Design Wall Monday, and Recovering

Having been slayed for two days by an unpleasant GI illness, I'm staying home this Design Wall Monday to regain strength.  Yesterday I could only manage to eat one cracker and sip on Gatorade. This isn't the type weight loss program I am a fan of!

I have a few things to share.  

We had a mini -quilt swap at Guild and I made this for Scott. He loves blue and hates orange but I ended up with a couple of tiny triangles of it in this quilt :).  It is about 20x24", I'm guessing, made from leftover blue and white HSTs onto which I improv sewed other cutoff triangles. I had already quilted part of the quilt but finished with my new sewing machine, a Viking Sapphire 930, which has a 10" throat.  Heaven!  I also sewed up--at the last minute--a mini quilt for our Holiday gift swap. Somehow I didn't get a pic of the finished quilt and will have to ask Sarah, who ended up with it, to send me one.

5" charm pack squares with 2" light gray corner squares to make cute snowballs.  I backed it with the same light gray, quilted with my favorite 3-step zig zag stitch and bound it with a bright blue solid.

While missing our Ventura MQG Sew-in for Thomas Fire quilts on Saturday (having sent DH to deliver batting and fabric),  I had a home session sewing Perkiomen blocks from the kit I brought home.  Lots of rearranging, pinning, and getting up and down from the machine to the ironing board.  I finished three full rows before giving up and heading for the bed. No pics of that yet. 

I also worked on a cross-stitch from a Lizzie Kate pattern.   

 

In progress, had to show my manicure :)

And a finish!  This was my first time using a hand-dyed embroidery floss (Weeks Hand-Dyed), and I must say I am not particularly fond of the striping that occurred in the background of the large letters.  I had a couple of creative opportunities with this stitchery (ahem)--the C in "Stitching" received more of a curve as I miscounted where the next letter started.  I actually like the way the letter looks with the addition but the stitchery doesn't line up perfectly.  Some other design decisions occurred in the bottom section, but the differences didn't bother me enough to tear out rows and rows of stitching.  This will look cute framed and up on the wall.  

More hand sewing while reclining and alternately dozing through nausea yesterday...

Cheddar and Cinnamon Quilt

This poor quilt has been waiting since September 2017 for the binding to be finished after I had it  custom longarm quilted.  I have about 1.5 sides left to do.  It is a fairly big quilt at 72"square, so takes awhile.  

See more Design Walls on Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Flood after the Fire

The Thomas Fire disaster has been increased to include flood, as many will be aware from the horrendous news video and photos shown of the Montecito area of Santa Barbara, 20+ miles to the north of my city.  Torrential rains on the night of January 8-9 caused mudslides and a creek to overflow its banks, sweeping tons of mud, huge boulders, trees, and water into houses and businesses, sweeping them off their foundations and filling them many feet deep in an instant.  It is a sad truth that the firefighters kept  these houses from burning a few weeks prior, only to have them destroyed by flood.  So many lives lost and many more to be found buried in the mud, likely up to dozens, though so far 17 deaths have been confirmed. Our son's girlfriend lives in Santa Barbara, a short distance from the devastation, but luckily she and her brother are safe.  

The main 101 freeway along the coast is impassable for many miles due to massive swaths of debris and mud.  This pic above from the internet shows how the pavement is not even visible.  Those bushes in the center divider are about 8-10 feet tall.  This heavily traveled road and rail service closures have resulted in a sea shuttle, with boats leaving Ventura Harbor three times a day and making the two hour boat trip up to Santa Barbara Harbor  Others are flying out of nearby airports to Santa Barbara; once again generous folks have offered free or reduced cost services everywhere to help survivors and residents.  I traveled this road daily myself for a year and a half when I worked in Santa Barbara a few years ago.   A multi-hour detour is now required to enter the city if driving from the south, with all trucking re-routed.

At our Ventura Modern Quilt Guild meeting the night the rains started, we discussed that any flood victims would by extension be Thomas Fire victims and we will distribute quilts to them as well,  never wishing such to come, or so soon.  Hundreds of Perkiomen Valley quilt blocks have been made and more donations are coming in.  We were set to donate our first set of quilts that night but the person who was to pick them up stayed home due to the rain.  Our guild president was tearful when telling us that the generous folks managing the Road to California quilt show this month donated a free booth and electricity so that we can collect any blocks/donations there. Amazing!  I brought home blocks and a quilt top/finishing kit to make, and donated a couple of blocks of my own, above. My car is full of an entire roll of batting, two huge tubs full of fabric ready to be made into quilts.  Multiple other local guilds have donated to our little guild, so generously, and we thank them sincerely, including Simi Valley Quilt Guild, Camarillo Quilters Association, and Valley MQG. We hope the rain, as much as we need it to end the drought, stays away for now. 

Thomas Fire Update

Returning to work this week was right to the grindstone, lots of flu here and plenty of general upper respiratory conditions.  We've been double booked morning and afternoon.  Many people with chronic lung conditions have been affected by the Thomas Fire, which is still burning itself out in the backcountry, 92% contained.  Every day we learn of more patients who lost homes or were displaced in the evacuations.  I finally saw the doctor for my own persistent cough of 6 weeks or more, was diagnosed with bronchitis, given an inhaler, and sent for a chest x-ray (which fortunately was normal). I hope to feel back to normal soon.

The other day, I drove up to one of the worst fire damage areas in my town, just a couple of miles from home.   

The wind-driven fire swept through the middle of the neighborhood in the middle of the night, December 4th, spreading embers willy nilly. Firefighters poured into the neighborhoods but were unable to save as many as they tried to.  There were hundreds of homes burned, mostly in the foothills above town, over 1000 (most in Ventura County) over 700 of which were single family homes.  An entire apartment building complex burned completely to the ground, displacing dozens.

I don't know what the green stuff is that was sprayed over the ruins, whether fire retardant or some kind of suppressant for the ash/chemical residue from burned building materials.  Insurance company vehicles were everywhere, and I could see homeowners wearing masks sifting through wreckage.  "Sifting Parties" are a thing now. 

Many of the burned houses are only marked by chimneys and burned vehicles that once were inside garages.  On days we have onshore winds from the ocean, the coastal plain is smoky for miles inland.  This pic is from about a week ago and the smoke is less heavy now, this far inland (about 5 miles). Fortunately, due to early evacuation policies, there were no resident deaths in this area, and only one death of a resident in Ojai,where a woman died in a single car crash while evacuating from the fire. 

Our own Ventura Modern Quilt Guild is making Perkiomen Valley blocks, designed by a member, for Thomas Fire victims and support has poured in from all over the county and country.  Multiple cutting and sewing parties are planned to get quilts made quickly and into the hands of those in need, from donated blocks and fabrics.  We have been fully inundated with fabric donations already.  Those who wish to help are asked to make blocks either individually, may join one of the many sew in dates, or donate batting.  Details HERE.  

While we need rain desperately here in Southern California, just a little at at time would be best.  Some moisture is expected early next week, fingers crossed it is not a heavy storm adding flood to the fire damage.  

Goodbye, 2017

It's been a mixed bag this year for the blog in 2017.  I thank all the faithful readers and welcome new followers, who continue to visit my little corner of blogland, despite its diminished light!  There were a number of stressors in Real Life that made it hard to have a lot to talk about if I didn't have something crafty or quilty to show, and which sapped my energy to do the crafty or quilty things.  My sister Kathy continues to push me along, out of my rut, and I'm grateful she does.   I'm taking a step back from some time commitments/activities in 2018 and hope to channel more energy to what I love best--besides my family--spending time with needle and thread.    

There were finishes in 2017, nearly every month, including:
Star Crossed, for DD Erica, from APQ mag April 2016 but simplified design.  Made with a Ricky Tims' hand-dyed fabric aged in the stash for many years, and a Dimples print in green.

 Flying baby geese quilt, March 2017.  Made from leftovers from multiple projects including grandson Cove's baby quilt.  Setting I saw on Pinterest.

DD Erica's friend received this as a baby shower gift.  I just got a photo of her 3 week old baby James on it.  So cute.

 Doll quilt swap in April had me cutting Tri-recs with a V-trimmer tool. All these fabrics came from the scrap bins and stash. 

In May, a guild scrap box swap resulted in some string play.

A very time consuming play but I liked the end product, and so did the scrap owner, Judy. 

July was spent readying quilts for the County Fair.  I finished a modern Row Robin, a star pillow, and a mini flag quilt.  Click on each for a larger pic.

August finishes included a boomeranged charity quilt top I had sewn but handed off for quilting, lol, as well as a top I'd helped design but hadn't stitched.  I made backings, quilted simply and bound them both. 

I have another of the Houndstooth quilts awaiting additional cutting and sewing since I sewed the wrong pairs of squares together and have a design opportunity. Cough.

Son Nick's Cross Reference quilt was finally finished in September.  Pattern from APQ mag April 2017.  I made my version smaller and, of course, scrappy. 

 October was partly spent readying for SewTopia in New Orleans.  I made a swap gift of house blocks and also a tablerunner for the Michael Miller fabric challenge.  For some reason I don't have a photo of the finished challenge runner.  My mom tried to swipe it when she was over at Thanksgiving, lol.

November saw the finish of another baby quilt,; this is Signed, Sealed Delivered from APQ mag April 2017, I left off the two borders.   (You saw baby Grace with her quilt recently :)

I also made my grandsons stockings (last post), a bunch of charity block guild challenges, and finished a cross-stitch or two.  

There were also a great number of starts this year, and dearth of finished UFOs from the challenge I joined.  But overall, many happy hours were spent with needle and thread, fun Shop hop and fabric shopping with my sister, guild meetings and sew ins, SewTopia and my word quilt top, and a million ideas yet to appear on the blog.  For 2018, I have plans to finish more UFOs, devote additional hours to charity quilt projects for guild, and sew up a lot more fabric from stash.  

I appreciate all who comment on my work, and invite you back to see what I'm up to. 

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2017

Our son being out of the country, our family Christmas Eve dinner was one smaller than usual.  We were happy to have our girls, son in law, and grandsons for pasta and salad dinner followed by brownies, iced molasses cookies, and of course, presents.

A smaller tree this year but just as festive with lights and ornaments.  

Cozy sweaters for the girls.  There was a slightly panicked few minutes when Cove, who wanted to use the candle snuffer, slid into the gap of the chair back, unnoticed by me as he climbed up to the table, and then got stuck.  Daddy had to rescue him, to tears and cries of "I'm going to be stuck here forever" and "we need a fireman", by forcing one rung free.  Thankfully, it was all over within a couple of minutes and after some respite in Mama's arms, he was ready to play again.  

Here he's pretending to be the knight he just dressed on the magnetic figure Mimi got him, using an imaginary sword.  

The aftermath!  Hunter wanted to try on his new shirts but then was distracted by a sticker that he found and applied to his chest.  So funny.  My darling husband completely surprised me by buying me a new Husqvarna Viking sewing machine.  I've been sewing on my Husqvarna Lily model for 15 years and it was time for an upgrade, but I had yet to start looking. After trying out the Tribute anniversary model he brought home,  I'm going to go one grade higher to the Sapphire 930 model with a 10" harp, so have that on order now.  Can't wait!  

The stockings I made for the boys came out nicely, at last, after further adjustments to several seam allowances, grading, and refitting.  I drew up the initials and used a whip stitch to attach felt letters to the cuff.  Some mini pompom trim and a ribbon added a lot of charm.  Elaine was very happy with them and Erica wanted to know where hers was :)

Christmas Day found us mostly lounging around enjoying breakfast with Erica and watching the Yule Log on TV, then I set to work on the two cheesecakes I needed to make for dinner at my folks' house in the late afternoon.  Numbers climbed quickly and I think 30 was the final tally for dinner, though more came and went!  Luckily the weather was good for those eating outside on the deck. 

(Hi, Honey, waving to the camera) Grant with two of my brothers and a nephew.

Brothers, nieces, nephews, daughter, sister, grandson and my dad.  Sister Kathy made caramel sauce, Grandma's fudge, and a fantastic potato dish, brother Kevin was barbecue master extraordinaire as usual with the prime rib steaks.  Many thanks to my brother Ted and sister in law Laura and family for doing so much of the prep work and set up.  We've had more time to relax and hang out, I've got some sewing done, and delivered a baby quilt today to daughter Elaine's best friend and her husband. 

Here's the beautiful little family with one month old baby Grace as the star.  They loved the quilt and I hope it gets plenty of use.  So fun to hold a new little girl.  (Pattern is Signed, Sealed, Delivered from APQ magazine, April 2017).   I'll be working tomorrow but then get another few days off before the holidays are over.  Love that!

December Catchup

Since my last post, the Thomas Fire has made it's way through nearly 274,000 acres of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and has the dubious distinction of being named the largest fire in California history. Over 700 homes were destroyed (500+ in my city), many others damaged, and thousands of acres of ranchland and orchards with beehives destroyed.  At one point there were over 8500 fire personnel on this fire; by today it has decreased to somewhere in the 2000s.  It is 65% contained and still a dangerous threat due to the severe dryness and Santa Ana winds, with no rain in sight.  They are hoping to have the fire 100% contained by January 7, which does not mean put out!  Sadly, one San Diego firefighter died while fighting the fire in Fillmore.  We watched on TV the transport procession and all the firefighters, first responders and residents lined up on every freeway overpass and roadside honoring his terrible loss.

This picture was taken 12/14 when there was still a lot of active fire in Ojai.  Air quality was very poor for many days, primarily at the western edge of the city as the fire moved up the coast. Masks were necessary.  Every day at work we are seeing patients who either lost a home or had relatives or friends who lost homes.  Evacuations have been lifted but many cannot return to their homes yet.  Today we heard of evacuees having to seek rentals in nearby cities as there is little available in town.  My city has responded "Ventura Strong", with the community banding together in a most admirable way, and look forward to rebuilding, but it will be a long process. 

Life has gone on for those not as severely affected by the fires, stores have reopened for holiday shoppers, and planned community events allowed to proceed.   My Bunco group gathered for the last game night of the year.  I made this little topper to include with a bottle of wine.  The backing was the same tree fabric. 

 I've also been working on stockings for our grandsons.  Fabrics are from the Merrily collection by Gingiber.

 

I found the pattern HERE. I chose this pattern as it included both lining and batting, giving it a lot of body--but also multiple thicknesses to stitch through.  I've had to do some fussing with the seam allowances and one stocking is in timeout.  Some mini pompom trim and an initial will complete the stockings--I'd like that task to be done tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, Papa and Mimi were invited guests for the daycare providers' annual Christmas program.  Kim, the wonderful daycare provider, pointed out that due to the fires they lost a week of practice, so the singing portion was mostly bedlam, but very entertaining.  Afterwards, presents were handed out.  Santa scared Hunter, but once safely away in his daddy's arms, he was eager to try out brother Cove's new scooter.  Hunter received a Little People Barnyard he loved.  

As usual, I am behind on everything holiday, though I did get the house and tree decorated and some gifts bought.  Last Minute seems to be my M.O.  Once again, no Christmas cards have gone out as yet, but we enjoying receiving them, especially the ones with pictures of friends and family.  Our son Nick is in Italy with his girlfriend, Ashley, and this is the latest photo he sent.

This view is from their Air BnB in San Gimiginano.  Amazing!  While we'll miss them at Christmas, we'll enjoy hearing of all their travels when they return.  

I may not get back on the blog as the mad rush swallows the next couple of days, so let me thank you all for visiting my little blog this year, and wish you the happiest of  holidays.  Cheers!

Thomas Fire

My city/county has been on fire since Monday night. The Thomas Fire started northeast of us in the next city over, and due to severe Santa Ana winds, rapidly burned through 10-12 miles of dry brush in the foothills.   We lost power about 9 pm and, along with our neighbors, tried to find out from our cell phones what was happening.  This was the scene from our upstairs window as flames crept down the foothills a mile or two away.

Evacuation orders were soon announced as the fire began to consume neighborhoods.  Our son was under mandatory evacuation, living very close to the hills, and he packed a bag and bugged out to his sister's at the beach. A nephew went to his grandparent's house. Our other daughter and her family packed up essentials for themselves and the kids and waited for word of evacuation, as did we.  It is funny what you find yourself picking up and considering valuable at a time like that.  We loaded the cars and dozed, on and off, through the wee hours of the night, but never received notice of need to evacuate--all the flames continued westward, away from us, miles toward the western edge of the city.  Our power was restored by about 9 am and we were able to watch news coverage of the horrible devastation of homes in the hills.  My brother's house was threatened, near where a rehab/psych hospital burned to the ground.  He evacuated to his son's house.  Other family and friends were evacuated and waited for word if their homes were spared.

Towering smoke viewed from our backyard.  The wind picked up again in the afternoon and whipped the fire towards Ojai.  It jumped the highway and began burning all the way to the ocean, and even now has continued northward into Santa Barbara County after burning through La Conchita and the beach communities. 

This very blurry photo was the smoke cloud as I left work Thursday.  All our offices were closed but one; this is looking  southwest to the  ocean.  When the winds were calm, the smoke sank to the ground. 

I had never seen this "Smoke" designation before on my weather app. Fires are still burning in Ojai, which was blazing all night with winds 30-50 mph with gusts up to 80, and it is heading to the national forest northward, with firefighters battling multiple other fires in LA and further south.  The Thomas Fire has burned more than 130,000 acres and is still only 10% contained.  There are at least two more days of Red Flag Warnings from the Santa Ana winds.  

439 homes have been destroyed, in the hills of my city, where most of the nicest and more expensive houses were.  My doctor boss knows at least 10 other doctors who lost homes.  I watched a former doctor employer on TV as his house burned and collapsed in 30 minutes, while firefighters tried to keep adjacent homes from catching fire.  There is still danger and evacuations in place, plenty more dry fuel in the hills and embers that could be carried miles.  Amazingly, only one death has been attributed to the fires, a woman died in a car crash trying to escape the flames in Ojai.  The community has risen up and offered much to the evacuees and the fire and rescue personnel.  Rebuilding will be slow, and the bare hillsides may take years to recover.  I have heard of no one who wants to leave our beautiful city by the sea, and know the community will continue to offer help and reassurance.  We remain on alert, until this siege is over.