Bloggers Quilt Festival

   It's time for the Bloggers Quilt Festival where we get to see so many beautiful quilts from the comfort of home!

   This quilt was made for my youngest daughter for her 'new' apartment. She has always loved the colors of brown and limey green and / or brown and turquoise. Since she had purchased a couch in a rich chocolate brown and used a pillow with both green and turquoise to accent it, I just had to go with the same theme.  We both love the warmer weather and being outside amidst the greenery of summer so the leaf branch came into play.
   The blues are reminders of the tropical oceans we have  been lucky to dip in.
   I had fun finally finishing it and giving it to her. I hope it helps with her decorating in  her living space.

Time Flies......

Where have I been and what have I been doing???? I can't believe it has been sooo long since I last posted. It has been a busy few months abut all not quilty related. Gardening, planting, dodging the multiple heat waves on the East Coast, finding an apartment for my aunt, packing and moving her, unpacking and apartment set up, trying to harvest the veges, many doctors visits with both my mother and aunt, attempting to make sense of the sewing room ( I couldn't find the iron) , etc 'm .....whew, I tried just typing it.

Needless to say, I haven't been very productive in the quilting department and the creative muse has been  hiding somewhere, probably in the sewing room under one of the piles that has spilled over and the dog has tried to make a bed out of. But I was able to do a few quickie type things to try and get back in the grove.

Here is a pincushion made of wool and stuffed with wool roving. Easy, no heavy thinking..right???? It only took 2 days to finish it. I was really off the beam.

And then I had this crazy yarn  made of multiple pieces of different threads and  started to made a drop stitch scarf. It was all I could handle at the time, due to heat and distractions. I really enjoyed the process, but now I need a little more yarn to finish it to my desired length and have to hunt out some scraps or overdye some strings to blend in. You see my UFO pile getting larger???


And of course there are a few deadlines in my future. Things I really want to get to........so I have made an effort  ( struggle is more like it) to get back on track. ( I wonder if there is a 12 step for the overwhelmed/unfocused/empty of ideas art quilter??)

Here is a quilt I played with adding stitches in all kinds of threads and yarns. I finished the edges, put a hanger on the back, put it up on the wall. Hmmm, it did nothing for me. No singing, just a low humming. I needed something but I couldn't think what at the time. Fast forward to two months later...inspiration finally hits!!! Along with some gentle prodding (a guilt laddened, nice memo that worked!) it will be going to the Identity: SAQA  for CT members show in January. It should be standing up right with the  big circles on the left. I have three squares more to sew on but have I finished it??? Oh,  no.  I have  plenty of time and it's only three, what's the big deal???

I have another fairly big quilt I was asked to make and thought I was halfway done. Until I noticed the borders weren't sitting quite right and have since taken it apart, re-squared it and put the borders back on,.  and I am now in the race to finish the bottom half and put it together.

Another project is still in the infant stage but it's due by December, with another due by January. But instead I have to make this hobo bag but not follow the directions.  It looked and read like it was easy, so in I jump , thinking it will be a snap. This has actually been good for me, because it's making me think ahead, plan appropriately and be disciplined in my work. I even have finished seams inside the bag, added another set of pockets and have hand quilted the outside. I just need to close the opening, put on the handles and I can use it. I may be ready to tackle that project for the first of the year yet.

I'm noticing a theme here. I think it's called avoidance. I may have mastered the technique. More next time.

Finished squares

After all the fussing with trying to dye  the border fabric, I got this little wall quilt together and quilted. Did I use my dyed fabric? Not here, but maybe for another piece.  

Inspired by Gee's Bend and Valarie Wells , it was a fun exercise using solids. Ok, MOSTLY solids. There are one or two little pieces of batik in there because they were the right coloration. I think I spent as much time thinking about the quilting as I did putting it together. But after I had the design I wanted , it went quickly.

I wouldn't mind another like this, but I am easily distracted to pursue other techniques.

A Fun Little Pagelet

This little cutie is from Kelli Nina Perkin's Tutorial on  making a small fun Pagelet. Jane Lafazio had made one  and posted it on her blog with the reference to Kelli's page and issued a little challenge to her readers.  So here is mine!!! It might need a little something else and ideas are welcomed.
Of course I should be doing many other things at this time, but this was sure a lot of fun. Kelli's tutorial was easy to follow and I do love the results. I feel another one in the making, but I'll pace myself and finished something else first. 

And on it goes.....

While working on my Gee type quilt, I was side tracked into playing with a small format of similar colored fabrics and  I needed the right shade of fabric for some borders for this project. So, off I go to the basement to dye some fabric in a length I could use and while I had the dye out, I decided to dye floss.  I know, what do the two things have to do with each other???  I just wanted to play in the dye pots instead of sewing

 I had a great time combining the colors and have even managed to get some #5 floss dyed. The only bad part is everything else has come to a screeching halt while I wrap and dye yet more floss! You never know when you will need 30 skeins of dyed thread to use on your quilt.  Have to be prepared.  I even made a list of colors I still need to try! Ok, maybe not need, but I sure want to try making  them .

 Sometimes you just have to go with what makes you happy. Dying threads is very addicting and I hope not to stop anytime soon!

Inspiration

I have finally found my fabric and sewing machine after the hectic holidays and have been inspired by a photo of Gee's Bend  type quilts in a catalog. I was in the mood to play around and started this piece. I started to use only solid colored fabric and just had to use some batiks to get the right 'feel' I wanted. One thing lead to another and I decided to lengthen the piece and have only gotten to about 14 inches wide by 56 inches long. More is planned  but I'm not sure I want it all to be in strips.

While I had the scraps lying on the table I started to combine some little pieces and see where it took me. Here are some of the squares I have made so far. I used my own hand dyed fabrics and promised to use only them....well,  that didn't last to long. I did sneak in one batik and am trying really hard to stick to my own fabrics.  I think a nine patch type setting might work. And I need to add something to the green and yellow one, looks a little lonely there.  And maybe ......