Tuesday, July 4, 2017

12 blocks...........

I got the 12 Old Italian blocks pressed and trimmed and laid them out edge to edge on the cutting table.  I think I would prefer the cross bars narrower because when the blocks are sewn together the side triangles are going to become even smaller.  I will probably look for a sashing fabric to go between the blocks since they will finish at only 7.5".  Also because each fabric appears in 6 of the blocks it is hard to do a layout without the same fabric touching.  With sashing they will get some separation.
Fireworks are illegal in this state but that doesn't stop several neighbors from shooting off big bangs at midnight (starting with the last couple days of June).  I have picked up these pieces so far in my yard.  The stick part is wood.  What is going to happen if I hit one with my lawn mower.  Will I get a big splinter driven into my ankle?  That's the bad news about the 4th of July.  The good news is that it is my 10th blogiversary and I haven't run out of things to say yet! 😊

23 comments:

Lesley Gilbert said...

Fireworks - we have the same problem for Guy Fawkes night on November 5th - there's always somebody that wants to let off steam the night before and because I live in a brick terrace house the echoes at the back seem louder than ever!
Happy 4th Of July to you and well done on your 10 year blogging :) I always read every day even though I may not reply.

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

OMG I would be so happy if those were all we had to deal with.... for fireworks!!! Here you can buy the mortars and M80's to shoot off in your yard. Sounds like a wars zone for a few days with tonight being the worst, but if it rains.... they can set them off tomorrow... according to our new city ordinance! So far the dogs are not bothered and we hope it continues for the rest of their lives.

Julie in GA said...

Happy July 4th to you! I'm very glad you still have plenty to say and to show!

Roxanne said...

Love reading your blog every day. Thank you for sharing your creative spirit in quilting and gardening and writing and photography. Truly Wandaful! :)

Mary said...

We started hearing fireworks last weekend too. I love watching the community's professional show but have never understood the fascination some have with setting off their own fireworks. Congrats on your blogiversary!

JustGail said...

Iowa just legalized fireworks again, apparently some people have been making up for lost time for all the years of not having them. I've been hearing them, but don't live close enough to be getting the trash they leave behind. I have to wonder what will happen with so many people angry about people not obeying the rules (only fire them on certain days, not after 11(?) pm), fires (there have been a couple) and injuries (most notably so far - a 1 month old baby and mother) before fireworks are made illegal again.

I think the lawn mower will chop up the bottle rocket sticks to bits, but still, it's a bit galling to have neighbors trashing your yard, intentionally or not.

Now to the important subject - I have to say these blocks are so somber, not at all the happy joyous wild wackadoodle combinations you do that I've come to love. I can see why they are not your favored fabrics. But that's a great idea to use those to try a new block, instead of letting them lay sulking in the stash.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

one of our neighbors in the distance was setting them off last night. I was on the porch reading about 8-9 last night and all of a sudden one was so loud I almost popped out of the chair it startled me so much. I like watching the professional ones but I don't like people setting these off themselves - at least we have had plenty of rain this year and so no danger of a fire starting. Always such a danger I think and people spend so much money on them

Hedy said...

So far we have had only one or two really pretty fireworks, but I'm sure someone will have to shoot the really loud ones that scare the dogs. Once when we were camping, someone shot a real cannon on New Year's Eve-now that was loud. I'm not much crazy about these blocks, they are kind of gloomy, not your usual bright style. I expect your sashing will fix them soon. Oh, by the way, pick up nails in your yard too-we had to rush my 11 year old son to the ER with a nail in his vein from where it went flying out and punctured his leg. This was years ago and I still remember his whole leg saturated with blood. Be careful of those sticks.

melinda hirsch said...

Not a fan of fireworks---2 of our 4 dogs have to be sedated for 72 hours. The noise is also terribly disturbing to wildlife, some of whom leave their young and nests in terror. Some are so disoriented they never return. Even butterflies are affected. People have become so destructive.
On the other hand, congrats on your 10 years--I love every day I get to to read your blog. What a treat!

Alice said...

Happy 4th and may it be a quiet one. We've been hearing fireworks for several days, but fortunately not too close. The dogs aren't unset. Happpy blogiversity. I'm very happy that you've not run out of thing to talk about.

Cathi said...

I love how rich those blocks look with your colour choices - the colours immediately drew me in. I can't wait to see what you choose for sashing.

They don't allow fireworks here, but there are many public areas where one can go to see fireworks displays - parks and the like. At least that keeps it out of most residential areas.

Happy blog anniversary! Seeing all your wonderful quilts and following along as you design them is a joy!

Julie S said...

Congrats on 10 years of blogging! I visit every single day, enjoying your quilt and garden posts! Here's to another 10 years!!

Linda Swanekamp said...

Congratulations and thank you for faithfully blogging all these years. I joined reading you in the fall of 2011. You have greatly enriched my life and abilities through all you share and answer. Thank you, Wanda!

thatfabricfeeling.wordpress.com said...

You mentioned that experience of starting sewing a block design and discovering you don't enjoy making it. I completely know what you mean. That has happened to me frequently. This is why I've been making doll quilts for a fabulous cause called, "A Doll LIke Me". If I make a small doll quilt and like the design, then I know to go ahead and complete a larger one. Meanwhile, children with limb differences get all sorts of quilts with my experimental and practice triese. Still, I think this quilt design of yours is totally gorgeous. Whether you liked making it or not, it's a winner! The layout is actually one of my favorites that you've shown recently. It kind of reminds me of a Valentine's Day quilt but also has the colors of the popular and gorgeous Les Fleurs line by Rifle Paper Company. Well done and I'm sure this will be another fabulous finish of yours!

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Fireworks are illegal in most of the towns in my area - but that doesn't stop those who want them from going to the one town where they ARE legal - buying them there and bringing them back here and setting them off. The police dept. reported that they received over 14,000 calls regarding illegal fireworks yesterday - so it seems that we have quite a few idiots in the area.

Old Italian Blocks - I made a few a couple of years ago - same block - different book - and not as pretty as yours. The center cross seemed a bit large for my taste - so I considered cutting the block apart - from corner to corner diagonally - and then mixing them up again - but I got sidetracked by another "squirrel" and never actually did it. I might dig them out and try it - see what happens - ;))

O'Quilts said...

Happy Blogaversary....wonderful...I love the quilt top. I am unfamiliar with that block. It is raining here..TBTG. My son came and did a few sparklers with his children in the rain...glad for the rain..it is safer...

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Happy Blogiversary. Those fireworks must be really close to you! We have neighbors setting them off here too - more this year than most and they sound close by, but I haven't seen any debris in my yard. Zeus is terrified of them, so every year between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July - and usually even afterwards - he has to tolerate being frightened almost every night.

margaret said...

congratulations on 10 years of blogging and here`s to the next 10 years. Loving the old italian blocks you have me hooked on them too`
I hate fireworks they should be banned everywhere!

Kerry said...

Congratulations! Happy 10th!

As for fireworks - seems like people have money to burn. And it's not just the pretty ones they buy (which you need to attend an event) - they like the ones that sound like Armageddon has just started - in the middle of the night! Even the windows rattle with the shock wave! Not just special occasions like Guy Fawkes Night either. I wish it would be banned here. I feel for the people who live in thatched cottages - my friend used to worry herself whenever she heard or saw fireworks being let off close to her home!

patty a. said...

Last night - July 4th - it sounded like WWIII with all the fireworks. I could still hear a few going off at 1:30 a.m. I had some neighbors that set off a bunch of fireworks several years ago. It began to rain and they left all the debris from them in the cul-de-sac. The next morning I had to drag the big stuff off the street so I could go to work and I threw it in their yard. Nobody close set any off this year.

10 years - how wonderful! Congratulations!

Gypsy Quilter said...

Congratulations on 10 very colorful and productive years!

Charlotta said...

Happy anniversary! I hope you keep finding things to say for as long as you enjoy blogging! I sure enjoy being along for the ride! Don't get me started on fireworks which regrettably are legal in kentucky. Because, for the past five years, I have lived with a darling dog who is terrified of fireworks (as well as the sound of firearms - but not thunder) I have lost all positive feelings I may once have had for fireworks, myself. I especially detest the kind of fireworks my neighbors and other private individuals purchase and fire in their back yards as opposed to the public displays put on by professionals. The latter are at least at designated places and times so one can be prepared and act accordingly. Private individuals, at least around here, shoot off fireworks several days before and several days after the holiday in question, sometimes starting in the middle of the afternoon, sometimes one will pick up as soon as the other quits! It's just unbearable for my poor dog and even though I've taken to try to medicating him, that, too, is difficult, because it's so hard to predict when they will start on any given day, and I cannot keep him sedated 24/7 for several days in a row!

Mystic Quilter said...

Congratulation on your 10th Anniversary!! I love your Old Italian Tiles , so rich looking. I wish fireworks were illegal where we are, still lots of folks have huge fireworks in the back gardens, drives me nuts!!