Pictures for inspiration

Under my needle today are these masks in gingham that my niece requested. Ten in total they've been relatively easy to sew. I made a jig to help in the pleating and that has made all the difference. Before this request, I'd made a few in oranges because I'd over-cut some 1½ inch strips. How convenient that they're the exact size of the straps. 

Recently one of the BRMQG quilters posted some photos she'd taken on her daily walks. The pictures depict lines in nature, and she uses the pics as inspiration to make blocks.   

hard gravel

mushy mushrooms

I loved the idea and decided to join her, except that I would work on textures. 

soft clover in bloom

  It doesn't take long to find different textures when you're looking. I started by looking down at the things under my feet as I walked. 

prickly stickers (yes in my yard!)

But soon I was looking a bit higher.

splintered wood

And then straight ahead at eye level.

rough oak trunk made even more so with woodpecker holes

sticky, prickly cedar

It was a fun exercise, though I was strolling rather than walking. I forced myself to get moving because I was, after all, out there for the physical exercise and it was getting hot. I don't necessarily intend to use these, except that I am enjoying the many different textures and it's as great exercise in mindfulness. 

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: RVs

Richard has been bing-watching RV shows. The last one is about luxury RVs in the 3-400,000 dollar range. Not something we are the least interested in for ourselves, but it's fun to see what is out there in the world of big-spenders. Of course, this got me thinking of quilts with campers and RVs. And guess what? Yes, of course, there are a few. 

Pin It Weekly #313

Hello Pinners! Meet some new friends. Introducing Toni Hall, who has a board titled "I Think I Can" and I love it. Here's why...

Not that I crochet, but I think I could. Maybe not well, however. :) Buzzin Bumble is a blogger who has some interesting pins and posts that you might want to check out. Lara is the author of Crafted Applique': New Possibilities. I do not have it, but I will look into it. Isn't this just the cutest cover? I bet that sweet camper is inside!

She has a board called Polaroid Quilts that I had to look into. What an interesting concept. It's a whole thing. Have you heard of these quilts before? I have not. Where have I been? 

After leaving that rabbit hole, I visited the NW Quilting Expo. I was there a while, too. It's amazing I get anything done! BTW, whoever keeps up their Pinterest does a fabulous job. There are way more boards and pins than I expected.

Wash your hands and wear your mask.

SLW is quilted

This quilt has been a worrisome thing. I've enjoyed the celebrations, but the fretting parts have not been fun. There's so much to it though, that I feel compelled to deal with the parts, good and bad.

The sun makes a stained glass illusion.

After the Sherry Lynn Wood workshop, I thought seriously of abandoning the chunks of fabric that I'd put together but guild sisters said to keep going. I decided to take it on as part of the Cotton Quilters "Finish on a UFO" challenge. 

I like the purples, which may be blue in reality.

I tossed in AHIQ's hourglass challenge--because what's a challenge without a challenge and I'm an idiot, sometimes--and found that I really liked how the hourglass blocks helped to make sense of it all. Then AHIQ helped again when I remembered the old Chinese coins challenge and used that to come up with a setting. Ann and Kaja, thanks for the help!

a row of hour glass blocks

The idea of quilting this was overwhelming. I folded it up and put it in the "to be quilted" bin, where the possibility of never looking at it again is kind of real. But where would that get me after all the other challenges? So a week or so later, I made a backing, loaded everything on, and tried to make a plan. 

Some of the original pieces

I should have known better. I don't make plans! Those are throwbacks from the old teaching days when everything was planned, or schemed. :) No, these days I have to plug in the machine and hold onto the handles. Something happens. Some times I have to rip out the stitches, but mostly I just play along with the muse that is the machine. (Doesn't that have a poetic ring?)

The neutral has a green undertone that may influence the binding.
But it's too soon to tell.

The quilting is rather unconventional. I mostly followed the shapes, but occasionally added some sort of motif in areas that needed additional quilting. I like that quilting it this way tends to draw people in because the motifs are a surprise. The kids started looking for circles and other shapes. They asked a couple of times how many to look for. I haven't the slightest idea! Ask the muse.

Linking up with
For the love of geese #47 Thanks, Denise!

More Masks and "Favorite Fabrics" ~~ finished!

Do you know how good it feels to pick up a quilt top, quilt-bind-label it, and call it done? Yes? Great. I'm here to tell you it feels even better when said quilt top has been waiting, patiently, in a basket or bin or (gasp) plastic bag for longer than you care to remember. Oh yes! It's a wonderful thrill. I recommend it highly. My heart still does a little flip when I think of it. 

More on the quilt later. First let's get these masks out of the way. There are 15 in this picture, more or less. Eight will go to a friend who requested them. The rest, I don't know. Maybe I should have a few here in case we need them. Heaven knows, I am done with these things. Could it be more boring? Not for me. I'm kind of ashamed, really. But 50ish are all I can wring out of myself for now. Maybe after Easter if there's still a need I can make more. 

Now back to this finish. At some point I realized that the very pretty pieces of colorful, playful fabrics that I'd purchased at 
Lola Pink in Lafayette were becoming smallish scraps. It occurred to me that together they would make a pretty quilt. So I gathered up pieces Since they were literally scraps, sizes were varied, but showcasing the designs was important. Otherwise, what was the point? 

The sizes were not cooperative but finally I came up with this clean, modern design. The blocks are 3½", 5½" and 7½" each with 2½" white strips. Into the waiting bin the top went. And just like that, quilt tops are forgotten. They deserve better, so it's time to get them finished. 

I had this white linen with small navy stripes that was just large enough, so I figured it was meant to be. I should have used those stripes to my advantage, but no, I prefer to make things... challenging.

For no reason at all, I decided to use straight line quilting but to leave out the prints. Then after all that quilting, I realized that the largest blocks were too big to leave un-quilted. I added fleur de lis and lotus flowers to those blocks. It was a good opportunity to play with those two motifs, which I really like.

		Quilt Stats
	Name:	Favorite Fabrics
	Size:	54" X 58"
	Fabrics:	Various fabrics from stash
	Pattern:	My design
	Backing:	Linen from stash
	Batting:	100% Cotton
	Binding:	fabric from stash
	Quilting:	Straight lines w/ motifs in largest blocks
	Completed:	2020

Tell me what you think. I really like constructive comments. They help a person to access and grow. So yeah! Comment.