Can I hear a big WOOHOO!!

Wendy  Reed (constantquilter) is not only a great friend, but she's quite the motivator!!  She "runs" the monthly minis and I feel compelled to get at least SOMETHING done by the end of the month.

While this isn't a big deal, I did get a binding put onto a quilt that's been sitting in my closet for months!!

This will no doubt be a donation quilt although not to the kid's group.  Too dark and boring!! :-))

Have I told you the story about my old Bernina that's been in the shop for two months?  I have an 1130 and something went wrong with the bobbin mechanism two months ago.  I took it in to the local repair shop in Bend and they told me they'd order the part.  Fast forward to two months and they realized they couldn't get the part so I could junk the machine, if I wanted.

Gotta love the internet.  I went onto the Bernina Vintage Machines Facebook group and posted that I was looking for a particular part and within half an hour I had two people offering me the part!

I showed you that awesome selvage the other day?  Well now I'm on a selvage mission.  Here is my pile of selvages here in Central Oregon.  Forget about the huge bags in California!

They are very much like scraps... they multiply!  I started sorting them and still didn't make a dent.

My next post is going to be a study of selvages.  Tune in!!

 

When nothing goes right? ...

The good news is that the evacuation order was lifted on Thursday and we almost raced down to California to clean the house and see the kids but there were too many unknowns.  We had to get the power company to come out to turn on the gas--had to rely on neighbors to meet them.

The house is intact, the fire is getting under control and we are still in Central Oregon, enjoying the last vestiges of summer.   We will go back in a couple of weeks.

The donation quilt is finished and I found the cutest border fabric!  Can't beat string quilts, although they surely don't use up very many strings!!

I even picked it up on the sale rack!!  And I found the most adorable selvage ever.  What makes a selvage adorable?? Check this out!

If you're curious where that came from, it's from Indigo Gatherings from Primitive Gatherings.  Well, of course once I found that, I had to go back to the quilt store and buy more yardage!! ;-))

Saturday is farmer's market in Bend and my daughter and I have been going every week this summer.  We found the most amazing flower vendor and buy a bouquet every week.  Today I also found gorgeous smelling basil and whipped up a couple of batches of pesto.  One was my recipe; the other was following Barb's (funwithbarb) recipe.

Recognize my placemats?? :-)

I also had some leftover cherry tomatoes that were not looking too great, so I baked them low and slow!  We are cooking fish in them tonight.

Aside from eating, I have been sewing a bit.  I'm trying to finish the challenge that me,  Wendy Reed (contantquilter) and Barb Vedder (funwithbarb) have been working on for months.  I'm on the last border, although I may add an appliqué border too.

These are some small flying geese!  So I'll be sewing them for a while!

Many of you have been asking about my mom, who got Covid about a month ago.  She continues to recover and the facility told me she's been Chatty Cathy these days!  She's eating, drinking and getting up.  Pretty amazing!  92 yrs old and recovering from Covid 19!!

Hope everyone has a super weekend.

As if the pandemic wasn't enough!!!

 Our big plans were to drive down to California to spend the week catching up and seeing the grandkids...

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans, right??

I saw a cartoon a few months ago that said, "If you want to make god laugh, tell him about your plans"!!  So true

California is burning and our neighborhood was evacuated.  Our son drove over to our house to retrieve our photos and papers before the evacuation order was entered.  I couldn't expect him to take my quilts, could I?? And he filled his pick up truck to the brim with our pictures.

Another lesson out of all this?  Get organized.!  HAHA.

I took a few online classes recently on how to digitize your photos and get them organized... Great idea.  Need to implement.

Anyway, a little sewing going on here:

I had the brilliant idea that I needed to get rid of my scraps so what better way than a string block?  I had a lot of this dull gray fabric and decided to use it across all the blocks.  But it was SOOOO dull, I added some neon greens.  I'm going to finish this off and give it to the kid's quilt group I sew for.  Fun, don't you think?

I also needed a fabric store fix so went into Bend and had a ball...went for one fabric only and wound up spending over $100.  Found great conversation prints, some blue/whites and the most adorable kit for a kid quilt!  Just what I needed was MORE fabric, right?? vbg

Hope you all have a safe week!

Does anybody else feel like time is a blur??

 Maybe that's not a great way to start a blog post, but I'm wondering if other people are finding that the days and weeks are a big blur.  I find it difficult to differentiate from one week to the next.  I suppose it could be worse, right?  

I have gotten a bit of sewing done these past 10 days and I'm happy to share these with you.

I finished my 2-1/2" strip project to be donated to the kid's quilt group I belong to. Of course it didn't make a dent in the strip collection! Anybody else find this to be true?

Then I made my mind up to add the next border to the group challenge I'm doing with two very dear friends.  This is a very unstructured challenge.  We all started with our own center.  We agreed that the subsequent 3 borders would be flying geese, half square triangles and four-patches.  I just finished my second border, where I put the half square triangles on point as pinwheels.  I didn't measure the sides before sewing them so you'll notice I added a couple of strips at the ends of two sides and then added half a block at the end of two other sides.  I'm already trying to think how I will sew my flying geese units.  I may also add an appliqué border at the end to tie the center to all the borders.  I'm loving this project.  This is my pandemic quilt since the 3 of us have come together during this period when we might otherwise not have forged this very close bond.

My design wall is covered with some other projects so I had to lay it out on the floor.  That wouldn't have been tough except Max is very attracted and attached to my fabric and projects and always manages to lie down on top of whatever project I place on the carpet.

On a non-quilt related note, we had a most spectacular sunset on Monday here in Sunriver.

I've posted many pictures facing this same view--that's Mt. Bachelor in the background.  

And to share more outdoor photos, I have been kayaking a lot these days with a friend who loves it as much as I do.  Yesterday we went to a fabulous lake surrounded by huge peaks created by volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago;  this peak is mostly made of obsidian rock, which is a beautiful shiny black rock that's very sharp.

That's my kayak before I set off.  Here is the view of Paulina Peak from the water.

Isn't that incredible??!!  

Hope you're having a great week!  We are due to go back to California for a visit next week but we are now rethinking that in light of all the fires and smoke.  This is a tough time for so many.  Stay safe!

Covid 19 update

 I'm happy to report that my mom is remarkably recovering from her bout with Covid-19.  I'm not completely confident that she'll recover, since I've read many stories about the elderly taking turns for the worse after looking good.  But as of now, she's eating, drinking and getting up.  Her speech is very limited which I'm guessing is a product of the virus as well.  It's still amazing to me!  

Thank you for all your very kind wishes asking about her and praying for her recovery.  It was heartwarming!!

On the sewing front, I did finish the border on that log cabin kid quilt, having found an adorable stripe which matched well enough.  It is sad to say that I have absolutely no recollection of having purchased this fabric, nor do I remember ever seeing it before.  But no matter---I found it here at the cabin and it worked just fine!

I must confess that in a moment of weakness I purchased an entire bolt of a cute light pink print!  It was on sale from Missouri Quilts and have decided to use it instead of whites.

Let's be serious, really.  How long will it take me to use up an entire bolt of fabric?? Probably a while!! VBG. If you think you'd like some, let me know!  I've got LOTS to spare!!

I did find a cute pattern using 2-1/2" strips and have been using the pink instead of the muslin the pattern calls for.  I haven't squared up the block/unit yet but you can get the idea.  It'll be a perfect quilt for a child.

I actually think it's more interesting with the pink rather than plain muslin, don't you?

I've also been working on my neighborhood and decided it really needs some trees. So I looked on Pinterest and found the perfect size tree.  I only started last night so there are only two so far.  But they add some more interest.

I will likely continue to look for other trees that might fit the right size, just for a variety.

On another note, not quilt related, I decided to start a little book club with my 10 yr old grandson to encourage him to read and sharpen his comprehension.  So he picked a book (Nancy Drew!!)  and we've been reading a few chapters every couple of days, and he answers the questions I email to his mom.  We've been doing this on FaceTime.  Since he loves to cook, we are also baking for each other, sort of!  Just like real book groups, right?  He's tickled by the idea.

Hope you are all well and staying safe!  Please wear your masks and social distance from people!!  This isn't over yet!!

Reality check

I haven't gotten much sewing done but have almost finished my July mini..thanks to Wendy Reed (constantquilter) who keeps me honest!  I decided rather than make more placemats, since all the kids are gone, I'd put the log cabin blocks together for a kid quilt for my small quilt group.  It's almost sewn together and I'll send it to the group for someone there to quilt it.  Blocks are 6" finished, by the way!

Anyway, the real reason I'm posting is to give everyone a reality check on the Covid 19 situation.  It's pretty easy to pretend it doesn't exist in our insular world, but I've learned it really is a big problem.

I may not have told you that my mom, in her memory care facility in Bend, tested positive about two weeks ago after an employee brought the virus into the facility.  Mind you, they've been meticulous in keeping everyone out.  I have not seen my mom in person since early March when they closed the place up tight!

Well my mom got sick with Covid 19 about a week ago.  She was in the hospital for two days and is now back at the facility being cared for by hospice.  I am not sure if hospice is there to offer extra help or to make her comfortable while she passes away.  I keep getting different answers.  She was given experimental drugs, and maybe they will work.  But a 92 yr old probably doesn't have a great chance of ultimately surviving this nasty virus.

So I'm reminding everyone to wear your masks, wash your hands, stay out of crowded places, take care of yourselves.

Much love to you all

ps:  I had a birthday in all this earlier this week but didn't really feel like celebrating.  70 yrs old is not an age I ever envisioned myself!  Happy to be healthy and enjoying every day of my life! ;-)