Stash Reduction

I think I'll join in on the stash reduction. I feel like I'm confessing. (lol) I did a rough estimate I've figured I have about 500 yards of fabric. It fits in its designated space and is not stashed all over the place. It is very organized. I keep my scraps cut using Bonnie Hunters scrap saver system. I love my stash and I enjoy playing with it. But there are a few pieces that have been hording space and 500 is a lot of fabric. I have 2 types of fabric I would like to bust (reduce). First ugly pieces meaning pieces that are off colors I don't use or like and they are just ugly or not quilt worthy. Second pieces I have large amounts of 3, 5, 8 yards etc. I seem to save these and am afraid to use them. Thinking that when I do finally find the perfect quilt for that piece I'll be 5" short because I used it in another scrap quilt. So this week I targeted these 2 fabrics. The purple is a ugly one I have 2 yds of it
and the green is a large piece
I've had for about 3 years
there is 8 yds of it.
First the green. I cut borders for the split rail fence quilt. I thought it looked really good with the other colors on the quilt.
Then I used it in the backing along with some 17" squares left over from another project. I then cut some 72" strips for a strip quilt I'm planning on making.(More on it later) I also decided to make this


Scrappy Bargello




from Bonnie Hunters web site. I'm going to use the ugly purple for some of the squares along with some of the green. Then border the quilt with the purple and use the green for binding. Here are all the strips for the squares. I'm going to use them for starters and enders. So as a tally the 2 yards of purple is used up. And I have 2 yards of the green left. A nice amount I can sneak it in to a few scrap quilts. I guess I have a few weeks of sewing before I start cutting into more of my stash.

Stash Reduction

I think I'll join in on the stash reduction. I feel like I'm confessing. (lol) I did a rough estimate I've figured I have about 500 yards of fabric. It fits in its designated space and is not stashed all over the place. It is very organized. I keep my scraps cut using Bonnie Hunters scrap saver system. I love my stash and I enjoy playing with it. But there are a few pieces that have been hording space and 500 is a lot of fabric. I have 2 types of fabric I would like to bust (reduce). First ugly pieces meaning pieces that are off colors I don't use or like and they are just ugly or not quilt worthy. Second pieces I have large amounts of 3, 5, 8 yards etc. I seem to save these and am afraid to use them. Thinking that when I do finally find the perfect quilt for that piece I'll be 5" short because I used it in another scrap quilt. So this week I targeted these 2 fabrics. The purple is a ugly one I have 2 yds of it
and the green is a large piece
I've had for about 3 years
there is 8 yds of it.
First the green. I cut borders for the split rail fence quilt. I thought it looked really good with the other colors on the quilt.
Then I used it in the backing along with some 17" squares left over from another project. I then cut some 72" strips for a strip quilt I'm planning on making.(More on it later) I also decided to make this


Scrappy Bargello




from Bonnie Hunters web site. I'm going to use the ugly purple for some of the squares along with some of the green. Then border the quilt with the purple and use the green for binding. Here are all the strips for the squares. I'm going to use them for starters and enders. So as a tally the 2 yards of purple is used up. And I have 2 yards of the green left. A nice amount I can sneak it in to a few scrap quilts. I guess I have a few weeks of sewing before I start cutting into more of my stash.

Vintage Bling Brooches

This little piece of wearable fiber art is part of my "Vintage Bling Brooch" series. I added this one to my Etsy shop today and will be posting a few more this week. Each one is made from repurposed and recycled materials, such as bits of vintage fabrics and lace, old buttons, velvet flowers, guitar strings, and pieces of vintage jewelry. I think they look terrific this time of year worn on a coat or jacket!

Deconstructed /Reconstructed Doilys

I hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday! I spent my time enjoying family, great food, (none of which I was responsible for cooking... to which I am greatly thankful!) and participating in a wonderful, grass roots effort, the Community Arts Market in Lancaster's historic Eastern Market.

This week in my Etsy shop, I will be posting some of my Deconstructed/Reconstructed Doilies. Each one is made up of various bits and pieces of vintage textiles including lace, crochet, and embroidery work, along with snippets of fabric and ribbon. I have carefully cut, layered and machined stitched these random elements together to create a unified, organic looking piece of fiber art. Each one can be used on a table top, or hung and framed.

Jo's Purple Cats

Purple Cats you ask......well my 10 year old daughter, Jo seems to be as absorbed by quilting as I am. She also loves cats and the colours in the purple range so...... we have purple cats.

Split Rail Fence

I have the rail fence blocks sewn together. I strip pieced the units using 1 1/2" strips. It went together fast. The top right now is 45" square. I'm undecided about borders yet. I would like to make the quilt a lap quilt. So I'm trying to decide how to make the borders on the top and bottom wider then the sides to get away from a square and end up with a rectangle. I just didn't feel like sewing another row of blocks. I did have a few sets of strips that were not wide enough for blocks and would like to use them in the border. Instead of adding them to my orphan collection.

Split Rail Fence

I have the rail fence blocks sewn together. I strip pieced the units using 1 1/2" strips. It went together fast. The top right now is 45" square. I'm undecided about borders yet. I would like to make the quilt a lap quilt. So I'm trying to decide how to make the borders on the top and bottom wider then the sides to get away from a square and end up with a rectangle. I just didn't feel like sewing another row of blocks. I did have a few sets of strips that were not wide enough for blocks and would like to use them in the border. Instead of adding them to my orphan collection.

Frog Joke

Some jokes are so dumb they are funny!!!!

A Frog walks into a bank...

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.
"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."
Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name.
The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.
Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.
The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."
She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"



(you're gonna love this)

(its a real treat)

( a masterpiece)

(wait for it)

The bank manager looks back at her and says...
"It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

Frog Joke

Some jokes are so dumb they are funny!!!!

A Frog walks into a bank...

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.
"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."
Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name.
The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.
Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.
The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."
She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"



(you're gonna love this)

(its a real treat)

( a masterpiece)

(wait for it)

The bank manager looks back at her and says...
"It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

Loosening Up

Today I had two objectives in mind:
1) Come up with some designs to be later reinterpreted in fiber.
2) Loosen Up!
I decided to forgo pen and paper, and used the paint features in one of my mysterious, unexplored computer programs. (Yes, I know I am late to board the bus.)
Why had I not realized the potential that this little computer paint brush, and paint bucket held for creative brainstorming?
Drawing with the little paint brush feature was just awkward enough to prevent me from reverting to my usual anal-retentive ways! It allowed me to do exactly what I wanted to do, loosen up!
Adding color via the little paint bucket allowed me to play with lots of color combinations with no clean up!
I am in heaven!
Looking back on my two objectives, and at the dozen of designs I created today, I feel like I was very successful, and am looking forward towards finding some time to create some new fiber pieces based on my new designs!

Gallery

I was very surprised today when I received a copy of Somerset Studio's newest issue of Gallery, (Winter 2008) in my mailbox. I looked inside to find two of my art quilts! I had sent them in ages ago, one to Somerset's "Bohemian" theme issue, and one to their Tenth Anniversary issue. Alas, my art quilts didn't appear in either of those issues, and I had all but forgotten about them. Happy to say that good things come to those who wait, as it is always a special treat to see ones work published! So, next time you are at the bookstore, take a peek at this issue. It is packed full of some wonderful art, and I am thrilled to be a part of it!

The quilt on top is called "Happy Birthday". I was inspired by a vintage illustration in a children's text book, which I re-worked, changing the banner, and adding the birthday hat, along with other little changes. I painted the image with "fantastix all purpose ink" from TSUKINEKO. I finished by embroidering all around the image and beading the background.

The bottom quilt is called "Gypsy Girl" and features a vintage postcard and a bit of text torn from an old book which I have sewn on to various fabrics including silks and upholstery fabrics. I embellished the piece with various beads, buttons and trinkets.

Pineapple Medallion

Pineapple Medallion I first saw this quilt on Alex Anderson's show on TV. Nancy Kirk was on and it was hanging behind them. I thought it was so neat. It's an antique quilt from the 1870's. I recorded a little of the show so I could look at the quilt. Latter I found a picture of it in QNL Magazine. I've been thinking of this quilt for a while. I've been scared of the center pineapple block. I've tried them before and they get wonky and have lots of pieces and so many different techniques. And the center I charted it on EQ is a 20" block. Well last week I just thought I would give it a try. I thought it was to big for paper piecing so I just started sewing it like a log cabin block. Sew a round of logs. Square it up the block with a rotary cutter. Do the next round.

Here it is half done. It's a little off but not to bad it lays flat. I found it works better to pin the logs, so I don't pull the bias ends of the previous round. I'm so excited I am finally going to make a copy of the quilt. After the pineapple the rest of the quilt will be easier.

Pineapple Medallion

Pineapple Medallion I first saw this quilt on Alex Anderson's show on TV. Nancy Kirk was on and it was hanging behind them. I thought it was so neat. It's an antique quilt from the 1870's. I recorded a little of the show so I could look at the quilt. Latter I found a picture of it in QNL Magazine. I've been thinking of this quilt for a while. I've been scared of the center pineapple block. I've tried them before and they get wonky and have lots of pieces and so many different techniques. And the center I charted it on EQ is a 20" block. Well last week I just thought I would give it a try. I thought it was to big for paper piecing so I just started sewing it like a log cabin block. Sew a round of logs. Square it up the block with a rotary cutter. Do the next round.

Here it is half done. It's a little off but not to bad it lays flat. I found it works better to pin the logs, so I don't pull the bias ends of the previous round. I'm so excited I am finally going to make a copy of the quilt. After the pineapple the rest of the quilt will be easier.

More Tally

Jack's Chain

I've made no progress on this for a year now. The 9 patches are left over from a different project. I love the lay out. I just hate the technique
Draw sewing lines on the pieces, pin and sew. I should just figure out how many circles I need for a lap quilt. It might not seem so endless then.

I seen a antique rail fence quilt at an auction and the rails were 1". I've never really liked this pattern but seeing it with smaller rails changed my mind. I'm strip piecing this and sewing the squares together as starters and enders.

More Tally

Jack's Chain

I've made no progress on this for a year now. The 9 patches are left over from a different project. I love the lay out. I just hate the technique
Draw sewing lines on the pieces, pin and sew. I should just figure out how many circles I need for a lap quilt. It might not seem so endless then.

I seen a antique rail fence quilt at an auction and the rails were 1". I've never really liked this pattern but seeing it with smaller rails changed my mind. I'm strip piecing this and sewing the squares together as starters and enders.

Orphans

Not really a project. I've been collecting all my orphan blocks and misc. junk together.


1st is a bunch of 1 1/2" squares that are sewn together. The ones in the bags and lose are squared up(4x4 & 2x2s). The ones in the basket have to be checked most are not square or too small sewn bad yuck whatever. I should just toss them.
I'm not sure what I want to do with these I keep changing possible layouts. Some of the fabrics are really off colors and just don't look good to me anymore.

Last are 2 piles of orphan left over blocks or parts of blocks. I know I should just make a orphan block quilt. Get rid of the badly sewn ones. These take up space and I waste time going through them every time I straighten up. I'm showing this stuff so I get motivated to get it used up or given to someone or tossed.

Orphans

Not really a project. I've been collecting all my orphan blocks and misc. junk together.


1st is a bunch of 1 1/2" squares that are sewn together. The ones in the bags and lose are squared up(4x4 & 2x2s). The ones in the basket have to be checked most are not square or too small sewn bad yuck whatever. I should just toss them.
I'm not sure what I want to do with these I keep changing possible layouts. Some of the fabrics are really off colors and just don't look good to me anymore.

Last are 2 piles of orphan left over blocks or parts of blocks. I know I should just make a orphan block quilt. Get rid of the badly sewn ones. These take up space and I waste time going through them every time I straighten up. I'm showing this stuff so I get motivated to get it used up or given to someone or tossed.

Animals in Log Cabins

The top of my quilt is finally done!! Now I have to add the backing and quilt all the layers together.

These 3 blocks belong to my latest wall hanging. I have to make 2 more blocks - one with a lion and one with a Gnu and then it is time to put the bits and pieces together. This quilt has the advantage of the finished product being any size - the more animal log cabin blocks, the bigger the quilt. I am making a wall hanging as a sample but, as they say, "the world's your oyster". It can be made as big or as small as the creator's imagination (and the number of different animals you can think of......). Watch this space........

David's quilt

This is my very first quilt I made (am still working on the photo so bear with me). It is the product of a quilting course which taught all the basic techniques eg Log Cabin, Flying Geese etc. Again I used Africa and African animals as inspiration but did not use the South African Fabrics. I had a lot of fun with this quilt - choosing colours and mixing them all up.

Dear Jane Blocks

I enjoy making the Dear Jane blocks when I'm in the right mood. I know it's going to take along time to finish so I don't have any time frame in mind for finishing it. Just enjoying the process. Some of the blocks are so cute. I scanned the layout in the book to keep track of the blocks I have done and the fabric I used. I also pin the number on each block so I know who they are.

Dear Jane Blocks

I enjoy making the Dear Jane blocks when I'm in the right mood. I know it's going to take along time to finish so I don't have any time frame in mind for finishing it. Just enjoying the process. Some of the blocks are so cute. I scanned the layout in the book to keep track of the blocks I have done and the fabric I used. I also pin the number on each block so I know who they are.

Poinsettia Blocks

More project tally. Poinsettia blocks 8 done 16 about half done. Inset corners are slow going. I try to pin the pieces while I watch TV then sew through the stack and do it again. When I finish sewing the blocks I have to applique the stems and leaves yet. They should go fast I have them ready to go. I think I'll just sew the blocks together no sashing. I might add a border depending on how much fabrics I have left.
Here's a close up with a leaf.