Sunday, May 19, 2019

Being Bad

Well, I'm good, in that I am up to speed with the Sweet Star QAL, and I made this week's Tiny Tuesday block as well as one green one from March. I worked some more on my third H2H quilt, but didn't get the flimsy finished yet, so I'm bad there. I'm also bad because although I have nailed down my design (eeek--it's a star quilt) for this month's Island Batik challenge, coloured it in with the Twilight Chic fabric in EQ8, and got approval from my quilt-loving daughter, Dayna, I haven't cut into said fabric yet. But it's been ironed and will be cut into as soon asap. And!!!! I have a super-exciting announcement within this post! First here is the Sweet Star QAL Week 2 blocks, another set of four:
 I am still loving this fat quarter bundle of Blueberry Park fabrics. I have used every one but one, so now will mix up the first 8 combinations. I will have a post this week about how I'm making these blocks, using less fabric and sewing less seams.



I decided this quilt is going to be a summer one for our bed. Seaside Rose is still the star of the summer quilts, and Summer Scents Mosaics is for the hot August nights, but this will be another. Maybe the June quilt, the month of my dad's birthday, and he, like me, loved blue. It'll be June 2020 as it won't be done for this June.

Next, here is this week's orange Tiny Tuesday block. I love it! It's Bear's Bow-Tie from Sally at The Objects of Design, and wow, do I love it. Her block is even published in Mary Ellen Hopkins' book, It's Okay if You Sit on My Quilt, as number 199! I had that book out of the library many moons ago; who knew I'd be making a block out of it, and that I'd 'know' the creator of the block and that I'd be a part of this amazing and enriching community. 😄 Her post is a pretty entertaining read, too.
Sally said to perhaps use bear-themed fabrics, so here's mine. Bears like rocks, because rocks are in streams, and bears love to catch and eat fish. The pale orange background fabric is an old, no vintage one called Cracked Ice, of which I have very very little left. Polar bears live on the ice. The marble one? I got nothin'. It's a fabulous orange though isn't it? Paula Nadelstern.

I have all the April aqua blocks done, so now I'm travelling back in time to do March's green ones. I made the umbrella block:


I was going to get all fancy-schmancy and add gentle curves to accentuate the umbrella, but then I saw the bottom string in my string box and I thought, with some careful placement, and then accenting the curves when I quilt the quilt, this may work!

Sewing has been a bit hampered this week due to the renovations, and due to completing one of my two OMGs for the month. That will be another post, but a glimpse of it was on Instagram. I've had to change up my sewing location yet again as it was calmer for a certain doggie to not be under the crashing, chainsawing and hammering.


So remember I said we were going to put in two dormers for my sewing room upstairs? Well...as most renovations go, this one is not going according to plan, ha. The original 1947 rafters are 2X4, not up to code, so they are all having to be replaced, and we had to get a new LVL beam, as what was right in the peak of the roof that you attach the rafters to was... two pieces of plywood! Great in 1947, not acceptable in 2019. However, having said all this, our contractor is very pleased, as is MacGyver (See? I told you this was a solid little house, Sandra) that it is indeed solid, no rot, no evidence of any leaking, and he said the builders did not skimp out on anything when they built our house 72 years ago. Kind of like my little Billie, you see in the above photo, a 1947 Featherweight upon which I've been sewing the past few days. She's a solid little sweetheart, and quieter than my Bernina, no lie.

Back to my sewing room and dormers. If you look on the Instagram post I referred to, you'll see that a much larger window opening has been cut, where a much larger south-facing (yeah!) window will go, through which they are uploading and downloading (lol but it's true) the supplies and discards via a chute and rope system. I had lots of fresh air up there over the course of a couple of days!

All new rafters, 2X8. Note the header over my north-facing window to support the new LVL beam which you can just see.

Front mid-section cut out, ready for new rafters.

The front middle section has now been all closed in, in preparation to begin the first dormer on Monday. Saturday morning there was a bunch of rain again, so they elected not to work, but to wait until Monday. MacGyver has become the contractor Dan's main man, something he is loving, as his first guy has taken the long weekend off. Doesn't hurt to work off some of the bill!
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The dormers will go on either side of this centre section.
Were we not living in the house, they would have just taken the entire structure off, Dan said, but doing it in sections will amount to the same thing, just a little more thinking and planning and math involved. They sealed it up pretty good so we only had two small areas that some of that dratted not-needed rain could get in. Buckets to the rescue. Both MacGyver and I are really excited at how much space is up there just with tearing out the old stuff and tearing down the top floor level of the chimney. Bats be gone! Hang out in my oak or Linden tree thank you very much. I love you for eating lots of bugs but I don't want to share my house with you. You can read the bat story here.

And that, though it is exciting as all get-out, is not the exciting announcement I hinted at...

I've mentioned a few times about an upcoming publication of one of my quilts. Well I'm allowed to give you a preview, as subscribers are now receiving their copies of the July/August issue of McCall's Quilting!
Yes, I have a very special quilt (a huge one) in this issue, and here's a sneak peek I took of one of the pages within...

It should be available to purchase at bookstores and grocery stores around May 28, so I'll be back with more photos (you know I will!) and the back story of "Lilacs for Mother".

Linking up
soscrappy


21 comments:

  1. As usual, an info packed post! Congratulations on the magazine and it looks like your house renovations are going to be wonderful!

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  2. I love the tiny blocks! Please quit tempting me with those gorgeous stars. With my guilds upcoming quilt show, and magazine submission I just don't have time to get side tracked.

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  3. Congratulations on the publication and the progress on the renovation - always an adventure. Hitting the road in 5! Maybe there will be a quilt store in my future.....

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  4. The progress on your garret is exciting!
    The quilt is exquisite. I the color combination, the quilting patterns, and the title of it. The set up and photograph they took for the magazine is just gorgeous.
    What happens to those quilts you make and send to them? Do they sell them? display them?

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  5. Don't feel bad I have not cut into my May IB fabrics yet either! Will do it all within a couple days this week. Not sure why I am dragging my feet.

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  6. I think your sewing space will be wonderful and a great catch up with your blocks. Wonderful news about he magazine. I'll look for it and pick it up! I'm always excited to see friends quilts in magazines!

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  7. Your blocks are lovely, Sandra - I love that Blueberry Park fabric! The renovations look like they will result in just exactly what you want, and make your house even sturdier and well-made. They do always come with something unexpected, though, don't they?! I'll have to go out and find myself a copy of that magazine, too - congratulations!

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  8. It will be a wonderful stitching haven once it's all done. You've done well to keep up with the blocks and projects with all that tearing out and putting up going on. Congrats on the quilt in McCall's. So I should see mine sometime this week (or it may be at the post office already, we just haven't had time a lunch to stop in and get the mail).

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  9. Hooray on your publication! So glad your reno is coming along well. In BC is is very difficult to find any tradespeople to do anything. Your dormor area will be wonderful. I've got some blueberry park as well but have not yet decided which pattern to choose.

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  10. How very exciting for you to be published in McCalls! “You’ve come a long way, baby.” I am so excited for your reconstruction and subsequent new sewing studio. Your blocks are all coming along very nicely. I’d be so bad about keeping up. That’s why I rarely do BOMs and QALs. XO

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  11. Oooh, you're published in McCall's Quilting - whoohoo! And such a pretty quilt. You know I read through your entire post and didn't sneak down to the end to see your big news (I'm good like that, don't cha know?). Can't wait to hear the story of this quilt. And what an undertaking on your home! Sounds like the finished result will be awesome. I'm amazed you keep quilting with all that going on around you.

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  12. Congrats on being published in McCalls. I’ve put May 28th in my phone so I can remember to buy a copy. The new space is going to be awesome.

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  13. What a busy week!! Congratulations on the quilt publication. I see some hearts there. Love the design and the colors. What a lot of sewing you accomplish with all the construction going on around you. The photos of the house renovation are fantastic and your blocks are wonderful. It looks like things are moving along well.

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  14. Congratulations on the publication, Sandra! It looks beautiful and I can't wait to see lots more pictures :) I'm glad to hear the renovations are progressing, even if not quite as planned (when does anythings go according to plan?). I bet you're more than a little anxious to get set up in the new space when it's finished.

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  15. Congrats! on your quilt publication, Sandra!! Looking forward to the backstory.

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  16. Ypur new room will be fabulous, airy, roomy,and filled with light.I agree, with living and having alterations done as well, if we were somewhere else, it would have all been so much easier. However the shower should be done today!!! did you hear my SQUEALS of delight??????? the storage room has the sub floor done, all ready for vinyl this Saturday. Love your quilt, those colours are wonderful together.

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  17. Hi Sandra! I'm not even participating in the Sweet Star QAL and I have THREE blocks made. Love your blocks - the navy fabric and the gold-ish are the same line as the eggplant in Beothuk I believe! I thought about snowballing the corners of the diamond shapes but didn't want to figure out the math. It is a fitting tribute for your Dad, in my opinion. You're on FIRE with your bear-themed block, rocking all the other 5 degrees to bears. A change of environment for a certain pup is, of course, expected and let's face it. You enjoyed the view as well, so it's not all about the four-legged friends. Good grief, I'm praying for NO RAIN while you're enjoying the fresh air but how exciting for the large south-facing window! I hope it opens for lots of fresh air whenever you choose. And MacGyver is enjoying the H out of this whole project! Woot woot for keeping costs down. Lastly, another magazine publication?!!! Seriously - how exciting is that?!! Oh geez - the name. S.e.r.i.o.u.s.l.y. Are we actually sisters? I know your mum loved lilacs as did mine, and we both have a thing for the scent now don't we. It takes us back to times when we could enjoy lilacs WITH our mum. Blinking lots now - and I'll look for this copy on May 28th. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

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  18. House renovs, especially older homes, are always an adventure, right?! We had a similar experience on our roof; finding one of those rafters and then discovering it had been cut and only 2" of the board was left in one spot. No wonder it was a bit spongy when you stepped on that part of the roof! That's fixed now, and you are well on the way to having yours all fixed too. What a fun space that is going to be for you! Hope your furkids adjust to the news soon. Cannot wait to see that magazine in real life -- so excited for you! Congrats! Off to write my Beothuk post . . .

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  19. Congratulations on the publication! I’m so happy that your quilting work is recognized.

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  20. You're making great progress with your blocks. Congratulations on the new pattern!!

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  21. Lovely blocks in such varied colours. Wait till your sewing space is finished, it will be a wonderful place. Congratulations on the magazine! Beautiful quilt, I love the colourway.

    -Soma

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