No, my Seven Sisters pattern and templates have not yet arrived from Australia, but I've been making progress on my languishing 10-year-old FrankenWhiggish Rose project while impatiently waiting for that package to arrive.
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| Glue-Basting Prepped Rosebuds Prior to Stitching |
In looking back through my earlier posts I realized that I never showed the step in between prepping the rosebuds and actually stitching them to the block, hence the photo above. These rosebuds are too little to be pin-basted to my blocks and the Patchback stabilizer product I'm using makes them a little bit stiff, so I'm glue-basting them in place with tiny drops of Roxanne's Glue Baste-It (this post contains affiliate links). I've had this particular bottle of glue for a LONG time; it lasts forever because you use so little of it on each appliqué shape. Not sure whether you can see this clearly in the photo, but I'm putting my tiny drops of glue in the center of my turned seam allowance rather than right on the edge. The glue spreads when I press the rosebud in place on the block and I don't really want it right on the edge where I have to push my needle through as I'm stitching. Here's an update on where I am with this project as of today:
11 Rosebuds Glue-Basted to Blocks, Ready for Stitching
24 Rosebuds Need to be Prepped & Glue-Basted to Blocks
97 Stuffed Berries Need to be Made & Glue-Basted to Blocks
Speaking of the stitching part, I got a bit of a rude awakening when I resumed this project after a 6-month hiatus and discovered that my Magical Sewing Glasses (prescription reading glasses that I had my eye doctor order based on the distance I hold my work from my eyes when hand stitching) are no longer capable of banishing the blur! So apparently my close vision has deteriorated significantly. AAAARRRGH! I went to my local Warby Parker store, hoping that I could select and come home with a cute new pair of stronger glasses for hand stitching. I picked out these frames and ordered them in the 2.75 strength magnification, but instead of taking them home the same day I have to wait for them to be shipped to me in 7-10 days. Probably should have just gone to the drug store instead.
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| Warby Parker Brady Frames, Desperately Needed for Blurry Hand Stitching! |
I started stitching down my rosebuds with my old glasses even though I can't really see what I'm doing. Hopefully my muscle memory is picking up the slack from my aging eyeballs!
He Loves Me!!!
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| Purchasing 4 x 8 Sheets of Insulation Foam Board from Lowes |
Here's the wall I've chosen for my design wall. That's Bernie in our shared office space on the right, and I'm standing with my back to the entrance of my sewing room to take this picture:
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| This Is Gonna Be My Design Wall! I Can't Wait! |
Each of these 4' x 8' foam insulation boards will be wrapped in cotton quilt batting and then screwed to the wall to create a fuzzy 96" x 96" surface for laying out quilt blocks of projects as I'm working on them. The foam insulation boards we selected are 1/2" thick, so I'll also be able to pin items to the design wall if needed. We would have gotten this project finished already if Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby hadn't intervened and started dumping rain on us. We want to use a permanent spray adhesive to adhere the batting to the foam sheets and that needs to be sprayed outdoors! I am so looking forward to getting my Deco blocks up on that design wall and moving that project along.
Family Time
Had to share this great family photo from a recent dinner at the local German restaurant The Black Forest. My father-in-law has been experiencing a lot of health challenges that prevented him from enjoying a nice family meal at a restaurant, so this was a celebration of health on the mend and comfort food!
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| Bernie, Me, Anders (Son), Fred (FIL), Lars (Son), + Angela (SIL) |
In addition to the delicious but decadent rouladen we indulged in at the German restaurant, we've also been treated to some wildly delicious and sinfully addictive dark chocolate brownie truffles courtesy of Lars's newfound interest in cooking and baking. He found this recipe on the Ghirardelli web site and has made them several times now. I keep going to my refrigerator with healthy intentions of getting a nice apple for a snack, and then I open the door to find a tupperware full of the chocolate brownie truffles right at eye level, luring me in... Y'all, the apples are losing out every time!
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| Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Truffles |
Other things Lars has been cooking include fried bacon smothered in pepper and brown sugar and Swedish pancakes with chopped up bacon in the batter and homemade blueberry compote topping. There will be no healthy salads or grain bowls as long as Lars is in charge of the menu!
Well, that's all you get from me today. I've got some housework to do today and I hope to get more of those rosebuds made and stitched down, and might even get out my Deco project again now that my design wall is happening soon. I'm linking up with my favorite linky parties:
MONDAY
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Monday Musings at Songbird Designs
TUESDAY
To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt
WEDNESDAY
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
THURSDAY
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
FRIDAY
Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Off the Wall Friday at Nina Marie Sayre
Beauty Pageant at From Bolt to Beauty
TGIFF Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday, rotates, schedule found here: TGIF Friday
SUNDAY
Frédérique at Quilting Patchwork Appliqué
Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework
Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts
YAY on the design wall! Glad you didn't have any damage from Debby. Oof on the blurry vision, been there! That is a lovely family photo, and how wonderful your FIL feels well enough to visit a restaurant. It's great that Lars likes to cook! Those brownie truffles look delicious, I might have to just try the brownie part.
ReplyDeleteThose truffles looks delicious! Lars will be heading back to college soon, won't he? It would be so nice to have someone else do the cooking for a change. Congratulations on the display wall!!!!!
ReplyDeletethat is good that you can have a design wall next to the sewing room - sometimes the sewing room just isn't large enough is is. Good to have the family together - have the boys moved to Florida too or just summer break from college. Glad the father in law is doing better. Your package from Australia will arrive one day! I was looking at the 7 sisters pattern it is nice and with EPP can be done a little at a time.
ReplyDeleteHooray for the design wall! That is a great location for it. Lars is a gourmet chef. The truffles look amazing! Keep at those rosebuds. . .eventually, all will be stitched in place.
ReplyDeleteWould you believe one of my very first indulgent purchases was a Roxanne (McElroy) thimble? This would have been in the early to mid 1990's back when I was hand quilting my work. I still use it when I really need to push the needle during handwork. So sorry about the high trouble. Changing eye sight can be so frustrating. Those tiny rosebuds look like they would require more than 3.0 magnification to work with. Boy, am I impressed.
ReplyDeleteGood to have a design wall, I use mine all the time. It looks like you'll be able to stand back a bit & get a good perspective on your work? And sounds like happy family times and special memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing more of your quilts on your design wall, Rebecca! Bernie is quite the cook, ready for a challenge! Kind of like you in the quilt studio! Wonderful family photo!
ReplyDeleteAhhh - heres to a new design wall!!! Its going to be awesome . What fun with all your family. seriously? Dark choc truffles... you know I am going to have to drop everything and MAKE them now!! You seem very happy Rebecca - I love it!!
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