Quilting at the cabin

We were all set to meet at the Cutting Edge quilt shop in Antigo on Thursday morning. We both scheduled vacation days Thursday and Friday, agreed on menu plans, and shared project plans for our almost-annual quilting at the cabin weekend. Wednesday evening found me busy packing way more than I could ever hope to accomplish when Julaine called to say that last Tuesday's wind storms knocked out the power to the cabin and it wasn't expected to be back on until SATURDAY! What a blow. We plan this for months: Meet Thursday morning; sew all day Thursday and Friday, wrap it up Saturday morning and head home. I hung up feeling nothing but bummed. I deliberated about going to work and saving my days for another time when Paul (now elevated to sainthood) offered to take me and a generator to the cabin the next day. After several, "Really? You'd really do that?" kind of questions, I called Julaine and told her to hang tight, our almost-annual weekend was back on!

Paul and I arrived about 2:00 Thursday afternoon with sub sandwiches and POWER. After our lunch, he got to work getting us situated for our customary quilt-a-thon. Although this temporary set up required an open window on a very chilly day, Julaine was up to the challenge and fired up the woodstove to keep us Arizona-in-August warm.

Paul ran three power cords for us: One for our machines (we both plugged into the same surge protector); one for a lamp; one for the iron. We may have started a few hours later than planned, but thanks to farm living and the necessity of generators, and of course Paul's willingness to cart me, my sewing machine and several fabric totes 100 miles to the North Woods, we were ready to fly.

The power came back Thursday night. But those extra few hours of sewing and talking and talking and sewing were even better with the hum of the generator in the background. It was a great evening.

My first project was to finish up a quilt top from our first (was it six years ago?) quilting-at-the-cabin adventure. A good idea at the time, this thing became a patchwork nightmare. I loved it the first year, ignored it the second through fourth years, and absolutely hated the guilt-infested thing by the time I took it out again this year.

Stubbornly determined to finish it, I pieced and pieced and gradually found the thing growing on me again. Renewed love or not, sixteen 16-inch blocks -- all triangles -- were all I could muster. After deciding that it wanted to hang on the wall behind the spinning wheel rather than on a queen size bed, the quilt also cried out for just a small defined border. Not wanting to fool around with any odd math calculations, using a 1/4-inch folded trim between the blocks and border provided just the right amount of definition and contrast. If you look closely at the quilt on the right, you'll notice that red line. I'm pleased -- at last -- with my Christmas quilt and very first cabin quilt. There's even a good chance of having it quilted and hanging in time for Christmas.

Julaine started -- and finished -- her quilt top (on the left) over the weekend. Although this is not the best picture of it, it is made entirely of 2' strips cut and pieced and cut and pieced again to create the the great streak of lightning setting she chose. It is a beauty.

Just so you know, I've also started and finished projects at the cabin. This flannel quilt made from leftovers of one made for Kit while he was in West Virginia, was one of my cabin quilts. It remains a favorite nap quilt for everyone and a spark for good memories for me.

My second project this year was a resurrected churn dash inspired by Paul's black and tan beer at an
anniversary lunch more years ago than I care to remember. After making the blocks, I just couldn't decide how to put them together. No kidding, I've had these blocks laid out in so many different ways, I don't even recall what they were. Finally, I decided these zigzag-print lattice strips were the way to go. The quilt will have a black plaid border appliqued with a bird and leaf design cut of the the tans and reds in the quilt. Even though the border design is drawn and calculated, those little birds and leaves will have to wait a bit before coming to life; there are too many other projects that must take priority and that's O.K. with me. I now have a sense of direction for my very patient churn dash. I'm looking forward to coming back to it on a long winter weekend.

We wound up our piecing adventure late Saturday morning. Tim came up to join Julaine and do some work around the cabin. While he was busy winterizing, we entertained ourselves with Quiltopoly. Crazy. But fun -- even when you're losing.

Paul arrived to get me and the generator Saturday afternoon. After a great lunch and visit with Julaine and Tim, we took some convoluted route to Wausau (Paul rarely takes the same way twice) where we made a few stops for essentials, and arrived back home about 7:30 in the evening. He had put on 400 miles. I had pieced yards and yards of fabric. It was wonderful.

Thanks Tim and Julaine. Your cute little cabin is a wonderful quilter's get-away. No one could ask for better cousins or friends.

Good things come to those who wait

If you're waiting for a new post, it will be coming soon. It will be filled with pictures and glorious stories of quilting success. But not just yet. Soon. Just wait.

Ahhh. Fall.

I love fall. Since it's an "off" year for acorns, we have little risk of getting nailed by those pouncing little devils every time we walk out the door which adds to the enjoyment of the quiet changes taking place. The woods are beautiful. Our sugar maples -- scarlet beauties to me -- lost a little of their lustre and more than a few leaves in last week's rains, but still the overall warm tones everywhere invite sweaters and quilts and all the other things I love to use and make. Oh, and fall cooking. That is not something to be overlooked.
Last week I made creamy pumpkin soup that was quite good. This week's Harvest Pumpkin bundt cake from the Kiss My Bundt cookbook is made with the rest of that pumpkin. Paul stopped at a farmer's market and brought home some Sparta apples. I'll try to get out to the orchard this week for some Macoun's, my absolute favorites. We'll have acorn squash from Evan's garden spiked with our own maple syrup for supper tonight along with either beef or venison (Evan claimed a buck while bow hunting last night!). Fall flavors are so hearty, warm and especially welcome after a summer of not wanting to use the oven.
And there are few greater pleasures than humming away at the sewing machine as those autumn aromas fill the house. The camera is without its batteries (my contribution to the aforementioned successful hunter's GPS), so I can't provide proof, but I am on a piecing roll. After a several-year hiatus from this project because it became just too overwhelming, I am loving it again and will be happy to share shots of my finished Christmas quilt just as soon as it reaches that stage and I remember to buy batteries. In the meantime, it's back to the machine where The Goonies, a cup of coffee and hundreds of beautiful triangles are calling my name.