Monday, August 24, 2020

ACCIDENTAL LANDSCAPES

 With hours and hours of extra time on my hands due to almost a six months lockdown due to the virus I have found myself searching for classes and sites on line to replace my quilt guild activities.  I stumbled on to the Meander Quilt Guild and it has been a wonderful on line educational opportunity.  I started with an extensive color class, which I have learned so much in, but I also wanted something to make that would keep me busy for a bit.  So a class was offered on the site by Karen Eckmeier called Accidental Landscapes.

So I started layering fabric, using batiks.  I tuned over the top edges and ironed them down and pinned them for top stitching.

Once I got all the strips laid down I squared the piece up.

I added a couple of little trees by just fusing them down raw edge.

The trees seemed to disappear so I top stitched them down to make them more visible.

Most the quilting has been done except for the bottom section.  I had planned to finish it on Friday, but unfortunately my Bernina 750 had a major breakdown and we ended up on a road trip of 2 hours each way to take it in for repairs.  It will be in the shop for 3 weeks, seems they are very busy this summer.

This is a picture taken right off our front porch at about 3 in the afternoon.  I live in California and our state is on fire.  We are very safe in our area, but the smoke is extremely thick.  The sky is almost  orange with smoke and it almost seems dark.  Our dusk to dawn outside lights have been on all day.  You can not go outside the smoke is so thick.  The winds carry the smoke into our area from fires miles and miles away taking place on all sides of us.  

On a happier note this is my oldest grandson Elijah.  He just picked up his letterman jacket on Saturday.  Five years of football and the winning this past school year of the state championship.  Hopefully with this being his senior year of high school football while delayed will start in December or January.  

And on Saturday we celebrated our youngest grandson Ben's  12th birthday.  And, Suren's his sister, our oldest granddaughter 28th birthday.  And yes, no birthday cakes for them.  We celebrate with birthday pies, their choice.

  




29 comments:

  1. Nice job on the landscape quilt. It looks like a simple enough method that I might try my hand at it - at some point. Too many ongoing projects just now, have to be cautious of those squirrels!

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  2. How much fun you had designing and stitching your landscape, it looks terrific. I live in CA too but we are far from any fires and I hope it stays that way! Your grandchildren are gorgeous. Happy Birthdays to all.

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  3. birthday pie is good...it's my choice too!

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  4. I love Karen Eckmeier's landscapes, and you have done a wonderful job with your version. Hopefully all you will get is the smoke from the fires. Very scary!

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  5. We had Peanut Butter pie for the Sunday bd party for our 10 year old grand daughter. Oh, I'm so sorry about your machine going in for work. I hope you have a back up. For some reason I thought you lived in Maryland! Watching the fires on the tv news is so scary. I've still got family in CA -- hopefully they are safe too. But you never know when the winds will kick up and send the fires in new directions. Stay safe.

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  6. I took an in person class with Karen DECADES ago (feels like it anyway) and my landscape was a beach. The top is done but never got quilted, hanging on a bulletin board in my sewing room. Yours looks great! I'd rather have a pie for my birthday any day except strawberries aren't in season in Jan. Bah!

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  7. Your landscape project looks like a very fun thing to try, and it's turning out beautifully! A pie for your birthday sounds perfect to me yum! Our skies in Colorado look much the same - lots of fires here, too, so we have smoky, hazy air to breathe.

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  8. Hi Donnalee! I had no idea you're in CA. Goodness, that smoke has made it all the way to Colorado. Gee, I am so sorry and wish I could do something to put those fires out. What a fun class - accidental landscapes. Thanks for sharing the sweet pictures of your grands. What fun to still be able to celebrate! We always have a birthday pie for Sue - she doesn't like cake. Thanks for linking up! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  9. Very nice "accidental landscape"! Sadly, my main Bernina is also in the shop and yes, there is a lengthy turnaround.

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  10. Love your landscape quilt! Thanks for sharing about it.

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  11. Wow! You made the process on your landscape quilt sound so easy! It's absolutely beautiful! Congratulations and happy birthdays to your son and grandchildren! Thank you for sharing information about the fires. I'm so glad you're safe!

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  12. Very pretty. Sorry your machine is in the shop for three weeks though.

    We live in California too and the smoke has been awful here too. Hope we get some relief soon.

    They arr knocking the nuts too. Smoke and dust. Bugger.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a great Wordless Wednesday. :)

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  13. Wow you sure brought the reality of living in the fire area home! So glad you are safe. Prayers for relief. Meanwhile some happiness! Thanks for sharing it and your lovely landscape on Wednesday Wait Loss.

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  14. Wow! It is crazy how the smoke makes the sky look in the middle of the day! Your quilted landscape is very pretty! With all the kids home, I have done less projects just dedicated my time to my blog and trying to keep the house from being a complete mess.
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  15. Happy to the birthday "kids"!! Inquiring minds want to know..
    What kind of pie is under Suren's meringue???
    Your Accidental Landscape is stunning!!!

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  16. Congrats on the landscape quilt! I feel your pain - my Bernini started making a not so good noise last night. Good to have a back up!

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  17. The landscape looks great and you have a lovely family. Thank you for linking up to Put your foot down.

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  18. oh my goodness!
    where does the time go??
    I can't believe how old the kids are!
    sorry about your machine!
    the smoke looks so icky!

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  19. Do hope you dont suffer goo much from withdrawal symptoms now your sewing machine is in hospital. A good time to check out all those UFOs and projects you have been wanting to start, perhaps?

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  20. Beautiful landscape quilt! My sewing machine went to the repair shop last week - they said it would take 4 weeks as they are very busy too. I'm in Southern California and I am so sorry for what is happening up north - the smoke is horrible. My youngest son went up north on a medical strike-team; he'll be gone for an indefinite time. And you have a lovely family! Thanks for sharing.

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  21. That landscape is beautiful. I've been playing with postcard sized landscapes and getting better slowly. Keep safe in the bushfires. Our season here in Australia is starting soon.

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  22. Birthday cakes aren't the norm here, either. My husband favors Decadent Chocolate Bread Pudding, my son a Zebra (chocolate and vanilla) cheesecake and I lean towards an annual Blizzard at DQ. However, pies have been known to make an appearance. Lovely job with the landscape. Your choice of fabric is spot on.

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  23. Oh the pies... how yummy! Happy Birthday to them. And Elijah - Finger crossed all goes well for a senior football year - and happy senior year too! Your landscape is really pretty - I like that you have taken these classes! Hope the fires go away soon - we have them here too and last night was the first night I could see mountains in almost 20 days - they were gone again this morning.. smells like a campfire 24/7

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  24. Three things:

    1. Your landscape project looks like a fabulous diversion! Batiks are so good at capturing the nuances of nature in fabric, aren't they?

    2. I am so sad for you that your 750QE is sick! What happened to her? That's my main machine, too; I feel your pain there. My Bernina dealer is swamped, too. I think there is a creative explosion happening worldwide with all of us having a lot more time at home to sew, and folks who haven't sewn in years or who are inspired to learn for the first time are dusting off machines and discovering they need service, or buying new machines and needing to schedule one-on-one masked training, etc. Do you at least have a backup machine to use while your main sewbaby is awaiting service?

    3. Birthday pie! Oh, man -- when I was a little girl, I remember asking every year "why do I have to have cake on my birthday when I don't LIKE cake? Can't I have a birthday pie instead?" But my MOTHER likes birthday cake, so that's what I got, every year. You know, now that I'm a grownup in charge of my own birthday, maybe it's time to institute a change in the dessert menu!

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  25. I love accidental landscapes!! Yours is so pretty, and I hope it makes you want to make more. I’m sorry your machine is ill. May her hospital stay be short. We have been having beautiful sunsets in our part of the country, but they make me sad because they are related to all the smoke from the fires out West. Stay safe! Happy Birthdaying! I’m assuming the first pie is pumpkin? But what is the meringue pie? I’m a chocolate cake fan, but those photos are making my mouth water.

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  26. Well done on your landscape! It will be a fun little reminder of the class! I am wondering if Ben’s birthday pie is pumpkin? My mom’s birthday was in August and one of her last years! She requested pumpkin pie! My sister did not have pumpkin in her pantry, no cans of pumpkin on the grocery shelves, no frozen pumpkin pies either. We vowed then and there to have pumpkin available for her in the future. She been gone now since 2012, and I always keep pumpkin in my pantry!

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  27. Your landscape is gorgeous! I love the colors you used and the gentle slopes. Birthday pies? That's a first for me. My husband would probably love that idea as I usually only make pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. His birthday is in August and he would probably pick a fruit pie. Maybe you could share a recipe ... what's that pie for Suren?

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  28. Your landscape quilt is going so well! Sorry about the sewing machine breakdown. And I hope you’ve had some relief from the smoke. Congrats to Elijah! And happy birthday to Ben and Suren! Thanks for sharing with Creative Compulsions.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

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