More Quilt Show Pics

A few more pics to show and then I'll get back to regular posting. Loved this solid fabrics version of an old quilt block! It's one that's been on my bucket list for a long time. 

So bright and happy!

And here it is, my favorite part of the whole show--the Jim Tharpe guest collection. Ahhh.. I am such a sucker for vintage and antique quilts. Some dated back to the 1800's!

From the Jim Tharpe collection

I love the whimsical fabric usage so very much. Probably up-cycled old clothes?

From the Jim Tharpe Collection

The way they used a couple colors in almost every block until obviously they ran out of a fabric. Then they made-do.

From the Jim Tharpe Collection

Have to smile at the new addition of background fabric. Why the green? And you know me, this was probably my favorite in the whole show just 'cuz I found it charming, especially that little tiny sliver of green added onto that next to last block in the bottom row.

From the Jim Tharpe Collection

It all makes me even more determined to be less self conscious about fabric pairings. I mean, look at the sashing in the top and bottom rows in the quilt below? And the gingham strip added onto a smallish block there in the far right row? I don't know if I could ever deliberately do that, but it's so charming. Love it!

From the Jim Tharpe Collection

I entered four quilts in all, all pictured below. The first one is Geese Tracks & Vases. One of my favorite quilts I've ever made. And yes, I have lots and lots of favorites....

Geese Tracks & Vases

The second quilt is the marsala challenge quilt. I just wanted to see it hanging up in a show 'cuz I thought it was an interesting quilt.

Unexpected Crossroads

The third quilt is Learning Curves which they hung sideways for some funny reason. I checked and the label was in the bottom corner of the quilt like always. I'm curious if they thought it didn't matter which way it hung? Oh well. I entered this one primarily because it was fall colors. Always good to see in a fall show.

Learning Curves

And the fourth quilt is the Pickle Dish Insanity quilt. I left this picture unfiltered as it was an interesting view, kind of a faded look from the bright lighting I think. The value changes were still very evident so that made me happy. And the piecing and hand quilting looked good. I always have to wonder about that....

Pickle Dish Insanity

I don't want to add any other observations about my quilts as I'm obviously in a funky mood. We've had a very long, tough summer in a lot of ways that I don't feel free to discuss completely. To give you just a quick peek into our lives--in just the previous last two-three weeks my husband has been sick once again with a recurring illness, a cousin and her family stayed with us for several days immediately after breaking her ribs in a car accident, my mother-in-law needed some help because of her bad health and we've had other company. More company to come this weekend that we're actually kind of excited about {except for having to clean the house!} and oh yeah, we also went to a funeral. I am not complaining as this is just a season in life and what we do. It's part and parcel of large family dynamics and involvement in our church. We have much to be thankful for, especially when all we have to do is read the news to hear of so much destruction and devastation in other parts of the country. My heart goes out to all those who are just trying to survive!

So yes, absolutely, I am head down in my stitching every chance there is. No I am not going to quit making quilts in my weird and wonderful style, thank you for all the reassurance offered. It would have probably would have been better to just attend the quilt show this year and not have to deal with the emotion of having my quilts involved. My emotions are, well, possibly a bit frayed these days? Don't mind me. Really, I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go find some fabric and start three new project first chance I get....

My Beautiful Pickle Dish Quilt is Finally Completed!

I told you I was on a finish-it-up roll this year! Still another finish to come if/when I get that other binding on, but enough about that. I finished my Pickle Dish Quilt! So very exciting. This quilt. Yeah. This quilt. Words almost fail me.

My beautiful Pickle Dish Quilt

Whew! This was one of those quilts actually made from a pattern: Material Obsession 2 book, the 'Gypsy Kisses' quilt. It's been on my quilty bucket list forever and one day back in December of 2012, I impulsively decided to go for it. My knees were quaking and I couldn't even totally understand the pattern {a frequent problem with me when it comes to more complex directions}.

It's all done!

I think what tipped me over the edge was the fact that once again I had pulled almost the same exact selection of fabric from out of the depths of my totes. Three times over a period of about six months. Yep, there they were again, demanding to be made into something wonderful. In a moment of weakness, I checked the fabric requirements for that gorgeous pickle dish I had been eyeing and somehow that led to today.

Hanging off our unfinished upstairs deck

I won't say it was easy for me. That foundation piecing absolutely drives me insane. Totally bonkers if you know what I mean. I had to commit and then recommit myself to the task. The work of getting this quilt together was about more than I could endure at times and so it slid to the very bottom of the list, over and over and over. In fact, it took almost two years to get to the quilt-top stage and many times that little bit of progress was in 15 or 30 minute bites of progress. Hey, even that eventually leads somewhere promising!

Loving the applique touch....

I was determined to bring it to a true blue finish this year as I was tired of it languishing in the drawers. This was an incredible quilt journey for me overall. Every tough quilt is a learning curve that we simple cannot undo and greatly adds to our repertoire of skills. I won't say this quilt is a mastery of any particular skills, but I made it through. Learned. Followed through. And now look at the results!

It was entirely hand quilted with mostly #8 Valdani Perle Cotton thread as I just couldn't imagine anything less. I adore the crinkly goodness that was immediately apparent after getting it washed and dried and I just kept looking at it thinking, 'I made this? Me?' Wowsers!

Where the real sewing gets done....

It's a wonderful feeling and I feel so proud. My quilt family has a brand new addition.*wink

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!

Hand Quilting on the Pickle Dish

This is a quilt I've had in the hoop probably since the end of July? The goal was to have it finished by the end of September, but alas, there have been way too many interruptions. And distractions. Plus too much time spent reading the latest election coverage really gets in the way of my evening quilting time.

Loving the stitching...

I've closely mirrored the stitching on this quilt to what LeeAnn did with her 'Eyelashes' quilt. The minute I saw her finished quilt, I said to myself, 'Gotta bookmark that quilt because the stitching is perfection!'. Thanks LeeAnn for the great inspiration! So many times we need a nudge in the right direction to solidify what we really want for our own quilts. You know it when you see it!

My little bit of applique that just HAD to be included

I'd only been stitching on this quilt for a short while when I realized that something kept nagging at me. It didn't feel finished. Not 100% complete yet. So I considered. And thought. Wondered to myself. Really? It needs applique? You must be kidding me.

But yeah, I finally relented and experimented with a few things until coming up with a simple silhouette in the bottom, far left corner. It looks vaguely like a weather-vane to me, but whatever. I LOVE it and that's all that matters.

You might think the quilt is too busy for that little bit of applique, but it makes me smile. And you should have seen me grousing as I pulled all the sandwiching pins out {in that particular corner}. Then, I had to fiddle around with the weight of the entire quilt, all while trying to applique that little dab of fabric. Yep. That's how I roll.*sigh  Knowing if I allowed myself to say, 'Nope! It's too late for that!', I'd bitterly regret it for like, forever. Plus the quilt would haunt me and cry and whine every time I used it in the future. And I'd know in my heart--it could have been better....

Working on the border

I do think there needs to be a little more stitching in the side borders of the quilt. Just too much area left 'undone'. So I'll be adding in one more orange peel in the middle of each diamond shape, which should hold the borders just fine. Yeah, I know it looks close to a finish, but there's still lots left to do as always. These borders generally take more time than we ever expect!

Pickle Dish a Completed Top!

Wowsers... it's official. My Pickle Dish Insanity is finally a completed quilt top! The days have been overcast and a bit gloomy at times so I'm having a terrible time getting a full-on shot of the entire quilt. Guess you'll have to make to with the pictures that didn't get sent to delete button paradise!

Pickle Dish Insanity

I wondered for a long time whether or not the strippy side borders would make it into this particular quilt. They seemed a bit over the top, but as soon as the inside of the quilt was finished, it became obvious why the strips were included. Without them, the pickle dishes looked unconstrained and actually, perhaps a bit lost. Maybe if the quilt wasn't so scrappy, the borders wouldn't be necessary?

A few rumples, but nothing that won't quilt out...

This quilt was started in December of 2012 after realizing that I'd basically pulled the same stack of fabrics out of my totes for the third time. Hmm.. Time to put those pieces together and see what they are wanting to tell me! On impulse I started cutting the pieces for this crazy, insane, momentous quilt. It just seemed like the right time and perhaps even, the right fabrics? although I didn't stop to agonize over that as I figured it'd be hard to ruin these particular fabrics.

Still so amazed that I got this far!

The pickle dish/wedding ring pattern is one that I've loved and adored forever, but been completely terrified to make. For Christmas of 1998, my mom gave me a gift certificate for a class on making wedding ring quilts. Okay. Wow! After the excitement tapered off I quickly broke out in cold chills because, well... 1. Along with the gift certificate was my very first rotary cutting mat and rotary cutter and little 'ol me with zero experience at using them. 2. The class(es) were an hour away. At night. In January. And I had a junker car, little money for fuel and we do live in snow country. Whew....  3. Then there was the little matter of having a baby less than a year old and me a nursing mother. I could not even fathom how that would work for three or four 2-hr. classes plus the hour drive both directions.

I might have cried about it a little. Pulled my hair. And it didn't help matters that my entire family thought I was nuts to not just jump all over the opportunity. Can anyone say 'overwhelmed?' I don't dive into the deep end people unless I know how to swim!! Those were just the immediate things that I started panicking about, but almost every quilter alive will sympathize with the fact that I was NOT at all ready to be taking a wedding ring class with my current level of experience. It still makes me laugh. Needless to say, I had to cancel my gift certificate and buy fabric instead. My mom apologized for her enthusiasm and I dealt with a mishmash of emotion ranging from a huge amount of relief to bitter disappointment.

Love the look of the scrappy melons

So it's always been in the back of my mind. On my quilty bucket list. Something to climb up to and conquer! You know, with a little bit of baggage to make things even more interesting.*wink

The scary hairy part of cutting off the extra bits...

After the quilt top was together, then I still had to cut the extra bits off the appliqued squares. I started doing that at night and then immediately realized that my middle aged eyes were not very trustworthy with a pair of scissors and about a million hours of sewing work. So crazy to take a quilt this complicated and then say, hey! How bout you whack at it with a pair of scissors now? lol  But now this part is done and I'm so very happy. You really have no idea unless maybe you're a quilter too.

Slow Stitching Sunday

Still working on the Pickle Dish/Wedding Ring quilt! I stitched the background squares in until I had the quilt top altogether. Whew! Pretty unbelievable to see it all in one big piece like this!

Getting the quilt top together

Then I added the long border strips, pinning like a crazy woman until everything seemed to lay flat and exactly where it was supposed to be. Fingers crossed that I really did get it 'straight'. I had to check out my handiwork after the first border was stitched into place. Okay. Looking good!

Finally getting the side part stitched on...

Then I worked on the other side. It took me about an hour and a half just to do the (applique) stitching on each side. Not counting the time for pinning! That might have took longer, but who's counting?

And now 2 sides stitched on. Love that progress!

So..., Now I'm ready to put the background triangles in place at the top and bottom of the quilt--four in all. This quilt is going together so very slowly, I sometimes wonder what in the world I was thinking to even start it. Then I see it laying over my lap while I'm stitching away and I know. I totally get it. This quilt is one of those 'I wish I could make that quilt' statements I used to make ALL OF THE TIME. Now I'm doing it. I'm actually sewing one of those wonderful quilts together! Just gotta shake my head at the thrill of it all.

Linking up to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching because I somehow managed to squeeze in a post on a Sunday instead of just doing the stitching part....

Making Pickle Dish Progress!

Life has been pretty crazy the last several days, but I did find time to finish up my four piece melon units on my Pickle Dish. There are twelve in all as you can see from my little stack of folded goodness in the back.

Getting the units sorted out for sewing the rows

The next step was making sure I had the units together in the proper order {and orientation}. Then I sewed the rows together right at the connecting red and black squares. I did that part on my sewing machine. No reason to waste time hand sewing if I don't need to!

Starting to sew the individual rows together

It's pretty cramped in my quilt room for this kind of work, but we still have company in our home. It always seems so obnoxious to run up and down the stairs and/or take up the living room floor during those times. I may be a big talker about my quilting here, but in my home I usually try to keep it more discreet. I really don't want to run the risk of paralyzing someone with boredom. Plus, I have this tendency to drop pins in my wake. My family is fairly accustomed to watching out for pin bombs, but I worry about my poor naive company.*wink

So.. after the single rows were sewn together, then I sewed row 1 and row 2 together at the connecting squares. Not sure if you can tell where the hole in the row is, as the carpet is blue as well! That's where I had to slip in another background square underneath the rows.

Row 1 and Row 2 sewn together & ready for background squares

Which I did. Then I smoothed it out as best I could and started pinning it very well. This is the part that I will applique, just like in the four pc. melon sets. It all seems very hairy scary to me at first, but after it's started, I sort of ease into it and relax. There are two of these empty spaces  to put background squares into for each new set. After I pinned the two background squares for the {row 1, row 2} set then I did the same thing to the {row 3, row 4} set.

Pin, pin, pinning...

Does this seem confusing? 'Cuz it's really not. Just step by step and I will eventually get the quilt completed sewn together! I feel like Thomas the Train--Yes I can, Yes I can, Yes I can! lol  

Here are the two halves of my quilt ready to start the applique work. As soon as I get this part sewn together, then I will connect both larger pieces at the correct red and black squares, slip in two more background squares etc. etc. and then move on to work on the outsides of the rows. Whew! I've been working {off and} on this quilt for over two years now. So exciting to get this far!

Ready, set, go! All ready for the applique!

Also, my gift quilt is all finished up except for a label! I honestly think I like the back more than the front, but that's probably just a symptom of my feeling out of touch with the entire style of quilt. I really am not worried about giving it anymore, just glad that it's done and that I have nothing to be embarrassed about!

The gift quilt

I was too busy to make it over to my mom's yesterday, but she said she got another five or six envelopes/packages! I think we'll wait until she gets the mail today and then I'll try for another picture or two. I'm sure you're just as curious about her happy mail as I am!

I'm Hoping a Few of You Might Help Me Out....

I pulled this brown fabric out today and had a stare down with it. Since it's not going to be my Tree of Life go-to fabric anymore, I was trying to brainstorm. Good ideas or bad? You'd think crunching apples with caramel dip would help me out, but you'll never guess what I came up with.... 

My brown Merry Medley fabric

Even I'm a bit nervous about this idea. The thing is, I've been thinking a lot about my mom picking and choosing fabrics out of my totes and LOVING the process so much. I mean, seriously. All of us as quilters have a deep and abiding love for fabric, don't we? And her entire stash burnt up--which just kills me. So... I had a wild and crazy idea that some of you very kind and generous quilters might be willing to help me out here! What I propose is this: If you would like to send my mom a fat quarter of your very lovely fabric, then I will send a fat quarter of my lovely brown Moda fabric--to the first 15 people that she receives an envelope from!

One fat quarter will fit in the longish envelopes if you fold it right...

She can get an intriguing little start to her stash and you, {if you want it} can have something in return. Please tell me this isn't begging! I'm thinking more like trading? Or bartering? Definitely a time honored tradition! And no, she doesn't know anything about what I'm doing. I'm hoping that since she reads my blog so sporadically, she won't know a thing about this until she starts receiving sweet little squishy envelopes!

So. DETAILS! If you would like to receive one of my brown fatquarters in return, then just slip a little piece of paper into the envelope that says 'Tell Audrey hi! My address is blah, blah, blah' (you know those details better than I do!). If there isn't a slip of paper for her to hand off to me, then I'll assume you don't want anything in return! And of course if she gets more than 15, I will be out of fabric. Bummer for you, but also incredibly generous and very sweet of everyone involved. You can address your squishy envelope to: Joyce Wilson, PO Box 352, Pateros, WA 98846. I guarantee that she'll be picking up the mail personally every day after the first or second envelope!

And also, don't worry that my mom will be the least bit picky about color or style or even print--she is fabric poor and I promise you that everything looks fabulous to her. She won't even care if there's a little chunk taken out of your fatquarter or if you decide to send two fat eighths instead of a fatquarter. What she will be is very puzzled about the first envelope, and then probably come right over to chew me out after she starts to figuring it out. Yikes! Then she'll probably get choked up about how nice people can be to total strangers, all the while patting her pretty little pieces of fabric and smiling. Hopefully it will end that well. I really don't want her mad at me forever.*wink

Isn't this an interesting look?

Okay, now I need to get back to my latest endeavor, trying to get the Pickle Dish/Wedding Ring units appliqued to the background fabric! I had a bit of fun playing with the picture as you can see. Love how graphic this quilt is going to be. Did you know this is the quilt I've wanted (been petrified) to make for oh...., over 15 years now?

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.

One More Step Done

Working on my Pickle Dish/Wedding Ring quilt once again! I had a bit of a window without any kids at home and decided to throw it on the floor to audition the layout. 

Moving on with the Pickle Dish/Wedding Ring

Oops! Somehow I ended up with one melon too many with the red squares on the end. A little bit annoying, but an easy fix. I just made myself get the seam ripper out and get to it. No sense putting off what I know has to be done in order to move forward.

The big oops!

Mostly I just had to determine which four melons needed to be sewn together. After they have been sewn together (at the squares) in groups of four, then next up is appliqueing them to the background squares. I've noticed throughout blogland that some Pickle Dish quilts are machine sewn at this stage, but I'm following the Material Obsession pattern and those directions say to applique. Which makes me so very sad.*wink

I think it looks fairly balanced

After I got it the blocks the way I wanted, then I cut out little squares and marked them like this: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and then 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d etc. I have to have some order in the midst of chaos just to survive so don't knock it! Otherwise I sew two blocks together and then all of a sudden I'm totally confused in what order the next two go on.

Getting organized

Saves me lots of time and in this case, dozens of trips up and down the stairs from my living room to my quilting area! After they were all marked, I just stacked them carefully into a tote and took everything upstairs all at once. Whew! Lovely to get everything up off the floor. I've had quite a bit of family in and out for a week and a half and the quilty stuff laying on the floor would not even be noticed if it was in the way of getting to the X-box.

All together...

Anyway, I already have the sets of four sewn together--it really didn't take very long at all. Now I'm just waiting for life to calm down again to move on to the next step. Strange of me I know, but I want to have zero distractions when I start the applique process! haha Like that will ever happen!