2/4/13

Small world

This was a weird emotional weekend for me.  I had a rather difficult exchange on Friday night that left me bordering between rage and tears for most of the rest of the weekend and so I just wanted to go through the motions and get on with it…or maybe I should say go through the emotions and get on with it.

Anyway, it was a beautiful weekend outside.  I really wanted to go out and stick a shovel in the dirt until I had exerted some personal control over something.  But, every time I went out the door, I started sneezing my darn fool head off from the cedar pollen in the air.  So, yard work was out of the question.  I had to console myself with the fact that it is only February and there’s still plenty of gardening season to enjoy.  If my seeds get here before I’m ready, they’ll wait.

Instead, I worked on projects.  I got the quilting in the I Spy quilt and am going to put a tie in the center of each block.  I thought about quilting something in each block, and tried some free hand stars, but they were too distracting from the I Spy blocks, so I picked out the few I’d put in and just edged the blocks and will tie it to finish. 

I also pulled out another old UFO.  This isn’t the second oldest.  Remember that finishing those two wool suiting quilts was my oldest UFO.  This is the third oldest…or I guess the second oldest now. 

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This is a half size version of a full size BOM from a few years ago; must be four years now maybe?  Anyway, it’s been hanging in the closet, waiting for me to quilt it, so I pieced a back using the John Flynn diagonal seam method and got it pin basted. 

This is an excellent example of what the back of a quilt is supposed to look like.

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Every seam is folded the way it should be to reduce the bulk.  It should be a dream to quilt. 

Oddly, I have found myself in need of thread.  I haven’t needed thread in a long time and have a half trash can full of empty spools I’ve been saving as proof.  But, this is going to take an off white thread and I only have a partial spool of off white cotton left.  It might do the ditchwork, but that’s about it, so I’ll wait until I can shop, before I start something I’ll regret later.

I also got a good bit of hand quilting done and I made a miniature.

Okay, so go ahead and judge me for having a doll house.  It’s mine and I’m not ashamed of it.  I don’t play with it as much as I thought I would when I bought it, but hey, whatever, right?  The new wears off everything.

Anyway, it’s furnished and mostly accessorized, but there’s still room for a few things and one of them was a quilt for the bed.

My dollhouse furniture is old.  So old that they didn’t make a full sized bed, so I took two matching twins and put them together.

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And, I made a square quilt for them.  I’d never made anything so small.  The pieces were cut at 3/4” and strip pieced with 1/8th inch seams and then cross cut to make the sections.  I joined it and I quilted it with a fine silk thread.  I wet it and pinned it to the styrofoam I’m using as a mattress and it dried just perfect.

Not bad for a fantasy house, eh?  Who had one as a kid?

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Now, I just need some curtains and to get rid of that pink wall color and I’ll have one room finished. 

Yes, it’s weird, but hey, the best I can tell you is that if you want to save your kids a fortune as adults, let them play with the toys they want to when they are kids.

Okay, so that’s it for me today.  I’m off to work.  Tonight is Syd’s last game of the season.  They’re going out to dinner after.  I think Rob is going to the game, because it’s further north than he works and I’m coming home and taking care of dogs.  It would be different if she were playing, but she’s not, so it is what it is. 

Be well and have a great Monday.  Lane

7 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Love the doll house! I didn't have one as a kid, but hey, it's never too late :). The miniature quilt is amazing! I love the colors!

Your UFO is beautiful! And I'll bet the I Spy quilt is looking amazing.

Gardening is so therapeutic. I remember, a few years back, the first snow was in early December and up until that point it was still pleasant enough to do some gardening in the early afternoon. I remember being really sad when that outlet was cut off for me. As a side note, I take a generic version of Claritin (I think that's the one; 24 hour allergy relief) all year round, which helps. When my really bad allergy season comes around (May-June) I don't have any symptoms. It is nice.

xo -E

lw said...

I love the BOM UFO. You have the coolest UFOs!

I hate running out of thread, because we no longer have a Hancock's, and I have to go to JoAnne's, which I hate. Or I order online and have to wait. Or drive more than 40 miles to a real fabric store.

I love the doll house. I had furniture but no doll house as a kid, so I used to make rooms out of shoe boxes and decorate them with scrap fabric.

In my sewing room at home I have a collection of vintage 50's baby dolls; one of them has quite an extensive wardrobe. She also has her own vintage toys. You're right about the effect of not getting the toys you wanted as a child-- or in my case, the effect of not keeping my brother from destroying the doll babies I loved.

lw said...

I forgot to mention that I also make doll quilts. They're really fun to make and don't take long, but the tiny size makes them pretty interesting to do. I love how yours came out.

Kath said...

How exciting that you had a doll house. Mine was one of my favourite things for many years. My Dad made it, it was very basic, but I wish I still had it.
I love the little quilt you made!

qltmom9 said...

OOooo...LOVE that dollhouse! My lovely sweet sil had her granddaughter over on weekends and they made stuff for a dollhouse together. It is fun and interesting. The children's museum here has a great exhibit of dolhouses. I love the stuff made from ping pong balls.

Sydney's children will LOVE you, you know?

Lucy~

sandra said...

I LOVE doll's houses AND dolls. I have just repainted the doll house my daughters had when they were little so that my grandchildren can play with it (boys as well as girls)I have also got all the furniture out for it. I bought some little dolls and toy bears and mice with several outfits of clothes. \Haven't made a quilt for the bed yet, but you have inspired me to give it a go!!

Carla said...

I had lots of dolls and Barbies but no doll house but that's okay.