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.