Pin It Weekly #146

This week I'm pinning pincushions! Why not, right?

I'm just nuts enough to keep my pins separate. Only yellow head quilting pins can go into one particular pincushion. Needles have their own tiny tomato. Applique pins go on a red satin pincushion that was a gift. And so on. 

Why? you ask. Because I can. Most of my life, studio, home, work is a disorganized mess. Most of it. There's no avoiding it. Life is a mess. Teaching adolescents is messy. Teens are messy! My family is messy. Richard may clean now, but that's a new thing.

Anyhoo, there is something I can control. Pins and needles happen to be the something. There, that's the whole of it. 

I can control pins. I happen to be able to control needles. By the way, don't push every pin deep into the cushion in my house! Oh my goodness! Devils are less evil. I like my pins so that I can easily remove them. If the pins are shoved into the cushion, I have to dig them out. 

I don't like digging pins out. Therefore, do not shove them in. Ask a grandchild. Hands off the pincushions. Run with scissors, no problem. Dump the trash on the floor, who cares? 

Play with the pincushion, go ahead, see what happens. Grammay will not be happy!

Scrap Quilt

About a month ago I started a new quilt, which I had to put aside to work on a customer quilt. The customer quilt is near complete, so I decided to pull the old scrap quilt out and take a look at it. Oh, I'm still quilting the customer quilt. In fact, it's right on track, but I don't want to lose interest in the scrap quilt.

I've been calling it "the scrap quilt" because I'm making fabric from some of the scraps that are overflowing their bins. Surely, I'll come up with a better name...or maybe you have an idea. What would you name this? 

I chose three colors and made slabs of fabric (a la Jackie Gehring) using only one color per slab.

 Eventually I had lots of slabs in blue, yellow, or green--those colors because their bins were really full. 

At some point I decided that I'd press the slabs really well and cut them into blocks using the Accuquilt Studio. 

That made the next step really easy--mat and frame each block like one would a picture, except just a little wonky for fun. Everything was great....

Version 1                                             Version 2

and then it wasn't. I put the blocks back on the design board, but I didn't like the random version and didn't like the more traditional version, either. 

So what's a girl to do? Take the blocks apart. Start over. Abandon ship, so to speak. I decided to rip out the dark strips that weren't working. About two hours later, tired of ripping, I was cutting the seams out. 

 Soon after that I began resewing--sometimes sewing the small blocks back together, adding borders, making up "patterns," just whatever stuck my fancy. And I have to admit, the more I sewed the more fun I had. 

Eventually I began making strips of the blocks. I used three shades of Kona for the background, but the more I worked the more I pushed myself to create odd lines and forms with the tans and cream. I also moved blocks and strips around, twisting and turning them until I liked the results.

This last photo is where I am right now.  I plan to add a bit more of the cream to increase the size to about 70" square.  And then we'll see.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: Spring

It's already springtime! How fast the year is passing, although it is still only March! Today is Palm Sunday, which means Easter is next Sunday. I'd better get busy with the Easter baskets and eggs. Easter seems to have sneaked up on me!

There are some things that remind me of spring no matter when I see them--tulips, colored eggs, baby ducks and bunnies, pastels. 

A few quilts and, as we love to say in the South, "Happy spring, y'all." I can't resist this first one...

To finish a couple of my own quilts that one might consider spring inspired.  

These are in my "TRUNK, SHOW" board, which includes most of the quilts that I've made over the years. Of course, I gave away several before I had enough sense to take pictures. Those mostly went to grandchildren who have worn the quilts to a frazzle. Other were made for customers. They simply aren't documented and never will be. Do you have any undocumented quilts? Do you regret not taking pictures? Thanks for visiting.

Happy Quilting

Quilty 365 [update]

I've been working diligently on the circles for the Quilty 365 Project hosted by Audrey at Quilty Folk.  If you're a regular follower, you know that I started late. Actually at least one month late since I started sometime in February and almost everyone else started on January 1st. 

first set of circles

But I've been enjoying the hand-stitching much more than I thought I would, so sewing two or three circles a night has been easy. That means I'll eventually catch up, although my intention was never to compete or concern myself with a particular number. I'll just make circles till I've over it. 

this week's set of circles

Audrey encouraged me to do just that when I told her my "plan." It's really nice to get encouragement when you start off saying you're not playing by the rules. That surprised me since I rarely ever come close to breaking rules. 

These two photos are of the large circles....35 in all! Not a bad number. 

And these are the smaller circles...47 circles. 

It's the first time I've counted the circle, and I discovered that 82 circles are done.  (The photos and a calculator made that little chore easy.) Then I found another five circles hiding under a stack of the newest fabric I pulled for this project...so 87.  

One of the good uses of taking pictures is that it has helped me to realize that I've gone overboard with the number of plaids that I'm using for the background. This is much too busy. I've prepped many more circles and will use those, but then I'll have to resist using the stripes and plaids for the squares.  In fact, I really want to do more solid on solid to help calm this crazy down just a touch. 

Otherwise, I'm loving everything about this project.  Just look at this neat stack of finished blocks. Maybe I should start thinking about what I'll do with them when I call a halt. After all, that could be any day.

Linking up with 

Ann at Fret Not Yourself and Kaja at Sew Slowly, 

who host the Ad Hoc Improv Quilters linky party on the fourth Tuesday of each month.  Do go by for a visit! You'll find some wonderfully interesting improv quilts and circles.