I'm Blue ~

It's not my mood that is blue.....all is well here on the home front - but my latest quilt in blue homespun has gotten me in a very good blue zone. 

Having all theses blues on hand, I was inspired by the Sugaridoo quiltalong (the one in which I didn't participate) and the Marston/Jones Free Range Triangle Quilts....particularly page 88 showing free range triangles designed and made by Joanne Salz. 

Totally improv triangles with a few 9-patch  and churn dash blocks for variety.  I had to add a few filler strips to get the columns sewn in and decided the spots of red added a bit of excitement to an otherwise not so lackluster blue quilt that finished at 55" x 76".   

And while outside yesterday getting pictures of my blue triangles, these Agapanthus just begged to be included.   

Looking back: What a day it was filled with a finished quilt, flowers and a blue sky.

Is it squared?

Is it squared?  No....but it's finished!  My molehill fans are stripped, pieced and quilted....finished.

Was it back in 2016? that several of us from way down here in Louisiana flew up to Ann Arbor to joyfully participate in a Glamp Stitchalot workshop hosted by Pink Castle Fabrics.  Oh how we did love the improv lineup of  teachers:  Latifah Saafir, Sherri Lynn Wood, Daniel Rouse, Luke Haynes, Nydia Kehnle and Nick Ball, each with an enlightening improv technique for us.  I talked about it here in a December, 2016 blog post.

It's taking me a while, but progress continues.

Latifah Saafir inspired - @latifahsaaafirstudios - Improv Molehills ~  This one was a challenge stripping 4 whole molehills and two half ones each one 24" across. So, have empathy for me and know that's why there are so many solid molehills pieced in.

Luke Haynes @entropies ~  I was  inspired by his take on deconstructed shirts and finished this one in 2017 shortly after returning from Glamp. Every now and then I'll make quilts with borders.....but, you have to look for them.  I usually get bored with obvious symmetrical borders on my quilts (and yours).

Two deconstructed thrift store shirts..........a quilt with borders
inspired by Luke Haynes

Sherri Lynn Wood  @sherrilynnwood -  Her Glamp workshop was all about ruler free strip piecing with emphasis on use of color.
Pictured is my first improv quilt inspired by Sherri Lynn - Floating Squares - from her book, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.  

Nydia Kehnle -  Improv applique

A little bit of the work in progress....slowly progressing with needle and thread in hand.  A few finished 2 1/2" improv applique blocks.

I know I've already finished my projects inspired by Nicholas Ball and Daniel Rouse.....but wouldn't you know, I can't find either picture and have probably donated both quilts to community service long ago.   Speaking of Nick Ball...did you by chance participate in his (Quilts From The Attic) Improv Triangle Sewalong?

I think I got my monies' worth out of Glamp, 2016!   For now, its almost a square deal and I'm finished.

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.

Saturday in May

The weather is still perfect - not too hot, not too cold and to top that off, the quilt back for yesterdays finished quilt top Mirror, Mirror is also stitched up.   Using practically every scrap of fabric left from the front and then some, it measures big enough to do the job. 

The grill is photo bombing but I don't care!  We'll be splitting a steak, baked potato and baked onion for dinner tonight and he's doing all the cooking.   Perfection.

May 1 and I'm dancing ~

Yes, doing a Happy Spring dance.  The mirror, mirror quilt top is finished! and I'm rather enjoying the Tula Pink  Tent Stripe in Fern surrounding all those hexagons.  No, it's not in perfect symmetry as the Kathy Doughty pattern might have suggested,  but what counts is that this quilt maker is okay with the out of sync-ness!   The Material Obsession pattern has 10 finished 'mirrors' but life just wouldn't let me take it that far so I gladly stopped at 7 and it's rather a good finish at seventy by seventy...ish. 

 


While out taking the picture, I enjoyed.....

A beautiful Louisiana May day here at home....not too cold, not too hot as I strolled the back garden.

Even with all the garden down sizing in the past couple of years,  there's still plenty to see....but not a weed in sight.  Staying home has been a good thing in my back garden. 

May your day be filled with serenity. 

Playing with favorites ~

Do you have favorites?  I do:  And one of those favorites is Gwen Marston and one of my favorite of her books (with Cathy Jones) is Free Range Triangle Quilts....an AQS Publication.

In their book, there are conversations on inspiration, lessons learned,  construction tips and free and open range triangles.  It's the free and open that drew me in. 

Being under 'house arrest' for the past several weeks has given me an opportunity to browse through my favorite scraps.....that would be all of them.....to come up with a couple of free range and care free triangle quilts. 

Here are the first free range triangles surrounded by a minimal style patched border.  I know, I know, we aren't suppose to add borders to make a larger quilt, but that's exactly why and what I did to this one. 

And the second set of free range triangles were sewn in columns separated by various widths of a Tula Pink betsybug red.  This one also needed to be enlarged and a Bonnie and Camille on the shelf just fit the bill.

 Mary Elizabeth Kinch shared in a workshop I attended her thoughts on the 'power of ish'.  Interpreted here to mean that a 5"  border strip might be enhanced by adding a 4" ish border to the other side.  Oh, it's powerful when there isn't enough of one fabric to be symmetrical. 

 

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.

Shopping? Well - Yes!

I just ordered gardening gloves from Walmart....online!  How convenient is that.  I will be hopeful that the ground will dry out about the time I get my gardening gloves in the mail.  While there may not be a virus in my soil, I do like to protect against critter (and other crawly things)  bites. 

And gas prices are so low, but the tanks are full!  Wouldn't you know.

It's Sunday, so I've been thinking this may put a lot of churches over the edge, especially those smaller ones that were hanging on by a thread before the pandemic.   Of course, the large mega ones probably have parishioners who have automated bank or credit card drafting so while they might have to curtail their brick and mortar spending, will survive and make up the deficit after the fact. 

So, I continue to enjoy my aloneness.  Amazing how the drama that was in my private life is not so filled with drama as the days pass.  Refreshing actually.  As refreshing as this contemporary sunflower quilt found while digging deep. 

Contemporary Sunflower.....

Good News Con't ~

While searching for a Kathy Doughty quilt pattern this morning, I found it.....the one I blogged about the other day and couldn't find the pattern maker.    Yes, I found it in Simply Moderne Magazine #10, 2017.   So now I can give credit to Sarah Sharp @nohatsquilts for instructions on how she constructed her Radiant Arrow quilt.....the likeness of which I attempted to duplicate.  Thank you Sarah and thank you Simply Moderne for the pleasure of your company in my sewing studio.

It's raining outside today while the stars continue to be aligned.

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.  

Hunkering Down ~

We, the HuMan and I, got word late yesterday that our local library is closing until mid-April.   This was a panic in itself since we both are avid readers and prefer our downsized version of reading without making a book purchase .   Just in the nick of time before the library doors closed, we selected enough books from  their full shelves to get through the crisis....she says in a positive tone!

Hunkering down is for the birds ~ 

This crisis may just be the one that forces me to enjoy the art of reading - electronics!!

I'm hunkering down at home.  Alternating between quilt making and reading - my days will be filled.

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. 

Positive Energy ~

What prompted this post from the past?   A post from March two years ago -  Positive Energy.  Oh, the joy of ..... rethinking the possibilities and wondering 'what if?'

While my heart wasn't in it, I felt compelled to join in with a group of quilters working up a retreat for next week.   Now that the retreat form is completed and the check is written and all is delivered to the retreat caretaker....I'm super excited and looking forward.

Something I read this morning - "look not down and back , but up and out."  From the book Listen To Me. 

When I was a kid, my sisters and I would sit on the front step and play guessing games.  How many cars would pass before the next red one came by?  Or, how many blue cars would be in the next 15 cars that passed.  Or how many kids could we see in cars that passed?  It was a game, but it kept us looking forward to what was yet to come.









I still love the positive energy I get  from playing the guessing games.....what's around the next corner or what might tomorrow have in store for me?    What new word will  I learn today and what new quilt design is going to pop into my head?  I hope to always be eager and ready for the surprise I know is out there when I don't jump to conclusions. 

In improvisational quilt-making you absolutely cannot/do not know the conclusion until you've put in the very last stitch.  I love that surprise element in my work.  Often tiring, never boring. 



















And so, I continue to splatter paint this morning.....it has no value, except to me.  I can see for miles.....the sand, the sea, the sky and sunshine.