Five Inch Squares--post 2

Paired  squares

First, let me wish all the moms a Happy Mother's Day! Whether you have human or fur babies, I hope each of you has a wonderful day!

This quarter, our book club is reading, "The Wives" by Tarryn Fisher. It's a suspenseful novel written with a dark/sad side. The reader will discover one of the characters has mental health issues. My library had an audio version. The book was a fast listen!

People have definite opinions on this book. On the day our group met, the consensus was that it was a book none would recommend.  

Placing the ruler 

When I consider options for a book club quilt, I want to make a project that I would hang and enjoy in my home. When a book has a dark side, it can be a challenge to find inspiration that doesn't read "dark!"

Last month, I posted about the 42 five inch squares that I won from Preeti/Sew Preeti Quilts. From the day that I opened her e-mail, sewing those squares into a top was a priority. ---I decided these squares could represent the character Tuesday. We later learn her name is Hannah. 

Fabrics cut

I pondered what new technique or pattern to use. A photo on Pinterest inspired me. Fortunately, there was a link to a tutorial on YouTube. The pattern was called Let's Do the Splits!. ---Hmmm. . . Splits could represent the mental health aspect.

From my stash, I selected a dark purple batik that has been in my stash for at least a decade to be the background fabric. ---Hmmm. . . .That dark purple could represent the character Thursday who the reader later learns struggles with mental illness.

Leaving a small triangle

I pre washed the blocks which didn't bleed. I'm glad I pre washed the background because it bled! I did three soakings of the fabric in Synthrapol before I had clear water.

After I dried and pressed the background fabric, I cut it into 42 five inch squares. Next, I paired each square with a background fabric. I placed the fabrics right sides up.

The information in the tutorial suggested lining the blocks up on the lines of the cutting mat and cutting from the three inch mark from the top and the bottom of the square.

Squaring up the blocks

I have a 60mm rotary cutter. I found that I could easily cut eight squares at a time. Once I cut the squares, from the right stack, I removed the top fabric and placed it on the bottom of the right stack. I took the stacks to the machine and began to chain the fabrics together.

I paid careful attention to ensure that I had a small triangle that peaked out of each end. It took me several blocks before I was able  to find the right amount of triangle to show to have the fabrics at the beginning and at the end of the seam to be flush with each other! I pressed the seam allowances towards the dark side. 

Auditioning different block layouts

Again, using the lines on my mat, I trimmed each block to four inches. Using the cutting lines on my mat was a new experience for me. I am notorious for cutting a size or angle other than what the pattern states.To thwart those sorts of errors, I place a bit of  painter's tape on the mat so I use the same cutting lines. I had no errors!

Trimming was an interesting process. Again, the tutorial directions were to use the lines on the cutting mat. What I liked about that process was that I "eye balled" the half inch or the quarter inch mark using the cutting lines. This method helped me center the design. Then, I placed my ruler and made the appropriate cuts. Again, I had no errors. 

Pinwheel layout

I played around with different layouts. I decided the design that I liked best was the pinwheel design with the fabrics in the pinwheel being the same. Pinwheels have a spinning feel and the book had some interesting spins!

Finished top auditioning back possibilities

Next, I cut 36 four inch squares from the background fabric. These squares created a border around the design. I webbed the blocks together. I like webbing because I have less opportunities to orient a block or row incorrectly. In a short time, I had a top!

I like the brightness of the top. It measures 40 inches wide by 48 inches tall. This is a great size for a baby. I explored my stash for a backing and binding fabrics. 

Finished back

I located two multi-colored batiks that could work. There wasn't enough of either. I considered adding a minty batik fabric to the mix. I like pieced backs and I really like using up from the stash! For the binding, I'm planning to use the background fabric.

Before my Zoom sew session with my small WIPs group on Monday, I had sliced all of the squares. While I chatted with them, I sewed the squares, laid out the design and webbed it together. It took me about four hours to stitch this top. It was a fast project!

When I stepped back to view the finished top, I liked that the pinwheels tessellate. I may try to quilt those background pinwheels in a way to represent the character, Monday, in the book. 

I did us the second batik fabric as a simple piecing design enabled me to use the entire piece. I used that mint green batik to make the back big enough. I also cut a piece for the quilt sleeve and I cut and prepared the binding.

Playing with the squares that Preeti sent me was goal number eight on my May list. Since these are scraps, I'm linking to Cynthia at Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework. Cynthia inspires me every week to use those scraps!

If you want to participate in the Positively Quilt A Long that Preeti is hosting, read her blog post. She has outlined the schedule. It begins May 28. Are you in?

A London Adventure--Day 5

Having a bit of "play" with Miss A

We saw sunshine on day five in London. We planned to tour the Tower of London which is a short walk from Nicole's flat. Before we left, we each took a turn playing with Ada so she wouldn't mind "resting" in the stroller as we walked. She loves to be jiggled and to view the world when she is upside down! Miss A even walked in areas that had light foot traffic.

Soaking up the sunshine on the way to the Tower

Miss K commented how blue the sky is in London on sunny days. She followed up that comment with. . .it looks like what we see at home!

Anticipating visiting the Tower

Most of the areas to view inside the Tower grounds contain many stairs. In other words, Miss A and I enjoyed the grounds while Keira and her papa toured the structures. She loved seeing the crown jewel exhibit. Although, she was disappointed that a particular crown was not available to view because it was being cleaned for the coronation. 

Enjoying the view of the marina

On our way back from the Tower, we walked around St. Katharine Docks. This is a favorite walk of mine. I enjoy seeing the yachts docked and watching the people while sipping a coffee.

Having a snack

Nicole ordered us a variety of dishes from a restaurant I had wanted to try when I visited last year. We shared each one. Every item we tasted was delicious, although Miss K said that had there been a Gail's Bakery, we would have gone there!

Enjoying a hot chocolate

Of course, Miss K asked to have a hot chocolate. The presentation of the hot chocolate was beautiful. She commented that she felt like an "adult" while sipping her drink, enjoying the view and sampling our order. 

Miss A stretching her legs

After our snack, we walked to catch a bus. (Miss A needed to stretch her legs.) 

Ceiling at the British Museum

We went to the British Museum because there are so many wonderful exhibits there. I love the architecture of the ceiling. Miss K commented it could be a quilt design.        

Harry's platform to catch the train to school

Then we took the tube to Kings Cross to view where Harry Potter boarded the train when he went to Hogwarts. There was a long line, but you could wear a scarf and hold a wand while you pretended to push the cart. Miss K liked this part of our day!

More leg stretching

Miss A needed more leg stretching so we walked her pace which was almost too fast for my sore knee! We had worked up an appetite. We went for an early dinner or late lunch.

Dinner at Tetto's

Bob's favorite place to eat in London is Tetto's steak house. We ordered the steak platter which is five steaks. Chips came with the steak. I thought that we would have leftovers; but, we ate it all! The five steaks were Dallas, T-bone, sirloin, rib, petite filet and skirt. Miss K was wowed by the quantity. She decided that while the chips/fries were good, The Mayflower Pub's chips were still the best.

Swinging at the park

Since it was such a nice day and since we needed to walk off some of that dinner, we walked to the park that is about five minutes away from Nicole's flat. Last year when I was visiting, this space was an unused basketball court. The park is used and beautiful so installing the park was a good upgrade in the neighborhood. Miss A LOVED the slide. She giggled every time she slid down it! 

Swinging cousins

The swings were the next hit with the the teeter totter and climbing structure interesting to each girl. It was such a fun day!

aMAZEd is a Top!--Post 2

Repairing yet another oops

This week, I worked to finish making the blocks for the maze quilt that I designed. I posted about its origins here at the end of March. My goal last month was to finish the top. I made progress; but, didn't finish!

I did get better with following my plan; but, I still managed to: sew blocks with the same fabric next to each other; or, sew a block out of order; or, sew the block upside down; or, miscount the number/placement of blue blocks.

I spent a lot of time repairing each error! In the end, I stitched 1,536 two and a half inch squares together. This number included 335 blue squares. All of the fabrics were leftovers. I had to use three different blue fabrics in order to have enough blue squares! The top measurers 64 inches wide by 96 inches long.

I will cut some of the remaining strips into leader/ender blocks. I've been making Bonnie Hunter's Triple Treat blocks since October. So far I've stitched about twenty five six inch blocks. 

These bags were once packed with scraps

My scrap box was overflowing before I started. Now the lid closes easily. I have a number of almost empty zip lock bags that used to house the two and a half inch strips and squares. The next section of scraps that I need to attack is the two inch strips and squares. Although, it will be some time before I go there! 

Finished aMAZEd top

This top is a little like an I Spy quilt. There are blocks of leaves, hearts, stars, a chicken, a dog, a couple of bears and a number of yellow taxi cabs sprinkled throughout the top. This project was the perfect spot to use many of my personal pre cuts that were too patterned or contained too many colors to be used in another project. It was also the spot to use the squares that I had one of two of that fabric remaining. I did a lot of walking down memory lane while stitching the fabrics!

I don't have a plan for the back. No doubt, there will be a suitable candidate in my stash. I don't have a solid plan for the quilting either. Likely, I will use a variegated thread and my walking foot. I am loving the fact that the top used about six and three-quarters yards of scraps!

I was inspired to make this project because of a bingo block that I made for a virtual retreat and because of the book that our book club read, "The River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the search for the source of the Nile" by Candace Milliard.

I came up with the maze concept because the explorers were in a maze trying to get funding, supplies, transportation and manpower to make the expedition. I was amazed at their will power. Hence, the name and the odd use of caps in word.

This was goal number two on my May list. I'm linking to Cynthia at Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework. Please visit and see what other scrappy projects people are sharing.

A London Adventure --Day 4

Day four was an extra special day. This was a special day because it was the day that Miss Ada had her first birthday party. She began the day opening a couple birthday presents. Miss K thought it was important to have a warm up!!

Opening packages

After the package opening, we did a little decorating for the party. Some of the activities included: blowing up balloons using a small helium tank; preparing the cake and snacks. Miss A dressed in her birthday dress. Then we met up with some friends for lunch at the Mayflower Public House. 

Birthday dress finery

On our walk, we passed the ruins of King Edward III's Manor house. Miss K liked reading about the site. I've found it interesting to have ruins in the middle of a modernish apartment building. In the states, the site would have been demolished and built over. Here, the Museum of London excavated the site to preserve the remains and this part of the foundation was left to mark where the building once stood. 

Reading the information about the historical site

We went to Sunday roast at the Mayflower pub. The pub is close to the jetty from where the Pilgrim's Mayflower ship sailed in 1620. Originally, the pub was named the Spread Eagle but it was renamed for the ship. It was surreal to be eating in an establishment that has been around for more than 400 years!

Miss K noting the sign

Nicole had made reservations for us in the pub as there were ten of us. It was a unique dining experience. The place is so popular that the outside dining area is reserved for walk ins. It was full even though it was a cold and rainy day!

The menu

The menu was written on the board. Most of us ordered one of the roast options. Miss K ordered Gnocchi. When the plates arrived, we all snapped photos of what we were eating.

Photo process of the entrees

We had planned to start the birthday party at the little park near Nicole's flat; but it was too wet, too windy and too cold! Instead, we walked back to the flat and greeted guests as they arrived.

Some of the Wonder Woman themed decor

Miss A has so many honorary aunties. These aunties hail come from a variety of countries. . .Romania, Sardinia, Portugal to name a few. All the aunties talk to Ada in their native language. 

The balloons were a fun draw

Then there are the parents in Nicole's birth group. These parents are from Ukraine, France and more. Ada's dad is Turkish. Ada seems to have an ear for language. It was so interesting to hear so many languages, including English, spoken in such a small space. There were five babies all born with a few days of each other and their parents at the party. 

Homemade chocolate cake
dusted with powdered sugar 

With so many kids and people, you might have thought that there would have been a lot of crying. Nope. . .no crying. Lots of playing and lots of visiting happened. The cake was delicious. It was such a nice party.

 

April Recap and May Goals

 

Blooming daffodils

Even though our spring has contained plenty of snow and hail showers, our daffodils managed to bring color to our yard. I think of them as bits of sunshine! 

The last few days of the month were glorious with summer temperatures. Today, we are back to gray skies with the threat of rain.

My April goals were:

✔1. Keep up making and inserting EPP blocks into the temperature quilt. ---I did correct the incorrectly sewn block.

✔2. Prepare lecture notes for my EPP "Beyond the Flower Garden" class.

✒3. Finish piecing the project for the book, "River of the Gods--Genius, Courage and Betrayal--in Locating the Source of the Nile" by Candice Millard. Between the scraps for this project and the bulk of the Lone Star quilt on the quilting table, my flat surfaces are covered! I need to make enough progress to reclaim my cutting table and ironing board!---I've pieced 19 of the 24 blocks. Watch for a post about my journey in a few weeks.

Working on the last 12 blocks of the maze quilt

✒4. Stitch a Christmas stocking for the youngestgranddaughter. I have a pattern in mind. Next steps will be to locate it and select fabrics. I plan to shop my stash first!---I found the pattern and selected the fabrics which were all from stash. Next will be to prewash the fabrics, copy the foundations and sew. I do want to do something special with the centers of the paper pieced blocks.

✔5.Continue playing with the embroidery module/software for my machine. I need to document my experience last month. 

Four of the six rows of the maze

✔6. Begin filling in the areas with free motion quilting that I've outlined in the Lone Star. My body still rebels against quilting so I must be mindful about taking breaks and completing a little rather than a lot. If I do too much, I set off pain to my head, neck, back, hip and arms! 

✔7. Document my recent trip to London in Wednesday posts. I'll likely start with a post about making my first meal after my return. Scrap Cooking, London Adventure Day 1, London Adventure Day 2, London Adventure Day 3. --I'll be posting about the trip for a couple more months. I've enjoyed reliving our experience writing the posts!

Stocking project

While I didn't make as much progress as I had planned, I still moved the projects forward which is all good! 

On the health front, I continue to make progress. I'm in the normal range for turning my head side to side. I am working to get a little more range of motion looking to the left so that turning my head in either direction is more balanced. Rarely do I cause neck spasms when turning or stretching now.

Lone star quilting progress

I've been incorporating different back exercises for the pain I get under my shoulder blades when I machine sew. I can't tell if the exercises are helping. . .yet. For the last two weeks, I've been able to raise my arms in an arc and bring my palms together. (It is a motion similar to jumping jack arms.) I hadn't been able to do that motion since the day after the car accident. So, while my shoulder is still sore, it is improving too.

I still get the numbness in my fingers when I've chopped or stirred too long. Machine quilting also is a culprit for numbness. I don't know if I can improve more to lessen or delete the numbness or not. Knee wise, the cortisone shot helped. I still need to ice it several times a day and I take ibuprofen for the swelling/pain twice a day. When I try to skip either, my pain level rises as does the swelling!

The best news of the month was that last week, I passed my American Red Cross Lifeguard, Lifeguard Instructor and Lifeguard Instructor Trainer physical exams. Being the role of the victim, didn't cause me additional pain to my shoulder or neck. At the end of the class, I was exhausted and sore; but, my spirit soared to still be able to complete the skills as well as the swim and the time tests. 

When I returned home and after hanging my wet suit and towel to dry, I did ice on my neck, back and knees. (I have several ice packs.) I did do some gentle stretching. The following morning, while I was tender in places, I wasn't so sore that I couldn't move easily. 

EPP preparations

Five inch square project

I look forward to swimming now that I can turn my head to the side without pain to side breath while swimming freestyle. I loved being able to move my left arm through the water without shoulder pain. 

All the acupuncture, physical therapy, massage and chiropractic sessions have been a big part of the healing process. I've also spent time and effort doing the homework. . .exercises, etc.

For May, my goals are:

1. Keep up with the temperature blocks. 

2. Continue piecing my maze quilt top.

3. Continue to free motion an area of my Lone Star quilt.

4. Sew a Christmas stocking for my youngest granddaughter.

5. Play with the embroidery unit on my machine.

6. Teach a Zoom class on EPP.

7. Teach an in person class on EPP.

8. Play with the five inch squares I won from Preeti.

9. Document more days of our March London trip.

I'm linking up to Cynthia and Oh Scrap/Quilting is More Fun Than Housework because my maze project is all scraps!

A London Adventure--Day 3

On our third day in London, Keira treated us when she baked her homemade biscuits for breakfast. The biscuits were delicious. I neglected to take any photos! 

Riding on the top of a double decker bus

After breakfast, we were off to visit Windsor Castle. First, we took a bus. This time not only was it a double decker; but, we were the first ones on the bus so the front seat was available for Miss K. She loved the view! We rode to the train station where we purchased a hot drink and met up with Mihaela before boarding our train. Mihaela is from Romania and is a dear friend of Nicole's. She is also one of a small group of super honorary aunties to Miss Ada.

Taking photos on the train

While we waited for the journey to begin, Miss Ada explored and Miss Keira documented the process!

Writing in the journal

The trip took about an hour. Miss K used the travel time to catch up with her trip journal.

Headed toward the guard station 

After we disembarked from the train, we walked through town and up a hill to the castle. We arrived in time to watch the changing of the guard. I had taken a small busy bag with me on the train. When we went through security to enter the castle, my bag was searched. I couldn't figure out why. The person searching couldn't tell me. . .and then it hit me. . .those Karen Kay Buckley scissors were in my busy bag. The security person recognized the scissors and said it was the first time she had encountered them in her job. She commented about how special that brand of scissors was. Sheesh!!!!

My scissors stayed at security because there can be no pointy or sharp objects at the castle. I received a claim check. At the end of the visit, we reclaimed them. For the remainder of the trip, I took no scissors with me!!! 

Watching the ceremonial changing of the guard

Of course, there were a lot of other people who had the same plan of watching the guard change! We still had a prime view of the out going guards as they marched directly past us.

Marching guards 

Miss K commented over and over about their uniforms. She wanted to know if they wore uniforms or if they were wearing costumes. She wondered how they could see! It is a sight to watch and we enjoyed all of it!

Touring the interior

We did enter the cathedral; but, you can't take photographs there. We paid our respects to Queen Elizabeth and to her husband, Phillip. We weren't able to see the queen's dolls and doll houses because the line to that part of the castle was too long. Miss K could have waited out the line; but, not Miss A!

Checking the view over the wall

There are a number of volunteers who help visitors find the lifts (elevators) and who answer questions. Miss K asked questions of one of these volunteers and then asked if the volunteer would pose for a photograph. Miss K wanted to know if the volunteer liked her job and if people were nice to her!

Meeting a local volunteer

While Miss K enjoyed the grounds, her favorite part of the tour was listening to another volunteer who talked about the 1992 fire in the castle. 

Leaving Windsor

It was nice to see a little blue sky while we were visiting the castle. We had a late lunch in town before catching a train to return to London. Again, it was a full but fun day!