Time to Breathe

Since I've been home I'm getting caught up on my To-do list. You know, the cleaning, organizing, ironing, mending, stuff that waits for you to have time and the patience to get to. It's been three weeks since the lay off and I'm actually starting to feel caught up from stuff that built up over the winter.

Which means more time to sew. I usually have a hard time getting into the sewing room because I feel like there are all these 'shoulds'. Well there are less of those now. :)

I made another continuous strip quilt, this time for a customer. It was a joy to make, the colors are just so yummy! I've said in the past it's rare that I make the same quilt twice, but in this case I was willing to make an exception.

Here is the color palette, these are 2" wide strips of random lengths.

Pressing the first row open.

Sixteen rows, just before it goes from a vertical layout to horizontal.

Here's the finished top.

And here's the finished quilt. I pieced the border at short intervals to carry the color scheme.

The back is also a grape/vineyard color scheme but more garnet.

A close up of the machine quilting, click to enlarge any of the photos.

I named it Crush.

Summer Sew Days

While DS1 was away on a gamecon trip, Danielle came for the weekend. We hid inside with the AC and sewed. I helped her piece her first quilt, a Three Rail Fence.

We worked in tandem, I layered the pieces to be sewn and she chained them together. It was a chance for her to learn to use the sewing machine and get used to the tools involved in piecing.

We put it on the design wall and decided to make more blocks.

Rotary cutting skills were learned too.

What a great way to spend time together, have fun and make a quilt. We took time out from the Rail Fence to spray baste a quilt I'm working on so she could see how that's done too. When she left the top was webbed and the first few rows sewn together. More pictures later.

Wild Goose Chase

I finished this little wall hanging today.

I really like the way the white on white free motion quilting turned out. Practice makes perfect.

I hope the customer will be pleased.

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Escape to the Coast

It's been near 100 all this week. You can hide out in the house with the shades drawn if you want, or you can get in the convertible and go to the coast!

When we got there it was about 40 degrees cooler and foggy; actually a welcome change.

We left a little after 4 because it felt like the day was drawing to a close; but when we drove back over the grade and up the last rise; it was still blazing hot and 98. It had been a nice reprieve.

Another Finish

I decided to machine quilt Patches and Pinwheels in an all over geometric to help carry the design.

I love it! It's moving to Texas with a friend of mine. I hope it will be make her new home happy wherever she lands.

Best wishes Angela!

Isn't July Amazing?!

It's been almost two weeks since the lay off. I know I'm still decompressing 'cause I wake up at night with my thoughts whirling and clicking. Enough already, you don't have to go into the office tomorrow. CHILL girl!

DH and I have gone to the matinee, taken a picnic to the Fourth of July concert in the park and driven to the coast. I've gardened in the cool of the morning, gone swimming with a girl friend afternoons and gotten two quilt wall hangings finished. I went to quilt guild yesterday, out to lunch with the girls afterward and window shopping on the way home.

Summer time fun is just the best! I think I could get used to this!

River Road, Ukiah, California

I took pictures of the daily walk I take (took) at work. The StayWell committee built a path and we were encouraged to get away from our desks and walk. This spring the views were particularly beautiful. Come with me on my morning walk...

Out the side door, heading west.

This is a panorama of three pictures, click to enlarge.

The path heading south, but we usually stepped down and walked along the vineyard rows.

I love the old world feel of this irrigation house.

We've circled around now and are heading back, these views are due east.

And back to the office... thanks for walking with me.

A Day With Friends

Marian has a great classroom next to her long-arm studio, we met there for our June Sew Day.

Rosy seeks advice on piecing her backing.

I'm putting the final border on my Patches and Pinwheels quilt.

Wow, that red sure pulled it all together!

Turns out both Rosy and Marian both had magnet wands...

... Kathy watched the duel.

Marian prepared summertime refreshments.

Strawberry margaritas!

Then we ate lunch on the back patio and admired the view of the backyard. What a great day!

A Happy Accident

I created the first border for my patches and pinwheels quilt so the triangles would extend into the border and continue the design. I pieced HSTs and inserted them between strips of border fabric rather than applique'ing them as Elaine and Tanya had done. Whatever works.

I really like it! The graphic design sort of spins or pulsates; it's classier now, less homespun. But wait! I thought the triangle in the border was continuing the light/dark spool shape, it continues the pinwheels instead. Well it may not be what I had in mind, but I sure like it!

Here's Tanya's. It's fun to see how two quilts based on the same pattern can be so different.

Nosegays

As a county employee, I've been laid off due to insufficient funds. I received the noticed 45 days ago and waited to see if Union negotiations would be able to salvage my job. They have gone on hiatus until the state budget comes through. So June 30 came and went, I packed my desk, turned in my keys and left; not knowing if they might offer me the position back at some later date. Such is the flow of things in a public funded organization in a state that never seems to get the budget out before fall.

This last week was full of people coming to tell me how sorry they were to see me go, how awful it was that things had played out the way they had and how much I would be missed; my smile, my energy, my team effort. Good luck lunches were thrown on my behalf, gifts were given and well wishes expressed. It was very ... I don't have a word, poignant? bittersweet?

I wanted to thank the staff in my department for their kindness; but time was short. So I got up early on my last day, went into the coolness of the garden and cut lavender. I made nosegays for each person, wrapping them with a fabric strip cut from all the purple I own. They smelled wonderful.

Thank you for showing me how much I mean to you. I had no idea it would be so hard to leave. The next chapter is yet to be written.

A Little Help From My Friends

This was the layout I posted earlier in the week...

and I thought it was pretty good. But as I said at the time "I could live with it", it wasn't really hitting the mark as much as I wanted, it just didn't *pop*. Elaine wrote and suggested I try placing the light corner patches next to the light triangles and the dark corner patches next to the dark triangles in alternate rows. The picture of hers told me that's what mine needed. I was willing to disassemble the top and try again.

A subtle change, but Yay! I like it so much better. Blogland friends are the best. Thanks Elaine.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

... try, try, again.

Inspired by Tanya's Patches and Pinwheels, I grabbed some partial 16 patch blocks I had and began my own version. And just like Tanya, I hadn't planned on making this quilt, I have more than a half dozen things in the works and don't need another - but it just grabbed me, I was captivated, I couldn't wait to get home from work and into the sewing room. Once I got the blocks done I experimented with colors for the pinwheels. That's where it sorta stalled.

Too white

Too green

Too dark

I was about to give up! I announced to Frank that I must've lost my touch I was three for zero, but he said three auditions wasn't too many, keep trying. Thanks for the encouragement.

Okay, I think I can live with this one.

This evening I got the top together. When I add the border, I want to extend the triangles out into the border to continue the block a bit more. I decided to let it rest until tomorrow and came to read blogs.

Tanya extended the triangles into her border! What fun, we're tag team sewing and didn't even know it! She has a creative suggestion found at Elaine's site you might want to check out too. Thanks for the fun Tanya. :)