Taking a Look at Little Plaid Baskets with Zinnias

I laid out these basket blocks to see how they look, just to refresh my memory.  Where was I going with these?  What did I have in mind?  I know they'll need to be rearranged....

My notes are pretty sketchy.  I remember I was originally going to have them around the sides and bottom of the quilt with some other blocks in the center, then decided on just baskets.  Did I have a different configuration in mind than this, because there's one more basket that didn't fit this layout?  Was I going to stagger them?  I can't think how or why I would have thought that might work.  (Reminder to self:  keep better notes!)

The baskets will finish at 10" x 12".  As they are now, the layout would measure 40" x 60" but with sashing and a border the measurements will increase.

I wonder if these baskets will drive someone nuts. There are at least three or four different basket shapes and the plaids are cut in several different directions:  on the diagonal and on the straight grain with some plaids horizontal and some vertical.

My thought at this point is that these baskets need some space between them.  Shall I sew two 1" borders around each using different fabrics, or the same fabrics/color, or....?   I remember my Cheri Payne Baskets of Plenty (here and here) around which I sewed the same fabric.  The result was a very static quilt which I thought looked awful.  (I still have those borders to unstitch.)  Anyway, I was thinking perhaps dark greens, different shades of browns, greys, maybe reds, maybe even blacks around these baskets.  Maybe.

This is the basket I'm currently stitching.  The colors in the photo are a little brighter than in the actual block.

When it's finished, there will be one more basket to applique and flowers to choose and stitch for two baskets.  This is has been a slow quilt to stitch.  I began collecting photos of zinnias in September, 2021, so it's been 3½ years!  I guess I've had some quilts in progress longer than that, though. 

There's no great hurry to decide because I have more applique to do for these, but I think it's good to start thinking in advance.

I'm linking this post to
  > Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
  > Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuations
  > Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts
  > Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

On a health note.
I've had one, long, ongoing headache since the middle of November when I first had vertigo.  The vertigo is still gone, but the headache persists, with varying intensity.  I went to a neurologist on Friday who diagnosed the headache as New Daily Persistent Headache.  What a name!  He thought that when they put tubes down my throat for surgery in October they may have hit a nerve or two.  He offered two options for treatment, either of which he said should break the cycle:  an oral, 2-week round of the steroid prednisone or an injection on either side of the base of my skull.  Ouch!  I chose the oral route, but there hasn't been much change yet.  He said it may take a week or so.  I hope it works because I'm mightily tired of having a constant headache.

I hope you're healthy and happy and doing well!

--Nancy.

One Monthly Goal for September, 2024

This is a such a little goal, almost not worth mentioning, but because I've been so highly unmotivated, accomplishing even a small goal, or several small goals, will be progress.

In September, my goals are
1)  to finish stitching the two flowers on this block, and

(2) to thread baste the edges of these baskets for applique.  Getting them stitched to the background would be great, but that's not part of my monthly goal.

After these three baskets are finished, I have just two more to applique. Dare I imagine these becoming a finished quilt top this year?  That expectation might be a little too high since I have another knee replacement surgery scheduled for October 22.

One goal at a time....

I'm linking this post to September One Monthly Goal at Stories from the Sewing Room.  Thanks for hosting, Anne-Marie.

--Nancy.

Post-Surgery Thank You and a Few Stitches

Thank you, dear readers, for your good wishes, words of encouragement, thoughtful comments, and prayers in response to my last post.  I appreciate all of them.     

It's been four weeks, almost five, since surgery, and a few stitches on this basket are all I have to show for that time.  I haven't felt very motivated and the doctor tells me no sewing on my knee-pedal Singer.  (But I did finish one book and am almost finished with another.)  (And I have a new knee!)

Knee replacement surgery is not for the faint of heart!  The surgery itself isn't the challenge (the doctor takes care of that), it's all the work that comes after the surgery.  Just when you want to go home and let your knee rest and recuperate, along come the physical therapists who give you a dozen painful exercises to do ten times each, three times a day.  My poor arthritic knees were in bad shape (and one still is) which, I think, means that the exercises are more painful or just, perhaps, harder to do.  Extend the leg so the knee is at 0 degrees; and bend the leg, heel to bottom, to a minimum of 120 degrees.  Ouch!  And then there are the strengthening exercises, which I started last week. 

I went into surgery thinking I'd done my research, knew what was coming, and was at least moderately prepared.  I won't make that mistake again....  Several websites tell me that a knee replacement surgery is one of the hardest and most painful.  Even hip replacements were not as painful as this.  I guess it takes about a year to full heal.

So, on June 3, Judy of Small Quilts and Doll Quilts had surgery.  I think she must be the poster child for quickest healing after a knee replacement surgery:  she proclaimed herself all well and healed on June 24! 

The hospital gave me a box of tissues.  I liked the box better than the tissues.

This is a view from my walker. I move with the stars around me. Haha.

I'm using the walker less and less, but I'm not up to speed yet.  I will try to visit your blogs and leave comments as I'm able.  And thank you again for your comments on my last post.

--Nancy.

Slow Stitching Zinnias Today

Talk about slow stitching!  These baskets have taken a year or longer, but only because I'm not in a hurry to finish them.. I sew them now and then.  This basket of zinnias is in progress, a little more finished now than in this photo taken a few days ago.  I hope to finish it this week.

These next two have been finished for a few weeks.  Does this one need another leaf on that left stem?

And this one, another leaf, too, on the left stem?  This basket is really straight on the background, I just photographed it crooked.

I have two more blocks to stitch down the zinnias and leaves, plus three more baskets to prepare for applique and three more backgrounds to choose for each of them.  Then I'll choose zinnias and stitch them and their leaves in place.  I think that will give me a total of 20 blocks, 10" x 12" finished.  If I lay them out without sashing (which is not my plan) they would become a 40" x 60" center.  But I think they're too busy not to have sashing.  I'll just keep stitching flowers and leaves for now. 

I love these little baskets.  I'm thankful for quilt blocks-in-progress that are already prepared for both hand and machine stitching.  They're easy to pick up when I don't have the time or energy to think through starting something new.  They're there and ready to go, even for just a few minutes of sewing.

I'm linking this post to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Thanks for hosting the link-up, Kathy.

I hope you have good Sunday.

--Nancy.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Today I'll be appliqueing this block.  The two stems on the right are finished and I just started stitching the stem on the left.  I fold over and pin pieces (the leaf and the flower) if they're in the way.  After the stems are stitched, I'll finish the inside of the basket handle, then sew the leaves, and finally the flowers.

I'm amazed at the detail an enlarged photo will show compared to what I see through my glasses.  I was surprised to realize that some of the pins look like they are rusty!  What?!  I can't feel the rust with my fingers nor see the rust when I look at them.  I suppose I should get rid of those pins, don't you think?  Leave them in longer than a week and I'll have a rusty zinnia.  (If you want to see, you can click the photo to open it in another tab, then click again to enlarge.)

I may also continue quilting Everyday Patchwork.  I haven't put a stitch in this for several weeks, at least.

I was going to post last week for Slow Sunday Stitching but didn't manage it.  Below is the block I was stitching, which is now finished.  (Though no photo of its finish.) 

I added another leaf on the right side of the stem on the right.

I don't see any rusty pin in this block, below.

It seems that summer has waltzed into town.  We've had a beautiful, relaxed, and slow early spring.  Lately the temperatures have been in the mid-60s and low 70s, but today it's in the 80s, and probably will be for the next week or so, if my weather app is correct.  It's time for short sleeves, at least for now.  It could be in the 50s again in two weeks.

I'm sorry to have learned of the death of one of my blogging friends.  Susan Nixon, who blogged at Desert Sky Quilts, passed away last week.  She'd fought cancer for several years.  Rest in peace, Susan.  Maybe you knew her?

I'm linking this post to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Click through to see others' handwork.  Thanks for hosting, Kathy.

--Nancy.

Slow Sunday Stitching

I have a choice of two things to stitch today.  Or maybe I'll stitch a little on both.

First is this little plaid basket with bright zinnias.

I haven't taken a single stitch on this block yet and before I do, I'll reevaluate the placement of the parts.  Do I like that stem in the middle?  Are its leaves a good size?  Does the flower on the right need a few leaves?  Does the flower on the left need another leaf?  Those kinds of questions.  I always begin by stitching the stems and I think the ones on the right and left are in good shape for me to stitch today.  (It's just the middle on that's in question.)

Second is hand quilting Everyday Patchwork.

I've quilted only one row of fans across the width of the quilt.  I like how the green thread mostly disappears.  For some reason, it's easy for me to do other things instead of hand quilt if there's not something to watch on TV or a book to listen to..  But I want to make progress on this so perhaps a few fans will be just thing thing for today.

I'm linking this post to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Kathy.

--Nancy.

P.S.  Blogger is currently not sending comments to my email.  If you leave a comment (and I hope you do!), I'll respond here on the blog and if I know your email address I'll respond directly to you. 

One Monthly Goal Finish for March, 2023

My One Monthly Goal for March was to count the number of zinnias, leaves, and stems I'd already made to be sure I had enough for 17 baskets.  I had to cut and prepare more leaves and now I have enough, and extras, which means I can still play with the placement of flowers and colors in the baskets.

I thought three flowers in most baskets would be good but comparing the above photo to the one below, I think some baskets could have two, one, or no flowers.  Or maybe not....  Maybe it's all the leaves, or their placement, in the photo above that makes it look so full and busy, maybe even cluttered.  Or maybe there are too many yellow zinnias.  But then sashing will make a difference, too.  I'll have to give these thing some more thought before I sew more flowers.

I also decided I need three more baskets for a total of four across and five down.  The blocks will finish at 10" x 12" so without sashing, the quilt would finish at 40" x 60".  Sashing and borders will add at least 12" or more across and at least 14" down.  It's so rare that I have a whole quilt planned out from the beginning.

These are the three background and basket fabrics I plan to use.

This is how I audition fabric for a basket, whether it will be cut straight of grain or on the diagonal.

I traced the basket pattern onto paper, then carefully cut out the basket to leave the paper intact.  I like to know how the baskets will look before I cut into fabric.

As always, I'm interested in your thoughts about all aspects of these blocks and my ideas for making them into a quilt.

I'm linking this post to
>  March One Monthly Goal Finish at Elm Street Quilts. 
>  Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
>  Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.