Since the beginning of March I have been getting ready for my Empty Spools retreat.  Getting caught up on house stuff and blocking out time when I would be away.  Not scheduling anything for this week, making sure there was enough dog food, people food and stuff.  Then, last Wednesday, it was announced that my session was canceled. So now I have a bunch of free time to spend in my own house.  That’s the way I’m looking at it anyway.  Not that I have anywhere to go, or anyone to see because of the, uh, shut-down. Plus it’s going to rain for the next ten days or so.  Rain is needed here as I planted a bunch of stuff, and free water makes things grow better than me trying to remember where the plants are and when I watered them last.

Yesterday I got the nine big blocks of Estella put together.  I just didn’t have the energy to complete that final nine patch.  It is a good thing too, I was knitting at my sewing table last night and admiring the big blocks on the design wall and I saw this:

Yay for quality control, or OCD, I’ll fix it later today. *

Also on the ‘To be finished’ list is the Frolic quilt.  I was really trying to finish it to bring with me to Alsilomar.  I wanted to show it to Bonnie Hunter and maybe bring it to one of the show and tell nights.  I have one more row of pantograph left to do, and binding of course.  I am still deciding if I want to make the Emerald city quilt that I was going to start at Empty Spools.  I have been collecting all the greens and neutral fabric since last June, when I signed up for the class.  I even got a backing for it.  I wonder if I am just sad that I didn’t get to go, and I am holding that against starting this quilt.  Or I am in Quilty Hangover mode after finishing Frolic and Estella, since both were so labor intensive.  I think I am going to do something easy and smaller this week.  Break out the Accuquilt Go and do something a little less mindful.

I started knitting a new shawl last week, the pattern is Fifth Avenue by Knittimo.  I’m using two yarns from Shibui, cloud and pebble, and a mixture of copper colored beads.  I haven’t done bead knitting with a crochet hook before now, and after the first 50 or so beads I had it figured out.  The only thing I don’t like about it is I have to knit at a table where I can access the bead bowl.  This is definitely not a project to knit in bed.

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll quilts for Design Wall Monday today.

* Once I got that piece turned around I laid out the giant blocks out to sew them together and noticed 18 more HST’s that were turned the wrong way.  I fixed them and now my blocks are a top.

I finally finished the Live Simply quilt quilting.  68 blocks each with its own motif, to break it up a bit I used four different ones in the center. The borders were a continuous vine and leaf pattern and the black spacers have pearls.  I had to turn the quilt on the frame to do the last two borders, as I couldn’t break up the design in parts small enough to quilt vertically.  I AM going to do the binding today, black to match.

I put Frolic on the frame and chose a pantagraph for it, called Floral Whimsy.  It is big enough to not take away from the piecing and pretty enough on the back.  I’m using Superior’s King Tut “mirage” blue.  The backing is a dark blue calico wide back.

I have been steadily making more units for the Estrella quilt.  I set up my singer 404 in the long arm studio, multitasking.  The pantos on Frolic take about 85 minutes per row across.  Rather than just standing and watching, I can make a few hundred HSTs. As you may or may not be aware of, automated machines “know” when you leave the room, they are like naughty toddlers, ready to break a thread or get hung up on a seam or what have you.  I have learned my lesson about that.  I really want to finish the Frolic quilt before the Empty Spools retreat.  I’d like to show it to Bonnie Hunter, and the rest of the attendees.  Every night there is a get together in the main hall, the teachers have a presentation and then there is show and tell.  It’s like a giant trunk show.  I had thought I would finish the Estrella quilt before this, but alas no, too many pieces.

I have been steadily knitting the Humulus sweater, I have 3/4s of a sleeve left.  It goes pretty quickly, but I usually nod off, knitting can be relaxing, especially after a long day.  Looking forward to starting a new project, maybe one of the new ones I got at Stitches West.  Although I saw a scarf today that may be nice to have…

Linking up with Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put your Foot Down today.

 

I attended Stitches West last weekend.  I go every year and meet my old friend (she’s not old in age, just friendship) and we catch up and pet the yarns.  I was going to be so resolute and NOT buy any more yarn.  Then I thought, well, maybe some lace weight yarn.  In the days before, I looked through what I have, looked for some patterns that I had, and tried to manage my  “need” to get more yarn.  I even found the bag of yarn I bought last year, full of beautiful yarn and patterns.  I did make one of those projects, to be fair.  I have been knitting a bit more lately, I finished a cable sweater for my DS, and I am almost done with a pull-over for same son.  I did some hats for Christmas and gifted a few shawls, but I only made one pair of socks this year.  I had been signing up for the Curious Handmade sock series every year, six sock patterns over six months.  But I didn’t this year, I think it is because I don’t wear them, they are too warm for our winters in California.

Getting back to the yarn about yarn, my resolve was so strong for the first aisle of vendors, then I saw a shawl/scarf that was made with a lace weight silk blend *ka-ching* into the bag it went.  I also purposely brought a small carry bag, so that I couldn’t bring home a bunch.  It was down hill from there.  I ended up with five new projects and one skien that I got because it was pretty, sock weight yarn.  So much for restraint.   It was a lovely day, hanging out in the yarn universe, with friends.

Back on planet Quilt, work is still progressing on Estella.  Just for fun I figured out how many pieces this quilt has, just over 3700.  Most are 1 inch finished, some are 2 inch finished, the pattern is written so that each part is methodically put together.  Unit by unit, then block by block.  I have two more units of 16 pieces to make, well really, 18 of each unit.  I’m glad there aren’t any borders, I think that might push me over the edge.  My machine keeps reminding me it needs service, I think I’ll finish up these last parts and then bring it in.  I am getting excited about going to Alsilomar for Empty Spools next month.  I am going to bring my Singer 401, so the Bernina can get it’s vacation then.  I am taking a class with Bonnie Hunter, to make the Emerald City quilt.  I have been collecting green fabrics ever since I found out I was taking her class.  I was a bit disappointed I didn’t get my first choice of instructor, Susan Carlson.  I would have liked to explore her collage techniques.  But I figure I can glean a few tips when we do the walk around through all the classrooms on the last day of the retreat.  Bonnies classes are supposed to be fun and I’ll be sewing up a storm with new friends.

On the long arm continent, work is progressing on the Live Simply quilt.  I am going to try to finish it this weekend, then I can get the “Frolic” quilt on it.  I want to bring it to Alsilomar to show and tell.  Wouldn’t it be great to bring the Estella quilt too?  Might be a bit of a push though.  I know I will be doing pantos on both, because of all the seam intersections, do I feel challenged?  Hmmm.

I started the Estrella quilt last week.  I’m trying to use up the scraps from my last French General quilt, all the lovely reds and beiges.  Of course as with any of my attempts to use up scraps, I needed to buy more fabric.  I bought the jelly roll, to see the full line of colors, a few of the pinks and a couple of the reds. Only half yards though, which made it a bit easier on the pocketbook. There may be enough for another red and white French General quilt. In this pattern there is pink, which I feel really ties the reds and beiges together.  After finishing the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, Frolic, Estrella is like an easier version.  Lots of chain piecing and units and smaller blocks.  On the design wall I have all the colors hanging and labeled with their letters.  when I am making a unit, I see if I have the same fabric called for, or if not I can use a similar shade of my left overs.

The first nine block parts are underneath the strips.  I really like the way these units go together to make a very large block with secondary and tertiary patterns that evolve.

I think this pattern would make a great scrappy project as well, although it would drive a person batty to try and keep the shading and values in control. I think one could make one block at a time, rather than sewing all the units and then putting them together.  Not the way I prefer to work, but it could be done.

This week I have finished quilting the feathered star (yay!) even got the binding on.  Which opened up the frame for the Live Simply quilt.  It is large, 96″ X 96″, I am using a linen backing, which is soft and drapes nicely.

I’m using a block design I got from One Song Quilting, called Feathers and Pearls 1.  I resized it to fit the 10 inch log cabin.  They stitch out in about 8 minutes, so 8 minutes x 64 blocks = about 8.5 hours.  Not too bad, and probably about the same amount of time to do a pantograph. I like the density of this design too, I think that it will help the quilt maintain its shape once it is washed.

Linking up with Denise at For the Love of Geese for “Put Your Foot Down”, lots of log Cabin-y goodness going on over there with the Island Batik Challenge.

 

I spent my weekend working on Frolic.  So many pieces, so many times I was ready to quit.  There are about 3400 pieces, a bunch of extras were made because it made the instructions easier to give/follow.  There are 25 whole blocks and 14 half blocks and 4 quarter blocks.  On point settings with sashing to make up the secondary design.  Wow, this quilt has A LOT going on.  I am pleased with how my scrappy approach to the stars turned out.  Due to a bit of over zealous chain piecing, I had to make them mixed.  I matched the tones so from far enough away they look like solid stars.  I wasn’t going to un-sew all those pieces.  I am going to do the saw tooth borders, looking at the Quiltville Facebook posts, many people aren’t doing Bonnies style borders.

This photo popped up on the FB site for what to do with the extra pieces.  This quilter made a backing with them.  I think I may do a small quilt, or maybe pillow shams.  

 

Today I want to finish up the top and go do some work on the Feathered Star quilt.  This weekend I also finished knitting all of the pieces of the Oak Cardigan, and got them blocked.  Hoping to get them sewn together and then get knitting on the collar and button bands.  I was all excited to start a new knitting project, but then I realized that I needed to do the collar and bands.  Once the base row is on, it’s pretty mindless knitting, no cables or counting.

 

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday today.