In A Safe Place ~

I've been rambling around in my pictures,
where I thought I would be safe.....
this morning.....
but I got lost in the many thousands.....
of pictures
in one file or another.




 

 

 

 

I'm in a safe place, where are you?

 

 

 

It was a trip ~

A once in a lifetime trip for me - a trip to the Houston Quilt Festival,

where they were celebrating their 40 years of great quilts. 

I walked in the door and saw

  A most spectacular display of red and white quilts from around the world.

Breathtaking ~

My most favorite quilt on display was entitled Fade Into Gray

pieced and quilted by Stephanie Ruyle, Denver, Colorado

A favorite quilt series of sixteen by Yvonne Porcella

A most fun time watching the people - 

A lady in a most thoughtful mood drinking in the beauty of Yvonne's collection. 

 

Oh, what a most delightful surprise

to see my lone start quilt hanging in

Hannah's booth

One of my favorite vendors:  Color by Hand -

where I left a bundle, but didn't come home empty-handed!

 

 

 

A most unforgettable view:  only a portion of the more than 1100 vendor booths....Oh, My!

A picture taken through a mezzanine porthole ~

 

Home again, but still thinking about the Houston Quilt Festival, 2014.

 

 

 

I revisited some Kaffe Fabric

Just a few wonderful choices of which I had not too much was gathered and put into a quilt top.....

quilted it up

and decided that I needed to revisit this one.  Something about it just wasn't to my liking

 

so, I chopped, sliced and diced and re-attached. 


No, it's still not to my liking.  Perhaps I should have left it alone.  Perhaps I should have chopped, sliced and diced even more.  Perhaps I'm giving this one way to much attention. 

What I really think is that I should revisit this one at a later time.  Perhaps this one would make that  oversize tote I've been needing!  That day will surely come....on the next visit. 





 

When ACTUALLY, I think it's hip to be a square quilt ~

There are some who say they don't like square quilts.  While I might not want to try to cover my queen size bed with a square quilt, there are places that square quilts really work....for instance, hanging on the wall, or in this case, the clothes line! 

 

Beautifully displayed hanging off my old iron bed footboard in the guest bedroom.

 

 

 

Or thrown over the rocker on my back patio. 

 

 

 

What the heck, I love it on a quilt stand too

when not in use anywhere else on the property

 

 

 

Yes, wherever it hangs, it makes the statement

 

 

"It's hip to be square!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel to Louisiana for Satsumas

 We are getting down to the finish line with the Louisiana traveling quilt.  Kelly's has just left the house on to the next quilter to add another block. 

I had to really think about this one.  "Louisiana" is the theme Kelly decided each of us should consider when adding our blocks to her quilt.   I live here so this should be easy yet when I received her quilt, I was at a loss - not because I don't know about my state, but because there was so much extreme applique and English paper-piecing.  I went into overwhelm at the intricate detail and beauty of each block.   There was the  red stick (Baton Rouge), New Orleans superdome and the intricate fleur de lis and all those French Quarter street signs....okay, time to take a deep breath and get control.  No one said I had to add a block that imitates all the other blocks. 

So, digging deep into my knowledge of Louisiana and also being determined to add an improvisational-style block, I came up with the orange peel block pattern, added a few flying geese and scraps of this 'n that for fillers. 

Now, a little history.  The Satsuma trees were exported to the West from Satsuma Province in Japan and produce a fruit that is about the size of the mandarin orange.  Groves started by Jesuits in the 18th century in Plaquemines Parish have continued to the present day.   Satsuma groves flourish across the southern part of Louisiana.   So, Kelly, there you have it.....the orange peel pieced in a very modern improvisational style is my addition to your Louisiana traveling quilt. 





 

I'm a wee bit behind....but getting closer to the finish line

It's been a whirlwind month.

My "Inspired By A Nine-Patch" workshop went off without a hitch.  Fourteen energized quilters joined in the fun and we filled the day making nine-patch blocks, slicing them up, down, in and out, until we began to feel the improvisational 9-patch love.

Some of us stopped to figure it out! before proceeding.

 

Some talked

Some listened

Some smiled and stitched the day away.  Catch a glimpse of Gerry's fabric.  Oh, man!

 I'm coveting Debbie's red and black mix.  What a bold and beautiful statement this is making on her design wall.

And Janet's background was just perfect for her traditional setting. Love it.

 

Liz decided to use only Kaffe Fassett fabric.....lucky girl won as a door prize. 

I touched her, hoping the luck would pass to me!

 

All fourteen quilters had made a vastly different  fabric selection for the workshop.  It just made my day to see how everyone's quilt top came together in either a traditional or modern double-disappearing nine-patch design. 



 

 

When you're feeling kinda blue ~

On those days when I'm a little down and out of sorts, I've learned to head on into my sewing room and sew.  Just sew - anything.  Just sew. 

I wasn't down and out this morning, but I was on a mission.  A mission to make Christmas stockings and have them ready to be filled with love and peace and hope and joy for someone who might be alone or home bound during the holiday season.  Just the making of these stockings took me away from myself and my worries and insecurities of what might be and it feels good. 

 

Monochromatic...that's the theme

It's another bi-monthly posting.  One for Art Quilts Around The World....a group of twenty or so of us who just enjoy the process of making art quilts.  Some of us follow the rules, some of us don't!

The theme for this challenge was "monochromatic."  However, when I came to the finish line, I decided that my art quilt didn't exactly follow the rules!  It is therefore very aptly named "Oh, Dear!  Where did we go wrong?" 

 

Papa thread person is in pink! duh!......mama thread person is in blue! duh!

and baby thread person is in pink, blue and gold! 

and looks as if she could have been

hatched from an egg!

how monochromatic is this?

oh, well

 

 

 

Just stretch your imagination a bit and play along with me.

 

 

 

 

 

What's the common element?

Everything in these pictures belong together!  So, what's the common element? 

All this is going with me on a road trip to Lafayette, Louisiana.  A few door prizes, my workshop handouts, even a few sample blocks to show the group how many directions working with a 9-patch can go.  

And a stack of sample quilts I've put together for the workshop. 

Just a hint at how diverse this can be ~

I'm leaving tomorrow with all this 'stuff" and more for my "Inspired By A Nine-Patch" workshop for members of Quilter's Guild Acadienne.   Some of the workshop attendees are very traditional quilters and some are modern.  We'll all be working on the same basic design that can go anywhere the quilter wants it to go.  Whether traditional or modern, we'll all be "Inspired By A Nine-Patch." 

TTFN




 

Louisiana Traveling Quilt....an update

The Northeast Louisiana Modern Quilt Guild (of which I am a member) is in its fourth month, or is it the fifth month?, of making and adding our blocks to each others Louisiana traveling quilt.  I just finished Mr. Pat's blocks and his quilt top is in the mail to the next member in the traveling quilt rotation. 

I first added a small block to fill in a blank space.

Then made my strip to add to the top of  Mr. Pat's quilt.   Having second thoughts here...I just don't like this placement of my long strip.   So glad I auditioned it first rather than have to rip.

The placement was much better on the left side and helped to balance the white strip added by Becky and the top added by Marie.  I really like the minimal black surrounded by white that I added to finish out what Marie had added to Mr. Pat's Louisiana traveling quilt. 

Mr. Pat, I think you're gonna love your quilt top....I sure do.

Newest "Inspired by a 9-patch" quilt top

I'm an old(er) toot, but I'm of the modern persuasion when it comes to quilting.   I'm honored to be invited to teach a quilting workshop in a couple of weeks for my friends and fellow Quilt Guild Acadienne members in Lafayette, Louisiana. 

It's gonna be fun with some in the workshop wanting a traditional approach and some a very modern version of the double-disappearing nine-patch.   I've been busy this summer making up lots of DD9-patch quilt tops and when I looked back, discovered that most of them are modern....improvisational piecing and block placement.   No, I'm not EVEN tired of this sew and cut and sew and cut again approach to quilt-making so I whipped up another quilt top with a more traditional tone the other day using my newly found Robert Kaufman "Spot On" charm pack. 

I had three blocks left over and added a lot of background white to arrive at this minimalist modern:
Yes, it is the same technique!  But what a difference adding background made.  I'm addicted to the double disappearing 9-patch.  I'm also addicted to this quilt-as-you-go-quilting technique. 

 

I love that little touch of green: 

Oh, yes, I am very patriotic, but with that smidge of green, I thought the name just fit this quilt! 

So, you see, it's not necessarily the fabric that makes  a quilt modern or traditional....it's the quilt maker who makes the difference.  (she says)







 

and it's as if i had nothing to do ~

when i discovered this mod squad script in a magazine and lifted it onto a note card and placed the card on one of my hand painted/stamped fabrics that abounds in and around the studio and grabbed the camera

you see, i'm a member of a modern quilting group in lafayette, louisiana,  and we call ourselves "the mod squad" 

so it was fitting that i complete this task to reinforce who i am and who we are and that we are not alone even though we feel isolated at times
our numbers are growing

so here's to you mod squad louisiana and anywhere else
you may be quilting modern