reading

Slow Progress on Bramble Blooms QAL from Fret Not Yourself

Your voice matters. If it didn't why would some people keep trying to take it away?

~ US Rep. John Lewis

Quilting

Very slow progress. I changed the curvy leaves that were my first choice and constant downfall. You'll notice a couple still have curves and I may replace those later.

Bramble Blooms QAL - Improv roses

Taking a cue from the striped stems and Audrey's post, I added a second leaf color. It looks much better.

I also turned the background 180 degrees so the bubbles show up more. They inspired the stem and leaf colors. Although it ...

added by Ann 3 months, 3 weeks ago. under bramblebloomsqal , improv flowers , reading , roald dahl

Weekly update: cold weather, a birthday, in the mail almost, WIP + reading from With Strings Attached

It's been cold everywhere in the U.S. this week. I took a very brief walk from the parking lot to the lakefront to take a few photos. (I was on my way home from the grocery store and not bundled up (face mask) to walk any farther.)

When the cold settles in I am grateful for central heat and a garage for the car.

I had an ophthamologist appointment on Monday. Hooray! Cataract surgery is scheduled for February.

Stevens turned 84 on Thursday. He was pleasantly surprised when I told him that my FB post about his birthday ...

added by Nann 3 months, 3 weeks ago. under batik quilt , birthday , design wall monday , mqg swap , oh scrap! , reading , sew and tell

Health wake-up call! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

NOOOOOO!!! I don't want to admit that maybe one of those little pill containers will be good for me. I know this is totally crazy, but I'm not good with taking pills since I haven't really needed to take any. However, I always remember that gummy, multi-vitamin every day! Before I resort to the weekly pill container, I will keep the Vitamin D beside the gummies. And I'll also keep the other pill bottle there, with a big label on it - Sunday! If that doesn't work, I may have to resort to the pill container ...

added by Elaine 3 months, 3 weeks ago. under backyard , bear , health , lexi , murphy , reading

Weekly update: the challenge, a flimsy,. something new + reading from With Strings Attached

I was able to walk in the state park on Thursday, between storms. Here along the Lake Michigan shoreline we only got 3" of snow , though areas just a few miles west got a lot more. I was among the frozen chosen who made it to church this morning. Today was beautifully sunny but very, very cold with the high of zero.

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I'm making good progress on the MQG challenge mini quilt.

Neckties are made on the bias so they have to be stabilized before the fabric can be sewn into anything. I scrounged what I could from a ...

added by Nann 4 months ago. under design wall monday , oh scrap! , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

On reading a book from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Shoot -- I was going to tell you the disturbing story about quilt history, and I know I won't have time before I have to leave for spin class. I started it, but I'll have to finish it another day.

I have no idea what is happening these days. I spend time in Studio B, but I don't seem to have much to show for it. Why is that?

Part of the reason is I was doing paperwork in the morning, and I only completed some of what I wanted to do as I was late to start ...

added by Elaine 4 months, 1 week ago. under bear , charity quilts , exit games , murphy , reading

Two girls and a boy from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

At last -- the final two distribution lists are recreated! The more I put people into my contact list, the easier it became. The dates for the UFO Club are set, and all that remains is to send a couple of emails, which should NOT take long. I hope to get it all completed today!

Part of the homework follow-up from yesterday is done, and I should be good to get everything finished TODAY. That will be awesome. That was on my list of paperwork to finish before the end of the year, but with that little hiccup I had, it ...

added by Elaine 4 months, 1 week ago. under backyard , bear , cabin in the woods , car , exit game , lex , murphy , neighborhood , reading

My year in books from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

I love prepping the presentations for a class! I get to run around the house like a crazy person - and take pictures - well, first, I might have to sew something. Then, I take what I think are clear and understood pictures.

The next step is to email them to me so I can add them to the presentation. After adding pictures to the presentation, I reviewed the slides and put them in order. Some pictures get rejected -- what seemed like a good picture at the time says absolutely NOTHING. Why did I even take it?

And just like writing a ...

added by Elaine 4 months, 1 week ago. under bear , murphy , reading

Lost Hours from Ramblings of a Fabric Obsessor

This is such a great series! It is not a watered down cozy like some authors write. I highly recommend all of the books in this series!*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*Beth is settling in well in Alaska in the 5th installment of this series. And after a woman is found who claims to have been kidnapped, she is

added by Darling Jill Quilts 4 months, 3 weeks ago. under books , netgalley , reading

Weekly update: Indigo Way and emptying a bag from With Strings Attached

Ornaments are hung along the trail at Lyons Woods. Once you see one you see another, and another. (I will pay this wonder forward. I have a box of ornaments (rummage sale purchase) that I'll hang along another trail.)

The Lake County Women's Coalition steering committee combined business and socializing with a luncheon meeting Saturday. Plans for the Women's History Month luncheon in March are well underway.

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I used Deb Tucker's V-block Trimmer to make the second units for Indigo Way. More accurate than Tri-Recs though it takes a bit to figure out how to flip ...

added by Nann 5 months ago. under design wall monday , indigo way , oh scrap! , quiltville , reading , weekly update , witb

Decluttering continues from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Hmmm --- where was the lightbulb moment last night? We opened the door to Day 10 on the EXIT Game Advent Calendar and figured out what to do with all the pieces (or so we think!). Now, how do we interpret those pieces? We left it - I was going to go back before bed but didn't, so I'll try again today. We may need to look at the clues, but I think we will need all three before this is solved! Some days, the puzzles are tricky, and some are not!

I stopped at the library the other day ...

added by Elaine 5 months ago. under barn star sampler , books , decluttering , digital cutters , free standing lace , library , murphy , neighbourhood , reading

Finally Starting Bramble Blooms QAL from Fret Not Yourself

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

~Gilbert K Chesterton

Quilting

Are you as busy as I've been? All summer it was too hot to move. Now there are a multitude of projects to finish {and some that still need to be started} from summer as well as the swell of fall, family, and holiday activities. Additionally, some sinus/allergy issues continue.

I finished my jacket before the start of cold weather; however, Ocean Waves is intended as a Christmas present. Lots of quilting still although it ...

added by Ann 5 months, 1 week ago. under bramblebloomsqal , free motion quilting , jane rosen , ocean waves , reading

Weekly update: holiday celebrations, small finishes, and OMG December + reading from With Strings Attached

The social whirl is underway!

The GFWC-IL District 10 luncheon was on Wednesday. We played Santa bingo. I won $41 in the split-the-pot raffle.

There was a Christmas tree trivia quiz. The average artificial tree is used for 6 years (and is in the landfill forever).....Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states....Calvin Coolidge began the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1923.

Friday evening we enjoyed dinner with Rotary friends prior to the Carthage College Christmas Festival

Familiar carols and other old and new songs, with splendid choral and instrumental music.

Saturday was the AAUW Waukegan Area Branch ...

added by Nann 5 months, 1 week ago. under aauw , carthage college , design wall monday , mug rugs , oh scrap! , omg 2023 , placemats , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

Weekly update: Indigo Way begins, under the needle + reading from With Strings Attached

Sunday brought a dusting of snow. It looks pretty and I am glad it won't last long.

Photo taken at the state park. I stopped on the way home from church but I didn't take a walk!

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I've made many of the Quiltville mysteries. I was greatly disappointed in two of them Grand Illusion and Rhododendron Trail) and skipped their immediate successors, Allietare and Chilhowie. Those turned out to be designs I liked.

Now it's time for Indigo Way. I've decided to give it a go.

I have a hoard of South African indigos but ...

added by Nann 5 months, 2 weeks ago. under design wall monday , indigo way , mystery quilt , oh scrap! , quiltville , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

Weekly update: a finish, the WIP, and a reading trio from With Strings Attached

A string of sunny days called for afternoon walks!

Right: the heron was intent on the frog it was eating so I could get a close-up photo.

On a clear day you can see the Chicago skyline from Illinois Beach State Park.

I cropped and enlarged the photo and it may be a little blurry. The dredger is for the shoreline restoration project. Look to the left of it to see the skyscrapers.

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Sparkling Triangles is finished.

I made a zipper insert for the back. I learned the technique from Mary Ellen Hopkins and I use it often. It's ...

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

My Quilted Jacket from Fret Not Yourself

Figure out who you are, then do it on purpose.

~Dolly Parton

Quilting

Finished in time for cooler weather. The flannel batting was very difficult to seam and makes the jacket cooler to wear. Or perhaps the open neck makes it cooler. I like the shawl collar and it wasn't that hard to sew. Horizontal lines are matched on the sleeves; I didn't worry about matching each block of the Chain.

I started by planning the front then matched the same location at the seams as I moved to the back and sleeves. It worked pretty well.

My ...

added by Ann 5 months, 3 weeks ago. under bill hammack , quilted coat , quilted jacket , reading , triple irish chain

Weekly update: sunshine, music, scraps + reading from With Strings Attached

Just two walks last week -- Sand Pond (close to home at Illinois Beach State Park) and Greenbelt (on the border of Waukegan and North Chicago).

On many days Stevens will declare right after lunch that he's ready to go out. A good habit for both of us.

Yesterday's baby shower (for which I made the quilt I showed last Wednesday) was cancelled. The mother-to-be was having false labor. (No baby yet, though.) It was a good thing I hadn't given away our tickets to the LCCCA performance. The Suits were great!

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In the studio: the I Spy ...

added by Nann 6 months ago. under hsts , lake county forest preserves , lccca , oh scrap! , reading , scrap quilts , sew and tell , weekly update

Still Working on my Quilted Jacket from Fret Not Yourself

Whoever said life was about the journey and not the destination never had to look for a place to park.

~ Henry Grabar

Quilting

My sister finally visited me. Usually I visit her. What a wonderful week we had: butterfly pavilion, arboretum, choral recital, lots of meals with extended family… and the Quilt Festival. Lovely although smaller than previous years. We also worked on a shirt for her. Now she’s on her way home but we’re planning future visits.

Before she arrived I worked on my jacket. Each pattern piece has it's own translucent paper template that allows ...

added by Ann 6 months, 1 week ago. under henry grabar , quilted coat , quilted jacket , reading , triple irish chain

Welcome to Canada! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

I love living close to the airport. Our house is not situated under a flight path, we are slightly to the south, although we can see when planes land at both runways and there are occasions when we can hear the planes. We are close enough to identify the airline of the planes! But it's such a low noise, dependent on the cloud cover, and we don't hear the wheels open nor the takeoff and landing noises that I'm OK with it. I love watching the planes come in.

But there is another reason I love living ...

added by Elaine 6 months, 1 week ago. under bear , m , reading , studio b , travel

Weekly update: three walks, two finishes, and two excellent books from With Strings Attached

Fall foliage is on display here in northeasternmost Illinois. We enjoyed walks to Illinois Beach State Park, Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve, and Pine Dunes Forest Preserve.

It's not as breathtaking as northern New England but it is pretty darned beautiful!

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Antipodes is the old-fashioned geographical term for places diametrically opposite. So, for the British, that was Australia and New Zealand. Since I used Australian prints and batiks for this quilt it's now named Antipodes.

The back uses two batiks. The blue/purple on the right is from Barb M's estate sale.

I need a better name ...

added by Nann 6 months, 3 weeks ago. under design wall monday , lake county forest preserves , oh scrap! , reading , sew and tell , weekly update

Quilt Jacket Progress from Fret Not Yourself

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.

~Erma Bombeck

Quilting

Many, many pieces have been moved but it seems to be working out now. The design centers horizontally on the back although I'm thinking about exactly where that piece will fall vertically. To the right is the right front. It's lining up to "semi-match" at the side seam.

With the right front pieces sewed, I can decide where to position the pattern piece. That big notch near the top left is where the shawl collar attaches to the shoulder. In order to avoid ...

added by Ann 6 months, 3 weeks ago. under david grann , quilted coat , quilted jacket , reading

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