Field Trips in Fiber

A beautiful ending...

to a beautiful weekend. I finished that last post and walked outside to this!

The weekend wrap up with some fabric dyeing

It's been a beautiful weekend here in Virginia and it's been a productive weekend as well. I have a few dye samples to show at the end of the post but here's a recap of my weekend list.

Bind the red/white/blue QOV - Done and posted in the last post! Yeah!!

Test the new Churn Dash fat quarter pattern (this will be the pattern for the pink and brown quilt that will now be called "Kim's Pink and Brown Quilt". Boy did this turn into a complex project! Not for any reason that I became inept at math in the middle of the project! My goal in designing these projects is to work out a block that optimizes the use of the fat quarter. I thought I had it last night and proceeded to cut out the parts and didn't realize that I was missing 2 pieces until I had cut it out and tried to lay out the block! Suddenly I had new pieces for my strip and scrap bins! LOL! Good thing those were "test" fat quarters (old or ugly). Today I finally got it. The finished block (with a sashing) will be 13 inches finished. I didn't get another trial version cut out but will do that next weekend.

Organize the mess I made for the new Chinese Coins quilt in blues and browns - No photo as proof but I got this done too. Had to, the mess was spread all over the cutting table and I had to get it cleaned up to trim the QOV. I even made 3 blocks!

Dye backing for Anne's black/white/red quilt and the Chinese Coins fish QOV - Well, this has been an interesting exercise that has taken longer than expected but only because of that math disorder mentioned earlier. I started yesterday with some sample dyeing using fat 8th fabrics. I did the 3 black gradients on the left and decided that I wanted the lighter one. The next three (orange, yellow, blue) were trials for the Chinese Coins quilt. I liked the blue best but wanted to refine the color (the last 2). Here's that I ended up with:

Black - 1 tsp black dye concentrate to 1 cup of water (7 cups total). I love this black dye - Jet Black 250 from Dharma Trading.

Blue - 1 tsp blue, 1/4 tsp yellow, 1/8 tsp black to 1 cup of water (7 cups total).

The humorous part was that on my first run through on the black backing was that instead of multiplying the 1/8th ratio for the test piece by 8 for 1 cup and then by 7 for 7 cups, I just multiplied by 7 - AND I DIDN'T NOTICE THE DYE WAS LIGHTER!!!! That piece is in a second dye bath now and it's time to go rinse it out.

I am going to Scottsdale tomorrow for a work conference but I have another post on Color Theory ready that I will work on and post while I am gone. The conference is one of those "it's really about golf" conference which means 3 half-days of meetings. Since I can't golf, I will get to meet up with a longarm buddy! I met Sue at MQX this year and I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

Another QOV Done!

This quilt is intended as a QOV and hopefully I can get it out of the house before Chris gets too attached to it. he REALLY, REALLY likes it! He's not getting it though - he has his own blankies.

The quilt is from a patern developed by Judy Laquidara for one of her Quilt For An Hour quilts. I am short two borders from the original design because I ran out of blue fabric. It would look better with an additional narrow white and narrow navy border but it's just fine as it is. Hopefully this photo will not enlarge enough for you to see all of the pieced sectins of the last two navy borders - there are a lot of seams there! The finished size is 65 x 90. The binding is made of pieced strips of all of the red fabrics. In the end I have about 30 inches of red fabric left. Now, that's a nice way to make a scrap quilt!

Here's some more information on the details........

The weekend list!

I have so much more energy this weekend so I should have better luck with the list. In addition, Chris is leaving early tomorrow for a hunting trip to Canada so I'll be alone with no diversions. Time for a new list - which is going to look a lot like the list from last week:

• Dye backing for Anne's black/white/red quilt and the Chinese Coins fish QOV
• Bind the red/white/blue QOV
• Test the new Churn Dash fat quarter pattern (this will be the pattern for the pink and brown quilt that will now be called "Kim's Pink and Brown Quilt". Good thing I don't have any more friends - except for Denise but she's in California so she doesn't wander into my sewing room and declare "I want that".
• Organize the mess I made for the new Chinese Coins quilt in blues and browns.

Anne may come over Sunday to quilt two quilts that she made for her nephews and I am meeting with the LQS owner tomorrow to brainstorm class ideas for the winter and spring sessions. I also have to get our quarter end home finances up to date. I'm an accountant by education so I have a weird need to produce quarterly balance sheets and income statements. It's just that I'm not very disciplined at it doing it! I missed skipped last quarter so I really do need to catch up this time. I'm motivated - I want to retire as soon as possible. That won't happen if I don't get some sort of control over my  fabric purchasing habit.

What are your plans for the weekend?

The Leaf Postcards are finally done!!!

The best news is that these cards are for both of the swaps that I am participating in this month AND it will be the birthday card for October. This will give me a break to plan out and make some Christmas postcards before the next MQResource swap begins. I made 3 versions.

Here's some information on how I made them....

Some rambling.......

The great news is that I am feeling better. I'm still quite sore but it's better every day. At least I can wear my bras again - it's the little things that make you feel human! I had my post-op appointment yesterday and I do not have cancer but I do have some pre-cancerous cells. It's too much detail to type out here but I am telling this much because the Dr. wants to put me on Tamoxifen as a cancer preventative treatment for 5 years. As a general rule I do not do well on very many medications. So I wanted to ask here if any of my readers have any experience with Tamoxifen, especially as a cancer preventative, and could I email some of my question to you.

So, let's get back to sewing content!.......

A little photo from my morning

I walked upstairs a few minutes ago to get something off the printer and the light was just right to capture this photo from the upstairs back porch. I can't see this web from downstairs. Pretty cool.

Chinese Coins Quilt Instructions

I didn't get much of anything else on the list completed but I got the Chinese Coins quilt top done. It turns out that I'm still a little sore so the laundry and this quilt top did me in for the day! That's OK though, I feel a lot better than I did Wednesday and I got to sew this weekend. All in all, a good weekend!

This quilt will be a QOV and it was a lot of fun to make. I already have more planned in my mind so I decided to document the dimension and basic instructions to have the notes for later. There are lots of ways to make these. In fact, I got the idea to do one from Mary. She has instructions for several different versions on her web site and she has made several of these for the Heartstrings Project. Here's how I did mine.

It was good to be back in the sewing room

and it was great to have a sewing buddy over to visit today!

Before Kim arrived I got my postcards ready for stitching. I realized that I could use this design for both the New Beginnings and Great Outdoors so I should get these knocked out pretty easily and I like the design a lot. I hope to start stitching tomorrow.

Chris went to the UVA game today but was nice and started lunch in the crock pot before he left! He knows that left on my own the meal with either be popcorn or peanut butter crackers. I really dislike cooking. I used to love to bake but with the dairy and egg allergies that isn't much fun anymore. I do like making bread (in the bread machine, of course) so made some fresh bread to go with the pork ribs. Yum!

Kim came over because she wanted to use the serger. Remember the skirt that Anne made during Craft Week? She used a very cool silk knit from Gorgeous Fabrics. Fortunately for Kim, Ann always buys too much fabric! So today she made herself a skirt from the same fabric. The side seams and hem were all done on the serger. She did a cover stitch hem and it turned out great. She is slowly coming around to understanding the value of a serger!

While she was here I decided to work on my Chinese Coins QOV quilt. I finished the last 10 blocks, sewed the rows of blocks and started adding the sashing. That's where my energy ran out. So back for more tomorrow.

These rows aren't crooked! They are loosely pinned to the design wall. I promise, it will all look OK in the end.

A final comment. If you need a good laugh please read this post from The Jettstream. I laughed and laughed. 

The weekend

And I am so glad it's here! My energy is back just in time. I've gotten nothing sewing related done all week so I felt a little "confused" about what I might have had in my mind to do this weekend. Then I walked into my sewing room this morning - what a mess! So the first order of business is to straighten up a bit before Kim arrives tomorrow. She's coming over to use my serger to make a skirt. So, what am I going to do?

• Finish those darned postcards for the New beginnings and Great Outdoors swaps.
• Put the binding and label on the QOV that I quilted last weekend
• Work out a new fat quarter pattern
• Maybe work on the chinese Coin blocks. I need less than 10 blocks for the quilt top. I already have the sashing and border fabric picked out too.

I might even do a little fabric dyeing. I'd like to try to make the grey backing for Anne's quilt. That should be enough!

It's alive....again!

How did I convince myself that there was something called a "little surgery" for someone that is 47 years old! LOL! Yep, I went to work yesterday, came home at noon and slept all afternoon. Today was MUCH better! I worked at home today and made it all day without a nap. Looks like I will be back in gear just in time for the weekend. Hooray! Kim is coming over for sewing day Saturday.

I don't have much fun stuff to share but I did get these books so that I'd have something to read during my recovery period. It's too bad that they arrived on Chris' birthday - oops. I don't usually buy pattern books but I just had to get Judy's Nine-Patch Extravaganza. Usually there's one, maybe 2 patterns in a book that I like. There are several patterns in Judy's book that I'd like to make. Kudos Judy! I didn't actually do much reading this week but the all look like interesting books.

Now I need to start thinking about my weekend list........

The day after

Well, the fun drugs have worn off and today I am wiped out! I can't believe that I told people that I would work today. I didn't. I have slept most of the day away. I had a screaming headache this morning but that's gone now. Thank you for the messages that you left yesterday. This morning the hospital called to see how I was doing. It was kind of funny. I told the woman that I had a headache and she asked if I had been drinking. I said "Are you crazy, the headache is from the drugs not from a drinking binge!" She laughed. She meant drinking WATER to help flush the drugs! She did ask about the experience and I gave her the opportunity to retract the question but she listened to my issues and concerns so I felt a little better. She did say that 75% of their patients never ask a question. They just show up and say "fix me". That speaks volumes.

Meanwhile my poor husband has spent his 50th birthday (today) taking care of me! My friend is even bringing his birthday dinner. He loves to cook so I gave him a new set of knives and the aprons that I made for him. He liked both gifts! He's out in the yard hunting doves this afternoon for a special birthday treat.

I sure am looking forward to being able to shower tomorrow and I really hope I have the energy to go to work - there's too much to do! I sure hope I never have to have any major surgery. Obviously I am a big baby about the whole process!

Not about sewing - a little rant

If there is one very important thing that I have learned in my life it's "I am the ONLY person responsible for my own healtcare." Today I had some minor surgery - a breast biopsy to remove some dodgy tissue (no cancer). Everything went very well primarily because I was a total control freak about every step of the process. The medical profession today is nothing but a conglomeration of highly educated specialists that have drawn discrete boxes around themselves. Getting them to think outside of their box is impossible.

This surgery came about because I switched doctors for my annual mammogram. Every time I do that the new doctor freaks out over this particular area of tissue. It's been needle biopsied twice in 13 years. Both times it was negative for cancer but this time I decided to have it removed because I'm tired of the interest in it. The new radiologist actually told me before the needle biopsy that she was SURE that I had cancer and rolled her eyes when I told her that the tissue had been there forever. She had to eat her words when the biopsy came back negative. I really think that she recommended surgery as much to save face as for any real risk to me of future cancer.

I was happy to have it removed but, with my allergies, I always worry about other risks associated with medical procedures. I had pre-op appointments last week and after 4 hours of meetings realized that NOT ONE of the people that I met with that day would be there for my surgery! What was the point of providing them with and discussing a 3-page document of my medical issues? That visit was about managing hospital liability more than managing my care.

Today went much better but I had to go through EVERYTHING again with each group of people today. The anesthesiologist wasn't humored by my questions but I got the point across when he told me what anesthesia he was going to use and through my questions realized that, because of my egg allergy, it was not a good choice for me. I would not allow them to take me back to the OR until I had discussed every drug that they wanted to give me. It took 3 red bracelets to list all of my relevant allergies. Everyone was good humored about it but I could tell that my sessions were not the norm for them.

Do most people really allow their medical care to just happen to them? I did that once with an allergist and allowed him to overdoes me on my allergy treatments. Here I am 20 years later living in a bubble. I'll never turn over my health care to anyone again.  During my pre-op appointments I saw so many really sick people just going from appointment to appointment without participating in the process. The medical process would be so much better if there was one person that was responsible for helping the patient through the process - a familiar face that could be there with the patient from start to finish.

The big lesson, of course, is that prevention is the name of the game. I will continue to exercise regularly, manage my weight and take care of myself. I think I am fortunate to be 47 and to have had only 4 medical procedures in my life: a broken are at 8, voluntary tubal ligation at 30, Morton's neuroma at 40 and today's biopsy. Both of the recent surgeries have been outpatient. I intend to keep it that way. The best doctor is one that you don't have to see!

Please don't think this is in any way support for government run healthcare. I think that would be a total disaster. Chris was in the Navy and I have seen government run healthcare. It was the reason that the entire time he was in the Navy I purchased my own health insurance from my employer. The military medical system is a complete mess. Anything run by our government would be the same or worse.

I think the real issue is that individuals do not take personal responsibility for they own well-being. There are many diseases and conditions that can be managed with diet, exercise and lifestyle changes but we prefer a pill. It seems to me that good health is something really worth working for.

PS Everything worked out very well and I had one of the best sleeps in a while when I came home!

A good weekend

Not only has the weather improved (cooler and dryer) but it was a great sewing weekend and it's not even over yet. Let's review the list!

The Red/Black/White quilt

Anne's quilt top is done and it's big and it's heavy! It's amazing how much weight the foundations add to the quilt top. I am really pleased with the top though. The red Moda Marble matched the border fabric perfectly - it should since I ordered 3 different red fabrics to try to match it! I suppose that means that there are 2 more of these quilts potentially in my future!

But that's why I keep lists. As I was sewing the borders this morning I was thinking of starting another one of these in another color way. I made myself look at the list and decided that my next project will be either the Chinese Coins quilt or the Mini Log Cabin. This is not the time to start something new!

I did have one issue with this one that I will try to work out before I start another one. There are a few places where my red diagonal strips did not meet up right at the corners. I thought I had been careful about my seam allowances but I did switch machines halfway through piecing the blocks and that may have contributed to the difference. Or I could have just been a little careless positioning of the ruler when I trimmed the blocks. I emailed Mary as she is the expert in my book on string quilts. She said that she has the same problem and doesn't worry about it. I'm taking her advice and moving on! But I will try to resolve it on the next one that I make.

I think I will attempt to dye a back in mottled gray. I do not think I want a black or red back because I will likely want to see the quilting. But gray is really difficult to dye so if that doesn't work out I may order this fabric. I have gotten persnickety about  wide backings and seem to avoid seaming backs at all costs these day! Any opinions on the backing color or the quilting for this one?

A weekend without a list?

Absolutely not! Chris will be gone most of the weekend visiting friends in Northern Virginia. Allergy girl can't go so she will be sewing. Here's the list!

• Finish piecing Anne's quilt top. I got all but two rows of the blocks done last night so just have the last row of blocks and the two borders to attach. My red sashes are not lining up properly and  I think it's because I used two different sewing machines to piece the blocks (and probably sewed a bit less carefully than I usually do.) I asked Mary - queen of string quilts about that and she said that she doesn't worry if the center strings do not match perfectly so I am going to follow her advice!
• Make postcards for the MQResource "New beginnings" postcard swap
• Start postcards for the Stitcher's Guild  "great outdoors" postcard swap
• Make a little exchange gift for Debra for the book she sent to me.
• Load the most recent Quilt For An Hour QOV to be quilted. I wanted to do it Sunday but found out that the backing that I dyed was 4" too short! I dyed another piece this week so I think I am finally ready to start quilting.

I don't think this list is too aggressive. I might actually get it all done!

WIP Wednesday

I'm still quite motivated from Craft Week. The first thing I am working on is Anne's quilt. I should finish all of the blocks tonight and hope to get the blocks together and the two borders added this weekend. I had not planned to make this a "urgent" project but since Anne asked for it for Christmas I want to get it done! She's hard to shop for so I'm a little relieved that asked for this quilt. Here's the photo of the quilt blocks on the design wall....

New Beginnings Postcards Received

This set of cards is from a swap I am hosting on MQResource. If you are a machine quilter (DSM/shortarm/midarm or longarm) you should check out this board. There's tons of great information sharing there. Here are the cards that I have received so far. The theme is "New Beginnings". Now I need to get mine done!

Postcards Received

I've got two posts today with all of the cool postcards that I have received lately. Since we paid off our mortgage we get so much more good mail! LOL! I also have some more good news from Craft Week - I finally got up the nerve to get on the scale and I didn't gain even 1/2 a pound! So, let's get on with the show and tell.

First Quilt, Last Quilt

I really enjoy the First Quilts, Last Quilts articles that run in Quilters Newsletter periodically. I decided to do that for this post because my last quilt is going to replace my first quilt as my "blankie" today!

Craft Week - Dyeing and Painting

We started doing these Craft Week vacations a few years ago but they actually started as dye week.  Anne took some dyeing classes at Houston one year and wanted to start doing some dyeing here. I was not the least bit interested. Obviously I was wrong again since I have my own dye area in my basement now. This week I didn't want to dye all week but I did want to do two things - experiment with making gradients and some sun printing.

Craft Week was Awesome!

I'm home from Craft Week. Everything about it was fantastic. Thank you for your birthday wishes and comments while I was away! My internet access there was slow and intermittent so I didn't get to respond to everyone but I really do appreciate all of you who visit and take the time to comment on my little corner of the cyberworld!

We decided that we have to do Craft Week every year. Anne, Kim and I all work at the same company but we rarely work together. It was really nice to spend some concentrated time together outside of the office. Chris even enjoyed it because he got two fishing trips and a hunting trip during the week!

I have a couple of additional posts to provide some of the detail but let's quickly recap the the progress on my list.

Craft Week Report #2

Craft Week is awesome! We are having a fantastic time. Unfortunately Kim had to leave yesterday to go back to work - someone has to! We miss you, Kim, and Denise, who couldn't make it from California this year!

On top of the sewing and crafting and general great friendship we have eaten some fabulous meals prepared by Chris. On Sunday we had crab cakes, yesterday we had frogmore stew and tonight it will be beef and chicken fajitas. I just hope we can walk through the door at the end of the week!

Here's a little round-up of our activities of the last couple of days:

Craft Week Update #1

All is great here for craft week, except for one thing. Apparently with this crowd you have to make EVERY decision on your birthday. It's barely 1:00 and I'm already exhausted from the pressure! LOL! Here's a quick update on the happenings here in Lively, VA.