Staycation Sewing--A Finish and A New Start

I'm currently enjoying the second day of a staycation--my doctor boss is out of the office on a real vacation, and I took the opportunity to use saved PTO of my own.  

The long-term project of the bookshelf quilt has reached an end at last!  Yesterday I finally quit dragging my feet on stippling the black background of the bookshelves--and, as one usually finds when avoiding a task, it didn't take very long at all to do!  The quilt has had a bath and lacks only a label to be gifted to my niece, Emma. 

I am happy with the solid black binding and ended up not putting any stitching in the outer quilt borders--I wanted to keep the illusion of a wallpapered backdrop.

Stippling the black background was definitely better than leaving it unquilted--it lets the books and objects stand out more. Finished size is about 5 feet each direction, a nice lap quilt or wall quilt. Most of the ideas for this bookshelf came from the Fabric at Work guidelines I found online.  Pinterest and Instagram also had lots of inspiration input. 

Next task on this staycation is to get a couple of quilts sent out for quilting--and my sewing machine in for a maintenance service!

I've also started a new cross-stitch project. I bought some Stitch Cards at Superbuzzy not long ago; these are Lori Holt designs and are so sweet. 

I had one of these prestretched Aida blanks, so was able to get right to stitching. 

The gingham strawberry is all done now.  I did not have the teal floss color for the border--nor anything that would be close enough, so will just carry on with the leaves, flower and stem until I pick that up. I want to stitch all of these designs!

The new task is to get our next grandson's quilt made--he will be here in a few weeks.  I also have a great-niece due very soon and the rare opportunity to make a girl baby quilt is a nice change!

Pismo Getaway

We were happy to have a recent weekend getaway to visit friends--I took a day off work and we headed up the coast to Pismo Beach on Friday.  It was cloudy and cool and the drive easy. Toni and Dan have a house high up on the hill with wonderful views. We had wood fired pizzas in their amazing hillside pavilion--built since the last time we visited. 

 

Their hilly lot has an unobstructed view to the ocean and the freeway is far enough away to be mostly hidden. 

It was a wonderful way to spend the first evening catching up by the fire table and under the heaters. 

Their rescue Golden rested on her fake lawn--Callie is still pretty young and ready to get into mischief :)

We went to Avila Beach for a late lunch one day.  The ocean was very calm with hardly any surf all the way from home.  All the tourists didn't seem to mind. 

The pier was closed some time ago for safety reasons but there were lot of folks enjoying the many shops/restaurants along the boardwalk.  

Toni wanted my help sorting out sewing machines she had from her mother and aunt after they both passed about 10 years ago.  While she was getting them all out and set up, I sewed down the binding on a tablerunner I made her--she didn't know it was for her until I finished it :)

Toni and Dan have a lot of grey tones in their decor and I wanted to match that.  How did I do?

These were leftover Chunky Churndash blocks, hourglass block and sashing from my Dad's quilt. It is a Betsy Chutchian fabric called Eliza's Indigo. Wish I had more of this!

Backing from a fat quarter and more scraps. Very simple quilting. We sorted through Toni's machines and she made decisions on what to move on.  One machine we could not get the bobbin case to stay in; the other was a late 70's fancy Bernina with embroidery menus that she will keep.

Another sunset enjoyed from the pavilion...The colored bands from the deep fog bank above the ocean and a huge upper cloudbank were so unusual.  The drive home on Sunday was an easy couple of hours.  I forgot a bag of shoes so Toni mailed them to me!  We look forward to visiting again. 

Design Wall Monday--10/19/2020 Vacay and Applique

Design Wall Monday is here again.  See more Design Walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

We had a nice getaway for a few days to Del Mar.  Leaving midweek is so much better for getting through L.A. traffic, and we took full advantage of the HOV Diamond Lane for many many miles of the 170 mile trip--less than three hours from our house to the hotel, yay! 

It was lovely to sit on the beach below the bluffs one afternoon and watch the many surfers, kids playing, and families enjoying the day.  The fog was hanging off the coast when we arrived...

..but rolled in pretty thick after an hour or so.  It wasn't cold or windy so we stayed as long as we liked.

 

 

Nothing like Vitamin Sea to reset the stress level :)  These were the first vacation days Grant has taken from work all year and he really needed them.

I waded along the shoreline and looked at shells and rocks.  Lucky find of an intact sand dollar--about 2" in diameter, and many impossibly tiny shells. 

I took the Greenpiece BOM wool applique blocks for evening stitching time, which mostly occurred while the World Series played.  Yay Dodgers!

The apple got its seeds and the coneflower is lacking only the stitching on the leaves.  I spent a good amount of time prepping more blocks once we were home, including that bottom block with the thinnest stem ever.

I'm so glad Efficient Me labeled all the freezer paper templates and the wools with colors and numbers all those years ago!  I used up some more scraps for the tiny pieces, and even for some of the larger ones--just eked out the acorn cap from a black scrap. 

A few dots of Elmer's glue stuck them to the background.  Yesterday I also rechecked the final setting instructions for this old BOM, as I knew the blocks needed to be trimmed. 

I used Washi tape to make a "preview" window for centering.  It is very exciting to be getting these blocks to completion after all these years.  The wool blocks get corner triangles before they are set with the pieced blocks that I completed long ago.  There is a center appliqued tree and leaves yet to do as well, but I did make the pieced borders some time ago.  Maybe by the end of the year I'll have a finished top?  No matter, its waited all this time for completion, no rush necessary to the end!

Sewtopia Wrap Up

Final post of the fun we had in Seattle.

Sewtopia Seattle had two swaps this year, a general blind swap, and a super secret swap with a named attendee.  I participated in both.  For the blind swap I made a zippered selvage bag and put a bunch of sewing goodies, mini charms and thread, a selvage coaster, and some treats.  I was the very lucky recipient of an amazing bag.

Isn't it gorgeous?  It is quite large, with leather straps and an inner pocket with a zipper.  I love it.  My bad memory of names leads me to guess this was by a Kathy...so terrible I can't be sure, but I recognized her from previous events.  Many thanks!!

For the secret swap, we left each other little things for the first two days, then the reveal was on the third day.  I was again the recipient of a very generous swapper.  

There was tea, treats, a teacup, tea towel, quilted tote with handles, ruler, thread, notepad, ruler, and the beautiful pillow with sewing machine.  Kathryn from Calgary is a talented maker herself and I appreciate all her time and care in the swap, just awed at the effort!

As I mentioned before, for the blind swap I made a Snap Bag and filled it with sewing goods, a pattern, fabric, and other treats.  Somehow, at stupid o'clock when I was packing, I never got a photo of it.  My partner, Jill, was very sweet in her appreciation of my gift.

Shop Hop finds were fun too.  I bought a bunch of fat quarters for our game night, which were all lost, haha, but I did make it home with plenty of fabric, including the swag bag from Sewtopia. 

Missing from this photo is another length of a Christmas print from Quilting Mayhem, and a length of solid fabric from Dry Goods.  

Our last day in Seattle, my sister and I were glad to have the afternoon to sightsee before our 7 pm flight.  We luckily were able to check out but leave our luggage with another attendee who was staying another night.  We took another Uber to the Space Needle area, first exploring the grounds and perusing all the eating places at The Armory.  

Kathy posing with another enourmous totem pole. The people watching was great while we enjoyed a stone fired pizza. The Children's Museum is below the Armory and it was fun to see all the kids.  We bought our passes and rode up the Space Needle with the crowd. 

The sky was gray and dramatic and I liked the contrast with the fall leaves on the trees lining the streets far below the tall buildings.

Lots of folks were posing on the revolving glass floor.  It was entertaining to watch :)  The Seattle Eye is there in middle at the edge of the water. 

I caught a seaplane flying low as the sun hid behind the clouds.  Too soon, we took the elevator down, perused the gift shop but did not buy anything, and made our way to the Chihuly exhibit and gardens.  Dale Chihuly is a famous Seattle glass artist who works in a team approach to making all his glassworks, which are displayed all over the world.  I'll  share just a few favorites of the many I photos I took!  I really loved the garden the most, with the dramatic plantings chosen to go along with the glass art. 

 Sort of a forest with all different shapes of glass.  The spires were about 8-10 feet tall.

This boat he found washed up on shore was filled with huge glass spheres.  The reflective black manganese floor is very unique.

As you exited the gallery, this large spray of glass shapes greeted you. 

Different glass shapes among plantings at the base of the Space Needle.

I loved this enormous bouquet of glass shapes wiggling atop the mound of Black Mondo Grass contrasting with the striking bright green tips of the bushes at the base.  Very dramatic!  Before we headed back to the hotel, we watched a live demo of glass blowing taking place alongside the gallery.  Three women were creating a vessel.  So many steps are involved, all of which can result in a collapse of the hot glass.  We had a terrific time in Seattle and with all the Sewtopia ladies.  Next November's Sewtopia will be in Orlando, Florida!  I've never been there, either!

Design Wall Monday: Seattle Sewtopia--What I Worked On

On my design wall is what I worked on at Sewtopia. See more design walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

It was hard to make my choices for Sewtopia this year--the two previous events I worked solely on one project at a time.   I finally settled on three different options for Seattle: blocks to assemble, a child's dress, and a paper piecing project. 

Having recently finished all the individual blocks for Beach Cottage (Kim Brackett design), I brought them along to assemble into sets of four and play rearrange.  Having a design wall is a luxury for me--no space in my converted family room!  I stacked up the rows to assemble at home, and got to cutting out the dress for my daughter's best friend's little girl, who turns two this week.  It had been a long time since I sewed for a little girl.

New Look pattern, size 2.  I chose View A with the darling ruffle on the straps and hem. Of course, it was the view with the most pieces and pages of instruction :)  Cutting out went fairly smooth, but the bodice was pretty fussy, the ruffle being extended beyond the yoke and requiring a lot of stay stitching, clipping and pivoting, and lots and lots of pinning! I resorted to hand basting at one point. Laying the bodice aside,  I assembled the skirt including the pockets and bottom ruffle before stopping for the night.   

It wasn't hard, only time consuming, to gather the skirt and stitch to the bodice.  Having sewn many clothes for my girls growing up, I used my favorite method of stitching the gathering rows at 4/8" and 6/8", leaving the 5/8" seam allowance to be easily sewn between the gathering lines.  This makes pulling out the basting easy too.

I stopped at this point, with the zipper and lining finish left to complete at home.

My final project was the Mt. Hood  pattern by Violet Craft, who was actually sitting at the table next to us working on a new pattern!  She came to our guild last year and I got a small portion of the wallhanging done.  I didn't bother her, but had my seatmate help me when I got stuck--every five minutes!  I find paper piecing very difficult with its inside out and backwards fabric placement.  I had to rip out several sections more than once, especially after I sewed two sections together on the trimming line NOT the stitching line, making the moon wonky. 

My sister had bought me a set of Add A Quarter rulers.  The rulers are so helpful with trimming.  Hopefully I will not wait another six months before touching this again. I sure hope I have enough of the sky fabrics since I wasted some with my mistakes, yikes.  

Many others were working on making bags, Christmas quilts, lots and lots of blocks were being stitched, and there were plenty of design walls, cutting tables, and ironing stations in use.  So many repeat attendees were  present, a whole contingent from Canada, and from all over the US.  Next November's location was announced as Orlando, Florida.  The events sell out almost instantly, I think the Las Vegas one next spring took 4 minutes! 

Cambria Getaway--Lots of Words and Photos

Our short getaway to Cambria started off as any vacation for us usually does, leaving later than planned due to unexpected last minute errands and shopping, but traffic was fairly light as we made our way up the coastal route on Wednesday and we made good time.  Our hotel, booked the night before, was right on the cliffs in the most popular area of Cambria, Moonstone Drive. Off season pricing was very attractive.

The tide was going out and it was quite windy, but we luckily were very close to a beach access staircase from the boardwalk on the cliff.  This boardwalk goes for miles in either direction.

We had a nice view of the ocean from the hotel. Cambria holds a Scarecrow contest in October and this lady scarecrow posed outside the driveway.

Down on the sand, kids were climbing the rocks and there were a number of strollers enjoying the late afternoon on the packed sand.  Dogs were not allowed on the beach, which I appreciated.

Told you it was windy! We wandered on the beach and then rested a bit before thinking about dinner.  Luckily an internet search showed a good option 100 feet away--a dinner house called the Sea Chest.

We sat outside at the firepit with our drinks while we waited for a table--it was a very popular place at peak dinner hour. I popped across the road to get another shot of the ocean and setting sun.

Terrible lighting for photos but I wanted to show the business cards people have stuck up on the ceiling for decades, so many brown with age.  They were also stuck in the lampshades over the tables.  We had a lovely dinner including dessert.

I caught the sunset with a crescent moon and a gull before the light went.   

We enjoyed the free breakfast the next morning before heading into Cambria proper--the town is not large and we parked and poked around some of the little shops, had lunch in a Mexican Restaurant and then drove around the area a bit, revisiting the Cambria Pines Inn, where we had stayed 30 years before!  In the afternoon we drove further north--I had wanted to tour the Las Piedras Lighthouse, but we were too late for the guided tour.  We passed by Hearst Castle and saw the zebra herds, and the great house on the hill, which we had toured before.  We turned off the road to stretch our legs and see the elephant seals north of San Simeon. 

These were all juveniles, according the the Park Ranger,who for whatever reason had all crowded onto this smaller beach.  Beyond the rocks seen at the upper left there was a much larger and wider stretch of beach. 

There were some animals in the water at the surfline and nearby in the kelp beds, but most were lying about on the sand, using their flippers to throw sand over themselves as they lounged.  There were some who became irritated with other seals getting too close and some posturing and barking by the larger males, but no fighting.   Fortunately the seals were many feet below the boardwalk on the cliff so we were not in danger.  However, in the parking lot we did observe some clueless tourists who were feeding the squirrels and gulls and allowing their toddlers to pet the squirrels!  Incredible luck no one was bitten.  We returned to our hotel and I had a long nap before we found a local grill for dinner and watched the Dodgers on the big screens.  On our last morning, we went back into town for breakfast.   I chose the Creekside Restraurant.  While there was no actual creek visible, we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a good meal.  

These Dias de la Muertas scarecrows saw us out.

Grant had to do some computer work before we finished packing up and I took another stroll down the boardwalk, heading south.

 The tide was in and there were a couple of surfers out.

I walked far enough to come to an estuary.  Lots of different birds were visible.  A flash of white caught my eye...

A long-legged heron or crane was busy hunting breakfast. As I made my way back toward the hotel, I got a shot of the typical rolling hills of the central California. coast, covered in dry brush and Oak trees.  Cambria has stayed a small town/resort area due to the lack of fresh water resources in this isolated area. 

 Grant joined me for one last selfie before we checked out.

It was a lot less windy!  On the way back home, we stopped in Pismo Beach to visit my best friend Toni and her husband Dan and give them the housewarming present I made, a little quilted tablemat made from four patches (which I have shown before but share again). 

They said they loved it.  Dan always expressed amazement at how I come up with the colors and arrangement.  Experience and good designers to learn from, I'll always say!   These were leftover four patch square in squares from the Go Four It quilt.  It was a wonderful getaway and coming home on Friday meant two more days to enjoy before the real world called again.  I'm hoping more short breaks like this are in our future.