Turkey Tracks: “Winter: Dawn Trees” quilt

Turkey Tracks: May 8, 2018

“Winter: Dawn Trees” Quilt

This quilt is my own design, and I really love the way it came out. I am a bit fixated on winter trees anyway, and, also, on the amazing Maine winter dawn light that coats the earth with a marmalade color that I love. Winter in Maine is, actually, very colorful. I chose the purple of the trees based on the purple shadows that appear over the snow in winter.

The quilt started in a workshop with Amy Friend (blog: during quiet time) that used her newly issued book IMPROV PAPER PIECING. I drew the three blocks on what was then EQ7. I have since upgraded to EQ8. (The other quilt that came out of that workshop was a big star made with Cotton+Steel fabrics–see below and see an earlier blog post).

Right now the quilt is hanging in my quilt room–which is a bit messy as I’m packing for a weekend quilty retreat.

Sarah Fielke’s “The Seasons” in the book she co-authored with Kathy Doughty: MATERIAL OBSESSION 2.

I also have a bare trees pattern designed by Carolyn Friedlander which I may start next winter. I love the pattern.

Here’s the Cotton+Steel Big Star Quilt:

Amy is a marvelous teacher, and the way she teaches her students how to design their own patterns is…wonderful. And surprisingly easy.

Turkey Tracks: My 100th Quilt: Centurion

Turkey Tracks: June 20, 2014

My 100th Quilt: Centurion

For those of you who have followed this blog over the winter, here are all the big hexies I mostly hand-sewed–and shared along the way–sewn into the quilt. This pattern is from MATERIAL OBSESSIONS 2 by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. There are two versions of ways to use these big hexies–all made with a little “kite”-shaped template. This one is Kathy Doughty’s. But I have to tell you that I love Sarah Fielke’s version as well and may well make it as a wall hanging one of these days. I so enjoyed this project. I wanted this 100th quilt to be something special, and I certainly think this quilt is spectacular. If I had one thing to do over, it would be to make the border bigger. Kathy did, and I wish I had made it 9 inches instead of 6 inches. I’m not sure why I didn’t, actually…

Note that the rugs are out of the living room being cleaned. They will be back next Friday, I think. And in a few weeks, this couch will be replaced by one with a sort of cream-colored cotton slip-cover that can be washed. This quilt will live in this room–and the picture above the couch–which dates from early on marriage–will be replaced with another picture or a quilt…

Here’s a close-up of one block and the corner treatment. I had so much fun picking out the fabrics for each block. As this is still a “scrappy” quilt made from my stash–except for the borders and the connecting diamonds–I didn’t pay much attention to how the blocks would work together… I just had fun with each one… See the chickens and bees?

Here’s a close-up of that connecting diamond. The big blocks, ideally, if one read the directions carefully as someone now writing did not as she was too excited to see the whole block together, are NOT sewn together fully but left in half–which allows the long diagonal line to be sewn–which makes installing the diamonds a snap.

I quilted with a cream thread with a pantograph called “12-inch Simple Feathers” by Anne Bright–and it was perfect.

Here’s the backing fabric–which I thought about for the front big border until fellow quilter Jan Kelsey said she thought the gold fabric a better choice. (Thanks Jan!)

I am looking forward to seeing someone curl up under this quilt with a book! Remember, think cream slip covers…

Turkey Tracks: House Projects

Turkey Tracks: May 12, 2014

House Projects

With spring, I’ve sprung into house projects–with a lot of really good, cheerful, help.

First, Stephen Pennoyer replaced the rainguard over the front door. Isn’t it nice?

It’s pitched to run rain off into the garden.

I would be way too embarrassed to show you what lived there before now…

Stephen has now finished the new fence panels that hide the propane tanks and generator. (See the garlic up in the garden? And the strawberries?) And you can also see the new gutter coming down the back of the fence panel next to the garage.

And another view:

Busily coming up in these little gardens are the white lily bulbs that Bellevue High School friend (class of 1963) Kay Rood sent me when John died. I planted them last year, but they didn’t “take.” Now, here they are like a lovely spring surprise.

Stephen also rebuilt the clothes line–and I had clothes on it yesterday!

Stephen had to dig through all of this rock–and he dug down about 4 feet or so–to install concrete that will hold these new fences and the clothes line steady through winter ice and spring heaving.

He also dug a long trench between the generator and the back post of the clothes line to sink the new gutter that’s on the drive side of the garage–our effort to redirect water away from the garage floor. (I had real flooding issues this spring when it rained and the ground was frozen.)

Now I have to get the generator rebalanced–it’s looking a bit tilty. That generator runs all the power in my house when we lose electricity–and has made life pleasant many times and saved me this winter when it was so cold and an ice storm took out all power and cable here for days and days, including Christmas Day.

Stephen bought a power washer and kindly power washed all my moldy decks and rails and trim. This whole house is shiny clean outside at the moment.

Plumber Ben Larner was also here installing the new sink. We first discussed this project back in the fall of last year.

And now, here’s the new real cast-iron sink and faucet. (The old sink was a composite porcelain–not cast iron–and was badly chipped.)

Meanwhile, I made a dump run to take all the old lumber from the fence panels and the clothes line–where the nicest Camden, Maine, dump employee unloaded the whole lot for me. That part of the dump was ankle deep in mud, and I had on “good” shoes. I had determined I’d have to go home and put on boots when he said “No, back her up right here, and I’ll take care of it all.” LOVE MAINE!

Penny is on the front seat, sucking her blanket and waiting to “go in the car””

Meanwhile, I have installed the temporary chicken fence I use in the summers AND extended it’s height up to about 6 feet. The whole thing is held together by those plastic ties where you slip one end into the apparatus on the other and pull it tight. Once on, those ties have to be cut off, so dismantling all in the fall will be…fun. The chickens are staying put, which means I am winning this round and fox can’t get them.

The refrigerator went belly up last week. The new one is being installed as I write, and I am glad as it’s a long trip to the garage every time I want a slice of lime for a cup of tea, not to mention any serious cooking. The good news is that the new refrigerator is gorgeous–French doors and a slide out freezer drawer below. I HATED the side-by-side GE Profile–it had to be designed by someone who never cooks or stores food.

Here’s a frig for someone who cooks, puts up food, and has a lot of visitors:

Look at the amazing inside:

It has two icemakers. One in the fresh food section that is attached to the controls on the front of the door–for cubes or crushed. And one in the freezer for heavy-duty use–such as I have in the summer.

As hard as it was to absorb the sticker price, I feel like I’ve died and gone to refrigerator heaven.

And, look at what got its borders on and is ready to load onto Lucy the Longarm:

I think I should have made the borders 9 inches–as called for. I did 6 inches.

The backing fabric is cut, matched, and ready to be ironed and sewn together.

This quilting project from Material Obsession 2 has been so much fun and has provided many lovely hours of hand-sewing at night. For me, it’s all about the work of the hands…

And, now, the grass is dry, so the lawn will get its first MOW. And the black flies will try to feast on me. I’m not swelling up much this year, so it must be true that one builds up a certain immunity over time.

Turkey Tracks: Bits and Pieces in Early May

Turkey Tracks: May 4, 2014

Bits and Pieces in Early May

I stopped by Fresh Off the Farm yesterday to get a few vegetables.

I could not resist the organic Driscoll strawberries. They looked luscious, and I was hungry.

I had some this morning, and I knew from the moment I touched them that I had made a “hungry” mistake: bright red, but sour as lemons.

*** * ***

I am so enjoying reading, now, Jennifer McGruther’s The Nourished Kitchen.

Here’s a quote I wish I had read yesterday when I bought those pitiful strawberries:

Fruits and vegetables prepared in their season bring joy to the table. As the days turn from dark to light as spring nears, and just when you’ve had enough of hearty stews and root vegetables, the brightest and lightest of vegetables appear–sprouts, herbs, tiny little strawberries, and crisp lettuces. These vegetables fade and bolt with the heat of summer that, in its turn, brings robust and juicy foods–watermelons, vivid red tomatoes, and plums that drip with juice at the first bite. The days grow dark and cold once more, and the apples, pumpkins, potatoes, and roots return. The changing seasons bring excitement and heady anticipation that cannot exist in the seasonless aisles of the supermarket.

I have a feeling that the chickens will enjoy the strawberries. I’ll be waiting for my own to come into season, and believe me, they are worth the wait.

*** * ***

I woke to rain this morning. And, then, magically the sun came out, and I changed clothes and went out.

The project: replanting the climbing rose and clematis in front of the new fence panels that shield the propane tanks and the generator. AND, re-carving out the flower beds in front of those panels.

As I worked, it was glorious to see the summer thunderstorm moving towards us. And to hear it!

It was NOT glorious to see the chickens out of the fence that I installed yesterday. They are jumping over it from a large bush next to the fence. But they have to stay inside as fox ate one of the hens this week–one of the two hens that are actually laying. You will remember that the pattern last year was one missing hen one day, all chickens missing the next… So as the rain came in, I was shooing chickens back inside their enclosure. (I have an idea for how to block that jumping off bush.) And I’m hoping that one of the hens will go “broody” and raise a batch of eggs by my sweet rooster and the one hen that is laying.

Anyway, Miss Reynolds Georgia is terrified by thunder. She is presently in her laundry basket at my side, shaking and under the covers:

Anyway, when it stops raining, I’ll post some pictures of all the work that Stephen Pennoyer has made possible at this house. I have been blessed, blessed, blessed to meet him. He is so competent, skilled, cheerful, and an awesome worker. What a gift!

*** * ***

This quilt will be my 100th quilt–remember it is from Material Obsessions 2:

Don’t mind the wrinkles around the diamonds–it’s just how the quilt is sticking to the flannel–and I have not ironed much as there are so many biased edges. I won’t really iron it until I get the borders on it.

BUT, BUT, I think it really needs one more row. It’s looking way too…SQUARE.

So, I’m picking out fabrics for four more blocks and will “unsew” that bottom row so as to be able to insert the required diamonds.

The diamonds get sewn in on the diagonal lines–with each medallion left unjoined down its center–which is doable…

I think you can see the method of construction on the diagonal lines here.

I was in Alewives quilting in Damariscotta Mills earlier this week and took pictures of the version of this quilt that Rhea Daiute did–the one that drew me to this project in the first place. I loved the way she used a stripe for the inner border:

And I love her BIG, BOLD border. Rhea has the greatest eye for color and pattern. Here’s a close-up of her blocks and that striped border:

I could not find a big, bold border so am going with a quieter one that lets the medallions shine.

*** * ***

I have finished the baby quilts for the Enright family twins that are in the offing in, hopefully, early June. Hopefully as everyone wants them to stay put until early June…

We have our Coastal Quilters’ meeting this Saturday, and I want to “Show and Tell” the baby quilts before mailing them on Monday.

Then it’s on to my niece’s baby daughter, also due in June. I am excited about the fabric that I’ve bought for baby Stevens’ quilt.

Turkey Tracks: April Update

Turkey Tracks: April 7, 2014

April Update

We are finally getting some warm weather, and near me, the Megunticook River is thawing out fast. I was a little shocked when I went by Megunticook Lake Sunday on my way to see Rose Thomas as the Lake is still pretty frozen. This view is from the top of Barrett Cove, looking north. (This lake is 15 miles around and filled with interesting islands and “necks” that jut out into the water.)

The ice looks bluer towards the middle though, suggesting thinness.

Chickie Diva Queenie has been healed up for some time. I have only been waiting for the night temps to get warm enough to risk her in the coop. She can’t take any more frostbite probably ever in her life.

She did not seem unhappy in her kitchen box, but on a bright sunny day last week, I put her outside. She prowled the yard, scratching and digging, but not getting near the other chickens, who did not seem to notice her. That night, she came to the back door and when I opened it, she came right in, and hopped in her box.

The next day, I put her out again, and she wanted to come right back inside. I had planned to clean out the coop, so I gathered up the buckets and the shovel and started to work.

What followed was shocking!

The chickens found her and immediately attacked her. Even the rooster. They weren’t trying to dominate her. They were trying to kill her.

I rescued her from where she had wedged herself behind the sandbox and the house wall. Her comb was torn again, and she had wounds on her feet again. She was dazed and stunned and so happy to be put back into her box.

I consulted with the chicken whisperer Rose Thomas, and we formulated a plan to integrate her into Rose’s flock, which is larger and far less territorial.

So, on Sunday, I took her to Rose.

Rose’s chicken house is a lot bigger than my little coop, and there are MANY egg boxes. Diva Queenie put herself into one and seemed quite happy.

Rose has three roosters at the moment–Guy, the father of my rooster Pumpkin; the brother of Pumpkin; and Merlin, a guina rooster who is ferocious.

Rose distracted her flock by throwing them some scratch feed to them while we put Queenie into the chicken house.

I called Rose this morning. Queenie is just fine and is out in the yard with the rest of the flock.

* * *

Look at these–I have 12 out of 15 done and have another one half done now.

Here’s a close-up of one:

This large “hexie” is made from the kite shape you can see with the dark blue. I first saw a quilt made with these medallions at Alewives, a quilt shop in Damariscotta Mills, Maine. The hexies get linked by big diamonds, and the pattern comes from the book Material Obsession 2 by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. Other blog entries here show their TWO quilt versions using this block. Rhea Butler made the quilt at Alewives.

I’ve finished the red/green quilt, which remains nameless so far. It’s loaded on the long arm. It’s pretty big–I used 7 yards of fabric for the backing–a Kaffe Fasset I bought on sale about a year ago. And I had to piece a column of about 20 inches to get enough width for the long arm–which was fine as I used up a lot of orphan blocks. I really draw the line at buying 9 yards of fabric for a quilt backing when I’m only missing ten or so inches. With the long-arm, I need about 5 extra inches of width on the sides, but I could always put on a temporary outside border that would come off when the quilting was done as well.

I am going down to Manchester, New Hampshire, with Gail Galloway Nicholson this week to the big MQX show (Machine Quilters Expo)–where we will both take some classes. I am taking both pantograph and free-motion quilting classes for the long arm. So…it seems to make sense to wait until I get home to quilt this quilt. The pantograph class may change how I currently quilt with a pantograph. Also I ordered a different green quilting thread as I did not like the color I thought I would use. Funny how that happens…

So, here’s my current project:

I am sewing together colorful 5-inch blocks from my stash. I will put a 3-inch border on this grid and use it to cut out “Lil Twister” blocks. Here’s a clue of what I am talking about:

Lil Twister block images – Google Search.

Canton Village Quilt Works has a very nice tutorial on how to use the Lil Twister tool.

Turkey Tracks: Snow Day!

Turkey Tracks: February 13, 2014

Snow Day!

As I write, the sky is pouring snow. It’s still unclear how much we will get and if warmer temps will turn some of the moisture into sleet.

Our monthly knitting meeting has cancelled for the second time this month. When it starts to snow this seriously, I hunker down and take pleasure in all my projects–on the theory that some trips are not worth the risk. In this case, it’s not the going, it’s the getting home after several hours of snow.

So, as we are deep into February, my wild turkeys are now quite tame. I throw them leftover chicken food, some scratch, and some sunflower seeds. It seems to be my mission in life to feed things.

I’ve told you they talk to me–so I took this little video yesterday–a bit after some long conversations had already occurred. And my goodness, you should have heard them this morning. They knew the storm was coming.

The males are really starting to display now, and their heads are turning cobalt blue. I will try to get pics of that phenomenon soon.

Look at THIS:

I have six of the 12 needed of these BIG hexies. I am working on the 7th and have two more planned. You will recall that this idea/pattern comes from Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke in Material Obsession 2: More Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots. Remember these earlier pictures of two different settings?

And:

The issue is bed quilt or wall hanging. I go back and forth daily.

I have a quilt on the long arm and will work on that some this afternoon.

And I am listening to an Elizabeth George mystery downloaded from the library: Careless in Red. I have to finish it as Mary Karr’s Lit, which I had put a hold on, is now available.

Oh my goodness!!! So many good things to do, so little time.

Turkey Tracks: Quilt Projects

Turkey Tracks: January 19, 2014

QUILT PROJECTS

I promised you pictures of the blocks I’m (mostly) hand sewing for a quilt–from Material Obsession 2.

Here are two blocks finished:

And here’s one in progress:

They are so much fun to work on.

Here is what my design wall looks like at the moment–now that Celtic Solstice if down:

The red and green quilt and the brown quilt at the top are leader/ender projects. And, for play, I made a fish block yesterday and cut out a few more blocks…

When I finish quilting “Sails Up” and “Celtic Solstice,” the fish quilt will become a primary task.

The trip to Alewives’ BIG sale (quilt store) was fun yesterday. Lunch out was, too. We got home just as the snow started coming down in earnest.

I bought two greens and 7 yards of this ORANGE backing for Celtic Solstice. The dark green will be a border, and the light green the binding. The orange just seemed…to fit the quilt.

So…one more border for Celtic Solstice and then, quilting.

What a fun project this Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt has been.

Turkey Tracks: Friday Night Update

Turkey Tracks: January 17, 2014

Friday Night Update

It’s 4:04 p.m., and it is not pitch dark yet.

But, soon.

And, soon, spring will come, too, as the days are growing longer.

We have been having a January thaw for the past week. We can see green grass again, and there is still lettuce in my cold frame. Imagine that… Beneath all that snow…

I HAVE TO ORDER SEEDS!

The chickens are laying again. Rosie, the Copper Black Maran, laid her first egg since, I don’t know, October? The Americaunas molted in the fall and started laying again a few weeks ago. They are, once again, looking posh with all their new feathers. Beauty, who is so ugly I called her Beauty, laid all winter–though the shell to her eggs is very thin. She is so friendly and sweet.

The Diva, who I think is Queeny, is in the kitchen, resting, healing (one hopes). Her neck still looks pretty bad, but her eyes are bright, and she’s eating.

The brother of my friend Linda, who house sits for me and cleans, was standing beneath the edge of a roof with lots of ice on it. A slab broke loose and hurt his arm, side, and leg and broke his foot. Last Tuesday, in the middle of our January thaw, Linda went to get into her minivan, slipped on hidden ice next to the van. Her face is all bruised, and she broke her wrist. She drove herself to the emergency room.

Of course she was not looking for ice; everything had melted off. And that’s when the ice is the most treacherous. When you think it’s gone. Now she and her brother visit each other, each nursing a broken bone, and laugh wryly.

I talk to her every few days to see if she needs anything and to remind her to go slowly. The loss of income is very serious for her, of course, and I will pay her same as always, work or no work. She is so good to me in so many ways–I can’t even begin to tell you all she did for me when John was so sick and how she has cared for me this past year.

Today I went to Belfast (about 40 minutes north) to the big Coop for ground chicken for the dogs and green things for me. AND to pick up this amazing herbal powder from Dr. Herzig, a holistic vet, that keeps Miss Reynolds Georgia bright and busy tailed. She thinks she’s a puppy again, which is great since twice now I have been sure she was not going to live through the night. For about three months this summer I had to gently force feed her. Anyway, it was nice to get out a bit.

Celtic Solstice: I put on the white border yesterday. And got one triangle border on when I realized that I had TWO blocks with the orange going the wrong way. Mercy! I took the rows apart and turned the blocks, and the job was easier than I had expected. When I finish here, I’m going to make a cup of tea and put on the other three borders. Tomorrow I’m going to a big quilt fabric sale to get some green or blue to finish this amazing quilt. And, the backing and binding. There are so many seams that I do not want to piece blocks for the back. It will be so hard to quilt if I do.

“Sails Up and Flags Flying,” the bright orange quilt, is loaded onto Lucy the longarm, and the great yellow thread has come in the mail. So…. Tomorrow, maybe…

Here’s a block to remind you…

And one of the really fun things I’ve learned from Bonnie Hunter is to take the time to “swirl” your seams on the backside of a block as it cuts down on bulk when it’s time to quilt the layers. See the little tiny squares in the middle of each block–that “swirling” means two layers of bulk, not four. Bonnie has detailed instructions under the four-patch unit “clue” of Celtic Solstice on her quiltville.com blog. Look for the “Celtic Solstic” mystery information.

I have been hand-sewing blocks for this great quilt–pictures below–from Material Obsession 2 by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke, both from Australia. I have not decided which layout to use yet.

I am kind of leaning toward the second one, but maybe making it a bit bigger. I have almost finished two blocks and have cut out pieces for the third and chosen fabric for a bunch more. I am getting obsessed with the beauty of these blocks. I’ll take some pictures tomorrow.

BUT, if I do the first layout, it might make a great quilt for the red guest bedroom…

Who knows? It’s a work in progress… And I’m just having fun.

It’s dark now. I’m going now to lock up the chickens, fix dinner (stuffed green peppers and baked squash), make a cuppa, and sew. And to listen to what is likely the final part of P.D. James’ Devices and Desires, which has been wonderful, wonderful. James is a master of murder mysteries. This book is so full and rich and so full of depth.

Tonight after watching two Castle episodes from season 2–which is really all about watching Nathan Fillion whose Firefly series got cancelled way, way too soon (Josh Whedon, and the movie Serenity kind of finished off that series)–I’ll read another big chunk of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, which I’m really enjoying.

And, oh my gosh!, when checking spelling for Fillion, I realized he’s also in Buffy the Vampire Slayer just a bit, which Josh Wheden also did!!! I’ve always wanted to check out that tv series…ever since Julie Powell wrote Julie and Julia (from her blog about Julie cooking her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking) and spoke of her delight in Buffy…

If you don’t have dog-eared volumes of Child’s Mastering the Art of…, you might want to get at least the first one and cook around it a bit.

Life is so full of wonderful surprises some times…

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