Saturday, March 26, 2022

Off the wall and at the machine...plus quilt top portraits.........


All of the decisions were made on the improv strip pieced quilt top so it moved from design wall to sewing station.  I have it about half sewn together as of last night.




After the improv quilt came down the pastel batik 16 patch went up for its portrait.  I pressed this one, a 94" long backing and the colorwash yesterday afternoon.  I forgot to add my extra lighting for it so maybe I'll try again but this photo is pretty true to how it looks.  It is 64" x 80".


This is batik colorwash #24 and it is 30" square.  I'll look for a backing today.  I try to use the multicolor batiks for the back because they are harder to use in piecing, and because I have a whole shelf of them.





Lo and behold there is another orange bud around the back side of the plant.  The other bud is in full bloom but my photo was blurry so I deleted it.  I'll try again today if it is still fresh looking.

I was dealing with a dead battery in my van a 3 times in the last 8 days.  The battery was only 14 months old so my neighbor took it in to work (where I purchased the battery) yesterday afternoon and they tested it.  It had a bad cell so now I have another new battery.  He even had them wash my van for me.  She looks pretty good for being 18 years old, no dents yet and only a little rust on the underside of one fender.  70072 miles on it.

14 comments:

Julierose said...

Good deal on that battery replacement and x-tras;)))
Wow--your cacti are giving you another nice showing...my poor thing is drooping...I must repot and cut back some new pieces I think...do you prefer water rooting or soil???
Anyway...your quilts are looking great and coming along quickly --nice works hugs, Julierose

Cherie Moore said...

Funny how those cactus blooms appear. Our was full of bloom around Thanksgiving and they a few sporadic blooms in the past 4 months. The pastel 16 patch looks amazing as does the color wash, but you are the queen of those ;-). Nice they stood behind the battery, not something to assume these days!

sewyouquilt2 said...

Cool blooms and nice that your battery is fixed. My car too is old with less mileage.hoping it lasts me a while

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

That is some use out of a van!! Been reading and following along, but time gets away from me every single day. My Christmas Cactus that started to bloom in October has been blooming constantly since... sometimes 10 or more blooms and several times just one or two. Currently, have one last bloom and 2 well-formed buds. They may be the last 2! Brite, sunny and very cool the last few days... feels very much like winter... a few flakes are forecast later in the week. Yuck.

Linda Swanekamp said...

What a super neighbor! So glad you will not be stranded by a bad cell battery. My car is 4 years old and I baby it so it will last. It was the last manual that went in the Foresters. I hope I can drive it a long while. Snowing right now. Love all the colors in the 2 quilts. Multicolor batiks on the back would look super.

JustGail said...

Good news on the battery, and the neighbor. The pastel 16 patch is gorgeous!

JJM said...

Your pressing shows up on thre photos, they look nice and ‘polished’ and ready for the next step. I agree with Linda, you have a good neighbor to help you out with your car. And knowing you, you have been a great neighbor to them also. We’ve always trade our vehicles in at 100,000 miles and they’re usually 5 ~6 years old. We have many miles to drive to get anywhere here in the mountains too. You’ve got a treasure sitting in your garage.

JJM

Kaaren said...

Wanda, I had a very similar battery experience. After going through waking up to a dead battery 4-5 times, and going to the repair shop and finally the dealer TWICE, they determined it was lesser of a battery than my Honda Pilot needs! It was an after market battery purchased with the car was 6 -7 years old, and it wasn't hefty enough for the job. I spent boucoup bucks on a new Honda battery and have had no issues since. It took the dealership 4 days to identify the problem, so I guessI don't feel too dumb.

Quiltdivajulie said...

My car is sixteen years old - has a couple of small dings from other people opening their doors into the side of my car but it runs great and gets me where I need to go. Your finished quilts tops are gorgeous - especially that sixteen patch.

Mystic Quilter said...

Noce portrait photo of the pastel 16 patch and another of your beautiful colourwash wall quilts, they made a great start to my day.

MissPat said...

The spring 16 patch is stunning. It glows. I'm glad the battery issue has been resolved. I have one cactus that my son gave me last Christmas that is a late bloomer, so it is full of blossoms right now. Two others have a few blooms. They both bloomed near right after Christmas and through January. Now the orchids are budded and should bloom by Easter.
Pat

Needled Mom said...

The quilts look so nice. It must feel good when they reach the sewing stage. Yay for the new battery!

patty a. said...

I'm glad you got your battery issue sorted out. You certainly have gotten your money's worth out of that van. I went to put my backpack in my car this morning and discovered I left the driver's side door open when I got home from the grocery store. I have no idea why I left it open, but at least my car is smarter than me because it eventually turns all the lights off so the battery doesn't go dead.

SueR said...

I just so love those batik colorwashes. Maybe someday I might try one.... Wow, 18 years old and only 70k miles. You must not drive much! I drive a lot less than I used to. Don't much like to drive anymore. Good thing hubby doesn't mind.