Sarah’s Quilt

Another summer project was a quilt for a dear friend.  I saw a Disappearing Nine Patch arranged in a colorway of strong color diagonally that I liked and immediately thought that could be a good plan for her.  I know her favorite color is purple so that was my first thought.  However, I sent her an email asking about colors and style.  Her reply, “Purple, black, and white.”  Yeah!!  Just as I had orginally thought.

After much waiting and mix-up and seriously I was lost by Hancock’s of Paducah 😦  (never again!) so then waited on a reorder from Fat Quarter Shop (yeah!!) until I could begin.

Once I finally had all the fabrics, I could start on it the end of August.  I used notes from various pinterest links for ideas and layouts.  (Warning, scrolling through these photos does tricks on your eyes!)

Layout of 30 blocks

Close up showing the very dark purple used in the smaller squares & the border, another purple for binding.

Do you want the hilarious part of the label? (If you read this part, you are sworn to secrecy to not bring it up to anyone! And yes, some is in code.)   I’m strict about labels on my quilts.  Very.  I drew an arch with blue wash-out marker on the fabric as a guide for the lettering across the top that was in straight lines.  I wrote the whole label with my black pigma pen (.08).  Before heat-setting the writing, I spritzed the blue marker with water so as not to set the blue guide line.  The WHOLE label ran!!  Ha!  After a break, I made an arch on paper and put that on the bottom layer of my lightbox and then traced the lettering along the arch and the rest of the label.  Success!  

I stitch my labels in a corner with the binding often as this shows.  Many layers of stitching for security.

I was happy to see her and deliver in person.   🙂  Besides quilt delivery, we shared hugs and much conversation over a long lunch!

Thank you, MM9!!

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Signature Quilt

Back in 2004, I secretly made Miss K a signature quilt for her high school graduation.  So long ago that none of the graduation photos are on the computer.  LOL!!  I had everything kept in a dark plastic container, on a far away shelf in my sewing room, and would only get it out when she was gone.  The work times were short and hurried.  In the box this summer… a lunch sack that I used for all the fabric scraps for fear she would see the scraps in the trash and ask what I was making.  Ha!

I collected signatures from family and friends and transferred the signatures to the fabric with a fabric pen (pigma pen) and heat set them with the iron.  Then I assembled the quilt top.  The top was finished for her party but papers were out for others to sign and I added those names this summer.   I quilted this in August but kept it a secret until we could visit with K and I could show it to her.

The pattern is called, The House That Jack Built, and I got it from my LQS back in 2003.  I don’t know if it is still available.  It was shown on the pattern and done at the quilt shop in dark, masculine colors but I switched it up a lot by using pastel batiks.

I had in my mind 10 years ago that I’d quilt it once I got better at quilting.  I had NO idea that a long-arm machine would be in my future back then.  Meanwhile, I kept doing other projects.  But since this year is strong on me finishing my UFOs, this is one I have finished.

It is all custom quilted; ditch work, rulers, and freehand / hand-guided quilting in the blocks, borders, and setting triangles.

Lots of photos.  I’ll just let you browse.  I will reply to any questions you post in the comment section.

 

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Sept Visit

This semester JP is living in a town that is about halfway between our house & K’s.  So we drove 1 hour, K drove 1.5 hours, JP drove about 10 mins and we met up for lunch together.  It was wonderful!!  Easy commutes for all of us and fun to be together.  We LOVE our adult kids!!

Phil had an electrical question for JP before lunch so the back of the car became the work zone.

After lunch together, we shopped, visited the parking lot where JP is doing his co-op (1st of 3 sessions), got to see his condo, and I had a gift for K (more on this in another post).

 

 

The soybeans were just getting golden and it was a bright blue fall sky so a great day to be out touring the countryside.  I’ve always wanted to get a photo of our house from the corner but it is too dangerous to stop when I’m driving to do that.  I took this through the windshield which isn’t the greatest… but a bit of the view.

Once home, this shows our soybeans outside the house in mid-September.

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Kitties & A Dog

One of our cats decided to ditch the barn and had her kitties in a tight spot in the finishing building this summer. Now about 2 months old, they still stay in the finishing building area despite The Farmer’s attempts to move them back to the barn.

He has taken to checking on them and now feeding them while he is there for chores.

The momma cat & 3 kitties came to eat.

The fourth was lingering outside and came in soon as well.

Nina stays out!

 

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West Cover Crops

On the next Sunday, we drove to check the cover crops in the west field.  An extra week of sunshine & rain had really added to this field!

The Farmer digs up the plants for a closer inspection.  (Really, this makes me crazy… as I want him to just leave them be so they can grow!)

Across the field, you can see the exact rows where the hauling tank puts in the extra fertilizer.  The radishes just crave that and grow extra big there.

It all looks luscious!

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Assorted Cover Crops

The Farmer plants cover crops into his wheat ground after the wheat is combined the end of July.

This year he planted both fields a mix of 4 different cover crops.  He has found a huge benefit to planting cover crops as they gather nitrogen from the soil, plant residue, and manure incorporated into the field and hold it for next year’s crops.  The benefits have added to our crop yields up to 2 years later as shown by our yield monitor maps over the years.

This year he used his seeder on the Salford for planting.   He seeded in a blend of oats, radishes (a type for cover crops, not as a food product), crimson clover, and red clover in what I’ll refer to the west field on August 11.  On August 14, he seeded the south field with a blend of radish, clover, turnips, and oats.  He used a purchased blend this year from a new supplier in one field and blended his own mix in the other field.  (He won’t pay the blending fee next year.)

We didn’t get any rain on them until August 23.  It was a dry August!

On Sept 7, we walked to check on the south field and it was coming along well.  Three and a half weeks since seeding.

 

And since we walked where Nina likes to run, she enjoyed our company but still was King of the Mountain!

 

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