I understand the world is halfway through the current season -- summer for us up here and winter for you down there.  Everyone here is saying "where is the summer going" and probably everyone down there is saying "this is the longest winter ever".  We need to watch out for those "never happy" moments, don't we?  Embrace the moment -- I hope that's something each of us has come to understand in new ways over the past 18 months especially now with the news media warning us, "it ain't over yet"!!

Before I forget, one thing I need to share with any of you who receive an e-mail notification that I have a new blogpost up -- that notification system is going away.  It's not my doing.  I don't understand it and while there might be a way I could set up something, I'm not going to do anything -- not because I don't want you to know what I'm doing but because I don't understand it.  I'm old(ish) and frankly this constant updating of systems is beyond my energy -- I don't want to be updated -- anyone else with me on this?

That being said, the Bloglovin' connection will still function as usual so you could set yourself up to receive notifications via that website.  (Ask a teenager to help you figure it out.)  I also share on my Facebook page each time I activate a post so you could request to be a follower?  Other than that, you could just stop by every couple weeks and see what's new?  

Aren't I helpful???

The fun news is there is another finish (#11) and an almost finish (#12),

Here is #11 lounging in the back yard.  

TRIP TO THE STARS

I wrote this pattern, circa 2007, as a mystery quilt for my students when Marti Michell introduced her Sashing Stars tool set. The pattern includes three sizes -- 92" square, 69" square, and 46" square (which is what this one is).  To change the size of the quilt, I simply changed the size of the blocks so no matter what size the quilt, it's only sixteen blocks.  The sashing is what creates the stars and Marti's set includes the templates for both the typical star and the elongated point stars.  Because the sashing rectangles are trimmed with the tool the points are easier, the piecing is accurate and there is very little fabric waste.

Once again, I started quilting without a complete plan -- if I wait for a complete plan to emerge, I never seem to start.   And I stayed with design ideas that I can execute well!  That means "continuous curve" for the patchwork and straight lines!!

The continuous curve in the soft green triangles and the straight lines down through the peach  colored squares were done first and with only a start and one stop.  To do this, I quilted diagonally across the first 4-patch, paused, then continuous curve around the triangles to the right and left ending at the corner of the first 4-patch.  I continued down the second 4-patch, paused, continuous curve right and left, and then one through the third 4-patch across the 4-patch in the middle of the star and on to the next block until I reached the end of that row.

Now go back and trace that along the photo with your finger. 

 Make sense?

At this point there was a three or four day pause while I figured out what to do with all the background space.  My goal was to reinforce the diagonal grid of the overall design and call attention to the stars, not the blocks.  A longarm quilter might have used dense quilting to flatten the background down around each of the elongated point stars but I don't do that well and so elected to outline the entire diagonal square with a series of three lines.  

There was another break in the action before I echoed those lines in the triangular areas.  I use to get frustrated by my inability to make a decision about how to quilt a section but I've learned that inspirations come just by looking at the quilt for a few days, tracing design ideas on the quilt surface with my finger or a chalk wheel -- eventually, something clicks and I can move forward again.

I was going to hand-quilt with pearle cotton around each of the stars, but opted to do it by machine in the interest of getting it done -- after all, I still have 9 more quilt tops to quilt this year!?!

The border print was the inspiration for the color palette.  Since it's a busy print and to keep in sync with the clean look of the rest of the quilt, I returned to the good old reliable "piano keys" quilting . . . . plus it's quick!!

The pattern PDF is still available in my Etsy shop -- MaryHueyQuilts -- and if you want to add it to your "to-do" list, I'd be honored.  You can enjoy a 10% discount on the pattern by going to the shop, mark the pattern as a "favorite" and I'll send you a coupon you can use.  If your local quilt shop doesn't carry Marti's tools, you can find all of them on her website HERE.

I found a picture of another version I made of Trip to The Stars!  I sold it a couple years ago at the Sisters, Oregon outdoor quilt show.

There is a third one -- it's the big one and very scrappy with a slight variation in the setting.  It spends part of every year on my bed but I can't find a picture of it and am feeling too lazy to go set up a picture of it.  Maybe I'll add it later???

Then yesterday, this happened!!

It's the very last quilting stitches in my Dodecagon quilt!! 

I spent a good bit of the day in my pajamas on the front porch and finished the hand quilting!!!

Today I trimmed it, piece together a scrappy binding and set it onto the quilt.  All that is left to do is the hand stitching.

So pleased to have this one finished -- I'll post lots of pictures next week! 

Keep finishing!!

Mary

Re-entry and a "pin ball" life style

Hi, there -- July seems to be rushing along, doesn't it?  I'm not always a fan of July, but this year it could be longer or go slower?  We had a bunch of rain which has made the gardens lush and productive and the success of my gardening this summer has me out there more than ever.

I love turning into my driveway because at this time of year, it looks like I live out in the country, not in a suburb.

The flowers are throbbing with interesting insects and it's "bio-blitz" season for bees and butterflies so I'm looking for "new-to-me" specimens and trying to learn to ID bumblebees on the fly (birds are easier).

Monarch butterfly fostering season is in full swing -- 15 so far with more coming!

They are quite ravenous and I'm glad I have so much milkweed growing in my garden!

How many caterpillars can you find?

There's been some hard news among friends this month -- illnesses mostly and a death, but having a chance to spend time with my children and their families has kept me in a good place.  My oldest grandson stayed with me for a few days -- so much fun!!  It was the first time he had been with the triplets since they were six months old!  It didn't take long for them to bond!!

Marching through the Zoo!!

His visit ended with an "all-family" camping gathering and it was fun to watch everyone enjoy doing things together - swimming, coloring, talking, eating!!

Eighteen months without having all of them together was too long and I hope we don't have a repeat of that!!

The rest of life is like a "pin ball" game -- my mind doesn't settle in one place for long and I hope it's just the result of more freedom to move about.  My "to-do" lists are shorter in length and spread over a longer time span -- about a dozen tasks I hope to accomplish over the course of a week instead of long daily lists. It's challenging to make it from point A to point B without stopping to do "something else" -- go upstairs to take a picture for the blog and "oh, that fabric will be the perfect binding";

taking the trash out and weeding along the way; going down to the laundry and coming back with a popsicle -- tell me you still eat popsicles!!

It seems okay right now, this pin ball approach -- lots of little things are getting done and eventually I make it through the list.  The list keeps me focused but the detours are okay, too.

 (Shortly, I'll be able to cross "write blogpost" off the list because the end of this week looms large!!)

The "stitching" part of my life is focused on two goals this month -- finish quilt top number 11 (that's why I picked out that binding fabric) and finish quilt top number 12.   Last week was rainy and now a cooler week have enabled me to stay focused on hand quilting my dodecagon top .  Last evening, I calculated how much area is left and with just a bit over a week July, I believe I can accomplish this!!  Might not get it bound but that's a piece of cake.  I started the hand quilting early in January.

These two finishes will put me 57% of the way to my #quilt21in2021 goal in a timespan of 58% of the year ( I love to calculate nerdy little numbers like that).  But as you know, the first half of a goal is always easier than the second half.  So still nine quilt tops to go.  I have decided to send out one top for sure and maybe two to be quilted for me.  I'd like to be finished in November before the holiday sewing itch makes it's annual appearance.

I've not done any serious piecing all year with my focus on quilting and I'm really, really, really getting the itch to do some piecing right now.  This needs to get off the design wall  . . . . . . .

and a couple new projects . . . . okay, four new projects . . .  are vying for my attention?!?

I actually sorted this layer cake into possible block combos a couple days ago for a new pattern

and a weekly series of block patterns are being accumulated for this layer cake???

Like I said, a pin ball brain.

I hope you are finding a comfortable pace for re-entry into public life.  I attended a large funeral yesterday and was surprised by how anxious I became -- actually went home at the end of the service, had a cup of tea and knit a few rows of a sock, then returned for the after-gathering.  Some around me seem to be back to full throttle but I'm pretty content to stay close to home and focus on the most important folks in my life.  I am heading out next week to do a presentation for a local quilt guild about my push to #quilt21in2021 -- first public talk in 3 years -- I hope my speaking skill isn't too rusty!

I believe it's important to determine our own re-entry pace.  Whether it's the limited preferences of an introvert who has found a new understanding of how comfortable they are with themselves or the ecstatic pace of an extrovert who has spent the past year and half chaffing at the bit, there is no right or wrong way to do it.  What is best for you is okay!!  I'm definitely trying to think through the personal impacts of this curious period of time we are traversing and embrace the best of it and learn from the hardest of it.  I won't go back to everything.  I'll focus on the most important to me aspects of my life. 

What revelations have you had that you hope to carry forward with you?

I'll be back in a week or so with some serious pictures of these two finishes that are on the horizon!!

Mary 

(While writing and editing this post, I watered the front gardens, started supper including finishing up sourdough baguettes, ate a coffee popsicle, and answered a couple texts messages.)

June -- Where Did it Go?!?

 Three days left and in spite of my good intentions to get at least one top quilted this month, this is as far as I've gotten . . . . . and that just happened an hour ago!?!  This is (I think) my last unquilted sample from several years of teaching with Gai Perry's fabulous book, Color From The Heart.

As I was pin-basting it, I thought about how to quilt it and what color thread to use -- have some good ideas already and was primed to start right away.

But apparently the family genealogist is using that table to organize files . . . yea!?!

Time to retrench the goals for today!

I have been knitting most days this month -- one pair of socks is on it's way to my kid sister for her birthday and these two projects are around the halfway point -- one requires no concentration and the other has a detailed chart that demands my full attention.

June has been all about my garden!  

It didn't require all the time you might think, but it did require all the energy I could muster some days and a state of collapse - physical and mental - was a daily occurrence.  The month reinforced my understanding that one can't add something to one's life without letting something go -- time and energy are very finite commodities, aren't they?

The garden tour was yesterday!!

Sponsored by the Northern Ohio Perennial Society, I was intimidated by the specter of "master gardeners" leaving their immaculate turf and well-mulched beds to point out my faults.

Of course, it wasn't that way at all!!

No one chided me for my "messy" insect friendly turf or lack of sweeping vistas.  The most frequent comment I heard was "it's so tranquil".  YES!!!

If you've followed me for a while, you've seen lots of garden pics and while it's peak bloom is a week off yet, it does look good right now.

The new front yard veggie bed is coming around -- I still have the smallest kale in the world . . . 

. . . .but the tomatoes are blooming and the beans are growing steadily.

I've given up trying to figure out how to move this vigorous purple coneflower growing up through a crack in the brick side walk by my front steps and added pots to capitalize on it's beauty.

And if you notice in the back, I've cut back my blackspot infested rambler -- that was hard!

But I hope putting my energy into sterilizing the soil around it instead of trying to manage the leaf damage all summer (very depressing) will build it back up -- we'll see??

This bear's breeches finally bloomed this year -- it's been there for about 5 years and I may have threatened it with bodily harm last year if it didn't start to flower.

My native honeysuckle which seemed to be a lost cause last spring has come back much to my delight and surprise.  Last summer, the trellis was covered with blue morning glories and I've fully expected a few rouge seedlings to emerge but nothing so far.

And here's a couple glimpses of the "tranquil" piece!!  

Not much bloom color yet, but quite lush and I'm loving my new brick edging!!

I figure I can just enjoy my garden this week and have more sewing time (once I get that table cleared off) plus the house tidying has definitely suffered.   

Peas harvested, and tub replanted with a new variety of zucchini.

First cucumber has appeared!

The currants are ready to pick, too!!

Our food pantry garden is starting to thrive but the weed pressure requires intense attention!

Butterflies are not abundant here so far this summer -- even the #/*? cabbage whites are scarce.  But I did find this black swallowtail as a caterpillar on some parsley and fostered her up to adulthood safely. Isn't she a beauty -- must plant more parsley!!

And of course, all posts must end with cuteness!!  

This is from an attempt to get a group picture with the triplets at our birthday supper early in June -- there is a long series of photos and we never got the "pose" organized but we had fun!!

Can't wait to get all five of my grands together next month!!

Get out there and finish June strong!!

Mary

P.S.  I have continued the hand quilting journey on my big dodecagon -- was hoping to share it with you then end of June, but I am impressed that I'm 75% of the way along.

Maybe the end of July???

Slow Work May

At the beginning of May as I got ready to layer up quilt number nine in my #quilt21in2021 quest, I didn't feel very enthusiastic.  I thought about taking the month off but knowing myself as I do, I was afraid I'd lose my momentum altogether so I chose a small quilt.  

After all,  the garden was constantly calling to "come out and play"!

I've (perhaps foolishly) agreed to open my garden for the local perennial garden group in late June so there is a deadline for weeding and mulching which I've never had before this.  Their impressions should be interesting since I'm currently moving away from the "standard" perennials and rewilding the gardens with more native plants.  

And of course, there is a long list of ideas for garden upgrades and improvements.  The new veggie raised bed is up and running in the sunniest part of the front yard 

and I've just finished redoing the brick edging along one of the back beds.

I have perhaps watched more gardening videos during the winter than an old lady who lives alone should???  So much inspiration!!  

No comments yet from the neighbors about the veggie bed -- do they not get it or is it just the "crazy old lady" again??

So with all the garden playtime, doing just one quilt in May was the perfect strategy!  

Number nine is finished.

The blocks were pieced with Marti Michell's templates as a teaching sample for my Bride's Bouquet (or Nosegay block) workshops.  They are 6" blocks rather than the traditional 12" blocks and there were suppose to be nine blocks.  As is often the case with quilters who have "too many oars out of the boat" one of the blocks disappeared?!?  Rather than make another block, I organized this setting.

I thought I wrote a post about this but so far, I haven't found it.  If/when I do, I'll add a link.

Basically, it's a 9 block setting -- the center block is the hexie flower applique set on point with four floral triangles.  

The four corner blocks are a bride's bouquet block with "sashing" rectangles and a pink cornerstone.  The four remaining bouquet blocks are set on point with two floral triangles and two background triangles.  

When all the blocks are set together, the large floral star emerges.  Feel free to knock off this idea!  It will work with any group of 8 quilt blocks!

Since the quilt top was only 31" square, I decided to work on my domestic machine and give George the month off.  I used a combination of free motion and walking foot quilting.  I have better control on small pieces on my domestic machine so I took the opportunity to fill the corners with feathers.

Here's how I customized the feather to the space available by making my own arc template starting  with a paper triangle. . . . .  

. . . . . which I folded and drew arcs until I got one I liked.

 I cut the arc with the triangle still folded in half to keep it symmetrical.

The fold line helped me center it on the quilt top and I matched the straight edge of the paper template to the same spot on each of the pieced blocks.

You can barely see my arc line here.

I decided it was important to make the end tear drop shapes uniform and so did a deep dive into the "miscellany" drawer -- i.e., stuff I rarely use but am loath to let go.

Bingo!!

It's really an applique tool, but a teardrop is a teardrop.

Final step -- work up the courage to do freehand feathers (which took longer than necessary in the end).

I already had binding fabric chosen so the binding went quickly and "ta-da", it's finished!!

In other news, the peas are blooming

and the stawberries are ripening

and the triplets turned two yesterday!!

I also got to see my two older grandchildren on Monday for the first time in 17 months!!!  It was a wonderful visit, to be able to just sit and talk with them -- the 15 year old didn't roll her eyes at me once!!  I invited them for a summer visit on their own and so the hangout plans begin!!

I'm so grateful to have my closest friends and family vaccinated so we can move forward together.  If you are hesitant to vaccinate, I encourage you to reconsider.  It's been interesting over the past couple months as I listen to the vaccinate/not vaccinate conversations.  It has brought up memories of polio which struck hard in this area when I was 5.  I'm startled that I can remember the stringent warnings from my parents to "not go down the street near that house" because their son at age 6 had contracted polio.  I was 5?!?  I'm sure some of you remember too the elation of our families when the vaccines arrived -- 3rd grade in a line, the whole class getting the sugar cubes with the oral vaccine.  By the 1970's when my children were born, thank goodness the vaccine was the norm and that's where we need to get to with Covid.  

It needs to be just like small pox and tetanus and polio and rubella -- very rare!

The health and safety of our populations need to not be about politics, it needs to be about compassion.

And with that little rant, I'll sign off and go chose quilt number 10 from my shrinking stack.

Have a good weekend!

Mary