Home Improvements

So many things can be knocked out if one knows how to sew. I am using the most affordable material EVER to make curtains and other accessories here in our Florida home. Drop cloth fabric. Yes. Go to your local hardware or big box store and buy a drop cloth. The one DH brought me was less than $20 and I yielded 2 full length curtains from it.

The guest room window looks out into the lanai and it definitely needed window treatment. The panels here are the easiest type of curtains to make. Hem the bottom and create a channel at the top for the rod. Bing-badda-bing. Done.

You are also seeing how I use that one corner of the bed. I sit at the sewing machine right in that area, and the bed affords me easy access to the 1.5-inch strips I have paired up for the 9-patches. (see previous posts)

Another window treatment needing to be addressed was above the kitchen sink. I had blinds in place, but valances were needed, too. For these, I went to the scraps from last year's window treatments and found enough left over to make these.

Besides curtains, I have also made one set of slipcovers. My cousins gave me two very old and worn cubes - squares that can be used as stools. We have a low bar in the kitchen at which seating could be used, but had nothing in particular in mind for such seating. These were a perfect solution. DH and I added casters to the bottom of the stools and then I made easy-peasy slip covers for them. Awesome. I love how they fit so perfectly in that space. Here's a couple of before and after shots.

We slowly make progress on turning this double wide mobile home into our winter getaway. It has become more homey as each day passes, and we find we are quite comfortable. You see evidence there on the counter of DH's duck decoy collection. He has upwards of a couple dozen, I would say. They are pretty and will look nice grouped together on a shelf we hope to hang after we upgrade the lanai.

I have acquired a couple of sewing jobs from the cousins. One cousin wants valances made of drop cloth fabric for her dining space. Another cousin wants me to recover a bench cushion with some upholstery fabric that matches her curtains. I think I will knock those out this afternoon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilts on Moonrise Lane

You all know full well that I am still making 9-patch blocks with my 1.5-inch scraps. I estimated in the last post that I thought I could get at least 100 more out of the remaining bits. And I am halfway there. Since that post, I've made roughly 50 more blocks, and it looks like I will exceed my earlier estimate. I still have a lot of pieces left, so I will likely get more than the 100 I figured on.

In an attempt to keep some semblance of regular posting, I thought you might be interested in seeing the quilts that are staying here in Florida with us. We have two bedrooms each decked out with quilts, of course. 

In the master bedroom, I have the only true king-sized quilt I've made all the way to completion. It's a Thimbleberries pattern called Snowflakes, as I recall. I call my version Snowflakes at Dusk because of the gray tones used in the background fabrics. I know snowflakes don't really belong here in Florida, but the quilt is pretty, regardless of it's wintry name. 

An interesting additional note on Snowflakes at Dusk: it is the first one I pieced upon my retirement in 2009. I had no idea then that I would ever become a snowbird.

In the guest room, I have the more recently made Spring Dreams. Sharon and I did a sew-along in 2022 using this pattern. It is fitting, then, that the first guest we will have here in the Moonrise guest room is Sharon! Yes, a scheduled visit here this month had to be rearranged for next month. 

Don't you love how well the newly painted night stand matches the fabrics used in Spring Dreams? It was a total accident, but how nice to have it look as if it were planned. Sometimes plain dumb luck wins out.

I do have one additional quilt that resides here. It generally resides across the foot of our bed. I will retrieve a pic from the way-back files to show which one. We have some pretty cool nights here, so an extra layer of quilt is necessary.

Dreamy Stars is a quilt I made and quilted in May of 2020. Yes, you read that right - made AND quilted all in the same month. A first. I'd long wanted to use these two soft-colored fabrics together, and Ohio Stars are always a fave. Win-Win! 

I've intimated that all I've sewn are the 9-patches, but I have also made some home decor items. I will share all the details next time.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

300!!

I haven't been blogging too much because all I do is make 9-patch blocks. From scraps. Endless, it seems!

What you see here is 300 blocks, all made with 1.5" scraps in a little tub I brought with me for sewing in Florida. I also brought 2" scraps and 2.5" scraps, but I have taken this entire time (5+ weeks) making these 300 blocks. Those other scraps might just go back to Ohio untouched. I guess I just wanted to be prepared.

I stack 10 blocks and then pin them together. This prevents me from losing count, and from having to repeatedly count and recount.

What do you think of this pale pink background? I am considering using it as my setting blocks for the eventual quilt I'll be making with these 9-patches. You'll see better pictures of it in these next pictures.

I will set the blocks on point and use this pale pink floral for the alternating blocks. I have 4 yards of it, so I think it will do.

On Tuesday, DH and I drove down to Dade City to shop at Quilted Twins. I'd been there twice before, but never felt as though I could spend a long time looking carefully at all the variety - gazillions of bolts in about a dozen rooms, organized by theme or color or design. I went to consider options for a background for these 9-patches, and this pink is my choice. 

I do see the end of the proverbial tunnel on these 1.5" squares and the 9-patches I'm making with them. I can probably make at least 100 more, and then I plan to use whatever remains in some bigger blocks - either 16-patches or 25-patches. Everything left over is a total hodge-podge, so those larger blocks will be just the ticket for using every last one.

I have to tell you what we did yesterday. It quite possibly is the most active day I've had in years. We rode the recumbent bikes to Inverness (5.5 miles), then we played 3 games of shuffleboard, rode bikes home from Inverness (5.5 miles), fixed supper for us and 2 guests, played 2 games of spades with those 2 guests, then walked 3 laps around our block (.8 miles). Whew! I sure slept well last night!

Happy Quilting, Friends! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Are you a sappy, sentimental Valentine? Or an "I'd rather not bother" sort of person? Over the years, I've run mostly at a comfortable middle of the road celebrant of Valentine's Day. I do not require roses, chocolates or cards (fortunately, since DH is likely not gonna' change his habits this late in the game!), nor do I require wining and dining. 

 I've been thinking about blocks I've made over the years that are Valentine related and I cannot come up with many. The block above is from 2020, and likely was part of a sew-along that I never completed. Heck, I never even completed the block - it must be buried in some orphan bin in the sewing room.

This heart block is also from 2020, and I am pretty certain that the earlier block was from this Blockheads Sew-Along. I really like this heart - the colors are quite appealing. All this time later, I still have a tub of partially finished BH3 blocks and fabrics - I wonder if I will ever force myself back to it?

However you plan to spend your Valentine's Day, I hope you make some time for sewing or quilting! The big sewing activity around here still involves scrappy 9-patches, and I am still enjoying them!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Change Of Pace

 I am still working my way through the tub of 1.5-inch squares with the goal of making 9-patch blocks. Here's how the tub look when I started.

The tub also contained a good number of 1.5-inch strips which I mostly have not yet touched. I say mostly because I did use a couple of the lighter neutral strips. My grand total so far is 194 9-patch blocks  - all from the little squares in this tub. See them below in stacks of 10; they are a thing of beauty!

Most of my 9-patches are pretty; I mean that the colors or fabrics work nicely together. Complimentary, in other words. However, several look quite bizarre, and I would never, ever use the combinations together in an actual planned quilt. Since these blocks are all made from leftovers and the purpose is a scrappy quilt, then the occasional "ugly" block is permissible and expected. When one limits the options to just the squares available, the definition of a "pretty" block gets stretched quite a bit.

So, my title today says change of pace; let me share what I mean. Because I have gotten to the sad and scrappy bottom of the barrel of the 1.5-inch squares, I can no longer come up with '5 darks and 4 lights' with which to create a 9-patch. I can, though, make 4-patches. These will work right in with a collection of 4-patches I have worked on back home - a 'Leaders and Enders' effort. I brought all those with me, so I have scads of 4-patches as well as scads of 9-patches.

It was fun coming up with these simple combinations; the resulting block (2.5") is such a perfect size for some yet-to-be-determined project. I've made more than what you see above! Check out the stacks below! All told, I believe I've made about 100. This is definitely the way I will continue to use up the bits I'm having trouble using in 9-patches. It's much easier to make a 4-square combination than a 9-square combination.

I continue to follow Taryn over on Instagram as she leads quilters through her fun little sew-along called Tiny Nine Patch Challenge. Some of those participants are using 1/2-inch squares! That's too small for me! I ought to make one just to show the difference. Others are using 1-inch squares. I am content to go no smaller than 1.5-inches. 

It won't be long until I need to put these away for awhile, as my sewing room will be turned into a guest room! Sharon is coming for a visit! Yes! Isn't that grand? Can't wait!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Snowbird Fun

It's been 6+ weeks since we arrived here at our home in the sunny south. Overall impressions are good ones, and I haven't once regretted taking the plunge on buying this place. I am a bit surprised that I've worn long sleeves and sweatshirts far more frequently than expected, but still the weather here is better than back home. Below shows a particularly perfect day.

Since my sewing consists of continuing to make 9-patches out of my 1.5-inch scraps, I thought I'd take a day to show some snow birding highlights. Getting out and being active has been top priority.

Three days a week we play shuffleboard. This facility in Inverness has 10 courts/lanes (I do not know proper terminology) and the gang that shows up generally fills 6-8 of them. Prior to last winter, I'd never played, but have learned the basics and can do pretty well - most days, that is. It is definitely a fun time whether I play well or not.

I've gone out once; Kevin's gone out 2 or 3 times, on this boat. It belongs to friends and a cousin all living here in this neighborhood. The day I went out was cloudy as you can see, but any time on the water is so very peaceful. Here are a few more pictures from that afternoon on the lake.

We cut the engine and pulled up slowly to the shore; those two black "logs" are actually alligators. We waited super quietly for awhile and eventually they moved.

I tried to take an artistic picture of a perfect leaf in the water, and these two pictures are the result of my effort. I liked the contrast of the colorful leaf against the dark water, but in the picture, I also picked up the reflection of the clouds, so that added to the moodiness of the surroundings.

On a different day, DH went out fishing with the fellas; he captured this gloriously beautiful sunrise.

Besides shuffleboard, we take lots of walks and frequent bike rides. All in our gang have recumbent bikes, and getting out on the Withlacoochee Trail (very near our neighborhood) makes for perfect riding conditions.

Evenings often find us playing cards at someone's house or here, or playing Marbles - see the game board below. It was hard to learn all the rules for the game, but we've played it often enough now that we are beginning to get the hang of all the strategizing involved.

We've taken advantage of the abundant fresh fruit, and bonus of bonuses - there's a farm stand just a few miles down the road! We've enjoyed oranges, grapefruit, and strawberries.

This weekend marks the first anniversary of the purchase of our little house in Florida. We celebrated by going out to our favorite Mexican restaurant in Inverness, Los Magueyes. Yum-O!

I've now brought you up to date on the snow-bird happenings here. I will update you on the 9-patch situation in my next post. We are now taking off for an explore of the swampy areas over toward the gulf coast.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

January Recap

 February 3 is not too late to do a wrap-up of last month. It was a busy month and I probably could have made two collages, but forced myself to do just the one.

TOP ROW: On the first of the month we made one last trip to see granddaughter Cate before heading south. She adores her Pappaw Kevin and he definitely returns that sentiment. Once here in Floral City, we reacquainted ourselves with the lake at the end of our street. For the most part, it's been a cooler than normal month, but sunshine makes up for that. We have worked hard to create a comfy home, including thrifting key pieces of furniture such as my newly-painted sewing desk which resides in the guest room.

MIDDLE ROW: DD Erin sends us many pictures of Cate, and from afar we are watching her grow. A happier child I have never seen. She just delights in everything. The newest member of our family arrived  this month with the birth of McKenzie Mae. My nephew Will is a proud papa for the second time, as his firstborn, Archie, is now 2. That woman reclining in the chair is yours truly. I am in the ER preparing to be stitched up. I cracked my forehead after falling on the sidewalk outside our front door. Man, I went down hard. It was dark and a piece of furniture just jumped out of nowhere and tripped me! *grin* A cat scan showed that my "brain is fine," and I got the stitches out yesterday, a week after the fall. I have very little bruising; I did ruin my glasses, however.

BOTTOM ROW: The barn quilt is the only true quilting finish I have for the month of January, but technically I don't think it qualifies. My goal of stitching scraps is working out well; I have over 100 tiny 9-patch blocks done, and still I have a lot of 1.5-inch squares to do. It'll be interesting to see just how many I will have out of my little stash of scraps. The final image is of my mom holding McKenzie Mae, her new great-granddaughter. Isn't that a precious picture??!!

In a previous post I mentioned that I felt like I was becoming bored with all those scrappy little 9-patches. Listening to an audio book helps keep the boredom at bay, however. I have been listening to To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a book I taught years ago in sophomore English. I am so glad to be listening to this as it feels like a brand new story to me. I had forgotten so much of it. My motive for rereading: I want to read Go Set A Watchman, the sequel which came out in 2015, 55 years later. Because it had been so long since I'd read TKAM, it made good sense to refresh my memory before delving into GSAW. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Hello February!

A lot of folks have a strong distaste for the long, dreary days of January, but this business of coming to Florida has cured that for us! January was a wonderfully fun month, and I eagerly look forward to February. The busy days vary considerably here, and we just never know how each day will unfold.

 I have my January collage all ready to go, but no time to share it now as we are off to shuffleboard momentarily. I will attempt to get the January wrap-up posted tomorrow. I have a couple other big goals for today, and you'll hear more about that tomorrow, too.

We did get the barn quilt hung yesterday. I am pleased with it, and only wish I'd made it slightly bigger. Hope I can remember that when the time comes for this one to be replaced. A long time off, hopefully.

Happy Quilting, Friends!