Friday, February 23, 2018

Into Thin Air

When Lori of Humble Quilts began the year with an invitation to join her in a sew-along to make Cheri Payne's "Sweet Land of Liberty" quilt I was excited but indecisive.  I didn't have the pattern and I wasn't sure I could find or create patterns for all the blocks.  (If you don't know this quilt, it's filled with applique.  You can see four versions of the quilt here, top left.)  So I hemmed and hawed and deliberated through January weighing the pros and cons of stitching this quilt.  Finally, toward the beginning of February, I began with the eagle, a pattern Cheri has in her Facebook group files.

paper pattern for Cheri Payne eagle

I finished appliqueing the eagle one day last week and then, because I had other obligations and knew I wouldn't be able to work on it for a week or so, I put it away.  (I didn't take a photo.)  Now I find (ha!) that it has vanished into thin air.  (Is vanishing into thin air the adult version of the dog ate my homework?)  Anyway, I've searched and searched and can't find it anywhere.  I'm taking that as a sign that I really shouldn't be making the quilt, especially considering how indecisive I was to begin with.  If the eagle turns up maybe I'll make it later.

What I have been working on are a few more blocks for the rubies/strawberries/cherries quilt in red and brown.

 
And more quarter cabin blocks.  With this batch finished I think I will have about 75.  I don't have a specific plan for these, just lots of strings to use.  I did consider a strippy quilt but I need to play before deciding.  

untrimmed quarter log cabin blocks

It seems this year is shaping up to be another one in which I focus on using up scraps.  I know I'll always have scraps but sometimes there are just too many and I feel the need to either use them or toss them.  It's too bad it's against my nature to toss.  Do you ever tire of your scraps -- same old fabrics over and over again -- and wish for new scraps?

This is one of the little boxes I carry projects when I'm riding in the car.  Sometimes I use a more enclosed container but I was just pinning today so this box worked well.


I've been working on preparations for our women's conference at church and haven't had much time to sew, or to even concentrate on the next ideas for quilts.  It will all be over by Saturday afternoon and then I can devote more time to quilting and family history.

I know most people are ready to be done with winter by the end of February but it seems like we've barely had a winter here in central Ohio -- a few little snows and a little ice.  I'm still hoping for one  good, deep snow.

I hope all is well in your world.

I'm linking this post to
> Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag
> Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt 
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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22 comments:

  1. I've been bemoaning the fact that my Valentine wallhanging disappeared. Needed binding so I could hang it for the holiday this year and was nowhere to be found! SO annoying. Everytime I see beautiful quarter cabin blocks, I want to make some. So far, it's been a no go. Maybe soon..yours are really pretty.

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    1. I'm sorry you had the same problem I had losing a quilty project. It's so frustrating. Maybe it has turned up by now?

      I like those quarter cabin blocks and hope they do what I imagine in a quilt. Thank you, Sherrill.

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  2. So the eagle flew away, huh? Maddening how that happens! It will turn up someday when you have forgotten all about it. :)
    I love the red/brown color combo.
    I do like those quarter cabin blocks. I don't think I have ever made that block.
    Yes, at times I get very tired of my scraps, and I have given them away at once or twice. I have also been the recipient of other quilters' scraps when they tired of them and I was thrilled to have an infusion of new fabrics into my scraps.

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    1. Yes, that darned eagle still hasn't come home -- or at least it hasn't made an appearance yet. My daughter told me the other day that we spend 3 years of our lifetime looking for lost items. I doubted it when she told me but that I noticed how I have to dig in my purse searching for my keys, or scout around he house for the scissors I left near my quilting or near the sewing machine, or searching for a hiding eagle. Ha!

      Those quarter cabins were just another way to use strings. I have so many strings....

      I would give away some of my scraps but most are not quilt-store quality fabrics. Some are from shirts, others were rescued from a recycle center, others are from my sewing days. I wouldn't want to give away less than the best. Yes, I was the recipient of one of your scrap giveaways and I'm treasuring and enjoying them but not yet cutting and sewing them. They are just too delightful. Thank you for them.

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  3. LOL--I totally understand having something disappear in my sewing room! Love the quarter log cabin blocks--fun!

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    1. Thanks, Karen. I think you and I are not the only ones who have blocks disappear, at least if I read the comments right. I hope those quarter cabins become something good!

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  4. I'm so sorry about the eagle. This is an interesting SAL because there seems to be no rules, just ideas. I hope you find your eagle soon so you'll participate too. We are finally getting some good snow. I hope the storms continue across the midwest and give you some much needed snow. It just hasn't seemed like winter until now. We've had temps in the teens and it's been snowing off and on since last Sunday. I have scraps that keep showing up in my quilts and there's still more. I didn't like them in the first place, that's why I cut them up.

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    1. Thank you, Robin. I'm sorry about the eagle, too. If/when he turns up maybe I'll join in the sew-along. As it is, I'm writing down all the block sizes so I can work on it later.

      Lucky you for good snow. We still haven't had any since I wrote that post and it looks like we probably won't again this winter. It's been warm and we've had a lot of rain.

      How is it we manage to have scraps of fabric we didn't like in the first place? I have some, too. I look at them and wonder how I ever managed to have them and where they came from. Sometimes I think scraps multiply on their own!

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  5. I was tempted to join the sew along too, but didn’t. I hope you find your eagle block even if you don’t continue. I usually find things I am missing while looking for something completely different. Love those quarter log cabin blocks!

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    1. Thanks, Rebecca. The eagle is still missing but I quit searching.

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  6. Oh my, the "disappearing project syndrome". It has happened to me quite often, usually when I clean for company. It's a great eagle, so I hope you can find it soon. Love those half log cabin blogs, very inspiring.

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    1. Hi, Gypsy. Oh, yes, the disappearing block syndrome! It still hasn't made an appearance. Who knows where it could have got to. The first time I saw that eagle was when Lori of Humble Quilts posted it around the Fourth of July. I loved it then and I still love the eagle -- I'm just not happy with my disappearing eagle. Ha.

      I hope the quarter cabins live up to my expectations of them.

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  7. Hope you find your eagle. This is a beautiful quilt - although I haven't started it either. I tend to find my lost blocks when I make a new one, so just make a new one, and if you find the other one you can just add it into the quilt too! The quarter log cabins are so cute. Great use for scraps. I find that when I mix my scraps with other fabric, they look different enough for me to like them again.

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    1. Hi, Gypsy. Oh, yes, the disappearing block syndrome! It still hasn't made an appearance. Who knows where it could have got to. The first time I saw that eagle was when Lori of Humble Quilts posted it around the Fourth of July. I loved it then and I still love the eagle -- I'm just not happy with my disappearing eagle. Ha.

      I hope the quarter cabins live up to my expectations of them.

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  8. Nancy we are thinking alike. I just wrote a scrap post for tomorrow in which I feel like you...I just can't throw out those pieces. I feel the need to use them up somehow. Those log cabin blocks fit the bill perfectly.
    But now where would an eagle hide I wonder. It will no doubt turn up when you least expect it.
    I love the range you are finding with the reds/raspberries and browns. As always I love reading your musings about the quilting.

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    1. Thank you, Jocelyn. I wonder what it is that we can't throw away scraps. I grew up with parents who lived through the Great Depression and my mom made use of nearly everything. Maybe I learned it from her. My strings were perfect for those cabin blocks but they're too small to use very much fabric. I'll have to come up with another way to use the strings.

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  9. Oh, those disappearing blocks. Do not feel alone... (What has worked for me in the past is to make another of whatever disappeared, then go to put it away. I'll set it down right on top of the missing one every single time. Just visualizing doesn't work - I have to actually go to the effort of replacing the whole thing.)
    Love your quarter logs! It's a blog I've played with a little bit and would like to make more in the future.

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    1. Hi, Gayle. It seems like there quite a few of us who lose blocks. And you're the second person who said making another block makes the lost one appear. I don't know if I'll go that far or not. I just want that eagle to appear, darn it.

      I like the little quarter cabins but I deliberate about whether to make them larger. I'll have to play a bit.

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  10. I lose things just like you did with the eagle block. Frustrating. I find that, if I give up looking, it seems to turn up on its own in a day or two.

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    1. Hi, Karen. I find it comforting to know that there are more than a few of us who lose blocks. I quit looking for the eagle but it has yet to make an appearance. I'm not going searching for it, though. One of these weeks or months it will turn up.

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  11. I too love your 1/4 log cabin blocks with those snippets of plaids. They will make a wonderful scrappy 'handkerchief corner' quilt!

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    1. Thanks, Linda. I didn't know what a handkerchief corner quilt was and had to look it up. I didn't know that's what it was called. I think these blocks are headed in another direction but we'll see.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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