Saturday was a busy day at the sewing machine. I started to sew the rows together and managed to get 5 of the 9 rows put together – next will be to sew the remaining 4 rows of blocks together and attached to the body. I draped it over the quilting frame to see how it was looking. The Pineapple Quilt will be another big one for the frame but there are two smaller tops ahead of it so this one will be on the frame sometime in summer I expect.
This part of Love Letters is appliqued in place now (plus all the flowers and vase in the block.)
The whole large block – I’m not sure which section I will work on today – but more today for Slow Sunday Stitching with Kathy and also Quilting is More Fun than Housework with Cynthia —
Morning Glory progress is going very well – those straight lines might be boring to some but I put a show on (Downton Abbey season 6) and it flies by with me periodically stretching my fingers and taking a break. This part was done Friday night.
Melanie ran up to the house to drop a load of laundry off – her machine isn’t working and I said I would do it – she isn’t coming in the house that is why I did it – safer than going to a laundry – so we took a 25 minute walk around the property for a change before she took off and I tossed her stuff in the machines – it was cold but we were walking and talking so the time flies by – we will take another walk on Monday seeing as she is off then for MLK Day – Haven’t done a lot other than sewing lately – haven’t gotten into reading a good book this week, the one I’m reading isn’t holding my interest and I might have to put it aside and try another.
What are all of you reading right now? Any really good ones that might hold my interest? When I finish Downton Abbey this week for shows I’m not sure what I will watch next – I tend to binge watch series. I found I missed a lot of Downton the first time around I’m not sure why but I enjoyed watching it a second time and the ones I missed!!
Your pineapple quilt top is nearly all sewn together. It turned out beautiful. All the blue shades and designs go well together.
Seeing your appliqué project has me motivated to start a Laundry Basket Quilts elephant appliqué quilt that I promised my daughter I would make her. I need to just get on with the prep work.
I have quite a few books that I put down and could not get into over the past few months. Not sure if it was the quarantine and lack of focus but I am currently reading The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves. It is a Vera Stanhope mystery. The PBS Vera series is based on her novels.
Glad you got to spend some time with Melanie.
I love the pinks in your Love Letters quilt, and especially like the fussy cutting. It’s going to be pretty.
I am reading a mystery I’m not thrilled with either so will probably move on to something else. I enjoyed The Lost and Found Bookshop, but then, as a librarian, I like books about books! I agree with Mary (above) about Vera Stanhope – I like her because she’s unconventional and very human.
We watched a couple of seasons of Yellowstone, a modern western with villains and action. Paul liked it, but I thought too many people died and there was quite a bit of violence. I enjoyed Bridgerton but he fell asleep! My friend said she fast forwarded through the sexy parts and I wish I had, too.
The pineapple quilt is huge! Looking great!
At this rate, you should be close to finishing your pink appliqué block in January.
We get out for a couple of walks everyday. We are in a lockdown currently but going out to exercise is allowed. I might go stir crazy if I could not leave the house!
I just read The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan and now I’m reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett for my book club. We meet on zoom once a month, Anxious People by Fredrik Brackman was an excellent book.
Take care and stay safe
Your applique block is so pretty, and how fun to see Pineapple draped over the frame. Glad you can still walk with Melanie, too. I just finished A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautifully written.
Your pineapple quilt is so striking, laying across the frame like that! Let’s see, right now I’m reading a memoir from a former Episcopalian priest, Barbara Brown Taylor, called Leaving Church. You would enjoy the passages where she describes the working farm in northeast Georgia where she lives with her husband, and the parts where she talks about feeling most connected to God when she’s immersed in Creation. Her writing is so vivid that when she describes a rushing river, you can almost hear it. But I’ve also read the book Wendy recommended, A Gentleman in Moscow, and I enjoyed that, too. My next fiction read will be either the 3rd book in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx & Crake dystopian trilogy or else it will be Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, which my son got me for Christmas.
Your applique project is so pretty!
Such great progress on 3 wonderful quilts!
Dear Karen.
WOW, the pineapple blocks together looks amazing. We watched Downton Abbey and loved it. Recently we watched a new one on Netflix, Bridgerton. The first episode was so so. We decided to watch a second episode to see where it was going, it was much more interesting and we enjoyed it. Watching the whole series. A second series is going to happen as well. Knitting and watching tv is easier then quilting and watching tv. Love the fussy cut flowers on your Love Letters.
You’re making good progress on the pineapple quilt! That’s a lot of long seams! We just finished watching the newest season of “Last Tango in Halifax” on Netflix and have enjoyed that whole series. I really enjoyed My Grandmother Asked Me to tell you She’s Sorry, by Fredrick Backmann, so I think i would like more of his books. You might like him, too – he’s got quirky characters. I read the latest Nora Roberts – the first book of her new trilogy, too – Awakening – and it’s a good one. Still reading that mystery series by Linda Castillo – the Katie Burkholder series. I think you said you’d read some of those before.
Oh! Your quilt is fabulous!
On the reading front…I used to finish a book even when I did not care for it. Not anymore! Now if for any reason I don’t care for it I set it aside on go on on to something else.
Life is to short to “voluntary” bore myself .
Its still a mixed bag on sewing or hand work. I am trying to finish what I am starting now even if it includs reworking something into a smaller project. A UFO or PIG is a larger investment in money and space then a book!
Such a lovely applique project!
I am hand quilting straight lines in the border (not nearly as many as yours!) and I really enjoy it. I find it quite soothing actually.
I’m an avid reader and I can give you a lot of suggestions! Since you’ve traveled a lot out west, you might like Craig Johnson’s Longmire series. Walt is the sheriff in an imaginary county in Wyoming and he’s a really interesting character surrounded by other interesting characters. I love the series and I’ve read them all. A &E had a series based on the books, which moved to Netflix. The series is great too! Killers of the Flower Moon by David Gann is nonfiction about the deaths of members of the Osage tribe. They inherited the mineral rights to oil under their reservation and this story details the plot to steal their fortunes. If you like mysteries I’ll just list a few I’ve liked: The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel C. Rosenberg, Pushing Brilliance by Tim Tignor, The Dry by Jane Harper, and Joyland by Stephen King. Enjoy!
Lovely projects! We tend to binge watch too. Have you seen Call the Midwife? Even my husband was watching that! Happy stitching!
Your Pineapple Quilt will be a stunner when completed. And your Applique is so nicely done. Look for the author Kate Morton. She’s a good storyteller.
The pineapple quilt is looking so good! I really like your straight light quilting design for Morning Glory. Love Letters is so pretty!
We binge-watched Unorthodox last night. A really interesting mini-series based on a true story. Have you watched The Crown? It’s a good one.
Your vase of flowers is lovely. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!
The pineapple blocks look so good. I really like the straight line quilting too. A couple of comments have mentioned Ann cleeves. I’m reading one of her Shetland books, she’s good!
The pineapple is so striking. I really need to make one of those. I could watch Downton over and over!
I love hand quilting and am missing it as I don’t have one on the frame as yet!! I am appliqueing a border for a quilt and I will hand quilt it when it is ready! I love watching period pieces on netflix…The Bridgertons was a good one.
I liked The Crown and Bridgerton.I also like real crime stuff though I know that is not to every ones taste. Your quilts are lovely.
You are making really good progress on all your ongoing projects. Love Letters is looking great and so is your pineapple quilt. Good books are really hard to find sometimes, I don’t have any good recommendations at the moment.