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. 

FIrst Adventures in Paper Piecing--One Shooting Star

I started out yesterday like a Good Little Quilter sticking to my project at hand. Then out of the blue, I had the feeling I had been eating the same food every meal for a week. I needed some variety. 

I had been itching to try some paper piecing, and Lucy and I had spent the early morning reading about color combinations in "Quilt Colour Workshop". It sounded like a good recipe to play hooky.

Janome 8200QC, My Burning Love

I'd like to introduce my newest power tool--a Janome 8200 QC. She's a bigger, better, (and let's face it-- sexier) model than my 23 year old Pfaff. I brought her home yesterday after demo-ing her for about 2 hours, and reading the manual cover to cover. The 11" working platform is fabulous! I can spin even my big quilt around in there. AND, I found out it IS suggested to use the sit-down machine just like you use the long arm machine with a frame! The floor models are essentially steered from the side of the frame, so use this the same. Use it from the front, the side, wherever! 

Tricks Up My Sleeve and Background Music

Background filler seems like such a chore to me. It's not the really exciting looking stitching for me, but I realize it carries and highlights the icons here. It calms the blank space, and makes your focal points pop. I view it as background music. You know how silence can be uncomfortable, but put on a little low music and you notice the surroundings more. More here, though, I think it's because I'm struggling with the bulky size and a small machine throat--under 7" from needle to inside of machine. I'm a little sore from my arm to my leg actually. I promised I'd share some of my tricks I'd figured out mid-way. Honestly, some of you out there are probably doing this already, but it was an idea I woke up with.

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.