Category Archives: Farmer’s Wife

My February OMG!

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Terri | 4 comments

This has been a great month for me. I have settled back into the routine that affords me piece of mind. My housework isn’t suffering, the laundry’s always caught up, I’m cooking more often, I’m getting a lot of time in my sewing room (although it still needs a major sort out), I’m reading more, and Mister and I are back to spending evenings together (when he doesn’t have last minute homework) visiting, or watching our favorite shows (while I stitch). We finally have an appointment for the pad and carpet to be repaired downstairs, and replaced upstairs. My stitching friends will get a laugh when they hear that the bedroom carpet will be Platinum colored.

As to the sort out in my sewing room, I finally dug through the huge box of scraps given to me by one of my friends. So many beautiful pieces of fabric, and so many 1/2-yard pieces as well. I still have the bag to go through, but the bits have been pulled for the scrap basket I use for Wild and Goosey, and the rest has been folded neatly until I get some cutting time for charity quilts.

Speaking of charity quilts. Today is the last Saturday of the month, and this is the day that I have dedicated to working on charity quilts. One Saturday a month, for at least 3 hours. For the first quilt, I’ll be making 10″ paper pieced string blocks starting with a neutral in the middle. It took me longer than expected to go through the above mentioned box, so I’m not getting to sew 3 hours today, and will carry that over to tomorrow.

Here’s where I stand this month:

February goals –

Baby Quilt – 1) finish step one; 2) cut background for step two
Lozenges – Make a minimum of 20 lozenges with February RSC17 colors (10 black/10 neutral corners)
Farmers Wife – Make a minimum of 4 blocks

Baby Quilt – This item was for my One Monthly Goal link-up. I am beyond thrilled to say, that not only did I finish Step 2, I finished the quilt top! The longarmer has been contacted, and the backing should be pieced by tomorrow evening.

Lozenges – This item was for my Rainbow Scrappy Challenge. February’s color was Teal. I made a total of 29.

Farmers Wife – not only did I catch up, but I’m ahead of the game. It has helped me satisfy my love of paper piecing. As I have gone through the scraps hunting for the perfect piece of fabric, I have been sorting them into colors (and ironing some of the worse off pieces) as part of my sewing room sort out.

So much accomplished!

For stitching, I have made progress on Death by Cross Stitch, and finished a 2nd round on An Expression of Gratitude. I spent more time than anticipated on Death because it was just too easy to keep going while getting stuff around the house sorted after the water break, dealing with the contractors, and the repair to the walls. But, I’m back to my rotation, and will probably move on to Houses of Hawk Run Hollow by tomorrow evening.

I am linking up to Elm Street Quilts and soscrappy.

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Posted in An Expression of Gratitude, Blue Ribbon Designs, Bonnie Hunter, Death by Cross Stitch, Farmer's Wife, Goals, Long Dog Samplers, Lozenges Quilt, One Monthly Goal, Rainbow Scrap Challenge, Year of WIPs Challenge

Getting February Quilting Organized

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Terri | 3 comments

It’s time for me to set up my February quilting goals. I’m so proud of the progress I made in January.

Baby Quilt – I keep distracting myself from getting this finished. It’s not hard, I just got myself pulled into the world of paper piecing Wild & Goosey blocks. LOL They are my quilting crack. I almost finished step one on the baby quilt, however, so I need to get that finished and the back ground fabric cut. This will be my One Monthly Goal for February.

En Provence and Midnight Flight – both still in time out until I finish Baby Quilt. I am using fabric from these in my Lozenges and Wild & Goosey blocks, so they are still thought about almost every time I sit in front of the machine.

Wild & Goosey – oh man. Do I love these little critters. So far I have worked on them every day that I have been able to sit and sew. It’s fun to dig through my little snippets, but it is messy!

Farmers Wife – I am behind on my block of the week. I need to pull these out instead and put Wild & Goosey away. I am also paper piecing these so maybe that will satisfy my need to “quilt by number.”

Lozenges – still my Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2017 project. February is sea green and defined as “Anything between blue and green will work. From teal, to aqua to turquoise.” This is going to be fun! I am also trying to incorporate more neutral and black scraps into this month as well.

So for February:

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Posted in Farmer's Wife, LinkUP, Lozenges Quilt, Midnight Flight, One Monthly Goal, Quilting, Rainbow Scrap Challenge, Wild & Goosey

Wherein I share my largest WIP of all

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Terri | 6 comments

the Dungeon!

PICTURE INTENSIVE!

This is part of my Lady Lounge/Dungeon. I’ve put my hands on almost everything you’re about to see except the two scary bins in my cross stitch area. Those will be my next sort, maybe. I really want to get my sewing table and cutting table completely cleared off first, but I seem to be using both of them for sorting through everything before I pile it in the guest room. My method probably only makes sense to me, but I am making progress my way, and that’s all that matters. 😉

If you’re standing inside and facing the door this is immediately to the right:

Quilt Fabric for all the things. FQ up to 2 yards. More than 2 yards and it goes on bolts (I get empties from my LQS). The bottom shelf holds pre-cuts.

Quilt yardage and bolts of 30ct Murano xs fabric

Quilt yardage (I need to get some more empty bolts) and bolts of 30ct Murano xs fabric

Cross stitch fabric and storage for some fibers

DMC and in the plastic bag is a bolt of 30ct Platinum Murano.

In front of my quilt fabric cabinet is this container of gathered books and magazines that need to be shelved. And another WIP! I didn’t realize what that was until I took the photo. Sigh.

When you turn right, there’s my sewing table, and the window that looks out the front of my house so I can be nosy while I sew. It is great light for the room since it faces south. They are cracked for the photo, but I keep the shutters closed if I’m not in there.

The top. Left to right: Featherweight and new travel case and in front of that is a box of “strings” for paper piecing. Pink containers have hex paper-piecing in them, and the blue basket has miniature Temecula Quilt Co quilt kits. Next is needles, pins, paper piecing stuff, threads that need sorting and storing. Letters that need painting and put on my wall. Phoenix Comicon stuff that needs sorting, tossing, or displayed on my cork board, and behind that is solid yardage that needs to be put in the cabinet.

Underneath the sewing table:

My sewing machine caddy, cutting mat, ironing “board,” that travels. To the left is a 3-drawer plastic bin that hold strips and stuff (that needs to be gone through) and behind is a basket full of quilt kits. I honestly can’t remember what’s in the brown box.

Close up of my strip bin. The blue containers contain squares and bricks.

Close up of all those quilt kits.

Instead of continuing around the room, let’s face the door again and turn to your left. (I’m avoiding that corner as long as I can.)

Cutting table top:

This is where I normally measure 10x then cut once and still freak out until I’ve measured what I cut. As you can see it’s another sorting spot. The pile on the right is what I’m working on right now. It has bolts (not on the bolt) of more Murano! The drawers to right are a couple of rolling bins I bought in Japan and I love them so much.

and underneath! The threads are my overdyeds on individual airline cable rings. Normally hanging on the doorknob of my cross stitch fabric cabinet. AccuQuilt Cutter and dies to the left of the shelves. The fabric bins on the top shelf and on the floor to the left hold scraps. One is specifically civil war reproduction fabric that I’m pulling from for my Farmer’s Wife Quilt. The other is everything else. The one on the floor holds a mix that I am going to go through, iron and use my cutting machine to make 2 1/2″ squares for a leaders/enders quilt. I’ll also be pulling strips from the drawer I showed earlier. The labeled plastic containers are MOST of my quilt/sewing WIPs.

Sigh. And now that corner. This is my cross stitch corner. Remember that picture of the boxes and boxes of stuff I have pulled out to sell. This is what’s left.

Top shelf on the left holds my coveted SANQ hardback books. Wooden box magazine holders are in alphabetical order by designer. Most are just labled A, B, C, etc., but some of them are designer specific (Goode Huswife, Shepherd’s Bush off the top of my head). Second row also contains my hard cover French alphabet/symbol books. The left wooden basket holds small kits that I really need to dig through and do for some quick gratification (anyone else remember the Elegant Stitch Essie’s?). The right one holds Blackbird Designs, many of which are kitted Loose Feathers. The metal bins contain, in alphabetical order, charts that are printed/sold in 1/2-sized and smaller ziplocks – a whole lot of Little House Needleworks in there. Under the baskets are hardback quilt and cross stitch books, and the bottom 2 shelves are magazines. Mostly SANQ and JCS. The middle unit also contains boxes, containers, etc., for finishing. The glassed in cabinet contains books and I have purchased glass shelves and lighting to turn it into a display cabinet for some of my small pieces.

And then there’s this:

I know if I start digging through here I will soon have 50 WIPs. These two containers hold mostly kitted things I’ve received over the past couple of years in the monthly clubs I joined (I quit one of them after last year). The damask container also holds things from a weekend sewing retreat I went on 3+ years ago. These 2 containers really scare me. LOL

Still with me?

Oh look. I left to get something to drink and my editor came by:

I have my laptop set up on the dining room table for now. It normally sits on my grandmother's treadle machine that's on the wall that you haven't seen. That wall is for another day.

I love the look on her face. She’s a little startled that I walked in and she’s getting ready to jump off the chair she knows she’s not supposed to be on. I have my laptop set up on the dining room table for now. It normally sits on my grandmother’s treadle cabinet that’s on the wall that you haven’t seen. That wall is for another day.

And here’s where it’s all going for now while I sort it out in my Dungeon.

Ouch. Fuzzy picture. Sorry! This is my guest bed. If you come to visit me I promise you won’t have to sleep with all of this. In fact, please come see me. It will get me to put it away faster! That fabric needs to go in the few empty spots left in my cabinet. I’ve been trying hard to color sort it as I piled it so I can just pick it up and shove it on the shelves. The pile you see at the foot of the bed is kitted items I pulled out the other day that I no longer have interest in. Several of them were self-kitted which means I need to gut them and put the fabric and fibers in my cabinets and add the charts to the boxes of stuff to sell. The pile between the fabric and the pink zipper bag are quilt kits I’ve been working on. (Don’t you love that batik on top! I got it during a visit with Kathy when she was in Yuma last winter.) The blue basket contains finishing items. I brought it in here to keep from traipsing back and forth. Most of the stuff in here is actually quilting stuff, but behind the pink bag are a few stitchy items that got tossed onto the cutting table and they just need to be logged into my spreadsheet and sorted into its proper box.

So that’s it. My Dungeon. I really do love my room. It took me forever to decide on a color. As you can see I love IKEA. I’ve blogged about it before but the color matches a cart I bought at IKEA. I saw the cart and immediately knew that was the color my walls needed to be.

The only piece of furniture in there that’s not IKEA is my grandmother’s treadle. It works, too. I need to clean it up a bit, and probably find a spare belt for it, but I could sew on it if the zombies showed up. And I have enough fabric and thread to keep up warm with quilts, and maybe even sew us a couple of shirts 😉

And since it’s still WIP Wednesday after this super long post, here’s my latest Houses of Hawk Run Hollow progress photo.

It was dreary when I took the photo (we’ve had some late monsoon weather the last few days). I like to stitch across and work my way up. As you can tell, there’s a whole lot of blue in this block.

One more thing. These are the two designs I pulled from my kitted bucket the other day. I had intended to start one of them yesterday but completely forgot we had a baseball game last night, so that didn’t happen. Maybe in a minute? I have all my adulting done for the day 😀

The Goode Huswife – Book of Spells

Blue Ribbon Designs – An Expression of Gratitude

silks, wonderful silks!

If you’re still here, or actually here at all, thank you for visiting. If you have comments, be gentle. If you have questions, bring them on!

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Posted in An Expression of Gratitude, Blue Ribbon Designs, Carriage House Samplings, Farmer's Wife, HOHRH, Puppies, Stash, Stitching, The Book of Spells, The Goode Huswife, WIP Wednesday

Stitchin’ and Sewing’ Stuff

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Terri | 2 comments

I headed out this morning and got a couple more books spiral bound. I’m trying get a couple done every month and I still have quite a few to do. It’s helping me decide if it’s a book I love, or one to part with.

I’m still working on getting myself organized to see that I get sewing done. Out of sight, out of mind for me if I don’t and I forget what I want to work on. The list I’m working on now consists of projects I’ve already purchased fabric for.

I really want to get back to my Farmer’s Wife. I ♥ paper piecing! I already have several blocks printed out and ready to go but fighting with the book was no fun. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore.

The other book is 1 of 3 Bonnie Hunter books I have. I bought String Fling specifically for this pattern:

Jamestown Landing. I won’t be able to get started on it until I get my Union Star runner finished because I have so many blues pulled for it. Of course, after I got the book, I immediately fell in love with a few more, especially Pineapple
Crazy.

These 3 paper pieced patterns are first up in my to-do list.

I need a name tag for Civil War Club and then remember that guild meeting I talked about on the 5th? I went, and I joined, and I need a name tag for that, too! I have some charms that the quilting fairy gave me during Quilt Camp that I’m going to incorporate into it some how.

I am an official member of Nimble Thimbles and the Arizona Quilters Guild. The guild members were so very welcoming and I had a good time. There are several things that I’d like to participate in, one of them being their Scrappy Block of the Month Challenge. They pick a color each month for 9 months and I make whatever block (needs to be the same block) that I choose out of those colors. At the end of the year, at the Christmas Party, they want you to have a finished flimsy. I need to catch up, so I’m going to attempt to make one every 2 weeks, working backwards, starting with this month’s color…Blue! LOL I’ve chosen Fox and Geese from Quilter’s Cache as my block. I’ll need to make a purple, pink, green, yellow, orange, and gray, to catch up.

I’m also going to start piecing some Wild & Goosey blocks (another Bonnie Hunter design found in May/June 2013 Quiltmaker) from my scraps. I haven’t decided what to do with this one yet as far as how often, but I’d love to do a block a month for now until I see how many scraps I’m going to have to use without cutting into yardage/FQs.

And last but not least, I have a stitching finish! I can’t remember the last time this has happened and this little design was just the thing I needed to get my stitching mojo back. I’ll be taking it to my framer at the beginning of September.

Mister starts back to school next Thursday, and I’m looking forward to us being back into a routine. I never feel like I get anything done when I’m not on a schedule of sorts.