Kyle’s Bday; colour plots n schemes

Today, Kyle turned 13 years old .. wow .. it just seems like yesterday that he was born – where does the bloody time go ..

My dad came over and we grilled burgers on the grill and then had cake for his bday .. he was still feeling a bit off today so no ice cream as I keep him off dairy when he’s like this, but then we opened his presents .. he LOVED his boom box and his game .. Reg and him put his box together then he vanished for a bit to listen to CDs .. we need to get the adaptor for his iPod still – we forgot that in the running around yesterday and then he played his game for a bit .. this one is harder than last years .. the pitching is different .. but he’s going to have fun with it and the look on his face when he opened his presents was priceless 🙂 .. he even said to me “mum I had a really good day today .. Thank you .. ” .. l was like .. you’re welcome .. with my mouth was hanging open ..

So far not a lot done quilt-wise .. did quality family time instead and consider myself coming out ahead ..

I’m going to cut the rest of the fabric for the Double X blocks and get those sections together .. then I might work on the simplex stars .. I’ve ideas / plots n plans in my head for colours, but it might be a good idea to continue working from the middle out block / colour wise – that way I can make the necessary colour adjustments as needed .. I KNOW that I want the simplex stars to be greens and blues .. the middle sisters will be purple; I and doing the Double X in reds .. now the outer sisters will be blue .. the blocks that i will have to be careful with colourwise will be the Ohio Stars and the outer sisters ..

I would really like the outer sisters to be blue and if I go that route, i have a paisley that is blue on pink that would work very well for the Ohio Star .. heh .. this quilt is very much flying by the seat of my pants ..

I’m not sure if I’m going to leave the corners as the solid Underground RR or use the other ones that have the split background .. I’ll just have to put them next to the blocks and make my mind up then.

Well off to cut then – will post pics later maybe ….

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I’ve a teenager **GASP**; sisters; gutters

It’s been a quiet few days .. quilt wise .. I’ve let this layout take seed in my mind and I do rather like it .. It has been suggested“switching the brown RR blocks with the blue sisters blocks or maybe the pinwheel type blocks?” – I rather like the idea of maybe doing a double frame with the Underground RR blocks surrounding the purple sisters blocks tho .. altho this does push the blue sisters blocks off the edge of the quilt and will be draping off the edges of the quilt .. this one I have to think about .. Reg really liked the sisters blocks .. that’s the only block he picked. BUT I do have the whole center of the quilt for that block .. **thinks n plots**

Tomorrow is Kyle’s bday Oh my Lord .. my baby’s going to be 13(!!) I’m to bloody young for this LOL. We got him MLB 2K8 for the Xbox 360 and a boombox that will allow his mp3 player to be attached and he can use it for speakers. I think he’s going to like it .. he’s not feeling too well today at all but is not running a fever .. so here’s hoping that he’ll throw off what’s ailing him and can enjoy tomorrow .. wow 13

I’ve spent the past few days battling Mother Nature and my rain gutters .. I’m thinking that this gutter system originally had a downspout in the middle of the gutter – which is no longer there .. I unearthed the hole when I cleaned the gutters and plugged it. But cleaning the gutters didn’t stop the waterfall going into my flowering shrub. I fixed the waterfall spot by using a hammer and a piece of board to whack it back into shape – the drainage went back to going to the middle spout which isn’t there anymore. The water then decided to go over the top of the gutter as it’s not meant to be side draining. I ended up with a nasty waterfall hitting my flower beds during the deluge of yesterday and was absolutely besides myself with watching. In the afternoon after i had ‘fixed’ the gutter, i was balancing on the rail with the hammer and board trying to bang them up so they would drain down the sides during the worst deluge we’ve had all summer .. i was beyond soaked by the time i gave up. Again it rained and at 1am i’m having kittens on my porch watching my flowers swim underwater – my poor neighbour has been helping me plot with ways to correct this and she pounced on me when we got home from shopping with an idea and we just fine-tuned it from there and i think it’s going to work!!

We took a 45&#176 tubing joint and a piece of pvc to have it drain but not into my garden, but over the garden into the grass … I can always get a decorative stone to put there or a birdbath if it creates a hole in my lawn .. now I really do need new gutters, but since I rent, I’m not likely to pay for this myself and I know my landlord won’t do it .. so a stop-gap measure will work 🙂 I’ve already placed bricks there as it had dripped there already.

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Underground RR … again :S; updated layout

Not sure how i feel about all that brown .. it looks to me like there’s going to be a brown blob in the middle edges of my quilt – while the rest of it will be more colourful ..

After I finished the middle section the other day, I brought all the sections to my bedroom and laid them out on the bed .. nope I just didn’t like it .. just tooo much … brown splat – framing this bright center .. the design of the Underground RR block is great – I just love that look I got, but not with that ..

I’ve been looking at it and looking at it and I’m just not sure I want to keep the Underground RR sections like they are – I am thinking of frogging the sections apart and using them instead for the outer blocks around the quilt – more like a frame and keep the rest of the colours more in the middle .. I’m just not liking it as it looks right now ..

Again, picking colours is my clue .. can’t decide on red or blue and both would work just fine – but it’s not a matter of it looking fine or okay . .but do **I** like it .. and i’m not sure i do .. it’s a GREAT design and look for those blocks, but does it really fit well with the look i want?? I’m thinking not more and more .. might be part of the reason that I’ve been dragging my feet on this .. (besides batting issues :D) – batting issues wouldn’t stop me from putting the top together .. i’m just hemming and hawing at it ..

So, i’ll boot up quiltpro again and fiddle around with it some more .. the more i think about it, the more I like the idea of having this quilt framed by these blocks at the edges .. and these edges are the ones that will be part of my drape off the bed .. and use more sisters blocks, ohio star, simplex star and the double X blocks .. yup – I think I like that better .. and if I need more of the Underground, I do have more of the brown vines fabric that I can make it with and use reds for the inner colours 😀 or creams or lighter browns that i have 😀

Update

With fidding a few things around – I came up with one layout with 2 different looks dependng on if i ‘spread’ the colours out that I used for the center section – For the Simplex Star I would use a darker / different background so that creates a frame .. I like this so much better .. only question would be if I wanted to keep the outer sisters blocks with the same background as the inner blocks.

Comments, suggestions, praises, criticisms?? Please comment and let me know 🙂 And if you want a response back from me, please do not leave it as no-reply@blogger.com .. rather hard to reply back to that address 😉 Thanx

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Crippled Internet

I‘ve been totally beside myself without my internet .. amazing how much that becomes part of your day-to-day life .. been restless and prowling around bouncing off the walls … unable to settle long enough to work on anything for any length of time – I’ve driven myself to total distraction.

While my internet was gone, I took a vaca from my 1800 quilt – I was rather disgusted with myself for flipping that row around and also for the way the other block finished up.

I’m not sure what I thought I was doing / thinking (??), but my cuts on that one block were ¹/₈ – &#189″ larger than they needed to be :S .. bah .. so what this meant was, I needed to check and square up those HSTs :S – well it could be worse .. this could have been 12 blocks instead of the 5 blocks for the inner section. Actually they weren’t all that bad .. just the little bit that i normally leave extra to allow me ‘flubbing’ during sewing. My machine pulls a wee bit and I’ve found that cutting a smidge more gives me some leeway .. boty did I have lee way

I did manage to get them squared and my block ended up – are you ready for this 11 x 11&#189″ – bah .. so squaring that one up made things interesting .. I’m not going to have sharp points on part of that block, but I’m not sure I want to cut more pieces out .. I’m just going to be super careful doing the rest of the blocks 😀

I’ve two whole cloth quilts and I’m half entertaining the idea of basting them to do and have some hand work to do .. There’s a LOT of work to do there and I’m sure it’ll keep my busy for a LONG time. I have 2 kits by American Heritage Quilt Collection – a wallhanging; 40 x 40″ (left image – Victorian Garden), and a throw; 54 x 69″ (right image – Grape Wreath) .. what’s nice about these is that the top, backing and pre-cut bias are included and the quilting design is stamped, washes out in cold water .. so all i have to do is supply the batting, thread and the quilting 🙂 When I got these, my plan was to use coloured thread, and i’m still going to use coloured .. just what colour and exactly how much thread to one of these use?? would hate to run out of thread while i’m doing and not being able to get close to the colour – we all know about dye lots :S

This looks much better in person – I’m still thinking i got wayyy to much brown .. but ah well – I’m sure I won’t be using brown for a while – a LONG WHILE ..

I would have preferred to do the star points in darker greens .. I just didn’t have any that were large enough without having to use 3 or 4 different colours – this quilt is going to be ‘colourful’ enough as it is 🙂

I’ve managed to get the 5 sisters blocks done and my center section. 🙂 I’m thinking the Double X blocks next .. 🙂

No Internet To-do

1. Center Section
2. Fix upsdown section in Underground RR
3. Double X’s Section
4. start quilting kitty quilt
5. baste wall hanging – maybe

WOOT WOOT .. i’m back … but bloody well crippled .. blasted dial-up GRRRRRRRRRRR

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Sister; meet froggy .. Then things in gutters

I wish I knew what I did wrong here .. the only thing that would make sense is that my HSTs weren’t the right size .. I’ve not done a block like this since I was a rookie quilter

So needless to say, this one gets frogged, and the blocks trimmed down to the right size ..

Esh .. what a mess .. I did this last nite and was just to bloody tired to try and figure it out .. or even mess with it .. and totally disgusted with myself too ..

Got up today with a headache and went promptly back to sleep … then up again to clean out my gutters – well the weight and crap that had been up there bent the gutters down so that when it rained, i still have a waterfall coming down .. but at least the 3″ x 2″ hole that I covered with metal tape worked .. so up i go again tomorrow to try and bend the gutters back with pliers, a board and a hammer ..

Would you believe that I pulled out from the gutter

a shoe

3 balls

patio torch

hose nozzle

monkey wrench

all in the one gutter .. esh!!!

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Underground RR revisited, berries

You know what i just noticed .. I flipped a row on that last underground RR section .. (groan) .. that I have to take out .. no choice in the matter .. I was just looking at it and my fabrics last nite when I noticed it .. I’m like .. are you kidding me .. for crying out loud!!!! bah!!! On a good note .. all I have to do is frog stitch just that section, flip it over and re-sew it .. so it’s not like it’s the whole section and lucky (yeah right) for me, it was at the edges .. holybiblebatman! twittwittwit – I am TRYING to be positive about this .. yeah right .. **grumbling .. **

I’m working on the centerpiece now .. I pulled out my green (pathetic amount that I have) and started to measure them for the Ohio Star points .. the two dark colours that I wanted to use were only 11&#189, and I needed 11&#190 – course it’s short .. soooo I’m using a light green and medium green .. I’ll use the darker green in the smaller Ohio star blocks .. will be using purple foregrounds for the sisters star blocks for the middle .. I have the Ohio Star points done and am going to start cutting the sisters blocks just after I post this or find something else to stall with 😀

On a GOOD note, I did get my kitty quilt basted and it did take less time that I actually thought to finish it .. cat hork not withstanding .. I was invaded by my dad .. (yup AGAIN – well it didn’t turn into a visit, more like a drive by and he did bring milk :D) while I was basting it and he was looking at it and oh that’s pretty .. I’m like … pretty?? (@@) .. thanx .. (dry sarcastic tone) .. he goes .. why’s it all wet .. I’m like wet??? where .. and I look .. my darling little Shadow(Pixel leaves bigger offerings) decided to leave a soggy splotch on the quilt .. I’m like .. the truth comes out on how she really feels about it .. good thing it wasn’t food or a hairball .. quick dabbing with paper towels and then a damp cloth cleaned it right up .. I think I would have rather had her chase my thimble around the house .. **sigh**

It’s a mulberry tree 😀 .. Thanx to all the ladies that sent me emails telling me what tree this is .. Thank you everyone!!

What are these berries???
I noticed the other day that there were squirrels and birds having a feast in my tree in the back yard .. and then I look closer and see .. berries ..does anyone have any idea what these are .. I thought this was the same tree that my dad had, but his doesn’t produce fruit .. then again, he scalps his every year and it just doesn’t .. I tasted it, not overly sweet nor tart .. just mild .. can you leave a comment in my blog (as that’s emailed to me) or email me directly if you have my email address – thanx .. I really do appreciate it .. I know they aren’t poisonous as the birds and squirrels don’t fall out the tree and the dogs even eating them .. crazy dog!

Now as for the dog .. I’m going to tie her tail to her whiskers she starts digging again in the backyard .. she started to go to town yesterday just under this tree, and then again this AM ..

You know .. my animals are going to look really funny with them all running around with their whiskers and tails tied together .. and yes even Pix ..

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