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.

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.

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!

Challenge #7-Music “A Nightingale Sings”

The latest Uncommon Threads challenge was Music. While at our retreat last fall,I played with some “birdie” fabric and lacy stuff that Merrilee brought, then put it away. How serendipitous! I pulled it out and created my challenge from what she gave me.

The dots are beads and the blue wings are hand embroidered with metallic thread. A real nightingale is just another brown bird, but with such a beautiful name I think it should be more colorful! My free hand machine quilting is getting better but still not what I want it to be.

The title, “A Nightingale Sings” is from the title of the song, “A Nightingale Sings in Barkley Square.” You should hear Nat King Cole sing it. Oh my! You can view the rest of the groups’ work here.

83 Napkins

83 Napkins

Talk about serendipity!! Yesterday I was cleaning out the laundry/storage room and found a laundry basket full of 83 napkins bought years ago at estate sales and yard sales. Don’t ask me why I bought so many; I don’t remember! There were 84 to be exact, but a mouse had chewed one up. I decided to wash and iron them and store them in a better place. While they were in the washing machine I entertained myself by surfing the web and found Paula Kovarik’s blog where she has been free hand quilting napkins for pillow tops. Wow! There’s a thought and her’s are beautiful. Then while the napkins were in the dryer and I was still surfing, I foundSewCalGal doing a 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge. Another thought – I could use the stained or worn napkins for learning and “perfecting” my free motion quilting. It’s turned out that ironing 83 napkins was very meditative. I had lots of thoughts about what I might do with those napkins. Maybe some small art quilts or dye them. I’ve learned that no fabric is too precious to cut up. 2012 is going to be full of fun stuff!

Two New Books

Just found two new books on making “simple” garments. It remains to be seen just how simple, but the designs are intriguing. Looking forward to trying a few.

I Am Cute Dresses by Sato Watanabe – 25 Simple Designs To Sew

Simple Modern Sewing by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha – 8 Basic Patterns to Create 25 Favorite Garments

Airy Ghost

I read lots of poetry on the internet looking for a name for this dandelion-apron wall quilt. “Airy Ghost” is what I came up with. Not totally happy with that but it will have to do until something better comes along.

I keep saying that I’m not going to make any more apron quilts, but I just got another idea this afternoon. sigh.

Airy Ghost is hanging in the latest Uncommon Threads exhibit at Hammons Hall for the performing Arts in Springfield, MO.

Heron At Sunrise

The latest Uncommon Threads Challenge was “Peaceful Waters” which happens to be the title of a song written by Roberta Ranney’s husband, Bob.

I used this pictures of a Heron that I took at sunrise last year down at our neighborhood boat ramp.

I could have tried dyeing fabric for the background, but that seemed tedious so I found some hand dyed that I bought a number of years ago and have been saving  for a special occasion. This is the occasion. I printed the heron onto fabric and then machine embroidered all over it and fused “him” and the dock to the background.

You can see all the Peaceful Water challenges on the Uncommon Threads blog. Click here.

Apple Sauce and Apple Butter

I’m still busy with my ant vs grasshopper activities. The weekend was spent making applesauce and apple butter.

And evening colors over the lake get better and better.