Just so you know

When I posted my previous blog, I wasn't sure if my friend, Sujata, was ready to be exposed!  And I had not yet received her block.  Let me tell you, I am constantly hovering around my mailbox the last few days, anxiously awaiting her package.   If case you aren't already aware of this prolific and extremely talented artist, take the time to check out her personal  blog, her  group blog, and her Flickr portfolio.  When I ran across her photos of her amazing quilts, I felt a whole new world had been opened to me. I am constantly amazed at her talent and the volume of works that she produces.  She has such a wonderful style and talent with color.  So when she asked if I would like to exchange blocks, I was nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof.  What could I possibly create that Sujata would appreciate.  Very deep breaths, rolling of the shoulders, fingers drumming.  Obviously, I must agree to participate. How could I refuse! 

Can you just feel the snow falling on the Seattle cedars?

I can't tell you how happy I am now to have accepted her offer.  I think that it has helped me grow a bit more with my designing.  And to receive something so very special from such a generous and kind person to hang in my home means more to me than I can express.  We are both approaching each other's blocks with some trepidation.  But in the end I know they will both finish wonderfully.

Mean while, waiting for just the right inspiration to arise, so that I can add to Sujata's block and make it into a quilt, I am keeping busy with other items.  Here's a hint.

    For Tonya's word blog

 

just so you know my final decision

Since my daughter did agree as to how much she liked the subtle tones and simple designs, I am playing around with that idea.  Of course, I must add just a few hints of color. It is beginning as a combination influenced by Carol Taylor,  Yoshiko Jinzenji, and  The Quilting Edge tutorial.  I am going to give that quilt as you go technique a whirl.  By the way, if you haven't already taken a peek at Marianne's quilts, you don't know what you are missing. Isn't this blogging thing just the best ever!  Why did I ever think that I wouldn't enjoy this.

My family tree

A while back, a new friend suggested that we do a block exchange.  I would make a block and send to her and she would make a block to send to me.  We would then each complete the other person's block as a finished quilt. As both our families are environmentally conscious, we decided to use trees as the theme for our block.

I have never done anything like this and to be honest, I was very intimidated.  She is such a skilled, talented designer and quilter.  I am not sure that I could make something that she would appreciate or even like!  Even though she said, "no stress, no time limit, just when ever the mood strikes".   Still I had an immediate brain freeze. 

It was almost Thanksgiving.  Family holiday dinners and celebrations are coming along quickly, but wait! I had a vision.  I was compelled  to make this block in the midst of all this helter skeltered activity.  It took almost no time at all to make my sketch, grab some scraps and do some quick free piecing.

The holidays passed and I had not mailed this off to my friend. One day as I was critiquing the block, still hanging on my design wall, a thought suddenly occurred to me.  I realized why I was so compelled to get this completed in the midst of frantic holiday preparations.  You might notice that there are four tree trunks in this block.  One block for each family member: father, mother, daughter, son.  The tree on the left is spaced slightly apart from the other three.  The branches from the three trees on the right seem to be stretching out toward the tree on the left.   My daughter lives across the country from the rest of our family and would not be home for the holidays this year.  She would be spending the holidays with her husband and his family.  Was this a subconscious effort on my part?  All the while I was making this block, I wanted to extend it to include many more trees to complete the picture. But we had set a size limit.  I would have to save this idea for another day.   In the mean time ~ this block has gone to my lovely friend to share a part of my heart and my family.  And I am looking forward to receiving her block.  A gift from her heart and her family. 

Do you ever have those moments, when you look back at something you have created and realized that there was a deeper, unconscious force that causes you to create ?  What colors to choose, how to relay to others what you are feeling?  

good books

After visiting Jacquie's blog  I  must  talk about it. She is working on this incredible minimalist quilt and had referenced one of my favorite artists.   I have been drooling, slobbering through Quilt Artistry ~ Designs from the East by Yoshiko Jinzenji for months and months.  If I ever decided that I would resale this book on eBay I would have to note that it was a bit crinkled and looks as if it had been dropped in a tub of water.  Then a couple of weeks ago, I received Yoshiko's latest book, Quilting Line + Color.   It is going to look the same way in no time at all.  Of course these are two books that I will never part with. They are so soothing to page through.   Even if you don't like the minimalist style, they are both worth checking out, in my humble opinion. 

I have had some wonderful linen and cotton fabrics laying on my cutting table waiting for the right moment. They have been there for about, er, ah, well, judging by the dust, 6 months.  As much as I would love to make a quilt for my bed in white Jinzenji style, like this,

it would never, ever do.  With two cats and a husband who, although they love all my quilts, they just don't seem to get the fact that I would like to try and keep them clean.   While the four or five colorful quilts that are currently piled on our bed

don't show cat hair, grease, coffee and food stains, an all white quilt would not survive.
I learned that lesson from a previously white matelasse.   Let me rephrase:
I would not survive the stress of constantly trying to keep it clean.
As you can see, I don't even bother making our bed anymore. 

So back to the fabrics that I am going to use ~~~ I think ~ ~~  My bedroom walls are greige.  They've been that way for er, oh, um, a couple of years, or more.  Waiting for just the perfect complimentary bed coverings.  Currently the bed quilts are in a constant state of change, as is the wall decor.  Why is it that I can always give a quick and easy opinion when a friend asks for decorating advise at her house, and I can never make a decision at my house?  Do you have that problem?  Sorry, I am rambling around again.

So here are my fabrics:

Linens with a few Kona cottons.  Various shades from charcoal to pale gray.

What I would really love to use would be this:

 All white/oatmeal/neutral linen. Perhaps add bits of deep grays here and there. Then lots of lovely stitching.

Sigh...........

Maybe I could settle for something like this:

That just might hide all the cat hair and coffee stains.  Ya think?

Maybe the answer would be to make  the grays quilt for my bedroom. Wait a minute!
A light bulb moment. I can throw in some bits of hand dyed and shot cotton in terra cottas, turquoise, eggplant, fuchsia etc, etc, etc.

 
It may not have such a cool serene feel, but in the long run, I think I might like it even better.  Maybe I am not too much of a minimalist after all huh?   I am not too sure how long I can live without lots of color around me.
  I could always make the white/neutral quilt for my minimalist daughter's bedroom/guest bedroom.  It might stay a bit more clean if it is only used a few times a year.  Plus, I'll still have the books to drool over whenever I feel that urge. 
Thanks for helping me work through all that.  And if you have a chance,
be sure to check out Jinsenji's books. 

Thursday thoughts

Having offered to make a quilt for a baby due in a few short weeks, I asked Momma-to-be for her thoughts on colors, fabrics, theme and so forth.  I was excited to hear of her choices.  First of all she asked for dots, stripes, paisleys using the colors of kelly greens, turquoises, soft yellows and browns.  The next request not only excited me but challenged me.  Her family has peacocks and she has always loved those birds and their colorful plummage.  So she suggested that I might perhaps use a peacock symbol of some type on the quilt - nothing complicated, maybe something similar to the NBC peacock.  WHOOOOAAAA  Momma!   What am I gonna do?  I first thought of using my hand dyed solid fabrics.  Something abstract and free along the lines of Gwen Marston.  But maybe that is a bit too intense.  So back to dots, stripes, paisleys.   After many, many sketches, the best bet is go to the machine with my scrap bags.  Begin with the "eye" of the peacock feather and work my way through a block.  

Here is the result of my intuitive process, placed on a piece of fabric that I had batiked last summer, when it was so miserably hot and I was wishing for cold weather.  

(When will I ever learn ~ be careful what you wish for.)

I think the best way to continue this is to make a few more blocks and see where it takes me.  Lots of ideas swirling around.  I think I know where it will go, today.  We'll see what happens.

progress on other projects

 

I thought that I was certain as to how I wanted to quilt my posy quilt.  I had practice stitched all the ideas that I had sketched out. Got everything ready to begin the machine quilting, then as I sat down to begin, something else took control and here is what it said.  Tiny  round and oval seeds all over the quilt with ghost flowers sprouting up randomly amongst the seeds.  I generally dislike the quilting process, machine or hand, as I much prefer the design aspect.  But for some reason I have become obsessed with this one.  It has become a joy to just sit and move the needle over the fabric and see these little designs take shape.  Who woulda thunk it? 

back side

 

I love the way it looks on the back.  Using the different colors of threads to match the top fabric color gives it an interesting look, don't you think?  

There could be a hidden meaning in all this, because I do need lots of practice with my machine quilting and I had predetermined that I would be machine quilting great gran's string star repro quilt.    I want to duplicate the quilting patterns on GGM star quilt.  Perhaps by the time that I finish making thousands of tiny circles and ovals, I will, just maybe, have gotten a bit better and become a bit more patient.  Patient enough to make her proud.  Not to say that I am there yet, but who knows.  It could happen. 

the original GGM

my version ready for quilting

 My quilts are going to be featured for one week at my home town museum during their quilt show and I do want to have enough new pieces completed for the show.   So I have been plugging away  Nothing like waiting until the last minute to complete the quilting part, huh? So wish me luck.  I hope to have these both completed before mid March.  I'll let y'all know how that turns out.  Meanwhile, I better get busy........

Done & DONE

it's not gonna rain on my parade

The Aspens at Muddy Pass

for Sarah Beth & Kyle

marking the big event

 

Florna

Not much to say lately, because I've been getting a few things completed at long last.
Sorry about the photo quality.  The more pictures that I take the worse they get.

I Got Tagged

I'm IT.  Well not that kind of IT, but I was tagged by Lisa, who was tagged by Jan-Maree.  Then Lisa tagged me.  So check out Lisa's blog and see what great things that she is doing. And while you are there, don't forget to see who else she has tagged and take a peek at all her followers and followees.  What fun to discover exciting new and creative bloggers. 

Since I was so honored, I'm going to continue to share the award and name some fellow blogger friends who I'm sure would love your company also.

If you choose to participate, the rules are:

1. Tell who tagged you.

2. Add a link to their blog.

3. Award 3-5 bloggers who you think deserve this award.

Inform them & post directions to your blogspot.

Please don't tag people who already have 300 followers.

The goal of this award is get more publicity to blogs that are good, but not so well known.

So in the spirit of the award, I am tagging Sujata, Heather, and Valerie.   I hope you will check out their blogs and enjoy them as much as I do!  They are wonderfully talented artists. 

Cheers

Happy Days

I sketched

I colored

I designed on EQ

I was not happy

I ripped

I slashed

I cut

I auditioned

I stitched

I added all the leftovers and rejects

I added a bit more

I am very happy with the

 back door of my log cabin posies quilt

It has a new name

Not your Prim and Proper log cabin with posies

And for the first time ever, ever, ever in making a quilt

I have an idea of how I want to quilt it.

Hello 2011

Happy days are here again

So long sad times
Go long bad times
We are rid of you at last

Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Altogether shout it now
There's no one
Who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again

Your cares and troubles are gone
There'll be no more from now on
From now on ...

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So, Let's sing a song of cheer again

Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!

[Music and Lyrics by J. Yellen and M. Ager]

Happy New Year

from a late bloomer

Happy New Year

I spent the better part of  New Year's Eve cleaning up my studio.  Although I didn't finish all those UFO's in 2010, I am still resolved to get them completed by the end of 2011.  (HA!)  Famous last words, eh?

I pulled out this quilt .  It is a mystery quilt from Electric Quilt.com that my quilt guild did several years ago.  We were even featured on the EQ website with some of our almost completed quilts. I am thinking to myself about what could I do with this quilt if I finished quilting it.  

I realized that even though I never make New Year's resolutions, I could challenge myself to make more cuddle quilts.  There are far too many children who live in shelters without any parents or siblings.  This is something that they could have as their very own.  Something that they can wrap around themselves and feel that they are being hugged and loved. 

So I got this one all ready for quilting.

But wait, while I was cleaning up a stack of fabrics I found a fat quarter that I didn't know what to do with.  It was just rows of  kittens. OH!   Why not cut out each kittie and free-piece strips of fabrics all around each one.  The first block took around 15 minutes, maybe less.  So part of New Year's Day was spent piecing this quilt. 

  Now to get it sandwiched and ready to quilt.  This is a first for me.  Making a quilt in less than 6 hours. So  I should be able to make one each month.  What about you?  Can you do a quilt each month?

I hope that each child who will receive these quilts will feel the love that I felt as I sewed each and every stitch.  I hope that it will help to make them feel more secure and know that they are cared for.  I hope that it will give them hope for a happy and bright future.  I wish for them a happy and bright future.  So now, I know what to do with all of my other unquilted tops.  There are far too many children of all ages who need to feel love. 

Getting all dressed up

Did you ever start to get dressed and realize that you aren't satisfied with what you are wearing and how you look? Then change outfits several times?  Come on now, I will just bet that you've done it more than once.  I know that I certainly have.  On many, many occasions.  If it doesn't feel good, or look right to me at that moment,  I just won't wear it. Often I must change my top or my pants or my shoes several times before I am dressed for the day. Same thing with Posy here: This is where she began

I thought she was just a bit too plain Jane.  No pizzaz.  She needed some flowers to surround
her log cabins.

Something was just still not quite right.  I loved her new look, but kept thinking that something was missing.  Plus the thought occurred to me that she might be more useful in a queen size.

 I could add borders.  I considered charcoal and ivory when I snapped this picture with the top laid out on my tile floor.  It looked pretty cool.  But then when I actually added large triangles around the actual quilt, she screamed NO NO NO.  Way too contrived. 

So I tried making some other types of blocks - large blocks so that she could be a queen size quilt.
Now she shouts

HELP ME, I AM BEING OVERPOWERED BY GIANT LOGS AND POSIES.   Okay, got the message, she just does not want to be queen size. She is just going to be what she wants to be.  So I tried once again.  The thought occurred to me that she began as my experimental version of the Gee's Bend house top. This brought me around to another thought, "make more Gee's Bend style blocks for the border."  After trying big chunks, big strips, wavering between no border/yes border, I made lots of improvisational, free pieced blocks, using only the scrap fabrics from the background.  I trimmed these blocks to 6 1/2 inches in width and left the length whatever it happened to be.  Got all those placed around the quilt and thought to myself, STOP THIS MADNESS.  And I went to bed. 

 

Got up this morning still obsessing.  I remember a posted comment from Margaret suggesting that I have the posies spill over into the border.  "Why not give that a try?"I think   Now I am back to making more posies and leaves.  And if this doesn't work, I will  have quite a few blocks to make into another quilt.
So here she is trying on a few new posies.

 She is still not totally happy with what I have done to her.  Still a bit unsure of herself and her new look. Is she a bit overdone?  Sorta like way too much lipstick and rouge.  Perhaps I should let her rest for a while and go play/obsess with some others.   Anyway, she isn't scheduled for any public appearances any time soon.  If this look doesn't grow on us, we can always try something else. Tomorrow is another day. 

Progress

It makes the world go 'round.  I think?  If one does not progress then one will surely die a lingering death. Progress always makes me think of a Joni Mitchell song;  Big Yellow Taxi.  "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."  She is one of my heroes.  An artist.  A true artist to my way of thinking. Anyone who can write such exquisite lyrics and music, as well as paint incredible images is just brilliant in my book. Which brings me 'round to this.  In my somewhat smallish hometown, we are progressing.  In a couple more years, or less, we shall have a new airport.  Not a large, commercial airport, just one to accommodate private jets.  It will accommodate the captains of industry who must travel from far away places to our small city.  New industries that will make solar panels, cars, appliances, even shipping all those "cannot live without items" from Amazon, to name a few.  It will assist in providing new jobs for our depressed economy.  All those things that we need to progress. So, why am I spouting about all this?  The airport will encompass the land where I grew up. 

I took a walk over the property a few days ago.  The huge equipment has already uprooted the trees where I used to play as a child.  A huge, old oak tree, with roots extending on all sides had been cut down and hauled away for prime lumber.  As well as all the other oak, hickory, walnut, cedar and poplar trees.   These roots had provided the "house" for my acorn family when I was 8 or 9 years old.  I would "dust" out all the leaves and debris and have a glorious, multi-level dwelling for my entire acorn family amongst those huge oak roots.  This walk caused quite a few tears.

The farm where I grew up, where my brothers and sister grew up, where my mother grew up, where my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great grand-parents lived is no longer a family farm.  This is one of the few structures standing and will soon be gone as well.   This project will assist in the progress of our county and region.  It is progress. Ann and Lucius moved from Clay County, NC to Bradley County, TN.  Many of their descendants are still here.  Including me.  

And progress we must?   Reproducing my great grandmother's quilt. And in doing so, I am progressing in my own way.  I can only hope that it is the right thing that we are all doing. 

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."

Binding those ties couldn't wait

 

No matter that  I had resolved that December be the month to finish all those projects that I have hanging around in my studio.  I could reduce the tension in my shoulders and neck if I would just get out those pieces that are languishing around and complete them.  I have  placed them in pretty boxes on top of the cabinets that hold my fabric stash.  My thought here:  let's make them look nice even if I can't finish them up.   I am making a bit of progress, though. And if I am not able to empty those pretty boxes, I will be able to enjoy seeing the pretty boxes.  (Is there a song in that somewhere?) So these two small ones are fini.

Look out!  Here comes a fiberliscious package of recycled shirtings fabrics from a new friend, Lee Ann.  All the way from Seattle. She was so gracious to share her wonderful fabrics.  And it seems as if she used a microscope, or maybe even ESP, and sent exactly the fabrics that I would need to make great grandma's repro quilt work.  As she says, the older, used pieces add so much.  Of course I was compelled to jump right into the this. UFO's,  get back!  Me gots a new project to begin. 

The fun part:  trying to reproduce a similar look in this new quilt.  The not so fun part:  doing all that precise piecing. The string piecing seems to be a no brainer.  However, it has been so long since I have done actual, traditional type quilt blocks, I had forgotten why I lost interest in piecing/quilting in the first place.  I just cannot seem/seam to sew a straight line.  No matter that each part of my puzzle/block appears to be precise, when I begin to sew it all together ~ %&*@*!!!%^#&##. .  Well, then, this will be the challenge for the new year.  I have committed myself to do this thing and do this thing, I will.  Isn't that the reason for steam irons? Press and stretch that sucker into shape!  Jeeze, Louise!  What would Great Grandma and Grandma say about this? And please, do not mention anything about this to Ma.  Once it is all together and quilted and washed, who will know the difference ~ right?  It is gonna be okay.  And I can still make it fun.

 great grandma's original star

TA-DA!

my repro star

Ties that Bind

One of the good things about moving, as in moving your possessions from one place to another, is that you rediscover things to which you had previously never given much thought.  No, I am not moving, but Mom has moved.  Almost.  We have almost gotten all her stuff settled into our/her basement apartment.  She has been a collector of things.  Lots and lots of things.  And one of the things that she has collected over the years, has been quilts.  She was not a quilter, but she does love quilts.  And of all the lovely quilts that she has in her collection, I have rediscovered one.  We have determined that my fraternal great-grandmother must have made this one.

Rumor has it that great-grandmother did not get along very well with her daughter-in-law, my grandmother.  It seems that my grandmother used this quilt  as a padding under her nice, white linen tablecloth for Sunday dinners.  She had obviously trimmed it down just to fit her dining table, as there is no binding, only four raw edges  Get the idea?  Boy, was she 'dissin' her mother-in-law!    And, this same quilt was used by my mother under her nice, white linen tablecloths for her holiday dinners.  I always loved the nice cushion that it provided as we laid out the china and silver on the table.  And it absorbed any noise as well as the wet rings from the iced tea glasses as our large family dined.  A very nice table protector, indeed.

Now, I have discovered a new relationship with this quilt.  As stained and ragged as it might be, I think that the calico fabrics could possibly be from the mid 1800's.  It is beautifully quilted, although I do not know she could have made those tiny stitches through such an extremely thick and heavy batting.  Never the less,  I want to make a replica of my great grandmother's quilt.  I never met her, nor my grandmother, but this can be my way to connect to these steel magnolias.  I find myself conjuring up stories of their past.  The strings that tie us together.

So I am off in search of fabrics that will closely resemble the originals in this quilt.  Most of them look to be from shirtings of that era.  There are blacks, blues, purples, golds, reds, greens.  Of course they are very, very faded and many of the fabrics are in shreds.  But that only adds to the fun.  Wonder what those ladies would think of all this?  Scraps, strings and stars.