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Turkey Tracks: Penny Rogers Camm’s First Quilt

Turkey Tracks: October 21, 2016

Penny Rogers Camm’s First Quilt

Penny Rogers Camm and I graduated from Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Nebraska, in 1963. We knew each other then, but were not close friends.

Bellevue sits outside Omaha, Nebraska, and is the home of Offutt Air Force Base.

We are Air Force Brats.

Penny lives in Burlington, Vermont, in the summer, and we reconnected almost four years ago now as Penny comes to Mid-Coast Maine to sail on the windjammer Stephen Taber in September. She called me, and we wound up spending several days together and going to the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA) Common Ground Fair.

Last summer she asked me to come to Vermont for the annual quilt show. She had gone the year before and was intrigued with quilting.

I went, and Penny decide she wanted to learn to quilt. We started this quilt in September when she came to sail–and now to quilt.

Here is her FIRST QUILT TOP–which is for a family child of about three. The block is from Bonnie Hunter: “Carolina Chain,” which is in her new book, ADDICTED TO SCRAPS.

Cute border fabric.

Here we are layering the top with the batting and backing. That’s my Amy Friend quilt on the longarm, “Tell Me A Story,” which is ready to quilt now.

Penny is going to hand-quilt with various colors of size 8 pearl cotton.

AND Penny decided last summer to go on the Coastal Quilters (Maine) October retreat to the Franciscan Guest House in Kennebunk, Maine, where she started her SECOND QUILT.

Folks, she fell in love with Amy Friends “Tell Me A Story” quilt which is FOUNDATION PIECED.

Love her background fabric with these blocks, though it gave both of us fits for a time until we worked out the orientations.

It will be 7 blocks by 8 blocks, so she went home yesterday with a good start and other blocks cut. This quilt is going in Penny’s den.

Penny is coming back in early December to learn to do the binding on the first quilt and, maybe, to layer and start quilting the second one.

AND, she has visions of other quilts dancing in her head already.

Here she is at our retreat:

Turkey Tracks: “Winter Blue Jays” Quilt

Turkey Tracks: October 3, 2016

“Winter Blue Jays” Quilt

My oldest grandchild turned THIRTEEN in late September.

How did that happen?

Of course I sent him a quilt for his quilt collection.

One of my childhood memories is playing in the sandy, rock-lined paths of my grandmother’s Reynolds, Georgia, garden when some baby Blue Jays fledged. They were beyond adorable, and, of course, I tried to catch one. The next thing I knew, Mama Blue Jay was flying around my head, pulling my hair, beating my head with her wings, and making a terrible racket.

Up here in Maine, I don’t see Blue Jays much in the summer. But in winter, they arrive in flocks at my feeders, and they are so pretty. They like a flat feeder, so I have one for them.

I bought the backing for Bowen’s quilt a few years back because I instantly fell in love with it

I put my childhood story on the label so Bowen would always see my deep attachment to the wonders of nature.

This quilt came out of the four-patch journey I went on two summers ago where I sewed all the two-inch blocks into light/dark four-patches. I also used the 3 1/2-inch strips I had already cut and stored to make the light/dark half-square triangles–with the Easy Angle ruler. ( I use Bonnie Hunter’s stash management system, as I’ve written about many times on this blog.) The block in this quilt is the classic Jacob’s Ladder block–a 9 patch. I had some light shirting fabric that I thought went really well with this quilt for the binding.

The quilt is a classic, like Bowen.

I used a soft blue thread and a gently curving feather pantograph.

Turkey Tracks: September 2016 Update

Turkey Tracks: October 1, 2016

September 2016 Update

What a glorious summer I have had!

And the fun continues as my life continues to be rich with experiences.

The sailing trip on the J&E Riggin was terrific, as I posted earlier.

Quilter Timna Tarr comes next weekend for a Coastal Quilters trunk show and workshop on making “improvisational” quilts. She has a terrific gallery on her web site. Take a look?

On October 17th, some Coastal Quilters of Camden, Maine, will make another retreat at the Franciscan Guest House in Kennebunkport, Maine. Attending will be my Bellevue High School, Bellevue, Nebraska, classmate, Penny Rogers Camm, who is making her VERY FIRST QUILT. Messages have been flying between us about layouts and how to sew blocks together and so forth. Her quilt is so, so pretty. We will pick out borders, etc., when she comes week after next.

I picked what will probably be this season’s LAST flower bouquet the other day.

Next year I want MORE cosmos and zinnas in my garden. And I need to go out and cut the gorgeous hydrangeas to bring in side the house for winter decorations.

Friend Megan Bruns is in Texas with her family this week. She took all the rosettes from her Millifiori quilt (see former blog posts for details), and her mother helped her decide how to put them together. This picture is the last I received. Megan used all Anna Maria Horner fabrics in this quilt. Of course there will be borders and so forth yet to do.

Horch roofers have been here for the past two days. The new roof is so pretty. Pictures of it later as the yard and house is full of men, flying roof pieces, and equipment. I would take my life in my hands to go out there. Besides, it is cloudy and overcast, so I’ll get pictures later. I am loving the soft color of the roof though.

We still have had no appreciable rain. I continue to worry about my well running dry. I have stopped watering deeply outside. The growing season is running down anyway. I do not think we will get much fall color this year as drought-struck trees are just dropping brown leaves to, hopefully, save themselves.

Turkey Tracks: September Farmer’s Wife Blocks

Turkey Tracks: October 1, 2016

September Farmer’s Wife Blocks

There are actually a few extra blocks here as I wanted to finish all the “M” blocks. AND I can see the end of the project, so I printed out all the remaining paper foundation piecing patterns.

No. 65 Mother:

Orange fabric is Japanese; others are Cotton + Steel. I love the mix of these fabrics.

Friend Becca Babb-Brott carries the Japanese fabrics in her Etsy store, Sew Me A Song. She puts together reasonably priced “bundles” of fabrics in all sizes, so you can experiment with these new designs without breaking the bank.

No. 66: Mrs. Anderson

Yellow daisies are Japanese; not sure about the squares.

No 67: Mrs. Brown

Mustard cherries are Japanese.

No. 68 Mrs. Fay:

Red is Japanese; neutral is Cotton + Steel.

No 69: Mrs. KellerThis one was SUPER HARD.

All fabrics are Japanese.

No. 70 Mrs. Lloyd

Fabrics are Cotton + Steel.

No 71: Mrs. Morgan

Aqua fabric is Japanese; rest are Cotton + Steel.

No 72: Mrs. Smith

Orange fabric is Japanese; other fabric is Cotton + Steel.

No 73: Mrs. Taft

The mustard fabric is from a new Cotton + Steel collection inspired by designers trip to Portugal. The neutral is from Cotton + Steel.

No. 74: Mrs. Thomas

The cats are Cotton + Steel. The purple reads “solid” and comes in a variety of yummy colors–Hoodie Crescent for Stof Fabrics

On to No. 75–TWENTY FOUR blocks to go and three months to do them.

What a fun trip this has been. I alway, always finish projects, but I’m not sure I would have finished this one if I had not been working with a group.

Turkey Tracks: My Post Sailing Surprise

Turkey Tracks: September 27, 2016

My Post Sailing Surprise

I’m pretty sure I’ve written about how challenging my garden has been this–now past–summer.

(Fall really has come to Maine.)

We had cool temps at night until August, when I was finally able to get some zucchini and cucumbers to germinate. And then there is the ongoing drought, which is very severe. I have a well, so I have been worrying about it going dry, as many in the region have. I do not think we will have much leaf color this year either as the leaves are just turning brown and dropping off the trees.

I left for my “Slow Sewing at Sea” sail on the J&E Riggin with some small cukes forming on vines that were now running everywhere and zucchini plants blooming. (The Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and chard I planted from bought plants are doing great–and maybe that will be the trick next year.)

So, on Sunday, after Bellevue High School classmate (1963) Penny Rogers Camm left to drive home (Burlington, Vermont)–taking with her the cut blocks FOR HER FIRST QUILT, I mowed. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly saw this zucchini nestled in the cold frame among the zucchini leaves and stalks:

Good Lord!! How did that happen??? It’s HUGE.

I cut it up today and put the pieces in the dehydrator–along with the Sun Golds cut into half, which I let ripen inside for two days.

That’s the last garden tomato of this season in the blue bowl.

And the light yellow squash is a spaghetti squash, a squash I love.

Now, when I use the dried zuke this winter, I’ll remember my reaction when I first saw it. And I will laugh.

Turkey Tracks: Slow Sewing at Sea Windjammer Cruise: The J&E Riggin

Turkey Tracks: September 27, 2016

Slow Sewing at Sea Windjammer Cruise:

The J&E Riggin

We had a blast!!!

I know where I’ll be next September 22nd–God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise:

Slow Sewing at Sea on the windjammer J&E Riggin, led by Rhea Butler of Alewives Quilting (Damariscotta Mills, Maine), courtesy of Co-Captains Jon Finger and Annie Mahle of Rockland, Maine.

You can feel the peace and serenity on deck with this picture. It was heavenly to sew under the sun while we passed dropped dead gorgeous sights. We also did a LOT of laughing and sharing. For more pictures, go to Facebook/Instagram sites for Alewives Quilting and the J&E Riggin.

I think we got the last two warm days of summer–hardy sailers swam TWICE!

Here’s Mary B, wearing her signature pink hat–ringed with pins from her various trips/experiences.

Here’s me with Captain and superb cook Annie Mahle. Boy did she spoil us with her outstanding culinary creations this trip–all local, clean, and glorious dishes.

Here’s where we went this trip:

We boarded Tuesday night, sailed on Wednesday late morning, and fall came in with a bang on Thursday night. The cooler temps and some rain did not faze anyone. We went right on sewing and sewing down in the warm galley–those of us who did not stay up on deck in foul weather gear to enjoy the clean, crisp fall air. We returned to Rockland on Saturday morning.

Rhea Butler worked with Lucy Boston English Paper Piecing (EPP) this trip, and I learned so much from her, including a new stitch that really works so that stitches are not seen on the front of your work. I also learned so much from my fellow passengers. I came home with a boatload of new friends, many of whom will come back next year, and some of whom I will see again over the winter as they live just south of Camden.

Turkey Tracks: Instagram Traveling Quilts and Foundation Piecing

Turkey Tracks: August 30, 2016

Instagram Traveling Quilts and Foundation Piecing

What fun!

Megan Bruns joined a group of people that formed on Instagram who are sewing on “traveling” quilts. There are several groups. There were rules about fabric quality, what each person would do on each quilt (like two borders only–maybe it was one?), and about when each quilt would ship back out again (a specific date of the month). If you want to see some of these quilts “in progress,” the Instagram hashtag is #travelagentMaggie.

The quilt Megan has now is a Halloween quilt; the one she will get next is a blue and white quilt. The group forms into a virtual circle, so the same person ships to Megan each month, and she ships to the same person each month. And quilts are each shipped with a little memoir book started by the originator and commented on by each quilter as the quilt travels around.

Megan wanted to make a “boo” as part of her border on the Halloween quilt, so friend Becca Babb-Brott printed out some foundation patterns for her. Megan came over Saturday and learned how to do foundation paper piecing. The “b” was daunting for a newbie, but she did it, and it’s so so pretty:

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember about foundation paper piecing is to start that first piece WRONG SIDE TO WRONG SIDE OF THE PATTERN. A bit of fabric glue for that first piece is also so, so helpful.

We thought that the letters would have to be closer together, actually:

So one could cut back the pattern width right away. Live and learn…

Here’s the quilt in progress. I wonder what else Megan will do with her border(s) and where she will put the “boo.” The half-square triangles on the right are three dimensional–very clever. Love the pumpkin, too.

So, this project gives a quilter a chance to try a lot of different creative ideas in the course of some months–nine if there are nine in the group. And, to see a lot of new creative ideas. Love the blocks in this Halloween quilt. Those pin wheel blocks may be Japanese fabric??? Aren’t they pretty?

I can’t wait to see the blue and white quilt that will come next.

Turkey Tracks: August Farmer’s Wife Blocks

Turkey Tracks:

August Farmer’s Wife Blocks

There are 99 blocks in this project. A group of Coastal Quilters of Maine are doing eight a month. These blocks were designed by Laurie Aaron Bird in her THE FARMER’S WIFE 1930s SAMPLER QUILT project. We are foundation piecing these intricate blocks and are mostly on track. I’ve got posts for all that I have done is you want to see them.

No. 57, Margaret: The cat fabric and the non-polka dot fabric are Cotton + Steel.

No. 58, Martha: The bright green fabric is Japanese.

No 59, Mary: The green fabric is a new Cotton + Steel fabric from the Portugal collection. Just bought some of it in the mustard color.

No 60, Mary Gray: These fabrics are all Japanese.

No 61, May: The blue and cream fabrics are Japanese. The pink is Cotton + Steel. This block was challenging.

No. 62, Milly: The blue and cream/figured fabrics are Japanese. This block works better “on point.” And I think the white is not working so well. It’s hard to tell sometimes.

No. 63, Mollie: All Japanese Fabrics. This one was…HARD!

No 64, Monette: The orange fabric is Japanese, the others Cotton + Steel. I like the way these fabrics work together. Dear God, do you see all those TINY squares???

As Lynn Vermeulen said a while back, “the M’s go on forever”!!! I just printed out the last 10 of them–my goal for September.

No 75 is “Nan,” and I will have TWENTY TWO blocks to go.

Interesting Information and Book Review: The Big Fat Surprise: Nina Teicholz

Interesting Information and Book Review: August 28, 2016

THE BIG FAT SURPRISE

Nina Teicholz

The USDA food guide finally scraped the notion that dietary cholesterol made too much cholesterol in the body.

It’s about time as that science has been out there for decades and decades. Or, the lack thereof…

It was too much to hope that in the same year the USDA would also scrap the false notion that healthy fat is bad for you. But that will fall next.

Really, the food guide and food advice needs to be removed from the USDA–there is a huge conflict of interest involved. What is healthy for humans to eat is not necessarily the food crops that the USDA’s main clients raise. Corn, soybeans, and wheat would be good examples. (I have essays in the Mainely Tipping Point Essays about the early development of the USDA food guide and the corruption involved.)

Healthy fats are NOT the highly processed and already rancid vegetable fats–with the exception of MINIMALLY processed olive and coconut oils. Healthy fats come from healthy animals eating what they were meant to eat. We are talking small farms that grass-feed, pasture chickens, let pigs be pigs and goats be goats and sheep be sheep, and so on.

Teicholz explores the science of fat and explains “Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet.”

Here’s Teicholz’s web site:

Source: The Big Fat Surprise: Nina Teicholz

The Wall Street Journal has a good review.

And here’s a response to Teicholz’s predictable critics:

Source: Response to Critics |

Note that there are MANY well-credentialed folks out there saying the same thing Teicholz is saying and showing science and history that proves it. In the Mainely Tipping Point Essays there are essays on work done by Mary Enig, Gary Taubes, and The Weston A. Price Foundation. The latter does not have a “dog in this hunt” so to speak as they are not selling anything.

Review: ‘The Miniaturist’ by Jessie Burton – Chicago Tribune

Review: August 28, 2016

The Miniaturist

Jessie Burton

I listened to this book via the Maine State Library System’s library.

And I was spellbound much of the time.

This novel, as you can see from the quote below, is in the genre that takes a historical item (a painting, like “The Girl with the Pearl Earring,” or an object like the cabinet below) and weaves a fictional tale around it, employing a ton of research in the process. And, as is true of most works of this kind, the tale tells you much more about issues in OUR time than it does with the effort to capture another world gone long ago. As always, I will caution, the fictional overlay does violence to the people of another world. We just bring with us our own culture no matter what; there is no such thing as totally objective “seeing” of another culture.

The review below also lists some of the weaknesses of the novel, with which I agree. There are some too-neat threads tied off, some fairly unbelievable acts by a very young heroine, and so forth.

However, the language is lush and enjoyable and the time period certainly interesting–the height of the Dutch trading era where merchants travel the world, bringing back exotic treasures.

It’s a good read.

Jessie Burton, a British actor turned fiction writer, takes inspiration for her debut novel from a curiosity cabinet on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Built in the late 17th century, it was commissioned by Petronella Oortman, who wanted an exact replica of the luxury townhouse in which she lived in the center of this magnificent city.

Source: Review: ‘The Miniaturist’ by Jessie Burton – Chicago Tribune

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