Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

It looks like winter is not ready to throw in the towel. Weather forecast is for snow for Friday night into Sunday morning. Possibly cyclone snow bands at times. What that means is that the snow might come down wicked hard. Kinda like standing under the snow gun on a 10 degree night as you watch it pile up and get deeper by the minute, piling up waiting to get spread around by the groomer on it’s next pass as it cruises around, farming the mountain’s newly made snow.

Well, we are supposed to be blessed with somewhere between 0” and 18”. Sounds like another one of those snow storms where the best way to tell how much we received is to measure it afterwards. Won’t last, I hope that’s not just what they say to make it more palatable to get more snow this time of year.

The dirt road into the house is currently about 3/4 of a mile of varying depths of mud or standing water. More snow will mean more water and more mud. Not fun to walk, especially when you happen to meet one of the several cars that travel way to fast for the type of road. Splashes are much like Russian roulette, will I find a spot where I am out of the way or just stand still and take my chances. Knock on wood, I have not gotten a bad splash this season….. yet. It’s coming, it is almost inevitable with the traffic that goes through, same cars or trucks just people that seem to be always on the move. I had two, I think, last spring. Maybe it is a rite of Spring.

Yesterday I took the truck out to the tar road and walked on that, then drove back home. I had walked out to the tar and back with Carol, I was not going to wallow in it for 3 more miles. We do what we must.

The scrappy “Morning Star” quilt I have been working on is complete. I have always been amazed at the amount of time it takes to put a long border on a quilt top. I much prefer a multi pieced border. Oh well, I love how this came out. I think Carol already has a quilting pattern selected to use when she adds her magic to the quilt. 

Next I am going to throw together a quick baby quilt. No, I’m not pregnant, nor do I intend to be. Just thought it would be fun to create something small with larger pieces. I do remember how to make my quilts like that. I will admit it has been a long, long time since I made many of them.

With our eldest grandson graduating from high school this year (still haven’t figured out how that happened) I remember holding him as a newborn as his mother trusted him to my care when he was brand new. But I digress. Graduation of course means a quilt is necessary to mark the event.

I have designed a few so far and am awaiting for Carol to find the just right bright fabrics to work for Evan’s quilt. This is the first I came up with. 

Evan #1

He wants a black back ground with bright turquoise, pink and I don’t know what else. (Carol does) The other request was for the illusion of movement, circles created from non-perpendicular angles. I think this could work, it is an easy design a little time consuming but just “normal” repetitious quilt making.

The second so far I have come up with is this. 

Evan #2

This design would work fitting the same criteria as the last design. The sashing strips on this one will present a bit of a challenge as several steps are required to make it and if I make the finished width of the sashing strip any wider than 1- 1/2” I begin to loose the circle illusion.

The actual first I came up with, which I just went back and looked at while getting the pictures, may still have potential. 

Evan #3

The colors in all 3 are only what I call space holders. There to show the number of different fabrics I envisioned. They may be possible colors, they may just be a space holder. I liked this one when I originally drew it. It uses Lemoyne Star pieces in the corners of a standard V-Block star. It more or less morphed into the second one above. Color placement and block arrangement on this project would be interesting to say the least.

Any thoughts on any of the designs? I may be forced to make them all. Especially the first two. Different types of color-ways.

By the way I tried the guitar as a method of getting absorbed in a different time killer than quilting. I must say that it has not captured my attention quite the same way yet. Being a creator I’d probably find the need to write the damn songs. I’ll keep plugging away at both.

Stay safe enjoy your weekend.