August Accompli ~

 What's been accomplished this month.....a lot of quilt-top-making in an improvisational patchwork style:

Oh What Fun making this improv patchwork with some Marcia Derse fabric pieces.  This one finished at 42" x 60".

and just from a few scraps....6" blocks surrounded by 1" strips, Oh! My! finished at 46" x 54".  Already sold and shipped.

The quickest sew up of all is this Baby Goose pattern by Running Doe Designs.  Features Lotta Jansdotter fabric Glimma for a 42" x 58" finish. I've made several from this simple pattern just because it's a fast use of fabric (1 1/4 yds) plus six 8" blocks for the geese with six  more 8" background blocks.

 

Whew.....August has been a hot one and it's not over yet.

.....and for the past two months

 I've been busily enjoying myself, my husband, my home and garden.....but especially my time in the stillness of hand stitching.

Confession time:  I have a problem.  The problem is not necessarily a good one nor a bad one.  It's just a problem I have of needing to finish what I start - whether a movie, a book or a quilt!  I've learned through the years to walk out of theaters when the movie isn't giving me pleasure.  I can even shut a book and return it to the library unfinished.  Yet, I haven't been able to give in to having an unfinished quilt.  

So, what started out in my mind to be a grueling task, turned into a joyous adventure.  Two wool applique quilts finished in no time....an hour here, an hour there.  

A quilt pattern....A Cottage Garden

Quilt pattern.....How Does Your Garden Grow

Add to that my newest wool applique table runner....a kit purchased years ago at a quilt show in Little Rock, Arkansas that was a bust for vendors.  I stopped and chatted with one vendor who had not made a sale in her two days there.  My heart went out to her and while I didn't embroider, I purchased the kit.  Lucky me!  

And still a work in progress that I had initially intended to finish with machine decorative stitch embroidery, but now might just do all the edging with hand stitches.  Inspired by a painting I saw somewhere???

Revisiting some art quilts from my past...this one I dubbed 'Opposites in Black and White'.

and 'Chinese Checkers' 

and some free motion thread work 

Here is 'Collette' a framed fabric art card....one in the series "Pretty Ladies in Smart Hats".

and my thread sketched self-portrait.  Funny thing is she has no mouth which doesn't equate to she has no voice! 

  

Until next time.  While I enjoy re-visiting previous projects,  I remain being one who enjoys looking forward ~

Energy Continued ~ Part 2

 Yay.....I finished another, albeit  smaller, Orange Delight!  And, I love it.  Joy is using scraps for the best delights ever.  This pattern on page 12 in Bright Quilts from Down Under quilt magazine I have for sale here.   Edited....quilt book sold.

After finishing Orange Delight #2 but before putting Bright Quilts Mag away, I flipped a few pages and stopped on page 16.  Immediately intrigued with this one called Bitz and Piecez,  a quilt pattern by the delightfully eclectic Jan Mullen. 

 While I don't have these juiced up fabrics as Jan used, I do have tons of scraps which I took the time to piece together in random fashion and trimmed to 6" square.  Next came the snowball by adding the 4 corners.

Here's what's happening to the patchwork snowballs on my design wall.  

Cut loose and see where the feeling takes you ~ 

Feeling Energized ~

 Wasn't QuiltCon Together a delightful event!  

Certainly was from my viewpoint. 

 What energy! 

And how easy and comfortable here at home to listen and watch lectures, participate in workshops and shop those marvelous vendors.  

Yes, I'm feeling energized and lovin' it.  

As many of you know who follow me and my activities, I've been downsizing in the hopes of becoming (tongue in cheek) a minimalist.  And try as I may, some items that I love but am finished with just aren't selling as I thought they would.  Case in point is this wonderful Bright Quilts from Down Under Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  I  purchased it new for $25 and my price is a mere $10. 

 

One of my favorites  made from this book was the Orange Delight quilt, perfectly sized for sofa snuggling at 43" x 63" using all batik fabric front and back.  Once washed it became perfectly soft and comfortable. 

Where am I going with this story?  Yesterday as I flipped through the pages of this magazine, wondering why it didn't sell, I re-discovered my need to make another orange delight, this one slightly smaller for lack of batik  and instead of orange centers, I used more red and yellow simply because that's the batik fabric choices I had on hand.   

Here's a sampling of 6 finished blocks in the purple/berry color range.

and the remaining center blocks in red with the sashing strips fabric selected.  Yes, it truly is a bright quilt from down under and it's giving me so much energy just to cut and sew.

Hope you are feeling energized too.  And just for grins, here is the FaceBook photo album link to some of the items listed for sale.  

Not Alone ~

 I wasn't alone yesterday......not with 81 other participants!  Being in a workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood, whether live or virtual,  is always a joy.  She quietly pushes without bruising body or ego.  In her very joyful way, Sherri Lynn  encourages and inspires by example.  

No, how could I be alone while interacting with the group.  We listened, we learned, we cheered each other along as we cut and sewed, each of us working separately, yet together on our personal vision of  an improv floating squares patchwork.  

I did so enjoy using a few of my vintage flower sack street finds in this improv patchwork

Progress after a full day of expanding my horizons ~ It measures 30" ish x 30" ish.....give or take a few ish'es!  

My floating square improv patchwork from a few years ago continues to entice me to look a little bit closer and imagine "What If?"  

Reading and quilt-Making ~

What a life!  The sun is shining on a new day and I just finished another book and I cried.  Yes, I feel strongly that animals talk and also have feelings.  They are sensitive to our needs and to the needs of their fellow-kind.  I've seen pictures of a chicken nurturing kittens or a cow allowing a lamb to suckle.   It's us human kind that are most insensitive to our fellow man that is so often bothersome to me. 

Speaking of chronicles....the quilt tops continue to roll out  after watching  Sarah Bond's Scrappy Triangle  MQG webinar.    Two down and my scrap bins still overflow!  These scrappy triangles were so easily constructed and are so versatile in the design process. 

.....and an improv background piecing work-in-progress. I didn't run out of fabric, just the pastel lavender stripe!  The red polka dots will finish the improv job nicely. 

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.

Moving On ~

I had to get a grip.....just before ripping out many days of hand stitching these hexagons together!!!!

I was rocking along pretty well yesterday afternoon, being almost finished stitching down the hexie frames for these seven 15" x 24" rectangles.  It wasn't until I finished stitching all seven framed rectangles into one whole that I noticed they weren't properly aligned. Well, rats behind!  I've done it again.

Oops!  Isn't  the spacing at top and bottom suppose to look alike?  

Taking a deep breath, remembering my mantra to rethink the possibilities and never envision a finished quilt until it is finished.  Turns out those are pretty positive mantras since my look alike of  Kathy Doughty's quilt Mirror, Mirror didn't mirror the image I saw of her finished quilt.   Time to get a grip, breathe deep and know that patterns are meant to be guidelines, not rules of life. 

To be continued ~



 

Monday, Monday ~

Monday, Monday, so good to me............but you hold no guarantees.  But then, no day ever does.  Guess I'll just make my way to the sewing room to see what's up and on the design board and what's on the drawing board and what's on my mind.


Working in a series....another improv to the houses work in progress.  This is number 8 or 9 or so.  Whose counting?  I'll probably call this one "In The City."


This is what our 'garden' homes look like.  Small with almost look alike roofs and so close together with limited green space.   Yet, there are days when this is a very desirable condition.

Next is my vision of a high rise nested in a one-family housing neighborhood.  

8 level apartment complex under one roof!

And fabric pulled for my next quilt.....homespun.  Very fitting for this Monday where I'll be staying home.  Monday, Monday - so good to me.

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.

Friendship: Pass it on

At the end of each guild president's tenure, guild members are invited to make a 'friendship block' to  show their appreciation for her dedication and to honor the time put into doing this important job.  Not having a firm commitment from the group, I decided to hell with all your animosity.....this will be done.  Whoever wants to be a friend will sign on the designated fabric!   I committed to putting it all together into a true friends' quilt. 

You are either in this circle of friends or out.  The choice was yours.  Hopefully, when you signed your name to the fabric, you sincerely committed to being a friend.

I loved the healing process of sewing this together and hope our outgoing president loves it as well.  It is a small token, but we hope she feels honored and will continue to recognize  the names of her quilting friends as the years go by. 

I'm Staying In ~

I'll stay in today because staying in is being nice to self.  No hurry, no worry - just staying. 

Diary of recently finished quilts and a little bit of a work-in-progress. 

One started at the last Five O'Clock Quilters' retreat....completed here at home with big stitch hand quilting.  Calling this one On The Wings Of A Dove .....and that's a wrap.

Since my fabric shelves are filled to the brim, there was not much fabric purchased at QuiltCon 2020....except some from Beyond The Reef that could not be denied!   Cut and sewn into a lot of quarter-square triangles made from Natalie Barnes Homeward Collection. 

and a few "Plus" blocks.....a work-in-progress using Cherrywood hand dyed fabric. 

Staying in is being nice to self surrounded by all good things and with positive thoughts for those in harms way.