Quilt Flimsy Done, Exciting New Fabric, Butterfly Hand Quilting, Color Theory Fun

Watermelon summer flimsy, 15" x 30".

Two new fun prints, orange floral and white and black postal prints.

Hand quilting almost done on my butterflies, one more round to go.

Happy Monday!

From the Pacific NW with cooler temperatures and some clouds.

And some smoke from the wildfires in eastern Washington. Yes, wildfires are common around here.

The wildfires in California are excessive this year, I pray for the firefighters and people who've lost their homes, very difficult time for them.

This last week has been a busy time with relatives visiting and leaving and more coming in. 

I did get more hand quilting done and my watermelon four patch on point flimsy, pieced of scraps, is now the size I wanted to get it. I might add a small border, I'm thinking that over.

Missouri Star Quilt Comp. had a sale on shipping last week, so with that and using my MSQC points on this order, I got a good deal on the orange floral and the white/black postal print.

They'll fit in nice with the colors I like to use. 

My favorite recipe for choosing fabric to piece quilt blocks is a good mix of solids, batiks and prints. There has to be contrast and some black and white is always good.

I like the shock value of orange, and I use other colors to hold down the fort, as it were.

Fun times, it might as well be an adventure. 

And that is the quilt news around here, where we are busy with summer activities with a little time tucked in here and there for projects.

I hope you have a good week, I'll stop by to visit.

Watermelon Colors, DMC Pearl Cotton #12 and Bird of Prey.

'City Streets" will be hand quilted with DMC pearl cotton in pearl grey #12.

I'm hand quilting my butterflies with DMC pearl cotton in ecru #12.

The back of my butterfly small quilt, don't you love the quilting making that crinkly effect?

Here are my four patch, on point blocks in watermelon colors. I'm playing with arrangement.

More possibilities in arrangement.

Neighborhood osprey, enjoying the evening.



Happy Weekend!
 From the Pacific NW where we have sunny skies and warm temperatures.

This week I've been hand quilting my small butterfly quilt with DMC #12. I like hand quilting with size 12 rather than size 8. Size eight is too thick and not as easy to thread or stitch with, in my opinion.
I ordered DMC pearl cotton #12 in pearl grey to quilt 'City Streets' with and it came in the mail last week. I'll start that soon.

And I pieced together more of my watermelon colors, four patch on point blocks. I'm using left over fabric from one of my other projects.
Use those scraps up!

We had an evening visit from Mr. Osprey who lives not too far from here. His/her nest is on high ground near the baseball field ( who would think of that?), probably to keep a good look out over the ponds and forest for potential meals.
He/she decided to spend some evening time in an old snag, just in back of the house. He announced his presence and then cleaned and arranged his feathers while keeping an eye out for rabbits. We enjoyed the visit, the rabbits were probably nervous and laid low. Then another announcement and off he flew.

That's the news from the shire, where progress is being made.
Hope you had a good week!
I'll be by to visit.

Hand Quilting and Four Patch Stacks, Notes and Log Cabin Blocks Settled In

One of the first block arrangements, not there yet.

The blocks on the far left side and lower corner were rearranged.

Log Cabin blocks backing.

I'm hand quilting my small butterfly quilt with pearl cotton #12.

Stacks of Four Patches, trimming and measuring going on this week.

My notes and scratch pad.

Happy Weekend!!

Summer weather and walks at the lake are what's happening here.

I've been working in shorter blocks of time, about 20 minutes, because it's too warm and I need to get up and cool off for a while. It's funny but when I'm piecing, pressing, trimming and digging around for more of this or that scrap of fabric, it can get hot. No air conditioning in this room, a fan yes, and I'm thankful for that. So to cool off I go down and out to the backyard and stick my feet in my grandson's pool for a while, nice.

And of course my blog friend, Cathy, is the one who wrote about breaking up work times into shorter  pieces and how that worked out well for her and she gets a lot done!

So this week I've been piecing and trimming On Point Four Patches. And making stacks of them, I like that. And since I've got the ruler and cutting mat out why not make stacks of other blocks for that other project I've been putting off?  

Also I finalized my Log Cabin block quilt arrangement that was stalled for a while. I had to keep asking myself, 'What is the intent here? Log Cabin blocks have something to say and just what is that?'  I decided movement was important and color could work that out.

I was thinking Log Cabin blocks mean houses (to me) and what if this was a city and you had streets and apartments and houses all lined up along sidewalks. So that helped me figure out the final placement so it made sense.

And my note/scratch paper pad! I'm a doodler at heart and spend a lot of time drawing and writing. It's a good way to unwind and plan I think. Are you a doodler?

So that's the news around the shire, where little feet are running up and down the hall.

Have a great week and I'll be by to visit.

Quilt 'Licorice Allsorts' Finish, Piecing and More Thoughts on Reconstructing

This week my HSTs and four patches in process.

Lady of the Lake Block, finished, @10.5" for my traditional sampler quilt.

My summer 2017 improv challenge quilt, 'Licorice Allsorts' is done!

Here's the back view, I pieced scraps for the strip.

Greetings from the Pacific NW!

 Where we have sun and clear skies. On a day like today we can see the Cascade Mts to the east and the Olympic Mts in the west and in the south is Mount Rainier, truly natural wonders!

And Happy Weekend to you.

This week I've been piecing/cutting etc. for about 20 min. then I get up and go and do something else for a bit then come back to the piecing/cutting work. My blog friend, Cathy , who gets an amazing amount of work/play done works this way and talks about it on her blog. It sounded like a good idea, so I'm trying it. I find I don't get as burnt out and my inspiration stays around.

Another of my blog friends, Debbie , has finished reconstructing a worn out vintage quilt and she's done a beautiful job. Visit her to see her great work. Talk about inspiring!

I've finished 'Licorice Allsorts' a summer 2017 improv challenge quilt. For a long time I didn't know what to name it, (I like to name my art quilts), and I didn't know how to finish it.

I had added a white border, photo in my past post, and I then I was stuck. I was looking through past photos of that quilt when I first started it, to see if that would give an idea.

Looking at the photos I realized the white border was not in keeping with the original intent.

Take off the border? Yep, I cut it off and unpicked the seam allowance left.

A sigh of relief!

Then another of my blog friends, I have a lot!, Queenie  suggested I name it 'Licorice Allsorts'.

Perfect, sweet and playful.

I used units/blocks of rectangles, squares and triangles to border the center medallion of 'liberated' rail fence blocks.

That's the quilty news from the shire.

Have a great week and remember to be thankful, it beats fussing handsdown.

And a smile makes you look years younger, for free!

I'll be by to visit.

Deconstructing and Reconstructing Butterfly Quilt and Thoughts on Hand Quilting and Must We Always Be in a Hurry?

My Pfaff Expression 3.5 sewing machine, intuitive and 'charming.'

My deconstructed butterfly quilt now being reconstructed!

The new backing fabric for my butterfly quilt, pinned and ready for hand quilting.

'Atmosphere' lights and 2018 cow/farm calendar with bits of color inspiration.

Hand quilting started with cotton pearl #12.

Seer Sucker black and white for new binding, think 'utility'.

My zipper pouch keeps my spools of thread, I like the texture and the utility look.

Happy Weekend! from the Pacific NW where we have warm temperatures and clear skies.

And I've been doing some rethinking about some of my projects especially after visiting Jillayne  and Karen , two textile artists extraordinaire. They do thoughtful beautiful work and get it done in a timely fashion. It's not that they exhaust themselves, I think balance is the word.

I had finished my small butterfly quilt a couple of weeks ago with machine quilting. And the more I looked at it the more I didn't like that machine quilting. Another of my blog friends was in the process of deconstructing a worn antique quilt with the thoughts of repairing and reusing the blocks in a new quilt.

If these people can take time to lovingly stitch and create and repair then I think I can do that too.

So I unpicked the machine quilting on my butterfly quilt, not as bad as you might think, and took the layers apart. I had used a thin batting, Quilter's Dream, and it was too thin, it didn't give the body I wanted. So I replaced that with Warm and Natural, much better. I also gave it a new backing. I had bought a yard of a black and white butterfly fabric just to use on this quilt but for some reason I had whipped up an improve backing and used that instead. So that improv backing will get repurposed.

And now I'm hand quilting with cotton pearl #12 and it looks like I wanted it to look.

I'm happy about that.

So my thoughts through all this are 'Why must we always be in a hurry?'

Is there some book deadline to meet? No. Are we in a contest to see who can punch out the most quilts? Not me anyway. 

Why do I stitch and quilt and blog? I enjoy it and reading about other textile/sewing/quilt artists' adventures and methods. Just have to clarify that once in a while!

My zipper pouch, black and white, made with quilted scrap fabric and 'made' fabric, I like looking at because it says 'utility' and 'useful' to me. I made it using MSQC's Zippered Pouch YouTube tutorial.
Good tutorial, easy to follow and you can add your own touches.

So I hope you take time to visit the blogs I've linked for some relaxed beauty.

And just be thankful, the best things in life are free.

I'll be by to visit!

  

Quilt Border Change, Liberated Piecing and Summer's in the Air!

Crocosmia in bloom here, gorgeous!

I learned to swim here when I was a girl, Steel Lake, Federal Way, WA.

Two more blocks of liberated piecing got done this week, another star and Log Cabin nine patch.

Astilbe blooming and a great big hosta in the back yard.

I took off the outer white border of my Rail Fence Medallion Quilt, it looks better this way. 

Hello, from the Pacific NW, Washington State!

Where we are having great weather, warm for a few days then cooler with clouds and showers.

There was a bar-b-que for the Fourth of July and the neighbors really out did themselves with their firework show in the evening, wow!

I got some 'liberated' piecing done, a star and a nine patch log cabin block and trimmed off the outer border of my Rail Fence Medallion Quilt with sawtooth borders. I was looking at photos of that quilt as I was piecing it and I realized it looked finished without that last white border. In fact it looked good that way, (My last post has a photo of the white border still on), so off it came.

And yep, that was the trick.

That's the news here in the shire. Where summer is keeping me busy and the days are long.

Hope you're enjoying your summer, and some of you I know are getting into winter and I hope you're staying warm!

I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! Whirlpool Blocks, Rail Fence Medallion Quilt Ready For Binding, Summer Quilt Classes?

My Rail Fence improv blocks started last summer.

The Rail Fence blocks are in the center now surrounded by borders.

Detail of quilting on back of Rail Fence medallion.

Quilting detail on front of Rail Fence medallion.

I trimmed the two whirlpool blocks for my traditional quilt.

Happy Weekend and almost Happy Fourth of July!!

We have light rain and clouds in the Pacific NW.

I finished machine quilting my summer improv Rail Fence medallion quilt, 30"x 36.5". For now I'm just going to call it Rail Fence medallion quilt. Summer and improv are descriptive but that makes the name too long I think. Binding is next.

And my two whirlpool blocks are trimmed to 10.5". One more to go, a Lend and Borrow block . Again I'm roughly following the pattern, 'Times of Refreshing' by Piecing the Past Quilts.

The Cotton Patch/QuiltUSA  in Lafayette, CA has an exciting class, actually several, that I'd love to sign up for this summer. One of them is by Youngmin Lee , South Korean, living in the Bay area now.

This class is a for a patchwork technique called Mosi Jogakbo with finished seams, front and back, with no batting or backing. It makes a beautiful gauzy looking piece of patchwork and reminds me of my butterfly four patch quilt I finished last summer. I made it of mostly white, cream and grey in the four patches and the butterflies were bright colors. I kept thinking the flimsy looked great as it was.

 Maybe I'll move there for the summer and fall and dedicate myself to quilt classes! I'll let you know about it if I do.

That's my quilt news and progress.

Have a good week and I'll be by to visit!