Bear Paw Placemat Finale

 Well, here we are in February. (January was rough, and it's just as well I didn't have a post to write then.) I have the last of my placemat project to show today. Let's enjoy a photo of them together, and then before we look closer, I have a question or a few to ask of people who use Blogger.

I used to get email notifications of comments which I moderated and then published. After they went up on the blogpost, I got another notification, and to respond to a comment, all I had to do was click on it and I could quickly reply to the commenter to thank them or to chat. In my December post, everyone that commented came up as "no reply," even though I had corresponded with them for years. I didn't notice until my responses were flagged as undeliverable, apparently due to new restrictions set up by Blogger. I was able to figure out a way around with alternative email addresses, but there was no indication of how my replies looked to the commenter. Was there a connection between their comment and my reply so they'd know what my reply was referring to? I spent too much time figuring out the email and then explaining that I was replying to their comment on my post. I haven't responded to the last few comments I got (yet). So here are my questions: If you received a reply back from me, was it clear what I was replying to (if I had not explained)? Did it reach you? And, is there a simpler way to do this? Also, am I showing up as no-reply, too? I don't know how to fix this. I appreciate everyone's comments and don't want to have anyone unacknowledged. So, thank you for your comments, and any advice would be so helpful. I feel like this is one more thing in a whole host of frustrations right now. In a time when communication is more important than ever to hold onto our sanity, it seems there's a drive to keep us from communicating (algorithms and all of that). I know a lot of people don't blog anymore, but with people quitting other forms of social media it might become one of the only ways to keep in touch authentically, so I'd like to keep this going even if I don't blog as much as I used to either.

Okay, enough of that. So here are each of the last seven placemats I made for Meals on Wheels from my Bear Paw blocks I made in 2020, along with a few tidbits about them. Most finished at 14 by 18 inches. I sewed them on my Featherweight and quilted them on my Singer 115 treadle. 

This placemat started with two blocks. I had enough fabric in the scrap bins to make two matching ones before adding borders. 

The back was easy--wholecloth from a piece of fabric I used in a quilt and some pillows for our family room years ago. This leftover was going to be part of a table runner that never got made.

Here is another one with two added blocks. If you look closely, you'll see that some of the fabrics are different prints but close matches. The dark paws look black, but are actually rich purples.

The back is just strips of whatever coordinating fabrics I could find that fit.

This one has fabrics from both long-ago projects and more recent ones. The three prints in the upper right Bear Paw were from back when I made miniature quilts and needed tiny prints. Hard to let go of these last bits, but why keep them stored in drawers?

The back is more leftover strips. The white print was the edge of a quilt back, I think.

I started the above three placemats at the end of 2024 but quilted and bound them this year, all with meanders.

Not much to say about this one. I chose strips to complement the blocks, trying to not go too much toward a Christmas color scheme as these will be distributed in the spring. The narrow borders at the top and the bottom are a bit wonky, but I don't think it will matter to whoever uses it.

More strips on the back. That dark green tone-on-tone print was a favorite in quilts over the years.

The Bear Paw in this one started from the multicolored print, a fat quarter I bought during a vacation trip. Why I only bought a fat quarter I don't know, but it was a challenge to use in a quilt. I ended up sprinkling it in some blocks on a quilt back for a donation quilt. This is what was left.

The back is leftovers of many quilts, both very old (the tan print is leftovers from our bed quilt that took lots of years to make and spent 20 years on our bed until it wore out) and newer (such as the teal prints from a grand nephew's baby quilt a few years ago).

The Bear Paw that started this placemat was a block with a winter snow theme. I had actually used the back side of the geode-ish print to try to show all the subtle shades of snow. The claw parts were lighter. Here is it in its original form.

I unsewed the block and made new deeper colored claws. The original fabric was a fat quarter, and I had enough to make three more blocks to complete this placemat.

The back is random strips again. I think at this point in the project, it was the easiest way to move the work along. 

This placemat started from the two Bear Paws in the upper half. I had enough of most of the prints to make two more matching blocks, but I only had some random strips of the red/green/black print.

I found another floral scrap with a different print but similar feel and coloring, fussy cut it, and laid out the strips around it to see if it would work. 

It did, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. This placemat might not be everyone's "cup of tea," but I quite like its cheerful vibe.

The back is once again random strips (the one on the right is from a baby quilt I made for my niece more than 44 years ago)--becoming my favorite placemat backing format--and I wonder why I don't just make whole placemats that way. Now that the Bear Paw supply is depleted, maybe I will! This placemat had an oops with my rotary cutter (don't ask--I didn't lose a finger), so I had to retrim it a bit narrower than the others.

I meandered two of these placemats and did organic wavy lines on the others. 

So there you have it--my placemat finale. Funny that it took the reworking of one block and nine more Bear Paws. I didn't mind. It's one of my favorite blocks to make. 

I now have 22 placemats to donate to Meals on Wheels in the spring. When I made them, I intended to simply brighten the mealtimes of whoever receives them. I never thought they would become an expression of protest. If you read my end-of-the-year post you know that my hope for the new year was to try to keep a "positive but realistic attitude of hope for peace, decency, compassion and maybe even wisdom" in a new era of uncertainty in my country. The realistic part of me was expecting some problems. But what's happening now, although along the lines of what I expected, is so much worse faster. I could give many examples (I'm sure you are aware), but here's just one. While I was finishing these placemats, there were indications of "pauses" or "freezes" of funding for many supportive programs, not only domestically, but internationally. One program that could be affected is the Meals on Wheels program for seniors in need. Last week, a judge issued a stay to stop the domestic "freeze" at least temporarily, but who knows what will happen next? The placemats have become a symbol of my protest against the small mindedness, injustice, and cruelty happening within my country's government. 

A placemat probably isn't a big statement, but it's what I have to give right now. It's my continued hope—no, plea—for peace, decency, compassion, and maybe even wisdom.  May God have mercy on us all.

I'm linking up with Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauties Pageant and with Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap. Oh, and Cynthia, you might like to know that when I'm not sewing for my sanity right now, I've been rage cleaning. No, it's not as fun as quilting, but it does serve a purpose.

(Oh, and everyone, don't forget to give me your advice on the no-reply issue.)

Best (All) of 2024 Linky Party

So here we are again at the end of another year. My quilting was a bit different in 2024--a little here, a little there. We were also away from home off and on, so big projects didn't appeal to me so much after the warmer months arrived. I still want to do a recap, though, so everything is in one place. Let's get to it. I'll be linking this up with Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs for her Best of 2024 Linky Party. 

Thanks, Cheryl for prompting us all to look back at our quilty productivity for the year. 

Links to my posts are in the items below.

1. My biggest project for the year was a Stay at Home Round Robin, hosted by Gail at Quilting Gail during the first three months. I don't usually do "mystery" quilts or group quilt alongs, but this appealed to me because I was in control of the design within the prompts, and I really did enjoy following everyone's progress and seeing all the different interpretations.

2. Another quilt: Checkerboard Chain from Lori Holt's Sew Your Stash You Tube Series Episode #39. I was really drawn to the little nine-patches. I would love to make this again in a more limited palette. 

3. I spent most of the rest of the year making placemats for Meals on Wheels from primarily Bear Paw blocks I made while taking Rachel Hauser's Quilter's Color Quest workshop in 2020 (yeah, that year...). I made a few each month using scraps and other fabric on hand, and focusing when I could on multicolored scraps. There are 15 finished ones in all. I sewed a few at a time and then took them on vacations with me to hand sew the binding. They'll be donated in the spring during the collection at one of my local quilt shops. If you'd like to see them up close, fronts and backs, just check out the placemats label in the sidebar. They are in the first two pages. 

I meant to make three more placemats before the end of the year, and got a good start, and then ULP! A squirrel! I bought a new laptop a few weeks ago. It was time. I was still working off Windows 7, and my Chrome and other things would no longer update. I hated to do it because I loved that laptop. Perhaps, needless to say, the air has been blue around here ever since as I have tried to learn the new computer. I do not want every little thing I do to zoom immediately into the cloud. I have finally eliminated the nosy little program doing that, and I am suddenly a bit happier, although still losing track of icons and photos and other bits and bobs (like my cursor while doing this post). I know pretty soon it will be second nature. I hope. No, the new laptop was not the squirrel. But I suddenly, only a few days before the holidays, I NEEDED a new sleeve to protect my investment. I keep techy devices for many, many years, and I'm pretty sure part of the reason they last is that I coddle them with their own quilts. Since I've been on a scrap kick this year, I went into my biggest scrap pieces and came up with a doozy. A piece of fabric I used in a quilt I started making for our bed nearly 42 years ago!! Think it was time to use that fabric up? Yes, the quilt finally was finished after 13 years and was on our bed for 20 years before it wore out. 

I have no in-process photos of this because...it was a squirrel! Who has time for photos when chasing a squirrel? That's why it does not have its own post but will just have to share with all my end-of-year stuff. If you want to sort of know how I made it, you can check out my Ipad sleeve here because it's basically the same pattern. That project was also a squirrel, so the steps might also be a little hazy. I used the computer itself to figure out sizes of fabric pieces to cut. I used a fusible fleece interfacing to give it body, fusing to both the outside fabric and the lining as well as half of the flap fabric. I quilted both the body and the lining before construction, and the flap after I made that part but before I sewed it into the body. Here's the fabric and quilting:

And the computer slipped in:

And all tucked in:

Well, there you have my finishes. So what's next in 2025? First, there are those placemats that I started but threw aside for the squirrel. I have the fronts, backs and bindings of all three made. Just have to quilt them and sew the binding. 

I have a few more Bear Paw blocks left, so maybe 4 or 5 more placemats to make before the spring collection. After that? Maybe another quilt to donate. But then I think maybe some self-indulgent sewing. I have some new fabric bought on vacations this year to make a Lake Michigan quilt, and I have lots of barn photos taken from the car on our trips that really would like me to make some miniatures (foundation pieced). Stay tuned. I think 2025 will be a year for lots of escapist sewing or sewing to maintain my mental health as we enter a new era of uncertainty in my country and our world. I will try to keep up a positive but realistic attitude of hope for peace, decency, compassion, and maybe even wisdom. 

Meanwhile, Happy New Year! Do go to Cheryl's party (reminder that it's here) and share or see what your quilty friends have been up to.

Vacation finishes

 So we went on another little vacation, which, if you’ve been following, means three more finished placemats for Meals on Wheels. Slowly, slowly, all those Bear Paws I made in 2020 are getting used. There is a part of me that really wants to make a bigger quilt, but this feels like a worthwhile project, so I may finish before starting on something else. Also the holidays are coming up, which means I have other things to keep me busy, and small projects may be best. 

Anyway, let’s get to the placemats and then some autumn photos from our little trip. I made all of the placemats before we left on vacation and did the hand sewing on the bindings in the evenings in our cabin. As usual, the placemats are all 14 by 18 inches, pieced on my Featherweight and quilted on my Singer 115 treadle. The blocks I chose as starting points for this round were nature related: water and wildflowers and other plants—the sorts of things we like on our vacations. I found some 2 1/2 inch squares to go with the watery Bear Paws for the first placemat, and supplemented them with strips. I sewed columns of random scraps for the back. A quick stipple for quilting and some leftover Grunge for binding made a fun finish.

I found more squares and strips to supplement the blocks for the front of the second placemat and used cut-offs from old backings to make the back. I had a fat quarter of fabric with various blue stripes that with some fussy cutting and piecing made my favorite binding of the three. 

 Now, you might not think that the third placemat looks like anything inspired by nature. I certainly didn’t. Until we came across a plant during a hike on our previous vacation. All of the leaves were a rich black on one side and gray on the other. I have no idea why. Maybe it was some sort of mold or disease, but the colors were so even. The leaves were curled somewhat, but mostly intact without holes or visible decay. So strange. But now I can say that black and gray are colors of nature, so here’s my third natured-inspired placemat, again made with squares and strips of scraps, and columns made of scraps for the back. Leftover black and white binding fabric made the perfect frame. 

So that’s it for October makes. We vacationed on the shore of Lake Michigan. The weather was fabulous. We hiked and biked and basked in the glow of spectacular October sunsets. I took way too many photos, so I’ll just share a few. 

So much inspiration. I did pick up a few pieces of fabric at a quilt store to add to a selection for a possible landscape quilt. (We stopped at another, but it had closed three minutes before we got there. Sigh.) I’ll share those another time. 

I’m linking up today with Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday and on Sunday with Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap. Now it’s time to make my yearly ornaments for my grands based on their Halloween costumes. Then I’ll get back to quilting. I hope you are enjoying and drawing inspiration from autumn (or spring) where you are. And if you live in my country, I wish you peace and sanity during this election season. (This post may seem like I’m just floating along as if everything is normal. I can assure you that’s just me trying to distract myself. I am hopeful but not calm.)

 

And Even More Placemats

Three more placemats; another road trip. Definitely a theme for this summer, but it’s all good. I’ve been slowly using up all those Bear Paws I made back in 2020. I figure I have enough blocks to make 10 (more or less) additional placemats, so there will be more of this kind of post. 

I feel good making these blocks useful and gifting them with a purpose (Meals on Wheels). Sometimes I worry about whether the seniors receiving them will like them. I picture them as people like my grandparents or parents— from a different era than me. But with a major birthday milestone last week, I suddenly realized that I’m the same age as some, if not many, of the recipients. I may need to try to focus my designs to appeal more to my generation. I’ll keep working with what I have for now— and then it may be time to change things up a bit.

Anyway, here are this month’s placemats-fronts and backs-made with scraps (multi-colored when possible). They are all about 14 by 18 inches, sewn on my Featherweight and quilted on my Singer 115 treadle. 

I did the hand sewing on the bindings while on a week’s vacation Up North in Michigan (at the tip of the pointer finger of the Mitten State).

So how about a few vacation photos? We stayed in a cottage on Lake Huron and did our usual bike rides and hikes along the lake, and visits to a waterfall, an orchard and lighthouses—all spectacular, but the real specialty of this vacation was the sky.

Northern Lights (for only a few minutes, but thrilling)

Gorgeous sunsets (yes, you can see sunsets on the water on the sunrise coast if you look for them)

Full moon (Harvest Moon) rising, and a partial lunar eclipse (which I couldn’t capture on my phone)

Thick fog followed by a fogbow when the sun broke through. I had never seen (or heard of) one, so I had to Google it.

We also had blue sky and a bit of a stormy one.

No fabric this trip, but lots of inspiration. I did take some photos of quilts in the lighthouses. There were some sewing machines, too.

I’m linking up with Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauties Pageant today and with Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap on Sunday. 

Now I have to hurry and make more placemats because we have another little getaway coming up, and I’ll need another take-along binding project. 

I hope you’ve had a good quilting month, with projects big or small.