Back Art

What do you do with 200+ left over HST's?

Piece 'em into the back. How fun! And this way they won't lay on the shelf taunting me to make something with them. No one but me (and my blog friends) will know I hadn't planned it this way all along. :cD

Memory Album

This quilt would've been a good one to post yesterday - Memorial Day - because of the colors, the memories of long ago friends, deceased loved ones and family represented here.

The blocks were made in 1989. I put it together and quilted it by hand in the early 90's.

This group of blocks includes a block in memory of my Dad who died at 58, my sister-in-law, my Dad's second wife and my Mom.

This group includes three friends from that era of my life and a block in memory of my maternal Grandmother. I've moved and the friends are in my mind's eye only, but when I look at the names I recall the sense of community I felt in that town. This is my late spring and summer quilt.

~ When this you see, remember me. ~

Star Struck With Single Pyramid Border

Thanks to those of you that left a comment letting me know which EQ draft border you liked best. It's always helpful to see the options. At the same time there's nothing like laying out the real thing.

Ta-da!

... complete with a cart load of shirting prints. I like the corner units. Thanks to DH for the math help, all corners met where they should. Yay!

Not For the Faint of Heart

I've been happily piecing a gazillion pastel HST's that'll finish at 1 and 1/4". That's right, one and one FOURTH. I decided it might be a good idea to piece a block or two to see how it's gonna feel. *Hours* later...

They're supposed to finish at six inches, mine are five! I don't know how that happened. *looks around confused*

I know they'll get easier, the first few outa the gate always feel slow and tedious, but MAN! who signed me up for this project??

Silly Enough to Be Cute

I went to quilt mini-group yesterday and we made pin cushions. Had to make two 4" Log Cabin blocks to get started and that turned into a hoot! There were four of us and just as many ways to sew up Log Cabin blocks it seems. Chari was finished in what seemed like 30 minutes including mistakes and I was still pressing round 1 and a half. Mavis was struggling with the Log Cabin construction and complaining the whole time. "This isn't an easy block! Whoever said Log Cabin was *easy*?" After two hours of sewing she had one block complete. I love the variety among quilters. And as Finn said recently - You can cut across the ball field or you can walk all the way around but in the end you still get there!

These are the parts used, plus the red comb and some rice to give it weight. I used a bit of yarn for the waddle, but others cut theirs from red felt.

I think it's silly looking but it was a boatload of fun! And the pleasure of completing it in a single day was HUGE. Worth it for that alone. :cD

Lookin' Better Than I Really Do

That's a lyric from a song by "Everything But the Girl".

Click to enlarge

DH created this photo manipulation of me for Mother's Day. The garden is a photo, I'm from a portrait and the garden lattice he built. But *man* look how creamy my skin is!

I'm Doing It!

Thanks to Finn at Pieces From My Scrapbag, I've started crocheting a rag rug. Thank you Finn! I looked at her pictures, read her descriptions and gave it a try.

I cut strips 5/8" and sewed them end to end.

It always looks like alot at this stage.

But it winds into a smallish ball.

I'm using a 'G' hook 'cause it's what I had at the house the weekend I wanted to get started.

I've been so excited by the progress I make each day I've been taking it to work to add to it on my lunch hour; showing it proudly to friends and co-workers alike. Why is this so exciting?!

Then I realized growing up I asked many people to teach me how to crochet. I had several say, "Sure, I'll teach you." But when we sat down to a lesson they'd look at me and say, "Oh... you're left handed", and that was the end of 'the lesson'. I grew up thinking there was something about left-handedness that prohibited me from being able to crochet. Well I've over come that. Woo-HOO!

Happy Mother's Day

More Than One Way to Get There

I've been thinking and planning my next leader and ender quilt. Sometimes I think I like the planning and drafting stage as much as anything else. I research patterns, consider layouts, compare approaches to block piecing.

I decided to make an Ocean Wave quilt in the 1930's pastel palette set with white. I pulled fabrics from my original 1930's collection and laid them out.

Then I pulled current fabrics that had a similar look and tone. I love this step in the process too. Visiting fabric friends and deciding which ones to include and which to save for 'another time.'

Fun!

Trying to keep the color balanced

I drafted the block as I thought it should be pieced in EQ.

First as a 10" block

Then as a 12" block

Lots of little pieces must not intimidate me. But I couldn't decide between the two.

10" block set

12" block set

Both of these quilts are made using standard block construction, which puts seams right through the open white patches. I was trying to find a way around that. And the 12" version just looked way too busy ~ so I sat with the idea for awhile. Then I found Bonnie's Ocean Wave pattern at Quiltville.

These are the blocks and sub-units. I drew them in EQ and then exported them to an Adobe graphics program since EQ wouldn't let me layout half and quarter block units.

And here's the layout. Brilliant! This means all the open white spaces are seamless. This taught me I should've thought 'outside the block'. With this layout I was able to finally estimate how much background white I needed. Even though I know I'll be piecing here and there for a long time I want all the white to be the same. I didn't do that in another quilt and over time the whites have aged to different shades. White is not always white... if you know what I mean.

Seven yards of Quilter's Basic, they don't call it muslin anymore. Waving on the clothes line it reminded me of Christo's Fence.

More HST's

With Frank's help I figured out I need 270 HST's for the pieced pyramid border for Starstruck. I had 132 bonus units from piecing the center of the quilt, so I *only* had to make 138 more. I wanted them to be from the same fabrics as those left over from piecing the top so I did some stash diving and scrap scrounding to come up with more of the same. I sorta managed, had to throw in a lot of new backgrounds.

After I chain piece a long row of units I like to cut them apart using this tool, my seam ripper standing in a spool adapter that I use for my Star thread. It works great!

Then I 'tossed' the second set together with the first to blend the fabrics.

Half-square Triangle salad! Pass the croutons...