I’ve been looking at the quilt every evening while I work on it deciding how to quilt each area so it will go with it’s design. Most are coming ok to me but another section I thought I would do one way but now will do it differently. This area I was going to do just straight line across each row as I have marked but that is continuing the same as what is below it so I will do a zig-zag line instead across each row.
From Saturday night I worked on the white diagonal lines and the black row.
I marked this section to be a V type line and then the blue and green will have a line across the top of it also.
Here is the larger overall photo of the areas I am talking about.
Chocolate Chip cookies were baked and I made a loaf pan fruit cake which I forgot to take a photo of. I am the one that eats it this year it has dried cherries, dates and golden raisins and chopped walnuts – although you know at this moment I’m not positive I put the walnuts in it! I just thought of that – (my fruit cake is like date bread but packed with more fruit) I slice it and package it in about four bundles and freeze most of it and leave a small amount out for me to nibble as I want. Melanie likes it too but she said she did make her own variety this year so I don’t know if I will be sharing it or not – I just might have it for a couple months which is ok with me.
It was nice outside and although not as warm yesterday as the forecast had been it was still nice enough to go down to the garden and pull more weeds out that had overgrown in the summer. I’m so pleased to say I finally have the whole mess weeded. The work of building new beds has not happened but hopefully some work will be done on the nice days – I hope to share progress with that in the spring.
I had been looking at Jack’s Chain on the wall and had mentioned looking over the left side to decide how to have a straight side or near to and tried folding one block (ring) in half and see how it works – it pretty much does. I will need to add a triangle above and below the half ring and then cut part of it off but it will work.
One more puzzle piece finished. I need to cut out more pieces now, I am still mixing in a few batiks here and there that had been left over from Noriko’s Star but I don’t like using them all that much for this one as the batik’s are giving me more trouble then they had.
The final days before Christmas are busy for a lot of people – not so much for me as we hadn’t exchanged presents in years and tend to get what we want when we want it and the girls/grandchildren get gift cards so that keeps it easy. I do have to run to Little Rock on Tuesday for my usual 3 month check up/blood work with my rheumatologist but then we will eat out and stock up on things at Sam’s if the parking lot doesn’t look horrendous. If it looks really way too busy we will decide then do we want to just take our time and know it will take awhile or do we skip it until after Christmas – we will find out then!!
Has anyone found really good deals at the quilt shops on line or at the “real” shops? I actually didn’t even look this year. I just have so much on hand that I just didn’t even look for a change which is probably a good thing as there are always some things that you see on sale and think you have to have it and then a year (or two+) later the fabric bundle that was on sale is still on your shelf calling to you and you are still trying to figure what to use it for!!
Your cookies look good. Yay for getting your garden weeded, that is a big accomplishment and pretty amazing considering you had surgery not that long ago. We got all (I hope) our grocery shopping done yesterday, so now we need to clean the house. Will be a strange Christmas weather-wise. It is supposed to be 77° here on Christmas and 80° on Friday, before a front comes in on Saturday.
The quilting is looking good on NS! I imagine it does take some looking and thinking to decide which way to proceed when you get to a new section. I like the look of that half block on the edge of Jack’s Chain, too. Glad you got out to finish up the garden work. We’re having unusually warm weather here for December – Mike and I are going to play golf this afternoon! Enjoy your fruit and nut bread – it sounds yummy!
I haven’t looked at the sales email much either. The horror that is the fabric closet sort of put me off buying much. And I won’t be sewing, at least by machine, for a few weeks. My entire holiday decorating was putting out the snowman snow globe that is stored on the attic steps so it doesn’t freeze and shatter. Gave up the cookie baking 25 years ago when I got zero help, and complaints about what I made. Gave up the frenetic “perfect” gift buying stress about 15 years ago, now throw money (cash or gift cards) at people, except for 3-year old GD.
Funny memory about the mixed cookie plates – my dad did *not* like them. They all tasted the same after being stored together, especially if there was something like peppermint in one of the cookies. But the squirrels were quite happy with them, and gave him a few giggles when they got a sugar buzz going.
I think I need to find a lap desk. It will have to be ordered on line as it seems all I found in-store have cup holders.
YaHOOOO on getting the weeding done!
I found your recipe for the fruit cake. Is the baking time the same in loaf pans as in the Bundt pan? I’d like to try it as I have all the ingredients in the house.
Hi Karen, Merry Christmas. Haven’t checked in for a while. I’m trying to not buy fabric and shop from my stash. I recently was given two huge bins of frabric from someone downsizing. I’ll be sharing these with my quilting pals. And, our local quilt shop has its annual anniversary sale coming up in early January. I saw some fabrics there the other day that I want if they’re still there for the sale. Oh well, good intentions! Have a great New Year.
I have been deleting the fabric emails mostly without reading them. I did buy a couple larger pieces of flannel on sale.
I know you are just testing your half square but the 9 patches need to be at the top and bottom. I’m glad to see a half block fits in so well.
Love watching all your progress on various quilts. Jack’s Chain looks like such a fun one!
Jack’s Chain is really coming along, love the way the pattern develops. Deciding how to quilt something is a whole other skill. Noriko’s Star is looking good.
I saw someone making Jack’s Chain on an youtube channel and I can’t remember where. It is really neat to see it on the wall and coming together like this, as you steadily build it, Karen. Delicious looking cookies and Norika Star is getting close to being another of your finished Beauties!!