Less + Contentment = Better

Number six of twenty-one is finished!!

Doesn't a finish always make you eager to shout out -- "look what I did"!!

The breeze (okay, wind) was just as excited as I was -- couldn't stop flappin' it around for all the neighbors to see.  

The quilting isn't even close to my original idea of how to do it - just simple vertical straight lines.  In the end, I was inspired by the quilting on two previous quilts that come out every spring.

The upper three fourths of the quilt is covered with horizontal breezy quilting -- free motion curves billowing from edge to edge with the occasional little swirl.  I used my favorite yellow Aurifil  thread on the top and white FineLine in the bobbin.

The little hexie flowers were each jazzed up by extending their flower petals . . . . 

and then vines and leaves climbing up the fence posts reaching for the breeze!

A green binding finishes the quilt off perfectly and it will be hanging in my living room for the month of June, my birthday month.  The center of the quilt is a temperature quilt for the first year of  my life.

It was too small to be useful so in a happy series of coincidences, I added blocks which turned out to represent some of the passions of my long life -- big beautiful tree, birds, picket fences, and flowers with lots of insects buzzing around the background fabrics.

Continuing with the spontaneity of this quilt, I chose this cheerful piece of hoarded fabric that is too wonderful to cut apart for the backing -- not quite enough for the backing but borders fixed that.

Now I'm ready to tackle number seven!!  It's another top made 20 years ago using one of the colorways from my brief foray into the fabric designing business.  This will go to one of my grandchildren and the quilting plan is Baptist fan.  I made the backing over the weekend and layering could happen today!!

I've been knitting this new hat pattern, Semblance by Hunter Hammerson.  I was captivated by the stitch pattern when she released it a couple weeks ago so bought it right away.  My determination to use stash yarn forced me to step out a bit -- it's not the same weight as she used or a monochromatic colorway. If you've worked with her knitting patterns, you know she forces one to figure out the needle size yourself which means one has to check gauge before starting -- something I don't enjoy.  

I want to get right into a project -- are you like that?  

But after reading the introductory instructions and wrangling with the helpful sizing chart, I determined the correct needle size for my yarn and the correct number of stitches to cast on given my personal private gauge (PPG).  I did rip it back to the ribbing twice because I failed to read a couple details -- just skipped right over them -- but now I'm on track and loving the results.  Yesterday as I put it down, I realized my yarn has serendipitously knit out in diagonal bands of color!!

HERE IS A LINK to her pattern. 

I have a big garden project -- removing English ivy and myrtle out of a 200 square foot bed -- 30 minutes at a time.  The other day while working out there for the 15th day in a row and determining there is about 3 more weeks of work to get to the end, I thought "this is atypical for me"  I usually lose interest midway in any project and I realized that one of the aspects of the pandemic isolation that I'm okay with is being able to do less.  

Why, you ask?

Well, I'm noticing that I'm more engaged with projects because of the "less".  Big tasks that take time are okay because the results will be good.  

It will likely take me through the end of the year to finish this big hand quilting project (it's one of the twenty-one).  

It will be so exciting to be able to replant this bed with native shrubs and plants and watch the biodiversity of my backyard wildlife expand.  

It will be so good to have an empty shelf where all those quilt tops have been stashed.

Having less to do means doing fewer things better and learning to enjoy the simplicity of less.

I have time to bake sourdough bread and I have time to start garden plants this year.

My genealogy work is more focused and accurate and less frenetic. 

I have time to binge watch gardening and pollinator webinars and learn more about a native environment.

It doesn't hurt that I'm completely vaccinated at this point, either!!

What a relief!!

I am eager to carry this contented state of mind forward and be happy doing less.

How about you?  

What have you learned about yourself and what will you carry forward? 

Mary

 

Turning A Corner -- Tips for Better Bindings

Number five is finished!! 

#quilt21in2021

I was concerned about too little quilting but I washed it and dried it on low and it's fine!!

Soft and cozy.

The simple quilting made for an easy and quick finish and once again, I'm wondering why I've left this top laying around for over twenty years?

As I was binding it yesterday, I thought perhaps my readers are getting a bit tired of me raving about all my finishes so today I'm revisiting a post I wrote a few years ago on how to turn a better binding corner . . . . except that for some reason, I apparently deleted the post???

Arrggghhhh!!

Happily the photos were still archived and so while I have to write the words again, I don't have to  take new photos, so here we go.

Generally, I run a wide long zigzag around the outside edge of a finished quilt before adding the binding.  I believe it helps flatten the edges and eliminates most of the waviness that sometimes occurs during the quilting process.

I cut my binding strips on the cross grain most of the time but if I have curved edges or want a special effect (diagonal stripes), I cut the binding on the bias.  I cut 2 1/2" wide strips for a completely machine bound quilt and 2 1/4" for one where I'm going to wrap and stitch the binding to the back by hand.

I have stopped pressing the binding in half lengthwise before applying it to the quilt -- now lets see if I can find the video that sold me on that idea?

Well, I found the person, but not the video -- maybe it was a blogpost not a video?  

It's Marci Baker and her website is HERE.

I'll try to explain -- if you press a crease down the center of the binding, after you've stitched it to the quilt and are ready to fold it to the other side for the second stitching, less fabric is needed on the "inside" of the doubled strip than is needed on the "outside" which means the crease can interfere with it laying smoothly.  Don't understand?  Don't worry, just try it.

Besides, I like one less task!

I apply the binding with a walking foot.  The seam depth is more than 1/4" from the needle to the edge of the foot so sometimes I adjust the needle position.  The thickness of the batting is my guide for this.  The thicker the batting, the narrower the seam needs to be (though not less than 1/4") so there is more binding to roll over the edge.

When I'm two or three inches from a corner, I fold the binding strip on a diagonal so it extends to the right of my presser foot and finger press the fold.  My diagonal fold intersects the corner of the quilt as perfectly as I can make it line up.

Then I use a colored pencil to mark a line in that crease when I unfold it.  

Now I'll stop stitching when I get to that diagonal line. . . . .

drop my needle into the fabric, lift the presser foot and pivot to stitch down the diagonal line to the edge of the quilt.  This secures the end of the stitching but doesn't interfere with the turning of the corner.

Flip the binding off the quilt so the raw edges are a continuous straight line with the next side of the quilt.  The diagonal stitching provides a firm stop line for the fold.

Now bring the binding back onto the quilt.  The key to a crisp miter happens right here!

The fold I'm point to with my scissor tip must be lined up exactly with the edge of the first side of the binding.  If it extends beyond the edge or falls short of the edge - you are already doomed.

Second, the folded edges where I'm pointing the scissor tip in the picture below must be aligned perfectly.  If the folds are cockeyed, the corner will be a mess.

To stitch down the second side, I start far enough in from the edge to secure the diagonal folds underneath but don't stitch all the way to the edge.

I do one final little step as I turn each corner.

I trim off the corner of the quilt, not the binding to reduce bulk in the corner.

This picture is from another post I wrote about binding and you may want to check it out HERE for an overview of how I handle doing the second side by machine.

If doing the second side by hand, I've learned that stitching the folded edge all the way into the corner gives me better results.

Square as square can be with a perfect little miter!

I hope these tips are helpful to you next time you bind a quilt!

I found the inspiration and courage to start quilting my birth year temperature quilt over the weekend.  I'm about one third of the way along with free motion "breezes" blowing across the surface.

Yes, I have a pot of amaryllis on my machine table!  

Plenty of sunlight and a cheery companion! 

We've had good news here in Ohio -- 40 year old's and over are eligible for the vaccine beginning this coming Friday!  That means my children are eligible.  I hope your part of the world is making good progress with this as well, too!

Wishing you lots of sunshine this week!!

Mary

 

Opening the Windows!!

 Not all of them -- but enough to smell the air and hear the birdsong.  We are having a short spurt of 50+ degree days here in Northeast Ohio and I'm loving it.  It's too early to do any serious garden work beyond picking up sticks from the lawn and gravel out of the gardens along the driveway.  With a primarily clay soil, messing in the dirt too early is never a good idea.  But it's not too early for a more leisurely walk or to sit on the front porch and stitch. 

A few snow crocus and aconite are blooming and lots of snowdrops. 

And it's nice enough to hang the bedding outside to dry!!

As we are all well aware, we are right on the edge of the first anniversary (and hopefully the last we feel compelled to recognize) of worldwide recognition of Covid-19.  Personally I don't want to remember the fear I felt one year ago.  But at least we are no longer facing the "unknown" -- we now know it!!  

Is that a relief?  To know it?

Are you coming out of it knowing yourself a bit better, too?

I've been contemplating that for the past week and I recognized that my upbringing (which was good) has set me up to be unhappy when I'm not "accomplishing".

I've also concluded that's not really healthy at this point in my life as my energy seems to be waning.

So working to re-do that deeply ingrained attitude -- just being happy is good!

Much of this "pondering" was motivated by feeling guilty about not "accomplishing" tasks on my to-do list over the past week.  I didn't want to tidy up the kitchen even though it needed doing but I did want to layer up a quilt top.    So I did and pointed out all the reasons to myself why doing that was equally  important to me!

(Does "it will be easier for my kids to deal with finished quilts" work cause that's what I'm going with.)

Then I got stuck   )-:      )-:      )-:      )-:

As often happens, I am having doubts about how I thought I wanted to quilt it so (keep the happy state of mind going -- not making much progress am I?),  I layered up another quilt top and in the process, quilting ideas flowed into my head!

But not for the temperature quilt?!?

It's draped helplessly over the back of the chair and watching another top crash the line.

I'm keeping it quite simple (and now I'm fussing about whether it's too simple?!?) and hope to finish it by the weekend!

If I still think it's too simple, I can always add more quilting . . . . right?

I woke up this morning thinking I should have added a label to the backing before I started quilting so I'm pausing today to do that.  This one will be for my oldest granddaughter and uses one of the colorways of the fabric I did for Kings Road Imports in the mid-1990's and I want her to remember her grandmother made a brief foray into fabric design.

I'm still hesitant to start quilting my birth year temperature quilt so I might layer another small piece tomorrow just in case I can't start again when this one is finished.  

Have to keep this ball rolling if I'm going to #quilt21in2021 -- my new hashtag for Instagram.

The photo sorting continues.  

Argghhh?!?

My paternal grandparents were photographers who developed their own pictures and so every time they got a cute one of me, they printed it 47 times?!?!?  And my parents gave all of them to me. . . . thankfully, this fascination only lasted until my sister arrived and the volume decreased.  

So do each of my kids want six prints of 89 pictures of darling one year old me??

Just when I thought I had answered that question, it occurred to me that my grandchildren might want their own set of Grandma Mary's adorable self?

I have perhaps gotten "too comfortable" with the sorting mess and can currently sit in the livingroom and quilt or knit for several hours without a twinge of guilt.  

Still I'm not quitting, just delaying.

Actually, all my birding buddies will be vaccinated by the end of March and a dinner party would be the perfect reason to finish the photo sorting?!?

I brought a little spring inside yesterday -- this clump of snowdrops will brighten the dining room table for a week or so and then I'll scatter the bulbs around the gardens to start new little colonies.

Seasons are changing everywhere -- winter to spring and summer to autumn.

I look forward to stepping through the curtain of Covid-19 with this season of change and hope you find you are able to do the same.  We've learned a lot about ourselves and the people around us -- more good than not, I hope.   Wishing you a week of happy feelings.

Mary 

PS -- I did tidy up the kitchen later.