A few finishes and starts

I’ve been busily working on things to sell at our local Crafters fair that happens in the beginning of December. Its sort of a juried fair, as many people sign up for tables, but there is limited space available. Last year I missed the application due date by two weeks, this week I mailed it back the day it came to me. I still don’t know if I got in yet, a bit aggravating, because of all the prep work that goes into this. Vendors also donate 10 percent of their profits to the local schools. This year they are trying to showcase more handmade items. I attended last year, and there were many jewelry makers, and painters and photographers. I just hope I don’t get a place next to the crochet pot holders LOL. There is another Fair held at the local high school, but its not as up-scale. They aren’t as selective either, last year they still had tables available the day before.

I finished the Piccadilly top, and I found a great pantograph to quilt it with. Its got tossed horseshoes and stars connected with loopy swirls. This is a heavy top, the double fabric of the dresden plates and appliquéd circles makes me wonder if I should use a poly batt. I did just get a “deal” on some wool batting, but I bought it for the Fire Island Hosta quilt.

I want to finish the little boy quilt I have on the frame now, I have one more row and the borders. I am doing simple lines around the inner spaces of the shapes. Lots of starts and stops, but I think it adds some interest to the over all quilt design.

I started a holiday quilt last night, using my newly acquired creative grids ruler for triangles in a square. I’m making thirty six 12 inch blocks with four fabrics. It gives the illusion of curves and secondary designs. The blocks are similar to “54, 40 or Fight” blocks, except that they have a half square triangle in the four corners instead of a four patch. While looking for examples of “54, 40 or fight” blocks I came across the history of the name for these blocks. I wonder if there are any blocks named after the 1840 presidential slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”. Yep, the Ohio star block is also known as T&T2.

In 1818, the United States and the United Kingdom (controlling British Canada) established a joint claim over the Oregon Territory – the region west of the Rocky Mountains and between 42° North and 54°40′ North (the southern boundary of Russia’s Alaska territory).

Joint control worked for over a decade and a half but ultimately, the parties decided that joint occupancy wasn’t working well so they set about to divide Oregon.

The 1844 Democratic presidential candidate James K. Polk ran on a platform of taking control over the entire Oregon Territory and used the famous campaign slogan, “Fifty-four Forty or Fight!” (after the line of latitude serving as the northern boundary of Oregon at 54°40′). Polk’s plan was to claim and go to war over the entire territory for the United States.

I think I’m going to change out the dark green for the lighter green stripe. According to the pattern (seen on left of photo 1) this block is called “May Flower”. No political affiliation on this one.