Sapphires and Rubies Quilt

Sapphires and Rubies

This is my Sapphires and Rubies quilt which measures approximately 60" x 60" without binding.  I used the pickle dish quilt pattern from Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance book, pp.68-72,122-123 and color contrast inspiration from Material Obsession 2 book by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke pp.139.  On the back I experimented with exaggerated block sizes and an enlarged applique pattern from Elegant Garden Block 21 pocket-sized patterns from Laundry Basket Quilts.  Using the same size as four of the pickle dish blocks combined to determine the size of my nine patch blocks on the back, basically 20 1/2"blocks.  I had so much fun with that over-sized applique!!!  Definitely wanna do more of that.  It's my firm belief that the back of quilts are often forgotten; a lot of opportunity for a little love in the design department, if you ask me. :-)

Status:  In line to be quilted, needs binding. 

Uppercase submittal!!!

UPPERCASE SUBMITTAL ...I DID IT!!

I am pleased to announced that I have officially submitted an entry to Uppercase for the Q volume of their incredible craft encyclopedias.  The call was for personal and professional submissions, which touched me because, yes, I am an at-home quilter and artist.  I quilt because I love love love fabrics and because creating gives me a sense of purpose and calm.  It's taken a lot for me to settle down and do my work, that being to create, without any plans of becoming someone in the quilting world, without anyone reading this blog, without any other reason than taking care of myself and being me.  Like a wise person once told me, "first you have to be a friend to yourself before friends will come".  And that's what it's taken; me focusing on doing my craft not because there's a paycheck or somebody needs this (good reasons mind you) but to find out who I really am when you strip away all the "taking care of everybody else" stuff.  I'm happy to report I am emerging slowly but surely, coming up for air, buoying up to the top of the water's surface, taking a risk (recent submittal to Uppercase).

Here's where you can see my submission in a public online gallery at: 
uppercase submittal for Cate Smart public gallery .

daily painting

Daily painting #2

The thought of painting faces is not my first choice or second or even third.  It's way down there on the list .... but here I approached it differently.  I just focused on the intensity of the shadows and shading.  I tried to get their features in the right places, and honestly they all look different from the magazine pages that I got these from.  However, they DO look like people.  Big improvement!!! Here Here!!!
I'll go with that. ;-)

Smaller projects

Here's a look at some of the smaller projects I've been working on lately. Tula Pink's fabrics Holiday Homies with Free Spirit's pattern. Scrap Happy Spools pattern by Cindi Edgerton and these adorable pincushions from Straight Stitch Society!!  These pincushions are rather addictive, I made 4!

Daily Painting

Yep, I started.  My daily painting.  Got a long ways to go but that's ok.  Point is to start and to broaden by skills.  And I am definitely rusty.  Haven't painted in a while ... but that's ok ... let's just see where this goes.  

Mod Nautical Quilt in Red --- horizontal over-sized blocks and backing

Mod Nautical in Red

Modern Quilt, Nautical in Red --- using horizontal over-sized blocks.

This is basically a quick quilt using 6" width strips any length you feel looks good and sewing them together.  Play with color balance, lengths of each block while keeping all the widths constant.  Putting a limit on what you are doing helps you concentrate on working through the quilt quickly.  Here I focused on two things:  nautical and the color red.  It's a great way to use some of those prints that you have no idea how to work with... like themed designs and still keep them looking fresh and interesting.  The companion quilt to this one is a vertical version that I did using navy as my focus color that I posted previously.

On the back, I like to take the opportunity to do something fun.  Whether it's using up the scraps from the front of the quilt or like in this one, doing something interesting for the sake of interesting.  Here I fell for the really large red and white print that reminded me of waves... and worked from there.  And look at the bold aqua blue with white polka dots fabric...how fun!!

3 LB. Lobster Dinner quilt update

4 Bird Quilt using Ruth B. McDowell's piecing method

Bird Quilt, piecing by the Ruth B. McDowell method

Right side of Bird Quilt

Teapot wall hanging ...

Here the pieces are laid out on my design wall board to check placement.  All the teapots will be hand appliqued.

Dear Jane Quilt update

This is my Dear Jane Quilt before adding the scalloped border.  I was concerned about the quilt being too rose/peach tones but then added the triangle border with some additional very bold triangle fillers helped to balance it for me.  This quilt is meant to be viewed up close.  There's a lot going on purposefully. :-)

Projects in various stages

First things first...Making a design wall

  In a studio space, first things first.  Get your equipment moved in where it works for you.  Set up your supporting things (quilt stash fabrics, paints, inks, pencils, pens, rulers, light table, ironing board, shelving for your resource and reference area, threads, threads, yarns, patterns, etc.).  Now for me, the absolute first thing I need before I really want to create is that I need a design wall.  These spaces are invaluable for laying out ideas, piecing parts, mulling over if I am achieving a desired effect.  So here's how you make one...easy-peasy:

Materials:

• flannel fabric, 44-45" or wider if available OR a flannel flat bedsheet (neutral color)
• Sewing machine to sew a seam(s)
• thread
• a stapler or staple gun with staples
• a stool or chair to stand in

Calucate the available space you have on the wall.  Try to get as large as possible.  Now calculate your yardage needed.  Note:  if you width is larger than 44-45" fabric or 54" fabric then you will need to sew widths together.  So double your length amount in calculating for the amount of fabric needed.  Here my wall space was 81" by 96".  I'm making my design wall space 78" by 74".  It doesn't really help me if it's taller than I can reach since I'm banned from ladder usage (due to my clumsiness recently) so go as high on the wall as you can comfortably reach.  The bottom edge can go to the baseboard or just above it.  My's about 4-6" above the top of the baseboard.  When preparing your flannel fabric, I tear the selvages OFF, because when you sew a seam with the selvages in place, the seam will bow and not lay flat.  So tear them off.  Next if you have to join pieces together, as I did, fold your fabric in half  from top to bottom.  Mark the center, snip a 1/2"cut and tear in half.  Now sew those two halves together side by side as I've done here.  Now use your stapler to attach to the wall.  Start with the middle top and work outwards on both sides keeping the fabric taut.  At some point after I have a few staples on the top I tack one on the center bottom, then start on the sides and work my way around until the whole thing is attached to the wall.  Some people like to cover a piece of insulation board with flannel since you could pin through it.  I have liked the idea of a felt surface ever since kindergarten when the teacher would tell stories using a portable felt board.  I don't necessarily want to pin things, although you can slip a pin to sorta fasten things temporarily, I just want to place things up there on my design wall and see if this goes with that, move things around...for me... i do so much moving and adjusting...that pins would get in the way.  I just keep it simple.  It works great for me.  Have fun.

An easy way to do all the above is to just staple a flannel flat bedsheet to the wall!!!  Whatever works and you can get your hands on easily... fabric or a sheet.  Point is you will have a great design wall . Happy dance:-)!!

 TA DA!!!!!!!!!!

A Life lived. Living life.

Hi.  Yes, it's been a while since I've written.  Sorry about that.  My sister passed away.  She had a turn in January ... needed extra treatment and though that was super successful, the cancer attacked a different part of her body that wasn't as strong.  "We got out-flanked", as my brother-in-law puts it.  A life beautifully lived.  I miss her. :-/ 

As to the point above, I'm of course leaving a boatload out.  And that's the way it has to because that's what I can handle right now.  And with that said...

Now here's the thing, you have to go on.  An experience like that changes you in ways I never imagined.  And my creative pursuits have been on hold for some months, obviously, and now it's my turn to keep living life.  A not so easy challenge at first, but as the quiet sets in, the tears fell and fall, the stillness without her, the no I can't call you about this or hey honey what should i do about that, and regardless of anything (and everything for that matter), I'm still in this realm called earth, still breathing, the grass is still growing, my tummy is still growling cause it's lunch time, the sun is still shining and the world is circling around the sun yet another day.  And until that changes, which it's not as of yet, it points to the fact that it's my job to live life, whatever that looks like.  My hopes are to be as geniune as I can with who I am as I pick up my different pursuits--stretch beyond where I've been, explore new veins of interest and expand beloved ones.  It's definitely a 'you better live while you can cause this is your life and the only one that's going to make it anything is you' kind of feeling about it.  I feel charged by her.  What I mean is, not that she is charging me to do something, but this whole experience, her life beautifully lived has affected me and I want that to be VERY APPARENT in how I live life now.  And I'm becoming ok with that.  

Additionally during this time period, we had a happier time... a family member got married, so I got upgraded from my tiny but loved little sewing room to a sizable sewing studio with a wonderful storage closet and a huge design wall.  That was definitely something I didn't see coming..but for sure am not going to turn it down once offered!!  SO here we go.  Back to Living Life.