I have really not turned on my sewing machine in two weeks. A little here and there, but nothing major since Thanksgiving. I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for blog posts as a result. I am planning to ignore the world (possibly in my pajamas) all day today and work on this project.
Stepping Stones
As I mentioned before, I got this pattern from a Pam and Nicki Lintott book. One thing that is very confusing is that they have written the pattern for one line of fabric. I am not using that line, so I had to translate and that proved difficult for me. I don’t like the directions very much. I don’t think they are bad, but they don’t really work for the way I work.
So, earlier this week, I sat down with EQ7 and made a rendition of the quilt. This helped me wrap my head around the project a little more. This exercise coupled with the math that TFQ did for me when she was here made me less frustrated and excited about this project again. I organized a bit last night while the boys were out, so I am ready to sew like crazy.
Definition: A cloud is a visible mass of liquiddroplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body. They are also known as aerosols. Clouds in Earth’s atmosphere are studied in the nephology or cloud physics branch of meteorology. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air’s becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. In general, precipitation will fall to the surface; an exception is virga, which evaporates before reaching the surface.
in the cloud
save to the cloud
big fluffy clouds
cirrus
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
iCloud
cloud formation
Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.
The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.
Yes, the Frosted Stars has been finished for a long time. I went looking for a photo and realized I had never taken one. So, cheap date as it may be, here is the finished item! YAY! Another completed project.
This quilt is growing on me. I think it is the turquoise.
BAMQG has afforded me the opportunity to participate in charity projects without doing the whole thing myself. The group will start 2012 with a whole group of “coordinators” who are organizing different elements of the guild.
Jen and Deborah have started early with their charity duties. They provided kits for making these blocks at the last meeting and I whipped mine together in about 10 minutes. I was so thrilled and wished that I had taken more of the parts! They will assemble the various blocks they receive into quilts. I am not sure they have chosen a charity yet, but they are throwing around ideas for different local organizations.
Boulette’s Larder is a restaurant in the building where I work. One vendor in particular really likes it, so we frequently meet there for meetings. I love this wall of jars and surreptitiously took a photo the other day.
Boulette is the restaurant’s Hungarian sheepdog, whom I saw sleeping under the table when I was there. She has Rastafarian type ringlets and you cannot tell which end is her head. Very cute!
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
A few years ago we remodeled part of our house (bleah! what a process). In the course of that months long nightmare, which was worth it in the end, much of our non-essential stuff went to storage. Since the contractors promised the project would be finished by Thanksgiving, our Christmas stuff went, too. HA! The Christmas stuff returned, but the original stockings have never been recovered. I have no idea what happened to them. I suppose they will turn up eventually.
As stockings are part of our Christmas tradition, I whipped up some felt “beauties,” which have become what we use.
As you know, my quilter is out of commission and Kissy Fish is done. I find myself frequently without handwork to do in the evenings. When I saw the stockings, I remembered the embellishing I had done on the card holders a few years ago and was inspired to embellish the stockings a bit.
Felt stockings detail
I started out with a few buttons, though I did use all the good and interesting white ones on the cardholders. I used some Oliver Twist silver thread to sew them on. I also started to do a buttonhole stitch around the bottom edge of a couple of the stockings to make that edge look more interesting. One of the stockings has a tree on it and I definitely see some sequin ‘ornaments’ in its future! I think, as Anne Shirley would say, “there is a lot of scope for imagination.”
Of course, I have a lot of cards to write and gifts to assemble, but I see this little project as a nice respite between the craziness. It could be ongoing as I am inspired to add more. It is also a good way to try out different techniques, stitches and embellishments.
A few weeks ago, Judy Martin had one of her famous book sales. These sales involve sending her $25 and getting back 3 random books. It is a risk, but this time I received two books I didn’t have: Patchwork Among Friends (her new one) and Stellar Stars.
If you would like to win the Ultimate Rotary Cutting Reference, leave a meaningful comment (anyone who writes something similar to “Shiny! Please enter me! I would love to win” will not be entered). I know it takes time to write comments. I enjoy reading them so write me a comment that takes a few minutes.
Anyone reading this on Creating the Hive or FB or any other source where this blog is syndicated should come to this post and comment. Deadline is December 15, or there abouts.
Hope you win!
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Update 12/17/2011: Comments are closed! The winner has been selected and notified.
to burn or shine fitfully or with a fluctuating light a candle flickering in the window
to appear briefly
2008 movie
a flicker of hope
Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.
The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.
Quilt World News
Modern Day Quilts had an interview with Denyse Schmidt. I agree with a lot of what she says, though I don’t think I would want to be a monk.
Speaking of Denyse Schmidt, did you know that Free Spirit will be re-releasing Flea Market Fancy again? I haven’t heard when, though. Soon, I think.
There was a very article on Jean Ray Laury in a recent issue of QNM. The article is more about her life than about her death, which I wrote about in March. It is an article I am going to cut out and keep. Lots of good inspiration.
Some photos of Burning Man with a sewing twist. Love the Steampunk look of the vehicles. I think admiration of Steampunk is a whole segment of my personality that I have not even begun to explore. I’ll have to go there a different day.
I checked into the whole Carolina Patchworks business using some contacts and resources at work. No lawsuit has been filed; she received a cease and desist letter, which is, as you might imagine, a letter. A nasty and scary letter, but a letter. As with many legal issues, things take time. People bluster. People propose. People think. People counter. All of these steps take time. Emily is smart to keep her mouth shut on the issue and I urge you, regardless of how curious you are, not to ask her.
I think Emily did the angry designer a real service by not naming names. From the comments to Emily’s post, it appears that people are angry and will boycott the angry designer, if they knew who it was. I am not saying this is fair or a good thing to do. I am merely commenting.
Inspiration
I don’t know how I found this image, but I thought it was interesting. Trees have been on my mind since the Primal Green show ended. Also, having Jill participate in the Creative Prompt Project again has made me get interested in paper cuts/Scherrenschnitte. I know about it from Austria, but haven’t tried it recently. I’ll have to see what I can produce.
Creativity and Process
Maureen sent a short list of books about fear and the creative process from the Brainpickings newsletter to me. How many of these do you have? How many have you read?
Tutorials/Patterns/Assistance
Sarah has a picture dictionary of hand embroidery stitches. Big deal, you say? This is cool, because she has organized them into stitch families – all of the back stitches together, all of the chain stitches together. Sarah also uses pretty colors. I could have really used this when working on Kissy Fish.
Christina has a very clear tutorial on making a machine sewn Cathedral window block. I never thought of making one, but looking at her instructions make me think that I could try it. Or add it to the Sampler class! Watch out, Frances. 😉 I like Christina’s blog as well. She says in one post “..my new hobby is napping. And that’s how mid-November just sprung up on me out of nowhere.” That is how I feel. She also made me laugh, which is always a good thing.
Katie of hte famous Katie’s Quilting Corner podcast has tutorial on making half square triangles (triangle squares) using the paper fish method. In her tutorial, she has a printable sheet for the fish and the HSTs come out the same size as the HSTs using 5″ charm squares in my Triangle Technique tutorial.
UFOs/WIPs/PIGs
I am not the only one. One of the editors at C&T enumerated her works in process and, while I know a lot of people have UFOs, I feel better when I see someone else put them out there.
Many of us are heading into the holiday time of year, which is also the I-have-no-time-to-post-comments-to-blogs time of year. Remember that your bloggers love comments so take a moment to read a post and comment on something in it. Thanks!
This is my ‘F’ block for the A-B-C challenge. There were a number of blocks with names beginning with F that were appealing, so it was hard to choose. I might do another one.
I really like that blue. It comes out a little darker on my screen than in real life, but is a very calming color.
Kathleen did the same block, but in black and white. It it always fun for me to see the same blocks done in different colors and sizes. As I have said many, many times, that is one of my joys in making blocks.
Electric Fan
I saw Kathleen’s Electric Fan at the last meeting. Even though ‘E’ blocks were due last month, I really liked this block, so I decided to make one. It gave me the opportunity to try and figure out how to use the triangle technique for a block from Around the Block. I didn’t make the Flower Pot that I posted, but am seriously tempted. You can just have one basket block in a sampler quilt!
I like to use fabrics at least three times in a quilt and preferably in odd numbers, if I use them more than three times. I looked at the total fabrics I had used in the previous blocks and used some I hadn’t yet used as much. I used the Empire Gold in another project so it was out, so I used that. I also had only used the yellow-green in the Basement Window block.
Heirloom Challenge
4 Log Cabin Block
These are the log cabin blocks I made for the Heirloom challenge. I added the Empire yellow solid from the Pat Bravo Art Gallery line. I think it goes well with these fabrics. I think the one flower fabric with the pink and burgundy reminds me of the Flea Market Fancy line.
I meant not to do this challenge as I don’t like making log cabin blocks. They are a bit too…fiddly for me. I am not sure if fiddly is the right term, but not a lot of bang for my buck, I guess. Still, I signed up so I stepped up. I tried using the technique that TFQ uses, which is to cut the strips the width they need to be rather than cutting a longer strip and trimming later. That worked ok.
Heirloom Challenge Blocks
Zoom in to see the variety of log cabin blocks that people came up with within the log cabin format. Amazing!
Heirloom block detailHeirloom Doorway
There were a few blocks that I particularly liked. The wave one (far left) would look great in a quilt with a variety of its fellows. I wouldn’t make it, but I would admire a quilt made with such blocks quite a lot.
The block on the bottom left has lovely graphic quality. The block ont he right looks like a doorway and I really like the fussy cutting.
December Secret Swap
Ribbon detail
This is a small detail of one of the ribbons on one of the gifts. I love the idea, but would never make it-at least to put on a package. 😉
Secret Swappers
Above are the members who participated in the Secret Swap. I just couldn’t commit to the time to make a gift and boy am I glad I didn’t participate, because these ladies are a hard act to follow! Everyone really did their best work. I was impressed and pleased to see such care.
Kathleen’s Secret Swap Pillow 2011
Kathleen received this gorgeous pillow. The thing I like about it was how full it is. No matter how many pillows I make, I feel like they aren’t very full.
Show and Tell
Show & Tell
There was a lot to tell and many quilts and projects to show. Sewing Time, despite all the other business was quite productive as well.
Elections
The “new” officers are:
President: Adrianne
VP: Kathleen
Secretary: Amanda
Treasurer: Sara
Thank you very much to Ruth, founder and 2011 Secretary, who will be leaving the board and taking over the challenge coordinator position.
I am making an effort to cut and press fabric so I am ready for sewing the FOTY 2011 quilt. I have started to arrange the squares by color so they look good in the photo. Vanity, I think. 😉
I really like this block. This block, along with last week’s block, are two of my very favorites. I am tempted to make a whole bunch of them. I think I just like the rectangles and the turquoise.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
If I put the two blocks together to make a quilt, it would look like the quilt below.
It occurred to me sometime in the distant past that making 6″ LeMoyne Star blocks using stripes was a good idea. I started out using paper piecing. I decided that I don’t much like paper piecing and stopped working on the project. Lately, since I have continued to buy stripes, I have picked the project up again. Creating the tutorial for the LeMoyne Star for my sampler class got me back in the groove as well.
This 5.5″ unfinished red and black cutie is one of the new ones, which I just pieced normally using the method I discussed in the LeMoyne Star tutorial. It is a bit smaller than the blocks I made with paper piecing, so I will add some sashing to it. It is too cute to toss out.
I have some more diamonds cut for other blocks and need to cut the backgrounds and then sew.
Some time ago, I checked a Pam and Nicki Lintott book out of the library. One of the patterns intrigued me.
Moda Circa 1934
The other day, I stopped at the Granary in Sunnyvale and saw the Circa 1934 fabrics from Moda. I bought a few of them and a layer cake. Once I got the fabric home, I decided to try the Stepping Stones pattern using the fabric during the Thanksgiving weekend. I can’t even remember the last time I bought fabric, washed it and immediately started using it. I want to get to the point where I do that more often. Sometimes the excitement of the fabric is fresh in my mind when I buy and I would like to capitalize on that excitement in my work.
Fabric selection for quilt
I didn’t buy large pieces of the whole line, so I knew I needed some additional fabrics. Also, I want to take Joanna Figueroa’s advice and work towards using only 80% of a line so that my quilts look different from other quilts that use a whole line.
4 Blocks
I looked at the layer cake to get a few ideas about colors to use. I picked some fabrics out of my fabric closet and set to work. There was a bit of pulling colors out of the pile, but I really wanted to sew and tried not to be too picky.
I am not very experienced at following patterns and I had trouble with this one. I am not used to making a whole bunch of one element at a time, then making a whole bunch of other elements and finally sewing them together. I have to admit that once your elements are made the sewing goes quickly, but it was a lot of time on my feet.
Also, I didn’t like the pattern, because it didn’t clearly tell me how many of each triangle square and four patch I needed, nor did it tell me what size they should be (finished or unfinished). I tried to guess and hope I got it right.
Finally, the pattern is not written in such a way where it is easy to switch out colors. I would have preferred if they used terms like “light,” “dark” or “medium.” Even if they used “large floral” or “fabric with small repeat”, it would have been a bit easier to NOT use the colors and fabric line the authors used.
1 block
The blocks appear large and are coming out fine. I am liking how it looks, though I see now where I could have used more contrast.
