A Slow Week

Not much doing here this week, except that I did have a birthday. The summer lazies are definitely keeping me out of the studio. I made my way down to city beach, a favorite place for me to spend time normally, but I've been avoiding it, worried about crowds and virus spread. But couldn't resist this particular day, finding none of the crowding I feared. As I've noticed other summers, I caught bits of conversations in foreign languages and the nearby restaurant looked to be doing a good business. As you can imagine, businesses wondered just what the tourist season that they depend on might be like. While personally I worried about outsiders bringing in covid to make our relatively low case numbers spike, the town really can't survive without them.

 

Another reason to avoid city beach was the messy goose poop which was everywhere the last time I was here. Many things have been tried over the years to make these geese go elsewhere but they've discovered this is a good place to winter over rather than fly south. There was quite a kerfuffle when it was decided that, not for the first time, they would need to be captured and relocated. A group complained that the geese were being stressed and injured in the process, but I didn't agree. They are not endangered by any means and they really do cause health issues for those visiting the park and swimming where the geese swim. I was relieved to see all the walkways pristine and no geese in sight. Just the ever present gulls who stroll about as if they own the place.

 

A lovely light breeze brought out the sailboats and made for a pleasant walk. Any haze you see against the mountains in the background is from, believe it or not, the fires in California a thousand miles away. Strangely though, it has not messed with our air quality, apparently sent so high on its way here that the particles get dispersed.

As for the birthday, with all the negative things in the news and on line, I made a point to have a quiet day, with my biggest treat being a huckleberry milkshake and a beef brisket barbecue sandwich from a food truck in the neighborhood. Had a lovely chat on the phone with one of my brothers too. But perhaps the best part of my birthday was receiving this card from a good friend. I extend its greeting to all of you.

 

Roadside Attractions and a Quotation

I see deer behind my place fairly often but I rarely see one on my daily walks that take me along sidewalks and across a heavily traveled main cutoff road. I've been taking this maintenance road that runs between it and McNearney Park, dog park on one side and a narrow wooded area between it and houses on the other side. I nearly walked by this one less than a half block from the street, my eyes somewhat concentrated on the ground before me, and perhaps that is what it hoped I would do. Stopping stock still upon seeing it so close, we began a rather long stare-down. It was as if it was thinking, "If I don't move, she won't see me," while I was beginning to wonder if it really saw me. Surely when I reach into my pocket for my phone (which apologies, has a terrible camera capability), it will bolt into the underbrush, but no, just that steady gaze while a snapped away.

 

At one point it did turn its head at a sound coming from the other side of the trees, but then turned back to me. I tried a few steps forward to see if it would move. It was unconcerned. But eventually it tired of me, I suppose, and started picking its way through the bushes beside the road. That's when I got the second surprise - it had a black-tipped tail. The skittish deer I'm used to seeing, the ones that must be responding to my movement off the couch as they bound away before I can get to the patio door for a closer look, are whitetail deer, distinguishable by their fat fluffy tails that have white hair on the underside. When they spook, that tail goes up, showing like a white flag in warning to their buddies.

 

Naturally, I thought this was a black-tailed deer but decided I'd better look it up. And sure enough, it actually is not, but a mule deer of which the black-tailed deer is a sub-species. It really did have huge ears like a mule that should have tipped me off. As it emerged from the brush, it still was not concerned about me being there, following along as it slowly ambled up the road.

 

Eventually, it decided it didn't appreciate being stalked like this and made its way back into the wooded area. I love being able to have these encounters without making my way outside of town.

 

So that's some fauna. How about some roadside flora? I do love Queen Anne's Lace (sometimes known as wild carrot) that thrives in the ditches and along the shoulders of rural areas. If you look closely at ones that have not opened up, they are an amazing complex bundle.

 

And then they open big and flat, often with that black spot in the middle. For the longest time I thought that was just a bug, but no, it is on all of them, a part of the flower.

 

This flower is not wild or a weed but part of the landscaping in the park. Don't know the name but I've been taken with the shape of the petals, how they pinch in a bit where they join the center the way some dimensional applique flowers do. Apologies again for the limitations of my phone's camera to get a clear shot.

And now for the quotation. I was watching the documentary "Good Work: Masters of the Building Arts" (which I highly recommend you watch) and about fell off my chair when the featured stained glass artisan, Dieter Goldkuhle, made this comment when talking about the warehouse where he buys his glass:

"It's fatal to go there because I always end up with so much more glass than I initially wanted to buy. And it just begs me, "Purchase me"."

He goes on to say he brings them home and puts them in his bins, and from time to time he will just get out pieces to hold to the light and marvel in the colors and patterns. "It's that intimate" he says of his relationship to the glass he buys.

He may as well have been any one of us talking about going to a quilt shop or any other type of art store where we buy our supplies. "Fatal" he calls it, to walk through those doors and start looking and touching and trying to block out the siren calls begging us to gather up so much more than we need and bring it home. I found it rather comforting to hear this older, much experienced man talk this way, as I picked myself up off the floor. I doubt I will ever cross the threshold of another quilt shop without thinking, "This is gonna be fatal!"

Goldilocks Returns

Just like my ample fabric stash, I have an ample thread stash. Seriously, I have a lot of spools of threads of different thicknesses and fiber content and colors and values. And yet, when it comes time to find that perfect thread for the project at hand, the perfect one I have in mind is not in my collection. Too dark, too light, too shiny, too matte, it shades too much toward green or too much toward purple. Rarely do I find the thread that is just right. Even with stitching out samples, the thread I thought would work suddenly changes its characteristics on the quilt. Suffice it to say, choosing thread is not one of my favorite parts of quilting.

And the differences between the threads are often subtle, so subtle that most people would not understand why I am dithering over my choices. Chalk it up to experience, to quilts in my collection that still make me cringe at a thread choice that wasn't quite right. I persevere to get as close to right as I can. Clicking on the picture should help you see my test of threads as well as width of satin stitch and tension. The top one was too reddish brown and too shiny - sorry that it does not show up well but you can see the spool of it here. The black was, well, black, and this fabric really isn't black. It has a lot of reddish brown undertones in its darkness. Maybe a grey would work, but my darkest grey was way too light. I rooted around some more in my thread rack and by chance noticed several spools of dark brown twist that looked slightly different from the one I had tested. It turned out to be a much better match due to the fact that the twist included a strand of black with the strand of brown while the other one was just browns. That black toned it down and it was not as shiny either. It still wasn't exactly what I had in mind but I decided it was close enough. And it was a big spool, no worries about running out.

 

I was right in my suspicion that the Misty Fuse would be stabilizer enough so I got to satin stitching around all those raw edges of applique. I was nearly done with the long sections when I ran out of bobbin thread, and lucky thing that I did. When I pulled the top out of the machine, I noticed that my stitching now looked black instead of brown. A trick of the light? No, there's definitely a change of color. What happened here? I have my suspicions but have not had time to test them out yet. Just glad I only stitched about 8 inches this way.

 

In the meantime, I decided it was time to get my thoughts about quilting out of my mind and into something visual I could study. I scanned the pattern photo of the quilt, changed the colors closer to "my" colors in Paint Shop Pro software and started adding quilting lines. Very rough, not to scale of course, but it gives me a general idea of how my ideas will actually look. This is my first idea, simple, straightforward and not detracting from the design. Probably done in the dark green twist thread which would show up on both light and dark fabrics, although maybe more than I would like on the light side.

 

In the meantime, I'd been going back over that mark making exercise with circles and realized one of them could be adapted here if I turned half of the lines vertical, ending around the big circle encompassing the Chinese character. I didn't want to make all the lines vertical because of the bars in the upper left. And I didn't think I wanted to continue lines through the circle.

 

But I'd also wondered about treating the area outside of the applique frame like a separate border. Any thoughts or preferences? All input welcome. 

Mask Tie Solution

Remember the first mask I made, the one with carefully picked hand-dyed fabric from my stash and sporting ties rather than ear loops? The one that I struggled with and was never happy with the results? Well, I'm not one to just toss something, so all this time since, my mind has wandered back to it now and then, wondering how I might make the ties work better for me. My mind really got clicking when I ran across the hair ties I'd tried on the no-sew mask, thinking I could loop the tie ends through one giving me a pull on version like regular dust masks. But on a recent trip to Wal-mart, I may have found an even better solution, albeit a bit pricey one. Instead of having to pull the elasticized ties over my head, this Pony-Connect separates for an easy clip together.

I haven't trimmed the tie ends yet as I'm still working on getting the length right, but I think I like the way this is working and the fact that I don't have to do any sewing to attach tie to elastic.

To my delight, this solution made the mask magically fit with no gaps, something I'd not been able to get it to do when tying the individual ties. No getting around the fact that it messes with my hairdo but I think I will be able to find a use for this.

In the meantime, I don't think I've shown a picture of me wearing this mask, one I toss in the car when I'm running errands. I took this pic on my most recent grocery run to send to friend Sherrie who is collecting such pics for a future post on her blog - see this post. If you are so inclined, I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing how you, my readers, are showing off their masks.

The Peace Quilt

background & applique panels pinned & ready for cutting

It's the last day of July and I really thought this quilt would be finished by now. Actually, I thought I could complete it during the week bracketed by the anniversaries of my husband's death and our wedding day. I usually pick a special project to concentrate on while I isolate myself in contemplation and memories, but isolation has become a way of life lately giving the week a different feel. And then I entered a war with my smoke alarms that took up my sewing time several days that week. Best laid plans, as they say, but at least I got a start on it. Above you see the pattern marked out ready for cutting. I taped the large pattern to my patio door glass and added the dark fabric over it. I could just make out the pattern and there were only a few misguided lines.

The pattern presents 3 approaches to this two panel applique quilt: hand applique (which was tempting but I didn't want to spend the time), raw edge applique (also tempting but I wasn't sure the cut-away pieces would be usable on a second quilt) and fusible applique (tempting because it might be the quickest and give me the best leftover pieces). After several nights of mulling before dropping off to sleep, fusing won out. This whole cloth cutaway method (rather than cutting out the individual motifs and arranging on a background) is one I am familiar with through my lessons learning Baltimore Album block techniques but I've not tried it with anything but hand applique. Of course, one can't go straight to fusing but the applique panel does get fusible ironed to the back of it before it is layered and pinned to the background fabric. This took more nights of mulling - which fusible to use - and I concluded that Misty Fuse was my best bet. Once again, I found myself muttering about how much I hate working with Misty Fuse. I really do, although I keep finding good reasons to use it in some circumstances instead of my more favored Steam-A-Seam Light. Pins go in the sections that will remain as applique motifs; care must be taken not to get confused about what stays and what goes. I did anticipate how fussy getting the fusible on would be, but I did not anticipate how fussy and time consuming the cutting would be. It took several days.

I could use small applique scissors for cutting curved lines but I didn't trust I could accurately cut the straight lines with it. It had been difficult to trace those lines off the pattern. I'd run across that nifty tool for use sewing half square triangles that I couldn't find when I needed it (the long narrow yellow thing at the top) and found it was the exact width of those long straight "strips". Cutting along either side of that tool with a rotary cutter was a great help. Slipped between the background and top panel, a small cutting mat (just below the small ruler) kept from cutting into the background fabric.

Accidental slit ready for Misty Fuse patch

Well, almost. When I was all done cutting away the excess, using a Clover mini-iron to tack the applique as I went, and was inspecting my work, a small gap appeared next to one of those rectangles in the upper left. Apparently I'd gotten too exuberant after lining up a ruler to make sure the rectangles' ends were even with each other and went beyond the little cutting mat in this one place. When I gave the piece its final fuse, the edge was slightly caught under the end of the rectangle but I don't trust it to stay there or not to fray during the next step so I will fuse a patch over it on the back.

There have been additional nights of mulling before dropping off to sleep over that next step. If I had used Steam-A-Seam, I would not have to worry about finishing the raw edges. But with Misty Fuse, one does. Satin stitch is the most obvious remedy but that doesn't keep me from considering other stitches. And then of course, what color thread, what kind? And since there is fusible between the layers, will I need a stabilizer underneath to keep things from drawing up? Well, only one way to know, and that is with a sample and the auditioning of threads. And as long as I'm going there, I may as well start thinking about the threads I'll use for quilting and how it will be quilted. So here are some candidates for both: two old Sulky Ultra Twists (no longer available) and one Superior Threads polyester twist (Ultra Twists' replacement), and a polyneon. You'd think after all these years I'd quit deluding myself that ANY quilting project would be simple, straightforward and quick.

Floral Update

Jan in Wyoming encouraged me to share if I followed up on that mysterious floral tangle from the last post. In case you missed it, BJ Parady chimed in with some information gleaned from her botany background:

So, if you want the scientific explanation of what's going on, the daisy is a member of the Composite family of plants. So called because each 'flower' is actually a composite of many flowers forming the structure. Usually there are two types of flowers--the ones on the rays and the ones forming the center. They often are ready for fertilization at different times and by different means (some self fertilize, others depend on insects). Now this particular bloom may have been so hybridized that it's actually sterile, or that the seeds won't grow 'true'.

I decided not to deadhead that particular bloom to see what might happen. As the petals wilted and drooped around the stem, the center became a perfect ball and that tangle began to straighten out.

I think I can see seeds in those tubes. One just has to be patient I guess.

Speaking of being patient, these plants were a surprise when they came  up out of the planter where I'd sprinkled a packet of "bee wildflower" seeds last spring. There was no trace of them last year. Up up up the one on the right grew. Finally it produced a tight bud that stayed tightly closed for weeks. It finally opened into this lovely yellow flower. The shorter plant developed a bloom as well and also took its time in opening. I swear it is the same plant as on the right so it was a big surprise that it has a different coloring to it, not just yellow but adding in some reddish brown.

And this lovely blue string of flowers is new since I took the photos in the previous post. I did toss a few more seeds from a bee flower packet in this container this spring so it may be from that. I didn't have any of these last year. They are small and delicate with widely spaced petals, and I am enchanted with their "tails". They remind me of what I might find in Carol Armstrong's Wildflowers: Designs For Applique & Quilting.

By the way, another surprise for which I have no photo came as I was deadheading this red flower. The center had gone to a bit of fluff, but I was totally unprepared for the way the dandelion-like seeds shot out of the center when I touched it.

Tiny Details

It's almost always worth taking a closer look at things. I don't know how I missed those tiny dots at the center at this almost 4 inch daisy bloom, but I did for quite awhile, until I was bending down close for some other reason. I immediately thought "french knots", and if I were rendering this in fabric, that is exactly how I would render these. We miss a lot from afar - even a short afar.

Many of the plants in my deck garden have quite small blooms, anywhere from a half inch to an inch. Yet they pack a lot of detail into that small space. A close look at this dianthus bloom reveals delicate spiraling stamens and petals dusted in pollen.

And although this version is more delicate in color, a close look exposes veins in the stain of pink and equally graceful stamens. Both of these have blooms about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half across.

I forget the name of this one but it has some of the tiniest blooms, less than an inch and looking the typical petaled bloom. And yet, look at what's going on in the center - so much! It's as if a beader had gotten busy on it.

Even fading blooms from this plant demand a closer look as you can see; those tight little balls in the center have opened up to release pollen. Think chenille thread. Color may be fading but the petals maintain their crease definitions.

This is a much larger bloom, from 3 to 4 inches, from yet another variety of daisy. What has fascinated me about it is its large domed center. What is going on there in that tangle?

It doesn't get any clearer as the flower fades.

Since leaving it on the plant day after day has not changed its appearance much nor revealed its secrets, I guess I would have to tease it apart to really understand its structure, but I haven't tried that yet.

Round Lake State Park Revisited

Looking back towards the beach and dock

The weatherman says summer has finally arrived with an upcoming stretch of warmer weather, and I had an itch to get out to Round Lake before flowers withered and grass dried up. My times out there have been late summer or even into September when that is exactly what I found. But word was that the recent rains had cause the flowers to bloom and I wanted to see them. I chose Tuesday of this week because I thought there would be few people there. Instead, I found a nearly full parking lot and dozens of people on the beach, on the dock, in the water and in boats enjoying this fine day.

My plan was to walk the main wide and gently sloping trail as far as the bridge that crosses over the creek formed by the lake's outflow. Shady, cool, and not many people. But it wasn't far until I got diverted by an information sign between my trail and the more strenuous one that follows along the lake. I soon found myself lured onto the lower trail. Glad I did as there were more flowers along there to see than on the upper trail.

Most of these flowers are quite small - half to three quarters of an inch across, tiny bits of color and sometimes great detail. I know the names of so few of these, only the most obvious like the blue bells, lupine, clover and the daisies. Sometimes it makes me sad because it brings back memories of walking through the woods with my mom who seemed to know the name of every flower and so taught them to me, but I have forgotten so many. What I have not forgotten is her pleasure in coming across one, how her face would light up and how her tone of voice would change, part reverent, part delighted, as if she were meeting an old friend she hadn't seen in awhile. She'd almost always stoop down, getting her face close, gently cupping the bloom in her fingers and telling me what she knew about it or what memory it evoked. I wonder if she was not having similar memories to mine as I'm sure she learned these names from her own mother. She's definitely not far from my mind when I am among wildflowers in the woods.

Previous shot from the other side - big tree looks to have twisted before falling

I'd also heard that the park had lost a lot of trees in a windstorm we had early in the year, and that volunteers had helped to clear some of this to open up that lakeside trail. I soon came across the evidence where they had sawn away the blocking portion leaving the rest of the tree in place where it fell.

Now I'm along the outflow, where beavers have been busy and the water flows wide and gently, suddenly taken with the look of the cedar branches as the sun shines through them while I am in shade.

Suddenly there's a splash, and I realize I am standing with ducks nearly at my feet! I'd almost missed them, so near the color of those sticks in the shade were they. Three had swum over to the pile of branches and had found something to feed on, their heads under the water, tails up. A fourth one swam over and checked it out.

And then, apparently, it wasn't too interested in what was there and glided away, perching in a shallow spot where its feet could touch. I've not seen any wildlife in my visits, always coming at the wrong time of day, so I was pretty thrilled.

Not far from the bridge now, and as anticipated, the spot where I wanted to sit for awhile was well shaded among the pines. This was an inaugural outing for a day pack I'd bought last year and not had a chance to use. I've become quite enamored of the Baggallini brand of bags and own several different sizes. I was sure I'd be just as happy with a small backpack from them and this little hike proved it. Normally I can get my sketching supplies and collapsible chair in a messenger bag, but I was also needing to add some contents from my purse, my big camera and a water bottle, more bulk than I could easily stuff in it and which would make it too heavy to carry slung over my shoulder. The day pack was perfect.

And here is my view. I had thought to sketch a bit of the bridge while I enjoyed the sound of the water, and did get out a sketchbook and penciled in the major features. But the watercolors never made it out of the pack as I'd been having a bit of a low energy day anyway, and the afternoon was slipping away after all those pauses to shoot wildflowers and ducks. It was enough to concentrate just a bit on the sketch and then just sit there in such a peaceful place. But wait! Do I see a deer just on the other side of the bridge? Not one but two, carefully making their way across the creek. But they were in too much of a hurry to stand and pose, suddenly taking off up the hill. It was enough to have seen them before making my way back to the car. I'm so blessed to be able to spend an afternoon like this.