Friday, October 16, 2015

Friday’s Frivolousness


Is “frivolousness” a word?  If not, I think it should be … not that it matters as I’m using it and that’s all there is to it.  ha!

I think autumn is going to take a break … right into winter, with a low of 34 forecast for tomorrow night.  34!  Surprised smile  Hopefully fall will return next week … I am NOT ready for winter-like weather (ok, I’m never ready for cold weather, but certainly not in October!). 

After the seemingly endless Kiss quilt, I didn’t expect to be making such good time on my Labor Day Stars, but it’s coming together fairly quickly.  I’m halfway through piecing the blocks together.  After I get them all together, all I have to do is add a couple of borders, and I’ll be ready to start quilting.  Which means that I’m going to need some backing fabric.  Do you know how hard it is to find Civil War wide backings online?  IMG_0175
I’ve learned, yet again, what an important role photography plays in quiltmaking.  See that setting triangle up there in the upper right hand corner?  That should be a corner triangle, not a setting triangle.  <sigh>  There will be some unstitching in my future.  ha!  Forgive the rumpled appearance … I had only a few minutes before my Ts were to arrive, and I wanted to get a quick photo, so I didn’t have time to smooth out the top all nice and neat.  But it all lays nice and flat, trust me.  Winking smile  Believe it or not, in my 30+ years of quiltmaking, this is the first quilt I’ve made with the blocks set on point.  Not because I didn’t like the look, but because I found the whole calculating how big to make the setting triangles just too intimidating.  This is my first quilt made from a pattern, so I didn’t have to do any calculating.  I’m pleased with how well my setting triangles are fitting, in spite of my less-than-perfectly-accurate cutting and piecing.  And now that Deb over at VT Quilter has shared with me Bonnie Hunter’s setting triangle calculator, I am going to make more quilts set on point for sure! 

We’ve got a busy but absolutely wonderful day ahead of us.  In a little more than an hour, DH and I will head out.  Our first stop will be Homestead Hearth.  In addition to browsing and general stash enhancement, I am shopping for a neutral for my tumbler quilt and for the afore-mentioned wide backing fabric for my Labor Day Stars.  After we finish up at Homestead Hearth, we’ll be heading to where this weekend’s swim meet will be held.  We got the last hotel room in town – with “just” a queen-sized bed.  It ought to be interesting to see just how much sleep we get tonight, after being used to sleeping in a king-sized bed.  I love my hubby, but I like to have plenty of “wide open space” when I sleep.  Winking smile  Speaking of that busy day … I need to get moving to get ready … I don’t want to have to cut my visit to Homestead Hearth short because we’ve run out of time.  ha!

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!
Kathy

18 comments:

  1. Oh gosh - try a queen size bed with 3 dogs in it as well :) if we can do it, you can do it :) haha

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  2. Can't wait to see your purchases! Have a good time!

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  3. Oh I'd love to be shopping there with you! lol Have a wonderful time and a great week-end!

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  4. It sounds wonderful. 34?? Already? Your blocks are just lovely. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  5. I don't understand all your quilt talk about setting triangles and stuff. But this I do know, that sure is very pretty.

    Hope you have fun at Homestead Hearth and also this weekend at the swim meet.

    Hubby and I can't sleep in a queen either. I need my space and so does he. :)

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  6. Oh no, too early for that kind of weather!!! Have a great time and hope the meet goes swimmingly! Also hope you sleep well......

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  7. That is going to be a pretty quilt! And yes, I pretty sure frivolousness is a word. :) Anyway, it gets the job done! Have fun shopping and enjoy your weekend. Fingers crossed you find that perfect backing.

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  8. Oh, love the sashing, cornerstones and setting triangles. You have a great sense of color ( or maybe I just have the same taste as you?). Enjoy the fabric stash enhancement shopping. We love the king size beds when we travel.... alas we have a queen at home. The kids said it was chilly his morning - 55 taking them to school but 83 now. time for the pumpkin patch soon - as soon as the boy has a clean room....hehehe.... I'm figuring out this bribing thing! Now to tire them out playing on hay bales and getting lost in the corn maze and maybe we'll have a smooth bedtime routine with him tonight (as opposed to the rest of this week!).

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  9. Kathy, I love frivoulousness! lol I am glad you have such a fun filled day and a hotel time and keeping up with your T's in their sport :) Have a wonderful time and have a great time stash enhancing and finding your much needed other fabrics... I recently had a fabric infusion in my life.. it cures what ails ya! lol Kathi

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  10. Kathy, You have to know how much I love your squares! Perfect colors and it will be stunning. I went to the coffee for quilters today and going to join the group; we'll meet one Friday, for two hours, once a month. I'm excited, there are 12 gals but a variety of quilting techniques from hand quilting, applique and machine quilting. The makes quilts for Project Linus and another Veterans program. I think it will encourage me to sew more. I hope you got my note this morning-my post wasn't clear yesterday and I did not mean those that quilt and sew. Hope you have a wonderful day finding treasures and a great weekend.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  11. Love how your quilt is coming together and of course, envious of your trip HH. Enjoy every minute. Hope you can even get a few extra moment to shop.

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  12. Your quilt is looking great - glad you found the setting/corner triangle problem before you were done and wondering why you were missing a setting triangle. Hope your shopping was greatly successful! ~Jeanne

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  13. Oh, my goodness, the exactness of quilting would probably send me over the edge. And, sleeping on a queen bed about sends both hubs and I over the edge. :o)) Have a great weekend!

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  14. I loved those stars before, but this setting takes them up several notches. LOVE this, Kathy. Funny that you haven't ventured to put blocks on point before. You won't ever look back now! : )
    Hope you had lots of fun shopping that great fabric store!
    We went from a king-sized bed to a queen about 6 years ago. Hard to get used to, but now it seems the norm.

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  15. I have never done on point either and so I am lost....in regards to what is wrong with the upper right hand corner! I am going to go take a look at that link, the calculator, though ! :)

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  16. Me again...ok I google the Bonnie Hunter link and now I get it / see it :) Learn something new every day! :)

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  17. I am well acquainted with the process of unsewing! Your quilt is turning into a beauty. Do we get a report on how the trip to Homestead Hearth went?

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I am SO glad you stopped by! No proving that you're a robot here ... I want to hear what you have to say! ;-)