A Reflection of the Past Year {Quilty-wise} and Essential Elements for 2017

2016 has been such a busy, scattered year for me. I've felt rather like a leaf floating down the currents of a river at times, totally at the mercy of all the elements. Now that we're full swing into the holiday mode, I've found myself very reflective about my quilting. I suppose that's why Kaja's latest post really struck a chord within me and I decided to join in with the latest fun over at Quilting JetGirl too!

Goals for 2017 quilting:  1.  Fabric Love. Flitting in and out of my quilting room this past couple weeks has made me realize how delighted I am to be greeted by colorful, ongoing projects. I want to be more intentional about digging through the stash and using the fabrics and colors that speak the loudest to me--working to get it 'right' no matter how much time that may take.

Working to put Quilty 365 together...

2.  Applique. So very key for me. Sometimes I feel almost overwhelmed by all the projects that need/want/demand applique work, but in the long run it makes me very happy. Doing this sort of hand work helps settle me and causes me to look a little closer at the details--very necessary in my busy, busy world!

Vintage Coxcombs applique coming along slowly but surely...

3.  Repetition--very often a part of my quilting. Call me old fashioned, call me whatever you like, but I really, really like the structure and framework of having 'repeats' in my quilts. This is an element I want to remember to use moving forward.

Next border on Peachy Cameo Medallion

4.  Which leads me to borders. Oh how I love me some borders! The sheer challenge of making it all work is so good for me and there's nothing quite like finishing up a border and feeling that sense of accomplishment! Lots of small victories in this type of work which absolutely gives me energy to do more designing and brainstorming. Bring on the medallion quilts, 'cuz they aren't going away anytime soon.*wink

Another border on Folksy Flowers. Going to have to address that bias edge soon!

5.  Scrap Attack quilts. So overlooked. Do you know that the scrap attack quilts are the ones that generally end up being the most used on my beds? I just can't seem to resist their charm. In 2017 I want to keep 'working straight from the scrap bin' part of the rotation. There's nothing quite like taking those insignificant little scraps and creating something surprising and yes, genuinely lovely. I adore the unpredictability of using those scraps!

One of my favorite Scrap Attack quilts

6.  Ad Hoc Improv. Quilting.  Love, love, love this freewheeling style that by turns makes me feel like a total moron and then flips around and makes me feel quite brilliant in the very next quilt project.  If it wasn't for challenging myself to break free and work in this difficult-for-me method of quilting, I wouldn't have my big 'ol Improv. Woven Basket centerpiece. That would be sad. Big intentions to do more and see where and how it evolves in the future.

Improv. Woven Basket quilt

7.  Simplicity. Something that is almost stark in terms of emotion, but whatever that emotion may be, is solely up to the maker! The deliberate choices that have to be made seem to gain in importance--that's just reality when working this way. Whether or not I do another 'wholecloth' style quilt, I want to at least start with simplicity on occasion. It's such an interesting way to work and I simply love how it strips all the pretense and/or fussiness out of the equation.

Be Still, my sweet little wholecloth lap quilt

8.  Series Work.  There are often repeated elements from one quilt to the next in my quiltmaking. Whether this is deliberate series work or simply my subconscious operating behind the scenes {I've done both}, it is a very meaningful in a sense of  'progression' of personal style. Sometimes my knee jerk reaction to 'yet another basket quilt' is a feeling of despair or inadequacy that I can't come up with something new and exciting. I want to remember that those elements {that I continually seem to connect so personally to} are part of my quilting voice. I need to be unafraid and unashamed to be the 'basket queen' or whatever it is we're focused so intently on. Continue to let those elements be fine tuned and honed into that someday amazing quilt we're always striving for!

Gather Ye Roses quilt project

9.  QALS and Connections.  I prefer the open-ended QALS and no-pressure outcome. For instance, the quilt below {my most recent finish!} was a result of joining Wendy's Basket Galore BOM a couple years ago. Make the blocks, do whatever you like with them sort of thing. Lori made one as well and it's so interesting to see how we all ended up adding applique blocks to go along with those very challenging basket blocks. In my case it was probably a case of busying the quilt up so the mistakes are not as obvious!

Completed Red and Green Applique & Baskets Galore quilt

But the real point is the connections we make. Making something similar but different is often quite eye opening. I tend to shy away from QALS, but I can definitely see the benefits from these types of projects. Hopefully in 2017 there will be another QAL or two that fits into my personal requirement of 'has-to-be-on-my-bucket-list-to-join-up'. I never know where it just might lead....

Add caption

10. About that 'Process' thing which {should} eventually result in some really great quilts. In theory! Full circle brings me straight to the Cactus Basket quilt finished earlier this year. It's absolutely a direct result of that red/yellow basket second over in the previous picture. I had so much trouble with making that particular block, I decided to try it with hand piecing. Wallah! One things leads to another blah, blah, blah. Somehow I ended up with a totally different kind of quilt. And it feels more like a 'me' quilt in some perfect and indescribable way. In 2017 I need not forget the sheer value and importance of the process. That pure and simple doing.

The Cactus Basket quilt

Sorry for such a lengthy yawn of a post, but it helps to have a clear examination our of quilt-making once in awhile! At least for me. Thank you Kaja for the nudge and thanks to Yvonne for the initial inspiration!

2017 Planning Party Link-up

Now I'm off to finish baking my sugar cookies and other assorted holiday goodies! Merry Christmas to all of you. Hope your weekend is filled with lots of love, laughter and good eating...

Slow Quilting in My Down Time

It's been hectic. The usual mayhem and some extra stuff thrown in as well. So what else is new? I finally got one of my oldest unfinished quilts back from my friend--she of the new quilting longarm business. I asked her to leave the large flowers in the center alone as I wanted to add a little Perle Cotton stitching there. Funny me, I stitched in a dark brown color first, my usual go-to color, and then did some ripping out. Ughh. It needed a much lighter thread in order to keep that happy glow!

Ohio Memories quilt

And really, the stitching my friend did is wonderful. It didn't need anything added except that I wanted it. I'll show better pictures later when the quilt is totally finished. The thing is, my heart aches just a wee little bit because this would have been absolutely beautiful {in my eyes} if completely hand quilted. The texture my friends. It's all about the texture! ha! We all have our preferences don't we? And unfortunately there aren't enough hours in a day to hand quilt them all.

I'm also working on another quilt with a combination of machine and hand quilting. You know, because it was on my 2016 goal list! The machine quilting was done on my Bernina, stitch-in-the-ditch around the blocks and on both sides of the stripey border. Now I'm going back in and hand quilting inside the blocks and setting triangles. It's going so quickly and just making the quilt come alive for me. I keep getting a sort of Christmassy vibe from this quilt {must be the colors?} and so my hope is to finish this in time to use during the holidays.

At this point I'm seriously contemplating going back to the machine to quilt a cross-hatch design on the red border. It would be fast and probably look just as good as anything I hand quilted as the border fabric is very busy. That's my best gauge when I'm mixing combinations of machine and hand quilting in the same quilt. Will the hand stitching shine? Make the quilt look more special? If not, then I can skip it without remorse.

Red and Green and Baskets Quilt

All the hand quilting is done on the Pickle Dish quilt now. Sorry the picture doesn't show the texture on this one better. It's such a great quilt. Still can't believe I actually made this one! The binding is machine stitched to the quilt, just waiting for appropriate time to do the hand stitching and then, wallah! This one is going straight to my bed!

Pickle Dish

One of the things taking up chunks of my time lately is a 50th anniversary party for my parents. Scheduled to take place the Saturday after Thanksgiving, time has sort of slipped away as you can only imagine. All of the offspring are putting together 32" x 40" picture boards of our person and individual family which will then be arranged for display in birth order {there were 12 children born to my parents so quite the line-up}. There will also be another board specifically for my parents as well as other special pics of them, so that's more work too. Anyway, back to my point, in the center of these sibling boards we are requested to have a current 8x10" picture of ourselves.

So this weekend, my oldest daughter finally corralled my next oldest sister and me for our 'current' picture. Ugghh! Who wants to see that large a picture when we have the stereotypical, flabby, middle-aged body? I was instructed to take a quilt with me and my sister needed to take one of her dogs. Apparently this would help get us in the mood? and I hate to admit, something that probably worked exactly as planned.

A pic of me a few blocks from my house....

We didn't end up picking the above picture, but I just had to show you. Quilting doesn't do much for our thighs, but it really does enable some pretty awesome results otherwise. Now if the wind would just quit blowing for a minute, I might have been able to at least partially disguise the fact that I inhale entirely too much Pepsi and chocolate.....

Linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching. What a great post over there today!

Putting Some Very Traditional Looking Borders Together....

I figured it was more than time to put the some borders on this quilt top. All the baskets are from Wendy's Basket Galore BOM {a very fun but wowsers, also occasionally a rather complicated exercise in making basket blocks}. After finishing, they desperately looked to be needing some companion blocks.

Getting a striped border....

I loved the look of Wendy's blocks combined with applique, so I roughed out some ideas on paper and finally came up with my own free style red and green applique blocks. I'd been wanting to make a whole red and green quilt for a very long time, but didn't have enough drive to make it happen. Working with only two or three colors in an entire quilt just seems painfully tedious to me, no matter how brilliant the outcome! I can only say that my boredom threshold must be very quite low?

And then a floral border....

I ended up trimming the applique blocks down a bit more than I had hoped for as a couple basket blocks were half an inch smaller than the intended size. Half an inch doesn't seem like much, but it resulted in cut off points on a couple baskets and almost no room around the sides of a couple applique blocks. Thankfully this quilt is more than busy enough to absorb all those little 'oops' areas!

I went with a reproduction style stripe for the inner border as it ties in very nicely with the other reproduction prints in the baskets. It my opinion, it also makes for a {striking} framework for the busy middle of the quilt, especially paired with the pieced setting triangles. The entire unit just helps to pull the eye out and then move it around the quilt, all without getting mired down in the organized busyness of the middle.*wink Whether it works or not, it sounds good!

A finished quilt top!

I know the colors in the striped fabric were a bit iffy for some people, but when the red border was added on, it fit together like it was always meant to be. That red fabric was one of the few pieces of fabric that I actually bought more than a fat quarter of all without knowing the {future} intended use--just because I was in love with it! I've tried using it on numerous quilts before and never felt that zing of perfectness until this particular quilt. Sometimes you just know that a certain fabric will be very necessary to the success of a future quilt.

So.. I have a question. Mostly because I read a very negative post awhile back that I've been wondering about.  Does the use of a small inner border and then a larger floral border always date the quilt maker {say, back to the 80's, early 90's}? Is it one of those design elements that instantly signal 'I didn't have any better ideas, so I'm using the old fallback; ie, I'm lazy'? 

Personally, I think it does sort of instantly stamp our quilt with a certain look of traditionalism because, let's be honest, it's been done to death! The thing is, like any other time honored design element, it does have its uses. I feel that, if done properly {and isn't that the elephant in the room!}, it doesn't have to look like a haphazard, lazy sort of design decision and can wrap a quilt up with a sort of very pretty bow. I'd love to know what you think and no.... I won't be getting the least bit offended if you don't agree with me!

Update: These questions are pertaining to quilts we see in general! Sorry to put you on the spot by not being clear. I am very happy to put these particular borders on my quilt and call it a good choice no matter what others might think. I'm just questioning quilts we see being made hither and yon, by friends and at shows etc. Is there a feeling of 'hmm... that was a very uninspired finish for a quilt'?

Any Old Excuse To Get Away From the Desk

I've had this quilt 'mostly' figured out for awhile, just needed to trim the blocks down to size. The basket blocks were so varied in size that I ended up making everything smaller than I intended and well, cutting off a few points here and there.

Basket Galore Bom blocks and Red/Green applique

Pretty sure this particular quilt will survive a missing point or two. It's already looking quite busy and full of itself in a very serious 'I-am-a-sampler-quilt' sort of way!

Getting the rows sewn together...

There are a couple of oddball  fabrics from the totes that I've been dying to use in this quilt all along. I've had my eye on them for the borders, but how to make the transition? I found an oldish looking blue/green with red print that seemed perfect for the setting triangles. Paired with some warm butter yellows it looks like it will do the trick nicely.

Auditioning the border idea...

Uh huh. Right? If it's not too much of a distraction from the rest of quilt? Hmm... maybe if I tone the blue/green down just a bit. But then the border just sort of fades into nothing-ness and looks blah....

Oh well, it's kind of an interesting quilt as I used mostly reproduction fabrics for all the basket blocks but then jumped from there into mixed prints of red, greens and tans for the flower applique blocks. Looking back, I'm thinking that two quilts were combined into one. You know I can be very efficient that way on occasion.*wink

Hmm.. Maybe like this?

Decisions, decisions. Not sure when I'll get back to this one as I'm supposed to be cleaning house for weekend company again and the book work sitting on my desk is not done enough to even start to relax. Don't know what I'd do without quilting to help give me positive endorphins these days!

Around the World Blog Hop

Welcome to my little corner of the blogging world! Nina, a wonderfully, talented Norwegian quilter tagged me to answer some questions for you. They go along with this 'creative' blog hop currently making the rounds around the globe. This was after Debra (she of the gorgeous pictures blog) tagged me back in July and well, you know how my July and August went. 

1.What Quilting thing am I working on?

Wowsers, do I have a lot going on around here! Never content with project monogamy, I tend to bury myself in enough projects to induce eye twitches in the more practical minded. I believe every project deserves the very best from me and that often takes time. Time to simmer. Time to breathe. Time to talk. And really, the best use of my time during the 'down time' is for me to work on something else entirely. Which often gives me an answer to a /question/dilemma/problem on yet another quilt--and around and around we go.... 

This is my Pickle Dish/Wedding ring quilt, started approximately two years ago. I just recently pulled it out again to start sewing the background fabric onto the melons. Apparently it involves ironing with starch, pulling the foundation paper off the melons and carefully lining up and pinning all the bits. It's gonna take awhile 'cuz I'm definitely not a fan of tearing off foundation papers.

Pickle Dish/Wedding Ring

This next quilt (Geese Tracks) is actually almost finished. A little more applique work on the border and wallah! I will be back here exclaiming over a finished quilt top. I am so very glad I forced myself through the I-really-don't-have-a-clue-what-I'm-trying-to-do-here pains that I kept experiencing with this project. It's starting to feel very exciting in terms of being better than I ever planned or dreamed. Always a good feeling.

Geese Tracks

The lovely little blocks below are a result of following along with Wendy's Basket Galore BOM. After I persevered through some terribly complicated piecing efforts, I wanted to make sure this quilt had a little distraction from my ahem.. (minor!) mistakes. And also that it reflected how special I really think the baskets are. There are still four flower blocks I need to get figured out and sewn together before things can move along toward a completed quilt top.

Red/Green flower blocks and Basket Galore BOM blocks

This orange and blue quilt is made from partial St. Paul blocks. I liked the simplicity of leaving out the added piecing and was really looking for an excuse to use up some of these fabrics. I loved seeing them all stacked together but didn't know quite what to do with them as a whole. It still needs a border added, but so far the quilt is not being very communicative. Talks will resume later.

My St. Paul quilt

I started making these cactus basket blocks after completely blowing the piecing on one of the Basket Galore blocks. I could not believe how badly I had bungled that little 8" block! Being the stubborn sort that I am, I immediately started making plans to 'better learn' a proper technique (in this case, hand piecing). Somehow it morphed into making 13 of these blocks, making other blocks to play along, and now I'm waiting on a pattern from Karen before I move on. I'm seeing applique added onto the quilt top and other fun stuff in this quilts future.

Cactus Basket quilt

Okay, this quilt is still obviously in its infancy but I have most definitely committed to making it. Check out our blog over at Quilt Like an Eagle if you want to play along. By July of next year, each of us on the list intend to proudly display a completed eagle quilt! You are going to be so jealous....

My Eagle quilt

My Sunburst quilt is very much a long term project. The main part of the quilt is going to be entirely appliqued and each step is, quite frankly, a bit mind boggling in our present state of controlled chaos. Mostly because I over-think everything I'm sure. It's a blessing and curse.

The Sunburst quilt

I almost didn't include this UFQ because it's been so very long since I've done anything with it. The thing is, I rarely truly abandon any project and I don't intend to leave this one behind either. The rare times that I actually take the time to reacquaint myself with this project, I always melt at the colors and style. It could be a really great quilt right? That's why I keep it on my UFQ list. It helps keep me accountable.

Random Sampler quilt

2.  How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I'm reminded of the comic where there are hundreds of penguins and the one is dressed sort of clownish--definitely standing out from the crowd--saying 'I just wanna be me'. Everyone of us out here in the big bad quilting world is doing our level best to make quilts that appeal to ME. When other people like them too, that's just bonus! I used to make quilts in a kind of whimsical fashion, making quilts for gifting, from patterns that caught my attention and for other various reasons such as including myself in a group challenge with friends. At some point I realized that I had gotten very far from my original intention--which was to make quilts that were deeply satisfying to ME. Through a lot of trial and error, I have slowly, slowly learned how to include the important elements that make me fall in love with my quilts{often many times over} throughout the process of making. Are they different from other peoples quilts? Sometimes I think yes. Other times, eh.. not so much! And yes, I still include myself in challenges etc. but only when it also coincides with something I'm currently trying to learn/make or do.

3.  Why do I write/create what I do?

I write because I wanted to have a journal of what was being made and the journey it takes to get there. So many of my quilts have an 'emotional' start or maybe an unexpected detour. Then there are the oh-my-goodness-I've-ruined-this-quilt! type of hurdles to get through. After awhile the details start to blur together and I didn't want to forget about those important moments. So mind boggling during the making, but really kind of funny later.

I create what I do because it's important. To my sanity. And to the well being of my immediate family! I'm a much nicer person when I'm involving myself in creating and I'm not the least bit ashamed to say so. I can't even fully explain what it does to soothe the ragged edges of what life does to us just by being a full participant. Playing with fabric and color is incredibly rewarding don't you think? And how wonderful to pour ourselves into something beautiful, then fold it up and give it to a special someone.

4.  How does my writing/creating process work?

I write when I have something to take a picture of. If I can take a picture (of whatever progress I've made) and not feel like I'm 'reaching' to find something to say, then I just go for it. I used to worry that I'd run out of things to say about quilting, but so far that hasn't happened! It must be true love.

My creative process is almost always about DOING. That is absolutely key for me. I keep a lot of projects going so I don't get bored or stuck on any one phase. Apparently I have a low threshold for both of those particular problems and I discovered a long time ago that I can seriously jump through three (or more) quilt projects in one day lickety split--making up really good excuses for why I can't work on any one of them. Having more than three UFQ's makes it much more likely that I'll cue in to my little avoidance issue and finally settle down with something. It does take actual progress to get to a finish and sometimes that progress is quite tedious ie; easily avoidable.

I make time to get in the quilt room almost daily (even if it's only for 15 minutes). I allow myself permission to play with fabric if that's really all I feel there is to give on that day. I try to remember that there's always something to learn. Always! Why not learn before it's vitally important to the outcome of any one quilt?

Occasionally I make a new list about the things that I LOVE to see in a quilt, whether it be a particular block, color, style or feeling. This helps keep me a little more focused and if I get to feeling like I'm just recycling old stale ideas? I find time to lay out every single quilt top waiting in the drawers. Some times I have to do the same thing with my finished quilts--sort of like shaking off the blues. By viewing one quilt after another I can usually see that my quilts are ever evolving and changing, even if it's a subtle thing. It helps tremendously to see that I'm moving forward, ever progressing toward a more personalized style. {See, now I'm being that clownish penguin I talked about earlier!}

The other important thing about my creative process is that I try very hard to make time to include slow quilting in and amongst all the other quilting I do. I always have a quilt in the hoop. And I always have a hand work bag prepped and ready to go. These two things make sure that no matter what is going on in our busy, crazy life, I can also choose to pick up a needle and thread at a moments notice. I sometimes stitch when I have company, in the car, at the basketball game or even when I'm helping out a sick friend or family member. This 'lost' time then becomes cherished time because the outcome (in quilty terms) doesn't matter any longer and I'm able to keep my hands busy and thus enjoy the moment.

Okay, enough with this endless post about me! In order to keep this Blog Hop moving I chose to tag two other talented ladies who each agreed to write a post next Monday the 22nd. Interestingly enough, I met both of these gals through the Bloggers Quilt Festival!

First off, I'd like you to meet Anne who has a fascinating way of making the kind of quilts that I'd love to own. I am always intrigued by her 'process' and her fearlessness in admitting to changing her quilting/sewing plans. Then there is Diane who is one of the most enthusiastic quilters I know. She is the reason I dared to start my Pickle Dish quilt even though I was so apprehensive about it, that I chewed all my fingernails off for steps 1, 2, 3 and now 4. For some reason she thinks Pickle Dish quilts are EASY and they are NOT. lol  So... please go check out these ladies wonderful blogs now and then, hopefully next Monday too. I know you won't regret it.

Trying to Find My Way Forward

My summer quilting sort of went off the tracks with me having to fit the odd moment of quilting into whatever empty second I found.  Imagine my surprise when the Flocks of Geese quilt managed to get made into a top, in spite of the fact that I was supposed to be packing for the trip and doing stacks of bookwork.

Flock of Geese quilt top finished

Believe it or not, I had agonized over putting the blocks together with the flat brown. Most people would have went light or busy. But not me. Oh no. I didn't feel like I had the luxury of time to weight all the pros and cons and I desperately wanted to be quilting. So I went with my gut. Just started in with the cutting and sewing and then ended up with this. It felt very 'bleh' and I was truly disappointed. You really have no idea. My triumphant little blue birds had lost their special little spark and it felt like a betrayal of sorts. Like I had let them down, all the way into obscurity.

Not as wonderful as I had imagined.....

Then we left on our trip. Ah, my routine of quiltiness--where art thou? We wandered in and out of peoples homes for the next couple weeks and when I saw a quilt I would always perk up. Can we talk quilts? Please say yes! And over and over again I discovered that I am much too much into quilting. I have hours of quilty talk bubbling up inside me that starts to feel kind of obsessive when the other party has quietly moved the conversation onto other polite topics.*sigh  Other than my quick trips into quilt stores and fabric love, I started feeling a bit disconnected with the whole process. A bit mad in my head if you know what I mean.

Red & Green applique blocks with the Basket Galore Bom blocks

So lovely to get home and reacquaint myself with the quilting room. Except that I felt oddly nervous and unsure of myself. What were these strange quilt projects cluttering up my quilt room all about? Too, I had company in my home while I was gone and one day in total boredom (apparently) they decided to iron some of my fabric. And fold it very precisely and very neatly into stacks. Ack! My quilt room didn't feel completely right anymore. Somewhere along the way, I seem to have gotten a bit lost.

I made quick little trips in and out but other than some hand quilting late in the evening I didn't do any quilting for several days. I was starting to wonder if my 'passionate' interest in quilting had maybe burned up with the fire when it came to actual implementation.

Playing with some border fabrics

Then, on Friday afternoon, I finally got a grip on myself (it probably helped that the laundry was done and out of my face). I decided to start small--with my red and green applique blocks--putting them on the wall next to the sampler baskets. Ahhhh... I could literally feel my shoulders lose some of their tension when I saw them all nestled together on the wall so sweetly. YES. Even though I had hurriedly thrown the idea together, it was exactly what I had hoped would happen. I played around with border ideas for a bit and then moved on to another project.

To my partial St. Paul blocks. Such a troublesome project. I love the blocks and I hate them. I love the rich colors of my quilt top and yet I don't. Where is the energy? I have had it in my mind for months now to put a 5" tumbler block border around the outside and still, I question how it should all go together. And no, it's not finished the way it is. Even though I rarely finish a quilt sans borders, I have and I will, if it truly feels finished without. This one obviously just needs more time to simmer.

Trying to figure out a border solution for the Partial St. Paul quilt

I played with some fabric stacks piled around the quilt room and pulled some new fabrics into the mix, put some away. Piddled my way through several projects, ideas and what-ifs. Eventually I could feel myself slowly settling into the familiar 'I am a quilter' zone. I knew for sure when I pulled out my cactus basket blocks and started looking at the current progress.

The entire quilt just looked wrong to me. Much too forced, out of sync and kind of flat if you want to know the truth of it. After playing with lots of different layouts and looking at several border possibilities, I found myself sitting back and grumbling under my breath in disgust. Such great little basket blocks and everything made them look terrible together. Puh-leeze. I so do not want to end up with 13 throw pillows instead of a quilt! But suddenly I had a crazy, scary thought. What I if put them together in a asymmetrical layout? Emphasized the difference between the very light and that stupid black I thought was such a great idea back in July? Hmm hmm, maybe.....

I'm starting to think this quilt is going to be very different. It might even turn into my 'surviving the fire' quilt and who cares what anybody else thinks about the end result! I have ideas people, IDEAS! churning in my wacky, obsessively, quilty brain and let me tell you it feels amazing. Whew! Such a relief to have a glimmer of creativity creeping back in again.

Don't think this will be the layout for the Cactus Basket blocks

Ahh... quilting. What would we do without it? Later that evening, once again immersed in my hand quilting, I thought about my Flocks of Geese quilt. Was it really ruined forever or could it possibly be rescued? Stitch after stitch I contemplated what had went wrong with my brilliant quilt idea. And quietly, it came to me. In the chaos of my summer I had completely forgotten. All along, the plan was for that particular quilt to have lots and lots of Perle cotton stitching in the calm, 'boring' areas of the quilt. I was intending to use lots of thread color and those wonderful chunky stitches to give the quilt texture. Another layer of interest and a beautiful backdrop for my sweet little bluebirds.

So there you have it. It may or may not turn out to be as wonderful as I imagine in my mind, but I feel so much better about the entire matter. Flocks of Geese was just one {of many} of the quilts that I was feeling an odd disconnect to. But now I feel a bit more confident that I can find my way back. As long as I don't lose my hand quilting hoop, that is.*wink

The Last Basket Block and Some Flock of Geese Play

Still haven't killed off my flowers in the pots by the front door! Usually by this time of year I've forgotten to water at least once and the lobelia dies away until I can't even revive it anymore. 

Enjoying my flower pots

Since I'm determined to start a couple new projects, I thought it would be a good idea to get this last basket from the Baskets Galore BOM done and out of the way. I took one look at the pattern and just cringed. Seriously. Wendy said she wanted to challenge us a little, but wowsers, this one looked tough. Oh I was so surprised when it turned out to be one of my very best blocks! Do I just rush the easy looking ones too much? I would have done a victory dance, but my quilting room barely has room to turn around in, so I had to make do with a very large, cheesy grin.

Block #12

I put all the baskets on the wall together and I think they are fairly well balanced in color. Now to figure out what and how to set them. I'm really leaning toward some alternating applique blocks, maybe in some red and greens?

All the baskets are finished!

Then I got my Flock of Geese and little bluebird blocks out to play. If I use this really toned down brown as the sashing fabric then the flying geese blocks sort of pop--in a confident yet really serene way. I especially liked it when the direction of the flying geese blocks got changed up a bit, making them go every which way. Lots of good energy there! The sashing would have to be 6" wide (the same width as the bluebird blocks) but I've been wanting a quilt with super wide sashing forever. And yeah, I was thinking of a wide sashing all along. It was The Plan.

Flock of Geese layout auditions.....

Always amazing when I stick to The Plan! I usually treat it like a sticky note that gets peeled off and thrown away. lol  Anyway, there would be lots of background fabric to quilt later, but hey, I can probably cross that bridge when necessary. No sense worrying about the stitching pattern until later!

A Little Bit of Catch Up

More baskets finished up for the Baskets Galore BOM over at Legend and Lace! I was only four baskets behind, that's all.... I've been contemplating starting Molly Flanders flowering snowball QAL and it just didn't feel right if I wasn't current with the baskets BOM. I don't know why I can't ever seem to keep up properly.

Blocks 8, 9, 10 & 11

I really did try to balance out the colors a little bit better with these four blocks. Things were looking a tad too pink, but now I think the yellow is winning! So far, every single block I make is a bit wonky too. Templates are one of those scary, dive off a cliff sort of thing for me. Sometimes I get it just right and other times I land seriously all wrong. I refuse to worry about it with this project though. If somebody else had made these blocks, I'd say they looked charming. And I'd mean it! So hello? Meet the eleven perfectly charming blocks on my wall.*wink  Hopefully I can add an every-other-block to my quilt top to distract from the slightly less than perfect stitching I have going on with this project.

Waiting for the next basket!

I also got the top done for my wildlife challenge block quilt. It's a beauty. If you love critters and Christmasy/Lodge colors.

A completed quilt top!

Which I don't. But I know that it has enough sentimental value in the blocks to more than compensate for the perceived failings that I see. Nice to have it all ready to machine quilt too. I think I have a good two or three months to get this one properly finished up and moved on down the road!

Sometimes You Just Need to Follow Your Muse

I'm was being very, very good, getting my bow-tie blocks all cut out, prepped and ready to go when I suddenly went off the rails.

Prepping my bow-tie blocks

Yep, the baskets finally overpowered me. It was bound to happen, you all know that. And, well... I might have already had a couple of the blocks cut out. Maybe. Not gonna admit to anything incriminating here though. And I figured hey! If I couldn't even focus properly on other stuff, might as well dive in and get these little 'ol baskets out of the way. A girl has to do what a girl has to do.*wink

Baskets Galore BOM

A couple little tips for those that haven't started this Basket BOM yet. Don't sew the curvy piecing on the middle basket upside down. It really doesn't work out well in the end. Just saying! And the basket that is second down on the left? Hmmmm... lets just say that when my husband brought home roses that evening (a very, very rare occurrence in 20+ yrs. of marriage), it couldn't have happened at a better time. Ahem. (Working for 1 solid hour on a single block apparently turns me into a raving lunatic.) The puckering on the Cactus basket proves that in-set seam piecing still does not fall under my area of expertise and I have wonky handles on the triangle basket etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. I'm adhering to Lori's motto and enjoying my 'humble' blocks regardless of any and all error. What's not to like about baskets?