A finish, a stencil, and a birthday!

"Mardi Gras"  74" x 60"

I've been quilting this for the last month.

The border is yukata cotton from Okan Arts.

I had fun outlining the leaves and flowers.

The fans are a mix of old shirts, plus new and vintage fabrics.

The binding is an old Ralph Lauren home decorator linen, 

leftover from a chair cover.  

I don't have the chair anymore, but I couldn't let go of this fabric!

The batting is Hobbs Tuscany cotton/wool mix, 

which gives the quilt extra crinkle when washed.

Last week I received this wonderful quilting stencil from Barb's new Etsy shop.

I'm thrilled with its nice large size!  

I'm going to use it to hand quilt this next spring.

First, I'll finish my winter project, which I started last night.

Now for the birthday news.  Tomorrow is my big six-oh!

It's a happy occasion for me.  I see it as the beginning of the "third act" in the play of life.

These blocks are going to be part of the Pi Project.

Did you know that Pi Day is 3/14/15?  

This one is very special because these are the first five digits of Pi.

I didn't know about it until my dear friend in France, Katell, announced it on her blog.

It took her post to tell me that the Pi Project is happening in my very own state!

They're making a long fabric ribbon with the digits in Pi.  They'll take as many 9.5" blocks 

as they can get, with a rough deadline of Feb 14.

Maybe your blocks will join mine!

The Pi Project, PO Box 2127, Vancouver, WA 98668

Click here for a wonderful showing of Pi blocks from France!

Japanese Yukata Cottons

My friend, Patricia Belyea, imports and sells beautiful vintage yukata cottons from Japan.

She has a long career as a graphic designer, and now uses her talent to make stunning quilts from yukata cottons and "found" fabrics.

She's been selling the fabrics online, at trunk shows, and at select quilt shops for a few years.  

This Thursday, she's hosting an open house for a brand new shop and class room in her home!

I thought she needed a friendship quilt to mark this milestone in her life, 

so I've made 103 signature blocks for guests to sign at the open house.

Aren't the fabrics just lovely?

The simple pattern is based on this silk quilt I found in an old Japanese quilt book.  

I can't tell you the author, because all the text, including the title, is in Japanese.

It's really a privilege to work with these vintage Japanese designs.  

They were made for Japanese summer kimonos.  

If you're in the Seattle area, drop by on Thursday evening and say "hi."  

I'll be there!