Busy

We have been making applesauce every day for the past week. About a bushel each day. We should be done soon. And Elly came over for the weekend. Something about her cat that ran away back in June showed up and they had a funeral service. Poor little girl. She was so happy the cat was found but did not understand why they were putting dirt on his box in the hole. So she came to the farm to get some animal time. Good thing she likes kielbasa since I had lots.

I am mentally packing my bags for a trip to England to visit one of my sisters for a week. Visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum is on the agenda. I wonder what amazing antique textiles will be on display? After that is a week in Poland to celebrate my aunt's 90th birthday. 

One of the things on my to-do list was to get a haircut. When the girl asked how I wanted it cut, I said like hers. Well, it looks nothing like hers. And I forgot that I wanted to get a good picture for the back cover of my book. Maybe it will grow quickly or I could wear a hat. Or maybe I can skip the picture part. Or I could submit a nice one from years ago.

I have done very little stitching since I got home from the retreat. But I knew that I had other things to do. I did a bit while babysitting the other night and then some more before going to bed a couple of nights. This might be completed before I leave so I will have to prep some more.

Morrell # 18

Good thing that I still have several BTCT blocks prepped so I will have some handwork to take along. Not sure of I will take any textbooks since what I am working on is computer stuff.

Blessings,
Chris

Shipshewana Retreat

How can life ever return to normal after 5 whole days of quilting in Shipshewana?
Thank you Gay Bomers and Brenda Papadakis for organizing these retreats.

After 8 hours on the road, we arrived at Gretchen's  farm where she invited us to stay overnight. I showed her my completed Dear Jane top and several works in progress that I had brought along, naively thinking I would get a lot of work done on each one. Then Gretchen proceeded to show us her completed quilts. Oh my goodness! She was ready and had about 20 (I forgot to count) full sized quilts that she had made over the years and the stories that go along with each one. Of course, my camera was packed away in the trunk of my car with dead batteries. I have been emailing with Gretchen since spring when we connected through our blogs and realized that our husbands have known each other for many years. We both raise Guernsey cows.

Now one the rules of quilt retreats include "what goes on at retreat stays at retreat", but I can share what I did. I started the Sarah Morrell quilt. Yup! I did.

 I got 10 of 12 foundation pieced strips for one of the blocks and prepped an applique block so I had something to hand stitch on. I did not have all the paper strips with me so could not finish it. Silly me. I thought I could get all 10 blocks foundation pieced.

Morrell Block #39

 I did have 4 BTCT blocks with me to work on, but starting on a new one is always exciting.

BTCT Block # 16

 I also took a workshop with Ann Holte.

Lancaster Diamond Sampler

 Ann made a reproduction of the original. It does look intimidating but will be very simple to make once you understand how to work with those 65 degree diamonds. It's all in the book.

 I made one block.

When I got home I started a new blog. It was easy. Too easy. The name? Quilting Morrell at the Farm.
Here I will journal my way through the making of  my Morrell quilt. If I can ever figure out how to set up a linky party, I will. That way others can come on board and share their progress also.

Blessings,
Chris

Applesauce and Laundry

Today we officially began making applesauce. Our 4 dwarf tress had another bumper crop and there are still 8 big feed bags filled with apples sitting in the porch keeping cool.  We can applesauce for the whole year or 2 if there are lots. There are two Golden Delicious, one Empire and one Mutsu.

     Two of the little girl grandchildren helped Grampa pick apples two weeks ago. 

 It is such a beautiful warm fall day here. I went to waterfit this afternoon. It is one physical activity that I can do because there is little impact on my joints. Today, however, first I forgot my underwear. I usually put on my bathing suit at home. I know I put the underwear in the bag with an extra towel since I planned to wash my hair since it was going to be wet anyway. So I did, but did not have the extra towel. Then when I got home and went to hang up the $78 new bathing suit, it was not in the bag nor was my shampoo. Sigh. I probably should drive back into town and find it. It took me a few months to find a swim suit in my size. But it is a beautiful day and I could use some more sunshine. After all, it is November and lots of brilliant sunshine is a gift, one of the few things I learned in grade 11 geography. That and how to read a road map.  

Also, I must clarify that when I "pre-wash" my fabrics, I do not use soap or fabric softener. I fill up my top load machine with either warm or cold water, depending if the cold water pressure lets me. Today we had replaced the water intake valve and ran through a load of farmer work clothes and they were totally covered in sand. So, I cleaned the machine, then filled it up with cold water but it was totally filled with sand again, so I drained it and did yet another load and drained that. Then I washed a load of towels and after that some of the laundry from my trip. As it turned out, a water hose in the barn had come off and the well was draining and drawing sand. Yuk. This is one of the things we have to deal with on the farm and hard water fed well that also feeds 120 head of cows.

I do not like to agitate it too much so the threads do not ravel and get knotted up. I turn off the machine then add the fabric to the water and slosh it up and down by hand until everything is wet. I let it soak for 15-20 minutes or a couple of hours if I forget, then spin it out and dry in the dryer. I might put in a dozen fat quarters in the dryer at a time. I will add the tiniest piece of a fabric sheet to cut the static. I used to take them out when still a bit damp then press them but anymore I just let them dry totally and get them out right away. I give them a quick press before folding.

I got some applique done on BTCT circles and leaves while visiting my daughter but got more hugs and kisses in from my grandson. I got lots of homework done this trip. I will be returning there in 9 weeks to stay for the birth of their second baby.

Next week I am going to Shipshewana Indiana for the Just Takes 2 retreat with Brenda Papadakis and Gay Bomers. I have some of my bags and projects packed and will complete that as soon as I can do the rest of my laundry. Then I will be off to Europe. Sounds so adventurous. I will be going to visit my sister In England for a week then to help my aunt celebrate her 90th birthday in Poland. That I am really looking forward to.

But first, I received the completed content edit of my manuscript back and now to approve all the edits and onto the next stage of publishing my book.

I did drive back into town and found my wet bathing suit and shampoo bottle and found the underwear on the floor where they fell out of the bag when I took the bathing suit out to put on.

Blessings,
Chris

Pre-Washing Fabric

I know they do not look too white in this picture, but these colour catchers came out of the machine very white and clean.

 You have to love the French General fabrics. I first heard of them when I started the Ben Biggs QAL. I ended up purchasing not one, not two, but three fat quarter bundles from Craftsy on one of their outrageous sales last fall;  the classic selection, Rue Indienne, and Petite Prints. I also bought some yardage of the solid reds and light beigey one for the background on some of my quilt shop hops.

I cannot believe I am getting prepared to make yet another red quilt. This one will be red/pink, blues, golds/bieges and browns. Below is the second of four dryer loads of fat quarters I have been pre-washing. All this in anticipation of beginning the Sarah Morrell Quilt. I was taught to pre-wash all my fabrics for various reasons. I am making the Antique Wedding Sampler from kits from Homestead Heath and I am doing all that hand work with unwashed bits. I prefer the feel and softness of the washed fabric.

I am pulling the colours from this Winterthur Museum fabric from Andover. It took me about ten minutes to track it down on line after I saw others who had used it in their Morrell quilts for the broderie perse applique. This is going to be fun. If I can contain myself for now.

I am getting ready for the Just Takes 2 quilt retreat in Shipshewana Indiana in three weeks, but first I am flying out to New Brunswick to visit our daughter and the miracle grandson Jonathan. I have to teach him how to say "Gamma Kiss".  I have several BTCT blocks packed to take along to complete. I still have three blocks with countless circles to complete. They are all glue basted on the backgrounds so I will not have to keep track of tiny pins. The two little girl grand children were here over night Sunday and again tonight. Their daycare was closed yesterday and tomorrow so they come to the farm. They both know how to say Gramma Chris and Grampa Ken. Some of the most beautiful words in the world with little arms reaching around your neck and a sloppy "I love you" kiss. And, yes, I will be taking along just one textbook.

See you in a couple of weeks
Blessings,
Chris

Original Jane Stickle Quilt

Road Trip To Bennington

I finally made the road trip to Bennington Vermont this week to see the original Jane Stickle Quilt. It is only on display for a month in Sept/Oct. My friend Annette went with me for the 7-8 hour drive, which took us nearly 12  hours. I drove the first 2 hours, until we crossed the border from Canada into the USA.
I took along a copy of the Dear Jane book so Annette could have some time to see pictures of the quilt we were driving so far to see. I was giving her some options in case she should ever decide to make the thing. Twenty minutes into our drive her answer was a definite 80% not, no way, never. I have to chuckle. Once I informed her that you do not make the whole thing at once but start with 1 simple block at a time, she did a complete turnaround and ordered the book and special rulers before we ever go to Niagara Falls an hour from my home. I guess people do that sort of thing with cell phones. I don't have one so don't.

We stopped first at Pinegrove Quilt Shop which is closing this fall and we needed to get some sale stuff. I only bought about 12 yards of fabric. These look like they will work for some fussy cutting and possible broderie perse.

And I did not go with the intention of getting the pattern for Mrs Billings, but it was on sale. AND it has no less than 15 specially made rulers! These will be handy for fussy cutting the above fabrics. I am going to England in Dec to visit one of my sisters and we were already planning to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum at my request. I have been to England at least 5 times and it is time to do some cultural stuff. I have since discovered that the original quilt that inspired Mrs Billings is there. At least that is what the pattern tells me. Just for the record, I asked about going before I bought the pattern. But now to find 5/8th inch hexie papers. A thousand of them. (As it turns out, the original is in a museum in York and I will be a long way from York this trip.)

So, we made it to Bennington, way up in the hills of south west Vermont, about an hour east of Albany. I have driven past Albany many times on our way to and from visiting my Sweet husband's brother and family. We arrived after 8 pm in the dark so did not get to enjoy the spectacular scenery with the changing colours of early autumn. But this is what greeted us after pulling into the Bennington Museum.

And here she is (in a quiet, reverent whisper). 

 No, Wait. We could talk. We just could not touch or take pictures using a flash. I sat there for about a half hour gazing upon her loveliness. And I had a brief de javu moment . . . like I've  seen her before . . . Of course I have . . .  On my design wall at home . . .  For a couple of years. I could have sat there all day, but was eventually dragged away since there was a whole busload coming in behind us . . .

 I did take lots of pictures. I did not notice that some of them were fuzzy until I got home and uploaded them. Sigh.

According to the info plaque, Mrs Stickle was an invalid who probably whiled away her time making all these common and unique blocks to alleviate boredom. In 1863, she entered it in the Bennington Count Fair and won a special award and $2.  

 My take-away from this experience is this:
If I had seen the original before I started making my own, I would have spent less time and stress trying to get all the blocks perfect and straight. The charm is in the completed quilt . . .  all of the blocks and triangles together. I had my nose into each individual block so close and so long, I did not take notice that it is a whole quilt. And I will now definitely be making the narrow scalloped border and the corner knobby things. I had always intended to do the binding in blue anyway.

 I did some  more stitching on BTCT #15 while we were there.

 After coming home, I put up some of the blocks to see it this vase would stand out or blend it. I think it will fit just fine.

So, about my friend Annette. I have known her casually for about 20 years. Actually, she is a dear friend of my daughter's. A few months ago she started coming to Quilt at the Farm and we have been making a quilt for her daughter who got married this past summer, so we have been spending a lot of time together. I introduced her to Hobby Lobby where she bought lots of yarn for crocheting and we each bought the rest of the bolt of some gorgeous Kona cotton.

 Annette is not one to slowly make her way into a new venture. She jumps right in with all she has. She is making GORF and now she will be starting her own Baby Jane in civil war reproduction fabrics. It will be easy. I have several hundred left over from my own that she will pick and choose from. Annette also is a travel agent. She was so impressed with our 2 day road trip that she is now planning a 3 day 2 night bus tour to Bennington for next fall to take others to see the original Jane Stickle Quilt for themselves. I just might go again.

Blessings,
Chris

BTCT Block # 15 Progress

I wanted the leaves on top of the bowl to show up so I used a limey green from the Primitive Gatherings collection that I am using with the French General reds on a Kona Snow background. Have I mentioned how much I am loving hand stitching on this fabric? The needle just glides through and my hands like it. 
I decided to bring in some of the purples that are in my grape block. I flipped over the yellow print for the leaves at the top. There will be more inside each flower and I will use the print side there. Again, I am cutting out several layers at a time and no longer marking the shape, just turning it under and stitching away. I have marked the stem lines with a blue frixion pen.  I thought about using a drop of glue, but there will be layers and I did not want to run into hard bits of glue.

BTCT # 15

I had already started most of the easy blocks for this quilt. This one took a bit of thinking to figure out the layout order. Since there are  no instructions with the patterns, I have to do that myself. I like doing this. It makes me think. Not academically. Logically. I like logic. I  like to reason things out. Its a left-brain function thing. Most creative types use right brain function. They are intuitive. They are not bound by the rules. They colour outside the lines. They are the ones who design new quilts. This quilt has me relaxing in how I approach preparing and laying out the flowers and leaves. It is not perfectly symmetrical or balanced. And I like that. I will work on it while babysitting little girls tonight.

Blessings,
Chris