Big Time 'Wrassling' with the Love Quilt

From back left: Scott, Keith, David   Front row: Davie, me, unknown, and Peggy

"We were just 'wrassling' in the bedroom, and I don't know how insert sibling's name here got hurt! Honest!"

I grew up with 2 older brothers, David and Scott, and on occasion things got so ouchy at home that my mom would roll back the furniture, and let them have a go at each other. Even as the only girl, I thought it exhilarating to spar against my brothers. It was never dangerous stuff, just fun until you'd exhausted the tension. I recall my brother, David, years later coming home fresh out of Marine Corp.boot camp, showing me how to flip someone over your shoulder if they attacked you from behind. I must have been in Junior High School then, and all 6'4" of him got laid out on the grass in our front yard in one swift move. It was like felling a tree, and no one was more shocked than he was! 

Dave passed away a few years ago, but I can imagine him standing next to my sewing machine asking me if I"m "wrasslin'" that quilt. Yup, I sure am.

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.