tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49469555353723013082024-03-06T03:08:05.941-06:00Mostly Quilts with a Little Genealogy Thrown InThis blog is composed of the wide-ranging rants and raves of an aging grandmother who can't quite believe that she isn't twenty-five years old anymore.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-15462041765441932512014-03-20T20:01:00.001-05:002014-03-20T20:01:23.509-05:00Genealogical Happy Dance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">From pages 157-8 of the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Necrological Reports and Annual Proceedings of the Alumni ..., Volume 3</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"> </span><span class="addmd" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; left: -5px; margin-left: 2px; position: relative; text-align: start;">By Princeton Theological Seminary. Alumni Association, Joseph Heatly Dulles</span></div>
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<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tadVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA157&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3v14c91L4vPXApaGo0Kj5r_MZ5XA&ci=54%2C530%2C810%2C845&edge=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=tadVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA157&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3v14c91L4vPXApaGo0Kj5r_MZ5XA&ci=54%2C530%2C810%2C845&edge=0" height="400" width="381" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tadVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA158&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U28sP6GS7b5AXQYFKHAmBC7QvhzkQ&ci=131%2C143%2C812%2C861&edge=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=tadVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA158&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U28sP6GS7b5AXQYFKHAmBC7QvhzkQ&ci=131%2C143%2C812%2C861&edge=0" height="400" width="375" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes. The obituary above might seem boring. Unless, of course, you are me and have been searching for your great-great-grandfather Alexander Cruikshank's birthplace for over 30 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Family history since the 1880s claimed Alexander was born in Scotland. U.S. censuses suggested that Alexander was born about 1823.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Older immigrant relatives claimed to be born in Ireland. In fact, Alexander, of the three siblings born outside the United States, was the only one who ever told the census enumerators anything about a birthplace in Scotland. Around 2000 I found court documents for alien registrations from St. Lawrence County, New York that stated that Alexander and his older brother Robert were from Ireland. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My dad immediately claimed these government records, where the men had actually gone into town and sworn on a Bible in front of a county official, had to be wrong, wrong, wrong, etc. I tried explaining about the Scots-Irish, but Dad never believed me. There was also a lot of prejudice against the Irish in the 1800s; Scottish heritage might have been more "approved" by people living outside the upstate New York county where most of the immigrants told the census takers that they were born in Ireland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It never occurred to me to look for a necrological report about alumni of Princeton University. (Actually it never occurred to me that Princeton University published necrological reports. I also did not know that Robert had graduated from Princeton University.) Thank goodness for ancestry.com's search engine and Google Books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Irish genealogy is difficult because of the paucity of records. (There was a huge fire in 1922.) Finding a county of origin in Ireland is the first necessary step for any research in Ireland. Finding a county of origin for a family who arrived in the United States around 1825 is all but impossible. However, Robert's obscure obituary may be the key to more discoveries someday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes. Even books with the most incredibly boring titles can make you happy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note: The name of the county is actually spelled Monaghan. County Monaghan is just south of the six counties which make up Northern Ireland.</span></div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-63180442171318736062014-02-04T12:03:00.001-06:002014-02-04T12:06:59.122-06:00Snow Day ConversationThe following really happened early this morning as the snow, predicted to be quite heavy, began to fall. Lots of closings are reported. (The conversation is accurate, but I may have forgotten the actual wording.)<br />
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IT Prof: "You like to shovel snow when it's not so deep and then shovel again: right?"<br />
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Me: "Yes. I think it's easier to shovel twice."<br />
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IT Prof: OK. "Wake me when you decide to shovel."<br />
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Then IT Prof returned to bed and promptly fell asleep for 3-1/2 hours.
I didn't wake him up because the snow needs to pile up a little more before I'm ready to shovel for the first time today.<br />
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If the Winter Olympics included sleeping events, I think IT Prof could win the gold medal for the USA in several events.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-52955521722214986792013-06-30T18:12:00.001-05:002013-06-30T18:14:35.687-05:00Fruit Basket: W22B1<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm sorry. Even though we don't own a dog, apparently it ate my homework.</div>
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Not really. The Farmer's Granddaughter Quilt Along Fruit Basket block from our Forum group at the Missouri Star Quilt Company's website is late being presented because of too many excuses. If you do not tolerate excuses, you probably would be much happier skipping the next few paragraphs.</div>
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The first excuse is that the first time I sewed the block, I discovered<i> afterwards </i>that templates #46 and #46R did not print out lengthwise correctly on my printer. The second excuse is that when I enthusiastically cleaned up the SD card in my camera on the car ride to a family wedding, I accidentally deleted all my photos of the Fruit Basket block. The third excuse is said out-of-town family wedding.</div>
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Here is an example of the fourth excuse, or how we spent our free time on the said family wedding trip.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhHViPiYyq9TVnXWPlsm17t74SsLCqQ5e78Z26Ho_824k6ycG1FCYcnh7x0RTGdnQyN2soIoUX3QlwnVU5T_aFviVUY30Ralkmt3VproWk_UoG-WSsswXo6O-7yEKDaevXJmMCsFp2aF5/s613/Grandpa+reads+to+grandson+and+daughter+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhHViPiYyq9TVnXWPlsm17t74SsLCqQ5e78Z26Ho_824k6ycG1FCYcnh7x0RTGdnQyN2soIoUX3QlwnVU5T_aFviVUY30Ralkmt3VproWk_UoG-WSsswXo6O-7yEKDaevXJmMCsFp2aF5/s320/Grandpa+reads+to+grandson+and+daughter+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My husband (aka IT Prof) is goofing with our younger daughter (aka Swan) by reading her a children's version of <i>The Wizard of Oz </i>as a "bedtime story"<i> </i>when we were at IT Prof's mother's house for the family wedding. Swan lives in Minneapolis, so we do not get to see her much. Hence, we try to make the most of our time together and usually end up being silly (or at least what we think is silly). Our older daughter's son, Omaha, failed to realize that Grandpa's reading of the book was a joke when he walked in the bedroom, so all of a sudden reading <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> became a serious endeavor in order not to disappoint Omaha. After all, from Omaha's perspective, it makes perfect sense for Grandpa to read a book to Aunt Swan.</div>
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The fifth excuse is Omaha. He does not go to daycare in the summer, so IT Prof and I have opportunities to see him more often. For example, we've been driving to the opposite side of the metropolitan area a lot lately to do things with Omaha. (That is a good comment, not a travel complaint.) When we attended soccer camp practice, the coach wore Omaha out. Our daughter probably appreciated that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82wZdHZi4He87bcENwPzHrk6yxdAc_wyXnCJzcJ6cRASorMyw87cWE2arEz1gKzzgoRAlfN7KYsxut1ewok5bKD0BUXW5Lr88nWs9lei3jAG76YQaHq-UvjtFlREc-qRBg0OOt5dQLeOU/s462/Soccer+practice+is+exhausting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82wZdHZi4He87bcENwPzHrk6yxdAc_wyXnCJzcJ6cRASorMyw87cWE2arEz1gKzzgoRAlfN7KYsxut1ewok5bKD0BUXW5Lr88nWs9lei3jAG76YQaHq-UvjtFlREc-qRBg0OOt5dQLeOU/s320/Soccer+practice+is+exhausting.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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However, excuses are just that. I apologize to all my quilting friends for delaying the presentation for the Fruit Basket block, especially since one of the templates you have might be wrong.<br />
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For those of you who know me, you realize that I was disappointed to realize that the Fruit Basket block is essentially a 25-patch. How do we measure out 1.2 inches exactly with our quilting rulers? We don't. So, I actually intended to use the templates again for this block. Of course, my templates #46 and #46R being too short did not help. However, you can easily make new templates with template #34.<br />
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In order to make templates of the correct length, copy your template #34 and draw lines 1/4" inside each of the sides. These lines mark the the seam allowances, so the inner square is the size of the finished square. Trace a copy of this inner square four times. Line these four squares up on another piece of paper and tape or glue them down. Make a second row of four squares and tape or glue them down.<br />
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Next, draw a diagonal (in different directions) on one end of each line of squares. This should end up giving you one trapezoid that looks like template #46 and one trapezoid that looks like template #46R. But, before you cut anything out, please remember to draw a 1/4" seam allowance on each side of each trapezoid. Then you can cut the trapezoids with added seam allowances out for your patterns. If my explanation is unclear, please contact me and I will try to do a better job.</div>
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You will need three different fabrics for this block, one light; one medium; and one dark. In my block, the light fabric is cream, the medium fabric is a slightly lighter red than the dark fabric, and the dark fabric is red. The Fruit Basket block needs:<br />
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Light fabric: one piece from the new template #46; one piece from the new template #46R; seven pieces from template #38; one piece from template #47; and two pieces from template #34.<br />
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Medium fabric: three pieces from template #38.<br />
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Dark fabric: one piece from template #33 and ten pieces from template #38.<br />
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Since I'm me, I feared sewing the triangles correctly, so most of the time I did use the HST method. In order to get my trimmed HSTs to the right length, I used template #34 as a pattern for the unfinished HSTs I used in the modified 25-patch.<br />
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Below is my slightly-altered-from-what-you-would-use-with-the templates layout. The medium and dark pieces are ironed in half along the diagonal. That's why the big cream square looks wrong. I only needed two squares of the medium fabric (because the HST method yields to HSTs from two squares), but the layout really needed another square of the medium fabric ironed in half along the diagonal to be perfect.<br />
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I also found that keeping all the pieces laid out next to my sewing machine really helped me keep all the different triangles oriented in the correct directions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RpFzdkJZ8VXAPq2JeWYhQZGsFEUG94WQOhaHInZebpcqN7Btsi0xFJmYYelwoSNYttbcEpfBznR1TWYQuNzfFmuJSQw21YsDLoIl66dQNZ4-f9Wm-xy89pqttzI2IZ1wSBgW1GSdOenu/s482/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RpFzdkJZ8VXAPq2JeWYhQZGsFEUG94WQOhaHInZebpcqN7Btsi0xFJmYYelwoSNYttbcEpfBznR1TWYQuNzfFmuJSQw21YsDLoIl66dQNZ4-f9Wm-xy89pqttzI2IZ1wSBgW1GSdOenu/s320/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Please remember that I used my template #34 to trim my HSTs to the correct size. I sewed along the diagonal on my red squares for the two flying geese units instead of sewing 1/4" on each side of the diagonal for the HSTs. I used two light rectangles from I made from template #34 and a dark red square from template #34 (ironed in half along the diagonal and sewn along the diagonal) on the right-hand and bottom edges. If my method has not confused you yet, please be careful to align the diagonals of the dark red squares in different directions on the end of the rectangle. And, surprise! I actually used template #33 for the two pieces to make the larger HST.<br />
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The photo below shows what my layout looked like after I trimmed all those HSTs, etc. and sewed most of the HSTs or flying geese in pairs. I also sewed the bottom right-hand-square to the bottom row trapezoid and triangle.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qBajeQ7ggYA/UdA7yHywCiI/AAAAAAAABxY/icHRZjT4uYA/s441/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qBajeQ7ggYA/UdA7yHywCiI/AAAAAAAABxY/icHRZjT4uYA/s320/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now you can see that the rest of the block involves only the straightforward sewing of rectangles or squares together. (In other words, at this point, I no longer had to worry about the decimal lengths of the 1.2"-, 2.4"-, or 4.8'-long pieces.)</div>
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Here is what my layout looked like after I sewed the first row (except the right-hand-side) together, the second row (except the right-hand-side), and the combined third and fourth rows together (except for the right-hand-side).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZQrI5o0_GdfzCnanaLCKDKaMV-JCeeS8sNFzdgERnPaNySZX7nqSYbYm4KfXhcy7J2SqXqj5SU7fo9RX6cXKKUBmp7kW_GWM1YuLVVMSPtX84V91pb7nsWCQMHjs75RF_ZcyCjTnE80z/s430/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZQrI5o0_GdfzCnanaLCKDKaMV-JCeeS8sNFzdgERnPaNySZX7nqSYbYm4KfXhcy7J2SqXqj5SU7fo9RX6cXKKUBmp7kW_GWM1YuLVVMSPtX84V91pb7nsWCQMHjs75RF_ZcyCjTnE80z/s320/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+3.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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Then I sewed the upper rows on the left-hand-side together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKiBgDpdhI6UIImbXjiO173LxrRLbavU-oehtk2_xGTjJY9NbRY680hWRtZhyd748WzQ0Q-xBvBWBV8Qktk62VbVgEFuGS6OutY4yqZ77Q3-662_uNA7yoPWfMLIGVJdHe005kCaZOLDJ/s449/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKiBgDpdhI6UIImbXjiO173LxrRLbavU-oehtk2_xGTjJY9NbRY680hWRtZhyd748WzQ0Q-xBvBWBV8Qktk62VbVgEFuGS6OutY4yqZ77Q3-662_uNA7yoPWfMLIGVJdHe005kCaZOLDJ/s320/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+4.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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Next I sewed the right-hand-side of the top part of the block to the big square in the upper left-hand part.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh247ZNUwWgZlBv3Vz-nbj-frtGni6LshtefZQOnMs96oZcjWe7_onpMQk_jEuKn307gv6YRbBXs6ymr3-V1AKsg9UDcx2qwxyv-ZczRhyphenhyphen4fEYO0l3oVRD2vF6nXYSpScKdE6BXWRM76XzC/s445/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh247ZNUwWgZlBv3Vz-nbj-frtGni6LshtefZQOnMs96oZcjWe7_onpMQk_jEuKn307gv6YRbBXs6ymr3-V1AKsg9UDcx2qwxyv-ZczRhyphenhyphen4fEYO0l3oVRD2vF6nXYSpScKdE6BXWRM76XzC/s320/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+5.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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All the block needed at this point was for the bottom row to be sewed on.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-czTdj263ytw/UdA70zgJonI/AAAAAAAABx4/5epfFmTf-wA/s530/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-czTdj263ytw/UdA70zgJonI/AAAAAAAABx4/5epfFmTf-wA/s320/2013+Farmer+Granddaughter%2527s+Quilt+Along+Fruit+Basket+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, the last parts of the Fruit Basket block were fairly easy to sew together. And, again, please contact me if my presentation is confusing. (It actually is a little confusing for me, too.)</div>
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Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-66015803311072747692013-06-02T20:30:00.000-05:002013-06-02T20:38:29.915-05:00Four Winds: W19B2<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To recap, I have been guest presenting some of the blocks from the Farmer's Granddaughter Quilt Along in the Forum of the Missouri Star Quilt Company's website. You do not have to be part of the Quilt Along in order to be able to understand how to make this Four Winds block.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Four Winds block is actually a 36-patch. That made me happy because I could return to rotary cutting and counter some of the problems I have with templates on account of my awkward short fat fingers. However, you can use the templates if you prefer. Only templates #13 and #19 are used in this block.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will need four fabrics for the Four Winds block: a background fabric; a medium light fabric; a medium dark fabric; and a dark fabric. When I made my block, my dark fabric contrasted with the medium dark fabric a bit more than the contrast in the block in the book. As it turned out, I personally preferred the bigger contrast. So, I recommend you look at the photo in the book and the photo of my completed block and choose the level of contrast you like better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you cut your pieces from the templates, you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Background fabric: fourteen pieces from template #13 and four pieces from template #19.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium light fabric: eight pieces from template #13 and four pieces from template #19.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium dark fabric: twenty-six pieces from template #13.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dark fabric: eight pieces from template #13.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you use rotary cutting to obtain your pieces, you will need 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" squares and 1-7/8" x 1-7/8" squares for the HSTs. (If you leave a little fudging room when you cut for your HSTs like me, please cut the squares 2" x 2" instead. I do a lot of trimming with my HSTs, but the results please me better.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The diagram in the book makes an interesting point. The first three rows, if turned upside down, are the same as the bottom three rows. Since I used rotary cutting, I only needed half as many squares as template-cutters' triangles. After I pressed along the diagonal of my lighter 2" x 2" squares, my layout for the top of the block, EXCEPT for the piece in the upper right-hand corner. I didn't have enough pieces to present that piece as a HST, so, please consider the replacement square as only a placeholder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is almost what your layout for the top half of the block will look like:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mOYdsVhNSx8/UavlYBAxv1I/AAAAAAAABgg/4FLccB-ciiU/s1600/2013+Four+Winds+Almost+Complete+Half+Layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mOYdsVhNSx8/UavlYBAxv1I/AAAAAAAABgg/4FLccB-ciiU/s320/2013+Four+Winds+Almost+Complete+Half+Layout.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found that I really needed the layout for this block in order to keep all the different colors and orientations of the HSTs straight. In fact, I had to piece each row one at a time in order to keep everything organized properly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I sewed a few HSTs together, this is what my layout for the entire block looked like:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWo_aFyzjFEwhPQ2UmsQ7tb9OZrdpoPrc2Q2NfktTVk5seLH81GV13isiZfHYejd4x8uzHX-p1y0_WnCinEKjnD9vlum9F8KUt5UuBE8X-ojSP5YJHy4KV6qGcQ4W1MIq8xcnsLOe5HPv8/s1600/2013+Four+Winds+First+Step+in+Sewing+First+Row+Together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWo_aFyzjFEwhPQ2UmsQ7tb9OZrdpoPrc2Q2NfktTVk5seLH81GV13isiZfHYejd4x8uzHX-p1y0_WnCinEKjnD9vlum9F8KUt5UuBE8X-ojSP5YJHy4KV6qGcQ4W1MIq8xcnsLOe5HPv8/s320/2013+Four+Winds+First+Step+in+Sewing+First+Row+Together.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will notice that the photo above was taken after I sewed the 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" squares in the first row into pairs and that I now have the correct pieces in the upper right-hand corner. After I had the squares in the first row paired up, I sewed the pairs together. I repeated the same process for each row.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was piecing the block, I found that the tiny pieces had trouble staying in the correct sewing position underneath my feed dogs on the machine. I found my purple Thang to be invaluable.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LaBnz9uO9pA/UavlbyYl9tI/AAAAAAAABhQ/LH-BdPys6CY/s1600/DSCN2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LaBnz9uO9pA/UavlbyYl9tI/AAAAAAAABhQ/LH-BdPys6CY/s320/DSCN2031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Thang allows me to keep my HSTs in place as I stitch. There are other tools available; the Thang is just the one I like. I also discovered that my pieces required less manipulating if I sewed toward the seam between the triangles instead of from it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, I just happened to press the seams between squares on my top row towards the darker side (i.e., towards the right). Then I pressed the seams in each following row in the other direction. I ended up with only one awkward seam intersection when I sewed the 36 squares together. I also found that when I sewed two HSTs together, the seams nested together beautifully. That meant I did a lot less seam ripping than I normally would on a block with lots of tiny pieces like Four Winds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is what my layout looked like after I had all six rows sewn together.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vKFYkTPjsw4/UavlaHRa94I/AAAAAAAABg4/Rqh2771fzsk/s1600/2013+Four+Winds+All+Six+Rows+Completed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vKFYkTPjsw4/UavlaHRa94I/AAAAAAAABg4/Rqh2771fzsk/s320/2013+Four+Winds+All+Six+Rows+Completed.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I had the six rows sewn, I sewed pairs of rows together. It generally worked out better for me if I pressed the seams between the rows open instead of towards one side.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hofZ6yX3UZM/Uavlal_3zgI/AAAAAAAABhA/XMsFsxL6J-M/s1600/2013+Four+Winds+Pairs+of+Completed+Rows+Sewn+Together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hofZ6yX3UZM/Uavlal_3zgI/AAAAAAAABhA/XMsFsxL6J-M/s320/2013+Four+Winds+Pairs+of+Completed+Rows+Sewn+Together.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I sewed the pairs of rows together to get the completed block.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEsViPB_A6WOGmTQsZxKp6Laf8CQc5XRlGKyeU-oPjM0ICVTfZeoZJGVTjcKCGHNYDfj-oGSU8dNzNmqZRE09glWnfwWP53d79BzoOpYf8JcWM7XCDeMyvB-1aFIqZRBgEWUUSsZrkvGd/s1600/2013+Four+Winds+Block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEsViPB_A6WOGmTQsZxKp6Laf8CQc5XRlGKyeU-oPjM0ICVTfZeoZJGVTjcKCGHNYDfj-oGSU8dNzNmqZRE09glWnfwWP53d79BzoOpYf8JcWM7XCDeMyvB-1aFIqZRBgEWUUSsZrkvGd/s320/2013+Four+Winds+Block.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be honest, the above block was trimmed before I photographed it. However, I really liked how the Four Winds block went together with a great deal of precision. So, while Four Winds block has lots of pieces, it actually turns out not to be that hard. The small size of the pieces is the most awkward part of the piecing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope you all enjoy making this block. If any of my explanation is unclear, please leave me a comment, either here or in the Forum.</span></div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-87789908864890406992013-05-29T21:02:00.000-05:002013-05-30T06:13:12.229-05:00Flower Pot: W19B1<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flower Pot is the third block in the Farmer's Granddaughter Quilt Along for which I am the guest presenter. For those unacquainted with set-in seams, this block may look a bit intimidating. However, I took a class on piecing hexagons recently and think I can apply what the teacher showed us. The two set-in seams in the Flower Pot block are not too bad. In fact, they are actually a gentle introduction to the topic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This may shock you, but I actually used templates and only templates in this block. The dimensions were too weird (i.e., irrational numbers) for me to want to redraft the pattern. So, I am actually going to describe the piecing of a block<i> in the manner of the book</i>. And, this time the templates all seem accurate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will need a background fabric, three other fabrics for the flower part of the block, and a fifth fabric for the flower pot part of the block. I won't be referring to medium or dark fabrics with this block because you have a lot of latitude with your artistic choices for this block. The pieces needed for the Flower Pot block are:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Background Fabric: three pieces of template #3; two pieces of template #13; two pieces of template #20, and two pieces of template #42.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flower Fabric #1: one piece of template #40 and one piece of template #40R.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flower Fabric #2: one piece of template #41.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flower Fabric #3: one piece of template #41R.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flower Pot Fabric: two pieces of template #13 and one piece of template #39.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what my fabrics looked like when I had finished laying them out for the block.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QP2gVeq0bsY/UaaeK2mkCsI/AAAAAAAABdM/ALnKc0l_gHI/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+Original+Layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QP2gVeq0bsY/UaaeK2mkCsI/AAAAAAAABdM/ALnKc0l_gHI/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+Original+Layout.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The "trickiest" part of the block will be the set-in seams for the template #40 and template #40R pieces. Therefore, I chose to tackle the flower part of the block first. Then the flower pot of the block ended up seeming simple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first two pieces you need to sew together are one of the background template #13 pieces to either the template #41 Flower Fabric #2 or #41R Flower Fabric #3. The second pair of pieces you need to sew together will be the one you didn't choose in the previous section. It doesn't matter which one you choose to do first.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are what my first two pairs of fabric sewn together look like.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKvWp5Pc22ZLo-RHphkJA2HKmcI1t4jc84BKxB2-qVH0mm7uS9Cx9qSdSNAp2fG8eaOq5ln9G76wczABSfwN3Bln2I3LbFOvHiru7n55HJY3ruXOnqUWP7Igq_p4ZTNsIdXr_A-xkux28/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+First+Two+Sections+Sewn+Together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKvWp5Pc22ZLo-RHphkJA2HKmcI1t4jc84BKxB2-qVH0mm7uS9Cx9qSdSNAp2fG8eaOq5ln9G76wczABSfwN3Bln2I3LbFOvHiru7n55HJY3ruXOnqUWP7Igq_p4ZTNsIdXr_A-xkux28/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+First+Two+Sections+Sewn+Together.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can choose what piece to sew on to the above sections next, but I chose to sew the background template #20 pieces to the pairs shown above. It is important to mark the seam line 1/4" away from the edge on both your first pair of fabric and 1/4" away from the edge of the right triangle (between the two shorter legs) on background template #20 piece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This what the two sections look like pinned together. Can you see the pencil-point dot on the top pinned part?</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRmfpGJaRNo/UaaeMml7dAI/AAAAAAAABdk/HTl_qLA5xX8/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Pinned+for+First+Set-in+Seam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRmfpGJaRNo/UaaeMml7dAI/AAAAAAAABdk/HTl_qLA5xX8/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Pinned+for+First+Set-in+Seam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The photo below shows one of the background template #20 pieces sewn to one of the first pairs of fabric. The other one will be just the mirror image of the first. It is difficult to see my seam line, but it's OK to start on the edge of the fabric on the left side. However, you must stop 1/4" from the edge on the right side. Do not press the seam at this time. You will find it easier if you can fold the seam in different directions when you are dealing with the inset piece.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SrTG-86qNp8/UaaoCkT5oSI/AAAAAAAABfE/ubizGI6Roks/s1600/DSCN1997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SrTG-86qNp8/UaaoCkT5oSI/AAAAAAAABfE/ubizGI6Roks/s320/DSCN1997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now comes the part where you sew either template #41 piece or template #41R piece to your new three-piece section. (You may find it helpful to lay out the pieces again and check the picture in the book. That should help in keeping the pieces straight.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The photo below shows one of my inset pieces pinned to a three-piece section. Once again the 1/4" is marked with a pencil (although it is difficult to see in the photo). I found it helpful to feel where the seam line on the three-piece section was and match it to my pencil mark. It is also much easier if you finger fold the seam allowance on the three-piece section away from where you will be sewing the inset piece. (In the photo below, the seam allowance would be folded toward the bottom of the photo.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnMyV0PViUGgKtbMsQ-D6WvRnROslqmx5IXi5JiA2iy9zoyAkXayvsAu4O0DU5zcOKjIVH9SsX2Eo3FHl3b4STTbcu5WE_FmDGUk08-TvGWvkljAjUb4IU0w9u_YQc8A9Z44YBIss2T7G/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Pinned+for+First+Part+of+Second+Set-in+Seam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnMyV0PViUGgKtbMsQ-D6WvRnROslqmx5IXi5JiA2iy9zoyAkXayvsAu4O0DU5zcOKjIVH9SsX2Eo3FHl3b4STTbcu5WE_FmDGUk08-TvGWvkljAjUb4IU0w9u_YQc8A9Z44YBIss2T7G/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Pinned+for+First+Part+of+Second+Set-in+Seam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next you should twist your template #40 (or #40R) piece of fabric and pin the other two parts of your inset seams together. (Do not sew within a 1/4" of the point where the three seams will meet. Also, please remember to finger fold your seam allowances out of the way.) Below you can see what my fabric pieces looked like after I had sewn them together.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G4HaRbT5FNg/UaaeO3V16fI/AAAAAAAABd8/LLze5-jwCsE/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Sewn+for+Second+Set-in+Seam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G4HaRbT5FNg/UaaeO3V16fI/AAAAAAAABd8/LLze5-jwCsE/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Sewn+for+Second+Set-in+Seam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUAkYfqxLh0/UaaePkrIuYI/AAAAAAAABeE/DkfkVaNzXW8/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Sewn+for+Second+Set-in+Seam+Showing+Seams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUAkYfqxLh0/UaaePkrIuYI/AAAAAAAABeE/DkfkVaNzXW8/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Sewn+for+Second+Set-in+Seam+Showing+Seams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now you can press the three seams with your iron. There will be a sort of natural direction each seam wants to lie. In the photo above from my block, the top seam wants to lie to the right, the right-hand seam wants to lie towards the bottom, and the left-hand seam wants to lie towards the bottom. You should be able to tell what to do with your inset seam because it will be easy to press in one direction and not in the other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope I have not hopelessly confused you. If you have any questions, please comment in the Forum. I will do my best to be more clear. (We can keep working together until I am.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is what my newly pressed sections looked like.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VP7-oIGEDJ0/UaaeQAybpqI/AAAAAAAABeM/ZsNDqTNbvxA/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Sewn+for+Second+Set-in+Seam+for+Both+Parts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VP7-oIGEDJ0/UaaeQAybpqI/AAAAAAAABeM/ZsNDqTNbvxA/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+with+Pieces+Sewn+for+Second+Set-in+Seam+for+Both+Parts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, you should sew these two sections together. Please remember to be careful matching your points, so your flower is beautiful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now you can relax a little bit because the hard part of the block is completed. Your reward is that the rest of the block should go together quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The photo below shows my next layout after I sewed the two sections of the flower together.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26Uq1Z2Chadfc_ceXWnCnIGTS6rmE0ZQj4izpOQiTC2CYAQ9kaXLPBo23ZwukPSlwnkqN3Bt72xTdMdNDEEmteP5AxNuD1VGZtV0b3Ys30KoWepg0FVTMYwcL5shRHbjb4ENvfY_loQm-/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+Layout+to+Finish+First+Big+Triangle+Section.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26Uq1Z2Chadfc_ceXWnCnIGTS6rmE0ZQj4izpOQiTC2CYAQ9kaXLPBo23ZwukPSlwnkqN3Bt72xTdMdNDEEmteP5AxNuD1VGZtV0b3Ys30KoWepg0FVTMYwcL5shRHbjb4ENvfY_loQm-/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+Layout+to+Finish+First+Big+Triangle+Section.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is what my flower looked like after I sewed a background template #3 piece to each side of the flower.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEIzk1Prznu2UKb-PJPvT0-b__2m1ozmDp6OOH2xxIYwqBDajAxWb9FGa2mJffUly_8g-xNZRAzWzZxDcGcb8VO1DOjfTyO0H0eoPpLSEGWIzyVeGZgkbon5VKTozsXu984ia8Y4XhU7a/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+with+First+Large+Triangle+Sewn+Together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEIzk1Prznu2UKb-PJPvT0-b__2m1ozmDp6OOH2xxIYwqBDajAxWb9FGa2mJffUly_8g-xNZRAzWzZxDcGcb8VO1DOjfTyO0H0eoPpLSEGWIzyVeGZgkbon5VKTozsXu984ia8Y4XhU7a/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+with+First+Large+Triangle+Sewn+Together.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The photo below shows what my flower pot looked like after I sewed each background template #42 piece to the corresponding flower pot fabric template #13 piece.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBz2TUZ4tp7oLS-9kIDS9Tov3YEpGW7JgjAHl5nSHcob2LxJAyq1UJ3Of0gx7P8J1V9nMAaunCtNR8O_560lRieg3UFHLhQTXldN-G4B7a05ElkwW12-NpPijuszeZgZ4Iq6cXFWpzFEqD/s1600/DSCN2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBz2TUZ4tp7oLS-9kIDS9Tov3YEpGW7JgjAHl5nSHcob2LxJAyq1UJ3Of0gx7P8J1V9nMAaunCtNR8O_560lRieg3UFHLhQTXldN-G4B7a05ElkwW12-NpPijuszeZgZ4Iq6cXFWpzFEqD/s320/DSCN2014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The photo below shows what my flower pot looked like after I sewed the side seams.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrzGVnX41Ix2uyXBprA1pD5rctHJ42icVL4kS9Lkg59hkrfRYlLfJduvy8sH_UhQ5x_uquoQXRXMSVzihTh5UJsJEkzC2m0-B_LAsFNJ2Ao1r81pWoJBwXmvc0kn9on8CH_-g-f-AYFUO/s1600/DSCN2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrzGVnX41Ix2uyXBprA1pD5rctHJ42icVL4kS9Lkg59hkrfRYlLfJduvy8sH_UhQ5x_uquoQXRXMSVzihTh5UJsJEkzC2m0-B_LAsFNJ2Ao1r81pWoJBwXmvc0kn9on8CH_-g-f-AYFUO/s320/DSCN2017.JPG" width="277" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last background template #3 piece is then sewn to the bottom of the flower pot. Then you can sew the flower to the flower pot. (Be careful to maintain the point on the bottom of your flower.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is what my block looked like after a little squaring up.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZIqw-VEtn-ZTFbvNJ5MiKzcmsrYIJvqp6ocCiXfloyZk6JdNZPLnTiESZuUyYPmj4inGoC_Qq1f-suVqE1Goi3ggISO6vQ9VXmdj-qJZO-sRAjkWUPDelx7S8DSjoQBph7t-VD4oc86n/s1600/2013+Flower+Pot+Completed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZIqw-VEtn-ZTFbvNJ5MiKzcmsrYIJvqp6ocCiXfloyZk6JdNZPLnTiESZuUyYPmj4inGoC_Qq1f-suVqE1Goi3ggISO6vQ9VXmdj-qJZO-sRAjkWUPDelx7S8DSjoQBph7t-VD4oc86n/s320/2013+Flower+Pot+Completed.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Isn't piecing a block easier when the templates are the correct size?</span></div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-42105533653213860802013-05-27T12:27:00.001-05:002013-05-27T13:42:29.068-05:00Flower Garden Path: W18B2<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I will discuss how I made the Flower Garden Path block for the Farmer's Granddaughter Quilt Along. I had big problems the first time I tried to make the block because I did not discover that <i>template #44 is the wrong size </i>until I was almost finished constructing the block. Yes, I was shocked, too, but it turns out that this problem can be corrected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Flower Garden Path block needs a background fabric, a medium fabric, and a dark fabric. A modified list of the pieces needed is:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Background fabric: four pieces cut from template #20 and 20 pieces cut from template #13.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium fabric: eight pieces cut from template #13, four pieces cut from template #19, and two pieces cut from #25.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dark fabric: two pieces cut from the new template #44, which will be described later in this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meli follows directions for the blocks much better than I do. If you remember, I have problems cutting out accurate pieces. So, I tend to use extra fabric and exchange wasting fabric for accuracy. If you decide to use the method I describe in this post, the list of pieces you will need is:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Background fabric: two 2" x 2" squares, sixteen pieces cut from template #19, and four pieces cut from template #25</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium fabric: two 2" x 2" squares, eight pieces cut from template #19, and two pieces cut from template #25</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dark fabric: two pieces cut from the new template #44</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tackled the problem of template #44 first. This block is dedicated to Pythagorus and his wonderful theorem about how the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. The pieces cut from template #44 should yield a trapezoid with<span style="line-height: 17px;">: top base equals two times the square root of two; bottom base equals three times the square root of two; and height equals the square root of one half. (These dimensions do not include seam allowances.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Irrational numbers are not exactly what quilters need. (Irresistible pun intended.) Fortunately, my high school math teacher did a good enough job that I knew I could draw the template we needed:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtWbVRt70dDaI-Fkg12-2Jk-vCrC2uy6IE2Onbnd6It-p_OoOotHwT_3BNBhlhdX4GaL0LpmCADFaIZE5rQL-NiP_wqkAaRFBcXNDwTNmRJ7YlgmuDA7TRpXx2qjAQVVv93PjgXJL66wf/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Schematic+of+My+Template+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtWbVRt70dDaI-Fkg12-2Jk-vCrC2uy6IE2Onbnd6It-p_OoOotHwT_3BNBhlhdX4GaL0LpmCADFaIZE5rQL-NiP_wqkAaRFBcXNDwTNmRJ7YlgmuDA7TRpXx2qjAQVVv93PjgXJL66wf/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Schematic+of+My+Template+44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">I was quite proud of myself when I cut my new template out.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8WJx3XzhEqs/UaOTvm94_9I/AAAAAAAABbI/TLoclv4qd1I/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Correct+Template+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8WJx3XzhEqs/UaOTvm94_9I/AAAAAAAABbI/TLoclv4qd1I/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Correct+Template+44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">would take some time, but I was sure you all could draw all the triangles necessary to make the new #44 template. However (and this is actually a good however), then I compared my new template with the template from the book.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nQda48d8EYc/UaOTuQ0OzII/AAAAAAAABa4/6pROAFV-fHg/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Comparison+of+Template+44+with+a+Correct+Template+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nQda48d8EYc/UaOTuQ0OzII/AAAAAAAABa4/6pROAFV-fHg/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Comparison+of+Template+44+with+a+Correct+Template+44.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I put the template from the book on top of the new template I had so proudly drawn and discovered that template #44 from the book fit perfectly within the seam allowances of my template #44. All of a sudden the directions for drawing the new template became much, much simpler.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order to make the new template #44, simply put the template #44 from the book on a piece of paper and carefully trace its outline with a pencil. Then draw a 1/4" seam allowance around the outline. Cut out your new template #44 by cutting the paper just inside the pencil line you drew for the seam allowance. In other words, template #44 from the book is just missing the 1/4" seam allowances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All my careful draftsmanship (draftswomanship?) was unnecessary. I actually did not need to tell you about my adventure in drawing the template, but I was so proud of myself (before I figured out the easy way). And I had </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">taken photos. But, just a little tracing and drawing of seam allowances will give you the template instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some of my background and medium pieces for the Flower Garden Path block.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-owbCS_j9f9l3NoQ_vmSoSEJ_x_pBKzyQD6eSYOuWmX8yIrVd7N9nV9UVM12tRNZvcja6wGKFaDcjkbp081BxY8_BO-LKdPViz4IEY2E2UnScKZbWshWNr_0Xgs64agNawnt7alFtG2G/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Initial+Pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-owbCS_j9f9l3NoQ_vmSoSEJ_x_pBKzyQD6eSYOuWmX8yIrVd7N9nV9UVM12tRNZvcja6wGKFaDcjkbp081BxY8_BO-LKdPViz4IEY2E2UnScKZbWshWNr_0Xgs64agNawnt7alFtG2G/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Initial+Pieces.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The two bigger striped-fabric square (on the right) have been pressed on the diagonal. Just below them and to the right four squares I cut from the medium fabric from template #19 are also ironed on the diagonal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I put the larger (2" x 2") background squares on top of the larger (2" x 2") medium squares and sewed 1/4" on each side of the pressed diagonal as shown below.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-BsSf24eX_H547cmJdpADpfdw4i44fb33-Yv8qOlUvDGPLU8bzdTuu_0xLYNALhyphenhyphen96WwvpZhA0gaU5FdneV7ht-Nn45emJSWwsB2uZ8qV8qwro2P2Fnt58RB-LlEqBg_zs0Ab-CD3tWT/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+HSTs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-BsSf24eX_H547cmJdpADpfdw4i44fb33-Yv8qOlUvDGPLU8bzdTuu_0xLYNALhyphenhyphen96WwvpZhA0gaU5FdneV7ht-Nn45emJSWwsB2uZ8qV8qwro2P2Fnt58RB-LlEqBg_zs0Ab-CD3tWT/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+HSTs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The background rectangle from template #25 with the medium square from template #19 in the upper right of the above photo shows how I sewed along the pressed line to make a folded triangle on one side of the rectangle. After I pressed the triangle over, I repeated the process on the other side of the background rectangle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are an accurate enough quilter to use the templates, you should sew four background triangles from template #13 to four medium triangles from template #13; then press the squares open. Also, sew a medium triangle from template #13 to each short leg of a background triangle from template #20; then press to form the rectangle and repeat again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now your layout should look like this if you followed my HST and folding triangles method.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGVD9iBhtbA/UaOTwxTW96I/AAAAAAAABbY/GiRpLA5fqAI/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGVD9iBhtbA/UaOTwxTW96I/AAAAAAAABbY/GiRpLA5fqAI/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25231.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you used the templates, each one of the sixteen background squares in the photo above will be a background triangle cut from template #13. My plan, however, was to sew the rows together and cut the squares into triangles just before I sewed then to the dark (blue above) pieces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what my layout looked like after I had sewn the rows together. Remember if you used the templates, you will have background triangles on the end of each row, not background squares. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I sewed the pieces of my top and bottom sections together, I pressed the seams on the five-piece rows (or, seven-piece rows, if you were good and used the templates) toward the dark sides. When I pressed the seams of the now three-piece rows (or, five-piece rows, for the template users), I pressed toward the light sides. This enabled me to nest the seams when I sewed the rows together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I sewed the pieces of my left-hand and right-hand sides together, I pressed the first seam to the dark side. Then I pressed the second seam to the light side because it was much easier to press in that direction.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPee-Z0QReDGGRWjNZoxxgvT56JY4BH6MDS1NZ05X1Vtcmi_RWxg2YdGL5Sf9_h1R6RdefU8yEeeJnOfZGIpa3ymaWkD0bUHpfgETxZYVD22y3igdjlvqU5tLWc-bg0Bt90FmFnGdoLxG/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPee-Z0QReDGGRWjNZoxxgvT56JY4BH6MDS1NZ05X1Vtcmi_RWxg2YdGL5Sf9_h1R6RdefU8yEeeJnOfZGIpa3ymaWkD0bUHpfgETxZYVD22y3igdjlvqU5tLWc-bg0Bt90FmFnGdoLxG/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, I sewed my sections together like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C07QSdnUsiE/UaOTyds4WsI/AAAAAAAABbs/aHivbIz15SQ/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C07QSdnUsiE/UaOTyds4WsI/AAAAAAAABbs/aHivbIz15SQ/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25233.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I pressed the "horizontal" seams in the bigger sections open. This helped my sections lie flatter. But, please remember, you do not have to follow my pressing direction suggestions if you like pressing in different directions better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When the sections were completed, I used my 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" square to add a seam allowance to the triangles and finally made my layout look like the one the template users would already have.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvglSBbm6oZZcK-0S2qz5C8RCTpKcAMvqua7GvWVlc64kr1N39DO0uDwc1BCeI4Dsts8rg2iKWX-9iFzV74IdzncsYwFjnLtQ5t6zvtU3gL5rI9gK5Rxc_6DGnDdZUpNBE1hCLvQgRjyh/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvglSBbm6oZZcK-0S2qz5C8RCTpKcAMvqua7GvWVlc64kr1N39DO0uDwc1BCeI4Dsts8rg2iKWX-9iFzV74IdzncsYwFjnLtQ5t6zvtU3gL5rI9gK5Rxc_6DGnDdZUpNBE1hCLvQgRjyh/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25234.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you cut the triangles from squares as I did, you want to have the 1/4" lines on the top corner of the upper background square, on the right-hand corner of the medium square, and on the lower corner of the lower triangle. You will have to cut the edges with all background pieces to end up with a layout like this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX5jSGkxHfzYMcc-ZiR2spPbRhcDEi0zgt-Svo1eq-hKeVtbQscEZtm5XNDSoeDzr3awyX8CRrpAFjrrhrPsY0SjaP941mk0ehzcDmpztsWo-4lbztq7JjIhjPNKJHKLb2hy_KlIp7OLt/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX5jSGkxHfzYMcc-ZiR2spPbRhcDEi0zgt-Svo1eq-hKeVtbQscEZtm5XNDSoeDzr3awyX8CRrpAFjrrhrPsY0SjaP941mk0ehzcDmpztsWo-4lbztq7JjIhjPNKJHKLb2hy_KlIp7OLt/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25235.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you used the templates all along, your layout should have looked like the one in the photo above right after you sewed the sections together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You then sew the longer base of each dark trapezoid piece to the short legs of the triangle composed of three rows of pieces. Then sew the hypotenuse of each two-row triangle to the shorter base of the dark trapezoid pieces. The result should look like what's in the photo below.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HU9XCVW1wP8/UaOT0DDFvcI/AAAAAAAABcA/w72ptFtxeWo/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HU9XCVW1wP8/UaOT0DDFvcI/AAAAAAAABcA/w72ptFtxeWo/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Layout+%25236.jpg" width="303" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then sew the two rectangles together being careful to match the squares and trapezoids together. This last seam I pressed open because it was easier with all the intersecting seams. Finally, I ended up with my Flower Garden Path block.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1YGoaXXZr9PMbZKK2ySQA0M9VttFIazvYJetIlEoSbZPpwwwpLeYmjmdCMVzaHFSHC3Q1HQWSLcXZO7ITyejJ_ZR5fn-zcn-puj7Nd-MlnqZXbKY6Av0zqPl4K8mjRqNzdQaIJfJrn8A/s1600/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Completed+At+Last.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1YGoaXXZr9PMbZKK2ySQA0M9VttFIazvYJetIlEoSbZPpwwwpLeYmjmdCMVzaHFSHC3Q1HQWSLcXZO7ITyejJ_ZR5fn-zcn-puj7Nd-MlnqZXbKY6Av0zqPl4K8mjRqNzdQaIJfJrn8A/s320/2013+Flower+Basket+Block+Completed+At+Last.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had trouble getting one of my triangles to lie flat, but more pressing helped. You will probably not have that problem because you have to be a more accurate piecer than I am.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Flower Garden Path block has a lot of pieces, but it goes together quickly. If you use the correct template #44, you shouldn't have any problems. If you do, please leave a comment in the Forum post I will create for this block.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you all miss Meli by now? Well, brace yourselves. I will be back with W19B1 (the Flower Pot block) soon. I promise to try making it with the templates first. If I have too much trouble, I may use Musical Starling's paper piecing method. Do not let the inset seams frighten you. I have had a class on hexagons, so, in theory, I should be able to explain them.</span></div>
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EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA'><m:r> </m:r></span></i></m:oMath></m:oMathPara><![endif]--><!--[if !msEquation]--><!--[endif]-->Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-17383380760476164242013-05-23T11:43:00.002-05:002013-05-24T21:23:46.669-05:00Flower Basket: W18B1Today's blog is about the Flower Basket Block from the Farmer Granddaughter's Quilt Along. This quilt along is one of the groups on the Forum part of the Missouri Star Quilt Company's website. I am a guest presenter on this block; I never truly appreciated all of the effort Meli puts in until I worked on my "first" block. So, please be understanding and be sure to leave comment questions in the Forum if I am unclear.<br />
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The Flower Basket Block needs a background color, a medium color, and a dark color. When you read the description for my block, the background color is cream with (almost invisible) gold dots, the medium color is an aqua flower print (thanks, Meli!), and the dark color is red.<br />
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If you use the templates, this is what you will be cutting:<br />
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Background color: three #1, one #39, and two #3 (but please read the entire blog entry before you cut #39).<br />
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Medium color: two #3 and one #105 (but please wait for the special instructions before you cut #105).<br />
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Dark color: one #39 (but please read the entire blog entry before you cut #39).<br />
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However, (and there will always be a "however" with me), I have coordination problems, no matter how hard I try. That meant I did not cut two #3s of the medium and of the background color. Instead, I decided to use HSTs and cut one 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" square of the background color and one 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" square of the medium color.<br />
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I always cut my HSTs 1/8" longer in both length and width than I theoretically need because I have learned that my HSTs <i>will</i> turn out imprecise. My method of coping with my lack of skill is to cut the HSTs a little big; then trim them to the correct size. This does waste a little fabric, but I end up much happier with the results.<br />
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Here are the pieces of my Flower Basket Block laid out.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aIJ-p2CBb5s/UZ4uZuptgZI/AAAAAAAABXU/KnZsXslMNlw/s1600/DSCN1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aIJ-p2CBb5s/UZ4uZuptgZI/AAAAAAAABXU/KnZsXslMNlw/s320/DSCN1903.JPG" width="303" /></a></div>
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The squares for the HSTs are on top of the block. I left gaps in the layout where your #3 background and medium pieces would go if you used the templates. You can't see it in this photo, but I pressed a diagonal line on the background color square for the HST. I watch most of <a href="http://www.quiltingtutorials.com/" target="_blank">Jenny Doan's tutorials</a> and have found that Jenny's method of pressing a diagonal line rather than drawing a line with a pencil works much better for me.</div>
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This is when I noticed that template #39 yields a triangle that is LARGER than it should be. Aarrrgh! I tried to find a more accurate template in the book, but, if it is there, I missed it.</div>
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When you sew the background #39 and the dark #39 together, you want to end up with a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" HST. The easiest way for me was, of course, another fabric-wasting one. I just sewed the two #39 pieces together, pressed the seam toward the darker fabric, and then trimmed the resultant square to 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" square. If you do not like trimming, you can cut a 5-1/8" x 5-1/8" square along the diagonal. (Please check the measurements before you cut the fabric in case I am wrong.) That will give you an extra triangle of the background color and of the dark color. If you have a better method for correcting the problem with the size of the template, please leave a comment in the Forum.</div>
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Here are my two HST squares sewn together with a 1/4" seam on each side of the diagonal crease.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdiH3JAdnw32tU8GHkdnsaxpoLKGJWZaUyHT5uqkb7rlzjvTagtAJIgFnkE8T0Pl88RSf7fDdJIX_z_mhAnCCujKTPxD_Yg77XPxNBc26Scy67GcNSE3uMHUzusQlb1X1lYW6CcruiTPS/s1600/DSCN1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdiH3JAdnw32tU8GHkdnsaxpoLKGJWZaUyHT5uqkb7rlzjvTagtAJIgFnkE8T0Pl88RSf7fDdJIX_z_mhAnCCujKTPxD_Yg77XPxNBc26Scy67GcNSE3uMHUzusQlb1X1lYW6CcruiTPS/s320/DSCN1908.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you look at the lower left-hand corner of the photo, you will see some blue fabric peeking out. It shouldn't be, but I am not good at perfection.</div>
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Here are my two HSTs cut along the diagonal line and pressed open.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eH3Om_NQ3xE/UZ4vbyfBLCI/AAAAAAAABXw/Kr8LuebPifI/s1600/DSCN1913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eH3Om_NQ3xE/UZ4vbyfBLCI/AAAAAAAABXw/Kr8LuebPifI/s320/DSCN1913.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Immediately after I took the above photograph, I trimmed both HSTs, so that the length and width of each one was 2-1/2". Here is a photo of my layout. If you used the templates and sewed your #3 triangles together, your layout would look like this, too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTN2OX4spzMpo4cA8a5ikxvBV6NyoApd9Y8MXSC72XssSdKSI1hlauuqz905kI_t-yLojXD8eGPulo28WoVxmEqv5Ht6Wf_YaJU5MbPTRvOBQQugDi_MJrXBratEcj1FP9U8mlRNkcny6/s1600/DSCN1917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTN2OX4spzMpo4cA8a5ikxvBV6NyoApd9Y8MXSC72XssSdKSI1hlauuqz905kI_t-yLojXD8eGPulo28WoVxmEqv5Ht6Wf_YaJU5MbPTRvOBQQugDi_MJrXBratEcj1FP9U8mlRNkcny6/s320/DSCN1917.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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Just before I took the above photograph, I remembered that I had completely forgotten about the #105 piece for the basket handle. <span style="color: red;">(Edit--24 May 2013: When I wrote this blog, I completely forgot that many quilters are not as locked into using their sewing machine as I am. If you prefer to sew by hand and use the needle-turn method, please remember to leave a seam allowance when you cut out your basket handle. Template #105 assumes you are not going to turn under the edges. End of Edit.)</span><br />
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The curved piece on the bottom of the photo is a piece of the Warm & Company's Lite Steam-and-Seam 2 with the outline of the #105 template drawn on it. I left roughly 1/4" around the pencil lines. I looked at the photo of the Flower Basket Block in the first part of the book. I don't know if the author fused her handle onto the large background triangle before she attached the handle. But I did. Of course, you do not need to use my fusing method. I'm just going to try to explain it in case one of you is unfamiliar with the method.</div>
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I pressed the Steam-and-Seam 2 onto a scrap of my medium fabric. Then I cut along the pencil lines to get my handle piece all nicely backed with adhesive. (Actually I reshaped the handle a bit when I cut it out because I didn't like how it should have looked. That's another problem I have; I am always changing the pattern a little. But, no matter how you cut out the handle, the rest of my method should work.)</div>
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Then I realized that the template did not yield a handle that seemed as big as the one in the photograph in the book. I decided I could live with the handle I had, but I looked at the photo of the Flower Basket Block in the book to see exactly where the author had placed her handle. </div>
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From the tiny sliver of fabric showing, I could tell that the author had placed her handle on the edge of the seam line. I preferred to have my handle look more attached to the basket, so I drew pencil lines 1/8" from the hypotenuse edge of the background #39 triangle (i.e., the pencil lines were within the triangle's seam allowance). I folded both the triangle and the handle in half. This let me center the handle on the triangle. I put the edges of my handle on my pencil lines. When I pressed the handle onto the triangle in order to fuse the two pieces of fabric together, my center lines disappeared.</div>
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If you do not like how I attached my handle, please use a method that pleases you. There are no quilting police; and, if there were, they would more likely visit me than you.</div>
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Here is what my layout looked like after I sewed the two #39 triangles together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKNE8mcyrr-GN3-GWBnO9GKcRSGxtSZH1x4hBwthlAQHqwsqtyJibCA01kMiK3Rh6O7KWZlvDAKemPiw3pyezLq-W3w3eWbyKEsq-zoZyFiniTrBwiwuqr1lM6yfroqi8TFXLxJJHRBt3/s1600/DSCN1933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKNE8mcyrr-GN3-GWBnO9GKcRSGxtSZH1x4hBwthlAQHqwsqtyJibCA01kMiK3Rh6O7KWZlvDAKemPiw3pyezLq-W3w3eWbyKEsq-zoZyFiniTrBwiwuqr1lM6yfroqi8TFXLxJJHRBt3/s320/DSCN1933.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next I sewed each of my HSTs to different squares next to the dark triangle. (I pressed the seam allowance toward the medium fabric.) I then sewed one of the HST-square sets to the side of my dark #39 triangle. Because the seam allowances were beginning to pile up, I pressed the seam toward the HST-square set.</div>
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The last square was sewn to the other HST-square set. I pressed the new seam toward the HST, so that it would nest well with the seam connecting the dark triangle #39 to the first HST-square set. I then sewed this piece to the piece with the dark triangle.</div>
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Wow! I squared up the edges. The block was finished and really much easier to piece than the length of my directions might indicate. (I was just trying to help any novice quilters in our group.)</div>
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Only I hadn't completed the block. I like my seam edges finished. (This is just another one of my personal quirks.) I could leave the handle fused as it was, or I could finish the edges. I chose to use a buttonhole stitch on both sides of the handle.</div>
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(I'm sorry the photo is a little out of focus, My camera is either not good at shooting closeups, or the camera suffered from a great deal of operator error.)</div>
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If you don't like how I finished the edges but you do want to finish the edges, please use your preferred method. A lot of people use a satin stitch; if you do, I recommend you use a narrower satin stitch than a wider satin stitch in order to conserve on thread. But, once again, that's just my preference. You might prefer a wider stitch, and that's what you should do.</div>
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So now I was really finished with the Flower Basket Block.</div>
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The Flower Basket Block was actually one of the more relaxing blocks in the book. The next block is the Flower Garden Path Block. I had trouble with it, so the directions for W18B2 will be really late.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-39028789038895214502013-05-06T22:06:00.001-05:002013-05-06T22:06:40.186-05:00Delicious Risotto with Lemon and AsparagusThis evening I made the <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/asparagus-lemon-risotto-50400000127540/" target="_blank">risotto</a> from the May 2013 issue of <i>Cooking Light.</i> The only time I've eaten risotto before was at a local restaurant, but it was a pleasure to savor.<br />
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This risotto is cooked in the microwave, so it was super easy. I did make a mistake and cook the risotto without a cover in the microwave, but IT Prof and I thought the risotto was absolutely delicious anyway. In fact , IT Prof told me that, unlike most of the foods I cook from new recipes, the risotto was perfectly spiced. Is that a backhanded compliment or what? However, IT Prof liked the risotto so much that it was good that I dished out my portion first because he couldn't stop eating the rest of it.<br />
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The risotto was time-consuming in that I had to stir it every four minutes, but the result is worth it. Plus I could work on other parts of the meal while the risotto was in the microwave. I calculated the Weight Watchers PointsPlus value from the information provided by the magazine; there are nine points. Nine points are a big percentage of my daily allowance, but I will cheerfully eat raw carrots all day to enjoy this risotto for dinner.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-42949339411277082102013-05-02T07:48:00.001-05:002013-05-02T07:56:31.546-05:00Sometimes You Just Have to Do YardworkToday's post does not mention much about quilting, except that the activities below actually tired me out so much that I fell asleep while using the sewing machine.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qpx_yFka7YI/UYJQvmOKeLI/AAAAAAAABRs/Bo5gnH2Q7GA/s1600/1+May+2013+New+Flower+Pots+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qpx_yFka7YI/UYJQvmOKeLI/AAAAAAAABRs/Bo5gnH2Q7GA/s320/1+May+2013+New+Flower+Pots+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our house is on a terraced lot. The photo above shows the five-foot-high retaining wall with the patio flower pots lined up on top. (The flower pots are supposed to keep people from walking off the edge of the patio.) If you examine the photo carefully, you will see seven more conventional flower pots and three wooden half-barrels.</div>
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Last year the half-barrels started deteriorating. One was so bad that it actually had almost all its staves lying on the concrete with dirt spilled all around. IT Prof thought the rotting half-barrels looked unattractive. Their ugliness bothered me even more.</div>
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Tuesday and yesterday were predicted to be beautiful. Since the half-barrels had not magically disappeared during the winter, I decided that I had to just take care of the problem. (I hate gardening, so I wasn't feeling thrilled.)</div>
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I bought seven new pots because the biggest pots I could lift by myself were smaller than the half-barrels. The flower pots I liked best cost $130. I resisted buying those and bought five much less expensive pots and two not-expensive-at-all plastic pots. I would have preferred actual terracotta pots to the plastic ones, but once again I was limited to what I could lift by myself. (I knew I alone would have to carry everything to the patio once I returned home.) I also purchased potting soil and flowers.</div>
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When I returned home, I transported all the pots, etc. down to the patio. I also fetched the gardening tools from the garage. To my really-less-than-intense joy, the spade was one of the tools.</div>
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In the photo above, you can see one of the remaining half-barrels. It actually is deteriorating a little on the top, but I didn't have enough big pots left to remove that half-barrel. Do you see how the half-barrel contains soil nearly to the top edge? A half-barrel with soil is definitely not something I can lift.</div>
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The plastic pot at the far end of the patio actually blocks a space that I had decided was too open. So, I spaded dirt from the nearest rotten half-barrel into the plastic pot. I had to add some of the new soil to the plastic pot to fill it because the deteriorated half-barrel no longer contained enough soil.</div>
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When the half-barrel was empty, I put all the decrepit parts into a garbage bag and carried it up the hill to the street. I think I found out my maximum lifting ability.</div>
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After my trip to the street, I placed two new pots were the first half-barrel were and started filling them from the next rotting half-barrel. And so I repeated emptying the second and third half-barrels and filling new pots. The first small difference is that it ended up that five, not six, pots filled up the space left by the former half-barrels. The second small difference in procedure was that the second barrel was intact enough that I could roll it up the hill. Rolling is much better than hauling.</div>
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The unaccustomed use of my spading muscles left my back and shoulders sore. But, it was probably good for me. Planting the flowers in the new pots and watering them was a vacation compared to setting them up. Originally I had wanted to replace all six half-barrels, but I only had enough pots for the two ends (where there weren't pots to start with) and to cover the space left by three half-barrels.</div>
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As I sat on a chair and looked at the new pots and the surviving barrels, I decided I could live with the condition of the last three this year. Plus I really did not want to spend more money on pots this spring.</div>
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IT Prof came down to the patio about the time I was filling the third new pot. He looked at the completed portion of the project I was proud of tackling. Then he said, "This wasn't my vision of what to do with the half-barrels."</div>
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Since I was huffing and puffing from the spading, I needed to catch my breath to reply, "But I didn't see anything happening to create your vision."</div>
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I think he realized I was covered with dirt and exerting myself because he agreed. "Fair enough." He was impressed enough that I had removed the worst of the rotting barrels that he picked up sticks in the back yard. This was important to do before I cut the grass for the first time this year.</div>
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I had no energy left on Tuesday, so I cut the grass yesterday morning. The mower choked twice in the thick grass and stopped. The second time Roger had to come outside and start the mower for me. Wrestling the lawn mower on the steep hill for the first time this year didn't leave me with enough strength to pull the string on the lawn mower with the proper force. Then I finished mowing. We've had enough rain so far that the grass is green enough to look good (as long as you don't examine it too carefully).</div>
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Anyhow, my efforts were rewarded. We could sit on the patio, and, for now before the lake dries up again, are able to enjoy the view.</div>
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The HTML used for the four photos above defeated me. I tried to place the four photos above horizontally in order to make a panoramic-like photo, but I could not. Anyone is welcome to tell me what I did wrong in the comments.</div>
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Anyhow, as I sat there, exhausted and sore, I knew it was worth it. I can't believe how fortunate I am.</div>
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However, I still hate gardening. But not lawn mowing.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-35192785151296295492013-04-30T20:22:00.000-05:002013-04-30T20:25:28.442-05:002013 YTD Quilting Projects--#5I'm not going to bore you with all my lame excuses for not posting for awhile. However, in March I spent three days at my quilting guild's annual retreat and had a wonderful time. I even managed to cut all the strips I need for the double Irish chain quilt I'm making as a new bedspread. Of course, I became distracted and have not cut all the strips and sewn them back together again.<br />
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However, I did finish a toddler quilt for the daughter of one of IT Prof's cousins.<br />
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This quilt came in a kit. The picture on the front of the package had a darling alphabet panel for the main piece of the front. The material I found when I opened the package was cute, but don't you think it is a little boring on its own? Also, the kit did not come with enough fabric for what the pattern called for. I searched a long time in order to find some more fabric from the line but finally managed. I finished the border, but when the quilt returned from the quilter, I realized that I had to come up with an idea to jazz up the front.</div>
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I eventually came up with the idea of butterflies. IT Prof did not like how my solution turned out, but several women in my guild told me they thought the butterflies were cute. What do you think?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMlA4lTb1nMBEcp9eJN_RUFnCIYk2G6CfB4N4EqrOlkPt_ChkbXU-27QX9LuBYhiQIhlSluHVtq3Q0yx9Iq3VMIMQgpW6Y_QgkyGN7iMVyQUYRtLA6uCXMMBuMOTKYz0o8midCjmRUyoE/s1600/DSCN1787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMlA4lTb1nMBEcp9eJN_RUFnCIYk2G6CfB4N4EqrOlkPt_ChkbXU-27QX9LuBYhiQIhlSluHVtq3Q0yx9Iq3VMIMQgpW6Y_QgkyGN7iMVyQUYRtLA6uCXMMBuMOTKYz0o8midCjmRUyoE/s320/DSCN1787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the problems with the butterflies was that I had the quilt machine quilted (in a cute pattern of turtles) before I decided upon the butterflies. I ended up fusing the butterflies on the front of the quilt; then I embroidered the edges (by hand--which is pretty amazing for me) with the buttonhole stitch. I had to take care in order to keep my stitches from coming through to the back of the quilt. It took some time, but I managed to accomplish it.</div>
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I've already sent the little girl the quilt but don't know yet if she likes it. That will be the true test whether it is a successful quilt or not. I really hope she likes the quilt.</div>
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Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-18088506850294873582013-02-24T21:39:00.003-06:002013-02-25T10:29:35.448-06:002013 YTD Sewing Projects--#4January 17th! What have I been doing for over a month? I had actually been working on quilting projects. Then I went skiing for the first time for this year in early February.<br />
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I fell. I hit the back of my head hard (with an eventually sore huge bump), especially since the drought kept the powder at <a href="http://www.skisnowcreek.com/" target="_blank">Snow Creek</a> to a near nonexistent quantity and the hill was all but solid ice. (This was not something to be blamed on the ski area.) No additional brain damage (beyond what is baseline) was detected in me, but I will never, ever, ever go skiing without a helmet again. It doesn't matter that no one used helmets in the days of yore when my dad taught my siblings and me to ski. It is time to move into reality and be more risk averse.<br />
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I'm incredibly fortunate that I did not get a concussion. Please learn from my idiocy. Do not ski without a helmet. End of PSA.<br />
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However, just to make sure I remember how stupid I was, I twisted both knees trying to stand up because it was impossible to plant my poles into the solid ice. My right knee is almost well now, but I am still wearing a brace on my gradually improving left knee. The knee still hurts a bit all the time, but the humiliation in knowing that I injured it <em>trying to stand up</em> is worse.<br />
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Not much has been mentioned about sewing yet, so here is the reward for those of you still reading this blog. These are some photos of my newest blocks for the Farmer's Granddaughter Quilt Along.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV82xCCObDK8jZF-Lhuoic45vEmVk2fWjZSOz_aS2H8QE1wCLFUL0dG0eBJxq8cG5CzmzMYacl3hOJJsEpSLCa7mZI0wyHnsn3-OQcY49xko2rm9_P2tcXzf2x0IA60jg-7NOUD2ttRtl/s1600/Broken+Sugar+Bowl+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV82xCCObDK8jZF-Lhuoic45vEmVk2fWjZSOz_aS2H8QE1wCLFUL0dG0eBJxq8cG5CzmzMYacl3hOJJsEpSLCa7mZI0wyHnsn3-OQcY49xko2rm9_P2tcXzf2x0IA60jg-7NOUD2ttRtl/s200/Broken+Sugar+Bowl+2013.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Broken Sugar Bowl Block</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pYSwSMuzNnU/USrYdtdCX2I/AAAAAAAAA70/pow1vWcn0cQ/s1600/DSCN1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pYSwSMuzNnU/USrYdtdCX2I/AAAAAAAAA70/pow1vWcn0cQ/s200/DSCN1685.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Broken Dishes Block</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTS7P3U4lulDLP3wvvmExjNdxQXtUOSLxfBtoRk-bqjCFFIq1uicCB_2BvwJheHpk6vqGVjp3HlfzsYMN3fi5IpwsG1ENUNDeD_bBK1iN-P-MyWpfij5agQAn2gSkWHXyWSuMKSjPYQOWC/s1600/DSCN1688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTS7P3U4lulDLP3wvvmExjNdxQXtUOSLxfBtoRk-bqjCFFIq1uicCB_2BvwJheHpk6vqGVjp3HlfzsYMN3fi5IpwsG1ENUNDeD_bBK1iN-P-MyWpfij5agQAn2gSkWHXyWSuMKSjPYQOWC/s200/DSCN1688.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
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Buckwheat Block</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xmo9LJLMJ-0/USrY1-L4p9I/AAAAAAAAA8E/bHrTg_k7Zcg/s1600/DSCN1689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xmo9LJLMJ-0/USrY1-L4p9I/AAAAAAAAA8E/bHrTg_k7Zcg/s200/DSCN1689.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Butterfly at the Crossroads Block</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVRj2WafRjI/USrZDUNEAFI/AAAAAAAAA8M/C3co2gDiKao/s1600/DSCN1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVRj2WafRjI/USrZDUNEAFI/AAAAAAAAA8M/C3co2gDiKao/s200/DSCN1691.JPG" width="194" /></a></div>
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Calico Puzzle Block</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG0vZ1L2lozOPM0EruhkOYjyxTD6GFcp1WFLhfSXUf2VpJ69U69eWf1cg4kd7BOGsFA8IbMrxBiUS8m_xFbxmE9SUSH13aYJvAnDEAg0xIA2W2K85JnHIDiXscuEcPfhqnj54d8Rm0Axj/s1600/DSCN1694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG0vZ1L2lozOPM0EruhkOYjyxTD6GFcp1WFLhfSXUf2VpJ69U69eWf1cg4kd7BOGsFA8IbMrxBiUS8m_xFbxmE9SUSH13aYJvAnDEAg0xIA2W2K85JnHIDiXscuEcPfhqnj54d8Rm0Axj/s200/DSCN1694.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Buzzard's Roost Block</div>
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I have also made the February block, Birthstones, from this years <em>Kansas City Star's</em> BOM feature. It required me to trim a great many oversized pieces to end up with a block that actually had triangles with points.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuheXJKFu3sRrpDhTQ5nfXpZtypApyG4F3TwbB-K4I4pYcw_wUV7k0FT2wnHt2wRq0sdJ-pYgIbgfyb7b_F7MwbnRyrfYwmaTTNAJss5uSvIUNIBDviKYGRuyZx3Rf1qsOMieJ644I5IVr/s1600/DSCN1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuheXJKFu3sRrpDhTQ5nfXpZtypApyG4F3TwbB-K4I4pYcw_wUV7k0FT2wnHt2wRq0sdJ-pYgIbgfyb7b_F7MwbnRyrfYwmaTTNAJss5uSvIUNIBDviKYGRuyZx3Rf1qsOMieJ644I5IVr/s200/DSCN1696.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Birthstones Block</div>
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The sample block in the newspaper is mostly red. However, I promised myself not to buy any new fabric for my blocks from <em>The Star</em>. Readers will probably not be surprised to learn that my favorite color is blue, and, shockingly, I have a great deal of blue fabric in my stash.</div>
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My next project is a baby quilt for a relative's new child, but I couldn't resist trying out my new Circle Magic ruler. I'll try to post photographs tomorrow.</div>
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Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-75938530171366589022013-01-17T18:28:00.000-06:002013-01-17T18:30:03.971-06:002013 YTD Sewing Projects--#3If anyone remembers that I am participating in the <a href="http://www.missouriquiltco.com/" target="_blank">Missouri Star Quilt Company's</a> Forum's Farmer's Granddaughter's Quilt Along, here are the latest two blocks I have made.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYqv2R0C6QFlRD47x7DQDrCRUcMHHg9_L34vWqPkC4QydqwPYq-2bzgGjMdLFFM-_iTY7F0UFS5TNA9W5-GYYf95BvHDwBahW8mM12ZRn27twOJtZ1hrSYMTcWvwyA80SchlTPcWpxXNs/s1600/DSCN1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYqv2R0C6QFlRD47x7DQDrCRUcMHHg9_L34vWqPkC4QydqwPYq-2bzgGjMdLFFM-_iTY7F0UFS5TNA9W5-GYYf95BvHDwBahW8mM12ZRn27twOJtZ1hrSYMTcWvwyA80SchlTPcWpxXNs/s200/DSCN1608.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Big Dipper Block</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxrbu8z8Ni0yVknEQKSw1sGmmPwFewa6-cC7UOBdD5NmA-7z_tqsX6sbiK2anXEHnI3pqJpUm4gYLrqvoojm8tMLBeujpG0d8PPMFUu7un5RLsZuDUl5_Ty6hna3tTfvBEm4veqaAsRbt/s1600/DSCN1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxrbu8z8Ni0yVknEQKSw1sGmmPwFewa6-cC7UOBdD5NmA-7z_tqsX6sbiK2anXEHnI3pqJpUm4gYLrqvoojm8tMLBeujpG0d8PPMFUu7un5RLsZuDUl5_Ty6hna3tTfvBEm4veqaAsRbt/s200/DSCN1606.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Bat Wing Block</div>
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Maybe this shows how old I am, but every single time I think Bat Wing Block, the theme song from the 1960s TV show <em>Batman</em> starts running through my head. Yes, I watched a lot of bad television.</div>
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The Big Dipper Block was fairly easy to make since it just involves four Hourglass Blocks. Since I am so inaccurate with triangles, I just made each of the Hourglass Blocks a little big and then squared them each up. </div>
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But, the Bat Wing Block fooled me into thinking it would be easy. Of course, the three rectangles in the center were not that big of deal, but, I don't have the templates (because of my own stubbornnessJ) for the bat wing parts. Putting corner rectangles on another rectangle in order to make three triangles involves much more thinking than putting two squares on each end of a rectangle.</div>
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You may laugh, but it took me a little while to realize that the black rectangle had to be aligned somewhat askew for the wings to meet in the center. I ironed my black pieces in half along the diagonal; then I placed the triangle where I wanted it to end up. That led me to figure out the placement in the beginning in order to succeed at the whole sewing-along-the-diagonal process.</div>
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People who can see the geometry without playing with the physical pieces sew much faster than I do, but at least I finally got it right.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-76421062459675944012013-01-15T21:26:00.003-06:002013-01-15T21:51:13.187-06:002013 YTD Sewing Projects--#2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I made a huge mistake for Christmas last year. We did not have a Christmas stocking to hang up for Aurora's father. He politely never said a word, but I resolved that Christmas 2013 would be different. So, now, although I am late in putting the Christmas decorations away from 2012, we have a Christmas stocking for Aurora's father. It is just a matter of prioritizing my time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzdA9ztwpYA8NgeNwhDxmZMT17yxorlnS_owj3DHXkfn4Z6OTSBo98unCbO-fXMEgMw5EAkRNG1DPms0FpzFjyWdrC8XtTsWHW8PvKEBtbz3jXb5iWqiLT4HE7kIXYSqLHr9LZX6DtgWg/s1600/DSCN1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzdA9ztwpYA8NgeNwhDxmZMT17yxorlnS_owj3DHXkfn4Z6OTSBo98unCbO-fXMEgMw5EAkRNG1DPms0FpzFjyWdrC8XtTsWHW8PvKEBtbz3jXb5iWqiLT4HE7kIXYSqLHr9LZX6DtgWg/s320/DSCN1604.JPG" width="161" /></a></div>
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Earlier I mentioned my new addiction to the quilting tutorials on <a href="http://www.missouriquiltco.com/" target="_blank">Missouri Star Quilt Company's</a> website. Eventually I became bright enough to click my cursor on the "Forum" button and discovered all sorts of quilting connections. I have joined a group called the Farmer's Granddaughter's Quilt Along and am enjoying making the weekly blocks. (Not that I have made the ones for this week yet.)</div>
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We're supposed to be using our stash for these blocks, so I am using some polka-dotted material I have. Here are the blocks I've made so far:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYdI6r0sd1k/UPYZYWkG1iI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/0UPraotIiPg/s1600/DSCN1584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYdI6r0sd1k/UPYZYWkG1iI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/0UPraotIiPg/s200/DSCN1584.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Autumn Tints</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqVNTPs-GQ7zgcRO5EpcTKanMo0Un5tszqay1ZLl4xxHOexGLNyY98VeO0Yga_uAxVFTMF_w9SqTL4P4HjhQ4j8LzKszSUcXNGUCQiHRvdRKIT8JHOUuIpwTTHGyP2zdstnp6yyYTqLAT/s1600/DSCN1588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqVNTPs-GQ7zgcRO5EpcTKanMo0Un5tszqay1ZLl4xxHOexGLNyY98VeO0Yga_uAxVFTMF_w9SqTL4P4HjhQ4j8LzKszSUcXNGUCQiHRvdRKIT8JHOUuIpwTTHGyP2zdstnp6yyYTqLAT/s200/DSCN1588.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Basketweave</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YfbB30L5978/UPYZ628CG2I/AAAAAAAAA5w/sFtkL5b2L-Y/s1600/Attic+Window+Block+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YfbB30L5978/UPYZ628CG2I/AAAAAAAAA5w/sFtkL5b2L-Y/s200/Attic+Window+Block+5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Attic Window</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0OQWyjMgDT0/UPYZkSo12hI/AAAAAAAAA5g/7EZM9FOfWjM/s1600/DSCN1603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0OQWyjMgDT0/UPYZkSo12hI/AAAAAAAAA5g/7EZM9FOfWjM/s200/DSCN1603.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Basket</div>
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I don't know if I'll have enough fabric to make two blocks each week every week in 2013, but I figure when the polka-dotted fabric is used up, I'll at least have enough blocks for one donation quilt. And, then I'll probably be able to find more fabric in my stash to make blocks for the rest of the year. :-) If those additional blocks won't be enough for another donation quilt, I'll just have to start with the January 2013 blocks again. If I can keep this up, I'll produce a little more for charity this year.</div>
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There are also many unfinished projects cluttering up our house that I can work on. For example, Swan graduated from college in 2010; she is still waiting for her graduation quilt. If I finish two of these unfinished projects, I'll be doing better than I did in 2012. However, none of our children are scheduled to get married this year either.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-71679167141005264622013-01-08T19:31:00.001-06:002013-01-10T07:13:34.281-06:002013 YTD Sewing Projects #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over the years IT Prof's parents have given us some beautiful Christmas tree ornaments. Some of them look like this:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rhR9bcm0JBk/UOy4iP4xw8I/AAAAAAAAA38/3om_CVljmDM/s1600/DSCN1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rhR9bcm0JBk/UOy4iP4xw8I/AAAAAAAAA38/3om_CVljmDM/s200/DSCN1562.JPG" width="160" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately (and rather reasonably), I hate to polish ornaments. So, last month IT Prof ordered some anti-tarnish fabric from a company he found on the Internet. While we were visiting I Prof's mother last week, I started sewing little ornament bags from the fabric.</div>
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Above is one of the 27 bags we gave IT Prof's mother (with an ornament inside the bag). I also made 33 more bags to use up all the fabric. (I figured that if I did not use up all of the fabric then, somehow I would manage to lose the remnant.) I really got into a rhythm with my machine and made 60 bags total in about five hours.<br />
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I'm not going to order more fabric and sew them up until we find out whether the bags actually keep the ornaments from tarnishing. Keep your fingers crossed!<br />
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Last fall I picked up some charity quilt kits at a guild meeting and finally started working on them just before New Year's Eve.<br />
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I did not make the 25-patch blocks in the quilt top above, but I did square the blocks up. I did use fabric from my stash to complete the quilt top, however. Another member of the guild will quilt the top; then I will bind the quilt. Then I hope whoever receives the quilt loves it.</div>
A new project for our guild in 2013 is donating placemats to a group which delivers meals to senior citizens. I was given a lot of snowball blocks. I used them and more fabric from my stash to make fifteen placemat tops. So far, I have quilted and finished four of the placemats. I'm not especially fond of the colors used in the blocks I was given, so I am refraining from publishing photos of the placemats.
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Our guild is also collecting blocks each month to make up into quilts eventually. January's 9-1/2" x 9-1/2" block is the Barn Door/Monkey Wrench block made up from polka-dotted fabrics.</div>
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As you might guess from the photos above, I made a green block and a purple block. I tried to be brave and reduce my use of pins in a trade-off with increased speed; I think it worked out without too much noticeable decrease in quality.</div>
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Last summer when IT Prof and I were in Glenwood Springs, CO, we visited the <a href="http://www.glenwoodsew.com/main/" target="_blank">Glenwood Sew Fabric and Quilt Shop</a>. (OK, I was a little more eager to shop there than IT Prof was.) While we were there, we found some fabric printed with images of dogs. One of the breeds pictured looked just like our daughter's new pet, so we couldn't resist.</div>
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The shop also had some black pawprint fabric, so I made two reasonably identical quilted (by me) throw pillows. IT Prof and I are giving the pillows to our daughter for her birthday.</div>
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The Wife's dog looks a lot like the image above, except Diesel Engine (named by a certain train-crazy little boy we know) has one brown eye and one blue eye. I was really tempted to color the eyes of the dog on the pillows but was afraid that might be a bit too tacky. Isn't my self-restraint amazing?</div>
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The photos above cover my 2013 work so far, but I do hope I will end up with more to show you before next December 31st.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-65437253783214953602013-01-01T09:15:00.000-06:002013-01-01T09:16:15.503-06:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!Yesterday was probably my quietest New Year's Eve ever, but, since I spent the day sewing, it was a lot of fun.<br />
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Here are the new things I tried and really liked.<br />
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Jenny Doan from <a href="http://www.missouriquiltco.com/" target="_blank">Missouri Star Quilt Company</a> presents a series of free (and addictive) tutorials on the shop's website. Jenny marks the diagonals on her quilt squares by folding the square into a triangle and pressing the diagonal. I tried her method yesterday and accomplished so much more than I do when (as I always did before) I draw a line to mark the diagonal. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to see the crease, but the light at my sewing table is good enough that I could see the crease just fine.<br />
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Also, as a consequence of watching Jenny's tutorials, I tried quilt basting spray for the first time yesterday. I was only working on small pieces of fabric to make throw pillows with quilted tops, but the basting spray worked great. When I quilted the fabric on my machine, I ended up with no tucks on the back of the quilt sandwich. Hurray!<br />
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However, next time I use the basting spray, no matter how cold the weather is, I intend to open the window first. The spray left a wee bit of a funny odor in the room, and I prefer not to take chances with my asthma.<br />
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One of my resolutions for 2013 is to post the photographs of the projects I completed yesterday on this blog within two weeks. (I have to be realistic; don't I?) Plain text alone can be rather uninteresting.<br />
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I hope your new year is starting out happily.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-61618350815997079942012-12-13T08:31:00.002-06:002012-12-13T08:33:27.089-06:00Stylin' AlongThree-almost-four years old is a wonderful age. The world is much simpler. Wants are much fewer.<br />
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The soles of Omaha's shoes were falling apart. He even showed the bottom of his shoes to IT Prof and me without prompting. The family went to <a href="http://www.spinpizza.com/" target="_blank">Spin</a> in Lenexa for lunch after church two Sundays ago. IT Prof and I offered to buy Omaha new shoes as an early birthday present, and we drove north to <a href="http://www.striderite.com/store/SiteController/striderite/home" target="_blank">Legends</a> and the <a href="http://www.striderite.com/store/SiteController/striderite/home" target="_blank">Stride Rite</a> outlet store.<br />
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I operate under the unconventional theory that children should have shoes with laces until they learn to tie shoes themselves; otherwise, I believe they won't have any incentive to learn. So, Omaha and I looked at the more reasonably priced lace-up shoes. He had just put a pair on when his mother returned from her reconnaisance of the shelves with a pair of Spiderman-like shoes. (They were not even last year's models--I checked--so affordability was not a problem.)<br />
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Of course, boring old Grandma looks at the shoes and sees the velcro fasteners. Omaha looks at the shoes and sees the coolest pair of shoes in the universe. One look at his face, and it was obvious that (to Omaha) it did not matter whether the shoes fit, whether the shoes were comfortable, nor whether the shoes were sturdy. In his mind, Omaha was already leaving the store with those shoes on his feet.</div>
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Fortunately, the pair on his feet fit. Omaha walked around the store showing the-not-quite-his shoes off almost exactly like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby" target="_blank">booby</a> courting on the Galapagos Islands. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa bought the Spiderman shoes as the early birthday present. Even more predictably, Omaha left the Stride Rite outlet store wearing his fine new shoes.</div>
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Do you remember what it was like to wear the absolutely most desirable article of clothing in the world? Omaha is old enough now that, with luck, he might remember this shopping expedition. I hope he does because, as he grows up, the coolest clothes in the world will move out of Grandma and Grandpa's price range. But, at least for now IT Prof and I are almost superheroes ourselves for giving Omaha those shoes.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-43779220906058592162012-12-07T11:02:00.000-06:002012-12-07T12:25:19.878-06:00The Weather Outside is Too Warm for It to Really Begin to Seem Like Christmas, But . . .This year Christmas is calling me strongly.<br />
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When I put up the tree after Thanksgiving, I really started missing Swan, who lives in Minneapolis. She is such a part of decorating the tree almost every year that I felt there was a huge hole while I worked alone.<br />
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I took this photo before the sun rose this morning, so I could get some sort of photo of the tree without the glare from the windows. I did manage to get a reflection of the tree, so maybe my idea wasn't really so good.</div>
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This is an earlier photo of the Christmas tree with the glare on it. Which not-so-good photo of a Christmas tree do you like better?</div>
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The objects on the coffee table (other than the Netflix envelopes) are figurines of carolers, which IT Prof's parents gave us years ago. The carolers are lovely and far better than anything IT Prof and I would have bought for ourselves; so, if the carolers are meant to make us think about IT Prof's parents, the plan is working great.)</div>
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Stockings are supposed to be "hung by the chimney with care," but our mantel is too short and has a piece of molding that precludes using the stocking holders. This year I tried out the bookcases instead and decided I really liked having the stockings next to the Christmas tree. Five of the stockings are my mother-in-law's beautiful needlepoint work. Unfortunately (and not just considering Christmas stockings), my mother-in-law developed too much arthritis in her hands to needlepoint anymore sometime after Swan was born.</div>
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However, fortunately we have added members to our family. I made the quilted stockings out of whatever Christmasy fabric I had when I made them. Thus, sometimes a fabric is repeated in another stocking, but the stockings are all different. I keep forgetting where I keep my stocking patterns, so none of the stockings are the same size (although some of the later ones approach a similar size).</div>
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The stockings I have made are for our son-in-law, our grandson, our daughter-in-law, and, now Swan's friend Shark. The previous list is in chronological order, so, please, no one should read any sort of crazy ulterior motive in the order.</div>
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Yesterday evening I finished making Shark's quilted Christmas stocking. I used ten different fabrics in it, and do have to admit, I did supplement this year's stash with a few new pieces of fabric.</div>
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IT Prof's parents have also given us the beautiful crystal Christmas trees. I, however, bought the table runner in Rhodes. But, come to think of it, IT Prof's parents were the ones who paid for the family trip to Greece, so essentially they gave us the table runner, too. I think these decorations are really pretty in our dining room.</div>
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Roly-Poly Santa is back guarding the front door. This is a Christmas decoration I actually made without the help of IT Prof's parents in a guild-sponsored class two years ago. In real life, our front door and Roly-Poly are rotated one-quarter turn clockwise from what is shown in the photo. But, sometimes I just get tired of playing with the software and accept what I get.</div>
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(This is not too say that it is the software's fault. A few weeks ago I downloaded the free Picasa software. It is the perfect program for someone like me with limited talent in photography but one who is still interested in preserving memories.)</div>
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On a completely different topic, the drought continues in Kansas City.
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Farmers, barge workers, and many other people are really suffering. My disappointment with our disappearing lake seems so shallow in comparison. (The pun is semi-intentional, and it is one of my better ones.) The lake is usually and hopefully in the future eight feet deeper in front of our house than it is now.
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The old wooden roof on our house was 21 years old, and many of the shingles had migrated from the roof to the yard. So, after two weeks of obtaining estimates, agonizing over said estimates, becoming too sick to do anything but lie in bed, and choosing a roofing contractor, our new composite roof was installed. The photos above were taken during the construction process.</div>
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The new roof looks good. However, I really would like a good rainstorm to make sure it doesn't leak. I also hope we get that rain during the roof's warranty period. IT Prof and I are giving each other the roof for Christmas (and maybe for other occasions to be named later). We joke amongst ourselves and other family members that IT Prof and I can each have whatever we want for Christmas as long as its color is Stonegate Gray.</div>
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The new roof is more fire-resistant than the wooden roof, so our insurance premium has been reduced. That doesn't happen often; does it? At least this year, if we have been good enough, Santa's reindeer won't crash through a dilapidated roof. It's nice to have peace of mind, at least for awhile.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-15117182633142658962012-12-02T21:48:00.003-06:002012-12-02T21:59:49.165-06:00Recently Made Quilts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our church's minister's wife gave birth to a daughter at the beginning of October. This is the autograph quilt that our congregation gave to them. It was originally suggested that I put together a 100-block autograph quilt, but my guild's quilt show was scheduled for November 2nd and 3rd and I was in charge of recruiting volunteers for the show. Not unreasonably, I thought a quilt from a kit had a better chance of being finished by the end of 2012.<br />
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I found this kit at Quilter's Station in Lee's Summit and thought the made-up model was cute. Also, our minister's favorite color is orange, so this quilt felt like an extremely good choice. I put the quilt top together, signatures were collected, and I machine quilted the finished product, mostly with freehand meandering.<br />
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I even free-motion quilted my first two oake leaves ever. A professional quilter would not be impressed, but I was pleased with myself, whether reasonably or not.<br />
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The quilt above is the completed wedding gift for the son of one my husband's cousins. It was professonally machine quilted by Beth Kurzava of Raytown, MO, and she did an exquisite job. Even IT Prof told me that he thought the custom quilting was beautiful.<br />
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I hope you can tell just how beautiful the quilting is from the photo above because Beth's work really made this quilt something special.</div>
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The Captain America cape above is a birthday present for our grandson, Omaha, who will turn four soon. Omaha's mother found the free pattern on the <a href="http://www.vanillajoy.com/free-super-hero-cape-logo-patterns.html" target="_blank">Vanilla Joy website.</a> The PDF file did not print off as perfectly as I would have needed to do a better job, but IT Prof said that I should not remake the cape because a four-year-old boy would never notice imperfections in the construction. If I ever make a superhero cape again, however, I will draw my own patterns for the circles. I think that would eliminate my problems.<br />
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I have also been cleaning up the house somewhat, but I am too embarrassed to post photographs of that accomplishment. I am bracing myself to tackle my sewing room (again), which I hope will insprire me to be more productive. I have a Christmas stocking to make for this year!Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-31118100796186812282012-09-21T14:16:00.002-05:002012-09-22T08:25:24.792-05:00Quiltingmama, Lawn Ranger and Protector of Innocent PadlocksYesterday was beautiful. It was sunny, the temperature was mostly in the 70s, and there was a light breeze. "What a perfect day for cutting grass at the new church property," I thought as I was driving on I-470. It's fun to be a Lawn Ranger when you are almost certainly going to be able to get the lawn mower started. The new Grasshopper at the new church property had so far proved much more reliable than the mower at the old property, so I was feeling a lot more optimistic than I did last year. <br />
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Also, readers should know that Lawn Rangers have a great deal of autonomy over when they cut the grass. I try to mow the lawn on a weekday because most of the Lawn Rangers are only available on Saturdays. Cutting the grass at the new property is a two-day job because there is so much grass. Therefore, I avoid trying to use the Grasshopper on the only day someone else can cut grass.<br />
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As I was driving, I sternly reminded myself not to blog about cutting grass because no one would want to read about it, even if this was the first time I was going to cut grass at church since June. (The drought basically killed lawns for awhile.) However, yesterday involved some unusual circumstances, so astute readers have probably already noticed that I couldn't even keep my promise to myself for twenty-four hours.<br />
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The four photos above show part of the front of our new church property. If you think it looks more like an elementary school than a church, you would be right. Our church needs more space, and the Shawnee Mission School District is selling the older schools it no longer needs. Since just buying the property involves a lot of money, there wasn't much left to spend on renovations. And, about half of that money is being spent to bring the property up to 21st century fire codes.</div>
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So, imagine my surprise when I reached the new church property and saw the sight shown below.</div>
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The Lenexa Police Department obviously had its own plans for the property yesterday, so I started to worry about whether I was going to be <em>allowed</em> to mow the grass. Our church is trying to establish a good relationship with our new neighbors, so I figured the police training must be part of that.</div>
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So, I skirted past all the police cars on the north side of the building to park near the shed where the Grasshopper lives. There were a couple of heavy construction vehicles just parking by the shed. When I got out of my car, I saw two men approaching the locked gate separating the north side of the building from the parking in the back. And, one of the men was carrying bolt cutters.</div>
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I walked over to the men and asked if I could help them. The one in charge said they were at the new property to work on the fire lane we need in the back, but they couldn't unlock the gate. Then the man told me they were going to cut the padlock in order to open the gate.</div>
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Silently thanking Penny B. for all of her organizational work in making sure the Lawn Rangers had what they needed at the new property, including keys, I offered to unlock the gate. The man was happy I could do that. I was amazed I arrived ten seconds before the bolt cutters destroyed the padlock rather than ten seconds afterwards. Timely arrivals are not usually my style, and the church budget is tight; we can't just replace padlocks indiscriminately.</div>
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The photo above shows the gate after it was opened and the padlock saved. If you look carefully in the background of the photo, you can see some of the police cars involved with the training.
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While I was later eating lunch in my car, I watched the police practicing outside. It looked a lot like "Law and Order," or perhaps I should say that "Law and Order" looked a lot like what the Lenexa police officers were practicing. Some of the time officers were running in the parking lot with their guns drawn, so I was perfectly happy to keep out of the way of the police.</div>
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Just in case my grandson ever looks at this blog, I also photographed some of the construction equipment once they were on the other side of the gate.</div>
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Next, I figured I'd better talk to the police officers and discover whether it was worth my while to even unlock the shed. The officer in charge told me that the police would be training all day, but most of the time they would be inside the building. That worried me a bit since I knew sometime during the course of the six or so hours I would be there, I would need to go inside for a restroom break. The officer agreed that was reasonable, and we arranged what I should do if I had to get to "their" part of the building. (As it turned out, one of the restrooms which had been unusable earlier in the summer was now available, so I didn't have to interrupt any training exercises.)</div>
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The officer did not want me cutting grass near the police cars, but he did say I could mow the lawn elsewhere. Fortunately, the new property is huge, so there was plenty of shaggy land available. The officer didn't really want me parking near the shed, but when I told him I was going to refill some of the gas cans and didn't really want to carry 30 - 35 pounds of gasoline the long way around the rest of the building, I was granted permission to park near the shed. Hurray!</div>
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After I spoke with the police officer, I telephoned the church office, which is still at the old property. I talked to the office manager and told her about danger the padlock had been in. It was sort of passing the buck, but I didn't know who was in charge of construction site access.</div>
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Then I drove to the gas station and filled up the two-gallon cans I can lift to pour into the Grasshopper's gas tank. (The other Lawn Rangers are men and can lift five-gallon cans, so I bought the smaller cans because I didn't want to appear to be a weakling.) Eventually I was able to start mowing the lawn (but not near the police training exercises).</div>
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And so ends the factual part of this blog. The next part is entirely my own opinion and may be based on erroneous information I only think I know.</div>
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Whoever is serving as general contractor on the renovation project messed up. The fire-lane workmen should not have been reduced to bolt cutters in order to have access to the back of the church. The odds that I would show up with a key to the gate at the right time were miniscule. The gate is usually padlocked, too, so it shouldn't have been a big surprise.</div>
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Also, while I was cutting the grass in back after lunch, I saw the fire-lane workers walking along the drainage ditch to 95th Street and looking at a couple of storm sewer covers. It really seemed as though they were looking for something they needed to know in order to proceed. After the men walked around for awhile, they all got into their trucks and left the property for some two hours.</div>
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Was this another instance of information not being passed along in a timely fashion? Shouldn't the general contractor have made sure the men who were going to build the fire lane knew where the drainage lines were (or whatever the missing information was)?</div>
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It seems as though a great deal of time is being wasted unnecessarily. That bothers me.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-50987581165554264552012-09-19T18:03:00.001-05:002012-09-19T18:04:54.926-05:00I Finally Finished Aurora's 2011 Christmas Present!My new daughter-in-law, Aurora, is patient. You can tell she is because I gave her the beginning of a set of monthly table hangings last Christmas. By beginning, I mean I only had the December and January table hangings done in time for Christmas. About the best you can say about my promptitude is that Aurora did receive each of the next months' table hangings before the appropriate month had technically started.<br />
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When I gave Aurora the October table hanging shown above last Sunday (which was<em> two weeks</em> before October actually started), she and Tremor waxed enthusiastically about the fabric choices. That sort of reception is always a big relief when you give something homemade as a gift.</div>
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Earlier this week I completed November's table hanging by sewing the binding down while IT Prof and I watched television. And, obviously, it's not even October yet. I must be on a roll. :-)<br />
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Those of you who even bother to look at the left-hand-side of this blog will no doubt be thrilled that my year of tiny quilts is now complete.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-88696630318865214242012-09-18T22:07:00.002-05:002012-09-18T22:12:02.986-05:00Citizenship Day 2012Yesterday was not only Citizenship Day, but it was also Constitution Day. Usually our family does not celebrate Citizenship Day formally, but September 17, 2012 was different.<br />
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IT Prof and I drove to the Dole Institute at the University of Kansas in Lawrence yesterday for a special ceremony. Twelve years ago our now son-in-law, The Clown, walked across the Arizona or New Mexico desert (he really isn't sure where) on a dangerous path to the United States. Since then, he met and married our daughter, really upgraded his mother's home in Mexico, returned to Mexico, received his waiver (thanks to many people), returned home to Kansas, was present for the birth of our grandson, received his permanent residency, and passed his citizenship test. Oh, and during that same period, he financed the college educations of his two younger siblings who still live in Mexico. Yesterday was the end of his journey to America and the beginning of his life as an American.<br />
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It was the first time I was ever in the Dole Institute. It seems like a nice building without being too excessive. It does have two beautiful stained glass windows in the lobby.<br />
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Not inappropriately for former Senator Bob Dole, one of the windows symbolizes the Kansas plains where the senator grew up.<br />
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The flag represented on the other window is not inappropriate either in a building named after Senator Dole.<br />
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The U.S. District Court does not usually meet in the lobby of the Dole Institute, but, yesterday, being Citizenship Day, was special.<br />
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We arrived at the Dole Institute early enough that we had a chance to sit in really good seats.</div>
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The Clown's Wife persuaded IT Prof to read <em>The Hunger Games</em> off her iPhone before the ceremony started. (He didn't finish the book before court was called to order.)</div>
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Omaha thought Grandpa had the right idea, so before the ceremony he "read" Rudyard Kipling's <em>How the Elephant Got His Nose</em> off my NookColor. (The NookColor has a feature for some of the children books in which someone with a much better voice than mine narrates the book out loud.)</div>
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The photo above is of The Clown while he was still a Mexican national. He was sitting with the other ninety-six future American citizens in the lobby, where the swearing-in ceremony would take place.</div>
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Our family was watching the ceremony from the "children's room" on account of Omaha, so the photo above of the presiding judge, The Honorable John W. Lungstram, is one I snapped off the video screen. The children in our room were too young to recognize the solemnity of the occasion, but it was a big day for their mom, dad, etc. to become a citizen of the same country the children were already citizens of by birth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KhhPlMEsXAdCBbIcbWFjoDajnSwizTyBGkuf-b07XpUyZ1aESfCV2R0FzzIaOaqhmjgHUoarWm1JCiwcoVIhYCqMgkF9lVYfZn5Bn1yIlRbp33VFbEXJZIAl869J0vg9TVzUd_nkzuTu/s1600/Citizenship+Ceremony+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KhhPlMEsXAdCBbIcbWFjoDajnSwizTyBGkuf-b07XpUyZ1aESfCV2R0FzzIaOaqhmjgHUoarWm1JCiwcoVIhYCqMgkF9lVYfZn5Bn1yIlRbp33VFbEXJZIAl869J0vg9TVzUd_nkzuTu/s320/Citizenship+Ceremony+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The photos above are from the program for the ceremony. Ninety-seven people became American citizens in Lawrence, KS yesterday, but the ceremony never dragged and was incredibly meaningful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZHhQT_kj9pOBwhx8pjwFJPB9TbnbIOO3eldHjIDO2piIH4WLe8GhZlEXLKZdSd7KKvyE-Xt30wL-em9bOV0TGLBM4_HaemseWnsn5-dswZAIHgOLdG8RT4aaT2fqxDRMmON5sFWZLqgL/s1600/Citizenship+Ceremony+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZHhQT_kj9pOBwhx8pjwFJPB9TbnbIOO3eldHjIDO2piIH4WLe8GhZlEXLKZdSd7KKvyE-Xt30wL-em9bOV0TGLBM4_HaemseWnsn5-dswZAIHgOLdG8RT4aaT2fqxDRMmON5sFWZLqgL/s320/Citizenship+Ceremony+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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However, since Omaha is only three years old, his toy construction equipment was a helpful diversion for him, even though it was his father's big moment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOcjRdVdZ8CLyTOYD6ofRzRrq-y9RELSlylg2vrWmxL_KhNl8QAlLwo94Ozr6lnyqaJg5vOjJi6ixokXKtcsQKZpxo-bfFtCIgCITI2RD6-UzAoDM8VOHeAfnAlHtRytGfjwNRXhDp28z/s1600/Mr.+American+Citizen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOcjRdVdZ8CLyTOYD6ofRzRrq-y9RELSlylg2vrWmxL_KhNl8QAlLwo94Ozr6lnyqaJg5vOjJi6ixokXKtcsQKZpxo-bfFtCIgCITI2RD6-UzAoDM8VOHeAfnAlHtRytGfjwNRXhDp28z/s320/Mr.+American+Citizen.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, the line of new citizens was moving too quickly for me to take a really good photograph of one of America's newest citizens just as he received his naturalization papers. But, I believe it was the first photograph of The Clown as an American, so I am posting it anyway.</div>
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And, what did The Clown do first thing after he became an American citizen? He registered to vote.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-19693931529424062072012-09-07T14:44:00.001-05:002012-09-07T14:53:33.853-05:00My Grandson, The Genius (in What I Hope Will Be a Continuing Series)--Part 1Life has interrupted my computer usage, so I have neglected this blog lately. Before I return to my digression, let me brag about an amazing event which occurred afer lunch today.<br />
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(If you do not know what Grandparents' Day is, you probably just want to skip this entire post.)<br />
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Today my grandson's, Omaha's, preschool had lunch for the preschoolers' grandparents in honor of Grandparents' Day. Luckily, I was free to join my favorite three-year-old-in-2012. Despite the controversy the next sentence will cause, I must say it. No one in the world could ask for a better grandchild than Omaha. (Hopefully one day I will be blessed to meet Omaha's equals. This is not intended as a hint; I just don't want to hurt the feelings of any future grandchildren IT Prof and I might have if this blog still exists if and when said possible grandchildren exist and can read.)<br />
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Omaha dropped what he was doing and ran over to greet me. Thus, my day was made. I enjoyed playing with him, eating lunch with him, and then playing with him again.<br />
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Omaha did something with a set of ten nesting boxes that I have never seen any other child do (and I had three myself). While Omaha was nesting the boxes back together from largest to smallest, he would pick out what he considered to be the next size of box. Then he would match up the side of the smaller box with the side of the larger box as if they were squares and compare (in his head) the difference in sizes.<br />
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If Omaha thought he had selected the correct box, he would nest the new box inside the first box; then he repeated the process. If he thought the difference in sizes was too great, he looked for another box. He only made a mistake when the proper box was out of his sight. When he saw the proper box, he self-corrected.<br />
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Of course, I was and am very impressed, and I am quite proud that I managed to keep from pointing out to the other grandparents in the room that Omaha was the most brilliant child present. I asked Omaha whether anyone had ever shown him how to compare the sides of the boxes as he was doing. He told me that it was his idea. <br />
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Also, it is important to note that the nesting boxes were on shelves in a room Omaha does not usually spend time in.<br />
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Omaha has always been precise with objects and likes to line toys (such as train engines) up as perfectly as he can. It looks as though he has harnessed this ability into mathematical smarts. It was hard for me not to make a big fuss over my clever grandchild's talent, but I stayed silent in front of Omaha in order to keep him from becoming conceited.<br />
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Then Omaha had to return to his classroom for afternoon nap. And, we had to say good-bye which was not nearly as much fun as saying hello.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-3332337984648578672012-08-26T20:49:00.001-05:002012-08-26T20:56:25.313-05:00Incredibly Busy Summer--Part 7Today's beginning digression is another one of my projects.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxhrVH_7UawTVfrkyZYeUIKsQcx6oaBpbdS8VTtzd4ihrpeEq3wN20ewu20z9ISro1cLO9gUJKI7wV0dt_IKbyTdbNMgwNrAd1RMY3knA5XlSOubXSdLw6IpoPLiPSss4-wNCvVIbSBAD/s1600/MMP's+Walker+Bag+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxhrVH_7UawTVfrkyZYeUIKsQcx6oaBpbdS8VTtzd4ihrpeEq3wN20ewu20z9ISro1cLO9gUJKI7wV0dt_IKbyTdbNMgwNrAd1RMY3knA5XlSOubXSdLw6IpoPLiPSss4-wNCvVIbSBAD/s320/MMP's+Walker+Bag+Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVnULcqEMwMa0Qzs7l5KldVBeVAnFRGGWc2JGBF__7Z_LuDVLq4QEaHbaI2-50qYnce5jzJpzuuHxrzApxUvtzx502wQ37ofzvBXAZBIC_LOOdyOHJs2ZL1dHlUX1p_CjbxtLE0NaXiwu/s1600/MMP's+Walker+Bag+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVnULcqEMwMa0Qzs7l5KldVBeVAnFRGGWc2JGBF__7Z_LuDVLq4QEaHbaI2-50qYnce5jzJpzuuHxrzApxUvtzx502wQ37ofzvBXAZBIC_LOOdyOHJs2ZL1dHlUX1p_CjbxtLE0NaXiwu/s320/MMP's+Walker+Bag+Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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IT Prof's mother has just started using a walker. The two photos above show the front and back of the walker bag I just made her. I found the free <a href="http://sewing.about.com/od/healthbeautyitems/ss/walkerbag.htm" target="_blank">walker bag pattern</a> on the web. Of course, being me, I couldn't make the walker bag without my own modifications.<br />
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First, since I didn't have any D-rings, I just made and used ordinary ties for the side attachments. Second, I wanted the walker bag to have a little bit of pizzazz, so I appliquéd the flowers on the front pockets. The appliqués were fairly simple, but it took me almost as long to make them as it did for me to make the rest of the bag. <br />
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In fact, I spent much longer on the appliqués if you count shopping time. I "had" to go buy buttons for the flower centers, for the top straps, and for closing the top of the walker bag because none of the buttons I already had fit my design conception. (Apparently I am willing to go shopping for buttons but not for D-rings.)<br />
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Except for the buttons, I also used only my stash for materials. "Fortunately," I managed to find two fabrics that worked together. The pattern called for heavier fabric for the body of the bag, so I made my own quilted fabric for the body of the bag. I just used simple freehand meandering quilting, so that didn't really take too long either.<br />
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My mother-in-law hasn't seen the walker bag yet, but IT Prof actually said (without my hinting) that he thought the bag was pretty. Of course, neither one of us is pleased that his mother might need a walker bag, but at least we can give her a nice-looking one.<br />
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Now let's return to the Common Threads Quilt Show in Wichita, Kansas last June.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtGFsFHdCCOqusRUj-UZkFAG27UYrbEXh5xH0dwCdmHwUDuegRr5h_29_D4HHlPs_Rcy2AOm-o6vC0vo_QgmNvY9AS9RPbeNyxRrucex7bVbQQl21-ePq0hJIqTeCcLPyhToXz8XA7obn/s1600/WQS+Quilt+21A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtGFsFHdCCOqusRUj-UZkFAG27UYrbEXh5xH0dwCdmHwUDuegRr5h_29_D4HHlPs_Rcy2AOm-o6vC0vo_QgmNvY9AS9RPbeNyxRrucex7bVbQQl21-ePq0hJIqTeCcLPyhToXz8XA7obn/s320/WQS+Quilt+21A.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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The quilt above is Edith Dilsaver's<em> My Blue Quilt</em>. She hand embroidered the blocks before she pieced them together. Blue is my favorite color, so I was wired to love this quilt. I can't embroider (especially since I have carpal tunnel), but I certainly admire all the work that went into this beautiful quilt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIBsmGgbRlc4j2hNVdhXX3Y_D7QVqTnS2j2QO2FsjnI8ICWG4_3DPQG4pyWn1QRik-0Rlj_PaykrXCwtIvCGTaoLPAn13ZHMwoJ97ko-at8Ghzn73tKs9CsRLNnRvYHSld348EhyZcGeK/s1600/WQS+Quilt+22A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIBsmGgbRlc4j2hNVdhXX3Y_D7QVqTnS2j2QO2FsjnI8ICWG4_3DPQG4pyWn1QRik-0Rlj_PaykrXCwtIvCGTaoLPAn13ZHMwoJ97ko-at8Ghzn73tKs9CsRLNnRvYHSld348EhyZcGeK/s320/WQS+Quilt+22A.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The pieced quilt above is <em>Conestoga Star</em>, made by Betty Enright. Aren't all the tiny bits of fabric pieced together so precisely amazing? This complicated quilt also manages to seem quite elegant to me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBj2KJ_P3V4eTHxE0X5qPdoFlc0-Nftnrcoj6olFbj7_5zcdHSDLU443FKHg4Iw9zKyGYbb39OHC-esbQXXuodP7TyYSiEcVVgHx7tiZRYQDgQa_3VWIDUMSyvqr1QNoETX8hWXoXwzknf/s1600/WQS+Quilt+23A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBj2KJ_P3V4eTHxE0X5qPdoFlc0-Nftnrcoj6olFbj7_5zcdHSDLU443FKHg4Iw9zKyGYbb39OHC-esbQXXuodP7TyYSiEcVVgHx7tiZRYQDgQa_3VWIDUMSyvqr1QNoETX8hWXoXwzknf/s320/WQS+Quilt+23A.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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The pieced quilt above is <em>Storm at Sea--Bayview</em>, made by Sheri Schoenebeck. This is another awesome job of piecing little bits of fabric. I also like the cheerful color scheme.<br />
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There are still a few photos from the quilt show left. They will be posted either tomorrow or on TuesdayQuiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-54832649371327000092012-08-24T21:45:00.001-05:002012-08-24T21:45:25.129-05:00Incredibly Busy Summer--Part 6Today I digress from my digression. I have been sewing during the last couple of days. I finished another table hanging for Aurora. This means I'm 5/6 of the way finished on her Christmas gift from last year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YTi0W39apjSL_rXqpq2rqFDfKx56ZLvM5NLhkF7ynS4N7Tqe0sRqKXTAuovx1ay-lnC99OxHnMxI8MiMEiiO1cLcRj-V-acNAKAyvhwAKMEvJNbA5UxUc1s0TCe0nA8LEa7yQMERNMDj/s1600/Amanda's+September+table+hanging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YTi0W39apjSL_rXqpq2rqFDfKx56ZLvM5NLhkF7ynS4N7Tqe0sRqKXTAuovx1ay-lnC99OxHnMxI8MiMEiiO1cLcRj-V-acNAKAyvhwAKMEvJNbA5UxUc1s0TCe0nA8LEa7yQMERNMDj/s320/Amanda's+September+table+hanging.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other project I've been working on is a walker bag for my mother-in-law. That is still a work in progress. I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow.<br />
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To give you some idea of what the farmers around here are suffering from the drought, here are some photos of our lake, which is ten feet down from pool depth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVj5rrgco6d8XB_i1fOKgodmn5WAb2ruSeTJu-1_H6jK4d3_9s9orvZyhwM63BNtqRm8FX6HWj-rL9WXgAONmzqoapBwOLXoRHFKFCdmXIPs9kZ7Pypf3pnnKuCs9FiCijWeXF1YA1JzFJ/s1600/Drought--3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVj5rrgco6d8XB_i1fOKgodmn5WAb2ruSeTJu-1_H6jK4d3_9s9orvZyhwM63BNtqRm8FX6HWj-rL9WXgAONmzqoapBwOLXoRHFKFCdmXIPs9kZ7Pypf3pnnKuCs9FiCijWeXF1YA1JzFJ/s320/Drought--3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you look on the right-hand side of the photo above near the top, you can see a dock resting on what used to be the bottom of the lake. Now the dock rests on what is becoming more and more dried-out mud.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2TMNHtarVxqTigvJIofyuk72sweVFSL4rWaPT-gcClkuKSCvkmI5p6zX2jliTisdFpYUwD_kgZsRvtTzfq_UCBDhyphenhyphen4NcPW7UJHxzpx3C0TCg8iguSLMvmY-spd22YWGlnImRMQub3LC1/s1600/Drought--8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2TMNHtarVxqTigvJIofyuk72sweVFSL4rWaPT-gcClkuKSCvkmI5p6zX2jliTisdFpYUwD_kgZsRvtTzfq_UCBDhyphenhyphen4NcPW7UJHxzpx3C0TCg8iguSLMvmY-spd22YWGlnImRMQub3LC1/s320/Drought--8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The photo above whows a closer view of the dock, but you really need to see the long shot in order to appreciate just how much evaporation has been going on here this long, hot, dry summer. Can you imagine how horrible it must be if your livelihood depended upon rain?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZK8DmeYmktnGDESWzF5RSD_-prgYgcx6_NbYIhaugXV7zbXkG-MWrU0CTfR7GOr9X5J0vYRVpFJTnk_ElSUAabWcpyEMsCPs0SzGLEEzSMaJAeg5JgE52bt67CMZZgQDMvopC5NIVoRpN/s1600/Drought--4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZK8DmeYmktnGDESWzF5RSD_-prgYgcx6_NbYIhaugXV7zbXkG-MWrU0CTfR7GOr9X5J0vYRVpFJTnk_ElSUAabWcpyEMsCPs0SzGLEEzSMaJAeg5JgE52bt67CMZZgQDMvopC5NIVoRpN/s320/Drought--4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The lake generally reaches at least the bottom stone step. The two little steps at the bottom are supposed to be for dry times, but those bottom steps are way above the waterline now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhIRJghFhAy3dQ1un5iKs-GpfS0JDG-RIciLy6TvspzIsAkoS3Hk4Vzvoozynv_KVzE7ii4pQn6ZUkGFX_4aqwzJ24p2OxeqUfkiLKpy8oSSDHaBstiMrJKfpa0cfD0VLaDQdN35ZqLu4/s1600/Drought--6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhIRJghFhAy3dQ1un5iKs-GpfS0JDG-RIciLy6TvspzIsAkoS3Hk4Vzvoozynv_KVzE7ii4pQn6ZUkGFX_4aqwzJ24p2OxeqUfkiLKpy8oSSDHaBstiMrJKfpa0cfD0VLaDQdN35ZqLu4/s320/Drought--6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you can see the intake pipe on the left side of the above photo sort of in the center (it looks like a stick), you can see we're not able to use the lake to water our yard this summer. Tomorrow IT Prof and I start watering the foundation of our house with city water in hopes that we can prevent settlement problems caused by the drought. I really hope it works.Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946955535372301308.post-54292288610862785142012-08-21T19:24:00.002-05:002012-08-22T06:38:05.130-05:00Incredibly Busy Summer--Part 5As a complete<em> non sequitur</em>, I would like to report that our beautiful lake is gradually becoming a muck pond. However, apparently waterfowl enjoy shallow water because we have been seeing a lot of ducks this summer.<br />
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Yesterday evening I looked out the window and saw two new birds on the shore. I almost couldn't believe my eyes, but they were buzzards. The buzzards must have been thirsty because I don't think they qualify as waterfowl.<br />
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OK, back to where I was.
Also, it took me way too long to find the ASCII codes and figure out how to use them, but alert readers can rejoice in the fact that I finally know how to use accent marks in my blog.<br />
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Today I'm continuing to take a break from my vacation photos in order to describe a bit of the Common Threads Quilt Show in Wichita, KS this past June. My guild's bus trip this year went to the show on June 21st, and was it a FANTASTIC show!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq44e2xzj82DPsjBP1297Lpx5lUMaS-wdaU3go5He11APjMVPYU3RoM0FtjJYpYVB2VteZh5h2MIC8btN_8vjQ6_pP6Q7IklKR2z4ty0rxjC7ewsFHZ738PqsKyyJcokiuD6TtCN_5bUk/s1600/WQS+Quilt+8A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq44e2xzj82DPsjBP1297Lpx5lUMaS-wdaU3go5He11APjMVPYU3RoM0FtjJYpYVB2VteZh5h2MIC8btN_8vjQ6_pP6Q7IklKR2z4ty0rxjC7ewsFHZ738PqsKyyJcokiuD6TtCN_5bUk/s320/WQS+Quilt+8A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wow! This is<em> Quite by Accident</em>, appliquéd and quilted by Nancy Staton.
This quilt reminds me sort of a Mayan calendar. I like the prairie points along the edge of the quilt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaRZ8EJiFxkHvD7w_sDXD1c9pz72UA1OwWK5t4nlynwB6_YtUAczdA9yPoTud9ZCUvl5AemLsc-PXre6xTXPsGpCu5Hx_e-G_uYFATMGQnK3hedjgZcqQ6jNtOpt3r7XQeaoXJvwSaOlg/s1600/WQS+Quilt+9A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaRZ8EJiFxkHvD7w_sDXD1c9pz72UA1OwWK5t4nlynwB6_YtUAczdA9yPoTud9ZCUvl5AemLsc-PXre6xTXPsGpCu5Hx_e-G_uYFATMGQnK3hedjgZcqQ6jNtOpt3r7XQeaoXJvwSaOlg/s320/WQS+Quilt+9A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The quilt above is<em> Let Harmony Come 'Round</em>, appliquéd and quilted by Barbara Nickelson. I love the color gradations in the maze and their repetition in the flowers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9hlDeqTYRD96xhSNtbEGWlNsO6zXQqx1J6gRf_MPqKTSuzeMWXyOvt8T3pBUERj8uW1zp2wtRwfN8nugkfO8Djn2O25YZXjKr2fUjtCukR4-xCpwIjk_lPX95sKOUO2mq7TSEwNOnZrM/s1600/WQS+Quilt+12A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9hlDeqTYRD96xhSNtbEGWlNsO6zXQqx1J6gRf_MPqKTSuzeMWXyOvt8T3pBUERj8uW1zp2wtRwfN8nugkfO8Djn2O25YZXjKr2fUjtCukR4-xCpwIjk_lPX95sKOUO2mq7TSEwNOnZrM/s320/WQS+Quilt+12A.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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The quilt above is <em>Memories</em>, pieced, appliquéd, and quilted by Florence Kirkland for her granddaughter. I hope the granddaughter treasures the beautiful heirloom she has been given.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY6qsjxYXndB75mPws8TX5Ms-tLCspAcophZ__umiMzSZRMqgpzMAZpeActXwVDTGy0IzfIbjDYVCEJlfoF5gNi1yzPI4QhTJgAdxD9qj7WmXF9gb0fG-XUWItfFLPzkjtexMfjXgURx8/s1600/WQS+Quilt+18A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY6qsjxYXndB75mPws8TX5Ms-tLCspAcophZ__umiMzSZRMqgpzMAZpeActXwVDTGy0IzfIbjDYVCEJlfoF5gNi1yzPI4QhTJgAdxD9qj7WmXF9gb0fG-XUWItfFLPzkjtexMfjXgURx8/s320/WQS+Quilt+18A.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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The quilt above is <em>A Real Farmer's Daughter</em>, pieced and appliquéd by Robin Newton. I apologize, but my photo of the attribution missed the quilter's name. This quilt combines some of my favorites in quilting: a variety of blocks, scrappiness in colors, and earthtones. This quilt would so work in my house!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTXbzyKYDgl5JorOyUx36fxCqcLPnb4JJ7eaA5MYCXsRtHRO1VF0t6Mta3EO6ELHd1DFRojdosfZBy2jomNbnqbAr7LketY9nwWkgK0kc7UaZjdFiZ4447GtdY0SMtOZ-6TSYzDcTPobO/s1600/WQS+Quilt+19A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTXbzyKYDgl5JorOyUx36fxCqcLPnb4JJ7eaA5MYCXsRtHRO1VF0t6Mta3EO6ELHd1DFRojdosfZBy2jomNbnqbAr7LketY9nwWkgK0kc7UaZjdFiZ4447GtdY0SMtOZ-6TSYzDcTPobO/s320/WQS+Quilt+19A.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
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The quilt above is Cosmic Kaffe Fassett Circles, pieced and appliquéd by Karen Armstrong. I apologize again, but my photo of the attribution missed the quilter's name. Isn't this quilt bright and cheery? The black background just makes the colors pop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w_H3Lcq_D-1DK3Ma7ORZCYRcMrbtC8h3zMQhbhHuByFv3LxOrEUkr1xRx6FLgfgji-LosG39dXg2mkxVbVpnqrurEu6L-yTNYM6Wx4HwXthOMGDCdyJor9rHQvG1OL5a8f23Uif_QFmC/s1600/WQS+Quilt+20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w_H3Lcq_D-1DK3Ma7ORZCYRcMrbtC8h3zMQhbhHuByFv3LxOrEUkr1xRx6FLgfgji-LosG39dXg2mkxVbVpnqrurEu6L-yTNYM6Wx4HwXthOMGDCdyJor9rHQvG1OL5a8f23Uif_QFmC/s320/WQS+Quilt+20A.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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The quilt above is <em>Interlocking Stars</em>, pieced by Midori Melton. I apologize a third time, but my photo of the attribution missed the quilter's name. I love quilts that look as though chains interlock. The complicated stars add another degree of complexity.</div>
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Well, IT Prof just started our latest <em>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</em> from Netflix. Since the shows are puzzles, if not mysteries, I'm going to leave off now and pay attention to the TV.</div>
Quiltingmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05518024734098077354noreply@blogger.com0