Month: March 2018

Turkey Tracks: My Traveling Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  March 26, 2018

My Traveling Quilt

There’s Tori Manzi pointing to the awesome tattoo block she made for my quilt.  It’s by Berene Campbell, Happy Sew Lucky.  Here’s a really good example of the things you can learn when you associate with other quilters.  Campbell has a whole set of tattoo motifs on her blog and store, and she has finished a quilt made with her tattoo blocks.  They are exciting!  I hope you go on a little visit to her web sites soon–and she is also on Instagram:  HappySewLucky.wordpress.com and http://www.HappySewLucky.com.

Thank you Tori!  And I also love the moon in the blue night sky.  Tori started us making these round log cabin blocks, and I’m so happy she put one in my quilt.

She also did this long border on the right.  She learned this technique, I think, at the Pink Castle (great fabric web site) GlamStitchALot (or something like that).  I admired it about two years ago–and she remembered.

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There is just so much love and thoughtfulness in this quilt.  So many wonderful friends have made me something really special.  I will treasure it forever!!!

 

Turkey Tracks: Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild Traveling Quilts in March

Turkey Tracks:  March 26, 2018

Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild Traveling Quilts in March

The Traveling quilts are totally amazing us.  Projected finish for this rotation is July.  It’s a good thing because they are getting BIG.  Of course, quilt tops often look bigger than they eventually turn out to be.

Tori Manzi worked on two quilts this month.  Below is JoAnn Moore’s quilt.  Tori made the long border, using Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s herringbone braid method–found in her new book MODERN QUILT MAGIC.

Gorgeous, yes.  Note that the method is different than the kind of braid we’ve seen before this “magic” one.

Tori also worked on MY QUILT–which I think is now the coolest one.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  (We each claim our quilt is THE BEST.)  I’ll do a separate post on my quilt as there are a lot of pictures this post.

Lynn Vermeulen added this quote to Tori’s quilt:

Becca added “It takes a village to raise a child” to Margaret-Elaine Jinno’s quilt and linked up some of the blocks around the village green that Vicki Fletcher made.

There are other blocks in this quilt, but I accidentally erased them.  Next time.  I have this quilt now and am looking forward to working on it.

Vicki Fletcher’s quilt is BIG now.  I’m having a hard time getting a picture that covers everything.  I’m bringing a ladder next meeting!!!

Margaret Elaine added two moons white igloos surrounded by Northern Lights.  Vicki and Mike homesteaded in Alaska for many years before returning to Maine.

And this little block with the saxophone–Mike Fletcher plays.  Nancy Wright did the flower block.

Linda Satkowski made the yellow strip with black/white hexes for Lynn Vermeulen’s quilt.  AND added the selvage border around the block that, I think, Joann Moore did.  Lynn originally said she wanted a wall hanging, but when she saw how the quilt was developing she changed her mind.  She started with the “Quilt” saying at the top.

I worked on Nancy Wright’s quilt–which is all about stars.  There are a lot of big star blocks, and I thought the quilt needed some little stars.  The long blocks are Jen Kingwell’s “glitter” block.  Three of them together look something like the three wisemen stars.  I drew the spinning stars on EQ8–they look better on point.  The “constellation” block is Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, which is really only a star cluster.  Only 8 people will have worked on this quilt, so I stole a star from nearby Taurus.  It’s now “Eight Sisters.”

Here’s a pic taken from a ladder!!

I made no attempt to link up any of these stars as I think Nancy will want to do so.

We are having so much fun!

 

Turkey Tracks: A Sunday Morning Treat: Chawne Kimber’s Quilts

Turkey Tracks:  March 25, 2018

A Sunday Morning Treat:  Chawne Kimber’s Quilts

Oh my.

My heart is still singing.

 

I’m sure these are not ALL of Chawne  Kimber’s quilts, but…

…you can enjoy a bit of an art show when you read this post.

 

Her blog is Cauchy Complete.  She’s a math college professor, and “Cauchy” is the last name of a mathematician she admires.

https://cauchycomplete.wordpress.com/quilt-gallery/

ENJOY!

Turkey Tracks and Books: And My Birthday

Turkey Tracks and Books:  March 18, 2018

And My Birthday

Friend Roxanne Wells not only suggested William Kent Krueger’s novels (set in Minnesota), she lent me the ones she has, which is all of them but the one coming out this summer.

Guess what I do at lunch these days?  And late into the night.

Reading Krueger is a bit like reading Paul Doiron’s books about a Maine game wardens solving murder mysteries.

Friend Lynn Vermeulen sent me this card, and I burst out laughing when I opened it.

My friends know that I have been watching ALL of Project Runway and PR All Stars this winter–another piece of mischief fomented by Roxanne Wells.  The key saying in every program, just before the judging begins, is the following:  “As you know, in fashion, one minute you’re in, and the next you’re OUT.”  Lynn’s card statement finishes with a happier ending.

I feel really blessed with my friends and family’s attentions.  My birthday was great.

We have two feet of snow on the ground and a cold snap, so the snow isn’t going anywhere fast.  But it is very pretty, and the days are longer, and the birds are singing.  And, the female turkeys have joined up with the males–which means the breeding season is starting.  They all know I’ll throw out some black-oiled sunflower seeds when there is snow on the ground.  They were all here this morning.  They come look in the windows if I am too slow in feeding them.

Look at this design wall!  There is a whole lot of fun going on in my house:  The scrap quilt with “made” fabric, upper left.  Valse Brilliante.  A big block selvage quilt in “cool” colors–using a larger version of Amy Friend’s design.  Bonnie Hunter Garlic Knot and Wild and Goose blocks.  Assorted foundation pieced log cabins.   A “cool” neutral block from SUNDAY MORNING QUILTS–this one by Cheryl Arkinson.   AND, Long Time Gone quilt blocks.

LOL.  The bed in the adjoining bedroom only has ONE big quilt ready to quilt on it and ONE little art quilt with a design I made.  BUT, I have to confess it has a pile of knits ready to be made into tops and skirts and, yes, one dress.

I’ve almost finished another selvage placemat.  This is the quiet selvage, not the written ones.  I string these selvages as I cut fabric, and when I get a lot, I stop and knit them into the placemat.  I like how a bright napkin pulls colors out of the placemat.

I spent a chunk of yesterday ironing and cutting 2 by 8-inch strips from my “warm” Cotton+Steel neutrals.  Yes!  A  “warm” “vanilla” quilt is in process.

AND, Marsha Green sent me this picture of her blooming amaryllis plants.  Marsha has a GREEN THUMB writ large.  I didn’t start any this year for some reason, so it is fun to see hers.  Marsha and Harry’s garden is glorious in the summer.

I’ll post pics of this month’s “Long Time Gone” quilt blocks I made when I’ve finished with the adorable little 3-inch churn dash blocks.

Meanwhile, Heidi August sent a pic of where she is now with this project.  She says she loves the Creative Grid Pineapple ruler, so I ordered the mini one for these mini blocks.

Go Heidi!

Interesting Information: The Obama Portraits

Interesting Information:  March 18, 2018

The Obama Portraits and the History of African American Portraiture

Bellevue High School classmate (class of 1963) Toni Venz sent me this fascinating article about the Obama portraits.  Thanks so much Toni.

I picked up the info on Michelle Obama’s dress and the connections to the Gee’s Bend quilters, but I didn’t know anything about what was going on in Obama’s portrait.

I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

 

via The Obama Portraits and the History of African American Portraiture

Turkey Tracks: More Snow on Way

Turkey Tracks:  March 2, 2018

More Snow on Way

What a gorgeous day today is.  Bright, sunny, warmer.  You would never know that we are meant to get another big snow storm starting tonight.

No No Penny and I went up to Belfast to the Coop to stock up on food supplies AND to walk the river/harbor walk.  This walk winds through the ship yard, and I’m always intrigued by the HUGE boats up on their stilts, ready for whatever work they need.  I love seeing what lies beneath the water that we don’t normally see.  Here’s what I saw today:

What a sleek boat  But what intrigues me in addition to the sleekness is the depth of the rudder (?) at the back of the boat.  I suppose it balances the boat???

I came home with two heavy sacks of groceries and fixed this lunch of veggies and ricotta cheese, which I seem to tolerate ok:

Time to cook more beets…

…which I forgot to buy today.

Lunch yesterday was pretty nice too:

I love, LOVE drumsticks.  I cook a big family size pack of them and freeze them.  It’s easy to grab out two for lunch.  They defrost in an hour on the cast iron griddle I bought years ago from William Sonoma, and they reheat in about 15 minutes in my oven.

Betsy Maislen is addicted to the Long Time Gone blocks.  This one, due in April, arrived in my messages last night.

And Margaret Elaine Jinno is now caught up with the group here in Camden.  Here are all her blocks.  She says she’s redoing the two Bow Tie blocks now that she is rolling.  Love her Star in Star block.  Love all her blocks for that matter.  M-E is the best seamstress I know.

Margaret Elaine has inspired me with her crosses block.  I have not liked the addition of the star, but I like what she has done to make it pop.  Maybe I’ll do that too.

I finished what work I have been doing for some days now on the Traveling Quilt I have.  Pics will follow after our next meeting.

The binding is on Tula Pink’s 100 Modern Quilts.  I will start sewing it down tonight while watching tv.  It was fun to quilt it on the long arm.

Two more rows are on Valse Brilliante, the EPP project.

I’M CATCHING UP with the UFOs.

 

 

 

Turkey Tracks: Quilty Update March 2018

Turkey Tracks:  March 8, 2018

Quilty Update march 2018

I am working on a Traveling Quilt right now.

And I’ve almost finished quilting the Tula Pink 100 Modern Quilt blocks on the long arm.  By later today, maybe, I’ll make and attach the binding.  I’ll finish up the binding at night while watching tv.  This quilt is all Cotton+Steel fabric, which I continue to love.

(I am still watching PROJECT RUNWAY, regular and All Stars, but have almost caught up.  I find the creativity in these programs to be endlessly engaging.  AND, a friend suggested I take a look at SISTER WIVES (The Brown family) on The Learning Channel.  Oh my.  I am fascinated with this program.)

I spent some time trying out these large selvage blocks.  They are a riff on Amy Friend’s “Circuitry Quilt” in her INTENTIONAL PIECING.  Mine are larger and, for the most part, using busier neutral fabrics alongside.  The blocks are subtle.  I’ll mix in the purple blocks I’m working on now.  I think I’m looking at a warm and a cool quilt, but who knows.  Time and more blocks will tell.

“Valse Brilliant” is coming together.  The secondary patterns are emerging.  I’m working on the third row now.  And that upper right corner piece.

This block is a leader/ender project, with a center of “made” fabric from my bags of crumb fabrics–for the most part.  I now have 30 block centers of the 63 I will need.  making the centers is total play for me, and as such, very peaceful and soothing.

Betsy Maislen is working at her “Long Time Gone” blocks.  She’s now finished her set of churn dash blocks:

Look at those fun centers.  The churn dash block is my all-time favorite block.  Well, ok, alongside New York Beauty.  And any kind of square in a square. And…  Face it, I just love to piece blocks.  I am so looking forward to making these little guys.  They are…smallish.

Now I only have “On Ringo Lake” (Bonnie Hunter’s 2017 mystery quilt) to quilt on the long arm.  I have several leader/ender projects going, but I am beginning to see my way clear to start the neutral/vanilla quilt I want to make with my Cotton+Steel fabrics.  I despaired about getting the project pile down, but there is only a foundation pieced tree block I designed in Amy Friend’s workshop with Coastal Quilters left to do.  AND, LOL, a whole lot of knit fabrics to sew into delicious clothes.

And she persisted…

 

 

Turkey Tracks: The March 2018 Snow Storm

Turkey Tracks:  March 9, 2018

The March 2018 Snow Storm

I took these pictures before the storm finished.  In the light of day this morning, it’s clear I got something close to two feet of snow.  It’s a wet, heavy snow, so packs down pretty fast.  My gauge has always been the top of the hot tub (which is now dead).

My cheerful and wonderful plow/shovel team (Tom Jackson’s crew) came twice-once during the storm, and once afterwards.  It’s good to get ahead of snow this heavy, and the crew makes sure my generator is clear.

Trees were really weighted down with this storm:

I love the peace and quiet of falling snow.  Here are two little videos that try to capture a little of how beautiful falling snow is:

 

Interesting Information: Bees Marching In

Interesting Information:  March 9, 2018

Bees Marching In

DIL Tamara Kelly sent me this very interesting video the other day.

Tami is director of BEE CAUSE, an organization that is now national and that works to preserve bees.  It was started by the Savannah Bee Company.

This is the season of swarming bees in the south.  When this swarm was captured and rehomed, the rescuers placed the queen into the new hive box.

Watch what happens.

Turkey Tracks: My KA ORA Bracelets

Turkey Tracks:  March 7, 2018

My KA ORA Bracelets

Shhhh…

My birthday is coming up…

I gave myself a present.

Three of Audrey Lovering’s KA ORA bracelets.

 

You see see all Audrey’s bracelets on the KA ORA web site:  kaorabracelets.com

Each one has its own story and comes with a card telling that story.

I have “Lucky Charm,” of course, as my birthday falls on St. Patricks Day.

The real lucky charm is you.  Instead of just wishing for the good things in the world to happen, charge out, brave and ready, to make things happen.

And “Tumbling Hearts.”

Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love you.

And “XOXO.”

You are loved.  Whether it’s a special someone, family, or friend, just know that you are enveloped by their hugs and kisses.

I do feel the XOXO sentiment from my family and friends every single day.  But I want also to be reminded that I will strive to return their love and care.

 

There are two more bracelets in my future:  “Maine” and “207.”

I wear these bracelets every day with everything.  They leave my wrist only to sleep.

THANK YOU AUDREY!!

 

PS:  These bracelets are silver on jeweler’s brass.  I think I have that right.  They only need wiping with a microfiber cloth and cold water to keep them shiny.  They are very reasonably priced.