Taking Some Time Off!

 I've been puttering around, sewing the wedges together from a project that got cut too small. It just seems like a waste to have it sit in the orphan totes forever. The plan is to hand applique these wheels to a background block and then figure out a center circle fabric. Perhaps blue? Some of the Dresdens are a little bit wonky, but I'm crossing my fingers the hand work will ease it out.

The new applique project

In other news, my mother got this lovely quilt in the mail a couple weeks ago. One of my cousins had found these old blocks when she was going through her late mothers belongings. 

A quilt made from my grandmothers blocks

They were hand pieced by grandmother years and years ago, and had never quite made it to quilt top stage.

Making do, making it work!

My cousin quite generously paid to have someone sew these blocks together and then finished into a completed quilt top! Then, in the sweetest of sweet things to do, mailed it off to my mother. 

Takes me back to the days of
fighting over my grandmas quilts
to sleep under....

My mother was very appreciative and actually in tears as all of the quilts from her mother had burned in the 2014 fire. I especially love the 'mistake' block, don't you? Many of my grandmothers quilts used cut up remnants of clothing the family wore and greens were always a favorite of hers to make quilts out of. My mother said the Drunkards Path was one of her moms favorite unit to work with and that she had made several different quilts with it through the years. So many of her quilts have been lost, either to fire or to mildew from improper care of them after they had moved back to Oklahoma in the late 70's.

As usual, I have been a busy, busy girl this summer. Starting to sound a little whiny with it I'm sure! This is a picture of me after I had thrown together an apron to wear at another cousins wedding. A couple of my sisters and I had to man the kitchens and replenish the buffet table after the wedding. A little ironing and it was all set to go!

I'm taking the rest of August off from blogging as there is simply too much on the schedule to keep up. Take care and keep quilting! I'll probably check in on your blogs and lurk if I have a spare minute or two...

Learning Curves is Finally, Finally a Finish!

At long last the binding is firmly attached to Learning Curves. And so, it becomes another quilt checked off the list this year! Woohoo! The list is maybe not shrinking by much, but it's also not really growing by leaps and bounds either. But lets not worry about that today. You would not believe much I absolutely dreaded starting the quilting process on this quilt, but ironically, that all fell into place quite easily.

Another good finish

It's all relative of course. I didn't venture into any complicated quilting, just kept it super simple so hopefully it would drape well in the end. Stitch in the ditch on the outside of every 16-patch and then hand quilting with various colors of #8 Perle Cotton a scant 1/4" on the inside of every single curve. Once the stitching was started, I had to question 'why the dread'? Perhaps because of the size or general disconnect with the quilt? This is a fairly large quilt at 80" x 96" with a more contemporary look than I generally attempt to do, so perhaps that's why the normal exuberance and excitement wasn't there. The different than expected outcome was purely a side effect of the entire quilt experimentation, but something I feel comes off well in these vivid autumn colors. It turned out to be quite okay.

Learning Curves is done! Funny how after the picture taking was done,
we notice the loose board on the siding. Uggh....

I started this quilt early on in the spring of 2013, cut all the drunkards patch blocks completely out of the stash and slowly started learning how to properly sew them together. By the time I was midway through sewing the units, I had it down pat and could sew every curve with only one or two pins. Amazing progress is what that was! And I can safely say that curves are tremendously less anxiety-producing little units than they were prior to this quilt. Mission accomplished!

So much color

It's a very warm, cozy looking quilt with a surprising amount of bright, vivid pockets of color. When my son was helping me hang it up on the outside balcony, I almost caught my breath at the rich color. Then later today, I hung it up in the stairwell {as per usual with most of my picture taking} and meh! The color was a lot more subdued. So glad I ended up using the very darkest green fabrics in my stash for the binding though. It really helps pull out that darker green color used in the quilt--makes it feel like an intentional 'background' fabric look. I had to really dig deep in the stash, but ended up with about seven different fabric pieces for the total amount of binding length needed. Any other color would have been far too busy a look for sure and this is an 'old' color. Not easy to find in the quilt stores today.

A little more subdued looking

I seriously considered giving this one away but my husband and youngest daughter have {probably} talked me out of that. They think it's a perfect quilt for using in my youngest sons bedroom when we have guests. Not girly looking like most of my larger quilts and simple enough to avoid intimidating those that worry about inadvertently 'ruining' a lovely quilt. Gotta appreciate the guests who care, but yeah, it's nice to not deliberately scare them away with a heirloom sorta quilt! Which, by the way. I do NOT have in abundance! Not my style. And if someone ever goes bonkers over this particular quilt, I'll probably bundle it up and happily send it home with them.*wink

Looking at it from the side

Despite the vibe you're probably getting from this post, I truly have developed a sort of fondness for this particular quilt {after all our struggles together, how could I not?}. It's just not one of my all-time favorites, never-gonna-pull-it-out-of-my-arms-till-I'm-dead kind of relationships! Sad but true. They can't all be the beloved favorite.

Still, I can love and admire the simple beauty of it all the same. It honestly happens to represent hours and hours of sewing {and learning} for me. That has indescribable value. It has lots of fabrics incorporated into the quilt that individually are interesting and lovely for me to look upon. It was actually very pleasant to see draped across my lap while quilting and I can only imagine how nice it will be to use on a bed. This quilt has an unexpected coziness factor stitched right into the quilt and it has to be a direct result of the the colors and fabrics used {various homespuns and reproductions--make-do mixed fabric use in several of the blocks?}. Nothing else explains why I keep getting that feeling, because the design itself does not read 'cozy' to me until I get close. And I'm proud of that. That feels like a 'me' element. One other things that makes me happy is that it's not a cookie-cutter quilt. Not boring at all. I really, really like that quality in a quilt!

And one more pic for good luck

And I know, I know. Ten years ago I would have pretty much been doing hand stands at getting a quilt like this to the completed quilt-top stage. And now I just admire it, check it off the list and then quickly move on to the {much} more exciting quilts currently in progress. Nary a pang of regret in sight! hehe  Can't ever please a 'process' quilter can you!

Learning Curves Has Already Been a Journey and It's Not Even Quilted Yet

Learning Curves is now a completed quilt top. Whew! This one has been such a long process for me. I got my initial inspiration last fall from a gorgeous tree that totally stopped me in my tracks. I simply could not believe that nature could create leaves so vivid and dramatic. So colorful and yet real.

Learning Curves catching the light

Plus I had been working with my Big Stars quilt, totally frustrated by my inability to master curved sewing. I mean, they laid flat--kinda. But it wasn't great and I knew it. During my ensuing enthusiasm for bettering my meager skills, the two somehow melded into this insane quilt idea which I now call 'Learning Curves'. Now, strange as it may sound, after sewing 480 curved segments, I feel pretty confident about sewing a simple curved seam. Funny how that happens!*wink

Focal point of Learning Curves

But still, there were the stops and starts. The doubts along the way. The sheer tedium of sewing 480 curved segments. The deviation from original layout plans.

Full on Learning Curves

The weirdness of looking at my design wall and seeing something a little too contemporary for my comfort zone. Yikes! Is this reflective of the growth in me as a quilter? Or is this me being a crazy compulsive? lol

And another view of Learning Curves

Until finally, I have this. Wowsers. I am completely blown away that I actually got this far! I did it!! And wonder of wonders, I like it. Especially after I added the little whimsy of an appliqued flower in the center of the one completed circle. It sorta makes it more 'me', even if it is almost too cute for this particular quilt! 

This (80"x96") quilt top feels very done to me now. What do you think? Personally, I can't imagine adding borders or any more extra touches to distract from all those busy curved pieces....

Working With Fall Colors

Still trying to get the quilt top finished up on Learning Curves. I have all the blocks sewn together and ironed. Then I played and played and played with the layout. Ugghh. How many different ways can my eyes cross? It's not the quilt that I'm Ughhing about, it's the decision making. What looks good, better, best?

Learning Curves

And no I'm not showing you that. I took a zillion pictures and most of them are fuzzy. Even my camera got dizzy from the lack of focus and direction.

Pin, pin, pin

I did manage to settle on a layout that seemed to stand out from the rest, so went with it before I changed my mind. Nobody was at home when I checked it all out for the final 'did I get all the blocks going in the right direction and are the greens all stacked together and looking weird together' perusal. You never know. There always seems to be an 'oops' moment lurking around the corner with me! lol

A little Fall mini

I also have a little Fall mini that I've been working on here and there. I had hoped to have it done by Halloween which is starting to actually look possible. The center of the quilt is designed by Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads and was published in the latest Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine. Even though I adored the original, I had to change it up and then of course you know me--more borders had to be included. Why stop when there is more fabric to use up?

Plodding Along With the Learning Curves

So this weekend... I actually made it into the quilting room, over and over again. I had this idea of what I wanted to accomplish and somehow it never quite materialized (lovin' that pun right now) the way I envisioned through my rose colored glasses.

Working on Learning Curves

You might remember this project from earlier in the year? I was determined to learn how to master the drunkards path curve and got overly ambitious in my enthusiasm determination.

Where I got stuck with my Learning Curves....

I had this plan for a quilt that would include umm... yeah, thirty 16-patch drunkards path blocks. Yep, I do like big quilts and thought it would be funky and bold and etc. etc. Come to find out, it is a HUGE project and looked way more contemporary than I was prepared to even think about at the time. I might still be. I'll probably be getting back to you on that.

Now, I have decided to be done with dragging my feet over making a decision. Add that in with the fact that the leaves are doing their beautiful fall thing outside my window and all of a sudden I'm much more interested in working with these fabrics again. Anyway, long story short, I planned to finish up the curved piecing segments, trim each of those segments, sew all my blocks together and start working on a layout plan--all over the weekend. HA!

The sewing really wasn't too bad. I've finally got the curved piecing thing figured out. Turns out though, that the trimming alone took a million hours of my time and made my hand hurt and was just so incredibly tedious. Thus the broken up work time in the quilting room. I trimmed 288 curved segments this weekend and then just inexplicably quit. My work ethic clearly needs to be re-examined.

Only a small portion of the havoc I have wreaked

Honestly, I had the most fun brushing my trimmings off onto the floor, just letting them fly everywhere. Very juvenile of me for sure (I do have a trashcan), but it made me feel very good. And creative. Just look at all the color on my ugly carpet now? lol

Learning Curves and the Creative Process

Easter weekend is always so busy.  Once again I found myself in the grocery store on a late Saturday afternoon trying to find candy for my kids.  Every year I tell myself it'll be different next year, but it never, ever is.  Not to worry, I wasn't the only mom rushing around the candy aisles looking frantic because all the best candy was gone!

Learning Curves Quilt--Drunkards Path

I did a little bit of sewing Friday night and Saturday too, but really, it was hard to settle into work on my Learning Curves quilt especially.  Sometimes, there are other projects calling my name a whole lot louder than that one will probably ever be able to.  You know, because of those dreaded curves and all.

Getting Started on Drunkards Path block

I wouldn't want to admit to anything that could possibly incriminate me in the future, but these blocks are actually getting a lot easier to sew.  I am finally able to sew at a faster pace than a snail!  Smooth and steady, that's me, plugging along one section after another.  The tweezers really help at the end of the block too, keeping everything aligned and straight for me.  I did cut all the blocks just a smidge too big (room for error) so when I get the initial curved sewing done, then I have to trim them down.  Ughh...  Not always what I want to do.

Working on The Big Broken Dish Quilt

At some point this weekend, I jumped back into my Big Broken Dish Quilt.  With the help of Linda from Quilts in the Barn (thank you!), I had previously figured out my light bulb block.  I think it sort of looks like a skull right now, but my daughters assure me that with properly applied stitching it will be just fine in the end.

Ready for the applique words now...

With the slightly curved borders, sewing the corners blocks on was a bit of a nightmare.  I had to lay the border and the blocks out and mark just 'so' and then pin a lot.  I used my seam ripper more than I wanted to and almost peed my pants once when the phone rang while I was deep in concentration mode.  I forgot to trim a 1/4" from my marked seam on one particular border and started sewing before I even realized what I was doing.  And the phone rang and rang and rang.

Then it was all together, laying fairly flat and looking back at me like, 'See? that wasn't so hard after all!'  (Can you slap a quilt?)  It was only after my kids gathered around and asked me to explain once again what this quilt was all about when I noticed (thank you my dear youngest son for pointing it out) that the light bulb block and the palm tree block had somehow switched places.  I think there must be a subliminal message in that particular 'oops', don't you?  And honestly? Right now, I'm leaning very heavily toward leaving it just like it is.

A Few Projects I've Been Thinking About

The borders have been finished on this Scrap Attack quilt for several days now.  I am really liking the rough, primitive style to the applique.  I drew four sets of the border detail freehand, transferred it to freezer paper and then used it for my templates.

Scrap Attack #2--red & blues

I know this quilt isn't to every one's taste, but everything about this quilt is ME from the improv. piecing out of my scrap bin, using up leftover applique pieces for the trees, and then adding primitive border detail.  My husband says it's a very dark quilt, but that's okay.  Sometimes I'm a dark and moody person.*wink

Closer look at the borders

I have slowly, slowly started working on my Learning Curves quilt too.  Can someone please tell me what I was thinking to do something like this?  (*hair pulling starting right about now!)  Oh yes, I wanted to sew better curves.  Well, I better be a master after this huh?  Oh, and does anybody know if you're supposed to iron the curves to the inside or the outside?

Learning Curves quilt

I have long been a fan of 16 patch/25 patch etc. blocks so it really shouldn't be a surprise that I went for the 16 patch drunkards path look.  The quilt below is one I was working on in the winter of 2007-2008.  It's kinda dark too! Hmmm...  Anyway, towards spring, we realized that my brother had a terminal illness and so I rushed to finish it for him.

Josh's quilt.

He always bugged all of his many sisters, me included, about making him a quilt 'cuz he loved them.  The one thing he complained about though was that most quilts were too short to tuck under his chin properly and then also tuck under his feet (he was well over 6 ft. tall).  This was something he complained about even when he was perfectly healthy because he just liked to curl up in a quilt on occasion!  I took a quilt I was working on at the time, added an improv. border, and THEN added about 11 more inches to the top and bottom just for his benefit.  Let me tell you this quilt was about 110" long so he probably could have wrapped it over his head and feet all at the same time.

The bottom of Josh's quilt.

Never could get a good picture of the quilt in it's entirety, but I have no regrets about giving him the quilt even though he only got to enjoy it for a few months.  And yes, I had already made him a quilt years before that he had already just about wore out!  He was always a little greedy about quilts, that guy.:)

I'd Really Rather Be Sewing

I am desperately wanting to get busy in the quilt room these days.  I think there is only about one more intense week of book work left and then I can get back to my regular schedule.  Fingers crossed!  I have managed to cut out some more of the drunkards path pieces.  I think this represents about 2/3's of the blocks!

More pieces cut out for drunkards path--
A new learning curve

Saturday night I shoved everything aside and plunged into some piecework for the low volume scrap attack quilt I started a couple months ago.  Sometimes you just need to sit down at the sewing machine and that is all there is to it.  I'm still playing with what exactly it is I want to do with my improv. blocks, but hopefully this little bit of work will be the jump start I need.  Right now it looks like a big fat nothing though! lol

A few hst's for Low Volume Quilt

I know things are going to have to break pretty soon because I ALMOST joined in with Lori's sweet little quilt-along over at Humble Quilts even though I have entirely too many quilt projects started!  Then, last night I fell asleep last night dreaming up a delicious pattern for a little baby quilt (I have two niece or nephews on the way this year). Uh uh.  Not going there yet!  There's just a few little things that need to get done first.  I have ufq's that are crying out for attention and probably a quilt room clean up to attend to waaaaay before I start in on a fun little baby quilt!