Reading list #2

1. The Bitterroots by C. J. Box Cassie Dewell private investigator 
2. The Last One Home by Debbie Macomber romantic fluff about someone living a normal life, she can go places without thinking about covid19. It’s really about a woman starting over after escaping an abusive husband.  Book 1
3. A Girls Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber  Book 2
4. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner very slow reading in the beginning then it picked up, about flu epidemic in 1918 takes place in Philadelphia, Pa.  The story is written in first person by 4 different people so could be hard to follow, I had to check back to the name at the beginning of each chapter to know who was telling the story.
5. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand, written by a college professor who teaches classes about urban legends, modern folklore and researches the stories we told around the campfire in our youth. Amusing.
6. Pale Rider by Laura Spinney non fiction all encompassing history of epidemics, pandemics and plagues and specifically the Spanish flu of 1918. Survivors washed their hands, covered their mouth and kept their distance kinda like what we are going through now.
7. The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd. Historical fiction about the production of indigo in South Carolina pre revolutionary war. Liza Lucas Pinkney was the woman responsible for the indigo trade in colonial America.
8. The Great Quake by Henry Fountain non fiction about the 1964 earthquake in Alaska. I was 8 years old when that happened and I can remember the news reports so clearly. Very interesting to read and a lot of earth science.

My South Africa indigos, I only have fat 1/8 yard cuts and a couple I cut and used in a quilt several years ago.  They are a much brighter blue than of indigos I used in the 9 patch/puss in the corner quilt.  I'm still trying to figure out how to use these fabrics.  The backs of some are stamped by the manufacturer.   I wish I could use both sides of the fabric.  --Ann--

Indigo

 Going from random placement of squares to a more symmetrical placement of some squares.  I like to boldness of the darks against the white patches.  The swallows circiling in the center really draws the eye in but I like the birds social distancing in the middle pic more.  What  would I do if I didn't have a healthy stash of fabrics!?!  --Ann--

design wall

New project on the wall. I have been thinking about my stack of blues since finishing The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd. A teenage girl is left to run the plantation in South Carolina 1739 while her father is fighting the Spanish. Indigo might be her cash crop to save the family farm. Based on the life of Eliza Lucas Pinkney.
Going through the stack of blues was like seeing old friends and acquaintances many of whom I had forgotten where we met. Repo 19th century blues, Moda blues, patriotic blues, indigo blues, Dutch wood block blues and a short stack of South African blues. So many choices and decisions and how many quilts. Divide and conquer!
Indigos and a stack of fat quarters that might be Japanese very dark navy almost black with very plain motifs that by themselves would be very dull. Mix them with some other Asian style prints.

 Simple design to show off the prints large squares alternating with 9 patch/puss in the corner blocks. It needed something brighter to catch the eye, red? I don't want a patriotic looking quilt, yellow/gold would be a better choice.   Lots of blocks to sew.  --Ann--

Is it really spring

Our snow is gone! It melted then it evaporated!! It’s gone!
Then I saw some daffodils blooming, is it really spring?
It's time for a new project I'm tired of sewing masks and I need to clear the design wall.
Finish this flimsy!!!

 These blocks have been arranged and rearranged now they are stitched and set for life. Maybe I will add a border maybe I won't.  Add it to the stack for the next basting day.
I pulled out a stack for fabric from the stash because I was inspired by a book I read, more on that next week.  I have been working on graph paper and doing math on paper and in my head and making lots of notes so that I make the best use of the fabrics with as little waste as possible.  My head is swimming with ideas, will it be one quilt or two.    The end of the 6th week of staying home.
--Ann--

out of snowman season

Hubby and I went for a walk as we do most days, the sky was blue and the sun was shining bright, the day wasn't as warm as it looked, and we came to this snowman along the path.  I'm definatly out of snowman season but here on the plains the best snow for snowmen is in October/ November and March/April.  Its usually  too cold to build a snowman in December, January and February.  Sometimes too cold to be outside unless you have the warmest winter clothes but the snow is also too cold and dry to stick together.  Anyway he was a cheery sight.   --Ann--

knitting

Knitting socks in the morning with coffee and thinking about what I could do today, not should because these days of staying home the sense of urgency is gone. No agenda planning, no meetings, no social gatherings, no setting deadlines or bargaining with myself to get this done then I can do that. A feeling of limbo but also a feeling of enjoy the moment then seize the day.
After I have seized the day I can cozy up in front of the tv and work on this sweater.  It is a cotton, wool, silk, and rayon blend and feels delicious in my hands.  Knitting is so much more enjoyable if you like the way the yarn feels in your hands .  By using  a short cable the stitches move themselves along the cable so I can knit faster.  I'll have this sweater done in no time then no place to go to wear it.  Seize your day —Ann—

more masks

More masks!!!
I made some with batiks and using 2 inches of elastic on each side with a 12 inch tie with a slip knot.
just slide it to tighten it up.
I used a 2 1/2 length of leftover tie to make the loop on some.........I might as well use all my scraps for these.
And that works just as well as the elastic loop.
Hubby watched a video on tieing on a mask  yeah really how hard can that be??!!! tieing a bow behind your head is not easy.

I have been reading some books about the 1918 influenza those who survived stayed away from others, covered their mouth and washed their hands.  We all have ancestors who lived through it or we wouldn't be here today.
A week ago I was sitting in the sun on the deck, woke up to 2-3 inches of snow Easter morning and its still here.
Hope you are staying home  and safe
--Ann--

Pin wheels and 4 patches

 Random placement of half square triangles in the pin wheels.

 Matching half square triangles in the pin wheels.

I moved the top row of 4 patches and half square triangles from the top and right sides to the left and bottom centering all of the16 patch blocks in the diamond formed by the pin wheel blocks.
Which way do I want to sew it together??  I'll study it for a couple more days while I sew face masks.
--Ann--

summer day

 The last 2 days have been too nice to spend much time in the sewing room.  I sat on the deck and rolled up my pant legs,  I went for a walk,  I sat on the deck, I went for another walk.
I sewed a few yards of ties for masks. One of these days we will be required to wear a mask to the grocery store.
Since elastic is in short supply......... and I used all of my twill tape for ties.  How can I make this easier and stretch the materials?  I sewed 4 little loops of elastic to the corners of the mask then sewed the ear loop to the elastic.   I could just sew one loop of elastic on each side.......it still has enough stretch to be comfortable.        
The original pattern has a wire sewn into the bias binding and also needed 82 inches of bias binding for each mask.  Pressing the bias into bias binding was painstakingly slow. I cut a pile of bias scraps in half lengthwise then folded it as I sewed with the serpentine sitich. Easier and no burnt fingers.  
I just sewed around the wire for the nose.
--Ann--

design wall

I needed a day of mindless normal sewing.  Just scraps and strips I had previously cut, 2 1/2 inch and 4 1/2 inch strips. I just stuck things on the design wall as I sewed and I can see I need to bring some order to it by matching the pin wheel blades in color and value.  Those bright blue squares really pop.  I like that.  Back to sewing masks  I pulled a pile of wonderful fabrics out of the stash, the wondering what I was thinking I would make with that fabric. When I need a stretch from sewing masks I will rearrange the pin wheels.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home............--Ann--

doing my part

The neighbor lady was cutting masks for the fabric store so she brought some over for me to sew.
2 hours later and 12 masks.  Now there is a shortage of elastic.......
The next bunch I sew will have strings.  April fool it’s winter again, the ground is covered with snow.
--Ann--

Cardinal song

I listened to a cardinal sing while I drank my morning coffee and knit a few rows then a blackbird invaded the tree.  Hubby and I delivered meals to shut ins this week.  The instructions were to ring the door bell and put the food in the cooler by the door and leave. I waited until I heard some movement inside and saw them open the door. I waved and wished them a good day. We were in the neighborhood where hubby grew up so he was telling who used to live in some of the houses.  It felt good to get out and be useful.  — Ann—