10.5.12

 I have spent four days trying to make a studio out of my huge gigantic piles. I now ALMOST have things assigned to certain areas 

  
depending on the technique used to accomplish the project. As usual, I have found a billion things I forgot I had. 
That is okay, though. Today there is a sale at the Quilt Shop on Main in Jasper 


and I can get some more fabric that might help finish the billion projects. Or start some new ones.

So if you live anywhere near Pickens County and you are at home in your jammies reading this post, get up, get dressed, get going. This is going to be a great sale.


 


Did you guess that I would be looking for red fabrics? I am also looking for this book by Carol Gilham Jones and Bobbi Finley. Our Applique class is headed for stained glass style--not really my cup of tea. While looking for a pattern I might like in stained glass, I found this book. I absolutely DID check to see if my library had it--they did not. 

P.S. I DID find some stained glass style I could live with over at Three Swans Studios. For instance, what do you think of this? Yeah, me, too. Lovely but too fiddly with all the petals on THE SUNFLOWER. I think
  
Original Quilty Friend might like this one. It looks like it has fabrics she might like. I kind of like it, too.Ooops. LEAVES AND BERRIES does not count as stained glass. I guess my tiles book does not count either. Although tiles and this little design have space between the applique, they do not have the black lines that imitate the leading in real stained glass. 

These are more stencil style. Too bad because look what else they have that I like. TULIPS, PINKS, DIANTHUS, and SUMMER ROSES. Check them out under the subtitle, Applique.

If it must be stained glass style, I choose PICES. Isn't it a dandy? The website says, "The design was inspired by a stained glass Pisces from a window in the magnificent 13th century Chartres Cathedral in France." I have seen the original!

6.3.12

I have been happily working on a new project. By the time you are reading this, I hope is finished, photographed, and delivered. If not, this may be all you get to see. Some of the fabrics I interviewed.

Only three of these made the final cut.

4.7.12

I scan a frog that would fit right into the "missing frog" formation. I crop out the border which is not wanted, but even with the expert help of Home Son, I cannot arrange for the thing to print out at the size I scanned it in. No reason to hurry and order the Bubble Jet product.

I have the brilliant idea of making one to sort of match. I try Paintstiks from Cedar Canyon Textiles.I mask off an area with tiny quarter-inch tape that I have cut into fourths to fit around the slender leaves. I give up when it comes to the lily pad and just cut the tape into halves.

My first experience with Paintstiks. The colors I usually love to see saturated are far too saturated!

Yeah, too dark but there may be other uses...

2.5.12

One time last month, Quilty Friend and I had a Girls' Day Out and we went fabric shopping at a place that was having a sale. 

I think Quilty Friend is having an influence on me because this  is not my usual style, but I just loved it! Must have been the dots or maybe the leaves. If you saw the actual fabric, you would not even notice the dots because they are so tiny.

1.24.12

My dream fabric. It would be a single roll like brown paper from an old fashioned general store. I would not need any other fabric ANYWHERE in my studio because this magic roll would instantly become whatever I needed every time I rolled off a length. It would change right before my eyes to embody "the quilt in my head" at that particular moment. Lush greens and saturated blues, passionate purples, vibrant reds and sparkling oranges. After being cut from the roll, the piece's color would stabilize and the roll would neatly await my next project.

1.14.12

My Quilty Friend and I have done a little sale shopping. I added a few pieces to my stash.

Unfortunately, I think I might already have this one. It makes great legs for elves and fairies. I am sure I will use it.

Here is another favorite. I buy a lot of bright checks and I know I have had this one before. I think it is quite an old one back to when I first started making dolls. It always reminded me of Valentines day.

I just had to have this one. Those tiny little umbrellas and the bright yellow, green, teal, and blue make me smile. Maybe this is destined for a vest on a frog prince.

 Here is something you do not see everyday--pink in my stash. This is a piece of homespun in a color I call Capezio pink. It is the color of ballet shoes. I think I know where it will go but it might not work. I will have to see.

Another stripe. Chocolate and Capezio pink. The stripe is fairly wide--maybe a quarter of an inch.  It might make good smocking for a bodice and peplum. This bears some thinking.

11.7.11

On my last visit as a guest and my first visit as a member at the Misty Mountain Quilt Guild, I was curious about the BLOTTO block raffle. For blotto, they have a print fabric and several coordinating solids. No other fabric may be used. A participant buys fat quarters at $2 each and returns a 12.5 inch (unfinished) block and receives her $2 back and gets her name put in the drawing to win everyone's blocks.

Here is the first one I made. It is a fan with black background and pieces of the print fabric. I enjoyed this since I was able to use some of the skills I am learning in the Appliqué classes I take with Connie Tackett.