Thursday, February 9, 2023

Therapy in the Studio

Wednesday started as any other day... a quiet time of Bible reading and devotion time which sparked a creative idea for a mini quilt.  I grabbed my sketch book and made some notes.  It was a sweet and special time.


I then headed to the kitchen to make a new batch of granola for breakfast. For those interested, here is the recipe.

2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup honey

Combine in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 1 minute.

Stir in:
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
3/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup shelled pistachios

Microwave for 1 minute.
Add in:

6 cups whole GF oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Microwave for 3 minutes; stir.  Microwave for 3 minutes and stir a second time.
Mix in dried fruits:

1/2 cup dried apples
1/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries or cherries
1/4 cup raisins or chopped dates

Microwave for 3-minutes.  Stir in 1 tablespoon vanilla.  Let cool, stirring several times and store in an airtight container.

As I was waiting for the 3-minute periods to pass, I decided to take care of something on-line that needed attention.  Trying to log in to an account, the need to update/change a password and more technological challenges persisted.  In all, it took 45 minutes to download a bank statement. 😒

My pleasant demeanor and attitude was quickly dissolved. So I sought refuge in my happy place as I repeated "Not today Satan... NOT TODAY."



I spread out the second of the eight quilt tops for my customer, I liked the look of the hanging diamond layout for the main body of the quilt.

It was time to spread out on my workspace (the floor) and try to ease in the fullness of the borders.  This involved some running stitches and making a slight gathering without ending up with creases or folds.

Some of the worst sections required three lines of gathering stitches...


I will be making a twisted ribbon in the narrow border and two separate twisted ribbons in the larger border.  Any little bit of excess on the outer edge will be eased in as I add the binding.

Fingers crossed that this extra step will help to mask any issue... I'm sure it will look fabulous once trimmed, bound and washed/dried.  

Stay tuned for the finished product!

Oh, and I have to say that before long I was in a pleasant and happy mood again.  Quilting helps my mood!  How 'bout you???

Have you ever had such an issue on one of your quilts?  
What did you do to avoid wrinkles and creases quilted in?

I'd love to hear your ideas...  I'm sure there are one or two more quilts with a similar problem.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

linking with:

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese 
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty
Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More
Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy
Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

m


5 comments:

  1. Spending time in your sanctuary is always good for the soul. Thanks for linking up with TGIFF

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  2. Your granola recipe is similar to mine, except the microwaving part sounds much simpler than baking! Does it turn out crunchy? I love a good crunchy granola. Those are really pretty greens in your customer's quilt. I had fullness on the edge of a table runner once and took a few gathering stitches to tame it down. It really didn't help that much because I was trying to "hide" the gather. That runner was from a kit, and I made it before I knew to be careful about edges. It is a beautiful runner with "fluffy" edges that I use anyway - lol!

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  3. Your granola looks yummy, and just in time for the superbowl too. That is a great trick for easing in the fullness on the edge. I'll try to remember it next time.

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  4. Hi Melva, I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. I've only had a few minor pleats in some quilts - and really, after quilting and washing, you really can't tell. Thanks for linking up to Free Motion Mavericks.

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  5. Great tip about the border, I'm sure it's going to be a geat help for the quilting. Yummy granola recipe ;)
    Thank you for sharing, and linking up!

    ReplyDelete