Seems Like Constant Motion

The grandchildren have now flown back home to be with their parents. They return to school in a couple of weeks. During the last few weeks they were here, we made the trip to the zoo. We also had another chance for a fishing trip, where each of the kids caught fish, which we then had for a late afternoon snack.

I have made a little more progress in organizing the studio, going through two sets of magazine subscriptions, and working on finding places for the things I need to keep. Additionally, I am working on an autograph quilt from the wedding. An example of the basic blocks, which my son's MIL, Jan, made from fabrics in both of our stashes, is shown above. (The example is not one of hers. I found it at Strawberry Patch Quiltworks.) I am making a center piece with embroidery that will also contain a picture of the bride and groom. Once I have that done, I'll piece the top and hand it back to Jan for backing, quilting, and binding. (She has a long arm machine.)

Seems like it never slows down around here.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Surprises & Milestones

We had a short vacation, which allowed us to go to some local preserves. It was special to see not only summer vegetation, egrets and a family of ducks, but also a pair of swans.

On another note, while doing research for a book I am writing, I read a book called Quilts in the Attic: Uncovering the Stories of the Quilts We Love by Karen S. Musgrave ((c) 2012 Voyageur Press (c) 2012 Text Karen Musgrave; MBI Publishing Co., Minneapolis, MN). There was a chapter on Ruby Short McKim, who designed quilts for the Kansas City Star, among other things. Today, her granddaughter, Merrily McKim Tuohey, maintains a website dedicated to her grandmother's work: McKIM TUOHEY STUDIO, and one with Ruby's entire 1931 book: 101 Patchwork Patterns. I thought you might enjoy having the links.

The other thing that I have been doing is sorting through craft supplies to pull out things I will probably not use. Now, I have to decide what to do with them.

To my surprise, too, I discovered this is my 100th blog post. It seems like a milestone that should be recognized. Perhaps it is enough to know that it is and see where that takes me.

Until next time, I wish you happy surprises, peace and all good.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Creating from the Heart

The events of the last month, including the snow and cold, forced me to slow down and take some time to think about things.

 

Snow - Day 1

Snow - Day 2

Like many of you, I find myself contemplating the events of the last year and making plans for the new one. In addition to other things, 2014 needs to be a major decision year for me with regards to direction of the business. By next year this time, I need to have decided whether or not to continue because of certain actions that need to be taken then.

This post at pomegranatesandpaper really spoke to the kinds of feelings I've been having about the process this time. I find I need to step back from the push to create for the market and do more to create from my heart. Whether I will end up spending more time in the studio or less remains to be seen. I plan to work on a number of things in 2014, including gifts, my book, downsizing the stuff I own, and experimenting with techniques. As often as possible, I plan to share my progress with you.

After making the quilt and quilt top I showed you in November, I pushed forward on three additional gifts. None of them was completed in time, though I showed pictures of their progress to their recipients. So, I can show you, too.

 

This is a Mill Hill Pin Whimsy kit, called "Dazzling Dragonfly."

 

This table runner, which has not yet had that border attached, let alone the binding, is from a kit by Sally Holzem, called "Tuscan Nights." I did alter the border strips. 

 

 

Finally, this table runner is my own design. I'm currently working on the quilting. I am using a variegated thread and hope it will help the border to blend more with the center panel. There were also two pot holders that go with it, but I did not get a picture of them.

 

 

In hopes of giving you a little something to smile about, I'd also like to share this portrait of a little fellow who was enterprising in his search for food he knew was hiding on our patio.

 

 

Wishing you peace and all good.

 



Autumn Activities

It has been a busy couple of months, with the birth of a new great-nephew, for whom I had to make a quilt, a niece's wedding, a quilt retreat, and completion of a quilt top my daughter and I have been working on for years.

We also experienced some "interesting" fall weather, as the tornadoes that hit Illinois and Indiana just missed our area. We did have extremely high winds. I am grateful that friends and family members in the affected areas were not hurt, and hopeful that things will return to normal for those who experienced property damage as soon as possible.

 

This baby quilt is based on a pattern in an old "Quiltmaker's" magazine. I made some changes, and resized it. The quilting pattern is my own free threadplay.

Here is a closer look at some of it.

This quilt top is the Ozark Maple Leaf quilt pattern from Nickel Quilts. We began it with the intention of hand-piecing a queen-size quilt, but after many years, I requested my daughter bring me the blocks she had finished. Between us, we had enough blocks ready to make a lap-size quilt. We were able to find materials in my stash for the first and third borders. The other fabrics used in the quilt run the gamut from leftover fabrics from my daughter's childhood through fabrics we purchased at a quilt shop in the town in which her grandmother lived. The placement of blocks and choices of colors are my daughter's. She now has possession of the top and is planning to dye the fabric for the backing. Once that is done, she will return it to me for sandwiching and quilting.

I have another couple of projects that I am currently finishing, but can't show since they are intended for Christmas gifts. I really appreciated the opportunity to go on the quilt retreat, since I was able to get a lot of work done in that time. One thing that it demonstrated for me is the value of working around other artists. This is also highlighted in this interview on Makers-In-Business-with-Liz-Smith. It gives me a greater appreciation for the idea of a studio space in a community of artists.

I hope that you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving this year. I feel I have a great deal to be grateful for and hope you can also find things that make you happy in your life.

As always, until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Snow and Winter Activities

Just like much of the northern section of the county, we were visited by the heavy snow the last couple of days. While we did not get the kind of accumulation that has been hitting the northeast this winter, our area did receive around half a foot of snow (somewhere between 5" and 8" according to the National Weather Service).

 

This is how the snow looked yesterday afternoon.

 

 

This is how it looked earlier this morning. While we had been well below the average snowfall for the season, this event brought our area up to within an inch or so of normal accumulation. It is extremely odd to have it so late and that fact broke a record set back in 1931 for the heaviest snowfall in March.

 

Of course, this is just the kind of weather that makes many of us (myself included) want to stay inside, enjoy the view, and do other things. I have finally gotten back to organizing the studio, again. This past month, I have been unable to work on that because I was working on this:

 

This baby quilt proves the adage about getting fabric when you see it. The bug fabric in the pinwheels was purchased at the first Chicago International Quilt Show. At the time, I had no idea how I would use it, but I did know I had to buy it. When my niece and her husband asked for "bright colors" for their first baby, I knew why.

The pattern is an adaptation of a Project Linus quilt from "Quiltmaker" magazine, called "Hopes & Dreams." I adjusted the size of the block to 7" and changed the direction in order to make the pinwheels. The quilt worked out to a 40" square.

I hope you enjoy.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

 

Out on a Limb

I found I couldn't post my sketches for the Sketchbook Challenge this month. They all deal with patterns I am developing, so I'm not ready to show them to the world. It is my move "out on a limb," and taking chances. I can give you a little glimpse of some possible fabrics for the prototypes, though I apologize for the quality of the photo. It doesn't do the fabrics justice.

On a sadder note, the tragedies of this last week across the southern states have me considering how I best can help those who have been affected. Some of the possibilities include  The American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Feeding America. Most of the housing down there does not provide the type of shelter needed for protection from the monster tornado that hit Tuscaloosa. In addition, at least two of the other tornadoes have been classified as F5's, the worst on the scale, with winds of 200+ mph. I hope you will consider how you might be able to help, too.

Finally, I want to share an astounding sighting I had last weekend in my yard. It appears that a bird has built a nest under a pile of branches my husband stacked next to our crab apple tree. I heard a bird making a fuss and looked out the window to see a hawk attempting to figure out how to get to the nest. It was quite a spectacular sight.

I wish you good weather, interesting challenges, and the beauty of nature.