Accommodating Life

As I have said before,  I really like my lists and use them to keep me focused and on track of fulfilling goals.  Well, for some reason Life has intervened and my List has become blurred.  I have been busy surviving a very uncomfortable case of sumac rash.  I can pull poison ivy and oak all day long and it not affect me.  But recently someone decided to dump a litter a tiny kittens on the property by our mail boxes.  I live on a country gravel road that has wild brush, cow pastures, creeks and hay fields.  People can be so insensitive.  Dumped like trash were these kittens, and terribly scared.  They appeared to be around 4 weeks old.  My sister discovered them when she went to pick up the mail from the mail boxes.  They retreated deep into the brush when she tried to get to them which caused her to recruit my help with the kitten wrangling.  We are not very good wranglers I guess since we were unsuccessful at capturing the terrified kittens.   However the good news was sometime during the night they ventured up our .10 mile driveway and found refuge in our garage/shop building.  I discovered them the next morning.  They won the kitty lottery by my sister finding them.  They are now inside kitties and are enjoying a very luxurious life.

I had no idea I would get a reaction to the sumac we were tromping in while trying to retrieve the kittens.  But boy were we hit hard with the terrible rash and itchiness.  My poor sister has had 2 shots and a series of medications.  I am trying to get by with that pink stuff.  I did see the doctor yesterday and was offered medications but I am hopeful I am on the upside now.  I do not like to take pills. However, my arms and legs look horrible and I hope no one mistakes me for a meth addict.  I know I’m not supposed to scratch, but I am human and it does itch.  So there you go.  I itched it.  It’s been 2 weeks and per the internet the rash lasts 1-3 weeks.  Hoping I am on the last week. Did I say it was miserable.  Well, it’s miserable.   Not getting good sleep.  Keep waking at odd hours and unable to go back to sleep.  This morning it was 3:30 a.m.  Sounds like I will be taking a nap today at some point.

While not sewing I did manage to get my kitchen center island installed.  What an accomplishment for me.

I am hoping to get some sewing done this weekend.  No outside interference allowed!  I would like to prepare my label for the A Boy and A Girl quilt, I would like to prep month 6 of Bed of Roses, and make my Saturday Sampler Block for next week end.  The temperatures are estimated to have a heat index of triple digits today and tomorrow.  This safely assures that I will find quality time in my sewing room.  Yippee!!!!

My nephew sent copies of photos taken while he and his wife and 2 adorable kiddos visited in April.  He brought along the quilts I had made and we took pictures with each.  I had such a wonderful time going to the Natures of Wildlife Aquarium and spending time with them.  A very special day for me.  Here are the photos:

Stay cool everyone!

Sissy Malone

 

 

 

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Paperwork and Updates

Quilt Show  and Fair season is fast approaching.   First I had to decide if I would enter and what shows and fairs I would enter.  Laclede County Fair is first.  Entries have to be delivered July 7th.  Paperwork is filled out at time of drop off.  I will be entering and machine pieced and quilted sampler from our Saturday Sampler Group  2016 version.  It was a little late getting finished on time to enter for last year so it’s this years entry.  This is the only time this will be entered in a Fair or Quilt Show.  It will be delivered to the gift recipient after the show.

I have decided that A Boy and A Girl quilt pattern by Kim McLean , but I’m calling it Altered Perception of Album Quilt, will be entered in the Laclede County Fair, the Ozark Empire Fair, and the Ozark Piecemakers Quilt Guild Show.  This was a big decision for me.  The Ozark Fair and the Quilt Guild Show are judged by certified judges.  I have been encouraged by friends to enter my work.  I have not always been certain that my work was good enough.  It’s my passion and I love applique but to be judged on execution is a little intimidating.  Because as in life, we all have good days and not so good days.  Sometimes my sewing is exceptional and some days, well you know, not so good.  It’s a big deal for me to put myself out there to be critiqued.  Vickie Clancy, my awesome quilter, has been posting works in progress on Instagram.  I get giddy each time I see a new one.  After all I did spend 2 years 3 months making this quilt.  She is doing an awesome job, as always.  Here is a photo.  To say the least I am very excited about my quilt.  The paperwork has been completed for entry.  Each show has different categories, it gets confusing what to choose when filling out the forms.  Big sigh. 

Onward and upward now.  Here is a photo of my flower bed I completed this year.

Current projects.  As always I have numerous projects going and yes most if not all include applique.  I am still working on Bed of Roses pattern by Sue Garman.  We’ve all heard stories that begin with “on the way to……”   Well…… I was working on a set-in block and decided I did not care for the placement of the leaves on the arc.  I pulled them off and was going to re-glue them and when I squeezed the glue bottle the whole tip spit out and a tablespoon of glue poured onto my block.  YIKES!!!!!  What a mess.  I think I am going to have to remake the leaves.  I cleaned it up as best as I could, but have been too afraid to peak at the damage.  Coward that I am, I have been appliqueing the scallops on the first border, too afraid to look at the block.  I will try to be brave today and take a peak at it and see if the leaves are salvageable.  Just a little set back is all.

I have been prepping the next block and got it all prepped.  Just have to prep the set in block and month five will be ready for appliqueing.

Still using the freezer paper, starch, prepared edge technique.  As you can see lots of circles.  Perfect Circles are my new favorite way to achieve “perfectly round spheres” to applique.  Love love love them.

Then I signed up for a new BOM (block of the month).  This one is Jen Kingwell’s pattern Golden Days.  It is a fun quilt and the best part is I signed up for it from Jen’s own shop in Australia.  I’m getting awesome fabrics chosen by Jen herself for this project and some lovely Liberty of London fabrics thrown in.  So excited.  Here is my first block.  Going to be a fun project.  It will be challenging having curved piecing involved.  I might have to do a little hand piecing.  Haven’t done that since I made a Drunkards Path quilt.

I’m off to enjoy my day with a little yard work and quality sewing room time.  Have a Blessed Day everyone.

Sissy Malone

My UFO Projects…. hmmmmm???

I’m still trying to work on the UFO’s that I have managed to collect over the last 45 years of quilting.  The good news is I am not adding to the list.  I think.  Does signing up for a BOM that you can’t work on right away make it an automatic UFO?  I’m going with a no.

Actually I have not had much time to sew at all for the past 6 weeks.  Be still my heart…. I think I’m going through withdrawals.  I visit my sewing room on occasion and stand there wistfully wishing I had the time to sit down and sew.  The culprit that has taken me away is yard work, flowers, and building a new flower bed.  I do love my flowers.  I have my favorites like my hostas, double impatiens of all colors and just regular impatiens, bleeding hearts, peonies.  Can you tell I am really attracted to shade gardens.  Well, it’s cooler in the shade garden.  I don’t do well with the heat.  I totally believe one of man’s greatest inventions is air conditioning.

Now that I have finally finished with the flowers and am enjoying just looking at them and watering them I can finally get back to the sewing room.

Fair Season is approaching and entries have to be completed, as well as the quilts.  Vickie Clancy, a very talented Long Armer, is working on my A Boy and A Quilt.  She has been posting photos on Facebook of her progress.  My heart goes pitter patter every time I see one.  I am very proud of this quilt.  I’m trying to decide how to display it at home when I get it back.  I’m thinking of getting one of those Ladders that are made specifically to display quilts.  I don’t have wall space to display it.

What’s under my needle now?

I am currently working on a UFO, Country Hearts from the book Hearts Aplenty by Possibilities a Lynda Milligan & Nancy Smith book.  I have also been practicing my machine quilting with an Angela Walters sew along.  I have to admit I am not as intimidated after working on some of these practice pieces.  I still have a long way to go to attain any proficiency but at least I am no longer terrified totry.  With every practice piece I gain more and more confidence in myself.

I am also working on an applique pattern by Sue Garman, Bed of Roses.  It is very relaxing to stitch away on each block.  I’m halfway through the blocks and set-ins.  Maybe it will be finished by January 1.  That’s the goal.  Rumor has it that I am supposed to start a Baltimore Album quilt come January.  Nothing to shy away from.  I got this.   That’s my pep talk.

I’ve got a big weekend planned of quality time in my sewing room.   Yard work done, sewing begun what more can a quilter ask for.  Life is good.

Sorry, no photos today.  Will work on that.

Happy Stitches

Sissy Malone