I did cut some squares this evening...as a start...that is what the orange leaves are going on. The squares are all shades of gray/white...some have a real warm undertone others not so much. Not sure how they will work together but I am using them all.
I first fold the square to form diagonal lines...the one line I want to go all the way across, the other is just to give me a suggestion of where the middle is.
I first place the leaf tips on the folded line...and I use one straight pin on top on one end to hold the leaf in place as shown in the above photo.
I hold the other end in place with my hand, and continue to place pins to hold the leaf in place from the back.
And I might or might not move the original first pin to the back. The reason for doing it like this is till my basting thread will not catch on the pins as I baste the leaf down.
Autumn is on its way....I am not sure how vivid it is going to be...but it is done better than what I feared. So many leaves fell, and other trees just looked like they were just drying up, ready to fall. Some I knew to be maple trees that usually have vivid color.
See that bright spot of color in the photo above?
This is what it looks like up close and personal! For some reason when I take shots of trees from a distance, they appear much greener than they do in real life...even in that first photo, it does not appear near as saturated as it does in real life at that distance. So I was very pleased to see the color of the leaves in my up close shots.
They were beside this strip pit....it is an area known as Green Valley. I did cast a few times but did not get a single hit...did not catch one single fish. Still was so nice to be out and hear the wind in the trees...and part of the time Blue Jays were flitting about in the trees.
Roger went with me, but he did not get out and walk any. I want to get back over there if I can before it gets cold. It felt so good to be out and away from everything. I could actually forget some of the other stuff going on here.
I have been trying to get Roger's Cpap supplies and it is taken forever...it is too long for anyone to really want to read it...but I started back maybe the second week of September, but might have been earlier. And just yesterday they finally told me oh, yes he needs a new prescription. This in addition to other things they need. I have been calling them and the other dr. office and it has not been fun.
The one thing, the dr's office has always been so, so good...I am not criticizing them. The Cpap place I have yet to form a real opinion....because the dr's office told me that the supply place is undergoing a big audit from someone. So they probably have more than they can handle. Prior to this, they have been very nice to deal with.
First a little video from youtube showing someone using a rotary cutter and how you use an acrylic ruler to cut the fabric.
There was no way for me to photograph myself using the rotary cutter and I did not even think to take a photo of the rotary cutter itself. This video is only 42 seconds long so it won't take long to watch. The rotary blade is very sharp and will cut you in a heartbeat if you do not keep your fingers out of the way. And it is very important to "close' the rotary cutter when not in use. Mine have a guard that I slide into place. Some automatically close. A self healing mat is needed because it would destroy the top of your table if you didn't use one.
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So last night I got to thinking about the binding I had just made. I thought about it and things did not add up....and I realized I had made enough for three sides of the quilt...not the 400+ inches that I needed, so today I cut three more strips and got them added to what I already had made. I took the opportunity to take a few photos.
Above is just a portion the my acrylic ruler. To being I place post-it notes on the underside at the exact desired width. I usually use about 3 post-it notes per stack, and this is a 24 inch ruler so I have 4 stacks placed 4 or 5 inches apart. I don't put right at the edge of either end. I just leave my fabric folded in half like it comes off the bolt. I use lines that also go across the width of the fabric to line up on the fold and then cut the end off enough to make sure the end is even. From there, I can just measure so easily and cut my strips.
I am floundering here...probably trying to tell you too much, and making everything about as clear as mud. If you ever want to make something, be sure and watch some youtube videos, because there is more to this than what I have told.
Anyway, I cut my strips...and next I get ready to sew them together.
Batiks do not really have a wrong side....they are dyed, not printed. But if these were printed, the right sides or pretty sides as some people call them would be facing each other. Notice that one edge of each strip is lined up on one of the mats lines. forming a 90ยบ angle.
Next I use a ruler to draw a line across the strips.
This is my sewing line...
I put my needle right in the very corner and sew across to the other corner...
It then looks like the above before pressing and before trimming off the ends.
Here it is trimmed and pressed open and then pressed in half...you have to look close to see the seam.
I like to connect the pieces this way rather than just sewing straight across the ends...it just means less bulk in one spot when sewing to the quilt.
That is it for now...I am very weary and want to sit back and relax.
