Lois's (avaland) Creative Projects 2022

My name is Lois and I live in Southern New Hampshire with my husband. My three grown children and their families are all back in state now, too.

In the past I was a knitter, and did more embroidery than I do now. I made my own clothes in high school, and the outfits for both of my weddings, also quite a lot of my chidlren's clothing back in the 80s and early 90s, including various costumes and wedding wear (so hard to say no!). I also did calligraphy, clay sculpture, some oil painting and some watercolors...but for some years now I primarily quilt. I have made close to 100 quilts (I haven't done a recent count). I also like to garden, do other clever things, and READ....
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Just setting up for the new year. I'm between projects currently after finishing the four lap quilts. I have some window treatments, and one shower curtain to make for the freshly renovated bathrooms, and I hope to do a nice clean-up and reorganization of my studio before the end of the year.

Looking forward to hanging out with you all in 2022.

The renovations being over, and the holidays past, the other stuff in the studio has finally been moved back into the guest room, and I once again have my larger space back! However, the space & stuff needs a re-organize after moving so much around. Not sure what my next project will be. I have some charity quilts cut out that I could do, or I can start another scrap quilt...and I have been thinking about going back and doing some clothing. Hopefully, something will come to mind. I'll need a project to get through another isolating winter....

What to do with quite a lot of Kaffe Fassett fabric scraps??? Did this take care of all my KF scraps, no...but it did take care of 2/3rds. The rest of the small pieces will get mixed into the various scrap bins. This is slightly smaller than a 60x60 inch lap quilt. (This is just the top, of course)

>3 avaland: Oh! I like this! It's so colorful!

>3 avaland: Wow!

>3 avaland: Wow, that's amazing. I love all the colors.

That's great looking - I hope to get through some scraps this year too.

You and Kaffe - nobody does it better!

Thanks, gals. There isn't much genius in this, just not placing the same ones next to each other. As you might surmise I built the pieces into columns of slightly different widths, the trimmed their sides before sewing them together.

Trying to decide to brainstorm something new or work on the charity quilts I didn't get to this fall because of the renovations and bronchitis....

Beautiful quilt, Lois!

Oh wow!

I have to ask - are the curtains going to be quilts, too?

>11 melannen: No quilts for the window :-)

Have done very little in the studio, although I did finish putting the KF random scrap quilt together. Then I ordered some muslin for the backing, and it finally arrived. Still, I have not gone further with lt. I also pulled out the pieces for the charity quilts and started to recount numbers of pieces. I think the pieces for each quilt should be bagged up separately. And there is a pile of quilts to quilt, or send out.... Can't see to motivate myself. Maybe the renovations burned me out....

Maybe I need a trip to the quilt shop....

Doing some occasional clean-out and re-sort. I thought I had given away all my patterns, but ...I guess I only thought about it, or let go of "some".

But here a few that you might find amusing....



My oldest patterns from the late 60s through early 70s.
Starting in the upper left....
1. I made this jumper out of purple very big wale corduroy when I was in high school. It being the early 70s, it was VERY short.
2. I made this one much like the short sleeve version, but my mother did the buttons for me.
3.I made this outfit out of a green cotton/poly blend. Somewhere there is a picture of me in that.
4. Made this, very short, in pink gingham, like the picture.
5. I did the puffed sleeved version in something brownish
6. Made at least two of these, short sleeved, and the first was white like the illustration
7. My mother made me the first keyhole dress and I made a second out of a dotted white fabric (poly-cotton, I'm guessing)
8. I made this gown slick orangey and pink fabric for our senior class banquet. However, before banquet, my two best friends decided to walk through (in the gowns) the new mall that had opened in town. We were laughing the whole time.

I think I wore out the "big-bell" bell bottom y pattern. One of them was made with navy fabric with the cursive Pepsi-cola logo in white all over it. This followed of course 1971 Coca-cola commericial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM I loved the original song and the commercial; it followed my optimistic vision of the world despite the Vietnam War was ongoing....

Those patterns bring back memories! I came to them in the mid to late 70s but those designs still have a familiar look.

Those look like my kinds of patterns! (I have a bunch that age that I might get around to trying to stitch someday, if I work that far down in the todo pile.) Sounds like they brought back good memories for you.

I’d buy almost all of those patterns if I saw them in a shop. Especially the flared trousers suit (3) and the puffy sleeve dress (5). And I had a dress very similar to that in (1) on my 7th grade graduation. Loved that dress.

And look how cheap they were!

>15 lauralkeet:, 16, 17 I thought you might find them mildly amusing.

>18 dudes22: Makes one nostalgic, doesn't it?! However, this is what wiki says: "$1.50 in 1970 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $10.78 today, an increase of $9.28 over 52 years."

>14 avaland: Some of those look familiar! I didn't sew them, but I'm almost positive my mom had a few.

>18 dudes22: I bought a Simplicity pattern recently for making pajamas (which I think covers both children & adult sizes) and it cost just shy of $16! And I didn't end up using it.

>20 thornton37814: That's going to date you...:-)

Ohmygosh, I LOVE those patterns! So cool.

>14 avaland: Those patterns are delightful and several of those dresses I would definitely wear today. Now if only I could sew worth a darn...

Hubby and I drove an hour north this morning to my "local" favorite quilt shop as they were having a 20% sale on everything. He happily stayed in the car, It's in a large Victorian-like house with many rooms (and the walls have been opened up so it flows well from room to room). It was busy -- I don't think I've been around so many people in a long time! But everyone was masked and polite. I came away with 11+yards of fabric! (some were the ends of bolts and I couldn't leave so little left on the bolt, could I?) Clearly, I've been cooped up in the house too long! Will post a photo of some of it when it comes out of the dryer.

Ooh, that's time well spent, Lois.

>25 lauralkeet: Yes!

Here is the yardage. There were three fat quarters not in the photo/



Colors are off a bit as that first on the left is has a more baby blue background and the William Morris print in the middle is darker than it really is. I suspect some of the best Kaffe Fassett stuff was already in someone's hand/s because I didn't see anything I liked on those shelves (reminder to self: I'm done with KF)

I'm hoping this stash is going to inspire me out of my sewing funk

Oh beautiful patterns!

>27 avaland: Thank you, Micky!

I was going to say they looked like William Morris and yup - they are. Nice haul.

Tonight's news is estimating 8-12" for us on Sat as a first estimate subject to change. What are you expecting?

Oh, wow! What a haul! I think I'm most drawn to the red one, even though I'm not normally a big fan of red.

Oh gosh, those fabrics are beautiful!

I can't wait to see what you do with those lovely fabrics, Lois. Do you have projects in mind or will you just wait for inspiration to strike?

Thanks, all. It was a haul. I like to buy fat quarters, too; but their selection was very picked over.

BUT, before I start anything....(or finish some things in progress), I thought I would SORT and INVENTORY all of my Simplicity/Butterick/McCalls (and a few others patterns. So, this morning I unloaded 3 long file drawers and sorted them on the cutting table. OMG! 189! At one point there was an avalanche and I had to clean-up (I try to keep a sense of humor). There were much more unused ones than I expect (and I did occasionally buy multiple copies of the same pattern).

My justification for this collection is that I have been sewing clothing for over 50 years now.
I would take a picture of the table with the 189 patterns but it's not so neat post avalanche.

I have a pile of orphan pattern pieces which need to be reunited with the rest of the pattern. That's not going to be fun.... then I can inventory them and decided what to do with them.

PATTERNS (Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls…etc) (TOTAL 189)
LATE 60s through 2000? I'd guess about a dozen came

5 - tote bags
1 - crafts
7 - Pillows or pillow covers
13 - doll clothes: cabbage patch, Barbie…
6 - Hat patterns
4 Closet organization and storage items, also chair covers
15 Curtains of various styles
5 aprons, cat houses & other misc
21 Vintage: Clothing late 60s & 70s
4 Baby clothes
7 Girls clothes
18 Women’s fashions - small sizes
22 Women’s fashions - med sizes
34 Women’s sizes - large & plus sizes
2 Men clothing
1 - Juvenile costume
24 - Costumes or styles that could be a costume (i.e. peasant skirts)

NOTE: I gave quite a lot of children’s patterns to a friend, but I don’t remember who it was!

>34 avaland: That’s very impressive. I’d love photos, even if it’s not very neat.

I think of all the clothing patterns I had there are only about a half dozen or so left. (I haven't really looked - don't get me started on something else.) But I was thinking the other day about maybe making a couple of shift type dresses for the summer.

I actually added most of my patterns to LT a few years back, after my mother cleared out her collection and gave me a bunch. (It's less than 189!) There's quite a few on LT, especially McCall's and Simplicity. This is how I learned that the pattern numbers mean *nothing*. :D

That's an excellent collection, and very good proportions.

>34 avaland: 189. WOW.

>34 avaland: What a job!
I remember sorting my patterns carefully once before moving into two piles: one to take with me and one to throw away. Naturally I threw away the wrong pile, didn't realize it and packed the remaining pile. When I discovered it at the other end, I threw away the throw away pile too. I haven't bought any since, but I know if I was ever somewhere where they actually carried them, I would browse those huge books.
Luckily my knitting patterns made it through intact!

>27 avaland: These are gorgeous. I especially love the William Morris and the Liberty looking one to the right.
How could anyone ever be done with Kaffe? Forget that reminder to self!

>35 PawsforThought: Will post the one I took before I found some boxes....

>36 dudes22:

>37 melannen: That's interesting. I might go look at your library in the near future. And to think that I only found two patterns (from the same company) with the same pattern number.

>38 lauralkeet: It didn't look like that many!

>39 SassyLassy: Oh no! That's too bad. Most of my knitting patterns were quite aged. I gave all myt then needles (and my mother's) to daughter #2. I haven't made clothing for years now, it seems.

After the avalanche.



Here, they are (er, were) sorted by kind (regular adult clothing, children's, babies, costumes, doll clothes, window treatments...etc.

NOW, they are all in cardboard file boxes separated by McCalls, Simplicity/See&Sew and Butterick/Vogue AND filed by pattern number. And I have reunited quite a few orphan pattern pieces with their envelopes (Oy! A lot of individual pattern pieces have just the number not the brand) While I was not surprised by duplicates (I sometimes bought two of the same pattern if I was going to use it quite a lot OR needed different sizes) but was surprised to find three of one pattern. And in all of that, I found only two (Butterick) patterns with the same number decades apart.

So many memories in those boxes. Wish I hadn't given away all those children's patterns....

OH my gosh!

>41 avaland: That's amazing, Lois. I'm impressed with the sorting & organizing. That would have been kinda fun actually.

Wow, just wow! Great work getting it all organized (it's so satisfying, isn't it?)

Thanks, ladies. I'm not sure I enjoyed the organization, but there is some satisfaction felt now that it's done. 5 stuffed file boxes!

>41 avaland: It would definitely be fun to look through all of those!

Very cool!! I love collecting patterns and probably have that many or more. I watch for Joann Fabrics to have their pattern sales (used to be .99 each and now it's usually 1.99-2.99 each) and then load up. I have tons, of course, that I haven't used at all, but it's still worth it for the hours I've spent happily thumbing through them and daydreaming about making things.

How'd you make out in the snow? The word around here is that we got about 18" although with all the wind and gusting, I'm not sure how they figure it out. My step-son lives across the bay and his town got the most snow - 25". The plow people showed up at 3:30 am to shovel my walk and porch but then they didn't come back to do the driveway until suppertime.

>47 scaifea: True addict.... (so I shouldn't send you any late 1980s patterns with shoulder pads? :-)

>48 dudes22: Betty, we were supposed to get 12-20 light, fluffy inches. Instead we got about 8" of much denser snow. I hear an explanation for that denseness: something to do with the extreme cold and the snowflakes not developing the "arms" (there are like 8 different shapes of snowflakes, at least one is just a basic hexagons) and thus without them the snow is denser.

My brother in midcoast Maine also had 18".

I finally have risen from my winter sewing stupor. Yesterday I put together and pinned the layers for my Kaffe Fassett "leftovers" quilt (as seen above in #3). I was ready to quilt a linear pattern but strongly felt it needed something with curves. I haven't done quilted a loopy pattern for a long time. Had to re-read the directions for my machine...etc.and practice a bit. I'm doing this with more creaky joints than I had the last time....

I'm half done. I've broken two needles and cut my finger trimming the edges (luckily no blood on the fabric, but would anyone notice a blood spot on a wild, colorful quilt like this?!?! I hope to finish the quilting today (after I go out and get more needles, ha ha). It's just a generously-sized lap quilt for casual use.

>50 avaland: What a great guy to go back to!
I have to re-read directions all the time, just in case.
I'm sure since it's Kaffe the odd spot of blood won't show, but your picture has disappeared.

Scrappy Kaffe Fassett (& friends) fabrics quilt. Interesting the phone camera read the white snow! (and yes, I tried adjusting the photo saturation and coloring)

Not sure what is next...making cute little dresses for the granddaughter, or working on some charity lap quilts or what....

>51 SassyLassy: Thanks. What are you creating these days?

>52 avaland: I love the colors in that!

>3 avaland: WOW!! It's gorgeous.

>52 avaland: Oh that's beautiful!

>52 avaland: - I should figure out something to do with my KF fabrics. Great use of scrappy pieces.

>52 avaland: Agree, that is absolutely beautiful.

Thanks, everyone. It's nice to have finished something.

>52 avaland: Great work on the quilt, Lois! I recognise some of the fabrics in there. :)

Lovely to see Kaffe in all his glory!

On an unrelated matter, oh Queen of Butterick Patterns, do you know if these patterns are related to Butterick Publishing. I just pulled out an old children's book living on the wrong bookshelf, and noticed Episodes in this book are also protected by the following copyrights: Copyright 1913 by Butterick Publishing Co. It then lists three other copyrights. Now that I think of it, these could have been pre publication excerpts in magazines.

The book is Penrod by Booth Tarkington. The full book was published in 1914 by Grosset and Dunlap

>52 avaland: Love this colorful quilt!

>60 SassyLassy: From local history I know that Butterick published a magazine called The Delineator so pre-pub excerpts is likely the reason for the copyright.

>59 PawsforThought: Why thank you!

>60 SassyLassy: He goes to all the trouble to make fabric sets that go together so well, and here I come along and just throw them all together :-O

I have no idea about Butterick Publishing! But I found this interesting list:

https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Butterick%20Pub...

I suspect they were a multi-arm corporation, and printed/published both books and patterns. (did we talk about this once before...I'm having a bit of deja vu)

>61 beebeereads: Thanks!

I lack inspiration currently, so I'm working on the 2022 charity quilts. I'm using up a lot of very light prints that I have which I don't tend to use. So, cutting and sewing from time to time. Will do the same with my batiks, I think. Will post one when I get one pieced together.

Here is the top for the first charity quilt (not ironed yet); I have the pieces laid out for three more like this one. This is about 4 x 4 ft. Good for an infant and small children. I intend to do something similar with my batiks, aiming at the 11-teen age group.

Here is the 1st of 4 charity quilts, just assembled, not yet ironed, certainly not layered/quilted*. The other four are being put together with essentially the same, or similar, light fabrics. This is roughly 4 x 4 ft, good for babies and small children. I plan to do similar with my batiks but the quilts will be older child/teen size.



Somewhere along the way, I hope to return to something more inspiring, but for now this gives me something to do for the rest of the winter, until the gardening takes over.

*In the other two years in which I made the charity quilts, I had them assembled and quilted before our lake vacation early September, so I could sit facing the water and hand-stitch that last seam of the binding. I'm hoping to get 10 done...but we shall see.

Quilt #2 is waiting for me to sew the blocks together, Quilt#3 is up on the design board, and Quilts 4 & 5 have one more seam to do on all the blocks and will then have to wait their turn to be arranged on the design board and the sewn together. After these are all finish tops, I'll put them aside and spend some time on something a bit more stimulating before assembling the 5 charity quilts...etc. But, you know, best laid plans....

That's being prolific! I'm trying to use up a lot of my Christmas fabric for some throw size quilts which I think will be Christmas presents in 2023. (I need 15).

>66 dudes22: Do you want some holiday fabric, Betty? I will happily send my quilting buddy some:-) I think I have a plastic sweater bin of Christmas fabrics squares I cut (either 4 or 5 inch squares. I can check...). What sizes are you looking for? You can email me if you like, or text my 978 number if that's better.

>67 avaland: - Thanks, Lois, but I'll pass for now. Maybe if I start running out. 😂

>68 dudes22: Ok.

> 60 Penrod is available for download on Gutenberg Project.

>62 avaland: That is quite a list and I see at least one is on Gutenberg. I need re-read the list.

Two of five charity quilts. These two are finished, another just needs binding, and the other two tops needs quilting & binding.

Those are great, Lois. I'm still trying to get used to the new machine before I attempt actual quilting.

>71 avaland: Beautiful! Those colors are so spring-like!

>72 dudes22: Thanks, Betty. This is my go-to pattern for quick quilts, although I'm not above using just squares of the same size/

>73 scaifea: They are! Not colors I gravitate to in most of my quilts but I had a fairly large collection of pastels, lights...etc and thought I would reduce the stock this way. I'm going to do the same with the batik stash, I think (although I might regret reducing these piles because the accumulation of the last 40 years is a delight for the eyes and sings the songs of possibilities....)

>74 avaland: - Yes - after you mentioned the sizes you use, I've been collecting and making some too. I have 3 (?) done that I need to quilt.

>75 dudes22: I've done the pattern in two sizes. Yeah, I think we've talked about this before.

btw, I have just bought 21 yards of 60" muslin from here: https://www.fabricwholesaledirect.com/
It's been tough to find 60" around here for backings for the charity quilts, and the price is reasonable (I ordered 21 instead of 20 to get a small extra discount . I did this two years ago, too.

>76 avaland: - Is it tightly woven? I have some I use for the back of strip quilt blocks but it's very loose and I couldn't use it for a back without worrying it would get caught on something and rip.

>71 avaland: I love those spring colors!

These are so pretty. Love the colors.

>77 dudes22: Says:
100% Cotton (not preshrunk, btw)
Dimensions: 60" Width, 0.27mm Thickness.
Weight: 6oz per yard (approx.)
Stretch: 1% (Mechanical)
Thread Count: 150
https://www.fabricwholesaledirect.com/products/muslin-fabric

Textile industry call 150 "normal" and it seems to be about what most of my quilt fabric, and shrinks about the same.

>78 thornton37814:, >79 mnleona: Thank you! I hadn't thought about spring, but you are right.

I was hanging up a small quilt that fell off the wall today and noticed that it had a muslin back. It was from the first class that I took when I was learning to quilt.

>81 dudes22: Awww. How long ago did you make it?

I haven't gotten back to the quilts, but the muslin has arrived and some of the batting.

Hubby and I went out west an hour and a half to Keene (NH) to the New England Fabrics and Decorating Center in an old mill building (https://www.newenglandfabrics.com/). They have a very large area of decorating fabrics for curtains and upholstery, and smaller areas for quilting fabric and clothing fabric. I went to look for curtain material for the two bathrooms, and found some. We then walked into the center of town and lunch at an Italian restaurant (we ordered a Morrocco tagine!) Anywho, the fabric that seemed so perfect seemed less so in the actual bathrooms, so I've been preoccupied with figuring out how to make it work.

I also promised my daughter I'd make a spring dress for my granddaughter. I haven't made clothes for at least ten years. So, that's taking up space in my brain (along with the curtains and charity quilts). And things are on inching forward because I've been out raking (lawn and some gardens), or making lists of what needs to be done outside and other "house" work....

Not getting as much reading or reviews done either....

Needed a day out and choose to visit my favorite quilt shop in Henniker, NH. I went a little crazy (and I was keeping the Junie's dress in mind. Here's the haul.... I could not resist these new prints....and one was in the sale room so I bought what was left on the bolt and am giving some to a friend.



If it looks a little off, the photo is upside down. You'll get the idea....

I also have made a valance for one of the renovated bathrooms which I will post when we get the hardware installed later today. While I have the fabric for the other, I'm mulling the curtain itself.

(I've been working outside pruning, raking blah, blah, but I'm glad to have a couple of frigid days to work on my indoor projects!)

>83 avaland: Those fabrics are gorgeous! Loooove them!

>83 avaland: Nice haul!

>83 avaland: Such lovely floral prints!

>84 lesmel:, >85 thornton37814:, >86 MickyFine: Thanks! I have the fourth charity quilt put together and just have to finish the binding, then the final one perhaps tomorrow.... Then I can move on to something else.

Those are nice fabrics, Lois.

Thanks, Betty.

The five charity quilts are done now, but I've done nothing else by way of sewing, as I've been working outside clearing the copious amount of gardens. The last few days has an epic battle to remove old asparagus plants. And then there was the bear visit which took down all the feeders...and the next day, three rangy deer through our back yard was breakfast.

>89 avaland: - I got some pansies planted the other day and the rabbits seem to be enjoying them quite a bit.

>90 dudes22: I don't get too many rabbits perhaps because we regularly have foxes (red & gray), fisher cats, coy-dogs (Eastern coyotes), racoons and various hawks...and an more years than not a black bear a few times the early spring.

Not sure what my next quilt project will be, but probably another scrap quilt...as I was perusing the Jinny Beyer's encyclopedia looking for a block that would be interesting. I did promise my daughter I would make Junie a summer dress or two.

We don't have any rabbits at home, because it's a fox and lynx area (not to mention MANY indoor/outdoor cats, including ours) so it's not particularly rabbit-friendly. I know there are some near our summerhouse, but I think they prefer to stay away from the houses and hang around the crop fields instead.
We have bears nearby both at home and the summerhouse but they stick to the woods and stay away from people (European brown bears are more averse to populated areas, I believe, than their American cousins). The roe deers do stop by and munch on the apple trees a little, but we don't mind. Life is hard for them in the winter and if that means we have fewer apples, so be it.

Nice haul in >83 avaland:! I think my favourite is the magenta one (second to the right) - I love that colour.

>92 PawsforThought: We saw a student with a pet rabbit on the lawn behind the library yesterday. The rabbit looked like a llama in the face because its hair came down. I forget what the rabbit breed was although the student told us. We'd gone outside to warm up because it was 60 degrees in our offices. It was book club time, and we decided to hold it outside to warm up!

>93 thornton37814: Aw, how sweet! A Lionhead rabbit, maybe?
I think you made the right call to go outside - always nice when you can do that. When I was at school, the spring was unusually warm and sunny and we managed to convince our teachers to have about 80% of our lessons outside for the entire month of May. It was glorious.

>92 PawsforThought: Yesterday, I had craving for cloth, but the really good quilt shops are all about an hour a way, so I took myself off to the local Goodwill Store (charity shop) and came back with 4 men's plaid dress shirts, a woman's floral scrub top and a couple of floral dinner napkins, all 100% cotton. I spent some time cutting them apart when I got home. I like to do this so my scrap quilts are more scrappy, a nod to the scrap quilts of yesteryear.

>95 avaland: Yesterday I had a craving for cloth
I love that! I'm glad you were able to satisfy that craving, Lois, And that's a great way to do so.

>95 avaland: - I never really think about thrift stores having fabric. I might have to check that out next time the "craving" lands.

>96 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura :-)

>97 dudes22: It's interesting, Betty. You have to check labels for the 100% cotton; and it's not always the same weight as contemporary quilt fabric but I mix some into scrap quilts, and use them in simple charity quilts sometimes. (one could make a whole quilt just using men's plaid dress shirts :-)

Sorry I am not getting around as much as usual. I have been doing spring clean-up generally and in all the gardens (and I have a lot of gardens), plus I have a almost-fenced garden I've been working on...

Still up to my neck in gardens. And then there is the spring cleaning in the house, and some reading.... HOPE to get back to sewing sometime in June.

>100 avaland: Still up to my neck in gardens. What better place to be?
Since gardens are indeed creative projects, and since "creative projects" features in your thread title, I'm going to ask about them. Has the recent heat it appears you are having made it one of those springs when everything rushes into and then out of bloom, or do you have some more languid blooms?

>101 SassyLassy: Lovely of you to ask. When we bought this house it already had many flowering trees, bushes and gardens areas. They all still exist on some level, and I have seriously expanded the one against the front of the house, the one on the back of the garage, and compulsively added a fenced in garden in the back yard (which is still very much an ongoing project).

The raised bed was already there when I had this 'brilliant' idea. My son made the box frames from our old decking last year, and I built another big box this year with what was left over. Also last year I had several yards of soil delivered and eventually got all the boxes filled. I bought the obelisk, and this year moved a granite bird bath (gift when I retired from the bookstore) from the front of the house to this garden.

Here is a pic from the west corner....and it's followed by a shot from its opposite east corner.

>102 avaland: Thanks for posting those images. A granite birdbath - what an amazing present! The obelisk is certainly fulfilling its function. Excellent boxing, and I am green (well what other colour could I be?) with envy over that fence. Decorative fencing that works doesn't seem to exist in this part of the world.

Top photo. The box closest to the left has some cranesbill, but otherwise is a mismosh of seedlngs.

There are two box side by side in front of the blue chair. One is rhubarb, the other this year is hollyhocks and sunflowers.

The obelisk is honeysuckle. The top half was in bloom as of today.
In front of the obelisk is a narrow box that has sweet peas coming up.

In the second photo: The two boxes up again the fencing are differently mixed annual seedling. Beyond on the left is what I've been working on. It's a big box with the stone birdbath, and it has been planted with perennials around, most plants but some seeds.

I wanted a garden I could seed myself and I needed it to be deer proof, more or less. There is a blue bluebird box on the raised bed and I think they are about to set up for it's 2nd brood of the year. We get along fine.

So, more or less, this is the ongoing project, the other many beds are mostly maintainance at this point (not really, as I'm always moving or buying more of something (like rose campion)....

>102 avaland: The fencing was bought from the big box store Lowes. Reasonably priced I thought. Won't keep out a determined bear but might deter some deer. I put most of it together myself.

Nice garden, Lois. Sometimes I miss all the gardens I had before we moved as I always want to put in more than we have room for now, but other times I'm glad there's not as much work. I was going to try and finish my potting today, but it was just too windy and cold.

Thanks, Betty. And just as I write this post, a deer has just crossed the back yard....

Moving along ... the Obelisk is up for this year....



Things get rearranged, added or re-potted during the summer. Pollen was really bad today, it seemed like the whole neighborhood was in a yellow cloud.

I really will get back to sewing when everything is in the ground or moved or whatever.

>108 avaland: Nice

>109 thornton37814: Thanks! It's fun.

>108 avaland: Oh, I love that! The variety of color both in the flowers and the pots is very cool.

>111 scaifea: Thanks (very belatedly), Amber. I don't seem as able to easily segue from one type of activity to another like I used to... But I have stopped in the local Goodwill to browse for interesting cotton dress shirts or other cotton items I can cut up and add to the piles.

Apologies to everyone for not having time to get around to see everyone's projects!

Yesterday I counted 8 mostly small quilt tops that still need put together and quilted either by a professional or me (right now I'm voting for the professional, ha ha)

I did put large squares of dark batiks on the design wall. It would be another simple charity quilt. I think I'll have to sash it as I don't care for the mix. Been looking through my big Jinny Beyer pattern encyclopedia looking for another pattern good for paper piecing....

...Otherwise the gardens call. Domestic chores all. Books call. Family comes by. Got bit by a tick the other day, it was no bigger than a pinpoint. Thankfully, he had not been on me for over 36 hours so no antibiotics needed.

>114 avaland: - Summer gets so busy - I hear you. Yuck for the tick. My husband started a wild flower garden on the bank of the pond last year and I don 't even like standing on the edge in case of ticks.

>114 avaland: I'd think paying for it to be done might be pretty pricy. However, if you are like me, it might get done sooner if someone else does it. Yikes on the tick!

>115 dudes22: Ticks of both kinds are part of the ecology in this territory :-)

>116 thornton37814: Yes, it can be costly, for sure. There are two I think I can do myself.... I'llt think about it while I order batting and see how much backing fabric I might have.

In the meanwhile I'm determined to use up my batik stash beginning with the DARKS. So, here are many of them, mixed with other odds and ends. The blocks are 9" x 9" finished. I need some more black to sash the horizonals.... This will be a charity quilt for a pre-teen/teen.....

>117 avaland: Lovely!

>117 avaland: That's an amazing display - so simple yet so effective.

>117 avaland: - Those are really striking. You have a wonderful sense of where colors should go. (Something I'm never very comfortable with)

>120 dudes22: I couldn't agree more. I know it's possible to develop that skill, but with Lois it seems more innate.

Thanks, all. I have removed and replaced the offending turquoise block. Honestly, there is no great trick for the arrangement except avoiding putting the same fabric snext to each other and to try to spread around the colors (and in some quilts balance the lights and darks). I can tell you that I'm not satisfied with this arrangement but I'm not taking it apart again :-)

Spend some meditative time yesterday sorting out my six bins of scraps (the ones I use in the "random scrap" quilts). What a mess. Short strips in the triangle bin, triangles in the long strip bin...

I'm trying to reduce some stuff in the room. So tough to let go of stuff I "might use".

Not much progression on the dark batik quilt as I ran out of Kona black cotton. Thus, I sent for some, along with a number of battings. I also put in an order with Fabric Wholesale Direct for 10 yards of 60" muslin (for the backs of the charity quilts). I'm still pulling things destined for the Goodwill.

Now doing the binding on the batik quilt (meant for charity). I sometimes use good quality top sheets for a backing, but what a booger to get a needle through that tight weave. I'd like to finish and move on to something a bit more fun....

Meanwhile, I continue purging the studio of no longer used stuff. Took two good-sized bags to the Goodwill.

Charity quilt finally finished!!! My aim was to use up my batiks....I swear they were multiplying while I worked on this. These were from the "darks" pile. I hope a teen will enjoy this and think it...cool :-)

>125 avaland: I'm not a teen but I think it is very cool! Beautiful work!

Oh wow, that is amazing Lois. The colors look fabulous together.

>126 rosalita: Thank you (it is far from perfect, I confess)

>127 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. My 70s self wants to keep it around. But I recently have counted 8 finished quilts in the house.... Now, I may tackle some of the light batiks or do something else.

That's really nice, Lois. I'm trying to finish up a few quilts so I can start on one with all my batiks. (Some of them left over from the ones you sent me when I made a quilt for our grandson before he went to college - quite a while ago.)

very pretty, I love the colors1

That's a beautiful quilt! *I* think it's cool.

Thanks, everyone. I haven't done anything with the light batiks, but that is on the list.

Yesterday, I spend a lot of time sorting scrap bins and then started sewing them together for more "random scrap" blocks (like I need more!). A form of doodling. I also got out the eight quilts (mostly smaller ones) and see if I have backing and batting, so I can call the quilter and start getting some done.

>129 dudes22: I still have more if you need some (I think they are reproducing when I'm not looking...)

>125 avaland: I hope a teen will enjoy this and think it...cool :-)
I'm a teen (if you subtract enough years). Seriously, I really like it and may just do a few this winter.

>132 avaland: - I know I can count on you if I need something but I thnk I have more than plenty right now. We'll see when I get around to starting.

Doodling around in the studio with something familiar and relatively mindless...



I'm not sure why the scrap bins NEVER seem to go down....

Took three quilts to the quilter today. She lives about 25 miles west of here. She told me she wasn't taking on so many quilting requests, especially the large quilts with elaborate quilting. These days, all my quilts are small and I like simple quilting patterns that aren't tightly done (thus why she will take mine). I'm hoping I can pick up one before we go on vacation, so I can sit lakeside and do the binding.

This quilt from a few years ago was my attempt to represent a New England autumn in a quilt. It sat here forf years because I wanted to try to quilt it using different machine stitches (almost like embroidery). The quilt is 6 x 6 ft and there was no way I could do what I wanted to do....anywho, I decided to give up the dream and move on.



My quilter suggested a certain leaf pattern so we ran with it. I think you can see the pattern in the photo below.



I'll probably find an moderate orange for the binding, sewing in on in the next week or so. The handsewing to the back will be done lakeside after Labor Day.

The newer lighting in the house is really making the colors POP! This reminds me that I intended to make three more, one each to represent the other seasons. Winter is coming!

>137 avaland: That is an absolutely gorgeous quilt, Lois! And the stitching looks great as well. I'm looking forward to watching your progress on the other seasons.

>137 avaland: - That's wonderful, Lois. I think that leaf pattern was a good idea. I made a bargello quilt once in fall-ish colors when I was a relatively new quilter. I tried to have each fabric include some type of leaf design (which I know people don't realize when they look at it, but, hey - I know). I knew exactly how I wanted to quilt it but was afraid I'd ruin it. It sat for YEARS! I finally was in a quilt guild that had a person who did long-arm quilting so I took it to her and she did just what I wanted and I loved it.

>137 avaland: That's lovely - it looks almost like a path through the woods. What a great suggestion from your quilter too.

like >138 rosalita: I think it will be fun to see other seasons, but no pressure!

Beautiful work, Lois!

>137 avaland: Very cool quilt, Lois! And what a great idea to have one for each season (though all the work involved makes me tired just to think about).

Thanks, all. I'm piecing the binding...if it doesn't look good on the quilt, I'll pull it off and try something else.

>143 avaland: Ooooooh, do I know that exact thought process. lol

>137 avaland: That is lovely. I'm really hungry right now and when I first looked at it I thought I saw a tray of jello squares. (I'm sitting pretty far from the screen.) I think someone needs to make a tray of jello squares to look like your quilt.

>144 lesmel: LOL indeed

>145 thornton37814: That is too funny. I don't think I caught the true translucent properties of Jello very well....Maybe the 'summer' quilt will look like ice cream?

I finished the 24 ft of binding during the first few days of vacation... with this morning view:



I'm going to make a few toddler dresses for granddaughter and a friend's granddaughter before I get back to quilting. It's taking some time to adjust...I haven't done any clothing since the late 90s, me thinks. I have four boxes of all my patterns, earliest from the late 60s (most sentimental is the low slung, big bell, bell bottoms....)

Will try to get around to everyone's threads this weekend!

>145 thornton37814: Jelly always makes me think of one of my favourite artists, the late Mary Pratt from Newfoundland. She specialized in the everyday in her work. Here is just one of her images of Jelly Jars:



from Mount Allison University website

>147 avaland: I don't usually put images in others' threads, but Mary was a maker too and it is preserving season. Her sense of colour was amazing.

>148 SassyLassy: That color is wonderful!

I have three projects ongoing simultaneously, which is probably why I've been avoiding the studio.

I'm making a dress for a friend's granddaughter....and have another for my granddaughter to do...it's been many years since I made clothing; it requires a bit of re-learning....

I have another scrappy quilt top on the ironing board, this one twin-size....I have a new iron but have been ignoring it since I put the quilt on the ironing board.

And I have up on the board, lots of scraps as a mock "summer" quilt. This is more therapy than work. I was worried I might not have enough "summer-y" scraps (that's a laugh)

I hope you'll post pictures of the dresses when you finish them. I have done clothing in forever too. I bought a piece of fabric a few years ago to make a dress and it's still on a shelf. What kind of iron did you get? I've been thinking of getting a new one. If you ever need scraps, you know who to ask!

>151 dudes22: I will post when finished, Betty. Thanks for the scrappy offer :-)

I got another Rowenta. https://bestreviews.com/home/irons/best-rowenta-steam-irons I got the brown one in the middle. 1725 watts. The cord retracts into the base which I thought a great idea but it makes the iron taller and I'm finding that my old wrists protest the extra weight/height. I have also tried to find a small iron to have on hand, something a bit bigger than a travel iron, but not as big as regular iron, but no luck yet.

>152 avaland: Have you looked into the mini irons like Oliso, Nifty Notions, or Steam Fast? They have almost a mouse-like grip instead of a standard iron grip.

>152 avaland: - I think mine are both Rowenta. My friend has a cordless one and I may look into that next time I need one.

>153 lesmel: I did look at some of those, but thought I'd buy the full size iron that could cover everything, first. And I was unsure about the grip for the lefty (thought I might need to see one in person. But now that you mention it, I might go look at those again.

Our nearest Jo-Anns store recently moved into a giant space in another shopping center and I was there to buy the new large cutting board and didn't think to look for irons (*I don't shop at Jo-Ann's for fabrics but I'll buy my gadgets and hardware there).

My quilter called to say my two smaller quilts were done. I will bring her two or three more.

Among other projects, I'm working on a scrappy "summer" quilt. Hopefully, it will look different from the Autumn quilt. Among other changes, I'm trying to use more blues and purples along with the other colors, and many floral prints. I've been playing with the squares....(definitely not in any final positions) Weird to be working on a summer quilt while the leaves are starting to change colors....



ha ha, you should see the studio, it's chaos! However, playing with these squares is a kind of therapy.

>157 avaland: - My two cents - I think a lot of green will make it more summery too. I always think I should try some of these random scrap blocks. About how big are they?

>158 dudes22: I use a 6" template.

>157 avaland: Ooooh, that's nice.

I love the floral fabrics you've got in the mix, Lois!

>160 lesmel: Thanks!

>161 MickyFine: Thanks! I love floral prints! I have been accumulating them for decades.

Just went on ETSY to pick up some basic green (like a "kelly" green). That says summer to me and I seem to have very little. I also need to go to the Goodwill and see what I can find in the clothing racks (I regularly cut up men's cotton dress shirts)

The prints are very nice in that pattern. One cross-stitcher I follow who is also a quilter just started a "scrappy" quilt-along. It looked fun, but I need to up my sewing skills before attempting quilting!

Ooo, have not been here for a while.... have been working with the "summer" quilt and not terribly happy with it. So, taking a break to ready some other quilts for the quilter. I am a compulsive quilter so small quilt top piles up. My studio needs a deep cleaning and I need to let go of stuff from other types of sewing, needlework and other crafts that I don't really do anymore.

Will catch up with everyone soon!

>164 avaland: - Don't you say this about once a year?

>165 dudes22: :-)

>164 avaland: Sometimes life is just too busy to spend a lot of time here.

>167 thornton37814: True.

I continue to work on the "Summer" quilt. I had all 121 squares up on the wall at one point, but was quite dissatisfied with the whole thing, so took all off the wall and started again. Tossed out some of the blocks, made some more...

This time I started with a green "frame" ... and I'm putting up some individual scraps and if I like the arrangment, I put them together in a block. Using a lot of floral prints (or pieces of) makes it visually messy. Meanwhile, the quilter finished two more of my quilts which I now have to bind (and I've handed her two more to do....)



Note: if I do a winter quilt it will be ALL white with a wee bit of brown (for "dirty snow"). ha ha

>169 avaland: Oooh, I like that! It looks like a meadow full of flowers!

That red rose really sticks out, doesn't it? Sigh. And that little scrap of purple with red dots is not going to work (Kaffe Fasset does NOT play well with others; it sticks out like that gorgeous red rose does)

>170 PawsforThought: Thanks! That is what I am working towards. I'm going to go to my favorite quilt shop this morning and see what they have (any excuse!).

I like the idea of the green scrap blocks around the floral blocks. (I'm not sure about that red poppy with all the white around it either. Maybe because it's right next to more white.)

That poppy with a bit of white is in one block next to another block with (too much) white. The latter has to go. I just found a cache of partial block leftovers that might be useful in this.

I'm in no hurry as I've got some quilts to bind, and I gave the quilter two more to do....

>171 avaland: The rose would stand out (note not 'stick out!) in a garden too, it is so beautiful. What if you added more of that gorgeous fabric to keep the rose, and then Kaffe's dots would work too.

ETA Like >173 dudes22:, I like the idea of green blocks around the florals.

>175 SassyLassy: I'll think about that...

Yesterday, I spend some time binding the quilts I had picked from Melissa. These were done last year, and each block is made by sewing scraps on a paper template (thus called "paper-piecing"). These are two sort of similar patterns. These being done, I am back to piddling around with the "summer quilt".

>176 avaland: - Those are both really nice. I'm sort of amazed that they were paper pieced. Seems like a lot of work for half-square triangles and flying geese. I know it's supposed to give you better points (and yours are lovely). How did you manage to bind both of them in one day? Do you do some kind of machine binding? You have a great eye for color.

>176 avaland: Lovely quilts, Lois. I agree with Betty about your eye for color.

>177 dudes22: Turned out it was over two evenings to finish completely (although I don't have labels made). I machine sew one side on and hand sew the other side.

>177 dudes22:, 178 Thank you re the compliment about color. Some is likely inherent (if so, I thank the ancestor that handed me my visual sensory system! It wasn't my parents), but mostly it has been usage and study.

>176 avaland: Lovely quilts!

>178 lauralkeet:, >180 thornton37814: Thanks!

One step forward, two steps back... still playing around when I'm in the mood. Breaking up some of the yellows, making more green blocks. I have arguments with myself re placements :-)

I do have some loose pieces and or strips up there, trying them out. I also found a bag of patchwork scraps from another quilt I did some years ago (that pink bit in the upper left is part a triangular 'block" from that quilt). A work in progress.

I'm also cruising the internet and am about to start flipping pages of my quilt block encyclopedia to find another good paper-pieced block. It would be a nice winter project (we had snow yesterday)

>182 avaland: The progress so far looks beautiful, Lois!

>184 MickyFine: Thanks!

10 days later and I have very little done on the "summer" quilt, although I have created some more green blocks, and moved things around. I think I'm going to meditate for a bit and then just fill the gaps and then start putting together the rows. I need to move on.

However, I did manage to make 14 pies over 8 days, and pick-up all my Christmas gifts, and started to do a good clean out of the studio.

>186 avaland: However, I did manage to make 14 pies over 8 days, and pick-up all my Christmas gifts, and started to do a good clean out of the studio

That's often the kind of activity that "pops" the solution to things like your summer quilt into your mind when you least expect it. Hope it works for you.

What kind of pies?

>187 SassyLassy: Apple, Chocolate, Sawdust, Coconut cream,Maple and "French" cherry. The sawdust pie freezes well. It was the first year for maple and interestingly the assembled pie is brought to a boil in the oven. IMO, it didn't solidify enough. The French cherry recipe was from an old book....everyone called it cherry cheesecake (it wasn't) but it was a favorite pick of a some. It does have some cream cheese and whipped cream in the filling before it is smothered with a can of cherry pie filling.

Still cleaning the studio and working on the summer quilt when not occupied elsewhere. I think with the summer quilt, at some point I'll just have to declare I'm done fussing with it and put it together.

>188 avaland: Now I want to go down to the kitchen and bake! Interesting treatment for the maple pie.
Sounds like it was fun having a "jury" voting on the favourites.

>189 SassyLassy: I will try another maple recipe next time. And the voting was very informal!

My quilter called yesterday to confer on patterns for the last two quilts I left with her. Those quilt tops have been around a long time, but when this is done I will be caught up. Of course, I already have quilts all over the house....

>188 avaland: Umm, what is "sawdust" pie? I'm assuming it's not literal sawdust...

>191 MickyFine: Not literal :-)...but a tasty mix of egg whites, graham cracker crumbs, coconut and chopped pecans in a crust.

sounds delightful!

>192 avaland: What - no brown sugar?!

>192 avaland: Interesting combo! Thanks for the details. :)

Melissa the Quilter called and said my two quilts were ready. Wish I had the "Summer" scrap quilt top done so I could leave that with her. The two quilts are lap size and it will be good to have some binding to do while convalescing this winter from very late December foot surgery (3 weeks on crutches, 5 with a boot).

I may have the 121 "summer" quilt blocks in a relatively satisfying placement (I'm trying to shut out the voice in my head which would keep me fussing with it for the rest of my days...). I'm having one more person take a look at it before I take it off the wall.

I'm hoping I can sew that together and get it to the quilter so I will have that binding to do also.

My food craft for this holiday is to make traditional "Need'ums", aka Needhams. Have been making them for decades (and my mother before me)

https://www.npr.org/2012/08/26/159998395/maines-needhams-a-sweet-treat-of-earthy...

That's interesting - I've never heard of them.

>196 avaland: The needhams and sawdust pie sounds good but I am the only one in the family who likes coconut. You have been busy with the pies and quilting.

>196 avaland: Needhams sound a bit like Martha Washingtons. https://www.thespruceeats.com/martha-washington-candy-3052396

>197 dudes22: Guess it didn't make it down to RI :-)

>198 mnleona: How can one not like coconut!? All the more for us, don't you think? :-)

>199 lesmel: Those are similar....

>200 avaland: - My husband isn't a fan of coconut either.

The "summer" quilt is OFF the design board!!! 11 carefully arranged and labeled piles each with 11 blocks. Now waiting ironing and assembling....

Between the impending holidays and my domestic preparation for the foot surgery, I doubt I'll get much done on the quilt but who knows (if I can get to a bathroom, I surely can get into the studio?!)

Wishing you all wonderful holidays.

>202 avaland: How fun! We can't wait to see it assembled.

>202 avaland: (if I can get to a bathroom, I surely can get into the studio?!)

Maybe house designs are all wrong. It's the studio that needs the ensuite and a day bed would be nice too!

I got the rows sewn together but one block really bugged me, so I took that one row and picked the block out, altered it and re-sewed. Perhaps tomorrow I will have time to sew the rows together. Trying also to get the binding on the two quilts that I got back from the quilter. I machine sew the first seam and hand sewn the the back side.

Not sure I want to do a similar thing for a 'spring" quilt. Maybe I'll play with the idea over the winter.

>202 avaland: Thanks. I'll wait until it's completely done....

>204 SassyLassy: I think you are on to something!

Are you getting a ton of snow today? We're warm so just lots of rain and very, very windy.

>206 dudes22: Sorry I missed your message, Betty. We got a bit of snow (there was still some ground cover) then a deluge of rain and wind all day, finishing up during the night with another bit of snow. There was a weird bit of crazy wind just before it ended... fair bit of tree damage. We were without power for 24 hrs. We slept bundled up in our clothes the first night (it was 54 degrees in the house come morning when we got the generator going). Ha, the last batch of cookies came out of the oven just about 15 minutes before the power went out (our outage involved 245 houses)

I managed to get the "Summer" quilt sewn together and I hope to iron it today or tomorrow. Then, perhaps, we can drop it off at the quilters some time after the holidays. My foot will be in a cast, but hubby has offered to drive.

Not sure what the new year will hold re: sewing / quilting. No plans yet. Maybe I'll just play around in January....

Season's greetings and a Happy New Year to all!

Hope you heal quickly!

>209 dudes22: Me too! My daughter got me a "scooter" for a week by asking on her town's Facebook page. It's not the most comfy thing but better than the crutches.