2.22.13

Well, I was not going to make this one block from the Audrey class. It is called the Linear Log Cabin. In it, one uses eighths of inches and cuts either the darks or the lights noticeably thinner than the other color. I do not care for Log Cabin and have not turned the BASIC Log Cabin blocks I made into mug rugs yet, although that IS my plan. No, I had completely decided that those mug rugs would be my last Log Cabin. Then, I went to Quilting Group last Tuesday and some of my fellow sewists could not believe I would skip a lesson. They were right. I sat right down that afternoon and chose my fabrics. I decided to make the thinner "logs" the light ones. I knew I would not use the block in my 2nd grade quilt but I selected from that palette anyway, since the fabrics were "out". This is not my first attempt. Somehow my finished block did not measure the right size. My teacher told me to take the outer "log" off and recut it so the block finished out the right size. I DID take it off and I decided to just border it with a completely different color, discarding the darker orange shade. Not only that, I decided to make a tote out of the block. I have not yet put it together and I think I have an excuse for that.  
 
The block is ready, fabric is pulled for the tote, but I will wait until the quilt is done and let it be the storage case for the quilt. I may even make it into a pillow case style quilt storage case. Sounds like a good enough excuse for procrastination, right? 
I am also plodding along with the applique for my Audrey quilts. This one is for the Kindergarten quilt. I want to add some whimsical stitching to this pretty little flower. I put a little on but want to do more. The problem is, I can not decide whether to do all the "art"ing of the block before it is backed with the batting and ready for quilting or make it part of the quilting.

2.21.13

I also received my fat eighth yard scrappy fabric. The neutral will remain the same but the feature fabric will be 30s reproduction feed sack style fabric. I am trying to piece an eight inch star each time, do two specific appliques, and feed the rest of the scraps into some tumbling blocks and hexies. I used up a lot more of the neutral than I thought I would so I had to piece it to make the star but I don't care. It was the challenge of using as much of the fabric as possible that I was interested in. Of course, the fact that it is 30s fabric did not hurt one bit. I can already tell my quilting piece work has gotten better since beginning my Audrey class. For one thing, I don't have to look up the block I want and make the size they have, I can look at the block and figure out how to cut the fabric to make it the size I want it to be. Good thing, since I need that skill for the Saturday Soiree I wrote about yesterday.

2.20.13

I really have been busy. Hardly even any time at all for messing about on the computer. My blue block of the month was finished the next day after I picked up the lesson. THIS time, the directions were a tiny bit easier to understand but I went by the picture a WHOLE LOT. I am going to write to the company one of these days. I can't believe they were unable to write out some straightforward directions. Didn't their BETA testers even mention it at all?

2.19.13

Thank you, KIM!

I don't crochet. Well, hardly ever. So I can not claim this as mine. Instead, people are beginning to add to my collection of tea-related photos and such! Isn't this a beauty? I love, love, love the leaves.

If you want to see some really spectacular crochet photos, just click THIS LINK. You may have to log into FaceBook, though.  For the past few days, I could have used a cozy for my cup. It has been chilly and I have been in front of the fire a couple of different nights. I think SPRING is just around the corner, though.

2.18.13

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.
--C.G. Jung

Hmmmm. All this time I thought I was a Freudian, NOT a Jungian. Oh well, sometimes a  needle and thread is just a needle and thread.

2.17.13

It was already spring in Florida when we visited in January. I do not remember the name of this flower, but you know I like purple so I had to photograph it.


Of course, you probably recognize the azalea blossom. Aside from violets, I think the azalea was the first flower I recognized by name. I usually think of azaleas as a February flower but by the time we got to Florida this year, most of the azaleas we saw were well into their idea of spring. 

One Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk in Orlando and saw this pretty blossom. It is some kind of tree, but I do not know its name.

Here is my little bluebird of happiness, my spring sign. They are shy and very quick. This fellow has particularly beautiful coloring but he flew off before I could get a closer shot.

2.16.13

Just a few short weeks ago, I had given up on having an actual winter. Even my trees were budding and my wonderful day lilies and daffodils were sprouting. I was even thinking about digging in the dirt a little and separating some of the bulbs. Every time I went to the store--almost all the stores I patronize--bulbs were for sale. Surely I could find room for just one more? Then the snow came. 

 Oh, no! I wondered if I should cover the dear little things, like we do in Florida when frost threatens. But I decided to wait and see.
We have the plastic plant pots and the chop sticks to keep the dog from running over

them. The plan is to have the flowers bordering our pathway from the drive to the house. See how determined they are to grow? If I had to make a kid do a science fair project, I would have him track the temperature of different growing things. As you can surely see, the motivated plant has made the snow recede. There were little rings around all of the bulb plants and they seemed determined to grow despite the blanket of snow. We had lingering snow spots through the yard for almost a week. Next year I will try to notice where the snow melts first and look for the blue flag, crocus, and violets warming up for spring.

2.15.13

As one of the lessons in my Audrey class, I did paper piecing. Typical of the English language, there are two phrases that are identical that mean two TOTALLY different things. (Foundation) Paper Piecing means using a paper or other matrix with drawn lines as guides for sewing a series of overlapping seams on on the other side. (English) Paper Piecing means to use heavier paper as the shape to fold fabric around in preparation for sewing the pieces together. Lately, I have been doing both.

 Here is a little nine inch by nine inch quilt that happened because I was experimenting with Carol Doak Free Foundation Patterns.

 I made four hearts (three inches each) from scraps in my red scraps bag and then the project just took on a life of its own.

I enjoyed it so much.

2.14.13

Happy Birthday, Anton! Here is a video from Tying It All Together to make your Valentines Day special.

2.13.13

I ALSO completed four Log Cabin blocks last week. Log Cabin is not my favorite block to look at but it sure was easy to do the Audrey way. For Kindergarten I had to do six inch blocks. These will not go in my Kindergarten quilt because they do not fit on the schematic but they WILL be used. I chose red for the center for heat. Traditional Log Cabin blocks have a red or yellow center representing the hearth/heart of the home. 

Next, I put on a fabric that reminded me of coffee beans and dark black espresso. Then, the lightest fabric, which is called nail heads but it looked like sprinkles on the whipped cream of a designer coffee. Then, checks, looking like organized coffee grounds, unlike the times I dump the grounds on the wrong side of the filter in the morning. Last, a print that reads like coffee with cream.

Four unfinished Log Cabins, overlapping.

Why all the coffee connections? My Portlandia sister gave me some cute coffee fabric from her stash and I decided to use it for the backs of the four little blocks and make MUG RUGS!

Coffee and tea slops and spills on these little cabins will only "age enhance" them. Besides, I can't think of anything cozier than a nice cup of coffee or mug of tea by the hearth.

2.12.13

RAVENS EVERMORE! Sure enjoyed the SUPER BOWL. How's this for TEA TIME TUESDAY?

Found it HERE.

2.11.13

My Monday Mantra. Sums up my last few weeks perfectly.

2.10.13

So do you think that was enough activity for the week? Me neither. Here are the blocks for this month's Small Quilt Challenge. 

Yup, I chose fabric on Feb 1, cut out on Feb 2, did preliminary stitching on Feb 3, secondary stitching on Feb 4, finished on Feb 5. I am sort of proud of them. I can tell from the photos that I will not be happy until the whole thing is tea-dyed. I do not like the flash of white with the creams.

If you are my sister-in-law in Portlandia, you will recognize fabric that until last week was in YOUR stash! Thanks, Sis!
My personal challenge was to look at the picture of the quilt and figure it out because my copy of the book had to go back to the library.

I have not cut the setting triangles but I have selected the fabric and done the measurements--at least according to MY size blocks. I made the tiny light colored squares to finish out at 1".

My next challenge was to try to mix it it up a little bit color wise. This is outside my comfort zone but I DID try. I am very comfortable with BRIGHT BOLD colors and I especially like an analogous pallette with an accent from across the color wheel.

This fadey stuff is hard for me but I am really enjoying the challenge and I am taking the time to look at each print by itself. So far, I have made 3 small quilts and each has one fabric found in one of the others. I like the connection, like a circle.

2.9.13

Told you I was BUSY, yes? I finished this hexagon flower quilt top. At least, I thought I had. I think I will add a border in brown and do some fancy hand stitching.  It is about 12" by 16". Even though I hand appliqued, I went ahead and used the machine to join the blocks, unlike the previous Small Quilt. This is a design by Kathleen Tracy from her book Civil War Sewing Circle. I think this quilt would look great in contemporary fabrics, but for some reason, I am being drawn to these of long ago. Unfortunately, my stash keeps increasing every time I get with Quilty (Original).

And yes, I did this in between working on my schematic for the Audrey class. Sometimes the brain needs to disengage and handsewing is the perfect activity.

2.8.13

Here is the tote I told you about yesterday.  I was trying to get it done quickly, so of course, I made a hasty decision and could not correct it. 





I wanted the green to be behind the pocket and the blue to be on the back as well as the outer pocket. Oh well, design opportunity.  

I added applique, stitching, and buttons. I also made notes on the pattern for changes for next time. 

I had it in mind when I went to A SCARLET THREAD south of Atlanta and bought a couple o' three pieces of fabric to try the tote pattern again. What do you think? 

                       

                         
Here is some I HAD to have and I cannot even say why. It will be place mats or another tote. Girl can't have too many. What do you think of the basket weave? (Country Stitches) I think it is a GREAT go-with for a tote OR place mats.

2.7.13

I have been BUSY. Next week, I will be even BUSIER. I have accomplished a LOT and I will show you pictures strung out across the next few days.
First of all, I made a tote from a pattern that Quilty Friend (the Original) gave me. You would think I would have a picture of it, but it is too dark to take a good picture so instead, I will skip to the next business.

I went to my first Audrey class and came home EXHAUSTED. Brain overload. I sewed a total of four 9 inch seams and I was proud of that. I did not even get to make the nine-patch, no doubt while you are reading this, I am working on it. I spent the next four days (averaging 10+ hours) working on my schematics for the Kindergarten and First Grade Quilts. As I am writing this, it has been SIX days since the first class and I am only just now BEGINNING to think about the Second Grade quilt. You see, she sets up her classes so the Second Graders do what all the others do as well as their own work. 

Now, I am not sure I really am a Second Grader, but you know I pretty much want to be best at everything. I think now in maturity, I am able to translate that to be MY best at everything. Anyway, I enjoyed planning my schematic so much, most mornings I could not wait to get up to get started on it and was usually at it by 5:00 a.m.

2.6.13

See our wonderful little car? I am so glad we chose that one. It is a PEACH!


Press the play button. Saturday, Quilty Friend (the ORIGINAL) thought we could squeeze in a little fabric shopping before the weather turned, but we did NOT. Q (AKA Thelma) was driving and we slid back down the very first hill in the neighborhood before we even came to any of the steeper ones. My husband came to the rescue so we did not have to walk up the hills to get home.

Now look at some pictures I took that very morning when the temps were in the mid 40s.

I don't even remember what kind of bird this is, but he was very, very busy. He was here with five or six of his friends. I think they must have known something was about to happen.

 Here it is, Monday morning, and after a full day of temperatures in the forties, there is still a lot of snow on the ground in places, and the roof below my studio window is mostly covered and has about an inch of snow. I hope this little bird found enough to eat and a warm place to go.

2.5.13

TEA TIME TUESDAY

Occasionally I am tempted to take my VIRTUAL tea paraphernalia collection and make it ACTUAL. I have been trying to figure out where to buy one of these.  

 It is called The Lazy Teapot and was designed by Lotte Alpert. Not only does it make pouring easier, check this out:

 

Now, brewing and keeping the tea HOT is as easy as a touch of the finger.  If you see one of these somewhere for sale, let me know. If I had one of these up here in the studio, I would never have to go downstairs...

2.4.13

AMEN

2.3.13

 This is a tufted Tit-Mouse. Can you see the peach color just under his wings and above his legs? For all I know, this might be a female but its color was a little more vibrant than the others I saw flying around the other afternoon.

He looks like he is singing but really, he just sat with his mouth open for quite sometime before flying off. Lots of birds visit the little roof below my window. Can you see his little tuft? Kind of like a cardinal's tuft.

Can you see the hawk? Big, beautiful bird. There is a female with him sometimes, but she is much harder to spot. I have seen red feathers on some of the hawks around here, but only when they fly. This could be one of them. Red Shouldered or Red Tailed, I am not sure.

2.2.13

I kind of like birds. To photograph, anyway. (You knew I liked chickens as ART) Here are some recent birds added to my photographic collection. This one is from a recent trip to Florida. 




It is some sort of heron, I think. It may be an anhinga but it did not "shoulder" the way they do.

I took these pictures at Lake Eola, Orlando. The lake has a few swans and a lot of birds who have joined the swans. We saw a large variety who had no hesitation about walking amongst the throng of people visiting the lake that Sunday.

Come back tomorrow and see some local birds that live up here in the hills with us.

2.1.13

By the time you are reading this, I expect I have had a very humbling experience in a beginner quilt class. I am posting these pictures of a quilt I made for my father and his little dog a couple of years ago in case I need to remind myself that I really DO know how to quilt no matter how hard I found it to do a full day beginner lesson.

I remember I bought a couple of charm packs--five inch square pieces of fabric that sample an entire line of fabric. I bought them when charm packs were an affordable choice. I think I paid under $5 for each pack. I used a sett like one my grandmother and great-aunt used on a baby quilt for my brother ( Streak O'Sunshine, I think it is called). I followed a diagonal line up for the color groups. I really liked the fabric I found for the backing. 

This is the first quilt that I used Big Stitch for the quilting. I remember spreading it out on the dinning room table and quilting in diagonal lines to emphasize the color arrangement. It was fun to do and came together really quickly. Now it is a nap quilt for my father and a different little dog.