Churn Dash for Audrey

A finished top! 42" x 48" This is the churn dash I started in the spring for my niece’s baby. The nursery is black, white and pink. This looks more red than pink. Not what I planned, but I’m going with it. I plan to do meander quilting with variegated black and white thread. Audrey’s first birthday is on Halloween so I hope to send it to her before then. For some reason I have a hard time making a quilt for a baby who isn’t born yet so I always give myself a first birthday goal. I wasn’t expecting to work on this top last weekend, but I switched gears. I started quilting the triangle quilt (74" x 86"), but even just doing a wavy line caused my arms to hurt. Quilts seem to grow when I start machine quilting them. I started with the even feed foot. I wasn’t happy with it so tried free motion. That wasn’t any better. I know quilters do king size quilts in their domestic machines but it just wasn’t happening for me. I thought about it for a day and decided it wasn’t worth the pain. I’ve had issues with carpal tunnel and tendonitis in the past. A few years ago I went to a wonderful physical therapist who worked with me on my posture. In the past, PTs had worked my elbows, but she also worked on my back and while it hurt it was a good hurt and after a few months I felt so much better. My PT recommended a massage therapist, so poor me goes once every 2 weeks. ; c ) She, too, is a miracle worker. I still get aches and pains, but I recover much more quickly. In years past there were months when no stitching happened because it was too painful. Anyway, after doing just 4 lines of machine quilting on the triangle quilt my arms hurt enough that I felt I needed to stop. I put heat on them and after a couple of days I felt fine, but I don’t want this to take forever. So I’m picking out the quilting and I’m going to do straight lines. Even that can get a little awkward with a big quilt, but just guiding it and not having to maneuver it will make a big difference. I’m hoping.

We are taking wallpaper down in the kitchen. It was 20 years old and looking it. The inset photo is the wallpaper and molding. I chose that color on the molding to go with the curtains – in a heap in the background photo. I matched the blue in the curtain to a paint chip and then went a few shades lighter. Maybe not an obvious choice, but yellow was already used in my foyer and living room and I didn’t want to go with pink or white. I still love the curtains so I’m thinking of putting this “English hyacinth” color (or something close) on the walls and an off white for the trim.

Senior year starts for my youngest on Tuesday. He had his senior photo taken last week. Here he is (on the left) with a longtime friend in their fake tuxedos. They’ve known each other since they were 2 years old and their sisters were in the same Brownie troop.

How about this “cheddar” pumpkin? I wonder if it will get darker as the season passes. This pumpkin is in a front yard around the corner from us. I pass it often as I walk the dogs. Just 2 weeks ago it was the size of a grapefruit and I would already classify it as huge!

I’m almost done with The Count of Monte Cristo. I started it at the beginning of summer and really put a push on it this past week. It is good, but at almost 1500 pages I wouldn’t call it a good summer read!

I was asked to work at the Jinny Beyer Studio during the area shop hop Quilters’ Quest in November. I know a few of the gals who work there from my quilt guild. How cool is that?

We’ve had some beautiful weather here for August. Well, other than the hurricane last weekend. There was storm damage in the area, but for us it dropped some much needed rain. This weekend I plan to get started on painting the kitchen, attend the crab feast at our community pool, finish reading The Count and, of course, do a little stitching. ; o ) Hope you have a great weekend!