I officially retired on June 15, after nearly 20 years in the same Special Education Program for students ages 18 - 21, where I taught transition skills for participation in real life activities at home, in the community and for work. I loved my job, but it finally worked out that I'm able to spend time with hubby, work in the garden, and quilt! Yeah!!!!
I've been working on some projects, and yes.. I've already started 3 new projects since June.
Ruby, my Janome 7700 decided she needed to go to the spa.... and it's been a week already, and most likley another 2 weeks until I get her back. Right in the middle of a project, she decided she didn't want to change needle positions anymore... the tech thinks it's a transformer.... I'm so glad I have a couple of backup machines!
I've been working on the 840 HST I need for Jamestown Landing as my Leaders and Enders now for at least a year and a half.... I'm feeding them through in mutliples of 5 now, in hopes of finishing them before a new century arrives... Only 260 to go. My strategy is now to feed them 10 at a time. Then I only need to stitch 26 chain seams to finish! 
I've recently started following HollyAnne Knight over at the String & Story.... she's having a summer Quilt Along, a Summer Stash Busting Challenge and has shared her pattern "Lanterns of Hope" with us. We are piecing the top in July, and she will walk us through the actual quilting of it in August. Her blog link is: https://www.stringandstory.com/blog/summerstashbusting2018 .
Here is my top. I chose to use 3 1/2" strips in reds, whites and blues so that I'll have a Quilt of Valor when we are done. This goes together quickly. The tricky part is getting each block turned just right in the layout.
Retirement brought several wonderful gifts and greetings from friends and co-workers. Fabric gift cards, gardening gift cards, eating gift cards, even a wine gift card....
However, a friend of ours was overly generous with the amount of the card they gave me for a fabric store. I'm not divulging the amount that it takes to "bribe" me into making you a quilt... but I pulled from my stash to make them each a quilt. Her quilt is one that I have had in the back of my mind for awhile. In fact, when I received this fabric several years back, this beautiful lady came to mind, but time hadn't allowed me to start anything for her. It's now a top, waiting for Ruby to return from the spa for quilting.
Pattern: "Samurai Garden"
Designer: Nicole Chambers
Book: Simple Quilts that Look Like a Million Bucks
This is a pattern from a book I purchased several years ago. The 3 quilts I've made from it have gone together very quickly. It does have some waste with the triangles go on the corners. I usually prefer stitching scrappy quilts, but I do have to admit that three color quilts cut out much quicker.
I've also finished the center of a scrappy Jacob's Ladder in browns, and it is waiting for the border fabrics to come out of the laundry.... wouldn't you know it... All those browns and two of the same end up right next to each other! LOL
There has been progress on my "On Ringo Lake" quilt as well! All 50 blocks are now intact, and waiting to be pieced, but I need to clear my design wall first! This one goes together like a puzzle with the way the sashings rotate.
Here is picture of it partially pieced.
I made a leap into landscape quilts early this spring, and made a quilt of Haystock Rock on the Oregon Coast. I used my EQ8 software to trace a photo of the rock, and free formed the rest. There are two very similar versions of this quilt... One is completely quilted and bound, and it took a 3rd place ribbon at our quilt show in May! The other top is done, and waiting for quilting.... it will be gifted to my step daughter in Montana. She loves Haystack Rock!
No comments:
Post a Comment