It was a long day but not near as much rain as I had expected. That was nice although I think we are in for a lot more rain tonight and tomorrow. I got back home to temperatures in the 70′s – high 70′s at that. They will be dropping though and I will actually like that as at this time of year I like it cooler.
Last night I got done quilting the 12th row of Dear Jane “Insanity”!!!! That leaves me with one row of blocks left to quilt and a row of triangles – that really feels good.
the last of row 12 quilted.
I will have to make time tomorrow to look at the knitting – I haven’t done anything on it.
Thank you to all who participated in the give away.
EDITED: I just noticed that all week I have been labeling Dear Jane photos wrong – I am starting the 13 row quilting this evening which is row M.
by Karen on October 8, 2009
in quilts
Kari from New Jersey whose blog is “Little Gray Dog” is the winner of the give away. Kari e mail me at k@pddoc.com and give me your address and your package will get in the mail soon. Congratulations. I will be having more give aways in the upcoming months as I have more books and quilting items to pass on that I no longer want or have duplicates of – the basket still has a lot of things in it.
I am going to be out of town tomorrow for most of the day so I will do a quick announcement for the give away first thing in the morning before I take off. I need to drive to visit my mom and take her to a medical check up appointment. Little sis usually takes care of this kind of thing but she is under the weather and I’m her back up 
I had planned on visiting soon anyhow so this decided what day to go. Mom is two hours away from me and bad luck is that it is supposed to rain tomorrow so driving will not be fun – nor will getting the wheelchair in and out of the car! But needs to be done.
I managed to get 3 more blocks done last night – it seems like it is always 3 blocks before I quit! Maybe that means I can finish the last block and two triangles for Row K tonight? Hope so.
Row K block #'s 11 and 10
Row K block #12 - little blurry sorry about that.
I told you all awhile back that I wanted to learn to knit – well today after stopping by the library for a couple books I ran over to the knit shop to talk to the friendly ladies and see what they had. After talking to them I decided to make a simple scarf for winter first. I need to learn how to read a knitting pattern & instruction and just a general run through to brush up on knit, purl and get the technique going. I have knitted in the past but it was years ago (unless you count the one attempt I made about 3 years ago when a shawl kind of turned out looking like an afghan LOL – really). I learned basic knitting back in high school and we don’t want to remember how long ago that was!! Kind of getting close to 40 years — OMG — has it been that long LOL I can’t believe it, it seems like just yesterday!
the pretty blue variegated yarn and the supplies needed. Also with this scarf pattern are fingerless gloves, a hat and leg warmers -- people still use leg warmers? thought those went out years ago. Actually I liked a different hat that was displayed in the shop and if the scarf turns out I might give the hat a try.
Today is a little warmer and that is the only good thing about the weather!! I’m getting very tired of rain – it seems like that is all it does lately – rain and cool temperatures in the low to mid 50′s. This is early October here in Arkansas a little too early for it to be this cool. I want to be able to work in my flower gardens and get them ready for the winter. I have not been able to touch them since I got home other than to dig up the bulbs that I wanted to replant in a new location. Of course I shouldn’t complain – Crispy up in North Dakota posted a photo of what she woke up to — that’s right SNOW! Oh I feel for you Crispy but I’m so glad that it wasn’t me that woke up to that – I’m not ready for it to be that cold!
I have been waiting half the day for my eyes to improve so that I could do some sewing – I had an eye check up earlier today and had my eyes dilated. Don’t you just hate that – especially when it seems that they put more drops in than normal and you can barely see to drive home! Here it was a light rain and dark outside and I’m driving home with sunglasses one bet that looked strange.
Don’t forget that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month – get your yearly mammogram if you haven’t already done so. I got mine yesterday – normally a letter is sent to me the following week saying all is well. Today when I got out of the eye doctors office and put my phone back on ring I had a voice message to call my GYN — of course just having had my mammogram I thought something hadn’t come back right – instead she says “oh I just wanted to let you know all was well”!! Well I’m very glad of that of course but they have never called with the news before. I told her I had thought she was going to tell me I had to do it over again that they might have seen something. I will have to remember this phone call next year so the alarm bells won’t be going off.
I quilted 3 blocks last night on “Insanity” - the 11th row is moving right along. I plan to do more work on it this evening and while my eyes weren’t the greatest for quilting earlier today (I use a nice bright light close by) I did get another Baltimore Bliss block prepped. What do you all call this style of block (for the Baltimore Bliss) – primitive – folk art? It isn’t the usual style that I used to like but lately I have seen a lot of applique blocks that I like. I use to do mainly pieced blocks with a little (or a lot) applique on the borders or more of picture scene style – lighthouses, Japanese scenes ect.
Blocks 7 & 8 on Row K
Block 9 Row K
My friend Regina is looking for a place to order the 2010 calendar called “Piecemakers 2010″ most of the internet sites that she has looked at says it is sold out. If anyone knows where she can purchase it where it is still being sold will you let me know please and I will pass the information on to her.
I am so pleased that I am making progress on this quilt. I sure will be glad to get this quilt done after working on it so long! Here are more photos:
Row K # 4 & 5
Row K # 5 & 6
On the first photo the burgundy color block was featured on the last blog post, I forgot when I took the photo. I did 3 blocks between yesterday evening and today.
Last night I also got finished with the 2nd of the “Baltimore Bliss” blocks and got it pressed and trimmed today. I don’t have another one of those blocks prepped so I think I will work on that this evening before I do a block or two of the “Insanity” quilting. I don’t see anything on tv this evening that I feel like watching – maybe I will find an old show to put on.
2nd block for the "Baltimore Bliss" quilt
We are starting to get some fall weather here – it has only been in the 50′s for the last couple of days. It came so quickly it seems. Very rainy the last couple of days also. Not hard rain, just off and on all day with no sun coming through. At least it does sound like we will have sunny weather at the end of the week for the weekend. Fall weather always wants me to start baking more – making bread and other baked goods. I really need to try to control myself! Something about baking makes me eat more – and hubby too. LOL could it be those great smells coming out of the kitchen gets you drooling and making you think you are hungrier than you think and then you over stuff!
I need to start picking out colors of paint for my kitchen and bathroom. I told myself when I got done with the sewing room and back from travel I would do that painting and it is time to follow through with it. I would like to have both rooms done by time the holidays come around. My kitchen hasn’t been done in I really do not know how long — years and years!
I have had a lot of response for my give away and would like to thank all of you who have entered and have also posted on your blogs about it. I will announce the winner on Wednesday after I tally it all up on Wednesday morning.
Yesterday was a nice day to work outside and boy did I work outside! First I cleaned the outside of all the downstairs windows – we have had such a wet spring and summer that a lot of my windows (vinyl frames? I think that is what they are) had developed mildew on them – some worse than others. So while Mike was working on other things I got the ladder set up and a bucket of bleach/water solution. I can easily reach the lower windows with the ladder and got them all clean. The back of the house which is always in shade had a bigger problem but it all came off without having to scrub hard. The upper windows aren’t as bad, some do not have any mildew on them at all others have a little. Fortunately the windows are new and if you take the screens off you can open the windows to the inside and reach outside and clean off the outside of the frames. I will do this next week when the weather improves – it looks like we are in for rain all week. It was easier to do the lower windows with the ladder than taking out all of the screens.
After I took a break from the windows I got out my shovel and dug up all of the spider lily bulbs that I could find. This photo is not mine – by time I thought about a photo the blooms had died, this is a photo from the link above on the plant.
Spider lily
I got my original spider lily bulbs from a friend years ago – maybe as long as 15 years ago. The first time they grew I only had a few and I left them alone for years and they multiplied as bulbs do. About 3 years ago we decided to build a workshop in the area where a lot of bulbs were planted. As we cleared the area for the shop I kept digging up more and more bulbs without knowing what they were – spider lily bulbs look a lot like other lily bulbs and it got so I didn’t know one from the other. Anyhow long story short, I ended up planting bulbs in about 5 different places without knowing what I was planting. This year when we got home from our trip was right at the right time to see the spider lilies blooming and I had them in about 5 different places – some with only one flower some with about 10. But they weren’t displayed as I would like. I want them to all be in one place for a massive display of red. Yesterday I got the shovel out while I could see where they are. Spider lily’s do not have leaves on them when the flower is blooming but with the buds dying some were now developing leaves and I was finding them all over the place.
I ended up with over 200 bulbs but very few had flowers on them. I figured out why as I was digging them up. Here in the northern part of the south the bulbs are supposed to be planted just so that the top of the bulb is under the soil. Some of them had been planted six inches or more in depth! I had new bulbs forming on the stems under the ground. I broke all apart separating the bulbs. I have no idea if some of these will grow but I plan on planting all of them to see what happens. I guess we will find out in late September what it looks like. I will figure out where to plant them next week, in the meantime they are sitting on the porch.
I didn’t work a lot on my quilting yesterday but between yesterday and the evening before I finished quilting 3 more blocks on Row L #11.
Row L blocks 1, 2 & 3
In between working outside and reading and normal chores around the house I have gotten almost finished with another of the Baltimore Bliss blocks I will post that one when I finish it and get another block prepped to start then. I think I have 7 more of the patterns printed out and ready to use while waiting for the final 3 blocks to come out.
I do need to get back to work also on my Second Dear Jane called “Insanity Revisited” I have been taking a bit of a break from that one. I have been having a hard time getting back to it. I plan on working on it again, just taking a break from it.
I got Row K (#11) finished this morning. Only two more rows and the border row left!! It is really coming to an end It will be 5 years in February 2010 that I started it and I actually will be done in under 5 years. For awhile there I wasn’t sure LOL
Row K blocks 13 & 12
Row K end triangles
I have worked more on the quilt this evening and have two more end triangles done for the beginning of the 12th row L
Row L - the 12th row, end triangles
Before I left to visit my daughter on the 22nd of September I prepped two blocks to take along with me of the “Baltimore Bliss” quilt from Fat Cat Patterns. This is a free Block of the Month pattern. I thought that this pattern would make a really cute little girls quilt. This is the first block of 12 on the site. I do not know if I will make all 12 of the blocks. I think it would look cute using 6 of the blocks with sashing between them. I started the block at one of the airports but only worked on it for 15 minutes or so. When I finished the quilt top “So Charming” at my daughters house I pulled this block out to get busy on. It is really a very easy pattern and I worked on it off and on this week in between “Insanity“. I had it pretty close to finished before I left her house and finished it yesterday.
Yes I have gotten a lot done this week but that is because I was “resting” after my trip. By resting I mean I haven’t exercised or work outside on the flower beds. This weekend we are going to try to get back into our normal routine of working outside and going back to the fitness center about 5 days a week. I’m afraid this week all I did was sit around and sew and be lazy! Here is the Baltimore Bliss block:
block # 1 of 12 possible.
First I want to thank all of you that have stopped by to enter into the give away – and thank you to all that have blogged on your blog about it. I have had several ask if “foreigners” are allowed — yes you all are welcome. Good luck to all of you. Remember if you still want to enter–the drawing will be held on October 7th. Please enter on the blog post that I started for it yesterday.
Finally I have been making some progress on my first Dear Jane quilt “Insanity”. I have been busy quilting the last two days and have six more blocks completed. I’m not sure if I started photo’s at the correct spot but I believe I have picked up from where I left off before traveling to Colorado and Wisconsin the month of September. I’m getting excited the end is drawing near!! only 2 rows and one border row left plus a little on this row #K. I hope to be done quilting within a couple weeks so that I can get my Christmas Baltimore Album quilt on the frame. If I mainly only work on that in the upcoming months I just might be able to have it for part of or all of the Christmas season — if not it will be added the Christmas spirit to my quilting room
Row K (#11) Blocks 6 & 7
Row K blocks #8 & 9
Row K # 10 & 11
