Monday, February 19, 2018

A Completed Flimsy, at Last!

It seems like forever that I've been toiling over this quilt top, but at last, ta-da!
Now, what are the odds that the very day you need to lay the quilt with the black background out on the floor a bajillion times in order to measure each of the five borders, that the long-haired Aussie puppy would begin to blow his winter coat?  Apparently, in this house, about 100 percent!  Despite several sessions vacuuming floors and carpet, by the time every last border was stitched the quilt top  was covered with long downy white dog hair.  An hour or so this morning with the lint roller and scissors trimming the little threads away from seams, and it was finally presentable for a photo.

That 4th border with the parallelograms gave me a bit of a hassle, but if one steps back and ignores the somewhat haphazard points it doesn't look too bad.  Like they say, if you can't see it from the back of a galloping steed at 20 yards ...  I do love that mantra!   The finished top measures about 91 inches square, though it doesn't appear square in the photos, given that our ceilings are low and it's difficult to get a good angle for a straight-on shot.

A bit closer view

We seem to have broken the back of winter around here, and though it's dark and gloomy today, tomorrow's forecast is for partially clearing skies and temperatures near 70 in the afternoon - I for one can live with that!  We are seeing the maple sap buckets and lines out now, and hopefully the temperatures won't remain so warm that the trees bud out too early, and ruin the sap run.  We still need to have nighttime temps below freezing for awhile longer for a successful season.

The aforesaid puppy is now nine months old, and though we had hoped he would know better by now, he seems to have it in his head that anything and everything is his for the chewing. We still can't let him out of our sight in the house, sad to say.  Last week he managed to chew the plug off my iron, which thankfully was not connected to an outlet at the time. The quilts have gone into hiding, behind closed doors or tucked away in blanket chests since one was found yesterday with a hole chewed into the muslin back and batting but thankfully missing the front patch and hand quilting. Mendable, but still ...

The hand/wrist issues I've been having all fall and winter turned out not to be so much carpal tunnel related, but rather significant arthritis and bone spurs.  So, it looks like the pace will need to be slowed to try to stay ahead of it and not invite more painful flareups.  Thankfully I can still hand quilt for short stints and hand applique doesn't seem to aggravate the wrist. Rotary cutting and machine stitching are more problematic, and I really need to pace myself much more.

Still plugging away on hand quilting my Quilty 365 and the basket quilt in spare moments, with hopes of having both completed sometime this year. Pictures when there is more significant progress to show.

One more close-up of the newest flimsy

Happy stitching friends!

21 comments:

Karen said...

Wow! Very striking and well done.

Dora, the Quilter said...

This one is really beautiful. I admire you for being able to work on such dark fabrics that enhance the colors even more!

Nancy said...

Oh my gosh, this quilt is gorgeous! I love everything about it -- the red oak leaves; the red, green, black, and a little white; the block arrangements -- everything! Congrats on a beautiful finish.

So sorry about your arthritis. I have it throughout my body but it's not bad enough in my hands to prevent me from cutting, sewing, typing, etc. I sometimes wonder what I would do if I had to stop using my hands. I think a deep depression would ensue. I hope you're able to continue, even if more slowly and more carefully than in the past.

Janet O. said...

Oh, this is stunning! Beautiful work!
Is said puppy now facing obedience school? :)
We have been escaping winter for weeks, and then got a foot of snow yesterday!

Cathy said...

It is beautiful. It glows. Congrats on the flimsy finish despite the arthritis.

I'm not sure if we are going to tap our maple trees this year or not. We made syrup year before last from all the maples on our property but still have some left, I think.

Debbie said...

Whoa! This is a show stopper! So striking, but bet the fur loves attaching itself to the black....dog gone it:) Could not resist the play on words. Hoping he will grow out of the chewing stage quickly.
Glad to hear you have at least found out the pain problem....just not the solution that makes us happy to hear. I work in very short spurts of time to avoid bring on a flare up. But our ever changing and unexpected weather does play havoc on me. Right now I am in a poor way with pain hitting a 7 most days. So do what is needed to keep on making all your beauty!

Barbara said...

Your quilt is gorgeous. As for wrist problems...boo! Not sure whether my wrist problems are caused by arthritis, but it helps me to put a splint on the offending wrist and then sleep with it overnight. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, the pain is gone. It seems giving it a good long rest does the trick.

Joanne said...

Beautiful! Is the pattern your own design or can I find it somewhere?

Jeanne said...

Beautiful! I love the glowing colors against the dark!

Lizzy D said...

Gorgeous top, I esp love the Oak leaf and acorn corners. It looks perfect from here.

Puppy needs BarkBox! They promise toys the pup cannot destroy. Some dogs it takes til they are older, like 3 or so, to not chew, and some chew forever. And a Furminator brush for his coat?

Sorry about the arthritis, I do know how painful it is and how hard it is to limit oneself. I should only machine sew for about an hour, but once I get going! Then, ouch!
Also there are these Lycra stretchy gloves you can use. They are fingerless so you can sew with them on. They don't feel tight but they support the hand/ joints. Let me know if I should look them up for you!

lizzy at gone to the beach lizzzz.d@gmail.com

Pat said...

Oh how well I understand...we have 2 shelties who are shedding big time now...and the youngest one, who shall remain nameless, chewed the corner of a batik quilt that was on the wall and the perfect length for her to reach. Nevertheless, your quilt is absolutely gorgeous - so striking and beautifully pieced. Your appliqued corners are gems that complete the whole design. I also recommend the lightweight stretchy gloves, they do help. (Just keep them safely out of reach from a special Aussie pup:-)

audrey said...

Oh so pretty! Love this lovely, lovely top. Good work on getting to this stage, especially with having trouble with arthritis!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Absolutely striking - love the black - I need to make one using the black background!

Kyle said...

This quilt is beautiful and so dramatic. The colors and the design are fantastic. Oh, so sorry about the hole in the quilt. Glad it's mendable. Learning to pace ourselves can definitely be a challenge. Take care.

Sandra said...

An amazing quilt. The colors are fantastic. A prize winner for sure!

FlourishingPalms said...

Happy for you to have a completed quilt top! That looks like it was a lot of work. Maybe when your weather clears you can take it outside for a photo. Maybe hanging from a clothesline? That's a very helpful piece of quilt photography equipment that I miss since our move. There's nothing prettier than a quilt clipped to a clothesline with a gentle breeze blowing. Sorry to hear about your arthritis and bone spurs! Gosh, that's got to be disappointing when it comes to doing what you enjoy, let alone managing housework. Hope your weather begins to improve. You make me appreciate the 80-degree days we've been having.

Needled Mom said...

That is gorgeous and well worth the wait for it.

That arthritis and the bone spurs must make stitching really painful. It has to be so frustrating to move at a slower speed.

Julie said...

Your quilt top is just fabulous! The black-red-white is so dynamic together. I'm really sorry to hear about the bone spurs and arthritis. Both can be incredibly painful, and difficult to navigate. I hope you find a way to satisfy your need to stitch, and still alleviate the pain.

Rebecca in AK said...

That is a gorgeous quilt top!! You did a wonderful job on it. Is there any treatment for the arthritis and bone spurs? Our dogs seem to shed all year round, all my quilts include dog hair.

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

Absolutely, stunning; this quilt top glows with beauty!! What lovely work. Alas, puppies will be puppies, but they grow up too quickly. Hugs~ I pray that your pain will soon fade.

Lynette said...

I can't get over how gorgeous this top is!! It positively glows! Can't wait to see its quilting.