Auditions and Practice

I've spent hours thinking about how to quilt this project. The thread is pale enough that I don't think it will show much at all on the top, and it will also be hard to follow what I'm actually doing. The medium grey backing will show great detail. So, what to do?

I had a brainstorm yesterday while mowing. Quilt it from the backside, perhaps.

A Man On a Galloping Horse

The Doxie girls let me know when it's time to take a break in my day. They need to go out often. Sometimes it's just to hunt the shrubbery for grinnies, what we call chipmunks, and sometimes it's serious business. I have a seat here, and often take time to read and have tea. It was the same this morning.

I Just Hate to Put a Label On Them!

We're not talking kids here. We're talking quilts, girls. I spent most of the last weeks running from quilt guild to guild. I think in this little county there must be somewhere to go to quilt most days of the month. Isn't that fantastic? Sometimes they get together for a class, but others just have open sewing days. They meet in funeral homes, preschools, churches, and homes among others.

Can You Feel the Love?

Yesterday afternoon I zipped together the rest of the strips on the Love quilt. I've talked about this pattern the last few days. It's from the cover of "Sunday Morning Quilts" by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison. Wow, it's a loud one even for me--don't you love it? I loosely used the same colors, but since it was what I had on hand, it's my own flavor. I would call it "Intense". Today I need to focus on finding a suitable backing. The batting is already in my stash since I buy it in bulk when it goes on sale.

Ergonomics in the Spare Room and Workspace

This is a typical picture of my "not-so-neat" sewing space.

Ergonomics. How many times have we heard this? Does it go in one ear and out the other, or can we use this to our advantage while sewing and quilting?

Web MD says this: 

Ergonomics (say "er-guh-NOM-iks") is the study of the kind of work you do, the environment you work in, and the tools you use to do your job. The goal of office ergonomics is to set up your office work space so that it fits you and the job you are doing.

Wild Saturday Night Love Party with Animals and a UFO

Late yesterday I had a few hours to myself to work on one of my UFO's--(Unfinished Objects). I hadn't decided which would be next yet, but I went straight to the scrappy red-pink-grey that I had been working on from the cover of "Sunday Morning Quilts: 16 Modern Scrap Projects" by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison.

I got this book the first of May, and straight away started pulling fabric scraps out for this quilt. I know it's intentionally meant just for scraps, but I must be more frugal with what I consider a scrap, so I had to hit my stash to round it out. The cutting took the longest, and somewhere along the line I decided I didn't want a huge quilt.  I organized each stack, and there it sat. I think I just loved the colors.

What Defines a Successful Day?

Success can be summed up as a lot of different things to quilters. Most of us would say a day was successful when we powered through a project, or maybe even got through a tough part we were dreading. But can a day be called successful even if you never see the inside of your sewing room?

It all depends on our personal definition of success.

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.

First Adventures in Free Motion Quilting-Splitting Hares

Yesterday was a hoot! I nearly completed my first quilt by machine quilting. What a time savings over hand quilting!

I started by marking the quilt top with the design I thought I would use. I used a quilting pencil, and it was a good thing because it changed half a dozen times. To remove, you just blot with a damp, cool cloth, but then you need to wait until it dries to re-mark it. I thought about a hair dryer, but heat will set some marking pencils and pens. I tried to pick easy designs, but not everything looked right. Finally, I was sure of the center block, and decided to just start quilting.

Purely a Labor of Love-Splitting Hares

Labor Day Greetings, Doxie Girls!

What do people say to you when they hear you quilt and sew? Do they share with you their own passion--I hope so, or do they say, "Oh, I could never do that! It's just too hard." Well, Yes and No. Yes, it is kind of hard in the beginning, but we all start somewhere, and we get better with practice. No, it's not impossible, but it does take effort. I would venture to say that to some of us, and especially as beginners, it could be defined as "labor".