reading

Pink Cross Baby Quilt from Fret Not Yourself

We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quilting

I have a shoe box of four-patch blocks that I've been making as leader/enders recently and also saw someone is starting a four-patch challenge or QAL. That motivated me to pull it out and organize them. Currently there are over 200. Many are three-inch but some are four-inch blocks. And I need another baby quilt. What to do?

There are some bright pinks in my stash ...

added by Ann 3 days, 6 hours ago. under reading , scrap quilt , tim cook

Weekly update: SAHRR, the answer is 42, scrappy souvenirs + reading from With Strings Attached

Brrrrrrr! I hope you are keeping warm during this storm. I've been mostly indoors since Friday. I went to two memorial visitations on Saturday (the son of a Rotary friend in the morning and a quilting friend in the afternoon) though I didn't stay for the funeral services. I overrode the thermostat so the heat stays at daytime temperature overnight. Otherwise it would take all morning to warm up. Snowfall was about 2", no wind.

wrapped up in the Magpies' quilt with another quilt at my back

I appreciate all the people who braved the cold, wherever they ...

added by Nann 5 days, 10 hours ago. under monday musings , oh scrap! , reading , sahrr 2026 , sew and tell , weekly update

Friday check in: SAHRR starter, 16 trips + reading from With Strings Attached

The ZBPL retirees met for lunch on Wednesday. Most of us still live in the area (two are in Wisconsin) but I don't cross paths with them very often.

It's been too cold to walk and I miss stretching my legs. (I could walk at the rec center but that's early morning and I prefer to walk in the afternoon.)

# # # # # In the warm, cozy basement studio:

I have chosen the starter for the Stay At Home Round Robin.

At the ALA Midwinter Meeting in 2018 I got two vendor tote bags with this Jane Austen quotation. I ...

added by Nann 2 weeks, 1 day ago. under brag about your beauties , finished or not friday , reading , sahrr 2026

Weekly update: goal met, onto the next + reading from With Strings Attached

The last batch of placemats! The units and blocks are from the orphan box/parts department. Some are recent (the three at the lower right); some are middle-aged (the green/blue hourglasses are from Indigo Way (which itself is blocks-in-a-box); some are elderly (the hard-to-see scrappy trips that are the background for the two feathers in the upper right).

Choosing layouts and coordinating fabrics was a great design exercise.

Each is approximately 13 x 20.

All 121 in the bin. Each placemat averages 3/8 yard, so 45 yards. (With thanks to QuiltDiva Julie who sent a set of four ...

added by Nann 2 weeks, 5 days ago. under design wall monday , monday musings , oh scrap! , placemats , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

Collecting stats - for them or us? from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

OK -- this new computer is pretty cool and YES -- I have gone back to an English keyboard. Good grief -- that was painful to write! The little camera that recognizes me instantly is amazing! No more passwords! Well, the passwords are there, but it looks for my face first. I love it!

However, we do have one slight issue, and right now, it's a big issue. After all the conversions, it appears my contact folder didn't get brought over properly. I'm not sure if anything came over or if it's using an older file, but my distribution ...

added by Elaine 3 weeks, 1 day ago. under geocaching , jigsaw puzzle , quiltsocial , quote , reading , soup , technology

Weekly update: first finish for 2026, placemat progress + reading from With Strings Attached

Lazy Goose, the January top-along, is finished! I quilted it in parallel lines with the serpentine stitch. The back is a print I've had since the 1990's.

5-7/8 yards used in all.

One of my January goals is to make 20 placemats. I've finished six.

Six more are underway.

They all use units from the orphan blocks box.

(The fine points of terminology: a patch is a shape cut from fabric. A unit is composed of one or more patches sewn together. A block is composed of units sew together.)

# # # # # I have a fear of running ...

added by Nann 3 weeks, 5 days ago. under design wall monday , monday musings , oh scrap! , placemats , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

String Hatchet Quilt Finished from Fret Not Yourself

Give people what they need: food, medicine, clean air, pure water, trees and grass, pleasant homes to live in, some hours of work, more hours for leisure. Don't ask who deserves it. Every human being deserves it.

~Howard Zinn

Quilting

After a long break, this string Hatchet quilt is finished. I didn't want straight lines on this quilt nor a motif in the central squares. Eventually I chose quarter circle expanding ripples. Straight lines or even free-motion quilting would have been much easier.

Many thanks to Patty and Gayle who donated green fabrics when I ran low. What ...

added by Ann 1 month ago. under hatchet , reading , string piecing

And another jigsaw puzzle! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

OH MY --- I'm at a loss on where to begin this morning! So much to say - let's just grab a picture and start!

I called my parents and, while chatting with them, decided to tackle the next jigsaw puzzle. I know— but it was a mindless task, as all I accomplished was laying out the pieces. These pieces seem BIGGER than those in the previous puzzle, and while the shapes are NOT identical, they are much more regular than in the last puzzle.

The pieces are laid out for the next puzzle

OK -- I did a bit more ...

added by Elaine 1 month ago. under exit game , jigsaw puzzle , labels , lexi , mount kilimanjaro , murphy , reading , weather

Making a journal cover from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

As promised, here are the links to the journal cover tutorials I've written over the years. Note the date on these tutorials - July 2014. This is the SECOND set of tutorials I wrote for QUILTsocial. I'm sure my writing style and grammar have changed significantly!

This is the basic tutorial on making a journal cover. I think the method of adding the lining is clever, and there's no reason to leave an opening along one side to turn it inside out.

Making a collage journal cover. Perfect way to use up scraps or create a personalized cover ...

added by Elaine 1 month, 1 week ago. under 2026 goals , candles , dishwasher , jigsaw puzzles , journal covers , lexi , murphy , neighborhood , quotes , reading

How a little bit of FOCUS can WIN in quilting from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Like all the quilters out there, MOST of us struggle with focus. We spot a new class, a new pattern, some shiny new gadget, and we are off in another direction before we even know what happened. After many years of following my eyes and ignoring the ever-growing mound of UFOs, a few UFOs are hanging around.

I also had no issues buying fabric, like it was candy! It was because of that mound of fabric that several years ago (around 10, I believe), I stopped randomly buying fabric just because I liked it. I still buy fabric, but only ...

added by Elaine 1 month, 1 week ago. under 2026 goals , jigsaw puzzles , reading , studio b , ufo club , weather

Midweek: slight progress + reading from With Strings Attached

On the domestic front: every so often a puddle appeared in the basement bathroom (adjacent to the family room, AKA my studio). The plumber checked the toilet and the seal/collar are good. This week I saw the puddle again--and heard drip-drip-drip. Turns out it came from the dishwasher (right above the closet that is next to the basement bathroom). The plumber popped the panel off the dishwasher and said the pipes are fine, the problem is the spray arm/drain assembly. I called the appliance store (we are so fortunate to have a real appliance store in our town ...

added by Nann 1 month, 2 weeks ago. under neckties , reading , wednesday wait loss

Friday check in: it's a flimsy + reading from With Strings Attached

No meetings, too cold to walk + an audiobook I had to finish (see below) = a flimsy.

6-1/4 yards by weight.

Here's a closeup of the border/sashing fabric. The black/gray on jade goes well with the black/white blocks.

I cut as many 2.5" squares as I could from what was left in this particular scrap box and made four-patches. After I took the photo I put all of them in a ziploc bag to await a future project.

# # # # # #

Sixteen + hours of listening with excellent narrators. It's a picaresque novel (remember that from English class ...

added by Nann 1 month, 2 weeks ago. under finished or not friday , nine patch quilts , reading

You be the look out! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Yes -- I restocked the retreat supply box with a spool of black and a spool of white thread, and I put a spool on the sewing machine. All set for the next retreat.

My SIL finished her quilt top and the backing last night. I have realized that my space is not configured for two people to work. Yikes! But all will be good, and I did manage to piece together one thing myself, so I was happy. It's part of the weekend homework, and I took lots of pictures, so I just need to get them into the ...

added by Elaine 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under backyard , customer quilt , jigsaw puzzles , lexi , murphy , reading

Weekly update: parties and scraps + reading from With Strings Attached

Friday evening: the 151st annual Carthage College Christmas Festival. The college chapel is a beautiful setting for the splendid music.

Rotary friends and family had dinner at a Kenosha restaurant beforehand.

Kaylynn, whose family is in the top photo, is a freshman at Carthage this year and in the orchestra. Donna and I (lower photo) have known her since she was born.

Saturday began with the funeral for our Rotary friend Nate at a church in Waukegan. It was a chilly service because the church furnace was on the blink. (Ironically Nate was a long-time trustee so just a few ...

added by Nann 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under design wall monday , monday musings , mug rugs , oh scrap! , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

How do you measure a meter? from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

It was a wild night! I hate it when you go to bed tired but can't fall asleep. The last couple of nights, I've been tired and tried to read my book. I could barely read a couple of pages, and I was fast asleep. Last night? Not happening. So I read more and more pages of the book. Let's say this is one of those psychological thrillers that well --- do you want to know what happens? This one is called Watch out for her" by Samantha J. Bailey, and it was creepy from the opening sentence ...

added by Elaine 1 month, 4 weeks ago. under dessert , jigsaw puzzles , quilt retreat , reading , spring house retreat , technology

Midweek: bows in rows + reading from With Strings Attached

Late November in the state park: deep red Virginia creeper, new lichen, oak leaves, and the starry remains of asters.

In domestic news: as I wrote Monday, I bought a turkey though I'm going to friends' for Thanksgiving. I roasted the turkey yesterday. I carved it with portions now in the freezer. I made stock from the carcass.

There wasn't much left when I went to Stiles, the produce/flower stand just over the border in Wisconsin. Susan will close up next Sunday. She takes the holidays off and will get back to the greenhouse in January.

# # # # #

In ...

added by Nann 2 months ago. under bow ties , reading , scrap quilts , wednesday wait loss

Travel day again! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

I goofed!!! The painted eyes on Cathy's raccoons were done by Cloe, not Colette! Cathy has way too many quilting friends and sisters—I can't keep them straight! Thanks for the correction!

There was one thing that I wanted to check for at the old farmhouse to see if I could find it. I had found a flat box of paper dolls a couple of years ago. I set it aside, and as we rushed to leave the house with our other treasures, I left it on top of a cupboard. The next time I went, I didn ...

added by Elaine 3 months ago. under farm , reading , saskatchewan , travel day

Friday check in: end of the garden, packing, some sewing + reading from With Strings Attached

The geraniums are having a late-season burst of energy. I moved them to the back patio to make room for a mum and pumpkin on the front stoop.

The tomatoes are over. The crop was nice this year, especially for the grape and cherry varieties.

The zinnias I planted are still blooming and there are a couple of hopeful (or foolish) buds.

My preoccupation is preparing for my long-awaited trip to Italy. I leave tomorrow! It will be my 51st Road Scholar program: Rome, Florence, Venice. Home October 23. Temperatures there will be mid-70's during the day and mid-50 ...

added by Nann 3 months, 3 weeks ago. under finished or not friday , off the wall friday , reading

Midweek: dolls, a finish, WIP + reading from With Strings Attached

"Oh, You Beautiful Doll" was the program at yesterday's Zion Woman's Club meeting. Lorna began collecting and recreating antique dolls in the 1990's. She has traveled all over the country to doll competitions (she's won!), sold supplies, and taught classes. She makes the porcelain heads and bodies herself. She brought samples of heads as greenware (rather squishy), bisque (first firing), and porcelain (second firing). She makes all clothes including the shoes (leather sourced from old gloves). Most of the club members have known Lorna for many years but none of us knew the details about her ...

added by Nann 3 months, 3 weeks ago. under reading , rsc 2025 , wednesday wait loss , zwc

What are you reading? from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Oh, I love your comments, and I'm a bit behind in responding to them! Patience! And yes, I think using ChatGPT is a matter of experience, and I'm brand new to it. I need more information, Tammy - like, did he get it saved to a PDF, and if so, I would love a copy!

Not to tempt fate or anything, but I am having the most relaxing days and no dreams last night - at least none that I remembered. After I delivered my project (more on the project in a second), I had time to spend a leisurely ...

added by Elaine 3 months, 4 weeks ago. under exit game , flowers , lexi , mount kilimanjaro , murphy , reading , studio b , sunrise , supplements

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