Some Checks Off The List

Time has been very scrunched for me lately because I'm in the middle of moving my mother from one living situation to another--which has meant interviews, doctors' visits and now weeding through personal things to make the new smaller acommodations not be too crowded. My brother is helping in his own way but sometimes men (and maybe women) don't understand the needs of older people and the necessity to make the move as smooth as possible. The usual chaos of moving just doesn't work with someone who is confused and not steady on their feet.

All of which is to say that I haven't been doing a lot of quilting. However, I do have the next block on my Red & Green Quilt finished. I worked on it on our trip to Nashville. With needleturn, you really need a smooth road for the car to travel on or you don't do too well on those little circles. I'm happy to report that most of the roads were. So now I have one more corner block and one more side block to go. Moving right along.

I also have finished the wallhanging that I did with the woven strips. I added the circles across the surface of the quilt and named it "Tubing Down The Red River. I made the quilt to try out the weaving technique. I have to say, I don't think I'll do it again because I didn't like the finished appearance of the fabric pieces--too much raveling. I secured all of the edges with invisible thread but still didn't like it. BUT I may be a bit too picky about that. I'm hoping that I'm the only one that feels that way because I'm donating it to the silent auction in Houston and I REALLY hope someone wants to take it home with them.

The last thing that I've been working on this this fall project that was on the cover of the latest Fons & Porter magazine. The orginal project called for the applique pieces to be out of wool and to be hand appliqued. Well, since I would want it to go on a dining table I didn't want to use the wool. And the sunflowers were 3-dimensional, but I didn't do that either. One really good thing about this pattern was that it presents a different way to do the border. You'd have to get the magazine and read the instructions but, in short, you cut the strips on the bias and then sew them together as a frame--with the 45 degree-- edges and then overlay them on the background. And, since it's on the bias, you can turn back the inner edges to make scallops. The only trick is to keep that bias from stretching! Anyway, it was a fun technique and I think I'll use it again.

Well, the low tide awaits and I think I'll go catch a few shrimp. Have a great Labor Day Weekend.