Eye Lash Progress

The paper part of this quilt is all done! I was going to be very disciplined this weekend, and get the whole thing sewn together. I figure it'll take about 10 more hours to get all the little black eyes sewn on and put the blocks together. But...



Playing with spare blocks is SO much more fun!

Ugh. I always lose interest once I've seen how the quilt will look. How about you?

Better Late Than Never

I just finished this hand applique wall hanging from Sue Spargo's block of the month for 2009. It took me two years, but never mind. It was my first wool applique project, and I learned a lot. You can find this pattern in her book, Contemporary Folk.



I love the way she combines wool, cotton, velvet and silk, plus special yarns for embellishment. Now to quilt it. Hopefully that won't take a third year to complete!



Meanwhile, I've been working on the eyelashes quilt. Thanks to Victoria's and Buffy's fabric contributions, and Bonnie's consultation, it's well on its way. Only 23 more "eyes" to go!

Eyelash Redux

Sometimes too much color IS too much. This is news to me!

A week ago, I was happily sewing eyelashes, looking forward to seeing them on the wall. Finally, I got half the blocks finished and up on the wall, stood back and looked, and my heart just sank. I didn't like it. What was wrong?

I went back to look at the original inspiration, an antique quilt I saw on Ann Champion's blog. It's pretty much all black, white and red. That was the problem. I'd added too much color. I'd wanted this quilt to look old. And I'd added some brights that probably were not made in those days--the kelly green and school bus yellow. Let's see what happens if I remove them.



Wa-la! I'm pleased with the result, and happily sewing again.

Good bye 2010; Hello 2011

After three months of hand quilting, this quilt inspired by Anna Williams is finished! There was a LOT of stitching going on the last few days of 2010. A photo of the original quilt is published in the book, "Nancy Crow," by Nancy Crow.



Buffy gave me the idea to quilt it in red thread. I used #8 perle cotton and a sashiko needle.



I so enjoy hand-quilting!

Now for a preview of what's coming in 2011.


This is one quarter of the eyelashes quilt, otherwise known as "Pickle Dish" in Kaffe Fassett's book, Quilt Romance.



These are some old blocks, taken from a quilt top I bought at an antique store last summer. I'm thinking of resetting them like this.



And here's my 15 minutes play project, made from my basket full of scraps!

I've been part of blogland for six months now. And can't believe all the wonderful friends I've made! Everyone is so welcoming and supportive. I'm hugely grateful for your generous inspiration, scraps, blocks, advice and encouragement this year. Here's wishing you a very happy, healthy and creative 2011!!

Sewing on Paper

I've been sewing these eyelashes onto paper the last two days. This kind of precision work is so out of character for me. But I do love the look of these blocks. Eventually, they'll all be set on a red background.



Thank goodness for some 15 minutes play time too!

Visions of the 1970's

I found this groovy quilt yesterday at Goodwill. It's completely made of polyester double knit, that is, all but the avocado drapery fabric back and yarn ties. In one corner, the maker embroidered "74." I'm going to assume that was the year it was made, which was the year after I graduated from high school.




This morning I noticed how this quilt is weirdly similar. When I made it a few years ago in a Kaffe Fassett class, I didn't know why I was choosing these colors. The greenish brown was especially odd for me. But the look felt familiar in some way. Kaffe commented that this quilt had "a sense of history to it."




My sister-in-law, Bonnie, has talked about how the things we see in our childhood have a profound influence on our creative vision.



Hmm. Maybe this is proof of that!

Happy Solstice!

The holidays are a lot fun. But I love to celebrate the Winter Solstice. At last, the days will be getting longer. Here's to visions of the coming spring!



I made this quilt a few years ago with inspiration from the cover of Georgia Quilts by Anita Zeleski Weinraub. The original quilt was made by Annie Parham Howard in 1960.

First Red Quilt

I made this quilt a few years ago in a class with Kaffe Fassett. The pattern is called Square Clamshell. The instructions are in his book, Museum Quilts. He directed us to cut a lot of squares and put them up on the design wall as quickly as we could. This helped us use our intuition, rather than thinking too much.



The Rebels helped me figure out what to do for sashing and borders. I was amazed at how many colors it takes to make a red quilt!

Scarves for the Homeless

Want a quick and easy charity project? I make these polar fleece scarves for the homeless each year. No sewing! Just cut the fleece across the width, about 8" wide. Then make slices for fringe. This is a great use for old rotary blades. The polar fleece dulls them pretty quickly.





Then take the scraps and tie them in knots to make great doggie toys!