Chickens In The Corners Quilt

The four corner blocks and the two middle blocks have chicken prints in the middle of the blocks. It is very interesting how this quilt is coming together. I never would have picked these colors and fabrics, but I have them (Thank you, M!) and they just kind of picked themselves.

The brown fabric has leaves, the dark has birds (chickens?) and the blue and red are cheerful. I would like to end up with a friendly quilt. One that says pick me up.

Tomorrow I'll cut horizontal lattice strips and hook the four rows of blocks together. When I start having to hand sew long rows of stitching I start thinking about uncovering my sewing machine and getting the job done quickly, but I do like hand sewing.

I've got this far so I'll keep going with the hand sewing.

When I learned to sew in the 40's, I had to baste everything before I could sew it... even before sewing on the sewing machine. Pinning was just to hold the material together while you cut the fabric or while you basted. Ugh!

Now I just use pins. I don't baste anymore unless there is a real problem getting the fabric to stay in place while it's sewn. I even use pins when I'm machine sewing... I just don't sew over the pins. 

This morning the sun hit the bare tops of the trees at just the right angle to light them up. I tried to capture the brilliant glow of reflected sunlight off the top branches.

Morgan had a busy day chasing feral cats all day and barking. She is limping a little bit and is worn out! I'm going to keep her in the house tomorrow. The chickens won't be happy having to stay in their pen, but Morgan needs a day to rest. I don't know where all these cats are from or why they are here. I wonder if they are after the chickens?

Peek at the Past

(February 8, 2010)

I'm going to make some poached eggs tomorrow!

[1 egg today]

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Smiles

Some Days Nothing Much Happens

Well, most days nothing much happens and that's the way I like it!

It has been my experience that stuff happening has not on the whole been positive. I would like to keep my everyday doings simple.

Wake up, let Morgan out, let Morgan in and feed her, make up the fire in the wood stove, and make breakfast. After the walk down to unlock the gate for Kristine (there is a gate down there) I have a nice walk back up past the house to the chicken coop.

I let the chickens and Morgan out and check for eggs. Fill the feeders and clean the waterer. This is a photo of a Wyandotte in front of an Australorp. I think the Australorps and the Buffs are laying. The Brahmas?

I haven't started raking up the leaves yet. I'm spending my time working on the quilt.

After looking through all the fabrics I finally picked a small patterned blue for the lattice strips between the blocks.

I know I'm supposed to use a solid, but I don't want to buy any fabric. The idea was to use up the fabric that I have.


Mostly I want this to be a happy quilt. I would like it to bring forth a smile or maybe a grin.

I have some red print for a border, but I'm not sure yet what colors to use. I'll wait to choose until I get the lattice strips around all the blocks.

Peek at the Past

(February 7, 2009)

I really do have to make that quilt.

[2 eggs today]

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Smiles

Finishing Up Kentucky Chain

I'm about half way done finishing the Kentucky Chain block (the 12th and last block.) The photo shows the Kentucky Chain pieces laid out on the cutting mat.

The 11th block on the ironing board (the Missouri Star) is finished.

I decided to make these 12 blocks because I have never made them before and I hoped to find a block I really like that I could use to make a quilt using only that block.

I'm not that good of a seamstress that I can sew 1/4 inch seams without a guide. My method is to use a ruler and mark a 1/4 inch sewing line with a pencil. I do need to get a light marker for the dark fabric. I have several... chalk, a white and yellow pencil type marker... but they don't work. I need to get myself to a quilt store.

Back to sewing...

 Peek at the Past

(February 5, 2009)

[2 eggs today]

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Smiles

Montana And Missouri

The top photo is #10 the Montana block. After I figured out the illustrations and instructions the block was really easier to make than some of the others.

The bottom photo is #11 the Missouri Star block. It is still in the layout and stitch together stage.

The #12 block (Kentucky Chain) is going to give me fits. I understand the instructions, but putting the block together looks like a lot of fiddly work. Hope the block will be easier to sew than the illustrations make out.

I would like to put some words/quote in the border strips and maybe a strip with chickens or eggs and 4th of July stuff. I'll have a 4th of July quilt with patriotic chickens.

Well, first I have to get these last two blocks finished before I can play around with the fun stuff like making letters.

Morgan was out with the chickens for most of the day and is tired and sleeping. At least she didn't roll in stinky stuff again.

 Peek at the Past

(February 3, 2010)

[2 eggs today]

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Smiles

4th Of July Quilt?

I'm hand sewing 12 different blocks because I enjoy the hand work while watching old black and white movies on YouTube.

The latest videos I've found star Franchot Tone. I guess I don't really watch the movies as much as glance and listen to them while I sew. Very relaxing.

I just don't get the same enjoyment out of machine sewing, but I certainly don't want to give up my sewing machine. However, I take great pleasure out of hand sewing the blocks and hand quilting.

Kristine's good friend gifted me with lots of wonderful fabric. Thank You Very Much!!! I decided to make some blocks and see what happened. I didn't have a plan. I started with the chickens and the colors just kind of chose themselves... dark, light, medium and fabrics with bird and leaf prints. The blocks have lots of red, white and blue so I either have a Valentine or a 4th of July quilt. Chicken's on the Porch quilt?

The blocks are from the Pioneer sampler by Eleanor Burns and I am having a lot of fun putting them together. I've never made any of them before. Only three left to go.

I checked the temperature outside on the way to the gate this morning... 36 ∘

It was 9am. The middle of the country is having terrible weather,

but this is cold enough for me.

Peek at the Past

(February 1, 2010)
Neat egg videos

[3 eggs today]

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Smiles

Little Sewing, Big Egg

There were only two blocks that I didn't take apart when I stopped sewing and yesterday I made two more to match them. The plan I have is to make a small wall hanging for the green room. I still want to make Kristine a quilt, but I will do this first and hopefully I'll be able to get back into the swing of quilt making. I feel like I'm sneaking the sewing past my migraines. I'll just play it cool and they won't notice. 

I'm going to make up some artsy asian looking type wall hanging...

maybe even two? I think I will go for colors ahead of design. 

Itunes and I have been having a lot of fun lately since I have found Itunes U and I have been listening to class lectures from Stanford, Berkeley, and other universities. Some of the classes have video, but I even like listening to the sans-video lectures while I do other things. It is pretty neat listening to lectures by Pulitzer winning professors. You can learn great stuff!

Today there was such a difference in the sizes of these two eggs that I had to take a photo. In fact for some reason they seem to have more of a size difference in real life than in the photo. The small egg is a Cochin egg, but I'm not sure if the large egg is an Orpington or a Brahma egg. I think it is probably an Orpington egg because they are supposed to be medium to large while the Brahma eggs are listed as medium. 

There was only one egg laid in the open nest boxes today.

[10 eggs today]

Smiles

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