Update: Hog Man is still on his blood thinner and things seem to be working. The tender spots have gone away. First week he rested in his recliner with the hot pack on the affected area several times a day. He never stopped doing his chores he just rested more. The blood thinner makes him tired so it forces him to rest. He really has enjoyed YouTube videos of hunting and various things. There are so many interesting things available on YouTube! He has a couple more weeks of this then we will see what comes next.
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| Thank you, Hog Man, for holding it for the picture. |
I have been trying to get the Dresden Plate quilt ready for quilting. I took the sashing strips and worked on them in September at our guild work day. I got half of them made that day. Then I sewed the other half at home. I then sewed the blocks and sashing together. Layed them out on the floor. The Dresden Blocks did not lay flat! Too much ease. I disregarded when I was joining the blocks and sashing that there seemed to be a lot of ease. My measurements had been off! A 1/4" ease is acceptable - more than that is trouble. I had trouble. I knew better but I was trying to hurry. Haste makes waste is so true. Hog Man looked at it and said it would quilt out. I knew better. So out came the seam ripper. A whole days worth of sewing down the tubes. Lesson learned. I trimmed the blocks down an 1/8" on each side to square them appropriately. Resewed them and now they lay flat and I am a happy camper. All of that took time. But I would do it again. In the process I had to stop and clean the lint from my machine and oil it. The little Elna requires frequent oiling since it is a metal mechanical machine. I so love this little machine. It is a joy to sew on.
All kitted up and ready to sew on retreat!
Now comes the borders on the Dresden Plate. I am going on quilt retreat this week and am packing it up and will complete it there. Three borders. Two plain and one pieced piano key outer border. The piano keys are cut. The plain pink border is cut.
I did discover something else with the Dresden Plate quilt. It's not going to fit on our hand quilting frames at Kraz-z Quilters! I know it was God. A few weeks ago I got his gentle nudge to measure the frames there. Not going to work. The quilt top will be 98 1/2" when completed. So I will be hand quilting it at home on a hoop. Hog Man is insisting that I allow him to make a frame so I can invite friends over to work on it. It is very sweet of him but I'm not sure where I would put a frame. They take up a lot of room. We will see. At any rate--plans have definitely changed!
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| Some of the diamonds and other pieces are pieced together to make them big enough. I just love this simple quilt and will enjoy it as a throw on the sofa. |
So I stopped working on the Dresden Plate quilt long enough this past week to get another quilt ready that would fit on the frames--my turn is next. I had acquired a quilt top some time ago that is hand pieced and had wanted it hand quilted. I am going to get that wish. I made marking templates using template plastic. The quilt maker had made large (1/2") seams so there wasn't going to be 1/4" quilting inside each piece without a lot of unhappy quilters having to sew through seams (tough work). I marked the quilting lines using a Frixion pen on the light colored fabrics. The Frixion pen's marks can be removed with an iron. I have used a hair dryer set on a hot setting. On the darker fabrics I used an Allary chalk marker. They come in different colors so I was able to use a color that would show up depending on the color of the fabric. I will let you know after this is quilted as to how well the marks remove. ; )
The booth set up for Oct. 6 was cancelled. We had a cold front come in that day and it was unseasonably cold. We had an outdoor booth planned and we were also forecasted to have rain. I called and cancelled. Turns out it didn't rain but the wind did blow and it was cold.
I did get to sit at a booth yesterday with another fellow guild member at an outdoor booth at a nearby fall festival. It was nice to visit with folks we knew and sell tickets. We had our regular monthly meeting that morning and instead of staying for the program I left in order to help Phillis. Friday night I started with a scratchy throat. Then Saturday I started sneezing. Late yesterday afternoon it wasn't pretty. I took Nyquil (love that stuff) last night and slept like a baby. I am feeling much better -- just have a dry mouth. I hate a dry mouth. I started drinking fluids late yesterday and am still pushing liquids. But I do feel so much better. I can't be sick with quilt retreat tomorrow! A girl's got her priorities! Today will be spent packing and doing some cooking for Hog Man and retreat.
Blessings to you and hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and color,
Catering Quilter
Have a productive and fun time at retreat!
ReplyDeleteI will be thinking of you guys as I prepare for our family party on the 27th. Marjorie