Traveling

We are on our way home (to snow and cold), but I am so excited... went to the Tucson Quilt show last Saturday. I took a couple photos then found out that they were offering a CD of all the quilts in the show so I ordered one. It won't be in my hands for a few weeks, but when it is, I hope it will permit me share some of them with you. It was an excellent show with some amazing and creative quilts.

In the days before we left AZ and since my last post, I completed a couple more of those Dear Jane triangles. This is a UFO with a huge procrastination attached, so I'm happy for that progress. 

I'm eager to sleep in my own bed, but already miss the warm weather and relaxation we enjoyed in Scottsdale and area. These two pictures represent our dinner after the quilt show at a Japanese restaurant (food cooked at the table) and a tree in the Joshua forest northwest of Phoenix.

More triangles

Good week for sewing -- DH on the golf course and lots of time to make 6 more triangles. We also took a day trip to Tucson and have checked out a few other places in the area. Next year we hope to come back. 


It is raining here today. Bob is at the Ping factory and I am enjoying the quail that come up under our window every day to get their quota of something from the ground. Today their little top knots that normally bob with every step are soaking wet and look as if they put gel on them. I couldn't get close but if you look close you might see one in this photo.

More Crazy Jane Triangles

Seven more done. I'm taking my time, making mistakes, but what does a poor grass widow do when her DH is golfing 3-4 times a week!! Note that I have the names of each triangle pinned on, but keeping track doesn't matter much since they will be rearranged differently on my quilt from the original Dear Jane.

We are doing all sorts of things besides golfing and quilting. One is seeing some of the best fine art in the southwest. As a child, I remember wanting to go to Scottsdale to see the paintings. What we have seen in the past couple of days was worth the long wait!
 

Crazy Jane progress

I've finished five, nearly six, of these Dear Jane triangles, part of the border of the original pattern, but I'm making another quilt from them. They are 5" wide at the bottom and 8" to the point (finished size). You can easily figure out why I am calling this one "Crazy Jane" or something like that! In case you are not familiar, DJ has no directions. Quilters share online various ideas about how to make them, but what works for one person, might not for another. All I have are printouts from my DJ program, and I went and did them 4.5" instead of 5" so have to redraft all the patterns by hand. I didn't put the DJ program on my laptop and don't have a printer here anyway. I have 30 more to make, some hopefully will be easier than these five.

Arizona is okay, but typical for me, by day 10 of any holiday, I'm starting to think about home. The weather helps keep me here. It seems Scottsdale / Phoenix has had the nicest weather in the USA all week. DH is golfing and we have done some sights. Food is good and Scottsdale is so clean -- no trash anywhere.
 

Thwarted for a day or two

My sewing plans for this month away from home have been altered (pun intended). The person who offered his condo will be in it until tomorrow, instead of leaving yesterday as originally planned. Car problems. So my sewing machine is there, but we are still in a lovely hotel. DH is golfing and I am writing and emailing and walking and thinking a great deal about finishing UFOs and starting new projects. 

I brought one UFO with me. It will likely be called Crazy Jane because I've so assessed myself for wanting to do this. When I made my Dear Jane quilt, I didn't do the traditional pattern. Instead, I added plain blocks and left off the triangles. When I was told I could not be a Dear Jane goddess unless I did all the blocks, I went to work on a plan to use them in a second quilt. My design is the top picture, and the progress is shown in the next one. Note that I laid the wide border strip of triangles close to the center in the photo, but it will need a plain border between the two, as shown in the drawing because it does not fit exactly (at least to my recall). 

This project is all that I brought with me and do not expect to finish it, but at least make a few more of those complicated triangle blocks. Who knows, it might be more fun than I anticipate. One thing that I am enjoying is 70+ weather, no wind and the Barnes and Noble book store across the street! Oh, and my hubby first spied a wonderful quilt shop in Carefree and was signaling to turn before I even spotted it. He even came in and had a good look around before opening his book in front of the in-store fireplace (more heat so not needed but nice anyway).