Design wall Monday

My design wall is like my brain these days, scattered. See many more design walls here on Patchwork Times.

At the very top of my wall are four blocks of a leader and ender project inspired by an antique baby quilt I saw at the Vermillion Quilt Show, shown below.

My tribute to this unknown quilter is made (mostly so far) from 2" finished off-cut triangles from the scrappy red and green Poinsettia Block quilt on the left of my design wall in the picture above. Inspired, not a copy, my triangles all march in the same direction. I will make more as the mood strikes.

To the right of the Poinsettia quilt are more leaders and enders in "stamps" and snowball blocks.

All the fabrics in this project except the Kaufman Kona Snow used in the snowballs are from several years of rootling through Lori's cutting room trash box. I cut most of my gleanings into 2-1/2" squares. I also cut 1-1/2" and 3-1/2" squares.

The triangles in the corners of the snowballs are 3-1/4" squares cut once diagonally and then trimmed. The plan is for a throw consisting of  10" blocks set 5 x 7 with a plain inner border and probably a pieced checkerboard outer border, if I have enough squares.

Finally the Poinsettia, I had an urge to make something in red and green and saw a picture on the Interwebs. I later discovered the original pattern is a freebie from Timeless Treasures which you can download and print here. Needless to say mine is not made from the pattern but that works for me.

I should confess there is yet another project hidden under the poinsettia, did I mention I am somewhat scattered these days?


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The Block From H E Double Hockey Sticks

There it is. Looks quite innocent doesn't it? Smug, simple even.

I have made many of these blocks. This one was different.

This block is made in four units, the first three were totally uneventful. Then I sewed one piece with the wrong sides together, no problem, just unpick, press and resew, right?

My ripper broke. I went to Lori's and got a new one out of stock and went back home. That one broke too, must be a defective batch. I went back to Lori's, again, set that box aside to return and got a new ripper out of a different box. That one did its job and I resewed the segment. Next comes press.

I had spilled something on my ironing board, a huge scorch appeared instantly. The air turned blue and it was not from the burning whatever I spilled.

OK. Deep breath, clean the iron, scrub the ironing board. Iron it dry with a paper towel. Place a clean paper towel there just in case the goop is not all gone.

Unpick block, again. Throw away the scorched bits and search madly for the last little piece of the right fabric. Resew very carefully -

with the wrong sides together.

Unpick. block. again.

You ever do things like that?



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My Boy

Boysie likes to lie in a patch of sunlight on the living room carpet. In the nice air conditioning of course. Sunbathing with all mod cons.

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A Tale of Two Yo-Yos

The Yo-yo story started a couple of years ago when Lori said she wanted to use her huge collection of fabric nickels and expressed interest in something to do with yo-yos. She is a sucker for handwork which I generally loathe.

I slipped some Clover Quick Yo-yo Makers into our regular order from the wholesaler. At the time I ordered the extra-large size (because making less is better right?) and of course the end product was larger than I had expected, requiring a larger than 5" square of  fabric. Strike one ...

Then there was a magazine, this one,  American Patchwork & Quilting, June 2011. I dropped heavy hints to no avail, even took the magazine to South Dakota on my summer trip, but there was no divine turquoise yo-yo lap quilt in my Christmas box. I can't find the magazine but seem to remember it is made by stitching the yo-yos onto 3" strips.
Last week I re-ordered and got the right size, large, which makes the traditional almost 2" yo-yo from a 4-1/2" square. Yay!

When the box arrived Lori was literally hovering. Since then I know she has made more than 200. I am impressed that the ugliest of fabric looks nice scrunched into a yo-yo.

The Yo-Yo Makers are fiendishly clever. A stupendously simple idea, you sandwich the fabric between the two plastic pieces of the template, trim around the edges and stitch in the holes. After popping out the template you pull on the thread to gather the fabric, knot, bury the thread and it is done. Quite amazing.

Lori wants to make a queen sized quilt.

She is going to make a plain white wholecloth quilt, quilt it and then stitch 'blocks' of yo-yos to make a medallion on top. I think she told me she would need a couple of thousand yo-yos.

The thought of that makes my mind spin wheelies and feel quite hysterical. I think I shall make a small pillow. Maybe.

The two yo-yos? Well obviously Lori (2000 of them!) and me because I am making them too.

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Lime Tree

Regular readers will know that the Lime Tree long arm quilting pantograph by Keryn Emerson is my current favorite. One of the many things I didn't know is that the Lime tree that inspired Keryn to make her pantograph not only grows all over North America, including in my town, but is called something completely different here from the rest of the English speaking world.

Let me introduce you to the Lime tree, (Tilia americana) is also known as a Linden or Basswood tree in the USA.

I discovered these trees on an evening walk when the most heady and familiar tropical perfume simply had to be tracked down. Boysie and I followed it upwind until we found where it was coming from.

On the corner of Depot and Elm Streets is the old County Highway Department building and judging from their height, around 60 years ago someone planted five Linden trees along the street frontages.

Click images to enlarge 

As you can see the tree is loaded with blossoms, the source of that heavenly jasmine-like fragrance that had me tracking like a hound dog.

Sadly the blooming period is brief and the flowers do not last more than a few hours in a vase.

See a close-up of the flower here.

This last picture is of the tiny berry like seeds which follow

the flowers. I have read that the tree does not grow easily from seed, commercial growers find it easier to propagate them from cuttings.

Do you have a Linden tree in your town?

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Boysie's Blue Cat

April: Our found kitty was been advertised in the local newspaper with no response.  I guess that means he is now ours. Money has been spent.

He has been neutered, wormed and vaccinated and his 'digestive' problems are over after completing a course of antibiotics. He is the most co-operative cat I have ever medicated.

Boysie was so happy to see him when we went to pick him up from the Veterinarian after his alterations! Kitty, not so overjoyed, he wanted to sleep.

Sometimes I wonder what is going on in that little dog's mind, he did search for the cat throughout the day.

Click images to enlarge 

Kitty Blue seems to be getting resigned to being an 'indoor cat' but he spends a lot of time gazing out the windows, that is when he is not eating or napping or wrestling with the dog.

What a difference a few months makes!

Blue is a real character. While he was always very friendly he has become affectionate. Unfortunately he asks for affection by rubbing his face on whatever portion of my anatomy is most convenient and then biting, not hard but hard enough to get my instant attention as he has sharp teeth. When I am awake I firmly discourage this. When I am sleeping he often gets to enjoy flying practice, but he bears no grudge.

Note who has all the toys in his bed!

Watching the two of them wrestle you would think the dog is killing the cat, to the contrary the cat regularly punctures the dog.

Blue is absolutely determined to get outside and succeeds too often for my peace of mind. The basement steps are off the side porch so sometimes I pretend to be taking Boysie out by the side door and close the kitchen door as soon as Blue goes through it before using the front door with the dog. Blue enjoys hanging out in the cool, dimly lit basement but no longer takes the bait unless Boysie actually has his leash on.

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Design Wall Monday

Click image to enlarge

This is yet another kit, this one purchased from Connecting Threads for $50. The pattern which came with the kit is called Fabric Dance. It will be throw sized, about 57" x 70" and uses 6-1/4 yards of Connecting Threads own line of very well priced and nice quality batiks.

At the top the ongoing Nana's Squares leaders and enders project, two more blocks have been added.

To see lots more design walls go to  Patchwork Times.

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