Wonderful World of Color*

It's a beautiful time of year right now, there's color everywhere. . .

and the quilt blocks under the needle in the sewing room are no exception! I'm still plugging away on the Barn Star Sampler, playing catch up for time missed.

I'm back at it again today, stitching blocks. It's hard, though, when I'm distracted by the wonderful world of color that surrounds me just outside the door. What distracts you?

As for Augie, he's enjoying the warmer days and time spent out on the porch.

We won't get into what distracts him: a leaf blowing by, a reflection in the window, 

a dog barking on television, a fly buzzing by, a stick on the ground... the list goes on! 😄

Life is Good!

*Being of a certain age, this phrase conjures up images of Tinkerbell 

flying over Cinderella's Castle and turning the black and white images

to technicolor on the Sunday evening broadcasts of Walt Disney's TV show.

I recall being ten years old or so and allowed to watch it at a friend's

 home down the street; she had a color TV! Such a sweet memory.

Pumping Up The Volume

After getting the Star Flower quilt all quilted and the binding attached, I needed a bit more color saturation to brighten the day. I dug deep into my bin of 4.5" square scraps and after a quick pass through the die cutter I set to work on this scrappy hexagon quilt. It's vibrant and fun. I have half of it pieced as it's shown here on the design wall. It will measure 56" X 72" at completion, containing 280 bright/medium/dark scraps out of the bin. Yay! Waste not, want not! 

So, here's the Star Flower quilt with the binding all basted in place for this evening's hand work. I love this quilt! There's so much to love: the softness, the "Puddles" quilting design, the ultimate binding choice (after load of auditions and consultations!), the pop of color on the backing, the fact that this one has been YEARS in the making! I'm claiming this one and keeping it forever.

Here is a sampling of the binding fabrics up for their audition.  Ultimately, I chose the one on the right.

Once the selection was finally decided upon, it was applied for stitching- a first view of the backing.

Another month has passed and a new one's begun. I'm SO READY for the warmer spring days. A dear friend gave me this Quiltfolk calendar at Christmastime. It hangs right over me desk space in the sewing room and where look at it every day. This month's photograph depicts a stack of stitched squares with this explanation: "my mother, who's battling dementia, finds familiarity in taking stitches on small squares of linen, filling them with circles, sweet meandering lines and and tiny hearts, forming new memories for herself and for her family." 💗

March 1st is my parents' wedding anniversary, this year they've celebrated 69 wonderful years! 💗💗

Star Flower is all ready to curl up under. As winter slips into spring I'm to celebrating with brighter, louder colors! For me, that means back to the scrap bins; I've got well over a hundred more hexagons to cut, that might just make a dent! 😉 Maybe. 

Life is Good!

Springing Up!

I didn't retouch the colors in this photo... spring has BURST upon the scene in all its vibrant glory!

Remember those 'wintered over' geraniums that I had high hopes for? They're springing up too!

This "Nellie Moser" variety Clematis actually sprinted up the lamp post, seemingly overnight!

 Speaking of things that happen overnight... deer, and their appetites, are springing up too. Groan. 

I wasn't quite fast enough with the Liquid Fence this year to prevent this initial attack. I'm on it now. These Hosta, gifts a few years ago from Quiltkeemosabe, line the edge of the driveway. When all is well, these show-stopping Hosta are huge and impressive. This one, that looks as though it was manicured with a weed eater, will rebound, and spring back up. I hope. Cross your fingers along with me.

Life is Good!

"It's The Journey"

"It's The Journey" ~ 49" X 61"

After months of deliberation "It's The Journey" has become a full-fledged flimsy; and a life lesson! What started out as the ultimate LQS border challenge has resulted in a well defined wall hanging that has named itself... and taught me a lot along the way. Let me recap the process that brought this quilt top into existence. Back in January I posted here about the project and showed my progress to date. At that time I decided to name this one "The Long and Winding Road"; I was naive enough back then to think I knew, sort of, where this might be headed and that I might have a bit of control!  By the end of January, with the selection of the third border (squares) and color (brown) I was flummoxed and desperate for help; I posted that plea here. By now I was referring to this project as "Destination: Unknown" which it remained until only recently.  By early May I was propelling this along by changing things up, cutting corners, and adding appliqué. Eventually, the outer black seemed necessary to rein it all in and keep the center contained. The final design elements selected, at the end of May, were appliqué and the color(s) red, yellow and/or blue. I machine appliquéd the words, they became the best definition for what this entire challenge represented. Suddenly it all became crystal clear to this quiltmaker: it never had been about the destination at all, but rather, the journey.  Given the chance I'd set out all over again on another one; I'm grateful for the challenge.

Life is Good!

More Challenges!

Just when I felt as though I was finding my way through the "Head For The Border" challenge I am confronted with another set of challenges in these blocks-of-the-month. These "only squares and rectangles" blocks are three quarters of the way complete, nine out of twelve in each of two colorways are pictured here. I have absolutely no idea how I will set them together. I find this side-by-side comparison interesting, the blocks look entirely different. I'll attend the next session at my LQS for block #10 tomorrow; my mind is racing with setting possibilities, it's not to early to start planning. What would you do if these blocks were yours?

Life is Good! 

Borders Galore!

Last Thursday our "Head For The Border" challenge group met to reveal their latest border additions. This last round saw the use of "square in a square" as the design element and the color purple. The results of each and every quilt are equally amazing and inspiring! For our next round we are each challenged  to add a "border made of pieced blocks" and the color orange, based on a random selection. 

Back to the drawing board! I came home from the meeting and immediately set to work in EQ7. The above plan will be my guide. I have decided to remove the last four corners blocks and replace them with four 'clover' blocks, as shown, for continuity of the center. My next border will be the black background blocks. We will have one more round after this one. "Destination: Unknown" is, at long last, offering me a hint of direction. I can't remember enjoying any journey more than I have this one; every step has been fun and exciting, watching this quilt develop has been a pure joy!

Life is Good!

Destination: Unknown

"Destination: Unknown" ~  31" X 31" (so far).

You all have been with me for the ride on this "Border Run" challenge from the beginning. It all started along the "Winding Way" with the central four blocks. Following assignment #1,  I added RECTANGLES in BLACK. Easy enough, and so the black and white continuing design element began. Assignment #2 was FLYING GEESE and GREEN; not too difficult. And then, it got harder; at our last group meeting SQUARES were drawn from the sack and the color BROWN! Brown? Really??  I recognized fairly quickly that, at this step, the challenge had been thrown down. I'm ready for our next group meeting at my LQS on Thursday, I've completed my homework. What's next? Nobody knows, it's up to a random draw from two brown paper sacks. This journey continues, my seat belt is fastened; it's full speed ahead!

Life is Good!

I Need Your Help!

This is a follow up to my last post, the one where I admitted to being directionally challenged. Yesterday was the third meeting of our "Head For The Border" group where we enjoyed an inspirational show and tell as well as learned our next "assignment" based on the random choice of a design element and a color. The element selected from the envelope was squares. Easy enough, right? The color chosen: brown. Hmmm. Well, I decided that if I needed to add one more color I would add four; so, along with brown I am incorporating orange, blue and purple into this next round. Now, for a design plan. Squares, as is, were too boring. Squares set on point, however, intrigue me and continue the movement outward. I have placed three design possibilities up for consideration and for voting.

 Let me know what you think: #1, #2, or #3.

#1 & #3 are almost identical, except for the corner blocks. (Pretend there's purple thrown in there too).

#2 is comprised of teeny, tiny squares, that border measures 1", finished.

Thanks, in advance, for your help... and your vote!
Life is Good!

Where Am I Headed?

Back in December I joined a round-robin group at my LQS entitled "Head For The Border". This is a round-robin that never leaves the hands of the original quiltmaker, everyone works on their own creation the entire time. As a way of sparking creativity and building skills, the unknown for the next border "round" is revealed each month by the drawing of a color and a design element to be used from a brown paper bag. We don't know where we're headed... it's the journey that makes this experience so much fun.

In order to develop a sense of direction toward the destination it's important to not only know where you are but how you got there. I often find myself relying on the most basic skills that I learned in the very first quilmaking class I ever took, back in 1983. (Are you reading this, Ann?) Back then we cut templates from plastic and drew every seam line with pencil. I don't use mylar sheets anymore for templates but sometimes certain situations (unusual sizes) call for me to draft the shapes in EQ7 and print them onto freezer paper sheets. I cut them out (on the stitching line) and iron them to the backside of my fabric pieces; then lightly draw around those shapes with a fine mechanical pencil. The pieces won't shift (I use a sandpaper board beneath the fabric pieces to ensure stability while tracing) and then cut them out 1/4" beyond the drawn line. The freezer paper is reusable (over and over and over...). This is much more accurate than using rotary cutting directions to the 1/16th or 1/32nd of an inch. I'm happy to have a solid piecing foundation, basically anything that can be drafted can be stitched using this technique. Even with a closetful of specialty rulers and a die cutter it's always a good feeling to return to the basics.

Ready for tomorrow... my "Head For The Border" medallion work in progress. This now measures 23.5" square; I believe there are to be three more "rounds". The four "Winding Ways" blocks are where I began. Round #1 saw us adding the color black and the design element of rectangles; round #2: green and flying geese. I can't wait for tomorrow's reveal and to see what everyone else has come up with. As for me, I may not know exactly where I'm headed, but I am guided by good directions and am having an enjoyable time getting there. I believe I am going to name this one "The Long And Winding Road". Stay tuned for more clues along the way to the ultimate destination.

Life is Good!

Going Green, TOO Green!

I have a pile of prepped "Chubby Chicks" ready for appliqué, and a few others done and destined for their place on the design wall amidst the pinwheel blocks. I had a few yards of green chosen, but it's clear to me now that I went way TOO green.
The pieced alternate blocks need to be lighter and softer, still green; but more pear-ish. Ah, gee... back to the fabric store; darn! Please, feel sorry for me. I now have eight vivid green pinwheel blocks; seed for a future project: "It's Not Easy Being Green"... sing it, Kermit!

Life is Good!