Very Slow Stitching

I've quilted seven of the blocks on Cheddarback, enough that I decided I could begin quilting sashings between the quilted blocks.

I remember noticing a quirkiness about the quilting in the sashing when I watched Gay Bomers's video about Cheddarback.  Can you see it in this photo below?

All the blocks are quilted on the diagonal about 1½" apart.  The sashing is quilted on the diagonal, too, but perpendicular to the quilting in the blocks.  One would think it should all align uniformly but it doesn't in the original, and it doesn't in mine.  The quilting lines around the red cornerstones between the large blocks don't frame the cornerstones like I imagine they should.  I won't change it because I'm trying to replicate the original as much as possible.

If I have a chance to stitch today, this is what I'll be stitching.  This is definitely slow stitching because all those seams are challenging. 

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.   Thanks for hosting, Kathy.

--Nancy.

One Way to Remove Odor from Old Fabric

A few weeks ago we were at a tag sale where there were some small pieces of quilting fabric.  I came home with a short stack of fabric, all of which I'd sniffed to make sure it didn't have smoke, mildew, or any other unpleasant odors.

After I washed it there was an "old" odor about it.  I can't quite describe it--not mildew or mold, just old.  I was so disappointed.  I've done this before and had to pass on the fabric after several washes didn't remove the odor.  But I really liked these fabrics so I decided to try to get rid of the smell.

No photos of the process here but you can imagine it.  I put the fabrics in a bath of vinegar water and let them sit for a few days, then rinsed them.  Still the smell.  So I put some blue Dawn dish detergent into a large container, added water and the fabrics and let them sit for several days.  I was so pleased that they smelled fresh and clean without any hint of old odor.  Next, I machine-washed them and they were fresh and fine.  (Caveat:  Use Dawn only for soaking, not as a substitute for laundry detergent in your washer.)

I love these fabrics for their bright energy but have no idea how I will use them.  The one on the left is only a fat quarter and the one on the right is a half yard.

I also saved these pieces of fabric.  They will be easier to use.  These range from 8" squares to about 2 yards.

One other thing I just learned about Dawn dish detergent is that it may remove an oil spot even after it's been washed and dried.  Sometimes heat sets oil stains and they can't be removed but when I pulled a shirt out of the dryer that I hadn't know had oil on it, I put Dawn on the spot and left it two days, then rewashed it.  I was thrilled to recover a shirt I thought I would only be able to wear around the house.

If you find you've purchased fabrics that have an odor, how do you get the smell out?  What has worked for you in the past?

--Nancy.

Cheese and Chocolate - Saturday Snapshots

I know I take photographs of some odd and crazy things, like rinds of specialty cheeses.  I love multiples in variation so when I saw these I couldn't resist taking photos.  The rinds fascinated me.

Murray's Mimolette.  I took this photo for the color, not the rind.  Would you call this cheddar color if it were fabric for a quilt?

Comte 18 Month. . . .

Humboldt Fog Pepper Remix.  Does the rind make you think of nougat?  Or frosting?

Murray Aged Mancheg.  Almost a basket weave!

Murray's Caveman Blue.  A net?

Murray's Dansk . . . .  A different kind of net.

Rosemary and Olive

Some kind of Blue Cheese....

Unknown....  Another basket weave.

Wensleydale with Cranberries.  I love that dark maroon coating.   Is it wax?

Comtesse Brugge Gouda.  What a beautiful decorative doily on the cover of this cheese.

And chocolate! This is the bottom of a Ferrero Rondnoir dark chocolate.  Lovely texture!  Almost quilt-like.

What will catch my eye next, I wonder.

Now I'm off to quilt.  I hope you're having a good weekend.

--Nancy.

Burgoyne Again This Month for My One Monthly Goal

It will be another Burgoyne Surrounded block for this month.

I would love to set a goal to make the final three but we're having guests for a while, my daughter's two kitties, and they really enjoy the room where I sew.  I think they'd like to sew themselves if it were possible.  So, it's my One Monthly Goal (an almost laughable one) to make one Burgoyne Surrounded block.

These are the nine I've finished.

I like these blocks a lot and if I make another would try a more controlled color arrangement.  However, they are not quickly sewn blocks.  I think there are 97 squares/rectangles per block (and I didn't count the seams).  There's aligning, pinning, sewing, pressing, all repeated again and again.  And then you have these fun blocks!

I have a blogging question for you.  Before you add photographs to your blog do you resize them?  My blog seems to load so slowly and I recently read that it might be because of the size of my photographs.  Anyone know about that?  Thanks!

I'm linking this post to One Monthly Goal October Link-up at Elm Street Quilts. Thanks for hosting, Patty.

--Nancy.

Away and Home Again

My daughter and I spent last week--well, three days of last week because two were spent driving--at Dewey Beach, Delaware.  Like most of you, I am anticipating fall weather and the change of colors.  It was a strange contradiction to have summer weather.  Still, who can ever get tired of watching the ocean?  Not me.

I think it's the only place in the world where I can and will sit and do nothing.  I know that about myself and yet I packed my project box with plenty of applique and prep work to do.

My box is a beautiful cigar box that came my way, from where I can't remember.  I love the red, aqua, and green and the paper trim around the edges.  It is a perfect size at about eight inches square and nearly two inches deep.

I never lose the lid because it's attached.  Inside I always have scissors, a box of pins, a bottle for needles, a bobbin or two with thread for basting, orange sticks for turning edges, a small ruler, and a seam ripper.

Depending on what I'm working on, I add spools of thread in the colors I'll need.

And there's still plenty of room for applique pieces--a few small ones and a stack of larger pieces, too.

When everything's packed I close the lid and slip an elastic band (maybe it's a large hair band) around the box to hold it closed and I'm ready to go.

But do you suppose I added a single stitch while sitting on the beach watching the ocean's waves roll in?  I did not!  The ocean captivated me. 

There were times when the ocean was boisterous and the waves crashed in sequence, following each other along the beach almost as if they were one long wave, going a quarter of a mile up the beach--always from south to north.  They were noisy!

This is the first time I noticed that the waves sometimes come it at an angle, toward the south or toward the north, or perpendicular to the beach.

Our hotel was next to the beach and our room had a floor-to-ceiling window.  We could see the ocean with nothing but glass, dune, and sand between.  It was a treat to put the table in front of the window and sit there for lunch.

I've been home since Friday evening but I'm having trouble getting back to everyday life and activities.  I need to choose a monthly goal by tomorrow.  I'll have to choose something really motivating.

There's not much autumn color here yet but I have my autumn maples quilt out, so at least there's that.

I hope all is well in your part of the world!

--Nancy.