100 days of epp

day 1, first piece

 i was reading about juliann's 100 days of circles project and as i was commenting to her that i've never done a 100 days project because we travel so often, i thought about my epp project that is portable and sadly in need of some progress. (i've definitely travelled with it before: alaska, san diego, yosemite, the south, scotland, switzerland, italy.) what would it look like if i sewed even just one piece on every day for 100 days? that would be a lot of pieces put together and certainly farther along than i am now.

so i pulled out my project, which has been living on the floor next to my bed since i pulled it out in december so i can think about it, and added a triangle. then i went ahead and added a square, too, because i was in no particular hurry to get to anything else immediately.

as i stitched, i thought about what pieces are needed next, which is important to know so i don't join the wrong things together and make more work for myself or, heaven forbid!, need to unpick some handstitching. 

i spread the pieces i have out on the floor to decide just what it is i want to do with this mess and what would be the quickest configuration to complete.

the two sets of three interconnected cogs i already made are really throwing a wrench into things. they don't easily fit into the simplest layouts i could do. i moved pieces around for quite a while to see what was possible and what would be required for different layouts. my brain started hurting and i was getting bored. but i kept at it for a while. after all: "little quilty chores equal big quilty finishes."

i used two colors of bright squares (the pink and turquoise) to easily see what squares would be added to current joined pieces, which is why there are so many of them in this photo. this large slab is one piece of a five-interlocking-rows layout i was considering. it feels like so much work still to go!

finally, i have landed on making a row of 15 hexes across and another interconnected row below it. this will start with one of the three wheel cogs, then require an X connecting piece between seven more already completed wheels and a hexagon and half a wheel (three squares, two triangles) in the next row down. that's where i'm starting and i'll see how i feel about what's left after this is complete.

something i'm still very much undecided about is what to do with all the unbasted pieces i cut for this project! each little stack has something like 60 pieces in it, which means i easily have enough to do 60 more wheels. that fit into my original plan just fine, but it's way more than i need now! they aren't precisely cut to exact measurements because they were for basting, not machine piecing, otherwise i could just use them in some other machine-pieced configuration. honestly, it's such a small bit of fabric but it's giving me a lot of angst about not using it!

i will need to dip into these piles to round out the additional pieces i need because i only have about 75 basted squares left and less of the triangles. i'm going to have to be more aware of what pieces i'm selecting now, laying out what i want to go where before i start joining them. this won't be the carefree "pick up a piece and add it randomly each day" approach that i was anticipating. but it will move the project forward.

oh, my 'lanta! just look what's in this other box i found in my sewing room. it's, like, two jelly rolls and more of strips. plus more squares and a whole mess of black-and-white squares for the hexagons (which i will actually need). i may be making another quilt entirely just from these strips or making a striped backing. i'd go right for the backing idea except i still have those large cuts of yardage i already set aside for backing. i really should have done some more maths before i got started on this project! me and my boundless enthusiasm for how much i was going to want to handstitch. yikes!

feeling lazy on day 2 and i laid out the first set of pieces to be joined while still in my pjs, bed unmade.

my pieces to join for the next few days

originally, part of the joy of this project was picking the pieces for the individual wheels and completing those. however, if i want to join them together, i'm going to have change my approach.

unfortunately, i realized when shifting all the parts around that the two pieces i added on day 1 are in the wrong place to be useful as a connecting X! haha, already off to a bad start. but that's not anything i'm not used to around here. i'll just adjust and figure out where to work it in as i go.

i'm currently about a week in and have completed that lower middle hex in the above photo. day 3 was d4's birthday and i clean forgot this was a thing, so i had to make up for it/start over on day 4. but i'm getting at least one side of a piece stitched each day now. mornings are best, but i did do one piece at the end of day 5 so as not to miss.

maybe, just maybe, this project will go somewhere this year after all!

signature style and a naughty needle

i've been thinking about handquilting signatures/styles. everyone who handquilts seems to have their own unique stitch style, much like a handwriting style. i find this fascinating and intriguing. why do we all differ so much? 

i'm trying to get this liberty courthouse steps quilt's handquilting completed before i go home later this week so i can have it ready for binding. so, i've been spending time pushing and pulling the needle and thread a lot. i took a few photos along the way and even made a short video i posted to instagram demonstrating how my stitching goes. i've learned from other quilters when they share their method and i like watching them do their stitch thing, so i shared mine. 

one of my favorite parts of handquilting is when i'm burying the thread and it goes "pop!" as it snaps through the fabric, as it's about to do above. i find that so satisfying. when a fabric doesn't pop, i'm always unsure if it's worked and have to double check myself. so the pop isn't all visceral pleasure, it also tells me something.

a closeup of my stitching as it appears on tana lawn. the white thread blends a little more here than on the chambray where it really stands out. you can faintly see the hera marker line i score into the fabric to mark my stitching path.

my stitches are pretty small and fairly close together. i've seen other quilters who use these marvelous big stitches with big spaces in between and wonder how they got them that way. joz is a great example of big stitches. here are a few facts about my stitching that likely affect the appearance:

• i don't use a hoop or frame
• i use thin, short needles with a small eye, typically the tulip quilting betweens in the orange box
• i use aurifil 12wt thread
• so far, i only quilt straight lines
• i quilt away from myself, as opposed to left or right
• i tend to rock my needle up and down as i move it through the quilt sandwich
• i rarely use a thimble
• my left hand goes under the quilt and grips it from beneath while i quilt with my right hand
• i pin baste quilts i'm going to handquilt
• i use "warm and natural"100% cotton batting (which i buy on the bolt)

this theo piece is the one i filmed myself stitching. i'm not high tech at all, i just had my daughter stand behind me and hold my phone between my face and my hands to record while i was stitching. admittedly, it was a little awkward! and it affected my stitching slightly. the stitches are a bit further apart than usual. but i did pretty well considering having that thing in my face.

when i started having trouble threading the needle (after a while fluff begins to catch in the eye), i decided it was time to change it out. i grabbed a new bohin quilting needle i recently purchased in a bundle with a new needle threader. i loved how tiny it was. 

but when i tried threading it with the threader, i could not get that thread through! i had replaced my former pretty threaders (also here) with a new plastic red one, which seemed like it would be a little more sturdy than the tin ones that eventually break. 

well, the threader didn't break but the needle bent terribly! i was shocked. i've only ever had machine needles do anything like this. never a hand needle.

 i decided to tug one more time and the darn thing snapped!

i safely disposed of it in the kitchen garbage and searched out another tulip needle. back to business with my trusty standards.

wish me luck getting my stitching done before i leave.

sewing room in a box

we are arrived.

splish, splash, stash has moved to the beach! a blog that started when i was sewing in my bawthroom space while my little girls splished and splashed in the tub is now being written within sound of the pacific ocean splishing and splashing outside my door. for the first time in forever, my blog name actually fits a little.

i packed up the suburban and the girls, then we headed west to join my husband and son. s1is currently undergoing medical treatment in california and his medical team recommended he stay close by rather than travelling back and forth for the next six weeks or so. we aren't really sure for how long, it changes continually.

so, my husband and i made the decision to relocate with him and the two girls still at home. we found a quiet rental on the coast within reach of the hospital and medical team. it's an enormous blessing not only to be getting him help for issues that have only escalated over the past four years, but to be able to be here with him in a peaceful, healing environment. sometimes it feels like we're living in a dream outside of time and reality, that we're on a relaxing vacation. there are certainly upsides to our situation. but other times reality hits and i remember that, really, we're here for help and healing.

knowing we'd be living a quiet life here, i spent time preparing handwork to bring along with me for our stay. i packed it all up in one box. it's quite a change having all my sewing in one box versus an entire room. for the time being, it's a really nice change, actually. i do recognize it's only possible because of the work i did in the room back home.

but for now all my sewing is contained right here in one little space, just like our entire lives are pared down to living in a small beach house. it's pretty alright, actually.

so what did i pack for my time away?

for starters, there's all the quilts i'll be stitching on in one form or another. i brought seven: four handquilting and three handbinding projects. honestly, i can't tell if this is ambitious or not enough. 

so often i say, "perhaps i'll get this done in time for this," and it absolutely never happens. but this time i outdid myself! i prepared more than i dreamed possible. the move got delayed nearly a week, which helped, but i certainly surprised myself with what i got done.

all the notions and little tools fit in this tin. 

the pink glasses case holds my threads for "cheery (easter) quilt." the black case is for when i do white handquilting - it contains snips, 12wt thread, needles, threader.

most items i selected individually and intentionally, not wanting to waste any space or have any extraneous things i wouldn't be using. but this cute little mini tote that holds handwork supplies i just grabbed and put in without editing its contents. it's so small and a bobbin or two i didn't need wasn't going to hurt. turns out it's a good thing i didn't edit it!

when i was packing all my tools and notions, i was worried i'd forget something. that's happened on a few spring break trips and i didn't want to repeat the mistake. i was very careful to load my travel tin with all the things. when i sat down to stitch for the first time here, i found i had indeed forgotten something. actually, i'd pulled out something and forgot to put it back. i didn't have the white 50wt thread i wanted for handbinding. darn it.

fortunately, i had a bobbin loaded with blue thread in my little handwork satchel that goes with two of the bindings i needed to stitch down. i'm going to be okay!

 i was able to fit the broken ruler in the box because it's no longer too long, haha. (d1 sat on it accidentally last year and snapped it. still useful, fortunately.) i need the ruler and the hera marker for marking quilting lines on some of the quilts i'll be handquilting.

thread, of course. there were a few bobbins of 50wt in the mini tote and i brought plenty of 12wt in 2021 white for handquilting. i also brought the little carrying kit that has my colored threads for "cheery (easter) quilt" in case i get around to that.

extra needles and threaders for when i can't get the 12wt easily into the tiny little needle eyes.

readers for seeing all the handwork sharply.

i also brought jolene's lovely, inspirational quilt books for when i want to dream about quilts rather than work on my own.

i brought my pin jar because all my pins will need to go back in it when i'm done handquilting. i'm from a dry, desert climate and have never had problems with pins or anything rusting. i hope the humid costal climate doesn't cause any problems. six weeks shouldn't be too long, maybe?

my mini iron came along because there was a little extra room for it. i was actually thinking i might want to find a wool mat at a local shop. and i was going to bring my epp project, but left it at home in the end. so the iron is probably taking up space unnecessarily. we'll see. the rental house doesn't have one, so maybe we'll need it for something else anyway.

that's the grand tour. what would you bring along for an extended stay?

bonus: my new sewing space comes with beautiful views and great lighting. my photos should look better while we're here.

handwork to go

 

i've been prepping some handwork projects to take with me on an extended stay we'll shortly be taking. i got the binding machine attached to "fall paint" and "wiltshire rows" so i can handbind them. i'll be taking "cheery (easter) quilt" and "improv in an afternoon" along so i can handquilt them. "cheery" is well underway, so this will be a good opportunity to complete that. the improv quilt has been sitting in the "to be quilted" pile for a while now. i was intending to quilt it with fmq, but when i was looking for handwork it occurred to me it would be a good candidate for handquilting if i had some extra time to do it.

i need to bring notions and tools for all the handwork, so i've been gathering them together. i hope i don't forget anything! if i do, i suppose there will be quilt shops around or i can always order online. but bringing it with me would be best. so fingers crossed i've thought of it all.

i've put all the bits and bobs into this cute ruby star society vintage sewing machine tin i bought a few years ago. it was too cute to pass up, but i've not had a use for it since then. it was just looking decorative on a shelf. lucky me, it's going to have a purpose now!

another handstitched spring break

 

spring break has rolled around again and i dug out "cheery (easter) quilt" to take along for our mexico beach trip again this year.

i had trouble finding my colored threads i took with me last year, so i got out the other 3 colors i needed to work on and took those instead. i got two of them fully done and started the third color. 

but there is still such a lot of handwork to do.

it's rather deceptive looking since i'm leaving the large yellow boxes virtually unquilted and only doing all the colored frames. seems like there shouldn't be that much to do. but there are at least 3-5 rounds of stitching in color to add to each block, and so far i've only mostly completed about 2 of the 5 columns. i sure love doing the handquilting, but sometimes it feels as if i'm never going to get it done.

it's a bit discouraging, really.

what i am super happy about is that i traced my sun and rays into the yellow portions and got them all done. i love how it radiates out of the lower right section of the quilt, spilling sunshine through many boxes. i used a bowl from my kitchen and hera marker to make the cirle, and added the lines for the rays using a 24" quilting ruler. the effect is pure sunshine!

i did a lot of the stitching poolside in the shade at the condos where we were staying. i set up camp each morning on the big comfy recliner beds and stitched away while enjoying the view and hanging out with any family members who joined me. i'm of a pale complexion and can't take too much sun without a whole lot of sunscreen, which i loathe applying as needed. at this point in my life, i simply opt to stay out of the sun during peak hours. it works for me! stitching gave me the perfect thing to do while i avoided the lotioning and sunburns.

our last day there, i took some photos around the property to capture where i am in process with this quilt. technically, its fully serviceable and in use. there is a lot more stitching in the colored frames i'd like to add. but i'm kind of counting it as a finish, too. 

at the rate i'm going, it's going to take another couple of mexico beach trips with stitching to finish this handwork. on the one hand, i'm not opposed to the idea. on the other, i'd really like to get this one in the wash as it is pretty well travelled now and i'd like to get it freshened and cleaned up.

other handwork for a mexican beach trip - holding on to the one i love and watching the sunset.

wip wednesday 2019.50

mid-october, our oldest daughter (d1) returned home from 18-months of church volunteer service in russia and kazakhstan. it has been a joy to have her home and under our roof again. it has also been an extremely busy season of life ever since then. hence, no quilting.

but about 2 weeks ago, as the youngest daughter (d5) and i were working on her homeschool writing, i picked up a quilt and began working on the handbinding. it felt good to be back in the game again!

i haven't done much in the meantime, but i have been able to work in bits of time here and there.

my husband took a short, two-day trip with his brother, and i made sure to get some quilt time in while he was gone. i finally got the sashing done on my fall log cabin quilt, and was able to back and baste it. i was looking at my favorite block from the quilt and thinking it would have made a great quilt all by itself, with just those fabrics (and a few other favorites). so i just went back to my two local stores and purchased more of the same fabrics. that's another quilt waiting in the wings now.

when i was putting the backing together, i decided to splurge on the last small corner the backing needed. who puts hard-to-find, out-of-print, heather ross unicorns on a quilt back?! i do. i think it's a really fun touch that will make the quilt that much more special for having a few unicorns hiding on the back side. they will definitely be noticeable there. i haven't trimmed the piece down yet, but about half of what's in the picture above will become available for use elsewhere.

i've also done a little work on my coins patchwork quilt and helped d3 get to the binding phase on her christmas quilt.

putting it all down here at once makes it seem like a lot has been done.

after all, little quilting chores equal big quilting finishes.

some mountain quilting

Earlier last month, my 3 youngest daughters and I got to spend some time at our mountain cabin while everyone else stayed home and got started back into school. We got out of the extreme desert summer heat and into some wonderfully cool and beautiful country. I took 3 quilting projects along for the visit: my epp project, “Maude’s Chevron Peaks,” and “sugar sweet pinwheel” quilt. 

There’s a small sunroom at the front of the cabin that has large windows, a pair of rocking chairs, and a glorious view into the trees and over our neighbor’s ponds and meadow. This is where I usually sit to do my handstitching. It's such a contented spot for this sort of slow and meditative work.

My epp has been languishing away, untouched, for quite some time now, but I revived it earlier this summer while we were traveling through Alaska in an RV for two weeks. I got another wheel going while we were at the cabin. I always lay out the wheel and take a reference photograph before i start stitching it together, because no matter how hard I try to keep it in the right order, something always happens to jumble the pieces.

Maude just needed a foot or two of binding finished. Getting it complete was pretty exciting, but the view out the window that morning was pretty distracting in itself. Once it was complete, I photographed it on the cabin’s red railings, something I’ve always wanted to do with a quilt but never gotten around to before. Since red features heavily in several of my projects, I knew sooner or later I’d use it as a finish shoot location. I’ll post those photos soon.

It’s likely I could have completed the binding on this pinwheel quilt also, but I got pulled in the direction of epp instead. The pinwheel quilt has been at my dad’s house ever since my mom died this past March. I was working on it there as we waited out her last few days, and I left it there to work on whenever I visited my dad. He recently moved out of town, so I took the quilt back home with me. It’s covered in dog hair from his Pomeranian, which is the main reason I put it aside. It needs a good lint rolling first before I can get it completed.

I hung it out on one of the porch swings for an airing and to get a good look at the binding progress. It was a lot less than I thought. I almost always spread a quilt out on the floor when I want to check my binding progress. I feel like it’s the best way to see where I’ve gotten. Do you do that?
The quilt looks pretty at home at the cabin. I might be taking it up there to leave when it’s complete. Then again, I’ve considered giving it to my mom’s sister as a memory of the time we shared just before Mom passed. Undecided at this point.

Most of my epp work got done down by the river each day. The girls played in the water, trying to catch the newly stocked trout by hand, whilst I sat contentedly nearby and stitched, soaking in the mountain air and views. 

Maybe over Labor Day weekend I’ll get to go back up to the cabin for some more mountain freshness and stitching.