Playing with Blocks

What a luxury for me to start working on the lotto blocks mid month, instead of scrambling to put something together for the early sneek peek and to be really ready at the beginning of the month. Thank you again, Kate, for affording me the luxury of time.

Today, I worked on my January contribution, 6.5 inch string blocks in light dark pairs.



I also started planning and pulling fabrics for the next few months of the Birthday Block Swap. Next month, it's my turn to receive blocks, so once again, I'm enjoying the luxury of a bit of time. Here's the last block I made, for Diane. She wanted 12 inch blocks in purple batiks on a creamy background.



I'm really looking forward to seeing the quilts that will be made from this swap.

The Library of Congress Flickr Pilot

Mrs. Bill Stagg with state quilt that she made, Pie Town, New Mexico. A community settled by about 200 migrant Texas and Oklahoma farmers who filed homestead claims ... Mrs. Stagg helps her husband in the field with plowing planting, weeding corn and harv
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

This photo of Mrs. Bill Stagg with the state quilt that she made was taken in 1940 by Lee Russell in Pie Town, New Mexico. (Click the photo for a larger image . . . and a better look at her quilt.) It's one of more than 3,000 photos that the Library of Congress has uploaded to Flickr as part of a pilot. They invite viewers to explore and help identify and tag the photos.

There are currently two sets of photos. Color images from the 1930's and 40's (including the image above and the great image Amy posted earlier this week) and News photos from the 1910's. You can read more about the pilot on CNET, or just explore the photos and enjoy . . . and maybe help the Library of Congress by adding tags to the photos.

Chick Flicks and Winter Walks

This is my week 2 check-in for Walking in This World. As Linda explained so well last week, Walking in this World is a 12 week (one chapter per week) workshop sort of book designed, so it says, to jump-start your creative impulse if it is stalled, or let it flow more smoothly if not.

Morning pages: 6 of 7 days

Artist date: I don't think I've been to a movie in more than a year–on some level I think I've been fearful of falling asleep, and movies are one of the many things that had been dropped from my life. I treated myself to one.

I thought the writing could have been stronger, but, as a fan of both Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah and someone who is easily amused, I enjoyed this light-hearted chick flick.

Walk: My one walk this week was a city walk to the library and around the small park across the street. It was 30 degrees and sunny. The temperatures have since dropped into the teens with some serious wind chill numbers and the forecast is that they will stick there for a while . . . I have a feeling I'll be walking in the mall or around the indoor track at the gym next week.

The rest: As someone who has taken many paths in life and is often drawn in many directions–artistically, professionally and personally–being reminded this week that an artist's path is NOT LINEAR was quite comforting to me.

When I talk about my health, I almost always say that I want my life back. The exercises this week reminded me of some of the things that used to be part of my life before I became more and more tired and those things fell away. I am ready for some bigger than (my current) life expansion.

I experienced some synchronicity this week when I went back to the gym to talk about getting back into the exercise habit and ended up talking with a personal trainer there who works with clients facing similar medical challenges to mine.

I Don't Know Why, but

. . . this makes me smile.



I'm too braindead to post my check-in tonight . . . tomorrow, I promise. And some quilt content soon, too.

A Car for Fabric Lovers

BerlinFeb2007Jose 111 (Medium)
Originally uploaded by rako

I love this Toile covered–or more likely painted–Peugeot that I surfed past on Flickr.

Do you suppose it has a toile interior, too?

WITW - Week 1

Checking in at the end of Week 1 of Walking in This World:

Morning Pages - 7 days
Walks - 1
Artist Date - yes, and this artist's model came home with me–she's walking, can you tell? I went to Barnes & Noble and just browsed for an hour. I don't go to bookstores much anymore . . . it's so much easier to order online and a lot less overwhelming. I couldn't believe the volume of diet and self-help books. It's been forever since I looked at new cookbooks, flipped through travel books or checked out new mysteries by some of my favorite authors.

Stash-busting: Stalled . . .

My 30's stash reduction project is stalled . . .



Next up is an appliqué border, more vines and fried egg flowers. I started thinking about changing those snowball blocks and need to make that design decision before moving on.

A Hint for Diane

I'm playing catchup with Kate's Birthday Block swap. I finished Diane's block today (for a very belated December birthday).

It will go into the mail tomorrow, but I couldn't resist this little in progress shot. The color isn't great (those really are two purple fabrics and a buttery colored background.

That's a quarter on top of the dark square in the lower right corner, to give you an idea of the size of these tiny bits.

I really love this kind of swap. It's fun to make one special block for each birthday girl.

Call me Clueless

You know I can't resist these things:

Take the Quiz here!

Drink Your Vegetables

Lately, this has replaced my morning latté–it's tastes like ginger lemonade, but is full of the goodness of all that green stuff. It's Green Lemonade from The Raw Food Detox Diet, by Natalie Rose. The bright green color is a little shocking, but the taste is seriously yum. Who needs coffee?

The recipe is easy. Juice a head of Romaine, a bunch of kale, a couple inches of ginger, half a lemon and an apple.

If, like me, you don't eat as many leafy greens as you know you should . . . consider drinking your vegetables.

One More Time with Feeling

Six months later, new place, twice as long, but still very familiar.



Since the CPAP machine wasn't helping (and actually was making things much worse for me), once again I was wired up and sleeping with an audience. This time with a different machine (BiPAP) and the added bonus of a 12 hour "nap test" the next day–still fully wired . . . and still in my pajamas. The daytime test looks for things like narcolepsy and other reasons that I may be so unexplicably exhausted all day long. Ever the optimist, along with a quilt and my pillow, I brought lots of things to keep me entertained between the six scheduled naps: yarn and needles for a pair of socks, a couple books, a magazine, a needle-felting kit and . . . my laptop. By the end of the day, I had read a few chapters, cleaned up some files and knit the one inch cuff on the first sock.

What was I thinking? Just like at home these days, I couldn't really manage to focus on anything for very long and accomplished very little.

2008 - Here We Come

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better [wo]man.
- Benjamin Franklin

Need a Project Runway Fix?

Check out Project Runway Canada. The entire first season is sliced up into approximately 10 minute chunks and available on YouTube. Episode 1 begins here:

Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men

Such simple words . . . such an incredible possibility.

Merry Christmas.

(How Johnny B and his sister Grace Hopper will not be celebrating ;-)

Oh Baby!

Oh Joy . . .

. . . I finally finished my response to one of Amy's Project Runway challenges.



In week four, the designers each chose an out-dated fashion trend, then in teams of three, created a three-piece collection.

Amy asked that we choose at least two of the outdated trends to use in our piece. I really (really) wanted to finish something, so I went for easy and chose:

• Neon
• Cutouts
• Fringe
  

I have a feeling that Michael Kors would call it safe, Nina would declare it boring and Heidi Klum would make a face, but I don't care. I'm happy to be done ;-)

Here's how the Project Runway designers interpreted these outdated trends (image from BPR), as well as Pleather, Poodle Skirts, 70's Flare, Overalls, Dancewear, Baggy Sweater, Underwear as Outerwear, Zoot Suit and Shoulder Pads.

I was sorry to see Chris go :-(

Stash-Busting Strategies

Between work, medical appointments and tests and my health challenges at the moment, I don't have a lot of time for agressive stash busting. But I'm going to focus on a few things and make some baby steps anyway.

I know that I tend to collect fabrics for quilt design ideas that frequently never get made. My first stash-busting strategy is to make a couple of those quilts . . . or at least piece the tops and use up the stash that has accumulated.

A year ago, when I was choosing blocks for the Beginner Block Lotto on about.com, I also designed a beginner-friendly quilt made from the same blocks or elements of the blocks or techniques. I've been collecting 30s reproduction fabrics for it for a while.

I finally began real work on it this weekend–here are the blocks I've made so far.

In January we made blue and white double four-patch blocks. For my quilt, I made 26 scrappy four-patch blocks.



In February, we made mono-chromatic pinwheel blocks. There will be four in my quilt.



In March, we made many (many!) I-spy snowball blocks. There are also 4 of those in my quilt.



In April, we made 9-inch maple leaf blocks in fall colors on a blue sky background. For my quilt, I made eight smaller, 6-inch blocks.



In May we made big scrappy basket blocks. I made one for my quilt, too.



Stay tuned to see how the rest of the 2007 lotto blocks are represented and how they all fit together . . . and the smaller version Amy made last summer whens she tested the pattern in a very different colorway.

What Holiday are YOU?

You know I can't resist these blogthings . . . here's my result and the link so you can take the test, too ;-)

You Are Christmas

More than most people, you are able to find magic in life's small moments. Traditions mean a lot to you, and you tend to be quite nostalgic. You are a giving, kind person who really understands the true meaning of holidays. You inspire others to be as altruistic and caring as you are. What makes you celebrate: Tradition and a generous spirit At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The storyteller. You like to recount memories with everyone. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Give a gift to everyone you know

What Holiday Are You?

Yummy!

When I read the recipe for acorn squash stuffed with wild rice on Amy's blog, The Calico Cat, this morning, I thought it looked like it would be good. After work today, I made a quick stop at my local produce market to pick up a few groceries, then came home and made some of Amy's vegan-friendly main course . . . and it was yummy! I won't repeat the recipe here–you can follow the link and check it out.

The store was sold out of pecans, so picked up something they call Cranzi-Cherry Berry mix. It contains almonds (I picked those out and put them aside), roasted pecans and dried cranberries, cherries and blueberries. I used it for both the pecans and cherries in the recipe.

I made a half recipe, enough for dinner (with a glass of an interesting Merlot) and a great lunch (sans wine) tomorrow, too.

Thanks, Amy, for the great recipe.

What's Your Go-To Block?

When we were making batik sawtooth star blocks for the October block lotto on the quilting forum, Amy shared that someone told her that sawtooth star was her go-to block. I know it's one of mine, too.

Over the weekend, I smiled when I realized that I was making a couple of another one of my go-to blocks . . .



Both of these are for Kate's Birthday Block swap. The block on the left is for Christine, who asked for 12 inch blocks made from oriental fabrics on black background. I had originally planned to make a kimono block, but when, first, I couldn't find my pattern, and then, someone else make a kimono block for Christine, I went to one of my go-to blocks. It came out so nice (and flat), that I decided to make a second block, in 30's repros on a white-on-white background, for Faye. It's the one on the right. If I'd had some cream batik, Diane would likely received a purple batiks version, too . . . I was on a lone star roll.

My go-to blocks don't always serve me well, though. Here's the smaller 9 inch version I made (and rejected) a couple months ago for Amy. You can't tell in this photo, but the block is not even close to being flat. So I made a different star for Amy–the Wyoming Valley block on the right. I think it turned out to be a better choice and plays nicely with the other blocks she received.

So Many Art Quilts, So Many Categories

These were some of my favorite quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, but I admit, I found these categories confusing because there seemed to be so much room for overlap:

Art-Abstract (Large and Small)
Art-Naturescapes
Art-People: Portraits and Figures
Art-Pictorial
Art-Whimsical

. . . In spite of my confustion, all these quilts were beautiful. The links will take you to my photos of quilts in each category. Here are some of my favorites. Take a look and then guess in which category they were judged–the category information is in the photo description on Flickr.

Whispering Pines, made by Freida Anderson of Elgin, Illinois was a Judge's Choice winner.



Made in the Shade was made by Patrice Creswell, Austin, Texas.



A Bright Summer's Day, made by Ulla Andreasson of Maerne di Martellago Ve, Italy




Pat Reaches Quilter's Nirvana was made by Linda Cantell of Fletcher, North Carolina. Check out the detail photos of this quilt here, here and here.



Joe: Solitude was made by Elizabeth Schamber of Heathsville, Virginia. This quilt won third place in Art-People and was a crowd favorite–with lots of quilters strainging against the "ropes" to get an up close look. (I have a detail photo of Joe's face here.)



Be sure to notice how leaf print fabric was used to construct the bird's wing feathers in Blackbird Garden II, made by Jean Shute of Otis Orchards, Washington. Detail of the Blackbird is here.

Food Q & A

Some say that you are what you eat. This meme, found on one of the foodie blogs I enjoy, Potlikker, caught my eye. Let's see what it says about me. If you want to play along, copy-and-paste the questions and add your own answers.

How do you like your eggs? Poached and served on top of toast or something interesting (and usually left over).

How do you take your coffee/tea? steamed milk with my coffee/honey in my tea.

Favorite breakfast food: French toast topped with fresh fruit and powdered sugar

Peanut butter: I can't remember the last time I had any.

What kind of dressing on your salad? Bleu cheese

Coke or Pepsi? No soda for me, thanks.

You’re feeling lazy. What do you make? An omelet.

You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Veggie with extra cheese.

You feel like cooking. What do you make? Something that involves a lot of preparation so I can enjoy the process.

Is there a food you refuse to eat? Veal.

What was your favorite food as a child? Grilled cheese sandwich (with a cup of cream of tomato soup, please).

Is there a food that you hated as a child but now love? Black-eyed peas.

Is there a food that you loved as a child but now hate? Peanut butter (I don't hate it, but I just realized a few questions back that I don't choose it anymore).

Favorite fruit & vegetable: Peach & swiss chard.

Favorite junk food: Blue corn tortilla chips with salsa.

Favorite between meal snack: Coffee.

Do you have any weird food habits? Probably; some of my friends think fish tacos are weird, but I love them.

You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? salad.

You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? Ice cream.

How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? Medium-to-hot.

Can I get you a drink? Maybe a margarita (on ice with salt).

Red wine or white? Lately, usually red.

Favorite dessert? Key lime pie. Or maybe a fruit tart.

The Weather Outside is Frightful . . .

. . . and another Winter storm is on the way, so let's look at beautiful flower quilts from the exhibit In Full Bloom IV, Floral Quilts in Memory of Helen Pearce O'Bryant, from the International Quilt Festival in Houston . . . and dream of Summer.



This is Window Dressing, made by Deborah Schwartzman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Each of the blooms in the windowbox are pieced, log cabin fashion–I loved the effect of shading the blooms this way.

Here is the front and back of Fresh as a Daisy, made by Melina Bula, El Dorado Hills, Californa.



I overheard someone compare this whimsical quilt, Blacked Eyed Susans With Fruit, by Pam Allen of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, to the work of Henri Matisse. I thought it was an apt comparison.



These were three of my favorites from the exhibit. Click over to my photos from In Full Bloom IV on Flickr to see detail photos of these quilts and the rest of quilts and find your own.

Is it too soon to add, "Think Spring?"