Friday, April 12, 2013

Big changes and little quilts

 
I recently finished this 9" x 12" quilt for a Craftsy class with Gloria Loughman.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  Selecting the fabrics was a challenge, since I only wanted to use what I had on hand.  The process for making this quilt was quite complex for me, but worth it in the long run.  I can definitely recommend this Linear Landscapes class if you want to make a landscape quilt and if you are a Gloria Loughman fan.  Included in the class is a template for making a landscape, but she also includes ideas about how to create your own template from a photograph or out of your head.  I used a photo from a hike Tom and I took on Kauai several years ago.  The mountain in the background is named after Queen Victoria and really looks like her profile in person. I have painted this picture, and now I have quilted it. I like the quilt best.
As for the big changes, Bella has a new little sister, Hadley Elizabeth, born on March 28.  We also have a new little grandson, Ulysse, born on March 30 in Nantes, France.  Tom will be heading over to meet him in a few weeks.  That brings me to another big change.  I have joined the work force!  With Bella in pre-school part of the day on four days, I found myself with time to go out and earn some much needed money.  I am working as an assistant to a real estate appraiser.  It is a steep learning curve, but I find it very interesting and rewarding.  I still have Bella all day on Wednesday, and we go to our ballet classes in the morning, then spend the rest of the day in the studio making new and wonderful creations.
I have all the rows for the Criss Cross quilt put together.
 
I can see there are going to be some challenges sewing them all together.  I have to take the first two rows apart and try and address the problems.  Right now, I am just enjoying the rows on the design wall.  It has a lot of energy and I really want to keep that with my design fixes.  This will take some time and thought.  I also have several quilts I need to make, the round robin to stretch my skills, and at least four more AAQI quilts to make.  It looks like I will be a very busy woman for a while.  This makes me happy.
Until next time, joyful quilting, everyone.