Journey's End

At long last, "It's The Journey" is completely done and hanging in the studio. This wallhanging, measuring 47" X 60", was a little over a year in the making; it's history can be found  here, here and here. 

"It's The Journey" quilting detail.

The journey ends here; that final step was realized with installation onto the wall over Snowbird.

Life is Good! 

Nearing The End Of The Road

"It's The Journey"  ~ 48" X 60"

All good journeys must, eventually, come to an end. I put the final quilting stitches in this quilt today... it's been a long road to the finish line.  It all began here, just over a year ago; with what was known as the Head For The Border challenge at my LQS.  There were some false starts, more than a few stumbling blocks, and many, many decisions along the way. The quilting was just as challenging for me; a wide variety of components tested my abilities every step of the way!  This evening I've been trimming the edges and preparing the binding. Just like with every great trip I'm rewarded, at this final juncture, with a wealth of happy memories; from the initial planning to all the stops and sidetrips taken in transit. My plan is to hang this wallhanging between the two front windows in the studio, directly over Snowbird; it will serve to remind me that life never is about the destination... it's always about the journey. All in all, it's been a great adventure, thanks for riding along with me!

Life is Good!

 

Added Dimension...

"It's The Journey"

Over the past week or so I've been adding dimension, in the form of quilted texture, to "It's The Journey".  You will remember this quilt as a long-running border challenge project, I posted about it here back in July.  Just as in the original challenge, I have been flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to quilting this one, coming up with each element as I go along. I have enjoyed every, single, step of this journey toward completion; the quilting is no exception to that!  Some continuous curves seem to play nicely off the squares-in squares and, of course, there are feathers (my new favorite thing to quilt!) in the more open border areas.

Some feather-like shapes and curly-cues fill in the flying geese areas nicely.

I've added more feathers in the central portion of this quilt in the Winding Ways blocks, and plan to mimic the identical border treatments as I progress outward to the opposite borders. Snowbird and I have become a good team, breathing life into this quilt as we go along, by adding some exciting dimension to an otherwise flat surface... it's all good.

Life is Good!

Crossing The Border... The Final Chapter!

Potluck dinner at the LQS

You'll remember, over the last several months, my agonizing over the border "challenge" (Head For the Border) issued by my LQS.  Every month a design element and a color were each drawn, randomly, from a brown paper lunch bag and the participants set to work on that next border round, satisfying that newest criteria... it wasn't easy, but rather a true "challenge" in every sense of that word!  On Thursday evening we gathered at our LQS; first, to enjoy a delicious potluck dinner, and then for the final reveal! I was impressed, a few of the quilts were already done to point of being quilted and bound... one was even hand quilted! You can click here to view a slideshow of the spectacular finished flimises, quilts and their proud creators.  All in all it was a wonderful evening, yours truly even came home with a doorprize; it doesn't get much better than that... unless you keep in mind that the originators of this challenge have promised a new challenge in January of next year... I, for one, can't wait!

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!

This and That Thursday

There's been but a lot going on lately; but it's not a whole lot of any one thing.  I've been chipping away at the Head For The Border piece, working on machine appliqué of the top and bottom borders. We will have the final reveal/reunion of our group at the end of August and if all goes according to plan I hope to have mine done and quilted by then. We all know what happens to even the best laid plans though. Wish me luck; we'll see, I'm hoping for the best.

There's been steady progress on the quilting of "Got Cookies?"; I'm actually out to the borders now and ready to turn it. 
I hope to have the binding in place next week and be ready for handwork.

I fulfilled a burp cloth request recently; something I still love
 to do, but the orders are infrequent and sporadic.

A certain grandson is soon to have his 6th birthday and he has requested
a Corn Hole game. Nana was able to do her part... PawPaw is still working on
painting the boards in the workshop. Shhhhh... it's a secret!

We ate at Applebee's last night and found tablets for ordering installed at every table now.
I think it's ridiciulous; more technology replacing jobs, plus the added distraction of games
available for play too... nothing like adding to the demise of a family dinner together where
 conversation and eye-to-eye contact used to be the highlight of eating out together. 
This was my rant on the subject, my husband tried to explain things to me from a business standpoint...
not that he was in favor of the tablets necessarily, but simply to give me another perspective. 
Personally, I find the tablets sad for all the reasons stated above... 
what do you think, is this progress for the better?

Speaking of family... there's a great family drama series,
Heartland, available for viewing through Netflix all the way 
back to the premier episode from 2007. Filmed in the majestic Canandian 
Rockies the series centers around a horse ranch run by two sisters 
and their grandfather; it's a joy to watch and I am hooked!
I don't know how I ever missed this from the beginning, but have been
catching up on all the episodes this summer; I'm so happy to have found it.
Netflix is really the best way to watch a series like this: no commercials!

Life is Good!

It's the Journey

Yesterday afternoon the "Head For The Border" challenge group met for show and tell and to select the final border elements. Applique and either the color red, yellow or blue were selected. I am going to incorporate all of the above using a quote I found in a "Pillow Sayings" book that describes, perfectly, everything about this journey.  My applique will be letters and done by machine, the color choices will be within the lettering. We'll gather once more, as a group, for the grand finale and a meal together at the end of August. I cannot remember a better challenge or one that's been as much fun. I am grateful for the organizers at my LQS who thought outside the box on this one and worked hard to encourage and support the participants every step along the way. And so... my plan, or roadmap, to get me to the goal:

"It's The Journey" ~ 47.5" X 59.5"

This poster-style quilt will eventually hang between the front windows in the studio
as an everyday reminder that life really is all about the journey, NOT the destination!

Life is Good!

Cutting Corners

I've cut corners to prepare the way for the next border round on "Destination: Unknown", but not in the way  you might think; according to the American Idiom dictionary by Merriam- Webster  "cutting corners" is defined as follows:

cut corners

Fig. to take shortcuts; to save money or effort by finding cheaper or easier ways to do something. They're always finding ways to cut corners. I won't cut corners just to save money. I put quality first.

See also: corner, cut

I certainly didn't take a cheaper, easier or faster path; instead, what I did was pretty much the exact opposite!  Out with the existing black and white pieced corner blocks (pictured, left) and in with miniature, appliquéd versions of the "Winding Way" blocks in the quilt's center. These now visually set the stage for the transition to the next, black background, border of "Economy" blocks by echoing back to the center motif at the same time. This month's randomly drawn challenge was a border of "pieced blocks" and "the color orange". I've met the criteria and am pleased with this latest result.

"Destination: Unknown" ~ 49" X 49"

Maybe I should have entitled this post "Replacing Corners". Sometimes things aren't at all what we might expect by definition; and, sometimes the direction we're headed only reveals itself the longer we hold fast and stay the course. There's one more round on this "Head For The Border" challenge; at long last the way seems to be clearer and more straight forward, the final design element and color will be chosen this week, wish me luck!

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!

What's Next?

There's a wide open empty space in the studio...  the area that used to be filled with Sundance is looming large. I might be sad about Sundance moving on to a new location, but I can't be; she is living happily in her new home, much loved and well-cared for. I went by for a visit on Monday and she was already quilting a baby quilt and performing well.  Since her departure I have spread out a number of things on the floor, the latest being "Destination: Unknown" with all four borders attached, now measuring in at 40" square; it will, eventually, hang on the wall between the two windows pictured. What will it hang above? What's next for this floor space? 

Any guesses?

Life is Good!

In Case You Were Wondering...

...where I have been I can reasssure you that I haven't been abducted by aliens, I have not been sequestered in a jury room nor have I evaporated into thin air; I've been focused like a laser beam on getting those fourteen highschool graduation quilts ready. Thanks to a concerted effort I'm seeing great results on that front. In between there's been lots of day-to-day activities: grandchildren, errands, cooking and housekeeping... you know how it goes; all those time-devouring tasks that eat up the hours, one after another, and leave us scratching our heads and looking back, wondering where the days have gone.

After a few false starts and missteps I have finally settled on a plan for the next border round on "Destination: Unknown", this time the element challenge is "square in a square" and the color requirement is purple. I have the top border in place and am deliberating on rather I will just do top and bottom this time or surround the entire quilt. I need to confirm my intentions SOON as our next meeting is in one week.

"Destination: Unknown"

Gregory and Lynnleigh were here on this week, Gregory begged to watch the movie "Boat Haven". I honestly didn't know what he was talking about at first. "Yes you do, Nana" he insisted, "it's the one with the big dog, his name is Boat Haven.... you know."  

Oh, yeah... of course I do!

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!

The Decision Making Process

My decision has been made, I chose to add border #3 on my challenge quilt for the next round of "Head For The Border".  I appreciate everyone's vote and value the opinions and rationale given by all of you, thanks SEW much for that. The process for making my final decision was based, ultimately, on two things: 1. my ability to realistically piece the next border with precise accuracy and, 2. the opportunity to continue the corner block chain-effect. As you can see in the photo I have begun piecing the three inch on-point squares and, for comparison, there is a one inch on-point square below. I'm going to need 32 of the larger blocks to go all the way around; if I had gone with the one inch border ( choice #2) I would have needed 100 teeny-tiny blocks! The chances for piecing mistakes and distortion would have been multiplied over three times by going with that narrow border option. I might be a little bit crazy but I am not insane; #3 it is! When it's all said and done I do enjoy the visual effect that occurs with the black and white corner squares moving outward. I still have no idea where this one is going, but I am enjoying this process immensely!

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!