Cutting Up My Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society Stash
This fabric category in my stash needs to be USED. These fabrics WANT to be used. Over the years, I’ve made so many quilts using these beloved fabrics, but now I want to whittle them down and meld what is left into my regular stash.
So, I’ve been on a winter journey to take on this challenge, and I’m cutting deeply into this stash driven by the task of making a series of baby quilts for family members now having babies.
Here’s what my quilt room looks like right now as this BIG task takes place. I’ve set aside fabrics I can use for fussy-cut centers for the Churn Dash blocks I’m making (“Eye Candy” series) and bigger pieces that will be used in sashings, backings, and bindings.
The front of the longarm has mostly low-volume prints ironed and ready to cut.
But there are other low-volume fabrics in this bin below. The pink/salmon prints are going to go into another of the scrappy lap quilts I’ve making from 3 1/2-inch blocks. It will want to go to a girl (“Pot-Pourri 3”). There are three big fabric pieces in this bin and a stack of grey and cream/black prints. This bin used to be so full that I could hardly close the lid. Success!
The darker colors are on the longarm table—and you can see some of the colors have been seriously whittled down. More success!
This table below holds strips that will go into scrappy Churn Dash blocks (“Eye Candy” series)—and when I have leftovers from that process, I’ll cut those remnants into smaller squares. As I cut into the stash, I always cut some strips for this project table. Likely, there will be something made from 2 1/2-inch squares at some point. There are also 2-inch and 1 1/2-inch blocks happening.
I’ve posted already a modern quilt (“Whirlygigs”) that went to a new baby girl. And there was a recent post showing one of the scrappy lap-sized quilts (“Pot-Pourri”) and one of the Churn Dash quilts (“Eye Candy”) that landed in their forever homes.
This scrappy quilt (made of 9-patch blocks), ”Pot-Pourri 2,” is ready to be sewn into rows:
And then I’ll piece a backing and organize binding. This quilt will go with a Churn Dash quilt (“Eye Candy 2”) where the binding is almost done now. Here is a sneak peek of one of those blocks:
Meanwhile, LOL, I’m months behind on The Color Collective projects. But they aren’t going anywhere, and there is something really satisfying about heavily using these Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star fabrics all together rather than just folding them into the stash.
And…
Like many quilters working during the conditions of the virus, something sparked inside me that thought it was time to work with what I had on hand rather than buying more fabric. There are the monthly solid fabrics coming in for The Color Collective however… But there are projects designed for those, and I will get to them eventually. Meanwhile the big stash is NOT growing.
I woke to snow this morning—more than the scant 1-inch predicted and with very heavy snow fall happening. Snow was up to AC’s belly when he went out for his morning call of nature. I cancelled my scheduled much-needed haircut, but that will happen Saturday.
I have a fair amount of accumulated snow on the back deck now. But now the sun is out and the plow/shovel crew have come and gone. It’s good that AC and I had a long walk yesterday since I don’t like to walk him over wet roads that have a lot of salt on them. He’ll be on his own today for running outside on this property, though maybe we will take a ride in the car later.
BUT, back to this post, which also got highjacked by the snow—and I’m NOT complaining as I love snow.
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AC doggie can’t do regular type dog treats as he is allergic.
He loves those hard-as-bricks yak-milk cheese chews that originated in Nepal. He gets about one a week, and it takes him a few days to devour one with off-and-on chewing sessions. When he gets one down to a nub of which I think he might choke, I throw that part away.
I found these sweet potato products about 6 months ago, and AC loves them.
The ”chews” are slabs of dried sweet potato that require him to do some heavy chewing—which helps clean his teeth. The “bones” are softer. He loves both versions. He gets a bone at night after his last trip outside, where he takes care of business and comes right back as he knows his treat will follow.
I order the sweet potato products directly from Gaines, and they have free and prompt shipping. I get the yak-milk bones from the Thrive online market where I have an account, but they are sometimes carried at our local Loyal Biscuit store.
I didn’t think when I wrote about AC’s new toys that the softer toy, an elephant, would be the longer survivor. But Elephant goes everywhere with him between floors, carried gently in his mouth. Elephant’s ears have some sort of crackly plastic that makes a sound that apparently pleases AC to no end. Elephant’s last leg is dangling by a thread, and his squeaker came out yesterday, but Elephant is clearly a hit. The stronger-made Frog didn’t survive the breach of his seams at all. The leathery chew toy is also going strong and is a favorite.
Members of my very first quilting “bee” from back in Virginia are on their annual winter retreat this week. They “adopted” me when I was a new quilter (1999) and taught me what I needed to know to have accurate blocks, for one thing. Our local Falls Church quilt group (part of the state guild) was large enough that members were placed into “bees” made up of smaller numbers, which did work to facilitate getting to know other quilters faster. My bee often met together outside the monthly big-group meeting.
These women invited me to go with them on their annual summer retreat in 2003, and I made my first grandchild quilt that week. I’ve kept an archive of all my quilts: this quilt was my 20th. I took a picture of the picture in my archive. That sweet creature is Miss Reynolds Georgia, my beloved rat terrier who lived to be about 16.
For many years after we moved to Maine, I flew back to be with these dear friends during their winter retreat week. And two visited me in Maine one summer shortly after we moved—and were able to attend the annual Rockland Lobster Festival, have a ride on a local windjammer that sailed out of our Camden harbor, and sight-see daily.
Back then, this small group (never more than about 5) would go on week-long retreats twice a year. Rosie Pilkerton has a timeshare that she would get for us in Williamsburg, and the winter trip was timed around the big Mancuso quilt show that is now held in the Norfolk area’s Convention center, having had to move years ago when the show got so big that it needed more space than that provided from many separate buildings in the Williamsburg area. What a treat those weeks of dedicated quilting time were.
I face-timed with my friends yesterday, and what fun it was to see their faces, to hear how they are and what they are sewing this week. It was a trip down memory lane, for sure. I asked them to share some of their quilt pictures, so I could share them with you. Rosie sent me several of what she called her ”covid quilts,” along with this picture of what she will work on at least some of this week—a pineapple block made with 1930s reproduction fabrics:
Rosie LOVES whimsical novelty fabrics, and especially those that reproduce 1950s-type images. You can look for those two loves of hers in the following pictures.
Paper dolls…
And a truly fun quilt:
I’ve never met a log cabin block I didn’t like, Rosie. How fun and colorful is this project.
It is fun to see the work of people who live in a different region than I do.
And Rosie has been quilting seriously longer than I have!!
FREE Border Creek Station Stash-Buster Challenge 2022
Friend Betsy Maislen sent me this link to an interesting FREE ”Stash-Buster Challenge” that uses 10-inch blocks.
It is intriguing…
Though I already have too many ongoing projects, I can see myself starting to make some of these fun blocks here and there. I always get enthralled with pulling fabrics for a scrappy block.
Here are a few Betsy has made—the pattern includes various layouts for these blocks. Sashing with corner stones—all in one color—form an interesting secondary pattern as well. I like the idea of a thin sashing in neutrals. The block centers and corner stones should likely be the same fabric. And you can see how the sashing with the red cornerstone would make a 9-patch that floats across the quilt.
I personally like the ”on point” settings—as I really like to see x’s in quilt blocks.
AC’s current crop of toys has long been reduced to shreds of their former selves.
Thursday when AC and I ran the errands, I stopped by our local Loyal Biscuit to replace his puppy harness as he had chewed the front strap into two pieces when he was a puppy. The strap has been held in place by duck tape for the past 2 1/2 years. It was time for a nice adult harness, since his chewing of inappropriate things seems to have stopped. He will be 4 next month.
I got the harness ok—a really nice one. But I also came home with the three toys you can see leaning against the green bed. The two flat toys (each with two squeakers) were left over from a package of five over a year ago. I hesitate to give him toys with squeakers as I need to be around to retrieve them when he gets them out of a toy.
The green frog is made of a really tough material, stronger looking than a heavy canvas. The tan ”bone” is meant to be chewed. And the elephant has some sort of plastic in the ears that crinkles. I assumed all of the toys would be dismantled in due order.
I set them up while AC was outside and let him in to see them.
It is clear that I am easily amused. He had all but one of the squeakers out while I ate lunch. I think there were 6 or 7 in all.
It is now Saturday, and we had a lovely snow day all day yesterday. I completely quilted and trimmed one of the baby quilts yesterday, and in a bit now I’ll go put on the binding and label. AC hung with me on his bed in the quilt room yesterday, but played with his toys when we went upstairs for lunch.
I think he loves the green frog the best. He carries it everywhere I go—up and down the steps as I move around the house. AC has some sort of rule that if he travels the stairs (up or down), he needs to bring a toy with him. That’s hound behavior I think. Or, retriever of some sort. Terriers don’t really carry things in their mouths all that much.
By yesterday, the toys showed his intense interest. As fast as I pick them up, he drags them out of his play bucket and puts them at my feet. I think his goal is to entice me to enjoy the toys with him—which does happen with his balls.
Uh oh! He breached Frog’s seams.
I’m eating lunch late today, Saturday, as I went out to retrieve my weekly raw cream and some kale for soup. I made the broth this morning—using the package of frozen chicken bones I defrosted over night and the fresh bones from the leg of lamb I cooked Wednesday. I’ve never mixed up bones—but the soup broth is really lovely.
As usual, I packed the developing soup with lots of veggies, and I added 4 chicken thighs as well. The kale almost didn’t fit, so I had to add it a little bit at a time when the liquid level dropped a bit while the veggies cooked. Finally all the kale melted down into the soup pot.
And here is my beautiful bowl of lunch-time soup—with the meat taken off one of the thighs that cooked in the pot.
While I ate, AC played with his toys. Elephant lost a leg, but the ears still crackle. And Frog’s seams have been breached further, and the squeaker removed. I used to restuff toy bodies and sew up the seams, but no more. It’s a total waste of time.
And now AC is taking a little rest in his bed. He was asleep until I walked over there with the camera. If I move, he knows it.
He’s rested now, and is ready ”to go” again. It’s time for me to pull off some of the soup for my dinner and to store the rest in the refrigerator. And to clean up the kitchen and make a cup of coffee to take to the quilt room—after AC and I take out the compost bin to the containers back of the garage.
Slowdown Farmstead, on Substack, has some lovely, lovely writing. Tara’s farm is in Canada, somewhere near Ottawa. Her post this morning was all about making and storing bone broths—a task she does in the summer and where she makes enough for the whole year. I learned two really interesting pieces of information I didn’t know: don’t make the broth in a stainless steel pot because it will leak a little of the metal, which can be toxic if you get too much over time, AND use glass bottle containers with NO SHOULDERS as they can and do break in the freezer—something I’ve had happen many times now. She mentioned a brand name of jars she has found work well.
My friend came for a visit, bringing Tucker doggie with her.
It was his second visit here.
He was still wary of this new situation, as a tiny, delicate doggie should be, especially when faced with a bigger dog.
Tucker is VERY vocal, as his owner demonstrates.
The other day, LIz and I walked a local, quiet street, and the two dogs recognized each other and went trotting happily along, both enjoying the outing. AC had a doggie grin the whole time.
Today it is snowing and will snow all day. I’m going to enjoy this gift of a snow day.
One of the baby quilts is on the longarm—so that is the task for today.
As you know I’ve been making baby quilts. Maybe I should say I’m making quilts for children.
I mailed these two quilts to my niece in Wyoming last week—for the new baby, but with the added notion that her existing three children might like to adopt these quilts first and that that was fine by me. They are meant to be used and loved. Niece Lucy has three children (a girl and two boys) and is expecting a boy in July.
The Churn Dash block quilt ”Eye Candy” is smaller—and is probably too small for these children to use. But ”Pot-Pourri,” it’s lap size.
The fabrics are all Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society from my stash. And I pieced the back from that stash as well.
I used the ”Check and Chase” pantograph by Lorien Quilting with a ”parchment” colored thread.
For ”Eye Candy” I fussy cut the block centers and used the ”Check and Chase” pantograph with a soft grey thread.
I had such fun choosing the block centers.
And, again, I pieced the back.
Lucy sent me this picture when the box arrived. My grand-niece Willa was present and liked ”Pot-Pourri.”
Soon, this picture followed.
Can I just tell you how happy I am to see this precious child love a quilt?
Now, of course, I have to keep an eye out for quilts for the two boys. After the current crop of needed baby quilts are made and mailed.
”Pot-Pourri 2” is on the design wall and ”Eye Candy 2” will go on the longarm today.
And I saw a pattern this morning that would work well for at least one of Lucy’s boys.
Turkey Tracks and Interesting Information: February 22, 2022
My Supplements and Health Helpers
I hesitated to share the information in this post for some time, but I’m going to share it today.
I will be 77 in mid-March, and except for the mast cell disorder with its histamine intolerance reactions, over which I have likely had no control in terms of how it started, I am really healthy. I don’t take any Big Pharma medicines, I eat a very healthy and clean diet and cook for myself, and I’ve done a pretty good job of eliminating stress from my life. I am physically pretty active: I help clean my house, I do most of my own garden work and all the mowing on this challenging property I own, and in good weather, I do daily outdoor events with AC doggie.
So, I thought I’d share my health practices.
I currently take these supplements. Mercola’s products ARE more expensive, but they are clean (no magnesium sterate fillers which can eliminate one’s uptake of needed nutrients) and are made from clean ingredients found in nature and not chemical concoctions in labs. What is not pictured here is the melatonin I take at night—not so much to sleep, but because I’ve read numerous studies from mainstream medicine now that melatonin is a really good supplement to prevent and/or manage the covid virus.
Most of this collection of supplements is recommended to help prevent illnesses, including covid. Some are specific to me—see below.
Too many Americans are deficient in magnesium and vitamin D3. And, Zinc. So those three are important. I can’t take Zinc; it makes me throw up, and the Quercetin helps balance mast cell reactions to triggers and is a stand-in for Zinc. I added iodine recently because I was not sure, with my diet, that I was getting enough. I do have added energy these days, so adding iodine has been good I think. Vitamin C, especially in winter, is an important addition—and one that helps the immune system. I can’t eat citrus, so I take the C except for summer—though I read recently that red bell peppers have more vitamin C than some fruits. I eat a lot of salt combined with herbs as I can’t do most spices—and salt washes potassium out of one’s system, especially, apparently mine, as I’ve turned up deficient during one trip to the hospital when I passed out. If I have leg cramps, I now know that the balance between potassium and magnesium is ”off.” Usually adding potassium fixes that, but sometimes more magnesium is needed. Too much magnesium can cause diarrhea, so that can be a delicate balance. Human bodies are so much more complicated than many realize I think.
I have worked with a local homeopath for 15+ years now. She keeps me healthy and has corrected a lot of constitutional problems I have, like the poison ivy that would systemically go all over my body and would cause great weeping patches of oozing sores until stopped with a steroid. I don’t get poison ivy any more. And I have not had a cold in well over a decade now.
My homeopath has been using these plant-based tinctures for several years now—and she changes them up for me as needed. One takes just a few drops a day. During the past two covid years, this is what I have been taking: Blackthorn and Sea Buckthorn are the anti-virals, among other immune system boosters; Hazel helps the liver and lungs and resolves inflammation; olive helps the cardiovascular system and also helps with any inflammation.
Here’s a quote about these gemmotherapies: ”Vital Extract is the gemmotherapy line produced exclusively for Lauren Hubele, LLC by Plant Extrakt of Cluj, Romania, Europe’s leading production facility for homeopathy and gemmotherapy. Vital Extract Gemmotherapy is backed by the most extensive and most current research in Europe and offers the widest selection of products available in America.”
The back story is that Romania couldn’t afford a western-democracy style of medicine so developed these products for their citizens. And the claim is that they are working well.
My homeopath also uses traditional homopathic remedies. I have a medicine kit of these remedies, so if I have an issue after talking to my homeopath, they are immediately available to me. I also have many, many packets of remedies my homeopath has provided that are not in this kit. Some target the histamine issues I have.
If you buy remedies in a local store, you would look for the blue container shown at the bottom of the picture. Arnica Montana is a vital remedy to have on hand for any time you have an injury. It works wonders to prevent bleeding and bruising.
Here’s what the remedies look like—3 of them are a dose. Don’t touch then with your fingers as that can put skin oil on them that might slow them down. If there is an acute problem, like an injury, you would repeat doses in short intervals of something like 15 minutes. But, except for Arnica probably, here’s where you need help from a homeopath. And, if you live in a state that does not allow them, know that you can find a good homeopath and work with them via zoom meetings.
In recent years I have added Young Living Essential oil products—and I have a membership with them so I can order at reduced prices. I have gradually switched to their cleaning, hand soap, shampoo, and lipstick products as well. If you are interested, there will be someone near you who sells them. I am not interested in starting a business, but I will order products for my friends at the prices I get.
All this winter, I’ve kept this little bottle of oregano on my kitchen window sill. If I wake up feeling ”stuffy,” one sniff clears my entire head and throat in short order. Oregano is a ”hot” oil, so be careful and don’t sniff too hard or you’ll feel like your nose is burning. Go gently. Ditto the peppermint oil that I love so much. I read somewhere that Oregano oil can kill pathogens in your nose and throat. I don’t know. I just know when I use it, all stuffiness goes away immediately for the entire rest of the day.
Here’s a view of a cabinet in my kitchen. I keep lavender very nearby as if I burn myself, it can stop the burning pain immediately. Copaiba is also good for injuries. Longevity is for AC doggie—there are claims it keeps ticks and fleas away. I can’t eat citrus, but I can use the citrus oils sparingly to flavor foods without problems it seems. They are especially lovely, for me, added to olive oil for a salad and soups/stews. They carry a big punch of flavor. The Vitality line is meant to be orally used—like adding drops of lemon oil to water as a treat.
I also use a cold diffuser for these oils and now have one in the kitchen and one downstairs. They eliminate cooking and doggie and just stale-air odors all over the house. There are claims made that many of the oils are medicinal and cleansing as well. I don’t doubt it.
Here’s my desk cabinet with oils I particularly like in the upstairs diffuser. The downstairs one has different needs, but I have a cabinet of beloved oils down there too.
I do know that the tree oils ARE medicinal and have been used by native people for centuries as healing compounds. One can mix these oils in a diffuser, like using 3 of the tree oils. Or, something like lavender and lemon. The possibilities are endless.
I also use wool dryer balls in my clothes dryer, and I often sprinkle a favorite oil on a few of them to make my clothes smell extra special. Smelling oils also puts them into your body where they can do their good work.
This whole journey is definitely one sparked by living in (mostly) rural Maine—where I am close to the earth, small farms, clean food, the Maine forest, and people who are making this journey with me. I didn’t acquire all of these products overnight. It took two decades.
My taxes have been rounded up and delivered to the people who do them.
That yearly job is always a good time to do some review. Under things learned, I realized that since last April 24, I have not spent more than $100 on gas for Girlie the car. On that happy note, I took her to the car wash as she was BEYOND filthy. The inside still is—which is a car piece that comes with winter in Maine, especially if one has an active dog. I have great seat covers and good floor mats, so it’s all good. Just dirty.
The squirrels are still in the ceiling—and my guru for that problem has been down with covid. He will get here when he’s feeling better to see if they have found a new way into the house. That won’t be too long as he is on the mend.
Last weekend was the annual “National” Toboggan Competition—an event much cherished in this town. We have had some rainy weather in the low 50s leading up to the event—alongside days of single digit temps. BUT, here’s what my beloved athletic field looks like now after cars got parked on it in warm, muddy weather when the ground is SO NOT FROZEN.
There are BIG SWATHS all across the field now—and they will have to be fixed before any of the groups who use them all spring and summer can use them again. Meanwhile, those of us (more than the town realizes I think) who use the field all winter are finding it a miserable, wet, muddy mess.
The field is too damaged to let a dog run on it or for the many people who walk around it in the winter for exercise. Just looking at these pictures makes my heart hurt.
Meanwhile, I also heard that one of the toboggans in the competition went into…waist-deep water…when the ice broke.
Hello. Our climate is changing—has changed—here in Maine. I am starting my 18th year here. I can clearly see that our winters are milder and that we have a lot of rain rather than a lot of snow. The past two years have seen much warmer, wetter trends in all the seasons we have.
I wrote a letter to the town manager. I don’t think cars should be parked on this field in the future. The $$$$ gathered for parking will not be as great as the needed repairs—which will also take time in the spring as grass does not sprout until temps get above 65.
I didn’t mention in the letter the unexpected dip one of the toboggans took. I hope someone else is thinking about that problem.
OK, whining rant is now over. Except I could add that AC doggie now has blisters on his two front paws from running on the parking area over at Barrett’s Cove. I’m using Young Living’s Mendwell, made for dog injuries, on his feet. It must feel good to him as he comes running when I get out the little bottle.
I mailed two quilts this past week. When they land I’ll show the pictures.
Our days are longer and brighter now. The seasonal wheel is turning, however slowly.
Louisa Enright's Blog 