August Summary~

 Whether I like it or not, August is usually hot with very little rain  here in North Louisiana .  What started out as the norm, with a very wet mid-point, is ending in it's sunny glory....not entirely for the birds:  in my back garden and down the road a bit. 

 

.....August flew by as did the birds.  Until next time~ 

Filled w/Joy

 Flowers are in full bloom~ even if not in my garden ~ I stopped in my photo albums just to get a glimpse and a sniff this morning.  

and my buckets are filled to the brim ~ 

Happy Friday one and all:  

Eyes Wide Open ~

It was still very dark outside but my eyes popped wide open:  it was only 5:45 a.m.!!!!!  While I am a very early morning person, the get-up time has been inching closer and closer to 7 ish.  Sometimes when my eyes pop open, I'll force them (and my what's-in-store-for-me-today brain) closed for a little longer nap.  But this morning, I didn't push those eyelids closed and am super enjoying my early morning time alone.

What I've been doing with my eyes wide open in the past several days:

Sewing  more wide mouth zippered pouches , a Noodleheads' design.  Here's one with my painted and waxed fabric ~

and just finished twelve pillowcases for community service:  perhaps for the children in the CASA program or for those in the safety of the women's shelter or dear ones in a nursing home.  The need for our sewing and giving is endless.

With eyes wide open, I've been hand quilting my  "The Avenue" quilt:  a Louise Papas design for the Jen Kingwell collection.    Slowing getting there and loving the peace while sitting and stitching with no cares in my self-contained life.

I've been watching with great envy the projects of those participating in the Bernina Sugaridoo Quilt-along.  When it began in November, I didn't join in because of lack of time.  Now, there's plenty of it!   The  various quilt blocks set in columns has inspired me.  With homespun in hand, I've cut and pieced a number of triangles.  Doesn't fabric change once it's cut!

Not sure yet what the next block might be but I'm leaning toward my favorite quilt block, the churn dash.

Scraps and other notes ~

It was a fine morning to work in scraps to make great progress in Leila Gardunia's year of scrappy triangles.  Not a 2020 year, but one in my past that I copied Leila's  52 paper piecing patterns, each one different from the other,   and baby, would you look at them now.  They look fabulous all lined up in no particular order or design layout and with only 8 more to go......

It's too late to turn back now.  What a great time to paper piece while alone without distractions.

And the good news is ~

Not the way I usually spend March, but a very productive one, nonetheless.    The ins and outs of the house have been minimal.....basic needs, walks around the neighborhood, out the back door to the quilt-picture-taking-porch.

The sun has been in and out for the last few days so I've gotten a few good pics of the just finished....hand quilted....stars and arrow quilt.  Shamefaced - I don't remember where or when I saw this pattern....on the internet somewhere - so  sadly, no credit is given to this delightful quilt designer.  I often see pictures (without a pattern) and make an attempt to replicate.  This is probably what I did with this stars and arrow strip pieced quilt. 

A book on the  shelf caught my eye yesterday - Elizabeth Barton's  "Inspired Design."  While thumbing through, I especially enjoyed reading her thoughts on evaluating design.  Does the image convey your main idea.....is it pulled together so that people are engaged and want to continue looking.  Barton encourages evaluating an art quilt at every stage in the process, using basic principles of design as a checklist. 

• Unity and harmony
• Variety and tension
• Balance and tension
• Balance and proportion
• Repetition, rhythm and movement
• Economy

But while all these points of evaluation are important, what stayed with me yesterday was her thoughts on economy.....Elizabeth says that economy is one of  the most important guidelines.....and that a successful piece of visual art can be compared to a poem where every word adds something to the meaning.  While there will be connecting words, there should be nothing extraneous....no filler added simply to take up space.

Case in point.  Why, oh why, did I ever add that top border? .....it only takes up space!   The theme was houses and what lives within and without, so why, oh why,  did I add that undesirable filler?????  A lesson learned while working in the series:  house quilts.  

All this leads me to a friend's call yesterday to check on the 'elderly'. In conversation, she shared that her last finished quilt didn't include a border.  She said with every fabric she auditioned, the more convinced she became that an outer border detracted from her quilt.  (Well done my traditional quilt maker friend....well done!)   Elizabeth Barton would be pleased that you didn't add that filler just to follow the 'rules' imposed by many traditionalists.  

A simple little project ~

On such a cold, rain filled day, something to keep away the blues ~

In keeping with my quest to reduce plastic and paper waste, this little  goodie bag just fit my need to demonstrate the art of gift wrapping without waste.   This fabric gift bag for your Valentine's Day sweetheart is large enough to hold candy kisses, a tube of  the reddest red lip gloss or even diamond earrings.  Look -  no paper or plastic waste - using scraps of fabric instead.  The simplest things keep me smiling.   How fun to make these two goodie gift bags in under 20 minutes. 

All in the family ~

~  What a delightful blog is Mary & Patch where Maryline blogs about quilts and patterns and  her Three In A Row photography series. 

But first ~ My sisters and nieces had the most fun gathering last year - just us girls for a long, relaxing weekend in Hot Springs.  While there, we made a morning of walking the scenic paths in Garvan Woodland Gardens, a botanical respite nestled into the Ouachita Mountains.

 I thought this was such a fun picture of  sister, Sandy and her daughters.  They were so busy discussin' the what ifs and what fors that the walking stopped while some serious family issue was being resolved (no doubt).  I can just hear it now.....one of the girls said something or other and Sandy with hands on hips to stress the importance of what's right, was setting them straight on the issue.  Thankfully I was tagging along behind and saw this fun photo opportunity to catch a historical family moment  'just as we are.'     Love it!

So, when Mary & Patch put out the call for photos for her new series, Three In A Row, this picture popped into my head.   Thank you Sandy, Shannon and Kallie for the memories.

All in the family where fun can happen at any level of immaturity ~ 

What's New?

February wasn't my typical month.  While there was some sewing going on, it wasn't so much in my usual setting, but in a hospital and rehabilitation center.  You see, the HuMan in my life had a stroke early in the month and is now recovering beautifully.   We are home and he is going through out-patient rehabilitation.   Life continues to be good as we take one day at a time and make it the best day we can.   

So, what's sewing on?    Quilting, whether by hand or machine,  continues to be my therapy....and it was very therapeutic to get the binding hand sewn on these three quilts as I sat and watched as he continued to heal.   I knew there was a reason those quilts were stacked in the closet ready to grab and stitch to completion!

Yes, we foresee a most favorable outcome and consider this just a toe stub or a slight dip in the road. It was eye-opening for both of us and some life style changes are being  made. 

TTFN