A Quilt Top and Mystery Boxes

Hi Quilty Friends!  Today I'm going to say something I never thought I would say... I think I like the orange border on this quilt.  Yes, I said the words LIKE and ORANGE in the same sentence.  Who would have guessed those words would ever come out of my mouth?   It's making me feel a little odd.  Time to walk away and think about what just happened.  

So, I decided to look for my box of decor fabrics because I need to recover the seat cushion of the old rocking chair on my front porch.  And then this happened.  What a mess!  I thought I could pull two boxes from the bottom of the cabinet without making a mess.  I was wrong.

The decor fabric is not hiding in box one...

...or in box two.  But what I did find in these boxes was exciting and not ORANGE.

But it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Until next time...

I hope you find time to stitch up something sweet!

Finally a Sew Day!

 Hello Quilting Friends!  Can you believe it's been over a month since I last stepped foot in the Quilting Studio?  To be honest it's been more like two months since my last stitch.  There's been a couple blog post about playing with fabrics but no stitching.  Well I'm happy to say I hemmed a pair of curtains a few days ago and it tickled the quilting bone a bit.  So here I am working on this Lone Star again. 

There may be one more in the near future.  For now I just trying to stay focused on getting this one finished.  The other four Lone Stars all had a red or maroon accent border.  This one will have orange for no other reason than I don't want to purchase more fabric.  The next one will also be made from what I have on hand.  ORANGE seems to be the wrong color for this quilt but it was the best option from the fabrics on hand.

Being thrifty sometimes can lead to other problems.  Like when I decided not to purchase more black thread for piecing the quilt.  In my defense there is no color that will perfectly match.  Even when using the black thread it can be an issue with the lighter fabrics.  I lowered my stitch length in hopes of it helping to hide the white thread...it did not work 100%.  There's a fix for the white thread showing in a couple of the seams.  A black Sharpie to the rescue!  

As you can see it works like a charm.  Once the quilt is washed and everything shrinks a bit it should be fine.  And as long as no harsh detergents are used to wash the quilt the ink should stay put.

The Studio is a mess.  The cutting table has looked pretty much the same since last November  The stack of fabrics being used in the star quilts just keeps getting bigger.  How does this happen when I've made five quilts from this pile? And the rest of the mess is just me being a slob.  I need to come up with a better system for my computer speakers and charging cable.  

But for now staying focused on the quilt is my best plan because once I start cleaning I know it will become a deep dive into another rabbit hole.  

Now this is embarrassing but I have to show you reality.  If you have been following this Lone Star project you know that these quilts are for family and friends.  The are in memory of my 29 yr. old son who died in an accident last October.  Well as you can imagine when I started making these quilts last November my mind and heart was just a bit of mess and to be honest is still.  So when your brain isn't right a lot of mistakes happen.  This basket holds all the accidents and scraps.  90% of the fabric in here is miscuts and piecing errors.   

However, I think I might be able to use some of the scraps anyway for the last Lone Star.  

If not, I need to come up with a plan for using them.  Maybe an Improv quilt?  Improv isn't my style but I can't let these go to waste and I sure don't want to store them.  Using them up and getting them out of the Studio sounds like a better idea.  And I'm sure someone will love it and want to take it off my hands.  Plus it's a good way to get out of the comfort zone and learn a new skill.  Improv quilting looks easy but it's not when we are used to using or making a pattern.  Going willy-nilly is scary to this ole gal.  So I've been researching Improv quilting via the internet and considering getting a book or two on the subject.  First things first, make the last quilt and pick out the trash I threw in the basket.

They say it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks, we'll see about that!  If you have any tips or suggestions on Improv quilting PLEASE share them in comments.  I need all the help I can get!

Until next time...

I hope you find time to stitch up something sweet!

In the Weeds

 Hello Quilty Friends!  Once again I've gone a little MIA here in blogland.  But there's been plenty of action here in Podunk, just not in the Quilting Studio.  

For two or three years the yardwork was not taken care of in the way I normally would due to health issues.  Mr. Podunk took up the slack and did the best he could...or would, I'm not sure which, but I'm grateful for either.  So this year I'm able to be in the sun again and enjoying every minute of hard work.  Can you believe this is a flowerbed?

There was more weeds than flowers and it took about 3 weeks to finish.  

Hopefully next year it will fill in with the many perennials added this year.  By the way, I moved all those rocks by myself!  Well, all but 4 or 5 that were too heavy for me to lift.

And there's more rocks to add to the landscaping.  Our neighbor/farmer is in the process of removing some of their rock gardens and flowerbeds.  She wasn't looking forward to getting rid of all the rocks and was tickled pink when I offered to take them off her hands.  It was a win for both of us.  Thankfully Mr. Podunk helped me dig up the rocks and move them.  However, I will be the only one moving them into place unless they are to heavy for me.

This small section of landscaping in the front of the house was done a few years ago and I'm looking forward to finishing.

In between landscaping, mowing and trimming back the wooded overgrowth I'm also keeping up with the veggie garden.  With so much to do outside there's no time to quilt.  But I think I can finish the landscaping in a couple weeks.  Estimating how quickly I can finish a project is not my strong suit so if I think I can get it done in two weeks it might really take four.😁 Wouldn't be nice if I could finish it earlier than 2 weeks?

Maybe Mr. Podunk will have pity on me and pitch in from time to time.  I'm not going to hold my breath.  He works hard all day at work, so I don't expect him to work even harder when he gets home in the evening.  However, he will need to move this big rock the farmer brought over with his tractor.

You think the rock above is big, check out this one!  This is at the end of my neighbors driveway.  Debbie has allowed me to use her property for many use to photograph my quilts.  Her farmhouse was built in the 1800's.  There has been many updates and add-ons but the original house is under all the updates.

A big ole thank you to Debbie for everything!

For now it's time to get back to work outside.

I'm looking forward to getting back in the Studio.  But until then you may see a few more non quilting blog posts.

Until next time...

I hope you find time to stitch up something sweet!