Rabbit 2 Top Finished

Using the absolutely last of the Strips 'n Curves fabric, I finished this top while DH worked late last year. Then the "demo that didn't occur" took over so I hadn't posted it. Again I only used the Negative/Positive template set. It has an '80s vibe but a child might like to race his cars or horses, build a city or irrigate farmland on this quilt. It is open to the imagination.

Yellow/green Strips n' Curves quilt top sewn

I love some of the subtle changes from one curved area to the next in this Rob Peter to Pay Paul variation. Amazingly the strips lined up well. Only a couple of seams didn't match up at all. I'm not sure why but I'm not going to worry about it.

Once the blocks were sewn, this top took another three days to put together. After the strip sheets of fabric were created, I didn't press anything again until it was all together. Then I carefully used up/down motion only with the iron; no back/forth movement at all. All the outer edges are bias cuts so it definitely needs a border. Probably very narrow, just to stabilize those edges.

DIL has requested this quilt for a friend. Done deal. Just need to quilt and bind it.

Enjoy the day,
Ann

Rabbit Quilted and Bound

This quilt has nothing to do with rabbits. Challenged by Mel Beach, I pulled the made-fabric out of storage. Because "What the $%#* was I thinking?" when I moved it four different times.

Since the fabric is made of one-inch finished strips, the most straightforward quilting seemed to be stitch in the ditch. I used smoke YLI nylon monofilament for the top and white cotton thread in the bobbin.

It's bound with one-inch wide (finished) single fold. Smaller didn't look right. While I wanted to use facing, I'm not sure who will get this quilt. It seems better to leave options open so it can be a wall or toddler quilt.

The binding is a Marimekko remnant fabric from Crate and Barrel.

Black and orange Negative/Positive quilt

All it needs is a name. Any ideas?

Quilt Details

Size: 45" x 45"

Design: Negative/Positive Strips 'n Curves from Louisa Smith

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100% cotton

Thread: YLI nylon monofilament and white Gutermann cotton

Quilting: Stitch in the ditch with walking foot

Previous posts:

1. Made fabric found in storage
2. Arranging the blocks
3. Sewing the top. BTW, this post includes details of switching your blog to HTTPS. Increase internet security for everyone by updating your blog today.

Wind Phone

Recently I heard a podcast about the Wind Phone in Osaka, Japan. A man mourning his cousin installed a booth with an unconnected rotary phone to 'speak' with him. Following the 2012 tsunami others began using it to talk with their own departed loved ones. Grief blankets the world today. The lives of too many people have been cut short. Perhaps we could repurpose some of our old phone booths to bring closure to families.

This American Life, Episode 597: One Last Thing Before I Go. Without knowing how long this link will work, you can currently listen to it here.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Putting the Top Together and Switching to HTTPS on Blogger

Another week, another disaster. This time California wildfires. My brother helped with some in Colorado earlier this year. There are opportunities for each of us to help somewhere. This planet is our only home; everyone is a neighbor.

I moved the blocks to the design wall as I sewed the diagonals. Arranging blocks in front of the oven won't work two days in a row. ;-)

Blocks sewn and transferred to the design wall

Switch to HTTPS

As we use technology we need to keep our hardware and software as secure as possible. Fantastic programmers are constantly finding solutions to weaknesses in the system. They report how to plug those holes. With phones, tablets, and computers it's frequently added to the system updates but we still have to push the button. Not to update is like refusing to wear your seatbelt.

We are all aware of the recent Equifax hack that stole millions of records. Current reports suggest hackers got in because Equifax failed to update a security patch for over a month. Through the years bloggers have been hacked; their links suddenly point to porn sites or their entire site sends you to a scam page instead. Fortunately there's an easy fix if you use Blogger. Simply switch to HTTPS, that's Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.

The "secure" is the important part because data can't be altered during transfer (your links won't be hacked) and users are sure they are communicating with your website (no man-in-the-middle attacks where a hacker redirects your entire site.

In Blogger, go to Settings then Basic. Click on "Yes" under HTTPS to HTTPS Redirect.

Hooray. You're safer already but you're not done. You'll probably see a "mixed message" note. This is a tedious but important repair. Get some coffee and expect to spend some time. How much time? That depends on how many links need fixing. Google has a page explaining how to repair mixed content for Blogger on Chrome. (This is what I use; I'm not a programmer.)

The first part reads:

Here's where you find JavaScript Console:

Here's what a mixed content message looks like. It's color coded. No, I don't know what all the other stuff means.

You must find that code in on your site and fix it. {Google has more information on discerning whether it's coming from a single page or is on multiple pages. Read the link above for that information.} If it's someone else's gadget, send them an email asking them to repair it. I could repair some; others need someone else to fix. I've given them a deadline.

Once you finish your old posts and pages, it's easier to avoid these errors in future. Here's how.

Yes, that code looks like the foreign language it is. But we can learn to understand the parts we need to repair. It's like learning to use SpellCheck. Good luck and "let's be careful out there."

EDIT: I prefer to create and edit my posts in Chrome. It and Blogger are both Google products so I expect fewer interface issues. You can check JavaScript in Safari. It's in the Develop menu.




If you can't find Develop, turn it on by going to Preferences...




and then clicking the Advanced tab.

JavaScript appears at the bottom of the screen. The correction process should be the same as with Chrome but I'm not certain of the details.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Arranging the Rabbit

I cut template pieces until there was no more fabric. I'm not making any more either since this was leftover from a previous, more colorful quilt. The remaining made-fabric was mainly black, grey/white, brown, and orange. There’s another section of yellow and green that may make a third quilt. That’s enough for now. The point is to use it up and move on, not create more. Although the templates lend themselves to some esoteric arrangements,  I'm going to lay them out as circles. First step is to simply set them all out. Here's version 1.

Version 1 of orange & black Strips 'n Curves

The orange rows are too heavy on bottom. So version 2 moves the orange up the right side a bit.

Version 2 of orange & black Strips 'n Curves

Still needs work. Version 3.

Version 3 of orange & black Strips 'n Curves

And version 4.

Version 4 of orange & black Strips 'n Curves

The orange is going too far up the right side but I like the top right ring rotation. Lots to think about.

One more issue. Somehow... this is laid out in front of the oven. We're going out to dinner tonight! I must remember this trick for the future. Feel free to use it yourself. ;-)

Enjoy the day, Ann