July Bits and Bobs

 

Hello, friends! I thought I'd pop in with a mid-July update. It has been a lovely summer here on Whidbey Island so far. A bit of rain in June, although less than last year, and gorgeous sunny, warm-but-not-too-hot days in July. (Sorry, California friends.) It's quite perfect, to my taste.

I can hardly believe it is the middle of July already. But July flying by is especially good news for me because I officially retire from practicing law as of July 31! I've practiced law since 1985 -- almost 40 years! Yikes! I have enjoyed it overall -- sometimes more, sometimes less. The variety, the intellectual problems to solve, the writing, have all been a good fit. I have been really fortunate to work with excellent lawyers and to have been trained as a young lawyer by ethical, smart people who valued courtesy and honesty. I've been able to create a flexible work situation that allowed me to do what I liked best and avoid the parts that did not suit. But it is time to stop. I'm just done.

Plus, I have SO many other things I want to do! I am not sure how I will celebrate, other than a whole lot of sewing and quilting and indulging in (gasp) daytime reading. I already have signed up for an online sketching workshop in September, some online lessons in machine embroidery so I can finally master the embroidery function on my machine, and a return to my usual Bishop's Ranch quilt retreat in October. I have a lot of exploring to do, both on and off the island. I am quite certain that I will not be bored.

Speaking of quilting, I was happily quilting away on a summery quilt when my longarm machine started shredding thread no matter how many adjustments I made. Turns out that the checkspring, a little wire hook in the thread path that contributes to keeping the tension even, had broken. The circled item below is the checkspring.

So, my Bernina dealer sent a technician over and within 45 minutes, it was all fixed, cleaned, oiled, and running perfectly. So now I can get back to this fun quilt, from a pattern called Lighthearted by Thimble Blossoms.

 

With my longarm ability interrupted, I had quite a piecing binge over the 4th of July weekend. I'd stumbled on a pattern that just looked like fireworks to me, so I spent the weekend getting this top together. (Side note: why do I cringe when quilters call a quilt top a "flimsy?" Am I the only one?)

It is from a quilt kit called "Holiday Americana Merry Making Quilt" from JK Quilts. I don't usually do kits, but this was half off at some point and was just so summer-festive that I could not resist. I'm looking forward to quilting it, and found some perfect fireworks fabric for the back.

Having finished that top, I have been sewing 2.5 inch strips to make a large, summery, scrappy Trip Around the World quilt. I love how fast and easy they are, and with light fabrics mixed in they look so fresh and light. They are so easy to make - great instructions here, from Bonnie Hunter, and here from Alli at Woodberry Way. I am following Alli's version, which uses whites in between printed strips, uses 21" strips, and makes a bigger block. No pictures yet as all I have is bundles of strips and a stack of blocks, but I'll be putting them up on the design wall soon. 

For cuteness purposes, here are Caroline's cats Kaya and Maybel. I had piled some things in the upstairs hallway before putting them away, and they quickly made themselves comfortable. As cats do.

All of a sudden, a bunch of books I've had on hold at the library have come in, just in time for retired life. I am ready for some serious deck and/or beach reading! I'm most excited to read Marisa de los Santos' most recent novel, Watch Us Shine. 

This is the fourth in a series with a common thread of family members and friends, with each novel focusing on a different character. I was so excited that I decided to reread the first in the series, Love Walked In, which I loved just as much as the first time. And that caused me to race through books two and three, Belong to Me and I'll Be Your Blue Sky, again. Yes, just as good as before, too. So I'm ready for #4.

 

Local Rainier cherries have appeared at the farmer's market, so I've been buying a steady supply and we've been eating cherries every day. At yesterday's market I bought a flat of local raspberries, and they are just gorgeous. A burst of summer flavor, truly.

In other exciting news, I ordered a new couch for our family room. This was quite an accomplishment, as it has been quite a hunt for something NOT beige, brown or gray. I have loved my red leather couch (shown here in a staging photo from my Healdsburg house) but it is just too big and too dark for the new family room. Plus, I'm ready for a new look.

After a lot of hunting, I found a blue and white pinstriped couch, in a store where I could actually sit on it and feel it -- how do people buy a couch online? But it will not be here for something like 3 months, so I have time to address the other pieces in the room. The red couch, which I still adore, will move out to the workshop room so I can sit and relax while sorting through all of the stuff in storage there.

I actually have some work to finish today, so I will close this this picture of yesterday's late afternoon summer sky.

Maybe it's just me, but the skies seem unusually beautiful here.

July pleasures

Good morning, friends, and happy July 4th weekend to you! 

It is a gorgeous weekend here. Last year at this time, when I’d just moved to the island, I was warned that June would be solidly cool and rainy (which it was) and summer would begin on July 5th, as dramatically as if a summer switch were flipped on (which it did). This year, though, June was a mix of drizzly, overcast, and clear sunny days, so it has felt like summer was easing in earlier and more gradually. This holiday weekend has been ideal. I’ve been watching early morning kayakers and mid day water skiers on my little lake, and I’ve had perfect late afternoons on the deck with a book and a cold drink. This feels just the way summer should be.  I apologize to my friends in Sonoma County, who have been sweltering through a heat wave. 

This week has been about home stuff. My wanderings have been limited to a few trips off island for medical appointments (my hand/wrist fractures are healing nicely, thank you, and Miss C’s eyes have been checked and new glasses are on order), with a bit of furniture shopping thrown in. 

I decided that I have been dissatisfied with the family room because my Healdsburg furniture is just too big and too dark for the space.  After much online perusing, I came to a vision I wanted to have in the room and I’ve been excited about creating it. No, this photo is not the vision, but it has that comfortable airiness I’d like to achieve. (This is from the beautiful home of blogger Kari from Thistlewoodfarms.com.) But gosh, the furniture offerings in stores are so beige! And gray! I’ve found sofa and chair shapes I quite like, but the fabric offerings are so drab. Even with leather, the options are extremely limited. I’ve found upholstery options I like online, but I’m quite apprehensive about ordering a sofa or chairs sight unseen and, more importantly, “unsat.” Amazon, Home Depot and other inexpensive furniture options make me wonder about long term durability with daily use. 

I will digress to ask if any of you have had actual good experiences with a white or cream couch without having to do weekly slipcover washes. I’ve looked at Pottery Barn couches but I’m wary. We spend a lot of time in the family room so the furniture gets heavy use. We occasionally eat in front of the tv, and yes, I’ve been know to spill my coffee or red wine. The dogs are not on the furniture, but they have been known to rub against it, and I don’t like the thought of grimy streaks around the sides and edges of white furniture. Sigh. So I’m researching and poking around.

Meanwhile, I’ve made exciting progress in the sewing room. I’ve been struggling with my well-loved portable design wall which works great in some situations, but has been constantly in the way in my funny room. After a bit of research from quilters who have had happy results, I ordered felt tiles from Feltright.com. The tiles come in lots of colors and shapes and the site even has a design area where you can plan out your design and audition colors. I ordered a variation of their “Quilter’s Star” design in light gray and white. I wanted something neutral that would not compete with whatever pieces I had up, but that would also look good when it was empty. The tiles arrived on Friday, and on Saturday I went to work sticking them up. 

The trick is to start with a level block and work from there. And voila, finished wall! 

These tiles are smooth so pieces need to be pinned. But I did that before anyway, as I’d had too many times of finding a carefully laid out design in bits on the floor after the dogs had rushed by the portable wall.  Look, here it is in use already! 

And what is that work in progress, you ask? 

It is a kit quilt I bought a while ago on a big sale, because I love how the star blocks have a firework-ish look to them and it just looked so fun and festive. The pattern is called “Holiday Americana Merry Making,” designed by Jocelyn Ueng of It's Sew Emma, and it’s available as a kit here. Don’t let all the triangles daunt you. The blocks go together quickly with half square triangle units. Here is where I am as of this morning: 

Perfect 4th of July weekend sewing! 

Later today I expect to be out on the deck with the novel I’m reading, The City and the City by China Mieville. It is an unusual story about a murder that has been discovered in a place where two cities overlap and are, for political reasons, treated as invisible to each other. The novel has quite an interesting premise, and is billed as science fiction, fantasy, crime, and speculative fiction. Miss C actually told me about it after she’d listened to an online review, and I was sufficiently intrigued to borrow it from the library. If any of you have read it, I’d be interested in your thoughts. 

In case you are worrying about the baby bunnies in my yard, I am happy to report that my lawn has been fully mown and no baby bunnies (or parts thereof) were found along the way. I expect to see them scampering about one morning soon. 

 

My friend Kate

 Have you met my friend Kate? She lives on a farm in Northumberland in the UK, at The Last Homely House East of the Sea, with cats and hens and a very independent goose. 

Actually, I’ve not met her either, except through her YouTube videos and website and Instagram account. But, thanks to the strange intimacy of You Tube, I feel like I know her. I’ve been to her house, strolled in her garden, made custard and chocolate caramels with her, and decorated Easter eggs. She’s shown me how to card and spin wool, how to feed hens, how to prepare potatoes for planting, and how to clip a hen’s feathers so that she will not fly away. 

I have had Kate’s videos on while I’ve been sewing. She has kept me company with her quiet reflections about life on a farm in Northern England and her continuing curiosity about trying new things and making all sorts of things,  Jam. Pottery. Curtains. I love her willingness to just try something, and go her own way with it to see what happens. 

I am quite certain that she will welcome you into her circle, and that you will be charmed. You can visit here here. If you stop by, tell her I said hello.