Oh the wonders of Fall colors!

 At the first of October, we were finishing five days in the Old Forge area of the Adirondacks. This was particularily good because we had no water in our kitchen due to remodeling. This has to be my favorite area in the world. The weather was fantastic and the color was at peak. Hike, kayak, photograph, drink coffee on othe porch...The photos will enable me to keep painting the gorgeous landscape all year.

Full moon while we were there

McCauley Mt. from the cottage

On McCauley Mt.

From rooftop of Tony Harper's restaurant

Careful what you ask for

      I have always wanted a very workable kitchen and cherry cabinets. The old kitchen is about 29 years old when we remodeled the house last. I thought I needed a new one. If I knew what I knew now, I might have structured things differently. The old kitchen did not have much prep space and lots of walking back and forth. We eat most of our meals at home. My husband has celiac and I try not to eat/make processed foods out of health concerns. My kitchen is used a lot. The cabinet doors needed refinishing. They had a lot of filling strips between cabinets. I had an idea what would make it better. Big Box kitchen designers made the plan and supply list. I thought removing the two peninsulas and putting an island in would solve the prep issue. I had no idea of the disruption and dislocation and decisions to be made.

     Disassembly and packing were not a fun time. Ripping out, spackling, and painting to get ready was not fun either.

     Then the cabinets had to sit in the house when they arrived for over a week. Took up the dining and family room. Then the installers arrived.

     We (hubby) had to tap RAM board and plywood to the floors so they were not damaged. Since then, new undercounter lights were installed (hubby), the green wall painted and pieces of plywood on the counters so we could use the tops. Next week, finally the counters, sink and water hook up. Then we will decide the backsplash tiles and light over the island. A ways to go, months in. Cabinet installers are the only professionals we have used so far. Counter installers and plumber next week. My husband is exhausted and reminds me daily this was all my idea.

Getting Back to it

      The it being sewing. Everything has worked against me getting any sewing done. If I don't have the machine running, I am just not happy. We went to the ADK in Sept. for a week which was grand, but no sewing. The big time-energy sucker is remodeling the kitchen which means tearing it all apart. I don't want to post those photos here today, but celebrate working on a quilt top. It is still not complete. The counter top comes next week, then the sink goes in, then the water hook up. I am doing dishes in the basement and in the bathroom. Lots of stuff still in boxes.
     Last year, I started Appalachian Autumn with a different take. Then it sat. I promised myself that I would not put it away until it is a top. I followed the graph paper I did a year ago, made all the units and then started putting it together. I completed all the blocks. I made the sashing, one by one as it I wanted it scrappy for texture.

     I decided the best way to sew it was to web it. That way, I would not turn things around, which worked. However, I have one block, bottom, 2nd from left side, with a turned leaf point that has to be corrected.

    Next, I added a graded color border also.

     Then I am adding the pieced border, also graded.

     I am back!! Even if the kitchen is not done and I am still disorganized- gotta sew or burst!

Give piecing a boost

     Using Leader/Enders and scraps- win-win! I love scraps. I love when they are precut up into useable shapes and sizes. Such a wonderful palette.
     If you plan it out and make all decisions ahead of time, it is not confusing and makes piecing easier. I am not a Bonnie Hunter groupie, but I love some of her quilts and especially the Leader Ender ones which are usually free.
     I plan out and precut all the pieces and put them next to my right hand, so I can grab them easily between piecing. I keep a little box to throw the completed pieces in. When I iron the blocks from the main quilt, I press the little ones also. Eventually, I build up an amount to put the bigger blocks together. Since I sew on more than one machine, I have more than one leader/ender going.
     Here is some progress on Sugar Grove:

Completed blocks, webbed block with mistake, block laid out and ironed to freezer paper (I do a bunch of these
and stack them to sew later)

Paired triangles cut with the Easy Angle ruler
next to my right hand to pick from

 

     Another one, a freebie, Triple Treat, uses teeny 4 patches and cut up strips- a 7" one cut at 4 1/2 and 2 1/2". I make the 4 patches as Leader/Enders, press and then make the blocks. 12 blocks done.

Squares, singles and pairs ready to pick and sew

     Or, at the least, if you don't have a quilt in mind, just a box of 4 patch parts next to your machine will sew up quick. I use those 4 patches for pocket quilts.

It is coming! Fall that is.

      I love Fall even though it brings winter. I love the colors and scenery. I love Fall leaves. As I was going through UFO projects, I found the pieces of Applachian Autumn (Bonnie Hunter pattern) that I started last year. I took the bag apart and tried to remember what in the world I was doing. I definitely needed to cut more HSTs, much more.

     As I dragged out more fabric scraps to get ready for die cutting, I found a freebie  maple leaf pattern. It took 5" Squares, and I have lots of 5" squares cut and sorted by colors. Squirrel!

    Ok, but I needed more and I hate square quilts.

     Ok, more please with the colors.

     Yes, that is it! All from stash. And the backing was a wide piece from Gwen with a strip added on.

Tops sewn, borders on- bring on the backings!

      Two more tops were finished. I shopped at Joann's for the border fabric for the flannel batik squares quilt. I could not find batik flannel anywhere, so I bought a mottled lighter blue and a dark blue solid for the borders. After washing it, I cut and sewed the borders on and it is a big size about 70 x 76 now. I have to just accept it as it is instead of what it could be with the right fabric. It is soft and cuddly. When I was at Joann's, I was able to buy 5 yards of regular light blue mottled fabric that I seamed the long way for the backing (washed first) so the whole quilt is now in the line for the longarm.

    The Orange HSTs quilt with the gray slashes from Quiltdiva Julie was also sewn together, web style, and as I looked it on the wall, I thought it needed a thin border to hold the edges together when the binding was sewn on. I also thought a border would help to visually end the diagonal lines before exiting the quilt. I did not have enough of the gray used for the diagonal slashes, so a different gray was added which I think works. It is 71 x 84 so it needs a big backing. I dug out a dark blue 6 yard piece I bought at Zinck's in Berlin last May for it, but need to seam it yet. Wish I had bought more backing fabric there then.

Inspiration from the ADK

    Every August for the past 28 years, we have visited the Adirondacks for a week. Sometimes, it was abbreviated or crazy with family situations, but we manage to pull it off. This year, my daughter and her family, my son and some of his family and my husband's sister spent a wonderful week there. It did rain for 3 days and there things we did not get to do, but it was beautiful and inspirational none the less. The water lilies (my personal favorite) were buried under too much water runoff when we were there. I find the scenery and the air invigorating and it feeds my inner self to be in it.

Granddaughter and husband in the chair atop McCauley Mt courtesy of the chairlift access

View from the chair at the top

The dam this year was overflowing, no drop off after dam. I have never seen this in all the years we have hiked this trail.

You can see how the water lily leaves were all below the water, so no flowers

Submerged water lilies

Usually the channel meanders, but is all flooded wide at the Green Bridge I am standing on to take these photos