Ta Da! Another top done

 

These two blocks were done for the Comfort Quilt Bee I am part of.  Making them was an interesting process.  They have quite a few pieces to keep track of and points to match.  I like how they turned out.  It would be interesting to have an entire quilt of these, but given how long each one took me, it will be a while.

I did, however, finish up the shirt quilt which I have officially named Prairie Fusion.

During the entire process, I kept thinking about pioneer women using the scraps of worn out clothes and left over from making new shirts and dresses.  I did a bit of that, but put them together in a more liberated way with the wonky crosses.  Thus the fusion part of the name, which Tom came up with. I also added some plain patchwork squares in two sizes just for variety.  The finished top measures 57" x 54".  Now I can add it to the growing pile of tops I have to get quilted. 

I have gathered fabric for a few backings, but still need more.  I am not that fond of working on pieced backings. I also need to get some thread.  These things are not in the budget right now, but I still have plenty of scraps and fabric on my shelves to keep making tops.  I even have some new fabric I have won in drawings but not used.  I was also recently gifted some beautiful batiks that I want to use.  They would be great for the ribbon star blocks above.  Hmmmm.

The next three weeks will be very busy, but I will try and get some quilting and blogging done.  In the mean time, I hope you all are enjoying your summer.  Joyful quilting, everyone!

Progress on the shirt quilt

I started sewing the larger blocks together in rows this morning.  The strip of two on the right is what I did, three times.  Then, remember those 2 1/2" squares I cut from scraps the other day?  I decided to make strips of those to separate the larger strips.  I didn't get further than making enough four patches to put on the wall for the first gap.  I will have to work on the rest on Tuesday.  I have Bella for the next three days, so won't get much sewing done.

Here is a detail of just a portion of this quilt.  When I started this project, I wasn't sure if I would really like it or not.  I liked the idea of using re-purposed shirts and scraps that would probably just stay in the scrap boxes if not for this kind of project.  Now, I am really happy I started it.  I think it is a happy quilt.  The colors all sort of sing to me.  I enjoy seeing the scraps from other projects I have worked on.  I have a piece of a favorite Hawaiian dress, something from a quilt that I gifted a good friend, an old shirt of mine, pieces from a quilt I made for Tom, and many more little gems.  Lots of the fabric is from friends.  I guess this will be sort of a memory quilt.  That is a good thing.  Tom would like it to be a little bigger, and I think I know what to do that will keep the same flavor, but keep me from getting bored.  Does that ever happen to you?

I do have a tip to share about scrap/project storage.  I am a big fan of salad greens that come in big plastic tubs.  We eat quite a lot of them, so I wash them out well and use them for fabric storage.  I keep scraps in them or I keep fabric I am pulling for projects all together in them.  They stack very nicely.  They are free, and I am keeping them out of landfills.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Joyful quilting.

No quilts today, only chickens

I did spend some time in the studio this morning, making more blocks for the shirt quilt.  I made a design decision about it I will save until tomorrow when I can get it up on the design wall.  I think it is pretty exciting.  In the meantime, I thought I would introduce you to our chickens, just for fun.

Meet Janis Joplin.  Isn't she a beauty?  We are pretty sure she is not an Americauna, which is not really a recognized breed but a mix.  When they were three days old, they all looked alike.  We still like her.  I tried to capture the beautiful blues and greens in her feathers, but the light was just not right.  She is the leader of the pack.

This blond beauty is Veronica Lake.  She is just as sassy as she looks.  She has the fluffy cheeks typical of the Americauna, but they are not as pronounced as they are on Lady Bud.  Veronica is the most stand-offish of the group, and the last one to head into the pen at night.

Just like her namesake, Katherine Hepburn doesn't like to have her photo taken.  Notice the classy pattern of dark against blond made by the feathers on her back.  She also has the darker feathers under her neck.  She has a pretty even disposition and likes to nibble on her greens.

Last, but certainly not least, is Lady Bug.  She is the friendliest of the four.  Because she has the dark cheek feathers, her fluffy face is pretty pronounced.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a front face view today.  She wanted a profile shot.  I am not sure what the red thing is by her mouth.  I think it is Janis Joplin's little crown in the background.

These four ladies have figured out that they want the safety of the coop at night, so we no longer have to chase them around to put them in.  When they are ready, they climb the ramp by themselves, usually with Janis in the lead.  If we don't get out there when they reach the top, they let us know.  I hope they adjust their bed time as the days get shorter.  I wouldn't want to be out there in the dark trying to get the gate latched.

So far, having chickens is a great adventure.  Hopefully, they will begin laying eggs in the fall when they reach six months old.  I am not going to change this into a chicken blog, but I did want to share a bit of what else we are doing these days.

Tomorrow, I should have more quilt photos for you.  Until then,

Joyful quilting, everyone.



Red and orange make a difference

I spent time yesterday cutting out all the squares I needed for this quilt.  About 20% of them are from the red and orange plaid shirts in the collection.  This morning, I made up ten of those blocks and added them to the mix.  They won't be this predominant in the finished quilt, but I think I like the overall idea.  Thanks to those of you who supported Tom in this idea.  Even with all my cutting yesterday, I still have a shelf full of blue shirt parts.  I cut all the small bits into 2 1/2" squares, so now I have quite a few of those as well.  They may make an appearance in this quilt in some fashion before all is said and done.  I really enjoy making quilts with no real end plan.  Just enjoying the process.

This is my July AAQI quilt.  It is 6 1/2" x 10" and is hand quilted.  If you look closely, you can see some of my hand stitching.  I love these rich warm colors together.  The little inserts of turquoise came from the same color in the small piece of Sandy Gervais designed Tranquility I have used. To see this line, check out this site.) It is the olive green with the orange, brown, blue and cream squares. I used to have quite a bit of this fabric, but I think this may be just about the last of it.  This was the first line of fabric I used to make a quilt when I got back into quilting a couple of years ago.  My chosen style and fabric selections have changed quite a bit since then, but I still love all the fabrics in this line. 

In these two projects, I have combined all kinds of patterns from very traditional shirting plaids to bark cloth to my favorite Jinny Beyer design.  I have thrown caution to the wind in the shirting quilt mixing solids, batiks, plaids, paisleys, and whatever else comes out of my scrap bags.  This goes against the voice in my head that tries to remind me that there is an order to the universe and I should be paying attention to it.  Sometimes I do, but not for these two.  Maybe next time.

The chickens are loving the warm weather as much as I am.  They had their wings clipped yesterday after Janis Joplin decided to see how high she could fly.  Doesn't that sound just like her namesake?  They are now content to munch on the fresh greens Tom gives them every morning when he lets them out of their coop.  I am enjoying watching them grow but wondering how long it will be before they start paying rent with delicious blue shelled eggs.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

 

What's that on my design wall?

I was just going to show the progress of the shirt quilt, but decided not to crop out the small quilt next to it.  More about it next.  I added more shirt blocks with strips from the green and blue box.  I made the cuts in the opposite direction to add more interest.  When Tom saw it, he asked if I was going to use some of the other colors of plaids I have collected.  I stubbornly stated that I only wanted to use the blue ones.  Now, I am wondering it I could add some of the red and orange ones.  I don't have as many, so they would be just here and there.  I may make some up tomorrow and see what I think.  I really like the liberated nature of these blocks so far.

The little piece next to the shirt blocks is from my International Round Robin.  This block has had three participants so far.  After I add my touch, there will be one more before it goes back to its original creator.  This is a very creative and talented group of quilters.  We each have different styles, and that adds so much to the pieces.  We also do a fair amount of communicating with each other if we have concerns about what we are thinking of adding.  That is working very well for me.  If you want to see the other pieces in this round robin, hop over to our flickr page and take a look.

I am really enjoying these glorious Northwest summer days.  Tomorrow, I get to spend some time with Bella, and I am looking forward to that.  Tuesday, it is back to the studio.  The creative juices seem to be starting to flow again.  It has been a long dry spell.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

What if I . . .

. . . decided to make something with the shirts I have been cutting up and the scrap strips I have been putting into plastic bins?

I have been busy hand sewing the binding on the commission pieces, and am almost done.  Today, while I was stitching away, I thought about the reclaimed shirts and scraps I have building up on my shelves.  I have had several ideas about what to do with them, but never actually started anything.  I decided to do something about it.  I started small to see if I was going to like what I thought about doing.  These nine squares are the results.  They are six inch squares right now.  I have lots of blueish shirt fabric that I can continue to cut to make more squares.  I only got into the yellow/gold/orange strip box today.  I think I am going to continue to make these blocks using as many colors of the strips as I can to whittle down that part of my scrap stash.  I think this will make a great scrap quilt when all is said and done.  Then, I can figure out what to do with the other bins of scraps and the ever growing pile of 2 1/2 " squares.

I am always envious of those of you who are really good about cutting and organizing your scraps as you go along.  I am so far behind in even the sorting, I feel overwhelmed at times.  I was hoping this summer would be the time I would get it done.  Given how fast the days are going, I am not sure this is going to happen, but I will have fun playing with all of it for a while.  I don't know how quickly this quilt will grow, but it will.  Before I know it, I will be looking for backing for yet another quilt.  Oh well.  As long as the local Goodwill doesn't run out of nice used sheets, I will be fine.

Joyful quilting, everyone. 



A little commission

My neighbor asked me, a while ago, if I could make a few small quilts for gifts for relatives she is visiting later this summer.  At first, I was pretty excited, so I got to work to make a sample of something I thought would be fun.  She didn't like it, at all.  She wanted something more traditional, and more puffy, like the old quilts with high loft poly batting.  She pulled a piece she had purchased years before and asked if I could make something smaller, but with a similar design and loft.  Reluctantly, I agreed.  Then I put it off, until this week.

After looking at the sample for quite a while, I pulled some fabrics that I felt were representative of what she liked.  I simplified the design, and created six little quilts (13" x 15").  I have the backings all cut, as well as the bindings.  I have finished one, including the binding.  Now I have five left to finish. 

I have done a couple of commissions before, and each time I have learned that I have trouble getting past the "customer is always right."  In each case, however, I have done exactly what the customer has asked for.  I guess that builds character and stretches my personal growth.  All good things.

Joyful quilting, everyone, and Happy 4th!  



Back in the studio at last

I finally made it back into the studio to work on quilts.  It has been way too long.  The place was such a mess, I couldn't find a table top or anything that I was working on.  After spending some time straightening things out, I decided to work on some small projects.  I have posted the red and white part of this one before.  Here it is with the border.  I just need to quilt it and add a red binding and it will be done and ready to send to Germany as part of the Doll Quilt Monthly swap for July.  The theme is Patriotic.  I am hoping red, white, and blue fulfills the theme.

This is the June quilt for the doll quilt swap.  This theme is Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.  The lighter border is old fabric I had in my stash.  The darker fabric is new from my trip back East.  The borrowed is the idea for the pattern from an antique quilt pattern I saw in a book.  The blue should be obvious.  This one was really fun to make. I really like the dark fabric.  I wish I had purchased more of it.  This one is on its way to Florida.

This last piece was made for a new friend who had us over for dinner the other night.  I knew she liked purple, so that was where I started.  It is a 12" square with fast finish triangles for hanging, if so desired.  It is always tricky to make anything for someone you don't know well.  The colors are a bit tame compared to what I have been working with lately, but it was very calming and peaceful to work on.  Maybe a larger calm quilt is in my future.  We will see.

For those who are interested, we did get the chickens.  We have four beautiful Americauna chickens:  Veronica Lake (the blondest and most difficult to get into the coop at night), Janis Joplin (the one with the darkest coloring who dares to be different), Katherine Hepburn (the classiest looking and the one who behaves the best), and Lady Bug (the one with the dark cheeks who Bella named).  I will try and get photos posted soon.  So far, we have enjoyed getting to know them.  They are pretty quiet, making only soft murmuring sounds unless they are upset at us.  They love the weeds from our flower beds and oatmeal.  By the end of the summer, we are hoping for fresh eggs with beautiful blue shells and creamy yolks.  As we go along, I will add snippets of our life as backyard chicken farmers to this blog, along with more quilting adventures.

Until later, joyful quilting, everyone.

Some doll clothes - just a preview

Three down, and six to go.  Don't you just love them?

Improvirobin Quilt comes home

Back in early January, I started two things I hadn't done before.  I started on my healthy weight management program, and I joined the Improvirobin hosted by Stephanie at Venus de Hilo.  In both cases, what started out looking like one thing in January ended up looking like something very different by June.  Someday, I will tell you all the story of my weight loss journey, but today is about the quilt.

Stephanie and I had both been excited by a round robin quilt that Victoria made with a friend that was very non-traditional.  We both liked the idea and Stephanie got us started.  She invited her sister Abby (Quiltiverse), and Jackie from Canton Village Quilt Works.  I invited my sister-in-law Willa, and off we went.

I had been playing with warm colors at the time and built this center from a block a friend had made me and some of my favorite scraps.  I really liked it and thought it had wonderful possibilities.  I never imagined it would go where it did.  One of the rules for this robin was that you could do anything you wanted to what you were sent.  (Another important rule, since this was one of the rules, was that you couldn't complain about what was done.)  I sent this block to Willa.  She slashed it beyond recognition and added some incredibly wonderful African fabrics that I just love. Unfortunately, I cannot cut and paste photos from Flickr, but you can see it here.

Next, it went to Abby.  She created some beautiful liberated log cabins and added them to look like, as Stephanie put it,"a gathering of tribal huts in an African village." Here is Abby's addition. From Abby, the growing piece went to Stephanie.  Stephanie lives in Hilo, HI, one of my favorite places to visit.  She added a touch of the island to the quilt with beautiful tropical leaf appliques, and a couple of borders of stunningly beautiful fabric in the warm colors I love.  Here is Stephanie's addition.  While I was watching these transitions, I was wondering what Jackie would do.  She found just the right fabrics and added a pieced border on two sides that really spoke to me when I saw the photos.  When it arrived in the mail yesterday, I liked what she added even more.

So, without further ado, I give you Metaphor

Metaphor

40" x 40"

Improvirobin 2012

Why Metaphor?  It struck me that this quilt can be a metaphor for life.  At least my life.  If I cling to one way of doing things, stay in control of everything, I can pretty much predict the outcome.  If, on the other hand, I stay open to the possibilities, immerse myself in the process instead of focusing on the outcome, wonderful and exciting things may happen.  I am not sure I would do another robin with the same rule about being able to completely alter what was sent to you, but I am glad I joined this one.  It was a wonderful adventure, and I had great fun working on the other quilts and being part of a talented group of quilters.

And as a bonus for reading this far, I will share the beginning and current photos of the other journey I started in January. (Aren't you excited!)

Stay tuned for more exciting news in the next few days.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

Quick note

I am elbow deep in cutting out doll clothes, and really have nothing to show yet.  I will be back when I have the wardrobe finished for Bella's three favorite dolls.  Bella even got into her own stash to select fabric for some of the outfits.  So cute.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

Color challenge, and a winner

This is the dusty blue color challenge piece for a few weeks ago on 15 Minutes Play.  As you can see, I am a little behind in the colors.  I still have rust and tomato red to catch up on.  I hope to get them done before the new color comes out on Wednesday.  I was not surprised to find very little dusty blue in my stash.  I am low in blues in general, unless they are aqua or turquoise.  Since I rarely use red, white, and blue together, I decided to go with that this time.  I call this piece Miss American Pie.  It is destined to become an AAQI quilt.

And now, Congratulations! to Ann Skelton from Renegade Quilter on winning the 16 fat quarter bundle of Flea Market Fancy.  Ann participated in Sarah Craig's (Confessions of a Fabric Addict) H2H charity drive this year by making two great quilts.  I will be mailing her the bundle later today. There were many generous quilters who participated in this charity quilt drive this year.  Congratulations to them all.

And now, back to the doll clothes.  Joyful quilting, everyone.

Something liberated, something traditional

As I looked at this traditional red and white center on the design wall, I could see where I turned two four patches the wrong way.  Since it doesn't affect the overall circular illusion, I decided to leave it.  At this point, this piece is 18" square. I am going to add at least one blue border to make this a red, white, and blue piece. 

After I played in the traditional world for a while, I decided to play with my liberated medallion some more.

My quilting friend, Sally, who has gifted me with wonderful fabric scraps in the Provencal color, gave me these wonderful roosters, and I had to add them to this piece.

One of the things I like about this liberated method is that I can use traditional pieces to create something really whimsical and fun.  I decided to make the quarter square triangle blocks scrappy instead of matchy matchy.  I wanted to keep the scrappy feel I started in the center.  I also used what Gwen Marston refers to as the Martha Washington corners.  If you don't have a long enough border, just add fabric strips at the end.  One of the skills I learned recently was how to measure properly for attaching borders so they don't get wavy.  I measured precisely across the middle both ways, up and across.  I created the borders to be exactly that measurement and made them fit.  It really worked well.  I think the next border will have some liberated triangles.  I also want to bring that red back as well as some of the bright blue.  But it will have to wait a bit.

Why?  Bella's birthday is at the end of the month and she has asked me to make clothes for a couple of her favorite dolls.  It is really fun to make doll clothes, but it is time consuming.  All that pinning and cutting, and making tiny seams.  Can't wait to get started.

Check back tomorrow to see who won the fat quarter bundle of Flea Market Fancy from the H2H drawing over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. 

Until then, joyful quilting, everyone.

Progress on the International Robin

Meet Gaea. I posted the faces for this piece here.  I made the background a couple of weeks ago, and posted it here.  Since then, I have scratched my head about how to marry the parts.  Sharon is a wonderful quilt artist and I didn't want to mess up her great pieces.  After playing around with the different parts, I settled on this layout. I wanted to use all three faces, but I just couldn't figure out how to in a small piece. Then, I had to figure out how I wanted to attach them.  I decided to use really small stitches and attach the lighter green leaves first.  Then, I put the face with her already attached leaves down.  I only sewed around some of the leaves, leaving parts three dimensional.  Lastly, I attached the leaf garland so it hung down over her forehead.  I really like the way it all works together.  It is very earthy.  Maybe one of the other members of the international robin group will be able to brighten it up while still keeping the earthiness.  It will be fun to watch this grow.  I am just happy I finally caught up on this.  All I have left for this month is the doll quilt, and that is layered and ready to quilt.

Tomorrow starts my three days this week with Bella.  I will be back in the studio on Friday.  Until then, joyful quilting, everyone.