Summer Besides Quilting

Feels Like a Summer Quilt to Me

Summer is full-blown here in Ohio, and it's hard to believe how fast the year is flying. People are moving in every direction along with in and out of the house, and I feel like a flight director. A friend asked me about making plans for a September retreat, and when I glared at her incredulously she reminded me it was a few months away. No! I just started cleaning up the gardens! I need more summer, but how?

Pick Your One Favorite Quilt, Art Quilt, Piece of Art...

"If asked to pick your one 
favorite piece from everything you've 
ever done, what would it be, and why?"

I asked myself this question. I've been asking lots of tough questions in my quest for balance, but this one was easy. Hands down, the piece above was my all time favorite. 

This all came about as I debated about entering a show in which I would have to offer the piece for sale. A few days of careful thinking, and I decided it was one piece I would not part with. And that led me to consider some new ideas.

Longarm Quilting "Moda Modern in Print"

Loaded Lengthwise: The Starting Block

"Moda Modern in Print"

Long on my list to quilt, Moda Modern Building Blocks is finally in the frame. You can see above that I was all "anti-solid" fabrics, and substituted my beloved prints. 90% were from my stash, but a few odd ones were picked because they matched the shade in the pattern. You can read about individual block construction (and errata) below. This was a fun quilt, but shockingly begun nearly 2 years ago to the day!

Quilted Zombies: Heating Pad Cover & Body Pillow

Heat Seeking Zombies 

Years ago I made one of our sons a zombie quilt. One of our daughters fell in love with the fabric. Would I make her one, too, please? Sure, if I had enough fabric, but sadly there was not. So, I promised a smaller project, and we all know how those promises go. The shoemaker's children go barefoot! This week I kept my promise.

Stunning Circle for MQG Pt II Finish

Stunning Circle Quilt

Finish

I had a finish to this project early this week, but time and computer issues prevented me showing it. Part I will take you from the creation of the circle through the applique process, and at that point I kept telling myself to not overthink the quilting. 

Stunning Circle Quilt for MQG Challenge Pt 1

"Finding Center"

The Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge to all members for minis to display in the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza in September 2017. (PNQE) For months I wracked my brain for a fun project, and then settled on a project from a Craftsy class I'd recently watched. It's based on a 25" 9 Degree Circle Ruler designed by Marilyn Doheny, though Andi Perejda presents the class. 

Bigfoot Sighting In a Beer Mug Rug

Bigfoot Is Real!

One thing I would never have put to my name is a Bigfoot quilt, I thought, but I had a passionate request from someone close to me for a king size quilt with Bigfoot on it. This was a good time for me to practice how to talk someone/something down to size, and we continued until I knew it was manageable during this terribly busy season. 

A Vintage Singer Bender

1952 Singer BZ 9-8
Long Bobbin, Bullet Bobbin, 
or Shuttle Machine

Before anyone comments, I fully admit this post proves why I need to be concerned with balance. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of gal, and sewing tangents are my specialty! I don't believe I'd have confessed to the extent of my obsession or this bender with these gorgeous, vintage gals if it wasn't for Sandra at mmm! Quilts hinting in her latest, crazy must-read post WWJD, about our escapades through text messaging (outing me to the world), but now I shall do so without as much guilt. 

Seeking Balance: Quilting with Friends & Y Seams Simplified

Irene's Flying Geese

Note: The last two posts have been more thought provoking so I wanted to give you something lighter before I continued the second half. Here is some eye candy, a group tutorial on Y Seams without the aggravation, and the benefit of sewing with friends. I like to sew alone when I'm working creatively, but it's a treat to sew with friends. This particular group is amazing! Creating more of those moments, and sharing my studio space is helping me with balance. 

May: Positivity In Loss

The Many Sides of Loss

I feel myself struggling to explain the sentiments of loss in all its wide definitions, but also how it affects our lives as quilters. No one's life is immune from loss, but some people manage better than others. It makes me wonder how the same experience is processed differently by people. Losses in our quilting life are much lighter in comparison to everyday life, but I think the psychology of things that trip us up is the same. We save certain fabrics and tiny scraps, form deep attachments to things we've created, and question if we really have to give that quilt away! But the process of making, completing, and gifting a quilt is full of decisions based on these concepts. Can we make some of them easier by changing our attitude about them?