Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Tag Archives: Valerie Root


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WIP Wednesday: Fall Fever

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With the Coffee Quilt finished during the Labor Day Sew-In on Twitter (pictures on Friday!), I was good and cut up all my scraps from this and a few past projects, and put away the piles of fabric that had been accumulated.  Of course, my clean slate only lasted about twelve hours, but I felt virtuous.

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One of my Getting it Done goals was some fall pieces for my shop.  When I pulled out my fall fabrics (I have a little!), I found a ton of scraps to cut up and a lot of strings.  I knew I wanted to use them for wall hangings, instead of the applique I did last year.

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I designed this log cabin wall hanging on EQ7, to be made from rich fall prints with sky blue “chimneys”.  I also worked out the math for a very different one I want to do with string blocks.

Now excuse while I go dive into those gorgeous scraps!

Hope you’re playing with fabric today.

I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 8/25/13

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I’ve been working at getting back to the sewing this week, making six more of the Card Trick blocks each day that I could get to the machine.  All twenty-four for the center of the Coffee Quilt are finished, but I still need to assemble them and add the borders.

The only fabric that went out this week is 1.75 yards I used for these bandanas for firefighters in Idaho.  Thank you, Jaye, for passing along this link.

This week:  +0 yards,  -1.75 yards
YTD:  +114.5 yards,  -172.75 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  -58.25 yards

How are doing with your destashing?  As we pass Labor Day, I know things will settle down and we’ll start to see some progress!

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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WIP Wednesday: Sewing Again!

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Yes, six new blocks, like this, for the Coffee Quilt.  I will was all thumbs using the rotary cutter after so long away.  I wasted some fabric, but eventually cut enough triangles to make these.  Even managed to include some yellow Mirror Ball, one of my favorite fabrics. These blocks finish at nine inches.  The weather looks to be cooling off, so I may get this top pieced before the month is out; quilted, I’m not so sure.  Twelve more Cardtrick blocks
and then mitered borders.

My sewing machine is purring away after being cleaned.  However, six blocks were all my back and shoulders could handle.  Now to catch up some on reading blogs (don’t even ask how far behind I am on podcasts!)

How are you progressing?

I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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There and Back Again

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Twenty-six days and 5960 miles later, I am back where I started after our thirtieth anniversary car trip.  DH and I rarely tent camp now, so this one was motels, restaurants, and picnic lunches. 

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We also stayed in, or at least dined in, all those great railroad lodges of the US and Canadian Rockies.  Considering that, I was glad to return home weighing a half pound less and having walked over 50 miles, according to my Fitbit pedometer. And stairs. Did I mention we were on the third floor at Many Glacier Lodge?

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We waded across the Mississippi at its source at Lake Itasca.  We admired the beautiful farms of Iowa, and the plains and mountains, rivers, lakes, and glaciers.

The weather was moderate to very cool and crisp all through our trip. I wore jeans more often than I thought I would. And wool socks in my Columbia sandals are not only warm, they’re cushy like slippers. Even the plains were not too warm.

We discovered that there are many places where you can still be without phone service, and that not everyone’s idea of “WiFi”actually works.

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I think this shot should become a quilt, don’t you?

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We saw a lot of wildlife.

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Much of the US side of the trip was a repeat of various other years, but the Canadian side was all new.  Here is beautiful Lake Louise, but I could not get the turquoise color of the water to photograph.

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The laundry’s been done, the house is presentable, I’ve preserved the most pressing vegetables from the garden and the blueberries we brought back from Michigan, and done the grocery shopping.  Today I need to pay bills and vacuum my studio in preparation for my machine’s homecoming from the “spa”.  Tomorrow, let the sewing begin!

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Sunday Stash Report: Home from Vacation

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Back from our Odyssey across America and Canada, and only 2 yards of fabric returned with me!  I am happy to report that there are hundreds of quilt shops in the northern US and Canada, but I did not shop in most of them.  DH kept saying, “Do you want to go in that shop?”, as if it would make up for the hours of staring at the plains or slogging through yet another museum or gift shop.  I kept reminding him that I already own plenty of fabric.  I did buy these pre-cuts at The Quilt Patch in Moose jaw, SK, with the idea of reproducing some of those plains or mountains in quilt form.

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On return, I found that Timeless Treasures had sent me this Tonga Treat Mini as a thank-you for the quilts I donated to Hurricane Sandy Relief.  Darn, batiks!

This week:  +2.75 yards, -0 yards
YTD:  +114.5 yards,  -171 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  56.5 yards

How is your summer going?  Getting to be time for back-to-school and some serious sewing!

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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Getting It Done in July and August

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Well. I did pretty well, considering I was only home the first three weeks of July.  The only thing I didn’t do was finish piecing the top for the Coffee Quilt, and I made a good start on that.  Also, the Log Cabin blocks were a bit of a bonus project.

July Goals

1.  Piece top for SIL Christmas gift quilt. (Six blocks completed.)

2.  Piece top for summer/beachy quilt

3.  Take sewing machine in for service

4.  Quilt beach quilt.

August Goals

1. Finish SIL’s Coffee Quilt top.

2. Quilt Coffee Quilt.

Only two goals in August, because I will only be home to two weeks.  Fair enough?

How did yo do with yours?  It’s okay to play some in the summer.

I’m linking up to Getting It Done at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 7/21/13

No fabric came in, and none went out this week.  I finished and arranged the log cabin blocks, ready to sew into a top, and I made decisions and sewed the first six blocks (of twenty-four) for the Coffee Quilt, so there should be some finishes late next month when I return from vacation and retrieve my machine from the “spa” where it’s being cleaned and adjusted.  Now, if I can limit the fabric purchases during the trip, all should be well!

This week:  +0 yards,  -0 yards
YTD:  +111.75 yards,  -171 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -59.25 yards

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I wanted to show you the wonderful vintage lamp I bought last month.  I bought it locally as my friend was closing her shop in town, but you can see more of her great finds in her Etsy shop, Finders Keepers.  This beauty has a very heavy base that no quilt will ever nudge off the table (as they do my plastic Ott Lite).  The first extension is 22″ tall, and the second arm comes out another 12″.  It turns and swivels and pours light anywhere in my studio.  I’m happy.

Good luck on your destashing. Whatever you sew will be more than I will these next four weeks!

Linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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WIP Wednesday: The Coffee Quilt

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The log cabins went away so that I could work on one of my few July sewing goals, a Christmas gift.  Judging by how long it took me to make the first half dozen blocks, and how few days I will be home in July, it doesn’t appear that I will achieve this goal, but a start is a start.  At least I’m not waiting till December.

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These are nine-inch blocks.  I didn’t want to go larger, but I wanted the larger novelty prints to show, so I altered the block a bit.  I took the Card Trick block on EQ7 and removed the seam where there are now large triangles.  This made the cutting and piecing a little more complex, but I figured out how to do it with just one Y-seam.  After the first one I figured out how to chain piece and press these puppies so they are coming out sharp.  Hope I still remember next month!

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Meanwhile, we’re preparing to take a three week trip to Montana and Canada, so I’m trying to tie up loose ends around here:  harvest the garlic and onions, tie up the peppers, plant more edamame, pay the bills, stock fridge for DS, etc.  Oh, and take the sewing machine in for cleaning while we’re gone. I owe it that much.

Question:  Lately I’ve been using photos from my BlackBerry and writing posts on my tablet.  Is the quality or format annoying?  Is it a lot better when I use the real camera and the computer?  Please let me know. You’ll probably be getting the phone photos a lot as I’m traveling, but I could make more of an effort when I return if you think it looks better.

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I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 7/14/13

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Greetings from Amish country!  There’s been no sewing at all this week as I’ve been traveling along the Jersey shore and attending a family reunion that we held in Lancaster, PA.  Of course, Lancaster also means fabric shopping. I didn’t go around much, because we all know that I don’t need more fabric, but the prices are very good, especially here at Zook’s.

This week:  +14.25 yards,  -0 yards
YTD:  +111.75 yards,  -171 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -59.25 yards

Better luck to you on destashing!

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I’ll leave you with a photo of a glass iron, made during WWII when metal was in short supply.  I don’t know how well it worked, but it sure is beautiful! I saw it at the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center at Mill ville, NJ.

I’m linking up with Sun day Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report. 7/7/13

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No new fabric this week, and I used 7.5 yards for the Beach Quilt.

This week:  +0 yards,  -7.5 yards
YTD:  +97.5 yards,  -171 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  -73.5 yards

Good thing I’m doing well, because I won’t be doing any sewing this week.  I’ll just try not to do too much damage in fabric stores.

Good luck on your destashing!

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.