Very Slow Stitching This Sunday

I have been working on this Ella Maria Deacon block for several weeks now. Not every day. But once in a while. There are 36 of those arrowhead shapes and I calculated that, if it took me 10 minutes to hand applique each one, then it would take me 360 minutes or 6 hours. But I had to first draw the shapes onto the back since I am back basting. That took a few minutes. Say about 30. Then I back basted on the corner bits and every other beige shape. I did all that last month. Last week, I basted on every other dark brown piece and every other light brown piece. Why every other one? To get the points in the right place without interference from the piece beside. I think I will change the light brown to an aqua since there is some aqua in the corner pieces. I am using Susanna Scraps by Betsy Chutian from Moda. I am trying to avoid using reds and green since I have several quilts with those colours in them, 

So the back basting took me about 30 minutes three different times. Are you adding up the numbers? 

However, yesterday I was stitching while visiting quilters on facebook and I got exactly 4 done in about an hour and a half. So, about 20 m minutes each. Needless to say, It will take more than 6 hours to complete this one 9 inch block by hand.

Blessings,

Chris

slow sunday stitching  quilt fabrication needleandthreadnetwork.

3030 Quilt

Gay over at sentimentalstitches is offering yet another amazing weekly quilt-a-long. This one you sign up for and pay $30 for the 30 blocks for 30 weeks. I am all caught up for now. But I understand there is a center medallion to applique coming soon. Maybe even this Friday. I hope it comes next Friday because that would be a very nice birthday present. And, I would not have to get it completed before the end of the month since my OMG this month is to keep up to date with this project. I am loving these colourful blocks. Some are done by foundation piecing. I have yet to remove the papers. Others are pieced the old-fashioned way by machine. And, of course, the hand applique.

3030 Quilt

I reverted back to the legacy blogger to see if comments will show up in my inbox. None of them did last post. And yet, with the new blogger, I did get notification of comments last month. We shall see.

Blessings,
Chris
linking with:  midweek-makers-236.  needleandthreadnetwork. quiltingismorefunthanhousework 
design-wall-monday  myquiltinfatuation.  wednesday-wait-loss-180  fortheloveofgeese.
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A Bit of Hand Applique

This is the first applique block for the 3030 Quilt.  

I am continuing to discover things about the new Blogger.

For instance, I enlarged the photo by left-clicking on the photo and hitting the + sign.

Last month I got comments in my Gmail inbox but not this week. 

I wonder what happened?

Linking with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.

Now it is finished

blessings.

Chris

Friday Night With Friends

I tried. I really tried to get to some stitching today. But, alas, I made jam, drove into town to do some banking, picked up the mail a kilometer down the road, washed dishes at least 7 times, had a zoom meeting, paid some bills, paid off the bank credit line totally, for now. Did I say make jam? Only 3 batches today totaling 24 jars. I ate 3 lovely meals that someone else cooked, 2 of them outside. I could get used to this. 

The thing with stitching Friday Night With Friends is that their Friday night in Australia begins at night but mine begins here in Canada very early Friday morning. But it is night now and I can sit back and relax with some hand stitching. The newest 3030 Quilt block was released and I have not yet pulled fabrics for that. I could do that now. Maybe.

It is the beginning of July and the year is half over and I was looking at my goals for 2020 to see if I was on track or totally derailed. Among other things, I wanted to complete the 2 Antique Wedding Sampler blocks that I started a couple of years ago. And I flipped through the book Primarily Quilts written by Di Ford-Hall, that has the pattern, drooling over most of the patterns. I think I might have enough fabric in my endless cupboard to make all of them at least twice in several colorways. Also, I cleared off, at least I tried, one of the tables here in my quilt room and put away patterns and fabrics and little girls keep passing through here and asking to play UNO. 

Precious little things. They are having a surprise birthday party for their Dad my son tomorrow at noon because they go to their mom's after lunch. and he knows all about the surprise party but not the real surprise. The girls have been learning to play the ukelele to serenade him. And he is paying for the pizza and all the workers in the strawberry patch will be joining us. But first, they are setting up a white bedsheet on the trampoline outside to use as a screen for an outdoor movie since it is dark now and I have not picked up a needle yet, and my computer was turned off most of the day. If I turn off the lights in here, I could watch through the window. But I could not stitch in the dark.  Not very well anyway. 

So I have had most of an hour here to myself without a needle in hand. But there is always tomorrow. 

Blessings,

Chris

July 2020 One Monthly Goal

We have been picking strawberries. Lots of strawberries. Okay, many more than lots. Our son planted 500 plants last year and for the past 2 weeks, we have been picking anywhere from 100 - 200 quarts of luscious, juicy red berries every single day. Okay, so I am not actually doing the picking. We have 3 girls out there along with our son and, of course, the little girls.

We have one small freezer completely filled with berries and I am trying to buy a new freezer. This is not an easy thing to do. Buying a new freezer during a pandemic. They are back-ordered until Oct. The really big ones that is. I will keep trying. I wanted an upright freezer since I have limited space in the house. We already have a 25 cu foot chest freezer in the back kitchen, but it is full. 

The girls completed their school year and each of them advanced to the next grade. That means no more home learning for now. At least not academics. They are learning to bake. and we can now change gears here and get them back to sewing on their I-Spy blocks. The lego is in time-out and so is the giant dollhouse and all its accessories. They need to be outside more. Not the dolls. The girls. There is now a trampoline and pool in the back yard. We will be making jam soon. Lots of jam. I have 250 jars and sugar ready to begin. 

I sort of did my June OMG but I cannot with a clear conscience say I completed it. It was to organize and bring order to the many small containers of quilting stuff. I did go through some of them. Then a couple of times I was looking for things for my newest project and sort of ransacked everything in the process. So it seems an almost impossible task. 

I started a new quilt. The 3030 Quilt. So far, I have 2 blocks complete and 2 in process. These are fun, colourful blocks. I paper pieced both of these. I have one applique block on the go. The new blocks are emailed to us every Friday. You can find the information here sentimentalstitches-3030-quilt.

So, I have had several ideas for a July goal parade through my head when I am working on other things. I cannot remember any of them right now. The RSC colour for July is dark blue. I have 5 blue blocks left to make for Bright Jane. I did not make any pink ones for June. Actually, I did not do a lot of any kind of sewing. What I did do was complete one more course for my doctorate. It only took me 5 1/2 years. I hope to get the next ones done a bit quicker. And poor Gaston the giant ladybug needs some major surgery. Devan brought it and the thread and a needle to my desk last night while I was making jam and she offered to help do the stitching. I guess that better get done. 

I think I will try to keep current with the 3030 Quilt blocks. I will aim to have the first 8 complete ready to show off for my July OMG

Blessings,

Chris

Linking with: My quilt infatuation.  Peacock Party  Midweek Makers