December Already? How'd That Happen?!

I seem to have asked that question twelve times this year, as one month slid into another.  How'd that happen?!  My mother told me almost 50 years ago that once I turned 21, time would speed up and the years would fly by.  She was right!

I do know how I've filled some of my time -- at least, since Friday...

• Rinsing, drying and pressing the first snow-dye of this season:

Yes, the colours are more muted than many of my previous efforts, and the dye is more evenly distributed.  First, I attribute this to my layering these small bits and bobs of fabric rather than scrunching them up under the snow.  Second, I may have let the process go on a bit too long -- there was a lot of melted snow when I finally got to rinsing it.  Note the two really pale pieces; those are a remnants from a white sheet that was a poly-cotton blend.  The 'poly' part just doesn't absorb MX dye the way the 'cotton' does.  

Am I disappointed with these results?  Not a whit!  Remember, my 'go to' pieces are miniature rural landscapes, and these will make wonderful fields and skies.

• Knitting on the Wild Socks.  The heel on Sock #2 is turned and I'm moving down the foot;

• Serving tea. coffee and goodies at the second annual Mirror & District Museum Open House.

Above is a portion of the main room of the Museum, taken just before the doors opened for yesterday's event.  The quilt in the centre cabinet was done in honour of the hamlet's centennial in 2012 and donated to the museum by yours truly (blush).  

• Assembling 25 'Broken Dishes' units for Clue #1 of Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt:

Aren't they pretty?  I stumbled on a 2 1/2" strip of yellow in my stash, and it's taking me through most of the blocks.  Twenty-five is 1/4 the required number; I'm debating assembling 25 more (to bring it to half)...concerned about the amount of yellow I have left.  (Remember: I'm determined not to buy fabric for this one!).  You can see too (just barely) that I have a mix of pinks and "turquoises" (and blacks, though you can't tell that in the photo).  Going for as-close-as-I-can-with-my-scraps! And...

• Piecing the final block of the second Block-of-the-Month I have from old, stashed kits. (The blocks from the third, "Zen", will be made in 2015).  Dating from 2003, "Four by Four" consists of eleven 12 1/2" blocks -- and one 'stray from who-knows-where, that came in at 10 1/2") assembled with Christmas-themed fabric.  

"Army Star"

This is not my usual cup of tea but the fabric was so pretty I had to collect it.  Here's Block #12 - "Army Star" (I didn't make up that name and don't know it's origin.  If one of you can enlighten, Gentle Readers, I'd appreciate it!)  All I know is, this one is my favourite of the bunch because it's so festive!

While all this piecing's been going on, I've rested my brain from the last 15 x 15 Group Challenge.   It wasn't long till I was pondering a couple of new art pieces...

I'm linking this up with BKH's Mystery Monday Link Up Part 1...and settling in for an evening of reading and embroidery...just for a change.

Have a good one!  :-)

Remember to Read the Fine Print

Being early in the month, yesterday I took some time to piece the November "Four by Four" Block of the Month -- the project in Christmas fabric I've been working on all year in order to finish the kitted tops I collected over time from Freckles Quilt Shoppe in Calgary (now closed as the owner retired).

Problem.

I didn't have a block for Month #11 -- November.

I'd discovered this some time back, and decided to select an alternative block that I thought would suit -- one from a BOM in 2006.

It turned out very prettily re-interpreted in Christmas fabrics, don't you think?

"Grandma's Favourite"

Problem.

The "Four by Four" patterns finish at 12" square -- but this isn't written on the pattern.  I didn't think twice about selecting "Grandma's Favourite because I liked the pattern and thought it would fit well with the other blocks I'd pieced

BUT

It finishes at 10" square -- and this is written right on the pattern...in small print.

I'd missed it entirely.

Ah well; if/when I put the blocks into a top, I'll just have to cope! 

Lesson: it pays to read the fine print!

Time to Catch Up

My last post wasn't made even a week ago, but it seems longer.  A great deal has been going on, and I'm only just getting back into a routine.

Friday (Aug. 1), late in the day, my friends arrived from Calgary for the weekend.  They've been here before for such weekends -- whereupon we talk a lot, eat a lot of wonderful food (often al fresco), make a lot, and sleep a little.  This weekend Mother Nature smiled upon us and the sun was out just about all day, every day.

Mary sketching

Shalaya preparing to rust fabric

Wonderful things happen during this sort of weekend.  For one thing, my friends get me to do things I've been meaning to do and have been procrastinating about, like acid-dyeing silk and wool yarn, heat-set by the sun:

Start with the Primary Colours, eh?

Move on to secondary colours...and wool yarn...

Next, I get to see what they're working on, and to learn their techniques for doing what I may have already done on my own, like rusting fabric.  And...we share not only ideas but materials (many of those rusty bits came from my stash).

More silk -- and Shalays' rusted fabric - drying in the breeze

Friday and Sunday night we barbequed (chicken, then beef) but Saturday the gals treated me to dinner at a wonderful family-owned restaurant in Lacombe -- Leto's Steak & Seafood House.  If you're ever in the area, you need to try it!  Don't be fooled by the "official" name, though.  The family that owns and runs is it Greek, and the lamb is....perfection!  (Guess how I know!)

Monday was a holiday here but still the gals had to head back to the city early enough to beat the "wagon train" of campers and trailers that would be heading back later in the day.  We had a thunderstorm Sunday night, so it was lovely and cool Monday a.m. -- perfect for heading out to the "U-Pick" at Billyco Junction Gardens near Lacombe...aiming for strawberries, honeyberries and Saskatoons. Another something I'd been "thinking about doing" but needed a prod...

After a good morning's picking, we went to the Honeyberry Cafe for lunch.  I had the beet soup (not traditional borscht) with barley bread...and Mary and I shared the last piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie in the kitchen.  All of this was enjoyed on the patio. Mmmmm...

Ellis Bird Farm, near Lacombe, AB

We went our separate ways after lunch with a promise to do this again soon -- maybe even next summer -- with the next planned feature to be a field trip to the Ellis Bird Farm (and tea room...of course!)

Over the next day and a half, I finished the process of dyeing the silks by washing and drying them on the rack in the sunshine.  I had a bit of trouble with the Sun Yellow dye bath "curdling" (i.e., producing a residue of apparently undissolved dye when left overnight).  This seemed to be resolve with added heat  (via microwave).  However, I think that the Scarlet and the Sky Blue were such strong colours that a) the second red silk sample barely absorbed any secondary (yellow) dye (I was hoping for orange); and b) the blue sample, when yellow was added, turned into a beautiful deep green, but still had yellow residue -- it was clearly pretty saturated too!

Top to Bottom: Pure Scarlet, Scarlet + SunYellow,
Pure Sun Yellow, Sun Yellow + Sky Blue,
Sky Blue + Sun Yellow, Pure Sky Blue

Each piece positively glows!  I have plans for them, so look for up-coming pieces...

In addition to finishing up the dyeing, I put the Saskatoons in the freezer for future use and turned the strawberries into jam:

Jammin' on Tuesday

I also got back to some sewdio activities, including more pieced blocks for the Japanese Taupe Quilt.  I've managed to lay out the first corner section (to finish at 45" x 45")...and I'm thinking I need to replace the centre line of five (5) plain blocks (which would otherwise have quilted motifs) with something with a subtle print -- or with an applique on that plain background.  I laid the section out on the stripped bed in the guest room.  Ideas, anyone?

Finally, because it's now August, I assembled Block #8 of the "Four by Four" Block-of-the-Month that I began in January, in Christmas-themed fabrics.  This one is called "Cross & Crown" and I rather like it.  Because I'm working with the admittedly small stash of "Christmas" fabric I have on hand (I'm not a 'holiday quilting' person), it's always a challenge to interpret the pattern -- even though I collected these particular fabrics to go with the background and pattern provided by the LQS.

Cross & Crown - 4 x 4 BOM - Block #8

So...while only the BOM and the Taupe Quilt qualify as 'WIPs'...I'm linkin' to WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network.  Then...I'm heading outside for a bit of time in the late afternoon/early evening sunshine.  Gosh, I hope it's cooled off by now!

And Another BOM

Nearly a year ago I posted about three sets of Blocks-of-the-Month I'd found in a drawer.  The first set, "Cinnamon" is finished, but not assembled.  Yesterday I started on the second set, "Four by Four", which has a Christmas theme.   I've never been much for 'seasonal' decor.  I don't do up my home every time there's a holiday.  However, I think I'm going to enjoy this project because the fabrics are so very pretty.

Here's the first block, entitled "Snowflake" -- and yes, it has a touch of my signature wonkiness to it, if you look closely.  I do these things to keep my hand in at traditional piecing, as well as to have a flimsy or two on hand in case it's needed.  Sometimes it's perfect...and sometimes it's not!  :-)