Progress on my "Contentment" project...

Today is the 26th anniversary of the day I met my husband, Steve, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. How appropriate that I am working on this center medallion block for the ongoing anniversary project called "Contentment" that I started some time ago.  

The blocks that are currently in my blog header are also part of that project.

The block will be trimmed to finish 16-inches square after the stitching and glue-removing soaking is done.  I chose to draw us as we were then, instead of the older, lumpy way we look now, LOL...

Artistic license...also using modern fabrics and modern style of clothing.  

I glue-basted the larger units together working right on the pattern and even did a little hand-stitching before inserting the pressed background fabric on the pattern and continuing the layout.  I can do this without the light box and it makes the complicated, puzzle-like construction a little easier.

I keep drawing this stuff more and more complicated...at some point, I will have to start re-drawing things in an easier fashion!

My more recent applique efforts have been on small blocks.  I decided to prep and stitch the outer arbor of this larger block first to make the block a little easier to work on when I start hand-stitching.  The outer arbor is made up of two bowers, one containing flowers and one containing hearts.

I love working on my portable light box.  The vintage pattern weights really make the glue-basting easy to manage.  I have been scanning Ebay and have added an additional couple of sets of the weights. I really prefer the hard plastic, old style weights to the bean bag type that are commercially available now...probably because I used, and got used to, the older ones first.

Hopefully I won't find out some day that they contain some dangerous, leeching lead and/or radioactive substance to make them so delightfully heavy.

My light box is 12 x 17 inches...I wish it was a square instead of a rectangle, but sliding the work around on the surface is not a problem.  The pattern weights keep things from shifting around.

After doing the heart bower, I re-positioned my pattern and background fabric on the light box to work on the flower bower on the other side of the block.

I drew the two bowers to tangle over our heads...after all these years, our lives are happily tangled in the same way.

Done and all ready to insert the happy couple with their shared basket of hearts and flowers...

Now everything is glue-basted into place and I am ready to finish the hand-stitching.  As per my usual style, all edges are turned under...no raw edges in this work!  

We were in Canada for our annual trip to family property in the 1000 Islands.  It is a little rustic there, so this was not a good thing to work on while vacationing.

With only a little solar power available on the St. Lawrence River "island," really a peninsula at Grass Creek, pressing of freezer paper or fabric is not possible.  Plus, there is very little room in the car to pack sewing stuff.  So, the light box and iron were out of the question!  

I miss my mini-van, which could hold a lot of my stash on trips!

I worked on prepping applique blocks for a Sue Garman quilt called "Afternoon Delight" while I was out of the country.  I will show progress on that next time.  Sue is currently dealing with a serious health issue, and I was using her project as a sort of prayer vehicle, like Rosary beads, saying little prayers of healing, strength and comfort as I worked on the blocks.  Send her some love as you say your prayers.

I am working "Afternoon Delight" in repro fabrics with scrappy backgrounds that hide dirt easily!  A good project for the outdoor, camp feel of Grass Creek.

I did take a small, flat piece of plexiglass, which I used with my husband's Kindle-like device as an emergency light box (some of my neutral, repro fabrics were a little busy to see the paper pattern through during placement without a little help).  

I thought this was genius, if I do say so myself!

Now that we live in Alabama, our annual pilgrimage to Canada now includes almost 1200 miles of driving, ONE WAY (used to be 430 miles from Michigan...).  Our lives seem to revolve around family property.  We stayed in the one cabin on this 11-acre peninsula this year that is not on the river, it is in the woods.  It is called the "Turtle." (Thus called because it sits on a big piece of granite, sunning itself.)

Normally it just has a double bed in it, but we moved a bed in for our daughter as well.  We were cozy...

I am sensitive to the wool blankets there, so we always take quilts. I won the one on our bed as a raffle quilt, back in Texas in 1994. The other one is a scrappy "leftovers" quilt I made for my daughter eons ago (the leftovers include 13 of the intended 26 blocks for an alphabet quilt I never finished!)  

Ahhh...civilization...home-made, hand-quilted quilts, even camping in the Canadian 1000 Islands with no electricity or running water!

What is behind the second door?

Yep, you guessed it...an indoor outhouse!

This trip was a cool escape from the hot and steamy southern weather. The temperatures at night near Kingston were mostly in the mid 50's...GREAT sleeping weather in the open cabin.  It is so hot and steamy now that we are home...and it isn't even August yet...

When the wind isn't up, the St. Lawrence looks more like a lake than a river...

The "Boat House," with Howe Island "lit up" by the fading sun across the river.

The "Main House," which is the heart of the "island."  It contains the kitchen, eating porch, living room, and store room.  It is slightly uphill and has a great view of the river.

There are two other sleeping cabins and lots of room for tents. Steve's side of the family owns this rustic retreat.  We've missed just one summer in 26 years.  And Steve's family spent so many summer vacations up there before I met him.  It is a lovely family tradition. I love Canada!  It is so beautiful and the people are so nice!

Friends, I have been struggling with this move from Michigan to Alabama.  I have not met local people yet and feel so isolated.  The move-in continues, with trying to establish spaces of our own in this large, family-shared home and property.

There are different things about living in Alabama, and not just the climate.  There is currently a rattlesnake in the detached 3-car garage where we keep some of the work and recreational vehicles, up, away from the house.  My husband went up there yesterday, opened a door and there it was...then it slithered back away from the door, under lawnmowers and other equipment.  Crap!  

Good thing it has been dry here and I don't need to get the riding mower out of there this week!  I did acres of mowing before we left for Canada.  One of the door thresholds needs to be repaired so that critters don't get in there...just add it to the list of things to do.

I guess things take time, and I just need to be patient and take the time to discover the area and new friends.  But mostly, I need to be selfish and carve out quilting time for me.  I need that or I am going to sink.  I did sign up to go to a retreat in late September...that will be fun and something to look forward to!

I left blueberries on a few bushes before leaving for Canada.  That was sad...they were so good this year!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)