Spring Cleaning

     Regrettably, not much to show in the way of sewing this week, but I did get a little digitizing and embroidery done.

     Drum roll please... the release of the final set of Carefree Highways states is imminent! In plain English-- all fifty states are done, with state birds and flowers, state shape and capitals, and ribbon nicknames! I am super proud of this work-- it has taken about two years to work through them and I thank you all who cheered me along. Look for this on Tuesday.

    The last states were heartland states, probably because I sadly know nothing about these states. But after researching each of them, I realize they are all amazing in their own way. Have you been reading the fun facts I gather on each instruction sheet? I guess I have been blessed with a lifelong love of learning as I truly enjoyed learning about our nifty fifty.

     I have not been able to motivate myself to start the big quilt yet, but still hopeful the inspiration will strike soon. I plan on working on it exclusively until it is finished, like some of the wonder woman quilters on Instagram do. This is the box of "parts" which is very hard to get started to. The journey of a thousand miles...

     I also want to make some pillows with a single state set into a US flag as gifts, to show the possibilities if you are not inclined to make them all.  Do you know a person with a lot of state pride with an upcoming birthday? Stay tuned! I used to think state pride was reserved for people with really cool states, like Texas or Colorado, but after learning about each state-- they are all cool! I can even say I do have a lot of fondness for my own home state of NJ--yep, the poor state that has been the brunt of jokes for years. Like when you say you are from NJ, people will ask, "What exit?!" Heehee-- I lived happily at Exit 22B for many years. <3

   The June birth month mug rug is already out-- June is a special month-- the birthstone is the Pearl (is that even a stone?) and the flower is the queen of all flowers, the Rose. I am very partial to this month as it is the artist-in-residence's month-- the artist is no longer in residence, and is now "Fern" of Gypsy Trails and won't be home for her birthday-- but they made it to Virginia. I can't send it to her, because she will really resent the extra 4 oz. of weight to carry, but I'm sure a nice mug rug would be a nice touch of civilization to have under your granola bar while hiking.

So the cleaning of my sewing room kind of inspired me to go through the entire house, and that's where the bulk of time went last week. Below-- a rare view of the San Francisco Stitch Co. lounge area as it currently exists! 

    We have been in this house for fifteen years and a change may be in the air... it's way too big for us now that the kids are gone and the real estate market is so strong everywhere. Before that happens, there are a few projects that need finishing... I knew when I married an architect, I'd have a beautiful home, but I didn't realize what it would take to get it. Mr. SFO changes things around like a writer crosses out and rewrites with his pen.... hence this closed off door opening, now library.

   We have some built-in cabinets to finish, then some bathroom bead board to install, and french doors that need painting and hardware. I'm hoping all of this takes quite some time as I'm not really ready yet to let go of this wonderful place. Does anyone else out there struggle with change as much as I do? I have seen other people just decide to move on and they are up and out with no remorse or sadness-- it's kind of inspiring in a way.

    Of course, I have my job list, too-- I used a product called RESTORE to freshen up our oak cabinets in the kitchen. (Mr. SFO wanted to paint them white-- BUT YOU DO NOT PAINT WOOD. I spent 17 years in our first home stripping painted wood. So yes, we're a bit out of style, but that's who we are! When he saw how great they look, he now pronounced himself a believer. Despite losing most of my sewing time this week to that project (I was too physically tired to even sew at night) I still have about 75% of rubbing and buffing to go! Here's hoping the added arm strength will get me motivated on the long arm.

     Now for what little sewing I did get done... Block 13 is finished and I have started the 14th block of the Ribbon quilt. 

     Block 14 should have been finished by the 15th for me to stick with my made up schedule. To add insult to injury, the Fat Quarter Shop's shipping delays are now apparently starting to resolve. So I received the Month 5 shipment right after Month 4! 

     The good news is, Month 5 is all four of the same block-- the same four blocks of Month Six, too. So I'm going to wait and make all 8 at one time when Month Six comes and hopefully catch up. I chuckle as I write-- isn't is sew fun to make quilt-y plans in your head, and of course, I have no idea if I will be able to do that! I do love to "think" about sewing... do you?

     The Autumn Sampler edges, oh so closely to a finish-- I have started the dreaded ruler, a solid fill-- and more good news-- it's not as big as the city block I had imagined in my head. Could this be finished by its year anniversary-- in my mind, I'm envisioning YES! Did I mention I despise this project now.

    And last, I will give you the Gypsy Trails update, if you aren't watching on YouTube. But first, I will admonish you, because Fern's videos are really artistically beautiful and produced every night from their tent on the trail. (As I write that, I feel ashamed I have been too tired to sew at night when I haven't backpacked 15 miles that day!) Her partner Gypsy, has a great sense of humor and we have been laughing every mile of the way. The videos come out at 5pm, they are about 15 minutes each and we just watch them at dinner time.

     Fern and Gypsy are doing really well on the Appalachian Trail-- some initial knee problems, sunburn, and insect bites have resolved and their daily mileage is up around ten a day, and now even 14 a day which is where it needs to be to reach Mount Katahdin in Maine before the trails official close on October 15th. They just reach Virginia after starting in Georgia, and I believe they are near 500 miles, or the 1/4 way point. Virginia, in and of itself is another 1/4 and the biggest state to cross. I looked at a map, and it's because you aren't hiking straight South to North, but following the ridge line of the Shenandoah which runs diagonally across more of the width of the state. Mr. SFO and I used to visit the Seven Bends area frequently back in the day, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again on film. 

    Every night after the video, we stick a pin in a map to document their progress.  Every step they make is a step closer to home, and that's keeping me happy and optimistic as well.

     Last up-- the weather report! Nature has finally "flipped the switch" and we went from 50s right to 80s yesterday. Some of the home improvement projects are outside, and for this I can't wait!

    Tough times for all of us right now-- some serious stuff happening in the world and here at home as well, but when I put it aside to write the blog, I see that there is much to be grateful for. Have a great week!

xox

Carol

    

Dusting out the cobwebs...

     So when we last spoke, I was considering cutting my Pioneer Woman fat quarters into more usable squares... which I did! Some I cut 4-1/2", but that seemed a little big, and some I cut 3-1/2," which seemed "just right." I already made up my mind, unlike Goldilocks, to skip trying the 2-1/2" size which would have been too small. Any of these sizes will make great 12 inch finished blocks, if you ever decide to chop up fat quarters! I do have an abundance of ideas for them, but...

    before I even finished cutting them, I got mad at myself for starting yet more projects and I put everything away for now! It has come to my attention that the general MESS my sewing room has become is one of the main reasons my creative juices are dried up. I mean, I can barely walk in there, let alone know or find anything I have.

    I decided to box up some of my unfinished stuff and relegate it to the cellar for now-- until my life gets a little less crazy. So this includes many, many unfinished small pieces-- like the small My Christmas Album piece, both Once Upon a Time, Winter pieces, all three "Twist" projects, and binding only on many of my yearly series from Sept- Dec when I ran out of gas on getting bindings on! And that is only about 5% of what I boxed!

    I do have a bit of a fatalistic streak, and everything time I box something up, I wonder if I will ever be unboxing it-- or who will eventually unbox it-- hee,hee-- and what they will think! But year after year, three boxes of Christmas ornaments still get unwrapped by me, myself and I- so let's knock on wood these dear things will eventually be unboxed by me, and finished by me! I can see myself pulling one out a time, from the top down, and completing them in some future place.

    This is the "after" picture of the closet and many hours of work, in case you think it's the "before"! It's not very glamorous, but I can now see what I have-- notice TWO EXTRA IRONS, haha!

     Then I boxed up some kits-- the remaining Frivols, some Sew Sampler boxes, my Dessert Quilt, and a couple of other large kits that I will not be getting to this year. Won't it be fun to unbox this stuff, when I forget what's in there-- what delightful surprises!

    Next, I'm going to box up some fat quarters and other untouched fabric that I just don't want to break open for now. All of this has really given me the room to at least navigate around in there and hopefully organize what's left and what I do want to work on.

    Here are two things from the "unfinished pile" that are SO CLOSE I'm going to try to just winch them across the finish line.

     This is a little wall hanging I made (or was making, LOL!) for my figure skating daughter about ten years ago. I actually sat during her ice time and worked on it. It's a Fig Tree pattern-- well before the day I knew who Joanna Figueroa was, or what Moda was, or Grunge fabric. So I was delighted to rediscover it! 

     My daughter will still love this-- all it needs is about 50% more free motion quilting and it's done. I even did the binding before the quilting-- haha. A real breach of quilting etiquette there-- what a novice!

     Here is my "applique" work-- it speaks for itself! I love it-- perfection has eluded me for many decades, so why make it a priority now?  The loose strings are quilting threads, waiting to be buried, for so very long now-- they will get their due!

I guess this was also from the free motion quilting pile--

     This is a slightly younger piece-- back in the days of Craftsy. It was Lori Kennedy's class-- her free motion is very unique and folksy-- look her up. So this was a practice piece-- it looks like I was going to make six of them. So five untouched quilt sandwiches went to the donate pile, and this one just needs the binding stitched down. Again, I love it, and I can just use it as a little candle mat or something. I hope to continue to just box up and get control of my space for the next couple of weeks.

     I didn't get any sewing done on Mother's Day as I had hoped-- and I'm falling behind on A Ribbon Runs Through It. This is Block 13 of 16-- to stay current, all 16 need to get done by the end of the month. Gonna try my best! Then Phase One of this project is over.

  

Flying geese are such a problem for me-- after twelve blocks, you'd think I could do it! I tried stitching a little to one side of the drawn line-- then a little to the other side of the line-- then I just stitched RIGHT ON THE LINE for goodness' sake-- but I still end up with a little scant-ish seam in one corner. I'm just going to let it go-- I'm using a little shorter seam length, and I don't think the quilt will fall apart over it. I already checked, and Phases Two, Three, and Four have more opportunities to not get them right.

My cross stitching project is getting very exciting and very, very close to being finished. My mom and Mr. SFO have made a running joke every day of saying-- "Are you going to finish that today?!" I'm still laughing along, and one day, maybe within a month, I will put the last stitch in right under their noses!

     And here are my Gypsies--

This is a Facetime snap when they exited Smoky Mountain National Park. Watch their YouTube Channel, Gypsy Trails-- it is way better than anything on TV! I am pleasantly surprised that they have been able to get in touch by phone, Facetime, or even text for all except a couple of days. Still, I miss them terribly. If I had realized when they drove away in April, how a happy part of my life was ending, I definitely would have cried more! 

But as they say, you can't go back, you can only go forward, so I will keep on clearing out cobwebs, both real and imagined, and take a day at a time.

xoxo

Carol

     

I'm almost there!

      We are finally starting to have some days in the low 60s. In the spirit of spring, I've summoned up my optimism and found joy in the distractions that are keeping me out of the sewing room for the most part right now. Here are some pictures of what the deer left of my spring bulbs while I blether a bit.

     On the weekend, we decided to go over to my son's house-- he lives just ten minutes away. So I'm ashamed to say, we hadn't been over in a couple of years-- LOL. The closer a thing is, the less likely you'll visit it. I recall as a kid living ten minutes from Niagara Falls, and we NEVER made a trip to the falls, at least not until we lived 8 hours away! Anyway, we see our son frequently here and also at his shop which is closer than his house, in my defense.

     Anyway, it just felt so weird to be doing a thing just for the fun of it-- it made me realize how I've strapped myself down in front of the computer and sewing room for quite a few years now, bowing to the god of productivity. I got to hold one of my "grandchickens," see the garden he's planting in the yard, and just connect. I didn't even take pictures which I am always doing for this blog-- so you'll just have to take my word for it-- his rooster was BIG and DANGEROUS!

    I've often thought that the desire to sew might not always be the first thing in my mind or that circumstances might not allow it... I'm still not sure how I feel about it and hope to "goof off" a bit more this summer to explore life beyond the quilts.

    (This is actually a "Thai Basil" flower from my Aerogarden-- more on the Aerogarden next time, but it continues to give me endless joy.)

    Sew... let's not forget this is a sewing blog-- heehee. And, of course, my day is still not complete until needle and thread meet, even if it's only for 20 minutes.

     So the next business item in the works is the last set of Carefree Highways states-- South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. At the end of a thing, your mind always goes back to the beginning-- the pandemic was just starting, and I wondered if I could complete a set of fifty! Some kind person emailed me, "Just do one every two weeks," which sounded so reasonable and so kind, and in the end now that's just about what I did! The first five were alphabetical as I tested the waters, and I remember someone else lived in Wyoming and was pretty upset with me. So then I decided to skip around-- my apologies to the people of these last heartland states. I am ashamed to admit I have never been to any of them, but when I do my little bit of research, they are incredibly beautiful and all deserving of a visit! I do need to at least Google what the Western Meadowlark's call actually sounds like. <3 

     Isn't Mount Rushmore so cute!

    I am about to launch into a serious chain piecing event as I try to get this quilt together. When I re-read my instructions-- it says you need 200 flying geese-- my eyes glazed over (this is an incredibly humbling moment, to have your eyes glaze over while reading your own writing) but I'm thinking I may just tackle a couple of rows at a time. I know it's quicker to make them all at once, though. Let's see what happens! I forgot to put the finished size on the instructions, but even using the smaller size design gets you a hefty 80" x 100" quilt!

     Then, I got the missing fabric from the supplier for blocks 9-12 of the Ribbon Runs Through It quilt. OK, I will just stop protecting the guilty-- it was Fat Quarter Shop. So the irony is, you know how much fabric they give you for a Block of the Month-- it is seriously twice as much as needed. But this one fabric was one that was not used before. I'd guess most people are behind on this BOM and didn't even miss it! Each block is 127 pieces,  I think, because it's hard for me to count that high!

     So I just about have 12 blocks done, (or 1,524 pieces), as soon as I complete Block 9 with the missing fabric. I have everything needed to finish the next four blocks now and that is the end of "Phase One" of this project, The colors in the first sixteen blocks are all different and they had to be made individually. The next three phases as I am calling them in my head, all involve repeated blocks with the same fabric-- chain piecing heaven again. So as long as my eyes don't glaze over, I'm hoping to spend less time on this each month and get on to some other things.

     This picture I took from Sew 'n Wild Oaks, the designer.

    I really need to stop going to Walmart-- I got seduced into buying more Pioneer Woman fat quarters! I washed and starched them, and I think I am going to cut them all into 4-1/2" squares and piece them together willy-nilly just for some fun table toppers. I'm really curious how far 24 fat quarters will go-- maybe I'll even have enough left for a throw! This type of easy project is super appealing to me after the intensive piecing I've done on the Ribbon quilt. I'm going to tag the Pioneer Woman in Instagram when I finish and see if I can get a mention! I am obsessed with these patterns, and let's just hope I don't start buying lamps, shirts, dresses, and slow-cookers cuz she's got a big product lineup!

     Finally, the morning sewing is going with a vengeance-- am I still enjoying this project-- I'm not sure! When Mr. SFO and I were newlyweds, fixing up a fixer-upper home-- we would work on a project and he would always say "We're getting there!" or "We're almost there!" I would get so angry, because we were never "there," always just "getting there." (Happily, I concealed my rage and the marriage lasted.) And I do admit when we sold that house, there was still a window in the back of a closet that never got sheet rocked in--heehee.

    But this project is definitely at the "getting there," phase-- I had hoped for ten months, but now I'm racing to get this done in a year. I remember starting it around the end of June. So I'm almost done with the little red schoolhouse, but then there are apples, a pencil, a top (that has 3 stitches each of about thirty colors in it) and the dreaded ruler-- on that very extreme bottom right edge-- that is filled in solid. This is the picture from the pattern.

  So you can see, I'm almost there!

Wishing you a happy spring spirit today whatever your actual situation or season may be.

xox 

Carol

Let's make a Spring Tablecloth!

    My "supercold" has evolved into a cough which will probably last for the next six months... either that, or I'm now in allergy season! Overall, I am feeling a bit better-- thank you for all of your kind words.

    It has been a raw spring-- today, it's not even going to get out of the 40s. To cheer myself up and to do something different than piecing, I decided to make a spring tablecloth.

     I am a fan of the Pioneer Woman-- but not of her cooking show at all! I was wandering around Walmart, and saw these beautiful plates-- I have plenty of china, but I allowed myself to buy ONE, which I use on my sewing table to keep important bits and pieces on. When I looked at the back, I saw it was a PIONEER WOMAN design. 

     She has an entire line of cookware, but behold! I found myself in the Walmart fabric aisle and there were FAT QUARTER bundles of her patterns! My heart was just pounding... such a nice change from the Moda prints I've been a fan of. I just love that teal, and look at the cute circle print. I bought a set of six fat quarters and a two-yard cut.

     Of course, I am highly suspect of any Walmart fabric ever since I bought the cute candy corn on black fabric that when washed, turned into licorice candy corns. But this was such a win for me, I bought the set of six fat quarters and a two-yard bundle of one of her rose prints and hoped for the best. It did wash up very well-- even the big red roses did not bleed a bit!

     To make the tablecloth out of the two yard cut, of course I had to cut it in half and then sew it back together along the other length-- similar to how you would make a quilt backing for a large quilt. So I will tell you-- I originally got heavily into sewing not for embroidery or quilting, but I just wanted to make a few home décor items economically for our first house. According to the "home décor" police, you do not sew pieces in halves-- you will have a big seam down the middle. You have to do thirds. 

     I found this math a bit unsavory, so, since things haven't been ideal around here for quite a couple of months, I just went with halves. Here is a nice seam I learned back in the day that gives a nice smooth finish on both sides, with no raw edges-- it's called a "flat fell seam," I believe. 

    I cut the fabric in half and rotated it-- I did try to find two lengths where the big roses somewhat lined up, and I'm happy with the results.  You sew the edges together using a half inch seam, but extend one side of the fabric a half an inch further away than the other.

     Once that is sewn, fold the extending fabric down to meet the seam line-- this will "wrap" the raw edge.

 Now just fold that down again. You can now open up the tablecloth and give the flap a good press down.

Now go back to the machine, and just top stitch that floppy folded each down... it's easier to do on the back, so just make sure your bobbin tension looks nice on the front of the table cloth.

This picture shows the flat fell seam on the front and back.

Now that it was joined, I put it on my table just to check the size, and I did end up trimming five inches on each side of the length that was a little long for me. From there, all that was needed was a little 1/4" rolled hem all around. I work very neatly and slowly-- I pinned the corners as I got them-- I'm sure if you've ever rolled a hem, you know that inside raw edge bit always wants to peek out, doesn't it!

     So here is my finished cloth-- I don't think anyone who wasn't a seamstress would notice the seam down the middle.

     I also sprung for the Pioneer Woman woven circle placemats:

     Of course, I'd love to make a table runner out of the fat quarters, But my sew jo is still compromised, so I'm trying to resist. A beautiful vase of red roses would be just as awesome! 

    So, loving my tablecloth-- it gave the kitchen a nice brightening. It was an hour and a half project, and could probably even last right up to Fourth of July. Unfortunately, the rug under my table looks completely dingy now-- what do you think the chances are that the Pioneer Woman has a line of rugs? I will let you know!

   This past week, I also got the May Birth Month Mug Rug done, and now I've started the last five of fifty Carefree Highways states! If I do any sewing, I'd love it to be on the full quilt now. 

    I have kept up with the Ribbon Runs Through It BOM-- as much as possible. My supplier sent the wrong fabric for Month 3, so I couldn't complete the four blocks. I will keep their name private-- I have been really good at protecting the guilty throughout my life-- so much so, I probably should have been a defense attorney. I will post as many of my finished blocks as I can next week. I have to admit it is somewhat comforting to know that others in the industry are messing up as well as I am!

I am actively working on the Autumn Sampler every morning-- I am on the very last corner of the little schoolhouse-- and it doesn't have any backstitching! YAY! Someone asked me when I think I will be done with it-- I'm guessing six weeks.

       So by now, only YOU, my most faithful friends will still be reading! We have had rather hard news. My mom, who is 89, is in the later stages of renal cancer. It's a cancer that is never discovered until it's late. Thankfully, Mom feels pretty well-- believe it or not!

    We made the decision to move her back in with us and I intend to get her down this road with all the patience, love, and strength that I can. I'm sure it's going to shorten my sewing time-- that's fine-- so if I'm not as amazing as usual--hee hee, I just wanted you to know why.

    I once went to a sit and sew, and the woman who was running it sat and talked about her husband's cancer for three hours. I really felt for her, and went home feeling depressed and sad. 

    I never went back. 

     Lesson learned-- I don't want to be that person-- we have all faced health issues, and I have a lot of support with my family. I realize how fortunate I am to have had my mom for all these years, and I really want to keep this a happy place for all of us. So I'll just keep jabbering along about whatever it is I'm sewing-- I think it will be the best medicine for me really, and I can't thank you enough for sharing this space with me.

xox

Carol

Thwarted!

      So I started the year with all the best laid plans and enthusiasm, then settled in to a nice routine...  now I'm THWARTED!  Mr. SFO and I went for a spur of the moment road trip up to Maine last weekend, where I picked up a nasty cold. It's a wonder I consent to travel at all anymore beyond the grocery store-- I come back sick every time. Were those mountain vistas worth it?  'Fraid not.

     You know it's bad when you can't even sew... and nowadays there is the haunting question--  (am I going to end up on a ventilator...) 

     I did test negative and seem to be a bit on the upswing today, so I'm hopeful I have a few sewing years ahead of me to tackle all that collected fabric and kits. Not much to really say in this blog post though... it's going to be more of a place marker.

    The Gypsies are on their way! We had planned to do Facetime as they passed under this famous arch in Amicalola Falls, GA that marks the approach trail... I was asleep in bed! So disappointing after watching all the hard work and prep that went into this.

They are now just a number...

That's how many people are ahead of them on the trail. It's a big year, as the trail was partly shut down through the pandemic. Halfway through the hike, you re-register in West Virginia, I believe, and your new number will reflect how many are still on the way up. Only 20% make it-- I am completely sure they will be in that group. :-)

If you are an Instagram fan, Caroline is @cloudonamountain and Evan is @gypsytrails_NH. Cell service appears to be pretty good along the trail, and I'm sure they will put a post up on Instie every day. On YouTube, I believe they are doing once a week videos. If you're like me, vowing to never leave home again, it should be fun to watch. If, due to the price of gas, we all end up hiking from here to there, it should be inspirational.

This is, I'm sad to say, the only sewing I have to show for myself for a week now! I guess it's just one piece in the middle... those other corners are only cut out!

    The Ribbon Runs Through It delivery is late again anyway. I had hoped to be able to use the overly generous fabric the Fat Quarter Shop provides to do Block 9 and stay on schedule. Unfortunately, I didn't have one of the fabrics needed yet. The designer provided this great layout sheet which I have blurred to not give away the pattern. It is SO helpful, and so far, no badly rotated half square triangles have happened.

     So that's the sad state of affairs in my world. It happens to us all, but when I'm sick, I make sure everyone knows it!! That is so much preferable to me, than these people who keep it to themselves!! I once had someone throw up in my car, without a single mention of my stomach feels sick.

    I'm just about ready for another coughing fit and another two hours on the couch-- no, I haven't even been able to cross stitch, not even a little!

    Hoping for a miracle cure soon-- all the best to you, my friends. There is always tomorrow.

xox

Carol