Circuit, A Quilt

Quilts I have made using the Circuit quilt pattern

Quilt Retreat Day Four

| Cindy Anderson

What quilter wouldn’t want days and days of non-stop sewing? I know I do! For Sadie and myself this is day four of our adventure, at our LCITW (little cabin in the woods).

Sadie

Day four dawned with an absolutely beautiful blue sky and temps in the low 60’s.

Blue Sky.jpg

A blue sky and sunshine always brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling in my heart.

This morning, while eating breakfast, I was entertained by the visitors at our bird feeder. From our dining table I have a clear view.  Watching the birds fly in and out as well as observing their many antics was so delightful.

After breakfast I took time to listen to the sound of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. Their melodious song provided a calming affect.

Accompanied by their rhythmic chant came the aroma of the woods. I filled my lungs with one deep breath. Mixed in that breath were the scents of pine, damp earth and the sweet perfume of nearby flowers.

This experience is what makes my time here so enjoyable, so special. The memories of these days, the sights, the sounds, the fragrances will stay with me long after I have returned home.

Feeling refreshed and exhilarated I returned to my sewing table to work. I kept my nose to the grindstone until mid day, stopping briefly for lunch and a stroll outdoors. The sunshine and warm breeze felt so pleasant. So much so that I almost changed my plans but my desire to finish the Circuit quilt proved to be stronger.

I am thrilled to report that I was able to complete the quilt top. Since the lap quilt is a gift I will refrain from sharing photos of the finished project until it’s ready for delivery. Sorry for the delay! Here’s a small look.

Circuit Quilt Layout.jpg

Now that the top has been finished it is ready to be quilted on my longarm machine. Obviously I don’t have one of those here because the machine measures 14′ from end-to-end. Providing housing for something that large would be impossible. The quilt top will just have to wait until we get home. Even then it will have to get in line behind the ten other quilts already waiting.

Who knows what I will choose to work on tomorrow. Decisions, decisions! There are so many items that have patiently been waiting for their turn at my machine. Then again there are some newly acquired items as well as my ongoing improv endeavors that seem to tug harder on my attention. Only time will tell.

That’s A Wrap

That’s all for Day Four in my current adventure at my LCITW. Interested in reading the first three installments? Follow these links: Day One, Day Two and Day Three.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Your visit as well as your comments means a lot to me! I thoroughly enjoy the time we spend together.

Cindy Anderson

 

 

Quilt Retreat Day Three

| Cindy Anderson

This is entry number three in the diary of my quilt retreat. I began this journey with great hopes of making tremendous progress on my many projects. Read on to find out how productive I was.

Sadie, my little companion, had some issues last night. You see it stormed and thunder storms make her very nervous. Settling her in made for a very late night. A late night meant another late morning–but who really cares! I have no morning deadlines to meet, other than sewing as much as possible.

The two of us efficiently moved through our morning routine then started working on our projects. Here’s Sadie’s #1 priority.

Sadie.jpg

The focus of my attention was the Circuit quilt I started yesterday. The blocks for the Circuit pattern are not at all difficult to assemble. Before closing shop last night the pattern pieces had all been cut out. The next step was to begin piecing the segments. I chain-pieced each of the units together, which made the stitching go much quicker, then pressed the seams.

Although the quilt block is not difficult to create it still took the better part of my day to make the first eighteen. I managed to get a start on the remaining seventeen but was interrupted by my assistant Sadie. She had other ideas in mind. Apparently after a very long, but productive, day Sadie thought it was time to relax.

I turned off my sewing machine, iron and all non-essential lights then popped in a movie, and headed for the love seat. Sadie immediately expressed her delight. I grabbed her blanket and her. Up went my footrest. Sadie quickly found her favorite place right next to my leg. I pressed play on the remote and leaned back to relax and watch the movie. I’m not really sure how much I actually saw though because when I awoke the movie was just coming to an end. I’ve watched the movie many times before so sleeping through most of it really didn’t make a difference. I guess the two of us must have been exhausted. Time to call it a day.

Before I go here’s a photo of the progress I made on the Circuit lap quilt as well as links to day one and day two. Tomorrow I anticipate being able to put the rest of the blocks together and perhaps even get the quilt top assembled.

Circuit Quilt Blocks.jpg

Thanks so much for your visit! I look forward to chatting with you next time.

Cindy Anderson

 

Quilt Retreat Day Two

| Cindy Anderson

Welcome to day two of my adventure! Yesterday was basically a travel and settle in day. Not much was conquered by the way of sewing. Today I plan on changing that. With time a wasting and a to-do list as long as my arm it’s time to get rolling.

I’m not typically an early riser, just ask my husband, and today was no exception. Of course I did stay up late to watch one of my many favorite PBS programs the night before. The program was on until midnight so rising shortly before 8:00 am was not really what I would call sleeping in.

Before going to bed I set a mixture of quinoa, water and yogurt on the counter to soak overnight. For breakfast I cooked my quinoa in additional water along with two beaten eggs. I topped the steaming hot recipe with butter, cinnamon, honey and a small sprinkling of dried cranberries. After sipping a cup of my pour over coffee I set aside my dishes for the maid– ha ha :o) — then got to work on my first project.

Quinoa Breakfast.jpg

The first item on my to-do list was a lap quilt. I was commissioned to make it for a relative of my sister-in-law. The pattern is called Circuit. I found it in a book called Fat Quarter Style. Chosen by my sister-in-law’s relative was a fat quarter bundle called Under The Ocean Blue  (which sadly to say is no longer available) designed by Katie Doucette for Wilmington Prints.

Circuit Pattern.jpg

My first task was to carefully press each of the fabrics. This is one of my least favorite parts of quilting. It’s a time consuming process that bores me to tears but smoothly pressed fabrics lend themselves to a much more appealing outcome. After hours, and I mean hours, of standing at my pressing station I was overjoyed to finally finish the last piece.

Under The Ocean Blue Fabrics.jpg

Another laborious, but very essential cog in the wheel, is accurately cutting the prescribed number of pattern pieces. To achieve a successful outcome I have to not only carefully cut each piece but also read the directions to make certain I don’t screw up. No matter how many times I refer back to the pattern it only takes a brief moment of daydreaming to make a mistake. Sadly I cut one piece to narrow. That one piece made it necessary to pull another fat quarter from the pile of extras and start again. Thankfully I regained my focus long enough to finish.

Circuit Pattern Pieces.jpg

By the time my rotary cutter had made the last slice it was well past 10:00 pm. My energy level had been screaming down hill since 8:00 pm but my desire to have this step finished was stronger than my desire to sleep. While I would much rather have been well beyond this point I was pleased that I could start my day tomorrow actually sitting at my sewing machine. I really look forward to that because sewing the individual pieces together is way more enjoyable.

Time for me to call it quits. There’s no energy left in my tank. If you would like to read the first installment in this series, you may follow this link.

Happy Quilting!

Cindy Anderson