Latest UT 12 x 12 Challenge – The Beatles

The latest Uncommon Threads challenge was chosen by Cathy Jeffery which had to be about the Beatles and it had to have some white in it. Being an old fart and not in love with the Beatles, this was a tough one for me as it seemed to be for the other members of my generation. Three of us considered the Yellow Submarine but trashed that idea and did something else. I can’t remember what inspired me but I did the following of John Lennon. I’ve always wanted to try this technique in paper but never got around to it so with the aid of tracing paper and tweezers I’ve done it in fabric. The quilting doesn’t really show, but it’s there; white on white.

John

And here’s a composite of the groups’ 12 x 12s. They’ll be posted on the UT blog site next week. Our next challenge will have to do with the 4th of July and be red, white and blue. I’m stumped.

Yard Art

While wandering around El Dorado Springs last week we stumbled upon this yard art. Anything goes don’t you think?

Slow Progress

Because the weather is so wonderful, the deck is being rebuilt, and the vegetable garden calls, little time is being spent in the studio. “Cover Lovers Askew” has been embellished with a fancy satin stitch and is ready to quilt and there she sits – waiting.

Two Projects at the Same Time

Two Projects at the same time is fun, but the studio is a mess.

Note the two sewing machines. I’m trying to use both of them. The little ripped, worn out ironing board and my chair have to trade places depending on which machine I’m using at the moment. There’s an old Pfaff on the right and a big Singer commercial machine on the left; it has a wider needle swing and I’ve spent two days off and on trying to correct it’s tension. Almost there.

Here are the two projects:

Cover Lovers Askew is now pinned and ready to embellish.

Flower Patch blocks – there are 14 so far, not enough room on the design wall to display them all and there will be more.

This is how they will go together using the QAYG  (quilt as you go) technique.

Marianne at The Quilting Edge blog has excellent “how to” tutorials on the technique.

12 x 12 Challenge – Black, Anything But Square

Lily Kerns chose our latest challenge for the Uncommon Threads group. It had to be black and anything but square.

Drove me nuts!

I cut 3 1/2 squares out of all the black fabrics I have in my stash and sewed them together to make a 12″ x 12″ square. Then I auditioned all kinds of stuff on it and it all looked mundane. Finally I settled on a pojagi sample, made some time ago when I was just fooling around. The sample was sewn to the black background and the black cut away behind it. Then the back of the whole piece was also cut away so that one can see through the transparency. The tile is “Diaphragms.”

I actually like the back better than the front!

All of the challenges can be seen on the Uncommon Threads blog site here.

Dancing Trees

Several years ago most of the trees in this area of SW Missouri received severe damage in a terrible ice storm. It’s still very evident in the winter time when the leaves are gone. Every time I go down this road I look at these trees and fantasize that they are dancing. Maybe they are dancing for the joy of still being alive!

Cover Lovers Askew

You may remember that one of my New Year’s resolutions is to make a quilt out of these blocks given to me by my old Florida friends, The Cover Lovers, about 15 years ago.

While looking for something to use as a background, I put this fabric on the design wall and slapped some of the block up, helter-skelter, just to see how they look on the fabric.

Oh, wow. I just don’t have enough fabric and will have to find something else that is in the same vein. I  like it that some of the blocks are askew and hang off the edge and could go on over into the border. My light bulb is lighting up!!

One resolution is finished but I can’t show it yet, ’cause it’s a surprise.

Making Messes

The local Thrift Store had a special on jeans the other day so I bought seven pairs at $.50 apiece. They’ve been washed, cut up, pieces serged, sewn together, and a jacket pattern cut out. This pattern has been residing in the pattern drawer for about 10 years or more. Now I have an idea to make one of them out of denim.

This one:

It’s taken several days to prepare the fabric and cut it out, leaving this mess:

And now, not only do I have to clean this up but I think I should tackle the “precious” mess at the end of the work table. I thought no scrap was too small or precious to throw away. Maybe I should rethink that.

First Flower

I know I photographed some daffodils a few weeks ago that were blooming about 70 miles south of here, but yesterday, I discovered that my annual first bloomers are up and blooming. Unbelievable to be blooming this early. They’ve always bloomed in March. This is an Iris reticulata. It’s only about five inches tall and the blossom only lasts one or two days. Gotta be on your toes to catch it!

An Ozark Adventure

Yesterday was a lovely warm day in the high 50s, unusual for January, so we decided to do a little exploring at the new Capes Creek Conservation Area. The first thing of interest that we saw on our way was this house with a life size bull on top of it’s roof. Most unusual!

The next thing of interest was this partial skeleton of a cow floating at the creek’s edge. Scared Mandy, our little dog, to death. She crouched down low  and backed away.

Since it was already after noon  we walked to a gravel bar for a picnic. This is not the prettiest creek we’ve ever seen but it wasn’t bad. Apparently it’s more appealing to fishermen.

After lunch we hiked about two miles along the creeks edge though briars and brambles. We exited onto a gravel road and while walking back to the car we found jonquils blooming!! I have never, ever seen them bloom in January.

Finally, arriving back at the car to return home, my lovely little Toyota Prius wouldn’t start. Dead as a door nail.

Down low in a creek bed, we couldn’t get cell phone service but a kind fisherman who was ready to go home gave us a ride to the nearest town, 10 miles away, where I could call my roadside service. After waiting 45 minutes a tow truck arrived, took us back to the car, loaded it up, and carried it and us the 73 miles back home.

Our trusty mechanic has just now called to report that the little 12 volt battery is dead and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, it’s a very small size, made only by Toyota, and very expensive. The $$$$$ are adding up. All that money I’m saving on gas is being spent on spare parts! So much for a quiet little picnic on a quiet little creek.