TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING

This block is the month of October.  You remember this was one of my problem children.  The difficulty was in finding a good sky for October to match the mood and the colors.  This is one of my favorites.  I love the pumpkins, the owl, the beautiful colors of the leaves.  I will show you lots of photos of the leaves so you can see the colors.

I am not to patient with the photography.  You have to weigh the time spent perfecting the photos with the desire to create.

I stuffed the pumpkins so they had some dimension.

Lots of photos as I said.  Making these leaves is very time consuming. I used to spent at least 5 hours a day on my applique and associated techniques but as I age, my energy level is down so it takes longer to accomplish what would have only taken me a couple days.  Frustrating is what that feels like.

Though as I think of age, I think of how life in America used to be when I was young. Trump is really the last bastion between some older people who want the times of their youth, and the reality of who America is today.  I feel badly for people who feel the times have betrayed them yet it is the young people who will have to live in this world and the future world, not we older people.  

Here are a few of the immense challenges with which tomorrow's people will have to deal:

Climate change

Water loss in marginal areas leading to forced immigration

Automation and loss of employment

Roles of men as automation takes away blue collar work

Changing shapes of families

Overpopulation, crowding, density

Lack of resources-who gets to eat, who gets healthy climate

Inequality by color, by sex, by education

Inequity of wealth

These challenges will no go away by looking backwards and wishing it were no so.  

I don't intend this as a political statement.  A statement of fact is what is intended.  Friends have told me I think to much.  Maybe so, as I sit and stitch silk leaves trying to create something hopeful in these hard 2020 times.

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AND NOW...

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

I love fun fashion so here are some dresses by French designer Sylvie Facon

Oh to be young again and wear one of these beautiful dresses!

Sylvie's imagination and artistry beggars the rest of us.

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I am linking up with these wonderful quilt sites

Oh Scrap at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/
Patchwork and Quilt at www.quiltingpatch.blogspot.com 

BOMs Away at https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/
Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
Colour and Inspiration at https://www.cleverchameleon.com.au/blog/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful

-HARD KNOCKS-

LIFE IN OUR TIME

May block from the pattern "His majesty, the tree" by Piecemakers.  A new born colt under a sycamore tree surrounded by wildflowers.  What not to like?

May was one of the simpler blocks.  Most of the tree was applique so few leaves were made of ribbon embroidery.    The foreground was trickier with all the wildflowers

Different types of stitches were used here as well as different types of threads. The stitching on the outside of the blocks is where the 14 1/2 inch cuts will be made for a 14 inch block.  Some excess is left standing in case I measured wrong (my forte) or in case I want to shift the design.  Knowing I needed help with exactitude, I had a glazier cut a plexiglass square 14  1/2 inches.  I am going to do this more often for the tricky bits.  Only cost $9.00, much much cheaper than buying a ruler.

Here is the design wall with all 12 months. 

 8 are completely finished, one (December) just needs some pinecones and cardinals.  3 months need the time consuming treatment of the leaves individually make with silk ribbon.  Since the blocks are on point (like a ballet dancer), they will need 4 triangles to make a square.  These triangles are crazy quilting which will be a new technique for me.  And therefore a bit intimidating. Before I take on this new challenge, I have some fabric painting to do.

But, my project is coming along!

HELP...I NEED ANSWERS....anyone...please

How do I add the box to be checked proving the respondent is not a robot?

I have lots of people (bots?) sign up to follow my blog (not making comments) but a lot of them are somethings like "sexy girl like man handsome" or some such which is a clue that they are not in it for the quilting?  

I want some kind of a "gadget" or the like so people have to prove they are not robots if they want to follow me on bloglovin.

Thanks...anyone

AND NOW......

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

Don't forget those sweet DREAMERS who help make America beautiful.

Thank you Judge Roberts for seeing America as the majority of Americans do.

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Stay well and wear your mask

I am linking up with these fabulous quilt makers and hostesses

Needle and Thread Thursday at http://www.myquiltinfatuation.com/

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Whoop Whoop Fridays at http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/

LIFE IN OUR STRANGE TIMES
I long to go to a restaurant

 Spring tree in summertime.  This tree is April in the Calendar quilt.  Cherry blossoms and new blooms.

 Wonderful fence with some dropped blossoms and a wily fox.

 Lovely french knot cherry blossoms made from 4mm silk ribbon.

And more branches, stems and blossoms.

Like all the blocks, this one is turned applique with silk ribbon embroidery along with perle cotton and 6 strand embroidery thread.  All three make for a different look.

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I am adding a new feature to my blog.  If you want to see more details about "My Quilts" as shown on the right hand side of the blog, simply click the one you are interested in which will take you to more photos and information.  So far I have only completed 2 quilts but I will get more up as life in our strange times allows me.

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And now.............

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

How beautiful is this!  Photo by Marck Botha

Sunset thru a breaking wave in Durban, So Africa

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Stay well and wear your mask

I am linking up with:

Oh Scrap at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

BOMs Away at https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/
Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
Colour and Inspiration at https://www.cleverchameleon.com.au/blog/

LIFE IN OUR TIME

Who is counting the days until the end of this?  There will be no going back to "the good old days"

We are still doing well though I still worry about my daughter in India.  I stay busy.  I have been working on my tree calendar quilt but took some time out to work on a FREE Helen Godden project.

Helen's nine patch pattern was designed primarily as free motion quilting lessons.  She quilted hers on some pretty batiks and encouraged us to paint the designs or applique them or whatever.  I painted mine with prismacolor pencils with a fixative.  Here is the link to find that pattern AND all her wonderful videos demonstrating techniques.

https://helengodden.com/product/flower-power-quilt-a-long/

I needed a break from the labor intensive tree quilt. I came back refreshed and solved the questions of my 3 problem children (Aug, Feb, and Nov).  I show you August now as it was the most troublesome of all and I like how it resolved.  The goal was to find background which evoked a still, hot, dusty summer day-I did not achieve that and the finished sky is more turbulent than i wanted.

The little figures in the forefront are mice.  The silk embroidered leaves will all hang downwards which will give the tree a languid air.  Here are the ribbons I choose to be the leaves-they have an end of summer look with washed out greens and some copper.

There is lots of embroidery on these blocks with silk ribbon, 6 strand embroidery thread, and perle cottons. 

I have almost finished april which is a cherry blossom tree.

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And now

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

This looks like a fractal

Stay well and wear your mask!

I am linking up with:

Slow Stitching Sunday, Bambi's Blog, Making Monday,  Em's Scrapbag, 

Midweek Makers, Whoop Whoop, Finish or Not!, and Off the Wall Friday.