spider webs........

 Earlier this week I finally finished piecing the spider web quilt. It's hanging over a table in this photo. I started this right after the holidays. Very slow piecing with all those fabrics and widths.  Yesterday I ordered some fabric for the backing - I was limited in my choices since I needed 118" wide to avoid piecing. I really don't like dealing with huge amounts of fabric at the sewing machine - putting this one together was a bear as it's king size. I'm hoping where all those 'slices of pie' come together in the center of the spider webs it's not too thick for the long arm quilter. 

Even though I have a need for another king size quilt that may wait until next year - smaller quilting projects as well as weaving and other crafts are on the agenda for the rest of this year. Yesterday I was working on a turkey wall hanging/table centerpiece quilt. A friend gave me the kit for Christmas. I've got the turkey all pieced, actually pieces cut out of numerous batiks and fused. Will post a picture after I sew the two borders on. I'll quilt this myself since it's small.  I've also got 4 placemats all sandwiched and ready to quilt which I'll also quilt myself. 

Our weather has finally turned to spring - we are out of the freezing temps at least for now. I've got apple and plum trees flowering so sure hope there's no hard freeze. I haven't planted any of the early veggie seeds yet - maybe this week.  I'm afraid what's going to happen is that we'll go straight from winter to summer in a week. 

It's been a while

It's been a while since I last posted. Back then I had taken day one of a quilt workshop on paper piecing.  I attended day two a couple weeks later and this is the start of my quilt which will end up being a 42" x 42" wall hanging or table topper. There are many more of these blocks to be made that will radiate out from this center.  I've found that I really like the paper piecing. But I had an issue with the teacher's instructions being different than the commercial pattern which resulted in pieces being cut wrong and me not liking my curves. I know my curves would have turned out better had I followed the pattern instructions. As far as pieces being cut wrong I did buy a bit extra fabric so I'm hoping I have enough. I may end up contacting the quilt shop to have them send me more of several of the fabrics just to be sure, hopefully they still have more. If I can get more of most of the fabrics I may remake these 4 blocks. (the background looks tan but it's really gray)  I never attended day three of the workshop - it snowed and was quite snowy around my town until early afternoon. I don't think I missed anything as it was just continuing to sew blocks. I did learn something new and loved it so in spite of issues it was a success and the shop where I took the class is great. 

Because of things going on in my family life I never got back to working on this project. My mother had a few falls, resulting in hitting her head, hard, and started going downhill quickly. She passed away two weeks after the last fall. Even though she was 94, had moved into a memory care facility and was getting more and more frail it was still a shock. I've always been certain she would live to be over 100. I can't say enough good about the memory care facility where she had been living - the Lodge at Countryside Village (Grants Pass, OR).  All of the staff are so kind and compassionate. 

As I wait to get things started with settling her affairs I decided to spend time at the sewing machine working on the quilt blocks from the quilt I started after the holidays. It's been very therapeutic. I now have only 3 more blocks to make and then I can start sewing them all together. I'm anxious to get it finished and off to the longarm quilter. I'm anxious to put away the piles of fabric strips and fold up the craft table. 

If the weather cooperates I'd like to get out to clean up the raised beds. Usually I would have had some early things planted but there's been no time and even if there were the weather has not been good - snow, sleet, rain, cold.  Maybe we'll be heading into more spring like weather later this week........maybe............

So, that's my life at the moment. I would like to say I'll post more often but it may not happen, at least not for a while.