 These 2 veterans quilts should have been done Sunday evening but I had some thread problems on the second quilt and just walked away from it. yesterday morning I went downstairs, tried again and finished it in 30 minutes with no more thread breaks. This is the first quilt I quilted this weekend. Becky made it and, I think, she's made 3 like this!  A quilt like this is so busy that the quilting would not show so I used teh Macrame pantograph on it.  Some quilts, however, beg for more quilting. I generally do not do any custom quilting on veterans quilts. My goal is to quilt them fast so that I can quilt as many as possible in a year. But when I saw this quilt from Mary, I felt that it needed a little more than a pantograph. I get one or two quilts a year that inspire me to add a little custom quilting. This is the first one for 2025.  I only do light custom quilting on these but a little bit of extra can add a lot to the quilt. I'm sensitive to keeping the quilt soft and snugly. I started with some continuous curves and swirls in the star blocks.  Then I extended the flying geese to create an inner border. I finished with a fern outer border and stippling in the middle. It's hard to see stitching on this marbled fabric.  Here's the back. I'm really happy with it. I'm officially out of veterans quilts for a few hours. I'll pick up more at the meeting tonight.  This weekend Mom and I are going to Sandbridge Beach with a friend. The weather isn't going to cooperate but we'll have a nice sewing retreat. I need to quickly come up with a project to work on there. I could take a veterans quilt kit but I'm thinking about a new scrap snuggle quilt. Another idea is to take some scraps a make a bunch of new placemat tops to be quilted up later. I have to make a decision today and start packing.
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 Like everyone else in the Southeast US, we have been having a lot of pollen this weekend. I had to use the lea blower in the porches and spray off the car every day and we're looking forward to some rain today. I did a little bit of outside work Saturday but mostly I stayed in and sewed. The first think I finished was the back for the Oak Moth quilt. I generally don't like pieced backs but this was such a great opportunity to use up more of my vintage and repro 20's fabrics. I've still got enough left for at least 2 or 3 more quilts.  This coming weekend, Mom, a friend and I are going to the beach for a little sewing retreat. I've got to figure out what project I'm going to take. I wasn't ready to start something new or to pick a retreat project so I picked up this set of veterans quilt blocks and started putting the top together. I'll get this done before we leave for the beach Thursday.  My other goal for the weekend was to quilt 2 veterans quilts. I should have finished them but started having some thread breakage problems on the last one yesterday. I was getting really frustrated so I put it in time out and will go downstairs to finish it this afternoon after I get home from some errands.  Along with all of the pine and oak pollen, we have Redbuds and Dogwoods in bloom everywhere.
 Yesterday afternoon I sat down to get a final arrangement of the blocks on this quilt. I had a good book on to keep me from getting distracted so I started cutting sashing. About 6 hours and 1 meal later, I had the top all together. I have no idea where this quilt will ultimately go to live but I'm so glad I made it. I think it's really cute. I'll start piecing the back today and I'm going to try to get the quilt totally complete by the end of the month. I have 2 veterans quilts on the longarm right now but when they are done this can go on for a quilt pantograph treatment.  On Thursday, Mom and I and two friends went to Jamestowne. The whole thing was prompted by the book on Jamestowne that I read in February. I thought that I had been there when I was young but I'm not so sure. I didn't recognize anything. But I don't think they really started doing a lot of work there until the 1990's when the serious archaeology was undertaken. They had a archaeology tour that was very interesting and there's a museum with many of the treasures, including a couple of skeletons. I think that one thing that really struck me was just how small the fort is for the number of people that it was supporting. Privacy had to be at a premium. It was really good to see so many families with kids there. On the tour there was one young girl, I guess around 10, that asked some very good questions. She had obviously been studying and I'm guessing that she's homeschooled. She caught the archaeologist making some seemingly contradictory statements but the clarification answer made sense of it all.  In more current news, the bluebirds are back! I assume we'll get 5 eggs, as usual.
 I met my goals yesterday. I added 2 more rows to the crochet poncho and got these 2 veterans quilts quilted. I think this one was made by Mary.  This one was made by Peg.  This one is really fun because it's made with shark fabric! I quilted both quilts with the Macrame pantograph. I have 2 more to get quilted before Tuesday.  I also got the rest of the Oak Moth blocks done. I'm going to study this for a couple of days and then start adding the sashing this weekend.
I felt like it was time to get out of the house and do something different so Mom and I and some friends are going to Jamestowne today and be tourists.  The Oak Moth leaf blocks are a little tedious with those half inch stems and veins but I'm almost done with them. Only two more blocks to make and they will get done today. Then I'll look at the arrangement for a couple of days before I start putting it together with all the sashing and borders. I do really love it. I think the vintage fabrics work great in this pattern.  I also got 2 more veterans quilts loaded. My goal is to get these quilted today too.
March turned out to be a pretty good month. If I go on the last 2 weeks only, I seemed to just have project in process and nothing finished but the beginning of the month was very good. For starters, I quilted 7 veterans quilts for others.
This past weekend I quilted 2 more for a total of 9. The one on the left was made by Gwendolyn and the one on the right by Charlotte. I have 4 more to get done before next Tuesday.
I also finished 2 quilts of my own. The one on the left is a veterans quilt and the one on the right is a baby quilt for my cousin's son and his wife. The two big projects that I have underway are my crochet poncho and the Oak Moth quilt. I'm really enjoying both projects. I also have 2 veterans quilts underway.  I also had a fun afternoon making these t-shirts for a friend's birthday.
My goals for March were: - finish the baby quilt - done - plan/make some family gifts for the beach - I'm thinking about options - start a Lepidoptera quilt project, or some other new quilt project - this turned into the Oak Moth quilt - start a new veterans quilt - two are underway - crochet projects, in general - three in process, one will be finished in April. For April, I want to: - finish 2 veterans quilts - finish the Oak Moth quilt, including quilting and binding - quilt 6 veterans quilts - finish 1 crochet project and continue the poncho and big blanket - make family beach gifts Here are my YTD stats: Quilts - 1 Veterans quilts made - 2 Donation lap quilts - 3 Veterans quilts quilted - 10 Crochet blankets - 3 Crochet shawls - 3 Cricut projects - 3 Balls of yarn used or gifted - 17 What a great book month! I read 7 books and there isn't a bad one in the bunch. My biggest surprise for the month was James by Percivil Everett. It was so outrageously hyped last year that it kind of turned me off and I returned it to the library twice before I finally broke down and read it. I'm glad I did. What is your favorite book that you read in March?  Devil's Kitchen by Candice Fox, Read by Kirsten Potter TLDR: Fast paced mystery about a corrupt firefighting unit in NYC. Andy Nearland has joined a fire fighting unit in NYC. This unit is a close-knit group of men and she's the first woman to join the unit. They are also corrupt and they aren't aware that she's an undercover operative. I have read Fox's Crimson Lake series and liked it a lot. I'm honestly a little tired of the unrealistic tough, but sexy, female heroine trope, but, even with from that, it was a fun read.  We All Live Here By Jojo Moyes, Read By Jenna Coleman TLDR: Really good women's fiction about life challenges and creating family. Lila Kennedy is a little busy. She's a writer in the middle of writer's block that probably has something to do with her recent divorce, the loss of her mother and her step-father moving in. She's trying to raise her two daughters who have their own issues with school and dealing with their father and his new wife. Things get even weirder when her biological father suddenly arrives in her life after years away. Everything is complicated. This is a story about finding home and family. The characters are very well developed and each one is dealing with his/her own challenges. I enjoyed my ride with this family. If you like this genre, you will like all of her books.  The Thread Collectors By Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman TLDR: Historical fiction focused on a slave couple from the South and a Jewish couple from the North. The war brings them together. It's 1863. Stella, a slave in New Orleans, tolerates her master. While he's away she stitches maps to help other slaves escape. She's in love with a black soldier named William but they must keep their illegal relationship secret. In New York City, Lily, a Jewish wife makes quilts and rolls bandages to support the war effort while her husband is away fighting. After not hearing from him for 2 months, she sets off for Louisiana to find him. Music eventually brings Lily and Stella together. I love the characters in this book and I got totally invested in their stories. If you like historical fiction, I recommend this one for you.  James By Percival Everett, Read By Dominic Hoffman TLDR: An excellent retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's POV I have not read Huckleberry Finn but may get to it before the end of the month. (Edit: I did read it as you will see later.) This is a very loose re-telling of Twain's novel from Jim's point of view. This book was all the rage last year and I avoided reading it because of the hype. I eventually gave in and I'm glad I did. Not knowing Huckleberry Finn, I had no preconceived ideas about this book. It was a completely new story for me. Jim escapes from his enslavement when he hears that he's being sold away from his wife and daughter. At the same time Huck has run away from his brutal father. Huck, a white boy, has always felt close to Jim and, after them meet up in the woods, they are comfortable traveling together. But they are both being hunted and just are trying to get down the Ohio river to freedom. The writing and character development is wonderful. I am sure that it will appeal to people with modern sensibilities who can't stomach Twain's original narrative. There is quite a twist on the slave story.  Queen Hereafter By Isabelle Schuler, Read By Sara Vickers TLDR: Even non-Shakespeare fans will enjoy this reimagining of the origin story of Lady MacBeth. I didn't realize until I was about halfway through that this book is the imaginative origin story of Lady MacBethad (MacBeth to the English). Grouch descends from ancient Druids and is the daughter of a a king who lost his lands. We are introduced to her at a very young age shortly before she is told by her Druid Grandmother that she will someday be Queen. What follows is the warring and intrigue of Scotland in the 11th Century. The writing is so good and the characters so well developed that I was 100% invested in Grouch and her life. People who like historical fiction and epic-like novels will love this one.  The Frozen River By Ariel Lawhon, Read By Jane Oppenheimer TLDR: If you love historical fiction, don't miss this one. Martha Ballard was a midwife and healer. She is known because she kept a detailed diary of her life from the age of 50 until her death. She delivered over 800 babies and never lost a mother. Her diary also chronicles crimes that happened in her community. The book is not true history but is fiction based closely on her diary entries, specifically a rape allegation in the community. The story opens in 1789 and is set on the Kennebec River in Maine. The river was frozen when a man was discovered under the ice. Martha is asked to come examine the body to determine cause of death. She deems it a murder but a new physician, freshly graduated from Harvard, declares it an accident. Many months before she had recorded the details of an alleged rape of one of her patients. The story covers the months when the trial is set to take place but also jumps back in time periodically to tell Martha's life story and other background for the current events. At the end of the book the author has an entry to explain the deviations from the diary entries and how she built the story. It was a great read.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By Mark Twain, Read By Tom Porter TLDR: There's a reason that Mark Twain is considered the premier American novelist. If you can get by the language and stereotypes of the time, it's a delightful adventure story. This was published in 1884 and is set in 1840 so you have to go in accepting that slavery was a reality at that time. If your modern sensibilities can handle that, it's a wonderful read. There were several times that I laughed out loud. I know that it was read often in school when I was growing up but I don't remember having to read it in my school in Bassett, VA. I expect that no schools require it for reading now and I wouldn't be surprised if the book isn't even available in school libraries now. That would be a shame because it's a great piece of literature. I admit that if not for James, I would have never read Huck Finn. I'm glad I read both.  I want to quilt some veterans quilts this weekend so yesterday I spent a couple of hours ironing a pile of quilt back laundry. I dyed all of these week before last and it was time to finally get them prepped. I'll get one loaded today with 2 veterans quilts. After my ironing session I was outside in the beautiful weather raking up pine straw and pine cones for a while.  Then I got the first of 8 leaf blocks done for the Oak Moth quilt. This block wasn't nearly as tedious as I thought it would be. All the HST parts that I've sewn already was, by far, the worst part. If I focus, I can get all of the leaf blocks done this weekend.
I ended the day watching the last episode of Reacher and doing some crochet.  I got all of my extra pieces cut and other pieces re-cut and all the white HST's sewn. I can start assembling leaves and stems today.  The only problem that I had was this fabric. I didn't have enough of this fabric to re-cut these pieces. I only had just enough to add a half inch insert. I think it will be fine in the finished quilt....from a distance.
 I was so pleased with myself yesterday. After some time outside I settled in for a few good hours of sewing before dinner. I'm working on the leaf blocks and I got the corners sewn on all of the top leaves.  Then I pulled out the rest of the 2" squares and started drawing the diagonals. A truly mind-numbingly boring job. Thank goodness for a good audiobook.  Finally, I could start sewing the corners of the rest of the leaves (HSTs). This is where the profanities started. First, I discovered that I only cut half as many HSTs as I needed which led to tie discovery that I didn't have enough of some of the fabrics to cut more so I had to pick some additional green fabrics. Not a problem.
With the new fabrics I had to cut the top leaf pieces again and that's where I discovered that the ones that I had already cut and sewn were cut 1/2" too short! Next thing you know Chris is coming in and saying "What's up with the foul language? Also dinner is ready." After dinner I finished all of the recutting so, hopefully, this afternoon I'll be back doing some actual productive sewing. Otherwise, all is well here. The weather is beautiful and things are blooming and greening up very nicely. We are still waiting on the last stage of our outside reno project, replacement of the porch railings. We thought it was happening this week but this week is running out quickly. It's not stopping us from anything except putting the porch furniture back. Chris is away this afternoon so I think I'll rewatch the Super Bowl while I sew. That will make me happy. |
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I'm Vicki Welsh and I've been making things as long as I can remember. I used to be a garment maker but transitioned to quilts about 20 years ago. Currently I'm into fabric dyeing, quilting, Zentangle, fabric postcards, fused glass and mosaic. I document my adventures here. Categories
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