What? It's WIP Wednesday again?! Nothing to report this week. Again.
If you don't get the adoration of Flea Market Fancy, then you won't care about this. But when I was making Popbeads,
I saved every little corner triangle and put them in a ziplock. They were too small to sew together so I had to come up with another idea.
I turned them into greeting cards. I got the value pack at Joann's (using a 40 percent off coupon, of course), which included 50 cards and 50 envelopes, set the stitch length on my machine to a longer length (3.5, I think), and sewed the scraps to the front of the card. When I sewed the first one, I used a dab of fabric glue to hold it in place, but really after a couple of cards, that didn't seem necessary. But change your sewing machine needle after this project because it will be dull.
Then I got out my alphabet stamp pad set to add some words to a couple of the cards, and tied them all together with some pretty ribbon that was wrapped around a prior fabric purchase. Easy, economical, and a good use for those FMF scraps!
I finally broke down and got the Hipstamatic app for my iPhone. Is that ever a fun app! This was my first picture, taken of my coffee cup at Borders the other day, just to see what everyone was talking about. I like this picture. A lot. Kind of dark and moody.
Yesterday this arrived in the mail (yay to amazing Sweetwater Christmas fabric, boo to forgetting that I had even preordered it--which probably explains why I have two Sherbet Pips jelly rolls...).
So here's the way I look at it. When I take an awful picture with my Canon Rebel and don't have the time to Photoshop it (because I'm behind in my online photoshop class so I don't know what I'm doing anyway...), I'll just say, hey, this is from the Hipstamatic. And then you will all be thinking, "Wow, what an artsy and creative photographer Cindy is!"
Is everyone else sad they aren't leaving today for quilt market in Salt Lake City? And I really considered going. I have the credentials to get in and everything, and can even take an "employee" along...so when I mentioned it to my friend, she said, "Why didn't you say so? I would have gone with you!" (Hi, Miss Luella...). Next year...
I was going to start The Name Game this week, but this is a busy week with people at market and the Bloggers Quilt Festival starting the day after tomorrow,
so I'll push it into next week. First up will be Julia with little girl quilts. The amazing Julia is the person who redesigned my blog and made this button, so it seems fitting to start with her.
I'm still sitting here wishing I were on the way to the airport to fly to SLC for market.
*sigh* Okay. I'm done. I'll try to get some sewing done instead, so I have something next week for WIP Wednesday.
I grew up listening to classical music. I think the best composer ever was Sergei Rachmaninoff and the best thing ever composed is Variations on a Theme by Paganini. Paganini wrote something called Caprice No. 24 in A minor, probably his most well-known composition. Rachmaninoff then wrote twenty-four variations on this theme, probably the most well known of which is Variation 18. Why I am telling you all this?
Well, because there has been a lot of talk recently about the "dumbing down" of quilting. I'm not going to link to any of the original posts, but last week both Jennifer of That Girl, That Quilt and Rachel of Stitched in Color had very interesting posts, and it led to a lot of introspection on my part.
Questions like why do I quilt? Why do I blog about it? And why am I letting anyone I haven't even met make the decisions on what is appropriate or inappropriate for my personal quilting journey?
Case in point. I frequently go through my fabric stash. I came across this piece of fabric and my first thought was "I should probably put this in the donation pile because a 'modern' quilter would never put this in a quilt." I stopped myself right there and thought, "But I still like this fabric. And why do I even care whether or not someone else would put it in a quilt?"
Quilting has gotten me through the loss of a my first grandchild six years ago and the loss of one of my best friends last year.
(a "family tree" quilt with signature of parents, grandparents and great-grandparents made for our first grandchild)
It has sustained me through times when I needed to be alone, and it has cheered me up when I have been surrounded by my quilting friends.
When I think of the debate between modern and traditional, between acceptable levels of creativity and "dumbing down," it just makes me sad. And two phrases keep going through my mind: If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all, and can't we all just get along?
Everything comes and goes in cycles. It's like that in every aspect of art. There are new ways of interpretation, new methods, new supplies at our fingertips. But when you think about it honestly, there are very few things that are actually original. Nearly everything is just a "variation on a theme."
One of my first quilts was this kaleidoscope quilt. I "borrowed" it from a little 3-inch picture in a quilting magazine.
This is my newest variation on a kaleidoscope theme. It will have narrow sashing between each block (not sure what color yet--I was just had this blue strip handy) and the Kona snow should form a secondary pattern.
It's a combination of a quilt I saw in a quilting magazine from 2004
(from QNM, 9/2004, "Sashed Batik Kaleidoscope" by Addy Harkavy and Sandi McCann)
I'm not the person who designed the kaleidoscope block, nor was the designer of the 2004 quilt or even Kathy Doughty. But good for all of us to come up with our own unique variations.
So my point (and I do have one) is that we should never have to apologize to ourselves or anyone else for what we create. And we should be kind and considerate when viewing what someone else has created. Because most of it is just another variation on a theme.
Things I'm not apologizing for:
*Not being able to complete a quilt in a week...or a month. I'm doing everything at my own pace and I'll be okay with that.
*Not participating in any more quilt block swaps after my current quarter of 3x6 swap is completed. I will have 12 orange, grey and white blocks by then. I already have six that I'm really happy with,
but I have a lot of ideas in my head and I don't want to be distracted by time obligations.
*Still really liking Sherbet Pips,even though due to the blogging frenzy before it was available, I preordered, forgot how much I preordered, and over-purchased (see below).
*Still loving the first pattern I designed and published, Charm Parade. At times, it seems that nearly everyone (but me...) makes a certain quilt once, and then never wants to make it again. So far I have made this quilt at least seven times, each one a little different from the others.
I still have more variations I want to try. For example, what would it look like done in all solids? I won't know until I try it. Who knows? Maybe I'll be like Rachmaninoff and make 24 variations of this theme.
*For loving Flea Market Fancy and paying some outrageous prices to add it to my stash.
*For being glad I'm in the Single Girl Quiltalong because I've learned a lot, from making way too many templates to increasing my skill at curved piecing.
*Keeping my stash of batiks (gasp) because they are bright. And I like them.
*Keeping that weird piece of green fabric. I may never use it. But then again, it might be the perfect fabric in some yet-to-be-designed quilt.
*For finding inspiration from the many quilters who are generous with their ideas, designs, where they find their inspiration, and are willing to share it with others. *Writing my blog the way I want to write it and not comparing myself with anyone else (which isn't always easy). Many times I have said I write, but I'm not a writer. Whatever. Turns out I enjoy documenting my quilting journey, along with a few other things along the way. And I hope you'll be along for the ride because you want to be, not just because you want to win a giveaway (see below).
What? You're still here?
Well, then... I love Charm Parade. I have three charm packs of Sherbet Pips, and I only need one for the quilt I'm planning. Yeah, I know. Pre-ordering frenzy. For a copy of Charm Parade and two charm packs of Sherbet Pips, leave a comment before Thursday at 6 p.m. PDT about whatever you feel like commenting on--the weather, something that inspires you, a favorite color, a flower that poked through the snow. And if you are so done with Sherbet Pips, no apologies needed, we can substitute something else. I have lots of charm packs hanging around. And I'm not really feeling the need to apologize for the size of my stash...
I had this weird idea the other day. Mark's eyes kind of glazed over when I told him about it. A few minutes ago I finished reading the Blue Elephant Stitches blog post, "writing while pinning," where she says: "I often find myself thinking in the form of writing, and I can write some quite interesting, informative, well-thought out and even witty stuff in my head... but you'll just have to take my word for it, cause it rarely gets any farther than that."
I do the same thing. Usually in the shower. Or if I wake up in the middle of the night. Usually those middle-of-the-night ideas sometimes seem weird in the light of day. This may be one of those very ideas. But I'm going to go with it anyway.
I don't even know why I was thinking about birth order character traits. Mark and I have one son. Clearly not an issue for us. But it's still interesting to read about different traits children may possess based on their "place" in the family. At the same time, I was kind of obsessing over fabric by Denyse Schmidt, probably because I just finished Pop Beads, my quilt top using Flea Market Fancy, and I've got two quilt tops in the works using Hope Valley. I came super late to the whole FMF party. And as I mentioned, I have paid more than I care to admit to build my collection. Why? Because I really REALLY like it. I like a lot of fabric lines, but this one probably tops the list.
Pretty much missed out on Katie Jump Rope too, so I've been collecting that as well. And I like it. Not as much as FMF, but KJR is pretty social and plays pretty well with FMF.
When Hope Valley came out, at first I was kind of "ehh, whatever" about it but she has really grown on me.
When Denyse's latest line came out, well, I'll be honest, I have not purchased a single fat quarter of it. I've seen some cool quilts made with it, but I think was more intrigued with the quilt design than the fabric. (My apologies to all of you who consider it one of your favorites.)
I don't know why the birth order traits correlation (from here) popped into my mind, but here goes:
Flea Market Fancy (the first-born child): natural leader, high achiever, organized, bossy (not sure about that but someone was telling me to buy, buy, buy!), adult-pleaser. "First-born children desire control and they will typically become a compliant nurturer or a more aggressive mover and shaker." Seems pretty accurate. I don't believe I have seen any other fabric lines that caused a a write-in campaign to Freespirit Fabrics begging them to reprint. But they decided to move on...
Katie Jump Rope and Hope Valley (the middle children): flexible, easy-going, social, peacemakers (or substitute piecemakers!). "The middle child(ren) will demonstrate the greatest variety of character traits, but they will usually be opposite of their older sibling."
Greenfield Hill (the last child--although I'm sure this only temporary until the next "child" comes along): risk-taker, creative, self-centered, competitive, bored easily. "They are also often driven to catch up with their older siblings and follow in their footsteps." We'll see.
If you are still here, then I think you deserve a little compensation for your attention. So how about the scraps from my Pop Beads quilt?
What makes our hearts race a little faster when we see certain fabric is so subjective. That's why we sometimes have to perform CPR on our credit cards (to quote a commenter from yesterday).
Here is the question to answer: Where do you fall in the birth order in your family? Any characteristics you feel like sharing with the rest of us? You can also comment on whether or not this was too weird a topic that I should have kept to myself, but it won't give you an extra chance at winning. (hehe)
I'll pick a winner on Saturday at 6 p.m. PDT.
ETA: I mean no disrespect whatsoever to fabric designers or fabric lines. I'm glad they are out there designing fabulous fabric for us to work with, something I myself could never do. I also realize the pressure to do something different and wonderful each and every time must be phenomenal. I have just been spending a lot of time with these specific lines lately, and my mind kind of went off on a little tangent.
My Pop Beads quilt top is completed. I won't lie. I LOVE it. For all of you who are so "over" Flea Market Fancy, let me say this. I came late to the party, and I have paid a small king's ransom to be able to attend!
Here is what I need help with:
1. It's just a small thing really, but I used a couple of fabrics from the "freckles" line, which was said to be companion fabric for Flea Market Fancy, sort of like a first cousin (more on that later). In one corner I have used some turquoise "freckles" and then I got the green leaves in the mail. Would you take the time to switch them out?
2. I need suggestions on quilting. I'm thinking of doing big stitch around the inside and outside of each bead and around the brown connector diamonds, but if someone could give me thoughts on machine stitching, I would be open to that as well.
Have you ever thought of a particular designer's fabric lines having something in common with sibling birth-order characteristics? Probably not. Mark's eyes kind of glazed over when I mentioned writing a post about that.
But I think I will delve into that topic anyway. If you are interested in some Flea Market Fancy scraps (and I do mean scraps), come back tomorrow for a giveaway of these.
Along with something special I intend to do with these:
I also finished these two blocks for the do.Good Stitches Faith circle. (Stashbuster blocks from Material Obsession 2--very fun. I will make more of these!)
Head on over to Freshly Pieced and see what everyone else is working on.
Yesterday our good friends, George and Cheri, dropped by with a card that had that quote on the front. And yesterday I actually lived that quote. On Sunday, I posted about remembering our grandson, Caleb, who was born six years ago on March 13. Actually, March 16 is the day that is always the hardest on me, for that is the day, six years ago, we all had to let him go. When all we wanted to do was hold on.
Shortly after he passed away, Mark and I found a garden statue of a little boy in overalls. I think he was supposed have water coming out of the little hose he was holding. Instead we had a brick base built and had him permanently cemented to the base, in a little area by our front door. (Note: We live in California. Things can tend to "walk" away if you don't take precautions.)
So every year on March 13 we get a balloon and tie it to our little boy.
And every year on March 16 we release it. I hope you won't get all "environmental" on me. The other days of the year I do care about the potential outcome of balloons released into the sky. On March 16th, I simply.do.not.care about the environment at large. It's all I can do to take care of the environment of my heart.
Mark and I had a quiet dinner together.
Then I went into my sewing room, cleaned and organized it, took apart my sewing machine, brushed out all the lint from machine quilting Levi's quilt all weekend, put in a new needle, wound some bobbins, threaded my machine, and started working on Pop Beads.
Have you noticed how working with beautiful fabric, making something with your hands, something real, something you can touch, is good for the soul? Thank you, my friends, for surrounding me, encouraging me, inspiring me. It may seem odd to some that you could feel such a close connection with women you have never met. It doesn't seem odd to me at all.
*sigh* I wish it were last Thursday. Because then I would be on my way to the mountains for a long weekend of quilting and spending time with my best friends.
It is not at all unusual for there to be snow during Quilting in the Pines. Last year, I called my post "sewing in a snow globe." It was pretty much like that again this year. With one big difference. It turned treacherous to get back and forth from our cabins to the sewing room. We had snow, then it warmed up and turned slushy, then it got really cold and froze. So underneath all that pretty white snow was a layer of deadly slick ice. For the first time, we used the services of the resort SUV and driver to get us back and forth because it was just too dangerous to walk, even with snow boots. One poor lady slipped and broke her wrist in two places!
This was the view from our sewing table:
This is only about one third of the total sewing room:
And our little section:
Jennifer always makes the cutest placecards for our group. Deborah didn't like the picture Jennifer used so we tried to take sneaky pictures of her all weekend. Next year she will not be allowed to cover up her picture!
This year I didn't take many of pictures of other quilts, but this one definitely caught my eye. Super cute and lots of fun embellishment.
Here are some of the "challenge" quilts on the walls. I was standing there looking at the other quilts and someone said, "Oh, look. Someone used the fabric labels." Um, did you mean "selvages?"
Every year, we friends keep our challenge quilts totally secret from each other. When they are on the wall, we try to figure out which quilt each of us made. This year, other than mine, because my friends obviously know about my total obsession with selvages, none of us could figure out who made what. Everyone did something completely different than her normal "style." It was fun.
This was Dotty's:
And Jennifer's (she was in a three-way tie for third place. Way to go, Jennifer!). It had so many cute buttons, and I know she loves buttons. But it was machine quilted (by someone else), and Jennifer always does her own quilting on the challenge quilts. Very sneaky, Jennifer...
Jennifer spent most of the weekend working on her "gaggle of geese" because it was just so time-consuming, but also very cute and cheery.
Dotty seemed to work on a lot of different projects and accomplished a lot of different things. She even made two quilts from my Charm Parade pattern. The fabrics reminded us of Easter eggs.
Last year I was working on a quilt-along by Randi of Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. There is a basket in the sewing room where you can throw scraps you think someone else might be able to use. Well, someone did use some of my scraps and made this cute pincushion last year. This year she was sitting at the table next to us so I snapped a picture. (Note to self: please finish the quilt because the fabrics are awesome and the pattern is great...and it's been a year.)
Are you wondering what I worked on?
While I had great intentions of working on Single Girl, the first two days I worked on Popbeads:
I'm so glad I chose Flea Market Fancy. Interestingly, not a single person blinked an eyelash when they saw that I was using FMF (FMF, people!!!!), on which I spent a virtual fortune slightly more per yard than the going rate.
I'm making two separate Birdie Stitches quilts (Central Park and Hoopla) and my thinking process was that if I had all the blocks made ahead of time, it would be easier to get the embroidery done. All the quilt blocks are finished and ready to embroider!
Sometimes odd things happen when you have been sewing for so many hours and it is 10 p.m. on a Saturday night. Dotty ended up sewing the right side and wrong side together on this block. Oops.... (Why is that non-bloggers think we bloggers take some "odd" pictures? Yeah, I don't know the answer to that one either...)
While we were having snow in the mountains, this is the kind of "snow" we have down here in Fresno. The orchards are in glorious, sweet-smelling bloom. (I asked Mark if this was a "drive-by shoot" and he assured me that he stopped the car this time.)
