Have you discovered MassDrop?

I just joined the group purchasing a cones of Superior Thread's King Tut on Massdrop and thought I'd mention it here for those that may not yet have discovered this source.

And then I found what could be the perfect border/backing fabric for the scrappy Briar Patch quilt I blogged about yesterday–a wide black and white backing fabric by Windham covered with color names  ... and decided I needed that, too.

It seems a perfect match for Rainbow Scraps projects.

On Massdrop, you can vote in polls about what you'd like to see offered and join group purchases with prices that drop as more buyers opt in.  In the past, I have purchased fat quarter bundles and Quilter's Dream wool batting (which is now being offered again, if you're interested) and some non-quilty things ... though I confess it is the quilting category items that tend to grab my attention.

I am not associated in any way (except as a happy customer), but do think it's a great concept and an interesting site worth checking out.

A Scrappy Puzzle

I haven't yet jumped back into the Rainbow Scraps Challenge this year (and it's already March!), but since I did make some blocks from yellow scraps, I am considering myself officially back in the game.

Besides the yellow hexagon ring I shared on Sunday, I also made 4 of the foundation pieced Briar Patch blocks.

I've now made around 50 of these paper foundation pieced blocks.  It felt like time to figure out how they would be set and how many more of what colors I need.

I can't say why I have been in a "finishing" state of mind–it's so unlike me. Rather than making new rainbow scraps challenge blocks for new projects as I planned, my focus has been on finishing up the blocks and quilts from RSC projects from the past.   So, while I haven't been regularly checking in with something made form the designated color each week, I have been digging into my scraps to work toward some scrappy finishes.

And now, I find myself looking at the Briar Patch project to see what I need to take it to a finish. At this point, it feels like a bit of a scrappy puzzle to be solved.  I thought it was a good time to pull out the blocks and put them on the design wall in an approximation of the layout to see what I thought and where I am.

As you can see, I need to make quite a few more blocks in almost every color. If I decide to split the "purple" blocks into red-violet and blue-violet, as I have them on the design wall now, I'll need even more of those.  But even in this state, I can see that I'm going to like it.

A big chunk of time spent paper-piecing blocks is just what it needs to get the rest of the blocks done, which may make this project is a good candidate to take to the guild retreat next month.

I'm joining the lists for Scraptastic Tuesday and WIP Wednesday and (kind of late to the game), Scrap-Happy Saturday.

Oak Leaf Progress

I felt like I needed a few more scrappy oak leaf blocks for my quilt, but ... it wasn't immediately obvious in what colors I should make them. The first 14 blocks were made in the designated colors of last year's rainbow scraps challenge (with two extra blocks made during the month of black/brown/neutral) which provided me with a pretty good distribution around the color wheel.

I decided I could add a red-violet block, but any other color choice would likely overlap with the colors in an existing block.

As I looked through the existing blocks, I thought about how adding the dark, neutral black and brown leaf blocks at the end of last year had made the colors in the other blocks pop which lead me to think about adding some pale, low-volume Oak Leaf blocks to the pile.

I made these two, then auditioned them with on the design wall with the rest.


The exercise reminded me of my personal scrap quilt mantra: Light, Bright, Dull, Dark.  I realized that I hadn't been thinking of this as a scrap quilt, but, of course, it certainly is (and the leaf blocks have literally been constructed from scraps ... doh!)

When I feel stuck when asking "what color," the answer is often found by considering characteristics other than hue and thinking about a balance of "light, bright, dull, dark."

I thought the two low volume oak leaf blocks worked with the rest, so I kept going and made one more in pale blues.  I also made that red-violet block that seemed to be missing ... then I spent a lot of time arranging, re-arranging, taking photos, converting them to black and white, and re-arranging them again.

Below is the final arrangement of the 16 blocks on my design wall. I am joining the list for Design Wall Monday on Patchwork Times.

Two New Handwork Projects

I started two new little projects this weekend and all the blame credit goes to the two bloggers who inspired me.

Earlier this week, Gail Pan shared a sweet stitchery pattern, Welcome Spring, that I found irresistable. Click over to see the blue pillow and red wallhanging she made from the design and download the free pattern.  It's a quick bit of stitching, I expect to finish this tonight.

My plan is to feature it in a small pillow with some Springy blue and yellow print fabrics.

A couple days ago on her blog, Angie mentioned picking up a Fiskar's hexagon punch at half price ... and I thought that was such a good idea, I bought two.

I quickly opened the smaller one and repurposed some junk mail.

My yellow scrap bin was sitting on the worktable–yes, I am finally getting around to making some rainbow scrap challenge blocks–so I grabbed some small scraps and made a sample for an idea for a new small quilt idea.

I will be slow stitching away later today on these and am joining Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching list with this post.

  

Alium, Abstracted

The design for my Alium was created in an Abstracting from Nature workshop with Jane Sassaman probably a decade ago–yes some of my UFOs are SO old that I have begun to think of them as Golden Oldie UFOs. In addition to the great exercises that led to creating our own original designs, we learned a few appliqué techniques ... I tried them, but didn't feel they were "me" and it's probably why the finished quilt top remained unfinished for so long. While I was quilting it, I remembered how much I enjoyed the sketching exercises–note to self: must do more of that.

Before binding the quilt, I washed it as a sanity check to make sure the intense quilting in the background and border wouldn't distort the shape of the quilt.  My failure at executing the appliqué approach used on the flower and the bud was evident by the many frayed edges exposed ... and so I went back and needle-turned all those edges by hand.

Here are a close-up of the appliqué techniques and free-motion quilting.

It's approximately 21 by 26-inches.  The small size made it the perfect project to work on while I was thinking about what to do with a couple other projects. Now that it's finished, I have no excuses to get busy on some other (planned) projects ;-)

There are so many places to celebrate finishes in blog land.  I'm joining these parties with his post:

Angie's WIPs Be Gone
Richard and Tanya's Link a Finish Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? on Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Nina-Marie's Design Wall Friday
Fabric Frenzy Friday
QuiltShopGal's Creative Goodness Linky Party

In the Meantime ...

I am still thinking about the details of how to quilt the bright boomers and log cabins.

I have a pretty good idea how I will approach it, but am mulling over some of the details.

And I need to decide on thread color(s).










I am also still playing around with ideas about what to do with those big scrappy Oak Leaf blocks–my goal for March.

I have decided to make a few more of the large scrappy Oak Leaf blocks and which colors I need to add.

In the meantime, I pulled out a little finished quilt top–made in a workshop long ago and far away–and I'm quilting it. Here it is, in progress, under the needle, almost quilted.







Working on this reminded me of what I didn't like about my piece–the raw edged appliqué leaves stitched with an open zig zag–and what I loved about the workshop–the sketching exercises that led to my original design.  And maybe those reminders are a good reason to work on finishing more UFOs.

I'm joining the lists for WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced and Esther's WOW (WIPS on Wednesday).

Local Politics

I blogged about this sculpture not long after moving to Santa Fe.  Now it is the subject of some local politics.

The New Mexico State Land Office has a new Land Commissioner and he plans to remove the Brickhead: Hope, a sculpture created by James Tyler, and replace it with an oil pump jack to acknowledge the revenues generated by oil and gas royalties on leases of state land.

The Land Office building is located near the center of Santa Fe, a short walk from the Plaza. In this historic area, an oil pump would seem to be so incongruous with the art and architecture here.  Why not commission some public art that pays homage to Big Oil instead?

It is apparently not the first time an oil pump jack will appear on the site ... and it was quite controversial the first time around, too.

You can read more about it here: Sculpture Debate Echos 1979 Pump Jack Controversy

I wonder if the Land Commissioner is doing away with the art inside the walls as well?  A couple years ago, the halls inside were covered with wonderful photographs of state lands (most do NOT include oil well imagery, but rely on pastoral images of lands leased for grazing and other purposes). There is also a gallery with rotating art by New Mexican artists in the lobby of the building.  It will be interesting to see if that program continues during Commissioner Dunn's reign.

A Lot Going On ... On My Design Wall

Some of these projects are finished and just parked on the design wall, some are just beginning.

The bright little log cabins have become a top, with the addition of five Oklahoma Boomer blocks–the reject boomerette on the wall may become the label–and a pieced border of triangles and strips.

The Arrow block is one of last month's blocks for the Block Lotto; the appliquéd flower blocks are for this month.  In the upper left corner are some small finished items including some pins and badges and my finished project from Jennifer Day's workshop at AQS.  It's something else that I finished a while ago but haven't (yet) shared on this blog.  Here's a closer look.

It is based on an image of Jennifer's Barn Cat, Killer. Now that my computer is back, I can start finding an image of my own to use for this technique. You can see a quilt that Jennifer Day made using another image of Killer (along with her son, Carson) in my photos from the Northern New Mexico Quilt Guild show last fall here.

Did you notice that envelope pinned to the wall in the upper right corner?  That's the first round of the Cotton Robin, my round added and ready to be mailed on to the next quilter a little later this month. 

March Goal for a Lovely Finish

Remember these Oak Leaf blocks - made last year as part of the Rainbow Scraps Challenge?

This month, my goal is to turn them into a finished quilt top. I am joining the March Goal-Setting Party and the list of lovely quilters declaring their own goals.

February's Lovely Finish - A Kitten's Work is Never Done

When my computer was first down and then in the shop and the prognosis was unsure, I linked a photo from Flickr to the Lovely Finishes February party but wasn't able to blog about it. When I was working on the quilt, I imagined a photo on this weathered coyote fence in my neighborhood. The reality, a photo taken on a snowy gray day, didn't quite match my vision.

Here's a better look at the quilt itself in a photo taken inside ... it goes without saying (I hope) that the quilt really isn't as wonky and wavy as it appears here.

The quilt is approximately 54-inches square.

The Kitty Homemaker redwork patterns are from Nancy Martin's book, Kitties to Stitch & Quilt: 15 Redwork Designs, that was gifted to me just after I moved to Michigan to be close to my dad when he was ill in 2001. The gift was much appreciated as it gave me something to do while I sat with him in the hospital, during transfusions.

Here are detail photos of each of the two types of blocks in this quilt:

Doing things in a new way (while my computer was in the shop) was interesting.  Using a combination of digital camera and iPad looked like it was going to work and, in fact, the WordPress app  DID work and I was able to share this quilt (with January's Lotto Block pattern used for the double 9-patch blocks) on Blocklotto.com but ... BlogPress or otherwise posting here?  Not so much.

UPDATE

I have mentioned in the in-progress posts about this quilt that it was a nice bit of serendipity that when I pulled out the fabrics put aside for this golden oldie UFO, that the happened to be Pantone's color of the year, marsala.   It was good food-for-thought to think about how color trends repeat, change and morph. 

I'm updating this blogpost to join the 2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge. 

A Cozy Finish

I made a pair of cozy flannel pillow covers this week.

The quilting was inspired by that I used on the flannel zig-zag quilt last month and QuiltShopGal's 2015 FMQ challenge for February.

For the challenge, I chose Option #1 which was to use Leah Day's quilting design Rail Road Tracks.

It's a little difficult to see on the plaid on the front, so here's a photo of one of the areas filled with the required quilting design from the back. It is probably not a design I would choose to use, but the challenge pushed me to do it anyway.  (It's always a good thing to try something new.)



Each of the pillows is 24 inches square. They were pieced from flannel scraps from my stash.

The backs are plain (unquilted) flannel.

The edges are finished with a quarter-inch binding made from more flannel.

Here are photos of the quilted piece, front and back, before it was sewn into a pillow.

In addition to the February FMQ Challenge, I am joining the list for Richard and Tanya 's Link-A-Friday Finish. 

February Goal - Redwork and Marsala

I shared this old UFO yesterday ... today, in spite of a major oopsy, I am designating it as my goal for a lovely finish in February.


Along with the 12 redwork squares and fabrics I shared yesterday, I now also have 115 small three-inch 9-patch blocks--33 of which were made with a reversed placement of lights and darks (the oopsy mentioned above) ... this may lead me to make a larger quilt or an interesting pieced back or a second project.

As I was cutting and sewing yesterday, I realized that the dull reds in this fabric line are Pantone's color of the year: Marsala ... I guess everything old does come back in style again.

There was some confusion in my post yesterday. I didn't mean that this project was a contender for the fundraiser wall quilt for the retreat, in competition with those bright log cabins.


These redwork stitches were made as I passed time with my father during transfusions and hospital stays during the last year of his life. Often, the fabrics were cut and patterns transferred in a rush and some are a bit off-center as a result.  They contain a lot of reminders of the emotional roller-coaster we rode during that period of time. They are bittersweet reminders. They have made me too sad for me for a long time, but now I feel ready to turn them into a beautiful reminder of that time spent with my dad.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wall Quilts

I was asked if I would make a wallhanging quilt for a raffle at the guild retreat. I agreed then realized that I rarely make wall quilts. I make little doll quilts or quilts that are at least throw-sized. So, I have been thinking about what I might make for the guild and some wall quilt-sized UFOs in the studio.




I thought putting these bright little log cabins on the design wall might inspire an idea. These are 6-inch blocks from a block exchange long ago. I always intended to make more-enough for a bed quilt ... but since that hasn't happened, I am thinking they might become that raffle quilt.

The other project I pulled out of a bin of UFOs is this set of redwork squares and some fabrics put aside to use with them.




This one will stay with me, but I am thinking it might be time to put it together. The January lotto block has inspired a new setting idea and a plan to make some scrappy double 9-patch blocks on this snowy, overcast day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Lovely Day, A Lovely January Finish

I finished stitching down the binding on the plaid zig-zag mystery quilt Sunday night and it was such a beautiful sunny day on Monday, I thought to take it outside for a photo.

Of course, Johnny protested that I was outside in his territory without him.



It was perfectly calm UNTIL I hung the quilt over the wall of the upstairs deck ... I waited until the wind died down enough for the quilt to become mostly flat again. Here it is again, from a different perspective.

I'll be linking this post to the finishes party for A Lovely Year of Finishes later this month. 

Blocks on the Wall

Here's a look at my design wall today.



 On the left are five black and white Double Nine-Patches for the January Block Lotto. You can read more about these (and download the block pattern) here:  New Year, New Block.

On the right are a pair of red and white blocks called Serendipity blocks for the new block lotto at the local guild ... as many years as I have been organizing the lotto for blocklotto.com, I have to support anyone who is taking on a similar project.

On the wall just before this photo was taken is my first February lotto block. Now all I have to do is write up the block pattern.

There are some much more interesting design walls over at Judy's Design Wall Monday link up.

The Calming, Meditative Quality of Handwork

I planned to spend this afternoon in the studio. I knew I would come back from the quilt show full of inspiration and would be itching to quilt.

After I had followed up on some lovely blog comments and email messages, I felt torn about what to do next: play with the pressure foot and rulers I bought at the show to do ruler work? Baste the big broken dishes rainbow scrap quilt and start quilting it (with threads acquired for that purpose at the show)?  Finish the thread work cat? Something else?  Something New? Make more January blocks for the Block Lotto? Make the February blocks and get the pattern written for the sneak peek next week?

I decided to retreat to the den, pull out the flannel zig-zag quilt, stitch down a bit more of the binding and think about it.

I made more progress toward finishing this old UFO and I came downstairs feeling more centered and equipped with a plan for my afternoon.  Since any progress is progress, I'm joining the WIPs be Gone list on a Quilting Reader's Garden.

Kathy asked for a show of hands for Slow Sunday Stitching today ... here's mine, wearing the tailor's thimble which is my choice for hand sewing. I will return to this binding later today ... the end is in sight and I'd love to be putting this snuggly quilt on the bed soon.

Rainbow Scraps Inspiration

I had a plan for projects I wanted to work on as part of the Rainbow Scraps Challenge in 2015. (You might have noticed that since the arrival of the new year, I haven't worked on any of them).

I had been thinking that I didn't want to make another "rainbow" quilt, then I saw this, hanging outside the Accuquilt booth at AQS Quiltweek in Albuquerque.

(Photo taken with their permission.)  Most of these shapes are made from smaller units and I already own most of the dies I'd need to do something like this from my scraps.

I am headed back to the show to see the rest of the quilts and ... maybe buy one of the dies I'd need if I decide I DO have another rainbow quilt in me ;-) 

I'm sharing with the Scrap Happy Saturday crowd ... in case anyone is inspired to join me. 

Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Freezing Fog, Nor Wintry Mix ...

The drive from Santa Fe to AQS Quilt Week in Albuquerque this morning was filled with interesting weather, but I just slowed down and persevered and accepted that I might be late for the workshop. Somehow, even though traffic on the highway came to a dead stop for no apparent reason when I was only about 10 miles away, I made it.

I spent the day in a workshop with Jennifer Day and here's what my piece looked like at the end of the workshop.




I can't wait to finish this up at home this weekend, but first ... I will be enjoying the show and doing a little shopping tomorrow.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Marquette Ave NW,Albuquerque,United States

I'm Still Quilting

Things in my studio pretty much look the same as last weekend ... I'm still quilting the flannel plaid zig-zag quilt.

Here's a detail of the motif in the plaid squares.

Soon after I started quilting this on a new machine, I knew this project would become an opportunity to become familiar with free motion quilting on this machine and ... practice, practice, practice.

For the borders, I decided to try two of the designs from Angela Waters' books ... why not try something new since I'm climbing the learning curve with this quilt?  And now, the end is in sight.  I'm working on the outer border now.  You can see all four designs used in quilting this quilt here, from the back of the quilt:

I have been so focused on quilting this flannel monster that there has been anything much up on my design wall, except the first of my January blocks for the Block Lotto.  We're making 9-inch Double 9-Patch blocks in black and white.

This year we'll be making 9-inch squares and 4 1/2 by 18-inch rectangles. As usual, there will be a mix of styles and techniques. This block is a great one to learn how to work with strip sets and practice those 1/4-inch seams. 

Free Motion Quilting ... with Help

The only thing Grace Hopper likes more than helping me change the bed linens is helping when I am layering and pin basting a quilt on the work table. It usually ends up looking something like this.

Grace is also a chaser of light and shadows, so as soon as she noticed the small red light coming from my camera as it auto-focused, I had no chance of getting her to look up at me and away from where she had last seen the red light.

I basted the flannel quilt on Saturday and started quilting it on Sunday.  At the end of the night, I folded it, with the pins on the inside so that neither cat (but most likely, Johnny) wouldn't try to help me remove them ...

I came home from work on Monday, ready to quilt, but found myself in a stand-off with Grace, who didn't want to give up her new soft perch.  She refused to even acknowledge me, she was so insistent that I didn't need to quilt right now ...

After I displaced her, she played another game with me which involved her running to the far end of the studio, meowing up a storm until I got up to see what was wrong at which point she raced back to my sewing chair, jumped into the seat and held on tight.  Apparently, I had taken her seat and she was now taking mine ...

Some quilting did happen Monday night, in spite of the kitty antics ... at times, both cats settled into a spot on the large quilt on the table, as I worked my way across it and were irritated with me when I needed to shift things around.

My approach to quilting this big flannel zig-zag design is:

1. Stitch in the ditch along the edge of the white strips (done)
2. Quilt feathers in the white areas (done) 
3. Switch thread color and try something new (a sort of pod shape) in the plaid squares (in progress).  

THEN, I'll figure out what to do about the borders.

I'm joining the list for WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced. What's in progress at your house: something new or are you, like me, working to finish an old project?