Rain, drizzle, more rain and a wee bit of sunshine.

 It is April in the Pacific Northwest.  Today is Easter Sunday and my memory recalls egg hunts in sunshine, rain, and snow and some bitterly cold weather, none of which deterred the outside hunt for the treasures that were hidden. 

Today, however, am glad I didn't have to hide eggs in this weather although yesterday was a bit of reprieve with no rain falling though the ground is wet and muddy and makes me glad we are no longer on our farm with chores to do in gumboots and rain slickers. 

We have been back in our spring/summer and autumn home and it is a bit of a shock to go from sunshine and daily tennis, doors and windows open to feel like we are back in winter.  It also means more inside time for sewing and reading.  But, harder to stay fit and easier to keep snacking on foods that are filling and not so healthy.  Salad in this weather just isn't appealing. 

I caught up on my Rainbow scrap challenge for March and April using greens and purples from the scrap bins.  

On my Heartstrings group, a quilter posted a block pattern for making this arrangement using smaller widths and lengths of strips so I pulled out my bin of Canadian themed fabric scraps and played around with the idea.  Easy to do this as a leader and ender project while working on another project.

I started these Bento box blocks while in Arizona and then realized I had another half jelly roll the same and with more blocks, can probably make two smaller quilts? The fabric has letters on it so not sure of the recipient - a child or maybe a teacher? Below the blocks is my first row x row for April.  I didn't have a fabric kit for it so am pulling fabrics from my stash.  The applique is traced and fused and waiting for me to attach.

A nice stack of the strips from the block above that now need the corner triangles attached.  A very messy project but using up fabric that otherwise would be sitting there.

More Bento boxes waiting for the final step in finishing them.

The purple plus blocks made for April. 

I have a large number of quilts waiting for being loaded on the B-line and quilted.  However one did get loaded and stitched yesterday so it is a start.

A 3 yard Town Square is ready for binding.

And, the binding strips are cut, waiting for the next step.

I have spent this morning tidying up and organizing.  Lots of activities and appointments for the next three weeks.  Dental work needs to be done, Doctor's appointment for my husband, a Modern guild sew in on Saturday, two different guild meetings this week, a fun afternoon/evening celebrating the 25th anniversary of the school that we both retired from, and a one day retreat with the modern guild that was postponed during covid.  Also, my traditional guild is having a two day quilt show and I will be judging quilts as  Past president and will also have a Quilt of Valour booth for information about the organization.  

We went from a sunny March with cacti blooming in Arizona to some dismal weather here at home. 

However, we do have some daffodils blooming and the grass is green and growing, slowly.

My Christmas cactus has decided to bloom again which is lovely on these gloomy days. 

Off to get another quilt loaded on the B-line and get myself organized for the upcoming guild meetings.  Lots of trips up and down the stairs to load up my car with what I want to take for show and tell as well as quilts to donate to various causes.  Happy Easter and I hope you got to share with family and friends.

A few weeks spent at our winter home.

We arrived at our winter home a month ago and I have been busy playing tennis, getting our yard and home taken care of, including a new roof and also doing a lot of reading.  I wasn't overly excited to get into my sewing room but, you know that didn't last, and I have managed a few projects but have not been spending a huge amount of time in there.  It was fun to arrive here and find some bottles of wine, safely stored in the bathtub.  Sounds silly, but it is the coolest room in the house and if one should burst for some reason, the clean up would be much easier in this location. 

The first weekend we arrived, we had a tennis fun day with the Canadians versus the Americans in a Can-Am challenge.  Am happy to say that the Canadians won.  For fun, some of the players decided to start the game with a tennis ball drop rather than a puck drop. Silly seniors but good for chuckle.

I pulled out my scrap buckets of greens and pinks to make my February and March plus blocks for the rainbow scrap challenge. 

Here are the green and pinks blocks made.  A really easy way to start stitching and making sure my machine was working properly. 

And

It took us awhile to get roofing quotes and finally a decision, was made choosing a company and roof colour and our materials were delivered. 

The materials sat there for a few days.  You can see the skies that are typical of this year.  Much cooler temperatures and lots of clouds rather than clear skies with the sun beating down on us. 

A friend showed me a method of making bento box blocks and I pulled out a jelly roll and started playing with the strips. 

And, I had a row x row waiting for me.  Since I challenged my Wednesday Diva group to make two per month, I figured I better get at least one done in March.  I had to look for a variety of supplies and was happy to find paper backed fusible web and a roll of freezer paper. 

We have been having rain once a week since we arrived and the roofers were concerned about the prediction of two days of rain so they really got busy and managed to strip our old roof off and get the new roof on in one day. 

A second day was needed to install all the vents and whirly birds (to keep the air in the attic cooler on a hot day).  And then it was all done. 

We are waiting patiently for some heat and sun to encourage the blooming of the cactus.  When they bloom, they are glorious but weather is not cooperating.

It has been cool enough here that we haven't needed the a/c turned on and actually have had the fireplace on for the last few evenings.  Unheard of for this time of year here! 

The bento box blocks are growing.  These still need to be trimmed and tidied up but will make a nice donation quilt.

I did make this quilt top from 5 one yard pieces of fabric.  I chose to use the 3 yard Illusions pattern from Fabric Cafe but added in two more rows of colours.  This is pressed and ready to head home with me for quilting and finishing.

Another 3 yard quilt made using some maple leaf fabric I brought with me from home.  

I have my row x row finished although I haven't stitched down the applique.  But all the tracing, cutting piecing background, and fusing is complete.

These are the rows that I have here that are completed.  I will have to look and see if I have more kits to make and if not, this will make a nice wallhanging and will aim to get it made and finished next winter season when we head south.  I have a nice selection of southwest fabrics to use for sashings and borders and am looking forward to getting this done.  

So, that is how the last 4 weeks has gone for us.  Busy with being active and also reading quite a bit on rainy days.  A really unusual season here with lots of complaints about the lack of warmth but, great for being outside and playing tennis except when it rains!  

Managing Monday Feb 20th

 As our dreary rainy days continue here in the Pacific northwest, every day we try to have a game plan as to what the best time of day it is to walk if we are going to go to the park.  Our rec center is closed for a few days because they are refinishing the floors so we are forced to figure out Mother Nature and her plans for the weather each day.

We are happy, however, as we are heading to sunnier skies although I hear that the weather in the southwest U.S. is not normal and many windy days mixed in with sun, clouds and rain plus a lot of rain with snow at higher elevations.  Any dry days on the tennis court will be appreciated.

So, lots of lists.  Since this is a short trip because of my husband's January surgery (travel health insurance is a crazy amount of money), we are counting our blessings to be able to get a respite from the Pacific northwest winter days although, I do appreciate the lighter, later evenings and lighter, earlier mornings. 

It is hard to know what to work on when you also know that you are going to be gone from your studio for awhile.  I have been tidying, cleaning and organizing so that on my return, I will know what I was doing and I have 3 quilt tops ready for quilting.  Frankenbatts were made for them and backings are done.  

Our happy blocks have been made into a few preemie quilts plus one for my good friend becoming a Grandma for the first time.  

And Kimberley by Gudrun Designs got quilted and bound.

My PBJ from last year is put together and waiting to be quilted.

Plus, supersized Amalie, another from Gudrun designs is also put together after her sew in a few weeks ago.

Another preemie finished.

A preemie for baby girl is done.

Block from quilts of Valour called Parade are on my design wall as I make them. 

More blocks for Parade being put together.

I also put together a 3 yard quilt that I had cut a kit for last December.  This one was super easy.

The first Parade quilt is put together but I think they want them smaller so will have to remove one row of blocks.  That is ok because they can get added to the other blocks.  Blocks can be mailed to Quilt Canada in Halifax and you can enter a contest to win a sewing machine. 

Three row by rows for February got finished although I have not done the applique stitch around the fused pieces.  I will wait until I have a few more to do and make it a marathon.

So that is February and pretty much all that will probably get done.  There is still a week left in the month but am hoping I spend it playing tennis and being social and not sitting in my sewing room in my "other" house. 

Managing Monday: making task lists, tidying and organizing for February

 The weather is bound to get nicer and soon it will be gardening time and tennis courts will be dry so that means a few hours daily playing with my senior friends. 

In the meantime, it always feels like there is lots to be done and as soon as I feel caught up in my sewing studio, I start new projects and I see more ideas to play with. The log cabin block is now a flimsy (top) and waiting patiently for quilting and binding. 

The fabric from the modern guild a few summers ago (a destash by community quilts) has now been used in  making 3 quilt tops.  I made two that I posted in my last blog and had enough blocks plus some extra green to put together this top.  Fabric is gone! 

Simplicity II got  quilted and bound and ready for donation.

These are the first quilts from the destash mentioned above.  Both quilted and bound. One is slightly larger than the other.

I joined in with Gudrun's Saturday sewing to make these blocks for a quilt she calls Amalie.  The top is now together and waiting for quilting.  I used a variety of batiks and later wished I had chosen a different fabric for the white frames.  But, it is made and will be a warm, cozy quilt when it is finished.

Meadowland mystery is put together and waiting for the next step.  This is good - the instructions came out on Thursday and I had it done and pressed by Sunday.  Be impressed!

Plus, a bonus, the binding is made and waiting.

Our Wednesday quilting group has been playing with framed charms or happy blocks and between the 6 of us, there are going to be a lot of blocks to play with.  I put one together for a friend from some of my blocks but I still have 100 that I have made!  It takes 20 blocks for a preemie and 30 blocks for a toddler quilt.  This one is waiting for binding but it will get done during my next zoom session!

 

My design wall was a bit of a mess with all that I was working on... the beginning of Amalie Supersized on the right, various ideas playing with charms including a split 9 patch and some square in a square blocks.  

 

These are some of my blocks but there are now loads more finished.  I organized my frames with my centers and have them sitting by my sewing machine and using them as leaders and enders.

Then it was the end of the month and I spent the last 3 days stitching down ALL the  pieces on my row by rows.  I had rows that were made 8 years ago plus the ones I made in January.  It was boring and not a lot of fun but, I am up to date and all the bits and pieces are attached permanently.  The 8 rows in the first picture are the ones that were made previously but I hadn't stitched the applique down. 

These rows are the ones that I made in January.  Applique all stitched down on these as well.  Now, onto February.  I did make four but two of them were really simple so figured I would keep going.  Still lots of the darn rows waiting for me to get them done.

This is the beginning of the first row I will make in February. 

These drunkard path blocks were given to me by a fellow Wednesday quilt Diva.  There is no picture or instructions but I did google the shop in Edmonton and found a picture of the row in a completed quilt and it will be good to make because it will work as a vertical row and those are needed to make the quilt wider than 36"which is the width of the rows in the patterns.

I have a quilt on the B-line, loaded and a few rows started of the quilting.  My goal is to quilt two per month but, that is crazy because, I am making lots more tops per month that I plan on quilting so I will never get caught up.  Oh well.  It is more fun to make tops than to quilt them!

I have my February monthly projects to complete:

- Patterns by Jen February:aqua

- Rainbow Scrap challenge: 3 different blocks, colour is pink

- Assemble some blocks to use the framed charms that we will have lots of after Wednesday

- Row by rows

- Load a second quilt on the B-line

- Heartstrings challenge is to use one yards of fabric which is perfect for any 3 yard pattern and I have many cut, ready and waiting. 

My big declutter project was to clean out and tidy the storage cupboard that is in my laundry room.  It took me all morning to do but, wow, what a difference and I have all those items like light bulbs and extension cords organized and labelled.  I did have to use a trash bag for some of the cleaning supplies that had leaked or were beyond use and after I was finished, a trip to the recycling depot happened to get rid of dead batteries and burnt out light bubs.  A place for everything and everything in its place. 

Off to finish quilting the Kimberley top on the B-line and get the binding onto the baby quilt.  Never a lack of projects when I am in my happy place.