A Midwestern Fall...

It's been a gorgeous fall here in the Midwest. I spent a great deal of October in Michigan, where the colors were outstanding. I don't remember the maples in my parents' neighborhood ever being this vibrant.

Most of the visit home involved getting Dad's garden ready for winter, weeding and spreading mulch. The japanese beetles decimated the roses this summer, and the blooms were just starting to bounce back (most of the foliage never recovered). A little late, I'm afraid.

Mom's hydrangea is hanging on. It was beautiful this summer, with blooms ranging from red to blue to dark purple all on the same bush.

What's a chilly fall weekend without a football game? My nephew (#82 -- 13 years old and already six feet tall) and his team performed valiantly, but lost their final game of the season.

I took dozens of pictures of him at his game...or so I thought. When I got home and looked at them on my computer, I discovered that most of the pictures were of #62, who is roughly the same size and whose jersey number was barely indistinguishable from my nephew's. At least in my aging eyes.

My youngest nephew loves these days because he gets to play tag and keepaway behind the stands with his friends. I don't think he watches his brother's games at all.

This pumpkin made an early appearance down the street.

This is Madison. He lives two blocks away, but hung out with me a lot this summer while I was in the yard. My mother hadn't seen him since I left in August, but the morning after I arrived home, he came trotting up the driveway. He's the sweetest boy, I think he has a crush on me. Or the treats. Can you see the love in those eyes?

This baby quilt got de-haired and washed while I was home. Lots of parallel stitching, mostly navy threads with some aqua thrown in for good measure. It was getting a little boring as I got out toward the edges. Not sure if those few brighter threads livens it up enough, but at this point, I'm just happy to have it finished and don't care to revisit.

I'm torn between which side I like the most. This picture of the back looks a little washed out -- perhaps because it'd started raining while I was shooting. It's an old Amy Butler print (maybe?) paired with teal Kanvas Palazzo Circles. They coordinate perfectly -- with each other, and with the intended's nursery decor.

On my way back to Chicago, I stopped at the beach in South Haven for a quick overnight, arriving just in time for another spectacular sunset. As the weather gets cooler, the colors get more breathtaking.

It's sad to see the harbor empty, but it'll be bustling again in just a few short (but extremely cold) months.

Lots of little treasures get revealed when the gardens around the beach start to wane.

One last look at the lake to say goodbye...

The B side...

Before you get all "oh, there she goes with yet another project,"  it might not look like a Christmas runner, but it is...or will be. As usual, I've decided to complicate things – because what's better than a table runner that's only good for a few weeks out of the year?  One that's good for at least a few months!

One side Christmas, the other side Fall – this is going to be the back of the first runner. Or "topper," since once trimmed, it's only going to be about 36" x 16". I cut 2" strips for this, and they're a really nice scale for a smaller piece.

Archie even respects it enough NOT to lay on it.

I've held on to these hand dyes for years (seven, to be exact) waiting for the right project, and this was it. I don't think the picture really does it justice – it's a crummy, cloudy day here today with precious little light to deal with, but trust me when I proclaim its gorgeousness. The colors really radiate. I've taped it to the kitchen wall and stop by to admire it whenever I pass through.

This, of course, changes the layout I envisioned for the Christmas side of things, so I'm still debating, but hoping to get this one done in time for Thanksgiving.

And then this showed up...

Man, I get derailed easily!

These Christmasy batiks were on sale at Hancock's of Paducah, and I have at least three table runner gifts to make this year. I hate to be thinking about Christmas halfway through September, but the reality is I'll be down to the wire, even planning months ahead.

I ordered the snowflake panel thinking it was smaller scale, so I was a little surprised when it arrived -- pleasantly, though -- and those snowflakes were 7" square.  It's a bit more olive than the website pic, but man, is it ever gorgeous! It'll make both a great backing and individual squares.

Seems I've created another project for myself. What else is new?

True to form...

My next project pull is done and ready before I've finished quilting the last.

Doing my best to exercise some self-control and finish the green flannel quilt before cutting into that stack, but it's not easy with all that luscious linen and those pink and purple prints taunting me. And with sticky temps in the high 80's today, maneuvering that heavy flannel sandwich isn't exactly pleasant.

I'm using the new project as incentive to forge ahead with the old -- sometimes that works, sometimes not.

Hope everyone's having a productive Labor Day!

Well, I'm back...

Six+ weeks spent sleeping in my childhood bed on a mattress that's been there since Richard Nixon was in office doesn't do wonders for one's back. Neither does weeding five hours a day, or ironing or washing windows or raking bark (sycamores:  the messiest trees ever!). But it's all been done, and I came back to Chicago with a little peace of mind that the house, at least, was in decent shape.  My parents? That's another story.

Mom's neck healed beautifully, which, at her age (93), surprised everyone. Her refusal to use a walker or wear her neck brace in the car, however, is a great source of worry, given my father (90) is the one ferrying her around, and she has balance issues. His health isn't ideal, either -- the result of some major back issues and dehydration (at what point does the dislike of running to the bathroom more frequently outweigh the sensible intake of fluids? This baffles me.) Anyway, it's the age-old conundrum:  they really shouldn't be living independently, but nobody can talk them into moving until something major happens. So until the other shoe drops, my siblings and I will take turns checking up on them.

I did manage to get pics of my little Urban Indigo lap quilt while I was there:

It washed up beautifully, and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out, except for the two sides quilted more densely. While they look good on the front, I used neutral thread on the back and it's a little too noticeable...which is why the top and bottom are different. It was too dense to rip it out (and on flannel), so I had to commit to at least two sides for symmetry's sake.

Lesson learned, and another quilt finished. 

It's strange to be back in the city. I'd gotten used to the suburbs (though the Japanese beetles ravaging the roses were driving me crazy, I was killing hundreds of them a day), Michigan prices (a dollar goes a lot further there than in Chicago), eating dinner at 4:30 and the convenience of handicap parking everywhere we went.

While I am very happy to be sleeping soundly in my own big bed (Archie too!), even after a few days back it still feels like my shoes are on the wrong feet. It's going to take some time, I think, to find my groove again.

Not exactly how I planned to spend my summer...

Father's Day weekend, my 93-year old mother tripped, fell, and broke two bones in her neck. She's doing well (remarkably, no pain, and she's up and walking and in physical and occupational therapy twice a day at the rehab center), but my father, absolutely lost without his wife of 68 years, turned out to be the one who needed the most tending.

So home I went to cook, clean, do laundry, garden, grocery shop and make daily visits to Mom (which, after a couple days, tended to coincide with the afternoon ice cream social). I pined for my sewing machine, wishing I'd brought it with me but acknowledging that there wouldn't be much sewing going on, anyway. I was trying to do actual work after he went to bed every night, but a project needed special attention, so I returned to Chicago for four days, leaving Dad with plenty of hot dogs (the only thing he can cook in the microwave), yogurt and my sister's gift certificate to the local diner.

The first thing I did when I got home was sit down and start quilting.

Excuse the horrendous amount of lint! That Kona Nightfall shows everything!

I could feel the tension leave my body as that walking foot chugged along. I believe I also kissed the machine once or twice. And look how well I lined up the backing!  There's a first time for everything.

I didn't finish it, but made enough progress that I'm not going to be antsy when I return to my parents' today. Mom's coming home tomorrow, so it's back to caretaking.

I'm going to miss that ice cream.

Untitled...

Not sure what to call this one just yet. I think it's going to have to wait until it's quilted. It's very "City Quilts"-ish, which is probably my subconscious inspiration.

It may be picking up some reflection from the kitchen wall (can you tell I love yellow?) because despite what my camera tells me, these are all shades of blues and greens, no yellows or purples, at least thirty different scraps. That one dark teal in the middle is bugging me a little bit, but not enough to go pull it out. It's a cross-weave and may be photographing more on the black side; there's better contrast up close.

Still loving Kona Nightfall, and I see many possibilities for it in my future. I should have ordered more!

In love...

I think yellow and blue is my all-time favorite color combination, and I am absolutely in love with this little quilt.

At 40" square, it's a good little lap or baby size. I'm not sure if it's the off-centeredness of it or what -- I made this quilt out of many of the same fabrics three years ago and wasn't half as enthralled -- but there's just something about it that's making me want one for my bed. Note the wall color -- wouldn't it be great?

I used a rose print for the backing that I originally bought to use for the bedroom curtains. The striped binding, a much less bold choice than what I had planned, is perfect.

And of course, what's a photo shoot without the cat? I swear, he can hear the shutter click from the other end of the condo and comes running.

This one is definitely going on my wish list.

And on Day Seven...

...I rested. Six WIP's is enough.

And since I was already on my way to sorting through the blues, greens and aquas in the scrap box, I decided to go all out and get better organized -- with a little help from Archie, of course.

For much of the day, it looked like a rainbow exploded in my kitchen.

Many of those scraps were gifted from Jacquie as she was packing up to leave me Chicago last spring (can you tell from all the orange?)  I had sorted through them a while ago, but not by prints/solids and not by specific shade, which would have been more helpful in pulling colors for Saturday's project.

 He lost steam fairly early on.

As I organized the scraps a second time this weekend, I found some Bruno hairs and got all nostalgic.  Jacquie wasn't here for very long, but we developed a friendship -- first through blogging, then explorations of  Chicago, lots of lunches, and quilting -- that (I hope) will last a long time. I'd never had a close friend before who understood or shared my love of quilting and fabric. She didn't raise an eyebrow at the stash overwhelming the corner of my kitchen or question my rationale for the bolts in the back closet (freedom to experiment!).  I had a boyfriend once who said "I don't understand it, but I respect it," which is the closest I've gotten to acceptance of my hobby among my circle of friends. I feel honored to have been witness to the growth and demonstration of Jacquie's talent (our first sew day together saw the beginnings of this quilt), benefitted from her experience, and been a recipient of her generosity. I miss being able to swap fabric in an emergency, or just coordinate a play day for a run to Vogue Fabrics or PetSmart. We still keep in touch pretty regularly as she jets around the country teaching, but you gotta admit, having a quilty friend within walking distance is pretty darn special.

A week of WIP's, Day Six...

And yet another project. Where are all these babies coming from?

This one should go pretty quickly now that all the squares are cut and the layout is (relatively) final.

I'm not sure the same can be said for the cleanup.

A week of WIP's, Day Five...

Don't think I forgot about my Fern quilt!

These triangles are still in the works -- it's just one of those projects that I should have thought through a little more carefully before I decided to add quarter-inch strips between each piece. I have a hard enough time keeping my triangle rows straight as it is, and I guess it's pretty typical that I decided to complicate things.

That being said, the white brings a much-needed lightness to it. Even with so much yellow, it felt too serious to be a baby quilt. Good decision, but maybe wider strips would have made it easier to work with. For me, anyway.

My progress with this is slower than normal, but as you've seen all week I have plenty of other things to work on when/if my momentum slows.

A week of WIP's, Day Four...

These little strings measure 8.5" x 4.5", which means they're going pretty fast, and provide a quick break from all the other projects.

My new favorite Kona is Nightfall. It's a beautiful shade of navy, with a depth to it that lets the other colors shine. I think I'll be using it a lot more in the future.

The juggling continues!

A week of WIP's, Day Three...

This was a design that had been in my head for months -- one of those things that wouldn't let go until I turned it into a top. I'm mid-quilt on it, so the jury is still out on whether it was successful or not.

I seem to be stuck in a straight-line quilting rut. It's not that dislike free motion, I just like straight lines better. I'm just not sure if it works here -- but it's too late to turn back now.

And now I have that song stuck in my head.

 I'm proclaiming this "Ear Worm Wednesday." Won't you join me?

A week of WIP's, Day Two...

This one was originally intended as a Christmas gift, but I ran out of steam during the holidays and gave up on it. It wasn't worth the stress it was going to cause to get it done in time, and I'm happy that I had the sense to realize that.  Pulling all-nighters to finish anything just isn't in my makeup any more. Is it possible I'm becoming wiser in my old(ish) age?

The binding I had in mind just isn't going to work, so today's goal is to dig back into the stash and see if any of the existing fabrics will pull it together. And hope I have enough of it left.

Feeling productive, and moving things forward. Spring cleaning continues.

A week of WIP's...

Well hello, Blogosphere, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Last time I posted there was a threat of snow, and now my daffodils have already come and gone. April is a blur, mostly because of a couple big work projects (a very good thing), and also due to several babies (both newly-arrived and impending), special occasions, and an unexpected frenzy of spring cleaning that overtook me and unearthed some long-forgotten tops that just need to get out of my house. It got me juggling again, which, given my limited attention span, is my only hope of finishing anything.

First WIP of the week: a piece made several years ago from an Urban Indigo charm pack.

I rediscovered the beginnings of a top, along with a yard of coordinating yellow print and a half-yard of blue. Rather than use the prints as backing as I originally intended (I think -- who knows what I was planning, I think it was made during GeorgeW's first term), I repurposed the yellow for a border and used a cozy flannel on the back. Now it's a cute little lap quilt, ready to be bound.

It will soon find its way to a new home on my next trip back to Michigan.

So what's better than converting a UFO into a WIP and actually finishing it?  Being able to give it away!

Off and running...

Over the weekend I committed to triangles for Fern's baby quilt -- lots and lots of triangles!

I haven't made a triangle quilt since this one, which I absolutely loved. I also pulled several more prints after laying out just solids -- I liked the look, but it wasn't reading "baby" to me. The prints liven things up quite a bit.

These triangles are a tiny bit bigger (4.5" vs. 4" in "Isoceles"), and I haven't decided yet if white is going to play a part. I know it's not practical, but I love Kona Snow in a baby quilt.

A surprise 3-4" of actual (not Kona) snow this morning means it's a good day to play with layouts. And so does the rain they're predicting for tomorrow, which will wash all the snow away and save me the trouble of shoveling today.

Last Monday it was 70 degrees, I was driving around with the sunroof open and my daffodils were starting to peek through the garden mulch. But that's Spring in Chicago -- always an adventure!

The pull so far...

It's been a crazy week for work so I didn't get a chance to go through the stash until late last night, which is when I took this picture. This morning in daylight, things look a little better, those yellows a little less harsh.

It's a very happy, springy palette, matching today's weather, and the daffodils and grape hyacinths in my garden, which I hope to see once all those mounds of snow are gone.

I'll look for some prints this weekend, but I have a feeling solids are where I'm going with this...though that Quilter's Linen on top does play well with the other grays.

So many possibilities are swirling around in my head -- it's going to be a challenge to pick one!

Fern-y goodness...

I've been waiting a while for this package from fabric.com -- the day after I placed my order, a winter storm hit the south and ground everything to a halt, delaying shipping for over a week. But it's finally here, and I'm more excited about this than I am about the 55 degrees and sun outside. I haven't bought fabric in close to a year, and I have plans for these!

I know, I know, the goal for 2015 was to rid my house of fabric, and when my very good friend announced her first grandbaby was on the way I had a great design in mind for a quilt made entirely from my stash, honest -- but when she arrived last month, they named her Fern (after the little girl in Charlotte's Web), and let's face it, a quilt for Baby Fern deserves, well, ferny-fabric. I couldn't NOT look for some.

Kaffe Fassett's "Collective Ferns" (grey) popped up at the top of my search results. Fern's parents' college colors are purple and gold. It was kismet.

I got Kona solids (Coal, Medium Gray, Orchid and Lemon) to coordinate, and they couldn't be more on the money. I'll pull some more purples and yellows from the stash tonight and pile them together so I can look at them (and pet them, and restack them, and add and subtract things) for the next couple days. I had a design in my head, but when I get everything together, the fabric might have other ideas.

Another weekend project...

Seems I've jumped aboard the Gift-Giving Train this spring. Which is fine with me, because it means finishing things, destashing and getting things out of my house.

This weekend's project was brought to you by my friend up the street whose husband retired recently. He emptied his closet of most things work-related, including a great many silk ties he'd been given by clients over the years. She showed up for coffee and cranberry pie one morning last month with a bagful.

People give me textiles. It's really not my fault I'm a fabric magnet.

I didn't have any great plan for them, other than to hope they didn't stay in my house for too long. I decided to make a pillow out of them and give it back.

(Not as good lighting. Color in the first picture is closer to actual.)

The ties are intact -- the layers of fabric, lining and interfacing gave them much-needed stability and a good surface to quilt through. They're Misty-fused to a 17" square piece of cotton and stitched in place. I should have kept the lining with the piping instead of taking that particular tie apart and using a single layer of silk, but it came out OK; I just don't think it's going to take a lot of wear and tear.

The pillow is surprisingly heavy. Some of those ties are mighty unattractive and I can understand why they weren't keepers -- I hope my friends will appreciate the humor with which the ties return to them.