More flying geese and a commission

I had a most interesting day in the studio today.  I decided to start working on the circle of flying geese for Hokule'a.  I pressed the deconstructed shirt parts in prep for cutting.  I then cut them in pieces the right size for piecing.  I got a slow start after ripping out the same seam twice.  Can't say I am a fan of ripping out those tiny stitches, but I finally got it right.  After cutting, sewing, cutting, and pressing over and over again, I got half the circle done.  It may have to go on the back burner for a week or so.  I got my first quilt commission, and it is due next Saturday.

Yes, I accepted a commission to make a baby quilt by next Saturday morning.  I am pretty excited about doing this.  My client came over this afternoon and we looked at some of the patterns I have designed that I can get done in that amount of time.  It sounds like a long time, but I will actually only have three days in the studio to work on it.  We selected a design with stars and hearts for a little baby girl that is due in June.  The mother-to-be wants yellow and pink and white.  We went to the fabric store and picked up these beauties.  The pink with yellow dots is the flannel backing.  I put them all in the wash this afternoon, then got them pressed. Tomorrow morning, I am going to get the fabric cut, but then we have a wedding to shoot all afternoon, so I don't think I will get much sewn together.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Miki

Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

The Blogger's Quilt Festival begins today over at Amy' Creative Side.  I am excited to be a part of this great and exciting show.  Any quilt blogger may link up to her blog for this week to show a quilt.  Take some time to look at one or all of these beautiful quilts and read about how they were made. 

Tanzania Tango is my entry for this show.  Some time ago, I purchased some fabric made in Tanzania to add to my stash.  I really had no idea what to do with it.  Then, I discovered Ricky Tim's Harmonic Convergence and I fell in love with this process.  I like the idea of not having total control of the outcome.  (That is also what drew me to Victoria Findlay Wolfe's 15 Minute Play techniques.)  For the center of this quilt, I used four different fat quarters.  They were tied together in color, sort of.  Once I got the center sewn together, I was really excited about how the purple swirl pattern became a focal image.  I decided to pick up on the orange for the inner border.  I think that pulls all the fabrics together, and it contrasts well with the purple so that it really stands out.  I chose a gold on black fabric for the outer border because the gold pattern is almost a repeat of a pattern in one of the Tanzanian fabrics.  I used a deep purple binding to help bring out the purple swirls even more. 

I really didn't know what to do with the back.  I thought about going with a solid black, orange, or gold at one point.  Then, I decided I had just enough left of the quilt fabric to piece a back.  I am really glad I went that way.  Now, you can see what the original fabrics looked like.  I used a piece of the bottom row to make a label.  I actually finished this piece last night, and was excited to post it, but blogger got in the way.  I am happy they fixed their problems so I could share this with you all.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

Quilting Green

"What?  Has the old girl lost her mind, then?  Why in the world is she showing us her ironing pile?"
 I can hear you all now.  This, I will have you know, is a future quilt or two, green style.  I have been trolling through our 100% cotton Hawaiian shirt and dress collection.  So far, these have made the pile.  I spent some time today cutting them into usable parts.  This was not really easy to do, because I really liked these shirts, and one dress.  I don't wear them any more, however, so I will be able to love the fabrics in a new format.  I am going to use three of them to build the circle of flying geese for Hokule'a.  The rest are going in the bin with the Hawaiian fabric I collected while living there.  I have also put out the word to family members that they should send any 100% cotton clothes they no longer want.  I will build my stash however I can.
I had a very busy Monday, and didn't get into the studio except to cut up a few shirts.  I managed to pick up two jobs for extra money.  I am doing a bit of freelance resume writing, and I am now a real estate marketing assistant.  I have done both jobs before, and I enjoy them, so I am happy for this opportunity to earn fabric money.  My husband and I also celebrated that he signed up two new distributors for our Send Out Cards business.  All in all, a good day.
I also picked up a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol. 3.  I haven't opened it yet, but I am looking forward to spending quality time looking at all the wonderful blocks.
I will be watching Bella for the next two days, so I will talk to you all again on Thursday.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

Exciting news!

Today, my blog was featured over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I was very honored to be chosen.  It was really fun to see which quilts she selected to show.  Thank you, Sarah.

Today, I ironed the fabrics for the preemie quilt.  I made my flying geese and decided what to do for the strips between the geese.  I got it all pieced and pressed just before we went to my daughter's for dinner.  I asked Tom to take the photo because my camera sees yellow, then all other colors disappear. This is a very warm and cheery quilt.  Now, I have to find some flannel that matches and is just as warm and bright.  I am hoping I can find something in cheddar.  The search is on tomorrow.  This quilt will finish at 24" x 30".

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.
Joyful quilting, Miki