and July 27. It still isn't here. The tracking says it is still on the east coast. A friend of hers had a pool her children had outgrown. Friday, my daughter and Miss J delivered the pool to our house because they don't have space for that size of pool. 

Filling the pool with air

 Daughter A and her dad repaired the one known hole. Miss J  supervised the project. It was a hoot watching Miss J as the electric pump aired the pool. She crept closer to the project. Bob asked if she wanted to air up the pool. Of course she did! She held the electric pump and then she got to hold her finger over the intake spout while her papa removed the pump. Her eyes got bigger with every completed section aired. 

When it came time to fill the pool, it was obvious she wanted in the pool! I asked if she had thought about asking her mama if it would be okay to take her shoes and socks off to wade in the water. Her mama said okay and in a flash, she was wading in the pool. Soon, it became obvious, she was going to get her clothing wet. I asked if she had thought about asking her mama if she could take off her skirt and shirt to keep them dry. Her mama said yes. . .The skirt was down in a flash. . .too quick to stay dry! Mama said, "let's get out of the pool, first."Mama hung the skirt to dry on the fence. 

Miss J loved the water. . .it didn't matter that the water was cold. Miss J bobbed about until her mama said it was time to go home. It was hard; but, she got out without any negative comment. It was movie night at their house and she had some cleaning to do. (Her sister, K, stayed home to have enough time to finish her cleaning chores.) J had told her papa earlier that her sister would have all the cleaning done by the time they returned home and that she would still be able to watch the movie. 

Enjoying the water

Her mama reported that there was vacuuming, toilet scrubbing and dusting which equaled the cleaning her sister did earlier. I still chuckled. I think that her thought process functions well beyond her actual age! 

Today, she and her sister will be coming out to swim in the pool. Their mom and dad are coming too although, this pool isn't large enough for all of them at once! If J's first experience is any indication of the fun factor, I hope that we have a lot of swimming days left in the summer!

I sure have missed swimming in the pool!

Licensed to Cut Loose--post 3

Project at the start of July

I started this project in a Susan Carlson workshop in Sisters, Oregon in 2018. The butterfly is one of her pattern shapes. I've admired Susan's applique technique and have followed her blog posts for years. I decided this quarter it was time to put that project back to the design wall. 

I learned a lot in Susan's class. In preparing for the class, I  reread her book. I rewatched her show on TQS. I reread her various blog posts that she recommended. I packed supplies for her class paying close attention to her list. I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. 

Susan had refined her technique since she had been on the TQS show. My fabrics didn't translate well. The pieces that I brought were too small to practice her technique. My pieces were also without a pattern that I could use to trim shapes.You can read my first post on the project here.

Over the last couple of years, I've 

Project at the end of the first week

thought about this project; but, thinking about it wasn't enough for me to make progress on it. Last quarter, I asked myself why I had stopped working on it. The bottom line was that I wasn't excited about the fabrics. A close second reason was that trying to create a mirror image was impossible given my small scraps of fabrics. I had (and continue to have) few fabrics that could be cut into shapes following the print. 

For Susan's method, one has better success if one has chunks of fabrics to cut. I've been working to tame my scraps into Bonnie Hunter's scrap saving systems of squares and strips. The two methods don't work well together! 

Project at the end of the second week

To make progress, I decided that I would spend an hour a day on this project. If I had a good day of making progress, I certainly could spend more time. If I had a bad day of making progress, I would move on to another project! I do enjoy cutting the shapes that might get to live on the butterfly. In class, I was hung up creating mirror images of the butterfly wings. I decided instead that if I could achieve each side looking "related," I was successful.

I did have bad days where there was no change in the project. I told myself that I had discovered many options that weren't viable. I told myself that the next piece would be the start of many pieces filling the spaces. Some days, I celebrated that the timer rang at the end of hour!

At the end of the first week, I was stuck. I put on a lot of shapes, moved them around and took them off again. Progress was close to nil! I had FaceTime consults with the granddaughters. Miss J suggested that I needed to add blue fabrics to make it beautiful. Miss K suggested that I add yellow so it would glow. She also said I needed more darks to go with the yellow. Her final comment was that I should consider having the butterfly go from light to dark shades! I was trying to go this route; but, my fabrics are too much in the medium range!

Progress at the end of the third week

All of their suggestions were great. Miss J, who is six, could see that I needed darker fabrics to contrast my work. I do plan to collage a variety of blue fabrics as the background around the butterfly. 

Miss K, who is eight, had a valid point that butterfly wings are translucent and include a variety of light to dark shades. I pulled yellow fabrics. I cut more shapes. I placed fabrics on and pulled them off again.

I had a FaceTime consult with my friend, JoJo. She echoed the thoughts of my granddaughters. We talked about other possibilities. All the chats helped me forge ahead.

Close up of the applique shapes

I still have stuck times. Last week, my body was in rebel mode. I've not been able to use my left arm much because using it causes me to have back spasms. Of course, I am left handed. I can do some tasks right handed, although it takes me longer and the results aren't as precise as I would like. 

From time to time my body rebels. Usually, I can pinpoint what I did to cause the discomfort. Unfortunately, I don't know what I did to cause the discomfort this time.  The original cause of my neck and back issues are from a 2009 car accident. In that one accident, I was rear ended twice and pushed into the car in front of me twice. 

I've more chiropractic appointments ahead to help me over the pain and mobility issues. Currently, stretching, ice, meditation and Aleeve are helping me manage the pain. 

Progress at the end of the fourth week

I have tacked some applique shapes in place with glue as I was running out of pins! Tacking the shapes with glue is Susan's technique. She leaves the edges free so she can tuck other fabrics underneath. It is also a task that I can do right handed!

Some of my overlaps are tiny. This happened when I had a curved edge on top of another curved edge. I wonder if I will be able to cover the base fabric when it comes to quilting the pieces. I imagine I will figure out a way to make the spaces a design element if that happens! 

My studio flat spaces are covered with bits of possible options to add to this piece. Susan is right about there being a messy stage to the project, although I doubt that she was referring to the studio space!

I'm planning to use black fabrics around the outer edge of the butterfly and to bisect the top wings from the bottom wings. Originally, I planned to use one fabric. I had leftover triangles from a previous project that I placed around the bottom of the butterfly. Now, I'm planning several fabrics printed on a black background that alternate with a solid black

CPR station

fabric. I'm finding that having another part of the project to work on helps when I'm stuck in another section!

While I'm not "over the moon" with this project, I don't dislike either. I'm neutral or middle of the road, which is not unlike the medium value range of my fabrics! I would like to use this process in other projects so my desire to learn what works for me in this process drives me to continue. My granddaughter used this technique to applique the tail of the mermaid in her small wall hanging. She hasn't been able to come and stitch her project because of Covid. We have been social distancing since the end of March. I sure miss the hugs from the granddaughters!

Since it is the end of the month, I'll share that I helped 62 staff at the hospital earn their Healthcare Provider BLS CPR certification. I've been using the CPR cart primarily for the skill sessions. Participants like the updated program and format.