Portrait time...........

The seams are all sewn, the pressing is done, time for a portrait.

I posted this on my Instagram feed too and it looks a lot brighter there, the difference between a real camera and a phone camera.  I think the colors are truer in this photo.  This one ended up 68" x 92".  It will shrink up a little with quilting.

(Reminder: this quilt was inspired by the Gridlock quilt in Kaffe Fassett's book Glorious Patchwork and again in the book Kaffe Quilts Again.  Both of them in the books were made by Liza Prior Lucy).

I had a couple crazy pieced blocks started a few months ago so I added a few more strips and then trimmed them.  The fabrics are all Marcia Derse designs.

I had just one edge trimmed when I took this photo.

Here they both are after trimming.  I have lots of small scraps and haven't decided what I'll do with them yet.

I have a bud and a bloom on the white cactus.  It was in a bigger pot when I bought it about 5 years ago and the center part died during the summer. I have found in most cases that the ones that are in larger pots are usually several separate pieces instead of a large plant and this one has 4 pieces left in the pot.  That is why it doesn't all bloom at the same time.

 

Last Gridlock seams sewn, but.............

 The last 3 seams have been sewn but I just couldn't get motivated to press that huge top.  Maybe today........  So I prepared a collage of the other quilts I have made over the years with Marcia Derse fabrics.  The blue and white zig zag baby quilt isn't included so there are actually 8 and when I finish the Gridlock top there will be 9.  I sold 2 of the tops and gifted one of the finished quilts.  I still own three of the finished ones in the collage, one top is waiting to be quilted.

I was searching for something on my blog yesterday and happened to land on my yearly recap from last year.  Here is what I wrote on there about New Year's resolutions:

Maybe instead of resolutions we just need wishes or hopes.  That won't make you feel like a failure if it doesn't happen.

A few words that seem important now:

Spontaneous--doing things with great joy in the spur of the moment.

No guilt goes along with that--make things just for the fun of it. The orphan block box will undoubtedly get fuller and that is OK with me - more fun down the road.

I think I have stayed with the spontaneous part pretty well this year.  I just made blocks for the fun of it when I was between projects or just plain didn't have any focus on what I should be doing.  And.....I don't feel guilty about just making pieces and parts and sample blocks with no end project in mind.

3 more seams..................

 It's not very straight on the wall but you can get the idea, just 3 more long seams to sew.  When I get it done and pressed I'll put it up on the design walls in the basement where I have my extra lighting and get a good photo.

I'm glad I got my yard work mostly done on Wednesday.  It was cold and windy yesterday and night time temperatures dropping into the teens.  I guess I should get my winter coat out of the garment bag in the basement.

Yard work and prep work.............

I got in a good session of yard work yesterday afternoon.  I raked more leaves onto the lawn and chopped them with the mower.  I emptied 5 pots but still have a couple more to do.

Last night I cut a few more squares to have 17 for the last row of border on the Gridlock quilt.  I think this assortment will work but I can always cut a couple different ones if I need them.  I also fixed the 36 patch block that I wasn't happy with.  Now the serious sewing begins.

I'm still knitting dishcloths while I watch the evening news.  This one started out with 2 small portions left from previous balls of yarn and then I added another yarn that went well with them.  

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends!!

 

My day yesterday...........

I started out yesterday sending a remote pacemaker reading to the dr. office.  I had an errand downtown next and then I baked a double batch of Kringlas.  I have posted the recipe previously and this is the recipe with buttermilk in it.  I gave my granddaughter suggestions of what I would bake and she chose this one.

Her second choice was frosted creams so I baked them too.  This box full is going into my freezer.  It is a large recipe so there is enough for all of us.

This is the view from my sewing chair.  I have used almost every inch of the double design wall side to side so there wasn't room to put the last row of border on the right edge.  I didn't sew any more, they are just loose on the design wall.  I also have pieces on top of one of the 36 patch blocks covering up the row I'm going to take out.

Today is supposed to be up the 50s again so I hope to get outside and mow over some more leaves.  Chopped leaves are a great nutrient for the grass.

Sets of 3 squares...........

I decided one row of squares around the quilt top was enough.  I am starting to sew them in sets of 3 squares to match up with the quilt blocks.  The top 3 sets on both sides are sewn.  The rest of the squares are just loose on the wall.  I can move the sets of 3 around to new places as I finish designing if I see something I'm not happy with.  I might get this top sewn together this week.  I have some baking to do today to send with family to my granddaughter's house 6 hours away. 

Border audition..............

 

The original Gridlock quilt had a one row border of squares all around it.  I thought maybe a 2 row border would work and would increase the quilt to twin size.  I don't have all of the different colors cut yet for the border but wanted to see whether one row or 2 looks best.  I think maybe the one row is better.  I need to plan this border before I start sewing the quilt top together because 3 border squares are the size of one Gridlock block so they will be sewn in groups of 3 and added on that way in rows instead a long strip made of squares being added last.

I decided to get a pink poinsettia this year.  I'm not sure if I've ever had a pink one before.  I just buy one $5 plant at the big box place and try to keep it alive until January.

It was over 50 degrees yesterday so I mowed to chop the leaves in the backyard.  I hope there will be another warm day to mow again because there are a lot more leaves to rake off the flower beds.  I leave a light covering to create compost.