The binding is done on “Insanity” !! And now the quilting begins on the scallops. I wish I had thought of this before I took it off of the frame! They did look rather empty. Here are two photos of the beginning of the quilting on the scallops.
the beginning of side of scallops
And the other photo, this is as far as I have gotten! A way to go still
Today – another great day for November! Hit 71 degrees out here by 11 this morning I had the windows open! how great is that. We worked outside for awhile this morning before Mike left for work. I am continuing on the flower bed digging out plants and replanting in other areas of the yard while Mike is finishing up on the patio section of the deck. Hopefully the work will get done on the deck/patio this weekend – we will see – I think we need to pick up a little more flat pavers (flat brick like rocks) and I need to pick up some more dirt – raised beds here – the soil is so rocky I have too hard of a time to dig in it. I would say if we had a harvest it is rocks!! they pop up out of no where!!
I picked up the paint for the bathroom and this time I made sure to look at the color better than I did the first time for the kitchen. I hope to get started painting in there in the next couple of days. I do not need to do the ceiling and if I use the taller of the two step ladders then I won’t need to reach my arms up over my head therefore not bothering my neck! The tricks we learn to get around medical problems 
I am going to paint really slow and only do one wall at a time a little each day – it doesn’t matter if it takes me a week or more! It will get done.
Now I need to share a link that a internet friend of mine - Joyce from northern Arkansas (she doesn’t have a blog) shared with me – here is a Dear Jane finished – it has a different look to it. Go to this link to see the photo – isn’t it great? This quilt is by Julia in Perth, Western Australia – yes we Dear Jane fanatics are from all over the world!! Julia what a great quilt you made and how original with the applique in the center – I wish I had thought of something like that!
I now have 3 sides of the binding sewed down on “Insanity.” I hope to finish the binding within the next two days and then I will start to do the final quilting that I decided to do on the scallops. I’m not sure how long the quilting will take but it shouldn’t take a real long time. I still believe that I will be done by Thanksgiving.
I got a little quilting done on the Christmas quilt this morning but I have not done much on that quilt. I need to get out my box of patterns that I have printed out for the Baltimore Bliss quilt and pick out the next block. I had been moving a long really well on those blocks until I took the Dear Jane off of the frame – boy did that slow everything down!
This weekend I started digging up one flower bed – didn’t get a lot accomplished due to the neck issues but it is getting better so I got a little bit of yard work done. I have one area that has gotten so thick with black-eyed Susan’s that I want to dig them up, divide them and start planting in numerous areas of the yard. I got some dug up and they are so thick, I have no idea how many I transplanted. Hopefully a lot of them will make it through the winter and flower in the summer. I usually have good luck with this type of plant.
We have had a really nice November so far – temperatures are above normal in the low 70′s mainly, sun and clouds – but so nice compared to October which was so wet and drab. Oh well, better get back to this sewing on the binding!
I have all of the binding stitched to the front of “Insanity” now to begin the hand stitching on the back of it. I got started doing that this evening. I’m not going to take photo’s of every step, but here are two photos of the beginning.
the start of making the binding nice and neat at one of the first corners.
The back of the same area.
When I get done with the binding I plan on putting a little more quilting in. I think the scallops look a little bare. I think I will quilt the shape of the scallops about half way in the scallop if you know what I mean. Following the shape of the scallop? I’m not always good at explaining what I mean the important thing is I know what I mean!
Have any of you gone to a physical therapist? Wow can they torture you at times!! The first couple visits were nice and relaxing actually – the last two! wow what a difference – he is pulling and stretching my neck and shoulders until I’m almost ready to scream – but then it is done and later in the day I think I feel a little more range of motion in my neck. But now tonight I am aching again. Almost out of muscle relaxers – hope to see some improvement tomorrow!
We pick up our new dining room set tomorrow I will post photos if we get it set in place. The table comes in two pieces as the table top sits on a pedestal type of stand – there is actually a shelf on the pedestal and a drawer where you can store placemats, tablecloths ect. I’ll post a photo when we have it ready. I’m afraid I’m not going to be a lot of help to Mike getting it on and off the trailer – I’m glad it comes in two pieces!
I really do not think I will get my Christmas quilt quilted for this season – it is November already! I’m not even going to try because I do not sit at my quilting frame for hours and hours a day. Especially with my neck issues. This quilt will most likely take close to 75 to 100 hours to quilt – I am not fast – but steady! It will decorate the room while I am working on it this year and it will be out next holiday!
Batting and backing ready to go last night.
The quilting lines are in place and I got the top on the frame earlier today. Don't look at the mess under my frame
A close up
The supplies. The thread is King Tut variegated. I plan on using the red thread for most of it and possibly the yellow thread on the red sashing just because. I will try it out on a short piece, stand back and see if I like it and if I don't I will pick it out and use just the red. These are all the supplies I will need. I use Roxanne Between Needles size 11, my little scissors, thread, a needle threader if needed, a little rubber needle grabber and my paddle thimble.
Last night and this morning I continued to work on the Dear Jane “Insanity” binding and it is coming along nicely, I have about 1 1/3 sides stitched (the back still needs to be hand stitched of course – first to the top).
It was so nice outside that I had to put the quilting aside after lunch and go outside for a bit to accomplish cleaning off the porch – I had tossed all of the painting supplies on the porch after I got done with the kitchen and was slow to put things back in the workshop! Just about all has been put away. I will have to wait until after Thanksgiving to paint the bathroom and wait for my neck to heal before I tackle more painting. All week we have continued to have sunshine and mild temperatures – it looks like – if the beginning of November is an example anyhow – that we will have a nice month!! We need it.
I will take photo’s now and then of the Christmas Quilt and what it looks like as I get busy with it and post now and then. I do want to start one more of the Baltimore Bliss blocks but I want to get the binding done on Dear Jane first so it will sit for a week or so before I decide what pattern to do next. Whichever one I choose it will be the last to go into this first quilt using these blocks. It will be little girl sized! I have no idea how I will put it together, but I think the blocks will be set on point and sashing in between – but I do not know what fabric to use I will need to look through things.
I have been working on so many things once again – a little here a little there. Clearing some things up and coming to an end on some projects.
Now I know a lot of you will think I am totally nuts but I decided to do the binding on my Dear Jane “Insanity” by hand. That’s right by hand. The whole quilt was done by hand so why not the binding also and truth to be told I do not get along with my sewing machine all that well and I have already taken out the stitch work of the binding for about a 12 inch section 3 times as I was not satisfied with the way I was doing it. My neck and shoulder muscles were tensing up and I thought to heck with this – much more comfy to sit on the couch – feet up – tv on and start stitching. ( I use to do binding by hand all the time as for awhile I didn’t have a sewing machine that was working and it all got done by hand). Just working a little bit on it last night and again this morning and I have about 20 inches of the binding sewed done on the top side already, this photo was taken last night after I had just started it. I’ll be done before you know it! After all why rush I’ve already been working on it for almost 5 years – it’s kind of hard to stop working on it. I guess I don’t want to say good-bye to it and I’m stretching out the work as long as possible.
Hand sewing the binding - I have decided to add a little more quilting also and will put an outline stitch on the scallops
Last night I got the backing for the Christmas quilt sewed together (with the sewing machine ) and also got some batting basted together (by machine also). I didn't have a big enough piece so put together some large bits and pieces and came up with a size big enough. Do any of you baste pieces of your batting together to use up as much of the left overs as possible?
Drawing the quilting design on the Christmas Baltimore Album quilt. I now have the backing and the batting loaded on to the 3 roller so that is out of the way - now I hope to get all the design drawn on the quilt top tonight and tomorrow and get it on the frame as well.
In between other projects I pick up the knitting and do a row here and there and it continues to grow. I'm not sure now much longer it will be but I think I will use up the second ball of yarn that I have and I'm about half way done with that one.
The 5th Baltimore Bliss block finished. I think I started this one about 2 weeks ago or so. I have been working on this in between other things as well. A stitch here and there and before you know it you have another block complete.
Row 8 of "Insanity Revisited" Block # 8 in that row. A little out of focus.
I’m not sure – maybe I have Attention Deficit Disorder — LOL, I can’t seem to work on just one thing – at least I always finish my projects, but if I get bored with one I pick up something else. Idle hands and all that – I just have to stay busy – if I’m not working on my projects I am reading or keeping my house straight. I just can’t seem to sit and do nothing and I have always picked up something to work on when I have nothing else to do.
Now it is time to relax – I just got back from the fitness center and got in my cardio I can’t do weights right now because of my neck issues. I am going to heat up the moist heat packs that I have and lay down with the heat on my neck and upper back for about 30 minutes or so. I took a muscle relaxer about 30 minutes ago and it is making me sleepy. Back to work on the projects this evening — see this is what happens when I’m by myself so much in the evening!
Finally after days and days of rain all month – I think I heard someone say we have had 25 days of rain in the month of October. The sun was shinning today and believe it or not we are to have a whole week of sunshine and in the 60′s — keep your fingers crossed. I do not know how some of you cope with rain in so much of your daily life – like the Seattle area for example and other places too I know but Seattle pops in my head for having a lot of rain. Maybe I think of Seattle because my blogging friend Crispy is there right now! I find it depressing to have rain all the time.
We took advantage of the sunny day to get out of the house. A park that we love is Petit Jean State Park about 40 miles from our house. We have been hiking the trail called “Cedar Falls” for close to 30 years. It is a 2 mile round trip trail. One mile down – one mile up – you really feel it on the way up believe me. Normally there is not very much water coming over the falls except in the spring. The water in the river was higher than we remember ever seeing it. The amount of water coming over the falls was spectacular! I do not remember ever seeing that much water coming over the falls – of course I’m sure there have been times after heavy rains that we just had not gone to the park. Here are a series of photos of the Trail. (One the link that I placed above there is a series of rotating photos advertising the park – they have one of Cedar Falls Trail which shows the normal small amount of water – the difference is amazing).
the river on the way to the falls - normally this water is fairly still, not rushing like it is now. There was water in places on the trail also - not deep but you had to walk through a bit of it here and there in places that are normally dry.
the high water under the bridge
Mike taking a photo of me taking a photo of him
Cedar Falls -- this is normally a trickle of water coming over the falls at this time of year. Sometimes in the spring it looks like this but I do believe the water in the pool was deeper than I had ever seen it.
more of the river by the bridge
the trail head over looking the canyon the falls are in
the sign at the trail head
A lot of people felt the same way we did today I think – the park was packed. In fact Mike ran into 3 people he knows from work taking advantage of the sunshine also.
This evening I have gotten started cutting my bias binding – I haven’t gotten much done but I did do a little while I was waiting for the photo’s to load on the computer. I will work on more of that tomorrow.
(Melanie I know you are excited that I am done with the quilting on “Insanity” – but remember I said I was going to enjoy it for awhile first before handing it off to you!! I never said how long that was going to be LOL)
I can’t believe it – 4 years and 8 months after I started this quilt the quilting is finished. Now on to the binding!! It sure took a lot less time to hand quilt it then it did to piece it!! I will tally up the numbers and do a blog post on it when I get the binding done, wash it and have it presentable for a photo of the finished quilt.
The last corner is quilted
I am going to take my time with putting the binding on as I want to do it well. I have off white fabric left over from the top and I need to start cutting it in bias strips for making binding. My original intention was to do blue binding matching the backing fabric but I don’t have enough for bias strips – I have enough for straight edge but not the bias which the curves really do need. I have the scallops basted in place so tonight I am going to lay it out on the floor and trim the edges. Next week I will start to work on the binding.
Now that the frame is once again empty – a rare sight as I put a new quilt top on the frame usually within days of taking a quilt off as I always have several quilt tops waiting in line – I will sew the backing fabric for the Christmas quilt and get that one on the frame. I’m not sure how I will mark it for quilting so most likely this weekend I will get busy getting the backing ready – see what I have in the basket in the way of batting – the only package that I have unopened is only 60 by 60 but I might just go ahead and baste some pieces to use. I have no place local that sells the Quilters Dream batting that I use (as there is no local quilt shop) and I don’t want to wait to put it on the frame. I have so many pieces here in a large basket that it won’t be that hard to baste it together – I use the sewing machine to do that.
Finally the rain is past us, we have not had rain since 9 this morning. The next 6 days at least are supposed to be sunshine and around 60 degrees at least – I am taking a wait and see approach to that! The weathermen have not been very good on predictions lately. At least we had rain and not snow. One of my many sister’s -in-law lives in Nebraska and they have snow to deal with today-lot’s of it!!
I can’t believe I am almost done with this quilt that I have been working on for 4 years and 8 months! I have one last corner piece to quilt and then on to cutting the scallops and doing the binding. My “Insanity” is almost complete!!! I could have actually finished it last week I think but yet I have been dragging the work out almost like I don’t want to let go of it. I really should finish the quilting tonight – but I just might wait until tomorrow
The last of the triangles!!!!
the scarf - see how it grows
Today I had a session with the Physical Therapist – isn’t it amazing how hurting can feel good if you know what I mean. I was getting massaged, manipulated and pulled this way and that and my neck hurt but yet it felt good at the same time — back for more “torture” tomorrow. I was told they hadn’t seen a neck as tight as mine in awhile – isn’t it nice to be special
Rain and rain and more rain. So far the worse of it today has been south of us. I hope all of my internet friends in south Arkansas and Louisiana are doing ok. I hope we don’t get the heavy downpours tonight and that we miss out on most of it this time. One more day of it is what they say and then maybe 5 days of dry weather – we will wait and see on that – I don’t believe the forecaster anymore!!
This wet fall weather is not helping my allergies! I have year round allergies to a lot of things, like pollen, mold, grasses, weeds – you name it outside and it bothers my allergies. I wish it would dry out already! Rain yesterday when I drove to Little Rock for my doctor appointment. Nice today – but more rain coming for the next two days – give us a break already. My nose is runny and my eyes are itching – I will be glad to get over this little allergy spell.
I had a good visit with my daughter after my doctor appointment was over. It turned out it was her day off so we got to spend some time together. I can’t really say we did all that much other than having lunch. Neither of us are that much on shopping just to shop. We did go to a kitchen store so I could look for a few items for my kitchen and I found a few small things. We did spend a little time at Barnes & Noble just talking over a coffee and shared cheesecake yum
I have to start physical therapy this week for my neck pain. Turned out I twisted the muscles somewhat while I was painting that ceiling! My appointment with my rheumatologist was just a routine check but as soon as I mentioned pain in my neck he was feeling those muscles and having me turn my head this way and that and before you know it I was having a full series of x-rays for neck and leaving with an order for Physical Therapy 3 times a week for 4 weeks and a muscle relaxer for 10 days! Glad to know that everything else was ok though! First session of PT is tomorrow afternoon.
Don’t forget to stop by Jackie’s blog “Canton Village Quilt Works” for her give away. She really has some nice items to give she is being so generous – I would want to keep it all for myself
I got a little more quilted last night on “Insanity”
One more pieced triangle to go - 1 corner - and one more plain !
I took a walk today at the lake – it was so nice after all the rainy weather we have had. I brought my camera along and got a couple fall photos.
Maples
birds on the lake - fall trees in background - I know what these birds are but the name escapes me at the moment
these are a type of cypress tree - I'm not sure how many varieties there are. These are small ones as you can see, the water is very close to them so I'm sure they get plenty of water. In the fall here the leaves are kind of brown
more fall color - you can see where this tree lost one of it's branches earlier in the year in one of the many storms we had.
Well I better get back to work on “Insanity” it is almost done!!
Is coming along nicely. Thank goodness – I’m getting tired of working on it. I still have all of my bottom cabinets to go through and organize and clean out. I made good progress though this morning before I quit for the day to run into town and go get some other kind of exercise – i.e. treadmill, stair stepper ect
I didn't have any good before photos but this is what it looks like now in the kitchen. The paint still doesn't show up quite in the right color - it is more of a medium beige than the white it appears. I use to have a lot of small appliances on the counter top and I rearranged that so that I have lot's of space for cooking. It was just too crowded with the appliances on it. I like having this space available now.
the other side of the room. I have a wide galley kitchen I guess you could say - it is very long but only about 8 feet wide, with cabinets and appliances on both walls so that leaves about 50 inches of space for a walkway. The items on this wall - the wood rack holding the spoons ect was made by my father for their house years ago and I inherited it. He also carved and painted the plaque above it.
this is on the far end of the kitchen and is a pantry/laundry room with stack-able washer/dryer. I have never gotten around to staining the bottom cabinet to match - and totally forgot about it until I saw this picture - I guess that is one more thing I should fix!
I don’t know if it is my camera or the lightening in the kitchen that makes it so the paint job doesn’t show up to the true color – but that is ok – the main thing is that it is clean!! I still might sometime in the future paint at least one wall a darker color – but not before the holidays for sure. I will put another photo of our dining area on when it arrives. They did say it might be two weeks.
"Insanity Revisited" block 7 row 8 this quilt is starting to show some progress once again.
More triangles on "Insanity" almost done! just a few more to do and then the corner.
My plaid fabric arrived today that I had ordered for my “Baltimore Bliss” quilt – I must say it was totally different than the photo was on the site I ordered it from! That has not happened to me before for ordering fabric on line. Even though it is different than what I wanted I am still pleased with it. It is very nice fabric and a nice color. I had already been thinking of making two quilts with the 12 blocks that go with the BOM and that is what I will do. I have enough of the old plaid to do the first 6 blocks and then I will use the new plaid in the other 6 blocks. This will give me two good size little girl quilts as I plan to put the blocks on point with plain blocks in between for some good areas for hand quilting. I believe it was the last Baltimore Bliss block I am not pleased with. After laying the blocks all out it just really stands out as different – not different good – I am going to pick out a little of the applique and see if I have enough of the old plaid or other colors to stick in it and still have some plaid left for one more block. I used a lighter blue green in it and I’m not pleased with that color. Live and learn!
