settlers peace

Tray of Happiness

TGIF

I have high hopes that this tray contains much of my weekend activities!

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For The Love of Texas

A friend asked me to make a denim quilt with the Texas flag on the front and old jeans for the backing. This was the only excuse I needed to go fabric shopping in my husbands closet and rid it of the jeans that were not fit to wear in public. Mind you, I did have to patch some of the pieces to use in the quilt, and had, for some reason, been resistant to patching them for his continued use ;) I was really thankful for his long legs and the lengths of fabric I could get from each pant leg, something to definitely consider, should I ever need to purchase used jeans for future projects.

I did not use any batting, as the 'quilt' is already heavy due to fabrics, and I can't imagine trying to wash it with the added bulk of batting.

Another recent finish is this wedding quilt for my niece Cady and her new husband, Matt. The fabrics are an older collection of reproduction sugar sacks, sure wish I could recall the maker as I loved this bundle of fabrics. I also included a few pieces of a fabric that Cady shared with me years ago.

We just got back from the Round Top Antiques Fair. I was in great hopes of discovering a quilted treasure or two, but had never found one that really spoke to me. D's allergies gave him fits, as most of the vendors are in pastures under tents. Thousands of dealers from all over the states and what bothered me the most, was the lack of interaction the dealers had with shoppers, and even other dealers. For some of the dealers, it was day 2, others, day 7, and I didn't notice any difference in their behavior. They had their eyes glued to their laptop or phone passing the time away, and unfortunately sales, too. I LOVE to go to art and antique shows/fairs/sales as it is a time to get to interact with the dealers/artists on a personal level. Their story and/or the 'pieces' back story is often what will make me open my wallet, much like they say in an Etsy shop. It's really sad to say, but there may be more human contact via the web than in person. What the heck is society coming too? The other downside of the dealers on the web, it was eating up so much of the bandwidth that dealers that were trying to process credit card sales could not get a good signal to do so. And even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 days with my man as we oohed and ahhed over the displays and antique treasures that wouldn't fit in the car to bring home, and we discussed a re-visit in the spring with a truck.

 

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Winds of Change

You wouldn't know by the weather here, as it seems to be unchanging, but the seasons of life seem to be shifting for me. My job as mom will never end, but it has certainly taken on new light with one out of the house and another that simply uses it as a rest stop. Fortunately, O. is only an hour away and we get to see her a bit, but the goodbyes are always the same, never quick.

As she was gathering things to set up her apartment, I was quick to get a first aid kit together. Her very first comment when she started talking of moving out, was her fear of being ill and not having me there. I couldn't resist the opportunity to leave her a note or two, for when she is in need of some sympathy :)

In the midst of all of the changes, it seemed the perfect time to gather with friends and enjoy a retreat. I needed the escape, as I was in danger of setting up my very own pity party for one. This is my slice of design wall, and what I worked on. It was so surprising to see the projects together and how it reflected my style.

A simple table runner in neutrals, a wonky log cabin in solids and a modern-mini done in reproductions. Yep, that pretty much sums me up, even though I do lots of other things, these really represent my heart in quilting, well, and life.

This little piece measures 13" x 16 3/4" and started from scraps way back here.

Here's to hoping that the winds of change bring that cold front this weekend, I'm so done with 100 degree days!

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Magic Carpet Ride

Trying to get a good photo in the bright Texas sun and whipping winds is crazy.

 

This is my top from the Round Robin project through the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild. I made the center block and it was then passed each month to another member to add a border, for 5 months. I am over the moon happy with it, and am now feeling the pressure to get it finished. The creativity and talent amongst the members was so inspiring. You can see all of the quilts here.

This is another recent project that I made from a Petit Four of the new Moda line 'Sew Stitchy' by Aneela Hoey.

Such a sweet line of fabric and so fun to fussy cut for the 1/2" hexagons. I can't wait to get my hands on some yardage.

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God Bless America

Enjoy your day and celebrate the Red, White, and Blue in a way that is meaningful to you.

 

 

Playtime

I haven't been able to leave the stack of old blocks alone. It's so fun to play around with setting fabric, especially when I have no attachment or vision for what they should be.

Figuring a layout on the designs wall.

What I thought would work, but is hardly noticeable.

Then I saw this fabric in the cabinet, oh fun!

Oh, oh, and then I saw this fabric!!!!!

It definitely helps having a dark center in the blocks, and I do realize why these blocks were never finished. There is a bit of an issue of them laying flat. I'm thinking that they look enough like a flower that a pucker here and there around the center would only add to the design element. Right?

It's rare for me to have yardage of fabric and I might as well use it, there is certainly nothing else calling for it. I hope to work on it soon, or it could become one of those exercises where you design an entire project and eventually put it all away, simply satisfied with the creative stretch. Time will tell.

We lost our cat, 'Monkey', a couple of months ago, and the girls have been begging for kittens. A few weeks ago, they went to the animal shelter and brought these two home, Oliver and Tucker. They've been a bit of a distraction, fun and entertaining in every way! It's always playtime for them.

 

Where was I going with that?

This has been a week of missed exits, thoughts and ideas. My thoughts have been all a jumble and my attention span even worse. I think it is the pressure of graduation preparations that someone has no interest in participating in. S. has no time for such common social practices as senior pictures, ordering invitations and such. I'm blessed with her goofy antics every time the camera comes out, and I have to say that I think that her announcements will be a true reflection of her personality. Why, oh, why do I allow the pressure of traditional photos haunt me? They would certainly not reflect the spirit that she contains, and what reason would I have in trying to normalize her? We are each meant to stand out, but it is so easy to forget that and opt to be a part of the crowd. I am so thankful that she demands to remain true to herself. Let's embrace the spotlight that we have been granted, shine our light, lighting the way for others, maybe we, too, will become more secure in my own uniqueness.

This little quilt rather resembles my paths lately. I started the string balls as part of another project and then fell in love with them on this piece of Kona Crush fabric. Love the texture! It is hand quilted with a hand dyed thread and big stitches.

Here's to embracing each moment!

 

 

Challenged

In more ways than one.

I'm working on several small projects and enjoying them. I'll try and share some of them soon, but what I really want to share is my Folk Basket quilt! Here's a peak.

I love the rough texture and glorious color of the old fence boards against the fabrics of this quilt.

And in its full glory.

I had so many thoughts and ideas with his quilt that it was hard to move forward, then I finally realized that I didn't have to implement every idea in this one quilt! It felt as though fireworks were going off as it freed me up to finish this one and will hopefully inspire some new work in the future.

I hope that you can take that next step that you need to take, to move you forward and feel the fireworks! It's so liberating!

There is so much that I like about this quilt, the liberated piecing, the folk art style, the vintage inspired fabrics, and the baskets. What is your perfect combination in a quilt?

Happy Camper

The deadlines are closer, some of them have come and gone, and yet I keep on keeping on.  I still love my monthly goal list, it just so happens that I am still working on January's list.  Pretty sure that I will start off March still working on it.  Once the Dallas Quilt Celebration is over, I may be able to re-asses my list and start with a clean sheet, well, minus the one project that has been on there since November.  I guess it really needs to move to the top and get done.

Given that it has taken me two years to get the quilting done on this quilt, it has had many names.  It took me entering it into the quilt show, having a deadline, to fully commit to getting it done, and I'm glad that I did.  I love how the quilting shows in this photo, such great afternoon light.

As far as I know, I broke every rule in hand quilting.  I didn't do any marking on the quilt, which was what slowed me down the most, having to make constant decisions on where to go next, at what angel, and how many arcs to use.  It is utility quilted with No. 12 cotton thread.

Now to get a hanging sleeve on it, and get back to the quilt with the pins, as it needs to be done next week too!

Happy Stitching :)

Buying Time

I work best with a deadline, it's my idea of procrastination.  I have really been trying to change this about myself, knowing that I can enjoy the finished project a bit before it moves on.  That being said, I forced myself to go upstairs one evening to pin baste a quilt show entry.  Mind you, I would have really liked to hand quilt this one, but time is not on my side, and I have resolved to machine quilt it verses pull my entry.  Apparently I got a bit caught up in the panic of not having a clue as to how I would machine quilt it and got carried away with the pins.  I figured, that as long as I was basting, I wouldn't have to commit to a quilting pattern.  

They have all been neatly closed and waiting for over a week.  I may need to schedule a day to remove some pins so that when inspiration truly strikes, I'm not spending all of my time UNpinning. So much for buying time.

In the mean time, I worked on a center block for a round robin that I am participating in through the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild.  I'll admit to being down to the wire on getting this put together, but I do like it, and figure that it will represent the DMQG when it's done with so many hands working on it.

And I've had more pincushion love going on.  The elephant is a Heather Bailey pattern, and the mini dresden block was from the 'Oh Christmastime' book.

Such fun going on, and so much more rewarding than Pinterest, not that I've given up my daily dose of inspiration, but it does feel mighty good to be getting things done, too.

Oh, and by the way, Happy Valentine's Day, where are the days going?!