Invasion!

Rabbits are everywhere in town, raising broods and bringing them into our nice, dog-free yard to dine on delicacies.  

We finally located one run--after quite a struggle with the vines, I was able to block that one with a large stone.  The other entry was via a scraped-out space under the back gate.  I blocked the gap except for a six-inch space at the entry point and positioned a Hav-a-hart trap.  

 It did not take long for this large, healthy rabbit to dash under the fence and trip the gate mechanism.  He banged up his nose trying to bite through the wire.  The camera has also given him red eyes, but they were actually brown.  

There had been three rabbits in the yard when I went out to cut asparagus the day before, and I am blaming them for damaging some of my newly-planted starts in the garden.  I hope I will have the entrances barred before I plant green beans.  It is no fun to come out and find that I have only a row of stems where the sprouts should have been.

Later:
Bunny Number Two was in the trap this morning when I went out to cut asparagus.  There is at least one more culprit who has been using this entrance into the yard.  The trap awaits.....

In Praise of Purple!

....and lilac, violet, magenta, and so on.

 The wisteria is just beginning a bounteous display.  If only I could post the fragrance as well!  

The violets form a carpet in this flowerbed.  I know people who consider them weeds, but I just love seeing them every year.

And the white violets add a nice accent.

Grape hyacinths look amazing in masses.  I am counting on these to multiply.

The Japanese maple made it through the rough, dry summer and the cold, icy winter.  The reddish-purple leaves are a bright accent.

This wisteria is paler--white touched with lilac.

 A preview of coming attractions!  I can't wait!
An update a week later:  bluebells and more wisteria....

 

Batching It......

I am close to completing the pieced blocks for a new quilt.  It is a modified nine-patch design, with plain squares between each pieced block.  The fabrics are homespun plaids and neutrals.  For my quilt I need 128 pieced blocks and 127 squares.  Because I want a very 'scrappy' look, I don't want many blocks that are alike--so for the most variety I am making only two nine-patch blocks from any one fabric.  (There are a few exceptions; in the beginning I made four blocks from each fabric.)  Already you know that this is fairly labor-intensive, right?

The best way I know to manage this task is to work in batches.  I prepare from five to seven fabrics (pressing and starching, squaring up) and then cut strips in the sizes I need.

Here are stacks of plaids and neutrals at the ready.  I use a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and several rulers.  Piecing is much easier when cutting is accurate.

I have a little cheat sheet off to the side to remind me how many strips of what size I need to cut from each fabric.  It is easy to get mixed up even with a chart.  (This is not my long suit.)

 The strips will be pinned, stitched, and pressed in order; three rounds of this will produce the strip sets needed to compose a block.  I work on about seven blocks at a time.














The strip sets are stacked and ready to stitch.  I will feed the sets through the machine without stopping after each section.  This is 'chain-piecing.' 

Then it's off to the iron to press (not 'iron') each segment.  The seam allowances are pressed in a direction that will not create bulky intersections.

 I use a little spritzer filled with water and an aerosol of heavy starch when I press.  The starch stabilizes the fabric--helpful when it comes to cutting.

 The strip sets are ready for cutting.  Each block requires one strip A, two strip B, and two strip C pieces. 

 The ruler on the right measures off the width I need, and the ruler on the left butts against it.  Then I run the cutting blade along the side of the ruler on the left. 

And here are the pieces for two blocks.  Back to the sewing machine and the iron--three round trips.  

 This is a finished block.  It is 5" square.  When it is seamed together with other blocks, it will finish at 4 and1/2 inches.  It takes a lot of blocks and squares to make a quilt for a king-sized bed, needless to say.  

The lighter neutral pieces will create a strong diagonal pattern when the quilt blocks and squares are joined.  





 It is a nice feeling when the chain of blocks comes through the machine.  Batch complete!

Now....back to the sewing room!

A Cautionary Tale

Ah, if only there had been someone around to videotape me when I fell into Lake Conway on Friday. 

If lunch had been on time I wouldn't have gone outside and gotten myself into trouble.  (DHubby had told me he needed another half-hour to reach a stopping point with his work on the wine.  Far be it from me to interfere with wine production!  So I thought about a little chore that needed doing.)  

The good news:  there is nothing much hurt--a couple of bruises and what pride I had left.

It was like this:

     We had a big snag floating at the edge of the riprap—it’s been there a while, and with the low water level (sustained by the lake manager on purpose during winter when most of the rains fall) it wasn’t going anywhere. So, we found that the water level is finally UP—at least a foot or more higher than it had been, and I could see that the snag was floating. Just a judicious shove with a pole and I could propel it out into the little inlet and perhaps the wind-driven waves would move it on into the channel. Bye-bye!!!

It was hard to get it going, but I did manage to start the tree trunk toward deeper water.  I got a good grip on my pole and started another heroic shove.  ....And the pole slipped, and my forward momentum proved impossible to stop...... and I went forward over the bank of riprap and into the water. 

Had it been even a week ago, I’d only have gotten wet to the knees and elbows, but with the water higher and the waves coming in……..  I went all the way in, falling first to my knees and then sprawling headlong….and then underwater briefly. I was quickly up and out—still had on my slip-on clogs and glasses, but minus my baseball cap, and carrying quite a bit of extra water weight, as it were.  Ignominious.

Slosh, slosh up the walk, shed the shoes, shed the gloves, slosh slosh to the door (quick look around, thankfully no fishermen, boaters, or neighbors) strip off most of the clothes onto the carport concrete, head into the house, drip drip, spot Don walking back to the wine room with his bottling equipment. 

“Don! I need some help!” Doesn’t hear, keeps going. So I go into the bathroom there (where he is putting his filter together,) and he sees me and says: “Good grief! Did you fall, Laura?” (Should mention here, in case you don't know our history, that our daughter has been substantially disabled since the age of 7 months.  Long story, but basically she's pretty unsteady on her best day.  If anyone falls down, usually it's Laura.  Kind of a natural mistake, if you are us.)

DHubby quickly corrected that to ‘Elaine’ and got out a towel and washcloth.

I finished disrobing, got in shower, cleaned up, went hunting for clean clothes. Plenty of odds and ends, but a dearth of undies. Note to self: restock at lake! Medicated the break in my skin where I hit an underwater rock (that riprap looks like granite—sharp edges) and got out hair dryer. Dressed, went out to load all the wet stuff in a big plastic bag, laid shoes, gloves out in sun, fished cap out of lake and added it to the array, then went inside into sunroom and sat down in a chair. Behaved rest of afternoon. The End. 

Mercifully, there are no photographs, YouTube videos, or other evidence...  except my arm is an interesting sight--so colorful!

 

Please direct sympathy cards to……

Cat Cuteness

Charlie Parker (named for a jazz legend much admired in our home) has been part of the family since June.  We adopted him as an adult, and there are some quirks we just have to live with, but once Charlie decided we were maybe okay (and came out from under the bed) we have enjoyed his company and his little ways.  

Charlie prefers that his humans follow a routine.  You don't lose track of the hour when Charlie is around to remind you that it's mealtime!  Charlie will not get on your lap, but he might curl up against you.  Charlie does not allow you to put two hands on him--who knows what you could be up to?  (Well, Kitty could probably make a list of *our* little crochets, too.)

 But don't think you cannot teach an older cat new tricks.

 

Every evening Charlie joins me in the kitchen for dinner preparations and the local and national news programs.  (Well, he may not actually be paying attention to the news.)  Mostly, though, Charlie is waiting for his buddy, the DHubby, and their evening ritual.

The DHubby is holding kitty-treats, and Charlie knows it. 

Isn't he clever?  and handsome?  and charming?  (Aren't we silly?  and doting?)

My friend Marcie calls these goodies "kitty crack."  (This cat had belonged to Marcie's mom, but a move into assisted living created a need for adoptive parents, and so.....)









Charlie will respond to "Sit up" as many times as you ask.  Well, just so long as you keep the goodies coming.

And some praise and petting is never amiss.












But wait!  There's more.
    Next comes brush-brush.  

        















A little higher and to the left.....

 All's right with the world.

The 'Mondo Bag'

Last week I joined a group of other quilters (the 'Calico Gardeners' bee) at a quilt shop in Little Rock for a class.  All of us had been casting envious eyes on the capacious carrier bag that Marcie (organizer and hostess of this group) had made.... so she kindly arranged this opportunity for us.   We purchased our patterns and materials at The Stitching Post prior to the class, and then gathered on Tuesday to spend the day with the instructor. 

This is definitely a complicated pattern (especially if spatial tasks are not your long suit) but several of the fast workers managed to get through most of the process.  I did not get as far, but the next day I pressed on (literally and figuratively) and here's my bag!

Isn't it pretty?  I used 13 different Tonga batik fabrics (a package of precut strips) and a 'QuiltSmart' pattern.  Every quilter had different fabrics and color schemes-- all wonderful to see.  A couple of people were making a smaller size.  We were all Very Grateful for the class, because the construction process was far from simple.  I got quite confused, and once I was at home on my own, I did make a couple of mistakes.  Reverse sewing.....grrrr.

I'm pleased with the outcome!   It's amazing how roomy this bag is:

 The word 'mondo' is slang for BIG....perhaps originating with the Italian word for 'world.' DHubby was impressed.  Now I will be able to haul my hand-quilting project around in style instead of schlepping the laundry basket I've been using for a couple of years.  It won't make me any faster, but at least I'll look fancier.  Yay!

Feathered Star

Time to learn something new!  

Feathered Star blocks are complex and difficult to make.  Typically there will be many small pieces, and extreme precision is necessary.  They aren't for inexperienced quilters (nor for the faint of heart.)  I'm not getting any younger, and I've been quilting seriously for almost 15 years.  (I made my first quilts in the mid-70's when the Bicentennial fostered a quilting revival.)

Thanks to Auntie Google, I found a terrific tutorial that guided me through the process:
 http://sewhappy10000.blogspot.com/2010/05/feathered-star-tutorial.html
I read and reread this several times, printed the diagram and made notes, and then selected fabrics.  Now, here's the truth:  I was not completely confident that this would go well, so I picked fabrics that I do not particularly like (color, pattern, etc.) in case this turned out to be a Bad Experience.  Best not to risk my favorites, you know!  During the process of cutting and constructing, I made several emergency trips back upstairs to the computer to study parts of  the tutorial again.  Spatial tasks are difficult for me, and this is definitely a block that is hard to make-- 121 pieces in all.  

Here it is!  Marsha McCloskey's 'Radiant Star.'

My original decision to make this block is based on some anxiety about the upcoming Round Robin (see previous post, right before the hawk photographs.)  What if I couldn't bear to hand over the Rooster medallion?  One sees quite a few Feathered Star medallions (possibly because the quilter could not face up to making more than one.)

This took me the best part of a week.  Of necessity, the work goes slowly, with a lot of pressing and precision sewing.  I modified the original pattern, of course--I'm still me, after all.  I got better as I went along.  

I added a small dot of aqua to the center because I needed to expand the color palette.  (And as I mentioned, I don't actually care for these colors and fabrics.)  

Okay, full disclosure....this is the NEAT part of my studio--the design wall.  Choosing fabrics usually means emptying various drawers and shelves and creating chaos.  









I will be adding a narrow 'frame' around the feathered star block, to bring it to the agreed-upon 18" size.
Here is the Rooster medallion.  Obviously, the two centers are very different--color palettes are very disparate, and the companion fabrics for the Rooster are prints with a Provencal feel while the companion fabrics for the Star are batiks and hand-dyes.
Which would you choose?  Vote in the Comments, please.