August | 2011 | Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts

Archive for August, 2011

Great sadness

August 29, 2011 at 12:28 am · Filed under Everyday Things

As his world was so much bigger than mine, I feel he would not mind and it would be a fitting tribute to share the news that my dear husband passed away today. It has been a hell of a year. He was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2008. It is a vicious disease that returned in 2010. The end of the summer was agonizing for him and for those who could only stand by.

He showed me how to behave through it. I tried to follow his lead. It will be hard to have no one to laugh at my asinine jokes, “listen” to my running narrative of everyday annoyances, and to help make parenting decisions, but I believe he would not have left me incapable. Our separate interests meant that parts of our lives did not always intersect. I am getting by today on the love and support flowing abundantly from his world and from our families.

And I thought my world would get smaller.

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Waiting, waiting, waiting

August 9, 2011 at 7:58 am · Filed under Books, Quilts

While we (I’m assuming I’m not alone) wait for the new Kaffe Fassett book, Quilts in Sweden, we can take a drool-worthy look at the quilts via Gloriouscolor’s Quilts in Sweden fabric packs (so, SPOILER ALERT, don’t look if you’re patient enough to wait for the book).

To further give us something to do while we wait, we can download a poster for the book (duly downloaded….wondering if I have any laminating sheets so I don’t get drool on my printed copy).

Very, very excited and I already see some quilts I’d like to make (the cover quilt, for example…and the barcode quilt….and the beach quilt…and…).

UPDATED TO ADD: Go get it over at Glorious Color!

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But who’s counting?

August 6, 2011 at 11:10 am · Filed under Books, Dollies Online, Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts

So. Where were we? Or where was I? You thought I disappeared, didn’t you? It felt like it there for a while. Lest you think I’ve been lounging on a beach or resting on my laurels, I have some things to show for my time.

I’m especially excited to have a quilt in issue six of the most awesome Fat Quarterly. Against Traffic is a foundation pieced kaleidoscope-y quilt using two shades of grey and all of Marcia Derse’s prints from her Third in Line fabric collection. I grew extremely fond of these prints while I sewed. And we spent a considerable amount of time together, so I think it says A LOT for Marcia’s fabrics that I still love them after all that togetherness. 🙂

Love those fabrics!

I also wanted to show you the latest Dollies Online quilt for July called Mass Appeal:

I saw a vintage quilt with orange peel blocks on point in two colors and my head went boing. Speaking of the Dollies Online, you can now purchase the downloadable patterns individually over at Sarah’s lovely web site. Mass Appeal will show up there shortly as well. I didn’t mind sacrificing that blue sewing themed Suzuko Koseki print for this quilt. It seemed a worthy use.

I’ve also been keeping up with the Farmer’s Wife blocks. Got a little behind when we lost power for three days. Here are some recents:

I’ve been digging through some of my old Kaffe fabrics and scraps of old projects. Going down fabric memory lane.

Last but not least, a step by step by step project, indeed… Sarah‘s Hanging Lanterns pattern. First, cut 800 (or more in case of goof ups…ahem), fan blades and sew them.

And turn them.

And press them.

And sew them together into arcs and get them ready for the next step.

As Sarah has reminded me, she did all of this already and I should not complain. No complaints. Just noting for posterity and recordkeeping and goal setting.

I’m also dabbling in the Japanese Boxes quilt from issue 81 of Quiltmania. I saw this quilt over at the gorgeous Facile Cecile blog. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. And then I re-drafted it ever so slightly so I didn’t have to cut anything in 1/16ths of an inch (sometimes my laziness instead makes my brain hurt a little more) and could use a rotary ruler. These are a little on the addictive side and very easy to sew on the machine.