BOMs Away - Down the Rabbit Hole, Water Reflections

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Yay! I stitched down the two remaining large leaping rabbits:

They're each about as big as our cat, actually! And it still tripped me out how long it took to stitch them. Four and a half hours for both.

My big working table has been hijacked by my Amaya collage quilt project, pushed partially aside for the holiday weekend for Scott's work, so I couldn't get the four standing rabbits set onto the other borders or figure out which fabrics I want to use for the various flowers around all the rabbits. . . 

So, I got a head start on the Month 6 piecing work for next weekend's BOM, Water Reflections:

Time to make all the filler portions and put the blocks and center medallion all together!

I hope you had a decent Christmas. Ours was very quiet with just the two of us, but man, that ham was good! I ordered one from a local ranch and the reputation did not lie - that was the best ham I've ever had. Store hams will never be real to me after this.

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Forever My Valentine

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

This weekend I had some fun working more on these four blocks from Forever My Valentine (they are 16-inch blocks):

I've fixed the link-up code so it won't close early this time - back to being open all week!

I hope you have a happy Christmas!

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Reflections & Rabbits

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Wow! My work energy is SIGNIFICANTLY improved as compared to 3 weeks ago, when I last worked on the month 5 sewing for my Water Reflections BOM.  (At least for sit-down work. I still get ridiculously winded when I do anything standing, let alone involving stairs. . . )

First I made the remaining patches, 

Which, added to the ones made last time around, grew up to become these sets of blocks,

And with top/bottom rows of random squares, became the quilt center:

I had no idea I'd be able to finish that much work, so I'm a super happy BOM camper right now.

Also, during the work week I snuck in time to do more on the leaping rabbits from last weekend, because all those little pieces that took forever to sort out and organize were out on my table - not to be trusted as safe, with Navarre around! (Plus, I wanted that mess cleared away.)

So now, two leaping rabbits are completely stitched, and the other two are all glued on, ready for stitching when that BOM's turn comes up again. (The photo above shows correct colors. These guys below didn't stay true with night-time lighting.)

My work-week priority project is not a Christmas quilt, but the colors in these blocks sure are perfect for December attention, aren't they? 

They make me happy.  They'll grow up this week to become the Jinny Beyer "Kashmir" quilt top. I really need to start blogging all my work again, instead of just the weekend BOM times. . . 

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Pulling out an Oldie but Goodie

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Whoa! I knew it had been quite a while since I'd worked on my Down the Rabbit Hole BOM, but I looked it up just now, and that project has been stalled since MARCH 2018, when I had prepped the rabbit pieces for the next border work. 

As deeply in love as I am with needle-turn hand stitch applique, I detest machine applique work - which is largely why this got shelved for so long. Also, it makes my head explode, figuring out how to adjust this round and the last round to make the quilt a king size instead of a queen.

Four and half hours later today, The first leaping rabbit is finished! So cute! 

These rabbits are quite large - you can see better perpective in this pic I'd taken when I was prepping the pieces. I'm using the edge-turn on freezer paper method for these, with a tiny blanket stitch using 50wt aurifil thread to sew them down.

 

Looking at my finished guy, I think I'll draw up some eye pieces and add those in when I do the next rabbit, rather than embroidering them on.

This is a Sarah Fielke design, and was her 2017 BOM program. Here is her finished quilt:

 I was doing mine in Easter colors, and had this much finished when I putzed out on it:

Now I intend to keep it on my active BOM list until it is finished! That means I have Water Reflections, Forever My Valentine, and Down the Rabbit Hole on rotation for weekend work to give me breathers from my priority piecing and quilting. 

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Forever My Valentine, and a couple more

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Another weekend of BOM work at the machine.  :)

I bet this one thought it would never see the light again! I pulled out "Forever My Valentine" for attention, and realized it had been set aside even before I got Covid, because I had run out of some of the thread colors. 

So I put in an order for the needed thread colors, and since I couldn't do one block from start to finish, I got the base layer of the remaining 5 blocks prepped.

This is a pre-fused laser cut project. I don't like an unnecessarily insane buildup of fabric and fusible layers, so before I fused the large pieces down, I traced their position on the background fabric and cut out the inside of them, leaving about a 1/3 inch allowance. 

Used a milk pen, since this is black flannel.
The innards under the heart are cut out,
letting the applique ironing sheet show in the opening.

Just make SURE you have a Teflon applique sheet under the opening when you iron the pieces over the opening, because the fusible covers the entire open space, and will fuse into your ironing board cover if you don't use a protector sheet!

When I do my own fusible prep work, I cut out the guts of any large pieces so that if I cut away any background fabric from behind them, this won't be an issue. Also, it makes your fusible go MUCH further in a project. 

After that, I fused the next working layer onto the bases that I was able to complete the stitching for, so every remaining block is ready to go again once the ordered threads arrive.

Also, I've been using the Bag-of-the-Month project, "Feathered Goose," as a leader-ender project when I do priority piecing work. The final pieces for Bag 2 just needed their last seam put in, so I whipped those through last night:

And . . .  During TV time tonight, I'll finish the last tiny bit of stitching on Block 7 of Octopuses Garden. So I'll add that image soon.

Night lighting is a little weird on this.
It will get significant embroidery details
when I do that part.

If I feel as decent tomorrow morning as I did today, I am going to start easing in some longarm work - just one 30 minute session as a trial, and if that goes well, I'll do a morning and an afternoon session the rest of the week. Cross your fingers for me! My poor Halloween quilt has been loaded on the frame for at least two full months, waiting for attention, and I'd *really* like to also get my Once Upon a Star quilted up before Christmas Day.

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Water Reflections

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

So, I did get some sewing machine BOM work done, finally! I had done almost half of the work on these blocks for the Month 5 sewing of my Water Reflections BOM. These are all 3" finished blocks.

The navy speckle fabric provided in the kit ran out before the little squares did, so I had to sneak in 5 of them from something in my stash that approximates the look. Looking at this photo, I'm thinking that was successful enough for my happiness. 

Month 5 actually is the entire central "medallion" portion of the quilt so there's quite a bit more sewing to happen for this part of the BOM.

Between this work and the bits of cleaning I've been doing, I am supremely worn out. So I believe I'm going to watch a show right now and then take a real l-o-n-g nap (which may just turn into down for the night even thought that'll be 1:30 in the afternoon). Covid recovery when you have Lupus is a frustratingly long process!

Yep, dude, I feel you. . . 

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Goodbye to Dad, and Fiesta Mexico

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Scott's father was buried yesterday, with a very small graveside ceremony. I am too sick, still, to be able to travel, but Scott was able to go. Dad got a full Air Force Veteran's burial, even though only 6 family members were present. The honor detail carried his casket to the site, gave him a 21 Volley Salute, and presented his flag to the eldest son. I wish I could have seen it all. I know Dad loved having that. He served for over 20 years. Scott's got the memory stick with him that has pictures of Dad on it, so I'll come back and add a couple when he's back home.

Scott and his dad, August 2017 - their house was smack in the middle of the fullest observation zone for the 2017 solar eclipse.

Last week was one more week of hand-work only, and I finished Block 7 of my Fiesta Mexico project. This one is 14 inches. All of my hand applique is needle-turned, using the back-basting method:

For 3 days I've been able to do 20 minutes of piecing work at my machine after lunch. That's pretty much the limit of my energy, but hopefully when the weekend comes I'll be able to get some piecing finished for something from another BOM! I love the burst of progress on Fiesta Mexico and Octopuses Garden, but I'm ready to look at one of the others in the rotation!

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Another Loss, and some Turtles

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Sorry to be late. We are reeling here. Scott's father has now also passed away from Covid and ensuing pneumonia (contracted at the funeral for Mom). I don't even have any words for this, or for the family turmoil we are all feeling. I would say this: Think long and very hard before having any funeral or memorial service during this surge in the pandemic. Too many attendees will be medically vulnerable to the disease, and you can't know who may be carrying it, or whether it's present in the facilities.

I am still actively sick. It was overly optimistic to think I'd be able to start back into any creative work that demands more energy than hand stitching. And so, I have another Octopuses Garden block finished - Block 5, with the turtles wreath. 12" finished block.

Ready to go up on the wall until the full set is put together - then I'll pull each one down and do the embroidery work on it. This one gets fun coral "things" stitched in, with what I believe are called bullion stitches. Also, a few little details on the turtles, oysters, and starfish.

Here's what this quilt will grow up to look like:

That will be at least a couple years more. I have this much appliqued so far: 

I do sincerely hope that you stay well, and that your families come through this pandemic whole.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Fiesta Mexico

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Hi! Still fighting Covid, so I'm getting plenty of TV time and hand stitching done.

Block 5 for my Fiesta Mexico is finished. I think it must be a corn motif. 
It's about 13" square.

Want a reminder of what this quilt looks like?
It's a Karen Kay Buckley pattern.

So far, I have these blocks appliqued:

And now I'm happily into a cute turtles block for Octopuses Garden. These long-term hand projects make me lose my mojo if I try making myself stick with only the one, so I alternate them. Works nicely at keeping the interest fresh.

If I don't have a Covid "dip" day tomorrow, I will actually try some long arming for 30 minutes after lunch. I put my partially quilted Halloween UFO quilt on the frame at the beginning of October, but rapid-advance cancer, a funeral, and Covid stole the entire month from longarming time, so it sits there untouched. I don't want to take it off again until it's finished, so I'm going to start putting in tiny bits of time each day until it is. Hopefully I'll get some of my energy back in time to do enough work to finish that quilt and finish the piecing and quilting of Marissa's graduation quilt on time for that mile marker in December.  :)

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - 2020 means. . . COVID

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

So, Scott and I both have COVID. So does his father, and the timing indicates that we all got it at the funeral for Scott's mom - either from someone there, or in the funeral home or the hall where Dad had a post-funeral luncheon. His father was taken to the hospital yesterday and can have no visitors; I had to go on steroids yesterday, but no ER or ICU, and am at home; Scott, as usual, while he is sick, hasn't been hit as hard as it got me. I am very grateful for that. I find it surpassingly strange that Nebraska does not do any contact tracing. We did our best to get word to all the elderly and medically susceptible people who were also there.

Be careful, everyone, particularly where vulnerable people are concerned.  :(  We are eating aggressively healthy from the moment we suspected we might be getting sick. GONE: sugar, coffee, chocolate. GONE: all dairy, all processed carbs. MOSTLY CUT OUT: salt. With COVID, days 8/9 will tell on whether it is going to hard-crash on you or not. (You start your count on the first day of your symptoms.) The greatest factors contributing to a dangerous crash: smoking. diabetes. advanced age. overweight. high blood pressure. pre-existing medical conditions. So you want to eat a diet that doesn't exacerbate blood pressure, blood sugar surges, or inflammation (thus all those "gone" items).

Every day, we eat fresh-made clear-broth soup loaded with veggies and usually chicken, sometimes a wee bit of beef. Toss in copious amounts of fresh onion, garlic, lemon grass, ginger, turmeric - all natural aids in medicinal boosts. Most likely, your smell is going to be 100% gone, anyway, so the extra onion/garlic isn't going to bother you a smidge. 

Eat plenty of citrus. The natural unprocessed sugar in these is not going to hurt you, particularly since you're not eating bad carbs right now. The vitamins are going to help tremendously, and if you slice lemons and pour hot water onto them (no sugar!), and drink this 2 or 3 times a day, it does a really good job of cleaning out your throat for you and reducing the coughing for a while. Some say it also reduces the viral load your body is having to deal with by washing a good portion of it out of your upper respiratory system. Not sure how much of that is reliable, but, hey. Can only help, not hurt, so I'm all for it.

And roasted veggies with paprika or turmeric sprinkled liberally are great for your other "big" meal of the day. Seriously, as sick as you feel, and as good as this diet hits the spot right now, you're not going to miss the things you've cut out. Although, I'm sure when I feel good again, some hot salmon dip and crackers will be nice. . . or some hot cocoa next time it's snowing . . but right now, no.

I've only had enough energy to do wee bits of hand work on some days. Usually I'm just a zombie staring at the TV if I'm not all the way down in bed. There was only a little bit left to finish Block 6 of my Octopuses Garden project, so I finally have this one to share:

If I weren't so sick, still, I'd be quite excited. That puppy has been in my TV applique tote for AGES. It has four hundred thousand layers.

My method is back-basting, and I absolutely love doing fun inter-layered portions like the curl of the seahorse's tail. It means a dual approach of two different fabric pieces, kinda like braiding. Very satisfying when you finish it.

These blocks also have embroidery on them, but their work greatly exceeds my patience level. So I'm appliqueing all of them in the first go-'round, and then I'll come full circle and do the embroidery.

But now, I am going back to bed. Sorry to be late with this posting. I was too sick yesterday to even think of beginning a post - didn't even realize what day of the week it is. But I'm looking forward to seeing what others have accomplished.  :)

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - and ~Flimsy Alert!~ Wind in the Whiskers

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

Woohoo! Look! My "Wind in the Whiskers" is a finished flimsy!

There is a clothesline and several cute elements (including another kitten, of course) that go over the central field area after the quilting has been done.

I'm super happy that this top is completed. I must say, this pattern gave me more headaches and got put into long time outs far more than any other I've dealt with. I've done other McKenna Ryan patterns without issue. Not sure why this one was so contorted to figure out. And I know I'm not the only one. But it's ready now!

I want to say something. Grief itself, AND the handling of it, is different for every person. Some of us hold it closer inside and do not make a public spectacle of it. Scott and I are private that way - once an initial "announcement" has been made, we keep it close and work through it. We don't post 50 Facebook or Instagram messages a day lionizing our pain. Apparently, some people think this means we don't care about the loss. That could not be further from the truth. If you need to make a spectacle of your loss, that is absolutely fine. Do what you need to do to get through the shock of loss. But it is cruel to mistake others' privacy for not caring, and to repeatedly preach at them in a public manner.

Also, if you (the one person remaining who should unconditionally love) have so much animosity for a person that you repeatedly call him a son-of-a-bitch and an idiot, in front of others (shocking them), to your face, and behind your back, if you wish his child dead, and if you hate me enough to maintain over 90 minutes of ranting about me being a bitch and a whore, you cannot be surprised that we maintain distance. Particularly since ALL of this is based on unfounded and manufactured ideas. I apologize to quilt friends for the nasty verbage - I am dumping garbage out of my heart so that I can let it go. "Allowances have to be made for grief," some tell us. . . but this has been going on for many years. 

I keep telling myself that the best path through these public preachings at us, and the poisonous attacks of bile, is to simply refuse to engage. But after a while, you need a place to vent, you know? Technically, this place is public, but I have an extremely small following, and you quilters understand me far better than most people do. Now I can let it go again and give my energy, instead, to the process of getting this Lupus flare to dissipate. 

I hope you are having a better time than we are. I have to admit, Bad Boy 2020 is the year to have to slog through this dysfunction. The entire year was already screwed up, anyway.  :(

~*~*~*~

Have you been able to do any BOM type work lately? We'd love to see it.  :)

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter