This One or That One?

Now to decide. Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching. quiltingismorefunthanhousework.

Blessings,

Chris

Ben Biggs Revisited

 I pulled out the Ben Biggs project box to take a look at what I have and what I have accomplished so far.

I have not worked on this in several years. It was a free BOM from Sentimental Stitches in 2014/15. 

I am joining  Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Design Wall Monday to complete it.

I decided to get it super organized and number each of the blocks already completed. 

Some of the blocks have the fusible ironed on and edges turned under using Elmer's glue. How I hate stitching through glue by hand, and that is one reason I decided to do this one by machine. 

Many blocks are ready to be glue basted. I love using zip-lock bags to organize blocks. I have spent more time organizing than sewing. 

The corner buds are all cut, fused and ready. The corner leaves are waiting to be fused onto the green fabric. I am using different reds but the same green. 

Some blocks have just the fusible cut out waiting for the fabric.

I have quite a few packets like this in various project boxes. 

Most of the patterns were taped together, ready for placement. I discovered that #24 and #25 are missing. I think I will find a couple of different patterns from other quilts. Something without a lot of small leaves. 

Lots of reproduction fabric in reds and greens. I initially bought these for the CCCQ, but when doing applique, you use less than when piecing, so I discovered. 

The first thing I had done was to make sure I had enough of the same bolt of background fabric. I prewashed it and cut out twenty-five 18-inch squares and four 10X100-inch borders. 

When the border swag patterns were released, I prepped all of them. They are ready for glue basting. I will not attach them to the borders until all the blocks are done and sewn together. I want to make sure they all line up. Not that the originals were. The fun, quirky thing about this quilt is that three borders each had 11 swags, and one had only 10. Now, why did I notice that? I counted them, of course. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: alyciaquilts.finished-or-not.

wendysquiltsandmor

quiltfabrication.midweek-makers

ninamariesayre.off-wall-friday

To-Do Tuesday Mid July

Mid-year-check-in with my 2022 quilting goals is an epic fail. I have not completed anything on the list. I started one new project the Churn Dash SAL with Chooky and friends. Then I was carefully ransacking through many of the project boxes looking for a specific fabric for fussy cutting and got thinking about working on a bunch of different ufos, but really was wanting to cut out more hexies for Lucy since I finally took time to prewash a huge pile of fabrics.

And did I complete the Lucy block I was working on last Sunday? NO. But I did get some stitching done the other day, so some progress.  

I got distracted with our son getting married here at the farm in the spring and making a wedding quilt which was on the big ufo list but not on the 2022 goals list. Can I change the list? And what are the chances of me actually completing all 12 projects on the list before the end of this year? Or, better still, completing any of them at the rate I am going?

I have a long to-do list on my desk upstairs that has more than quilting goals for the week. But, alas, we are going on a road trip next week so that will have to be stretched out for another week. This is the road trip we postponed last week because the local expressway is taking a "shortcut" through our heifer field beside the house. At least that is the term our newly married son used to explain all the smelly asphalt in our yard and a newly paved lane down through the field. They are repaving the expressway and we are getting "free" ground-up asphalt delivered for a mere $100 per load ( about 5 loads each of 4-5 nights) plus $1000 per week rental of the roller packer thingy to level it. My Sweetie wanted to be here when all this was going on. And why are we doing this since we sold the cows? Who knows. My Sweetie has to have something to do. We did bale up a field of second-cut hay this weekend. The expressway is 2 km south of us. 

So my official To-DoTuesday list for the next 2 weeks includes:

1. Progress on Biblical Blocks aka the Wedding Quilt.
2. Cut out more backgrounds of Churn Dash. I am using an assortment of cream Bella Solids. The colours are all cut and ready to make a gazillion HSTs. 
3. Complete Lucy #7 block. This is as far as I got so far.
   
   
   
4. Prep and place the corner buds for Ben Biggs. 
5. Prep some handwork to take on the road trip. Stitching together the paper-lined hexies does not go well in the car. I may pull out a couple of Ella applique blocks that have been sitting in a box for more than a year waiting their turn for completion. 

My hands are not working as efficiently as they used to so any progress is slow. My OMG goal for the month is to have fun working on a few different quilt projects and that I am so far. 

Blessings,

Chris

Slow Sunday Stitching

 Let's see if I can get this Lucy block finished today. 

Linking with Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching.

Blessings,

Chris

Churn Dash SAL

 

I got 4 of these 6 Churn Dash SAL blocks sewn together early this morning. It is time to figure out how to wind the bobbin in the Jazz sewing machine. I wound it 10 months ago when I set up the new machine and have only just now started using it. 

The goal was to have 8 blocks made for June. Well, I have the next 2 ready to go. I am using several different creamy solid Bella background fabrics. 

I did cut out all the coloured fabrics for the rest of the blocks. I have not yet decided if I will make just the 32 blocks or more. I am using lots of Robyn Pandolph Bed of Roses and Secret Garden prints from 20 years ago. They are so soft and pretty. 

blessings,

Chris

Ben Biggs - The Plan

One of my To-Do Tuesday goals is to pull out Ben Biggs, look over where I am and what needs doing and make a plan to proceed. Judy at smallquiltsanddollquilts. is working on finishing hers and asked if anyone wanted to join her. That is me. I started mine back in 2014 along with many others who collected the pattern free each month from Sentimental Stitches. I don't think the pattern is available anymore.  Count the scallops and see how many you come up with on the original quilt below.

I have 6 blocks completed and there are a total of 25 plus that amazing scalloped border. This picture shows 5 with corner buds but the pile on my table has 6. 

The plan, for now, is to complete the 4 blocks that just need the corner buds. I am doing this by machine, otherwise, it might have been complete by now. That may not be entirely true. I start projects far more than I complete. 

I astound myself with my efficiency at times. (Remember, I have a huge ego) Well, sometimes. I have countless see-through cookie containers neatly labeled with various bits and pieces of projects.

I have a thing for filling and labeling zip-loc baggies. When the patterns were released each month, I started working on them and filed them. I had forgotten how much I like working on several projects at a time with no deadlines. 

I did not meet my June OMG goal yet again as I wanted to complete the wedding quilt. I just was not having fun doing it. The colours are dramatic and I had a mental perception of trying to do the whole thing rather than just one block at a time. Sigh. 

So, my July OMG goal is to have fun working on several different quilts and if a completion happens, that will be a bonus. 

Blessings,

Chris

An Amazing Journey

 Throughout covid, I had been leading a small group for women here at the Farm. It started in Sept 2020 as a mentoring group meeting every other Sunday afternoon outside where we could social distance. Once it rained so we came inside. We met last summer again but since we were limited to outdoor groups of no more than 10, I had 2 groups meeting. One in the morning at 7 am and the other in the afternoon at 3. I think the weather cooperated each time since we did not meet inside. Then there was a small group last fall meeting at the church where we again social distanced. In the new year, I hosted two weekend retreats again here at the farm. We do lots of things here at the farm.

Throughout the first winter, we met online, but that was so unsatisfactory for me, but so desperately needed by others. To keep in touch with humans. Some of the girls live alone. One was in a tiny basement student apartment. So, I suggested to one of the others to invite her to rent a room in her home. They did. 

Earlier this month we started meeting again. I wrote a daily workbook for them to journal their way through Psalm 139. Of course, I was writing and editing it the week before the wedding instead of working on the wedding quilt. Then it took another couple of days to print off all 80 pages double-sided and encase them in folders. I loved every step of the process. Do I talk about quilting with my girls? Sometimes, but not much. None of them quilt.  I will get the wedding quilt done when I get it done. 

This Sat we meet again outside at 8 am. I have come to love that early morning time but some of the girls don't. But then, I don't have to get myself ready and drive out to the farm like they do. I can roll out and just walk outside. I chose a later start so the dew is off the lawn chairs and I do not have to wipe them off. 

This week I am giving the girls each a book to read called The Story of With: A better way to live, love, and create by Allen Arnold. I had read the book last winter and it was the inspiration for my approach to this summer's group study. We are all on a journey. I have chosen to journey with God and invite my girls to take their own amazing journeys. I give suggestions and insights. I use object lessons. I invite them to journal their thoughts as they read and meditate on Psalm 139.

I especially love how The Passion Translation words the first verse. Lord you know everything there is to know about me.  Then it says in verse 5 You've gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past.

In October 2005 I had invited God to "meddle" in my life. Three months later I was in India learning how to minister to women in a culture that gave no status or value to women. When I lead my groups, I share stories from some of the amazing journeys God has taken me on. One of my writing-in-progress books is about India, how I got there and what I did on eleven ministry trips. Will I go back? I hope so! We are not planning a trip just yet. We are waiting until it is a bit simpler to travel. So I encouraged the girls to invite God to meddle in their lives. I wonder what amazing journeys they will take together? Last month, Laurie and Dan embarked on the amazing journey of holy matrimony. So we now have seven grandchildren. 

Blessings,

Chris