Showing posts with label llamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label llamas. Show all posts

Friday, May 17, 2019

Choosing Quilting Patterns & Motifs


Postcard from Sweden: Baby Version

It has been months since I woke up in the middle of the night with clouds of swirling thoughts. When this happens, I feel like I am stuck in sleep mode yet awake. All the unrealistic thoughts that would be dreams--especially those that might be nightmares while asleep are processed while wide awake. It's like having surgery without the anesthetic. The so-called creative, free-associating side of the brain runs without the conscious filter of the other half. A monkey brain. I worry about things in the dark I could talk myself out of in daylight. Yuck. But sleep finally comes, and I swear the next morning to never drink caffeine so late in the day again. 

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Happy Quilter's Mail & Mishmash



Happy Llama Mail

I love when Desi Arnez says, "Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do!" I think that's why I titled this post as mishmash. So many things to explain today.

Llamas: Our daughter keeps llamas. They are darling, cantankerous creatures! Everyone who meets them falls in love, though ours have some special needs. Sandra from mmm!quilts had the same experience, and when she found this enchanting llama fabric we were on her short list. Visit the link, and she will do the 'splainin' for me.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Custom Color Dyeing: Round One



A Palette From Your Favorite Beer


Playing with an introductory set of Procion MX Dyes was the equivalent of jumping out of an airplane for me--or so I can imagine. It was thrill seeking with both feet on the ground, but what a rush! Dyeing to Share  and Dyeing to Share Part II



Christmas came early as I carefully researched what dyes I needed to make the greatest array of colors. Dharma Trading Co. had a deal on sets until the end of December, and I took advantage. I also cosidered what palettes I normally lean toward, and shopped those.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Never Say Never


'Mrs. Bannister's Stars'
Block from Jen Kingwell's  Quilt Lovely


Some time ago I heard from other quilters that any piecing involving Y-seams was not worth doing. End of story. They had tried everything, and there wasn't one technique that made it easy enough to be successful. I believed them, and from then on knew well enough to avoid patterns with troublesome Y-seams

Then I met an experienced quilter who said Y-seams weren't that hard, and you can also chain piece them to make lots of blocks quickly. (What?!) She had my full attention. Meet Mary Huey from the blog, Quilting through Rose-colored Trifocals, and she's made a dvd called Set-in Piecing Simplified available from her blog. I had the chance to see it a few weeks ago. Immediately, I thought of all the projects in Quilt Lovely I had crossed off my To-Do List because of those Y-seams-I-was-Never-doing. I was excited, and ready to give her techniques a try. 


Adding Complexity to the Y-seam Project

Last week I had a stash trade with a friend, and got these amazing fabrics I'd been hunting. All the fabrics either looked vintage or really were. My own stash was organized into modern and current prints, and then older 80's fabrics with a few vintage pieces. Two bins. Either this or that. I never would have thought to use them both in the same project before, but something about the Kingwell patterns hit me as a perfect design for intentionally mixing vintage with modern.

*Note: Jen Kingwell doesn't specifically promote using vintage and modern together in her book, but does use a wide variety of what she likes. She promotes using a huge number of different prints, colors, textures, and styles. Most definitely a reason I'm attracted to her quilts. Most prints in the book tend toward the vintage or reproduction side, which I didn't own. I have a tendency to imagine how every project I come across would look with bright, modern fabrics, but am also highly attracted to the vintage, and especially 1930's prints. I wondered why I was limiting my choices, and how I could tweak her look to make my own.

Could I blend true vintage fabrics with modern prints, 
and make it work successfully?

I would make this goal part of my Y-seam project. I immediately evaluated which project to start out of Quilt Lovely, and fell in love with Mrs. Bannister's Stars. 


Mrs. Bannister's Stars was my pick, but little did I realize the process of making my own templates, etc. at the start. I did a small pile of pieces at night in front of the t.v. before I realized I had cut mirror images when my fabrics weren't all the same side up. Then I used the wrong fabric with the wrong template. Frustrated and tired, I went to bed. I was learning.



The next day I started fresh. I hauled my mess back to the studio where I could stand up to cut things out, and had better focus with no t.v. Afraid I might not be able to do this block, I only cut out the center pieces. Using Mary Huey's technique, I sewed the center together. 


I felt like a Rock 'Star'! 

I will give away no secrets, but only 2 of my seams were
a little off, and I knew right away how to correct them from what I learned on the dvd. It was that good!



Can you pick out the Riley Blakes, DS Collection, and Kate Spain fabrics? Can you tell the vintage here is all real vintage? 

I used a more current, traditonal print for the outer part of the block. There's plenty of mixing in the fabric styles, and I'm all about this project now! 



A Hairy Tangent

When our older kids were very little, I brought home a pony named Buck for them. My husband questioned why I would seriously buy a pony named Buck. Two horses and another pony later, allergies and asthma, I vowed no more horses. Never again.

Meet Hot Tamale, a.k.a. Marco. He's a 5 year old Welsh pony, and the newest barn mate. He stands just 12.1 or around 125 cm.





Love his socks and stripey hooves!
The Llama boys and Evie are just the 
tiniest bit curious.



They track his every move. Introductions are going well, but there is a lot of drama between a fiesty gelding and curious llamas.


I'll keep you up to date on his progress. I, uh, we, hesitated strongly with this pony, and it took some bravery on my part to know my teenager was going to be putting herself at risk with another animal. Fear is a big deterent whether it's a pony or Y-seams, but it can stop us from growing and having the most wonderful of life's experiences. Once again, I remind you of this:



Push yourself to do something today you didn't think you could do. Remind yourself that most mistakes can be corrected, and allow yourself the chance to grow.


Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew some Y-seams.




Linking up with~
Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts
Quilt Story
Late Night Quilter
Freemotion by the River
Show and Tell Tuesday
Blossom Heart Quilts
Lily's Quilts

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

How to Put a Sleeve on a Wall Hanging-a Better Way!


Have you ever seen a wall hanging that was 
absolutely stunning, except for how the dowel created 
curvey bump in the top?


I have, and it just made me cringe.
Your eye goes toward any change in the plane.
The Devil's in the details, folks! 
Don't slap the last bit together
just to say, "I'm Done!"
We're ALL guilty at some point.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Paper Piecing Continuation--Door #1, Door #2, or the Llama?



Choice A

Choice B


My two part dilemma: The puzzle of paper piecing is getting easier, I think, but color choices, because I'm really trying to stick by the color wheel with this project, are not so obvious. I have been trying to repeat four shooting stars with a split complementary color scheme here. 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Plus One or Splitting Hares Finish


It's early here. The clematis paniculata is in full bloom already. The outside lights haven't even shut off yet, but I have to run out to get you pictures before my busy day starts. I think the colors are showing off truer, too.

I am most thankful the Plus One is done. Isn't it amazing that we can pick out fabric, dream it up and stitch it all together, and it still gets changed up into something more than what we anticipated?  I love that moment we see it for the first time. Our creative energy investment is fulfilled. But, you know, I feel so emotionally connected to something while in the throes of the project, and the minute it's done I'm off thinking about the next one. Call me fickle, Doxie girls. It's the thrill of the project!



It's not a secret, and most of you know I am really the newbie out here.