Rachel's Star - Part Two

So, for those up to the challenge of following this saga ... I determined that it was more than one fabric which I did not like in my first attempted Rachel's Star. Nice though these fabrics are, they just weren't producing the visual effect I was looking for. Thus, a repeat trip to the LM store for more fabric resulted in more muted (some would say muddy) teal colours to replace the lovely brown, and a new bright blue.
So, once again my weekend was spent arguing with the pieces of this complicated pattern (at least for me). Armed with all the lessons I learnt in the first rendition ..... I got the
Star together. I think I did a better job matching this time around, but still need some minor adjustments. For me the log cabin side units now visually recede where they should and the bright blue does not overpower the entire unit, hoorah! Now the big decision ...... which version should I use?
I might just have to complete both versions in order to decide .... YIKES. Wish me luck!
TTFN

The Saga of Rachel's Star . Part One

So folks, the saga of Rachel's Star begins. I tell myself, and others, that I'm dyslexic. Officially undiagnosed but there's enough familial history and loads of daily situational examples to convince me this is probably true. It helps explain why I'm always accused of being impetuous and can't follow directions well ...
Anyway, it's a convenient label to use to explain away all the stupid annoying crises I can get myself into, especially in sewing where I all too frequently do as much un-sewing as sewing!
So, given this why the heck would I take on the challenge of paper piecing such a challenging wall hanging? Well, because I love a challenge, because many of my quilting friends keep reassuring me that paper piecing is a "piece of cake" and because I really want to make this for my friend and colleague who is retiring.
So, last post you were introduced to the pattern (above) and the fabrics I carefully chose. Now I know I didn't get exactly the same fabrics (how could I- the pattern is 7 years old ...) but I thought I had done a pretty good job, especially since these are not really my colours ... Anyway, off to a pretty good start, cut the centre hexagon and sewed the alternating dark/bright gold pieces to it. Mistake #1. I'd like to blame poorly written patterns for most of my un-sewing adventures but this one was just plain ol me being a dullard ... instead of sewing the long edge of the trapazoids to the hexagon I start off by sewing the short sides. I quickly figure out that this is wrong, unsewed it and looked more carefully at the pattern (a picture is waaaaay better than 1000 words, especially when there is a paucity of words). So, sewing the long sides makes the instructions leave the first seam half done (as in partial seam) a whole lot more meaningful!

OK, now on to step 2 ... This involved making the 6 Star Points units and attaching 3 to the centre. Ok, how hard can that be? Well, I made the star points, all the while wondering why the heck the B**** who wrote this stupid pattern would tell me to cut a strip which is obviously not big enough to make the centre triangle in the star point and have ANY seam allowance .... Mistake #2.The pattern, if I had read/reread and then read again ... did tell me to cut a strip big enough .... Duh! Step 3 was to attach 3 of the 6 Star Points to the Hexagon ... but to which side???? (Hint = Mistake #3 not discovered until much later!)

Ok, so I'm well on my way but something doesn't look quite right - I wonder what it is??? Step 4 is to create the side log cabin units. Now one of the fabrics is supposed to visually recede, but I don't like my first choice of fabric (too muddy) so elect for another rather lovely teal/blue green batik. It matches wonderfully when you're working up close. Mistake #4. Now the log cabin blocks appear as a BIG BLUE thing in the centre. Not the look I was hoping for..... But I carry on (Mistake #5!)

So the centre section of Rachel's Star is all put together, but ... there's something wrong ... What is it??? YIKES, the Star Points are attached incorrectly therefore the interweaving effect of the 2 different golds isn't happening ! ARGH! So, late at night I hop into bed accompanied by Iris the cat, the ill-fated Rachel's Star and my seam ripper. Some bed mates eh? Anyway, approximately 30 minutes later (why does it take 1/10th the time to un-sew that it took to sew in the first place???) Mistake #3, remember it? is completely undone.

Onwards and upwards .... everything is sewn back together again and the interwoven effect of the star now shines through. YEAH! Triumph, no wait ... I still don't like the BIG BLUE thing in the centre of the log cabin side units, but I carry on, Mistake #6 .

Next I proceed to the Star points in the outer side units. I make the one on the right first, looks good doesn't it? Mistake #7 .... the colours are A--backwards, so I proceed to throw the thing across the room and make another! Let's see if I can get this one simple unit right! But in a fit of momentary insanity (momentary ha!) I decide I must correct Mistake #4 and exchange the lovely teal/blue green batik from my original choice (oh, why didn't I just leave things alone in the first place?) Mistake #8 results below.
OK, it doesn't look too too bad. Except for the 8 mistakes so far, and I'm only half way through ! The BIG BLUE thing is still way tooooo prominent for my liking. What to do, what to do?
I give up totally. First I consult with at least 2 colour experts then return to the fabric store and, while retaining the focus fabric of the centre hexagon, choose all new (muddier) teals. This should fix it...

Stay tuned for Rachel's Star part two .....
TTFN

Arrested Adolescent ?

Somewhere along the line I developed good eating habits. Let me rephrase that, nutritious eating habits, at least better than they were for many years. As a single person it is often very difficult to motivate yourself to cook nutritiously, and frequently much much to easy to just stick something in the nuker and be done with it, or better yet, pop some popcorn! Yeah, that's the ticket! Anyway, back to my original point. I have developed the habit of taking lunches to work (BTW, this is also a nice frugal way to save $ and still look like a goody goody;)) and since I LOVE apples, I usually include an apple in my lunch - you know, an apple a day keeps the Dr away ...

So, as I pulled out my apple today I went into my usual routine (I have a routine?) of twisting the wee stem and mentally reciting an alpha list of male names - you know the routine, you go through a list of male names until the stem breaks off - and that's the name of the man you're going to marry! OMG I can't believe I still play that silly game!! I can't believe I'm still subconsciously waiting - hoping - expecting to get married (re-married that is). Does this make me an arrested adolescent (I meant "arrested adolescent" in terms of adults who still covet adolescent-like things/act like an adolescent)??? BTW, I hate that terminology - not that I don't hate all labels - they're so denigrating ... Oh yuck!!! I really can't bear myself today ... how could I? I reallllly thought I was further along the evolutionary line of independent women to have stopped all this silliness!

See what a wee apple can do?

TTFN

Rocky Racoon ...

Simone's latest pose ... upside down on her back!

I think she's relaxed!

So, last week was unusual in that Wednesday was Canada Day. I was scheduled to work Sat. July 4th and missed our customary Friday dinner out. Consequently mother and I chose to dine out on Sat. Later that evening whilst approaching my front step I noticed both Iris and Simone in the front window. Now this is unusual for both cats to be in the window at the same time .... so, what's going on ??

Sadly, I have to report that a deceased baby raccoon was lying in the front garden against the side of my front steps, gently nestled under the leaves of my hosta plant. Where did this poor baby come from ? I don't know, but I think I've had enough adventures with wild life for awhile. So, after doing the eeewww thing for awhile, I retrieved my shovel, garden gloves and a plastic bag and maneuvered the wee thing out of the garden. Now I can't approach the garbage pail as I know what's there lying in state!

So, needing a project to take my mind of the poor wee thing, I determined to finally, yes finally do something about my summer purse. I really like the purse, it's just small enough for me that I can't carry too much (bad for my wounded shoulder) and somewhat stylish. Only problem is it does not close and things were forever falling out! So I scavenged in my batik stash and located just enough matching fabric from the same batik as my necessary bag, to make a closure. Above is the before, and on either side are my after pics! Tada!!!!

What else did I accomplish on my one day off? I got the fabrics cut for the Rachel's Star wall hanging referred to in the last post. I have to admit the instructions were very poor . Personally I like better instructions than "cut some scraps" ... hello ..... pattern author .... didn't you get paid to write a pattern ?? A pattern, by definition, means exact measurements, at least to me. Grrrr! So, this is what I have cut, wish me luck!!!


TTFN

New Project !

So, while waiting for my friend L to complete the quilt top she wants hand quilted, I decided to take a quick stab (pardon the pun) at the whole cloth wall hanging kit I got cheap, cheap cheap at an auction at my other guild. I'm almost half way done when I discover that one of my work colleagues has accepted an early retirement package. He's a good friend, Jewish and has a daughter named Rachel, so I thought the wall hanging above, called Rachel's Star, might be a nice gift. OK ....

Quick - lay aside the whole cloth 'cause I've got a NEW PROJECT!

Of course, I couldn't find exactly the same fabrics, but did manage to get a great brown, blue and teal paisley ... so co-ordinated the remaining fabric choices from there! It's a Quilter's Newsletter, 2000 paper pieced project, something I've only tried once before .... so wish me luck!

And, as I was shopping in our local LM store, didn't I run into - ohhhh, what's her name ???? We ended up talking in the aisle for approx. 45 minutes, neither of us referring to the other by name, obviously neither of us could remember the other one's name. DON'T YA JUST HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS?

As I drove home the mantra kept running thru my head - not Wilma, not Wilma, not Wilma - shades of F Flintstone. Of course it hit me once I got to bed - NORMA!

TTFN

P.S. Speaking of wildlife ... I can now add a baby rabbit, a chipmunk and a hummingbird to the list of wildlife in my back garden... WooHoo!

Dead Trees, new project

When I first moved into my wee abode I immediately embarked on some landscaping as relatively none existed. Having been an apartment dweller for way way too long/aka a closet gardener, I opted for shrubbery and ornamental trees rather than tons of flowers, of which I knew little. Also, I wanted to get the "bones" of the gardens established as quickly as possible, and not knowing the soil conditions, sun disposition etc I felt it prudent to start with the basics. So, in went two Caraganas, several Weigelias, a red Maple, a "Burning" bush and a Lilac.
Above is my first failure! Waaaaaaah. We're well into June and this thing is dead. Ok, there are two, maybe three wee branches which have flowered and not yet leafed, but the main part of the tree is just plain dead! Well actually, if you break off a branch it's still green inside .... so is there hope? Calling for opinions from all you horticulturalists out there!
I can't even chalk it down to a hard winter, or too soggy a spring .... as other Caraganas in the neighbourhood are in full leaf by now - just not mine! As you can see from the pic it was planted in front (but away from) a furnace exhaust pipe. I had hoped that I planted it far enough away, but suspect this is what has killed my poor Caragana!

So, now that my car has eaten all of my extra dollars for this year and all prospects of any kind of vacation away, even for one or two days, has completely and totally vanished, I guess I'll spend some of my precious three weeks off from the daily grind (aka job) digging out this corpse (sound of funereal dirge playing in background). I'm now toying with the idea of some kind of iron or stone sculptural piece to go in it's place. Hmmmm, this will involve shopping in garden centers, architectural salvage yards, antique places. Hmmmm, things might actually be looking up!
Whilst waiting for my friend to complete the quilt top she wants me to hand quilt for her, I have decided to get at this whole cloth pre-stenciled large wall hanging I scooped at the year end auction in my previous quilt guild. And, I only paid $3.00 for the kit! This should keep me out of trouble for the next month-month and 1/2, so this is good. Everything but the batting was included in the kit, so stay tuned!

Summer Tablescape!

TTFN

Weekend of Firsts !

Well, it was a weekend of firsts! Friday evening Simone, the sweet but untouchable kitty - I believe her new name should be Simone the inscrutable Siamese, came downstairs and played with mummy. Didn't last long, only a few minutes, but none-the-less a really good sign.

Saturday I finally got the Steam mop put together. Nothing like a whole lotta procrastinating .... I've only had the thingee for oh about 4-6 weeks! Anyway, I spent the afternoon searching all over the house for my favourite screwdriver, finally found it right where I last left it ... erggggg, then put the blasted thingee together only to discover the wonders of steam mopping your floors. Woohoo! Try it - you'll like it!
Later that same day whilst decompressing on the wee patio I glimpsed my first butterfly of the season - WooHoo! Oh the joys of having a garden, no matter how small. I also managed to complete mother's birthday present, a door hanging. I spent over a week attempting to find a suitable border fabric, but none of the colours worked - at least in my eyes ... so I chose to go with no border just a binding. Finally finished the hand quilting and got it bound.
Sunday I baked a rhubarb crumble from scratch ... ok, ok, I know that's not something one usually brags about .... but I'm not domestic - never have been. So, this was a milestone! Thanks L for the rhubarb!!!

TTFN




P.S. Simone the inscrutable Siamese came down for breakfast this morning!!! Another first. Maybe this will be a week of first?

Green Eyed Monster

So, sweetiepie Simone has returned home, and the proverbial green eyed monster has reared it's ugly head. Amazing! She was only gone for a day and a half ... but Iris (not so sweetiepie) decided the house was hers!!! Simone is currently cowering under the bed in the spare room as mommy won't let her in the basement. Perhaps this is a good thing as she needs time to be quiet and heal, and I'd rather have her on a floor I frequent where I can at least talk to her, albeit from another room.
I have a friend coming over tonight to help me with Simone as I need to remove the medication patch from her right shoulder --- update, update - Dinner went off without a hitch, but getting hold of Ms Untouchable was another story .... to be expected mommy now has several puncture wounds/swollen fingers and a sore arm from the necessary Tetanus shot. Friend went home unscathed (luckily) and poor Simone has retired to hiding behind the quilt stand in the spare bedroom. When she eventually re-appears will let blogland know. Here's hoping she doesn't hold permanent grudges!

On the craft front ... I've made major progress on mother's door hanging over the weekend - BTW wasn't it a glorious weekend? Lots of time on the patio stitching and stitching and stitching. I also managed to make it out to one of our local Quilt stores which is closing it's first location in favour of the second, and consequently had a 50% off sale!

Yes ladies, you read correctly I said 50% off!!! Now I know this goes against the grain (pardon the pun) 'cause I vowed to buy no more fabric until all my UFOs were completed (yeah - right) ... but then again, 50 % off! The catch 22 was that you couldn't ask for a fat quarter cut you "had" to buy a meter - oh hardship!! So, with patterns in hand for my next major applique project (see below) I dutifully spent dollars and got myself all supplied up! Wish me luck!!!

Maggie Walker's Cats in the Garden

TTFN

Gadzooks!

Ms. Iris in Carrier

So, Simone baby is scheduled to go to the Vet for the big snip snip (spayed and shots) this Thursday - wish me luck getting Ms. "untouchable" into the cat carrier, which is why I dragged it up from the basement last week, re-assembled it and put in her cat bed and favourite blankie .... only to have Ms. Iris sleep in it all day Saturday!!!!
Granted , Simone did played with - or rather taunted Iris most of the morning through the vents in the carrier, so perhaps all was not lost - maybe she has/will get used to the thingee and not get tooooo toooo hysterical when I affix the door, then capture her inside in anticipation of the morning car ride to Dr. Blue Cross. Let's hope so! Now I know some of you out there are against de-clawing cats. Iris, when she came to me was already de-clawed, so I am considering having Simone de-clawed (front only). It makes for a happier mommy, and both furry babies are indoor cats - ALWAYS, or at least until mommy can afford to fence in the back yard! Here's hoping the spaying will calm Simone down and perhaps - just perhaps she'll become touchable, that is IF she ever forgives me for sticking her in the carrier and taking her away!!!

What else did mommy accomplish this past weekend? Well, I made my own version of the Spoonful of Sugar Loyalty Card wallet. Now, as usual my first attempt was just a wee bit too small and my loyalty cards didn't fit ... so I made a second one and watched my seam allowances a bit more carefully - and ta da! Oh boy oh boy - another quilty/fabricy thingee - woohoo! What else? Well, I managed to spend loads on $$$ at the grocery store, and I was somewhat domestic and steamed then froze a whole bunch of Asparagus in prep for next winter. Of course it meant I had to re-arrange the now overfilled freezer - but hey - as Miss Scarlet once said "I'll never be hungry again. ..."!


TTFN

The Quilted Jacket

The Quilted Jacket

So, I've been sitting on - no, not accurate - I've been procrastinating with this pattern for approximately 4 years - ouch!
I'm not a seamstress - I've never taken any, and I mean ANY real sewing lessons. I never took Home Ec or 4H or any of that domestic stuff... which is why I've been procrastinating. I really can't sew a lick, which is why I'm best known for applique - you don't have to be accurate - you can be more creative in applique. My piecework in quilting is never 100% - my seams always go wonky and, as Kaye Woods would say - I'm a pointless person! None-the-less this past month I finally plucked up my nerve with the encouragement of my friends in our quilting group and got down to business.
As you can see I finished the jacket, and .... drum roll please .... it fits!! I even managed to make button holes with the machine's auto buttonholer. Now for me that is a real accomplishment!

The pattern called for 8 fat quarter - I've been collecting them for 2 years now, I have lots and lots left over ;). It was also supposed to have raggedy seams, but I chose to leave the seams on the inside, and, since I wasn't into the raggedy look I actually bound the seams with bias binding made from the leftovers of the 8 fat quarters. I got some white flannel with pink, blue, yellow and green polka dots for the "batting" and spent a week machine quilting the fabric.

Having proudly taken it to our last get-together to show-n-tell imagine how red my face was the next day when I noticed that the left sleeve was only 1/2 quilted! YIKES! What the heck? How could I??? In my enthusiasm I finished off the whole jacket without completing the quilting! So, last night after work out came the dreaded unsewer (aka seam ripper) and , as you can see below , I proceeded to quilt the remaining 1/4 section of the left sleeve, re-sew the sleeve, rebind the sleeve and re-hem the sleeve! Phew!

TTFN