Long Rambling Thoughts About Making

Make Beautiful Things is a very bright, bold looking quilt for me. It was started initially in response to an AHIQ 'words' challenge. Sort of a 'What would our quilt say if it could say anything at all' prompt. The solid yellow and dark brown fabrics were chosen quite by default, if only because they had sufficient yardage available without going out and buying new.

Make Beautiful Things is finished!

Most usually, I am adding words after a quilt is started. There I go, plodding along with my latest masterpiece and the quilt suddenly insists that it needs certain words added. That is something that happens fairly regularly around here as I find joy in the quirkiness of including words or a phrase in fabric. This time, the words would essentially BE the quilt and so it made it all the more important to find the very best wording.

The Rising Sun blocks make me happy

As the years have flown by, most of my local quilting friends have all moved on from quilting. They have aged, {died in one case} or perhaps never became interesting in challenging themselves to grow in the same way that feels important to me. Though I am very blessed to have a wonderfully supportive family rallying behind my interests, it's not like they are invested in the details of what it takes to arrive at the finish line. They are much more interested in the finished product and where, or to whom, it might be going. lol

Very simple but effective

It might seem to some like the projects careen from one idea to the next without a lot of thought, but the truth is something altogether different. There is almost always a story or theme behind every quilt. A color palette that I am ardently pursuing, a pattern, design, block {or style?} that is currently intriguing, an antique quilt that is needing interpretation, a particular challenge that I'm earnestly trying to meet, or perhaps even a stack of orphan blocks that are feeling miffed about being left behind. Whatever the case, you can be sure that I am doing my very best to make the finished quilt absolutely as beautiful as is possible.

Hand quilting makes everything even better

The quilting process is incredibly personal as it pertains to the 'journey'. Decision after decision is made that stems directly from personal experiences, current skill level, preferences, and/or the lack {or plenty} of supplies on hand. This quilt for instance, includes some largish Rising Sun or Twirly Wheel blocks that were languishing in the orphan totes. Would any of you have similarly unused colored/patterned blocks tucked away in your quilting room? Maybe the blocks or the colors, but probably not both.

Hmm.. love it with sunflowers too

The quote, 'I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares' {attributed to Saul Bass}, really jumped out at me as the starting point for this specific quilt. It says so much! Yes, I have good, quilty friends here on the blog who 'care'. My family 'cares'. Sometimes even the people who receive a quilt from me 'care', even if only in the abstract.

My motto

For me, the quote zeros in on something integral to making authentic and/or original looking quilts. It's become a motto sorts. Basically, I don't care if you or anyone else likes my quilts. Not to be rude, but it's really that simplistic. Oh, I get a great big smile on my face when people appreciate whatever it is that I'm doing! It feels really good and I'd be a liar to say that it doesn't matter at all.

When we make for ourselves and the furtherance of whatever journey that WE are on, then the decision making process can become greatly simplified. It only has to make sense in our heads to be 'right' which saves a lot of time lost spent testing the winds.

Do I wonder sometimes if what I'm posting on the blog here will be well received? Of course that happens! I just don't let it bog me down either way. It feels much, much better when we quit over-complicating progress with ideas and worries such as, 'Nobody likes yellow quilts!' or 'Oh yeah, these blocks are so obviously imperfect that I should be terribly embarrassed to think of using them!' or worse yet, 'This is a really dumb idea!'. Uh huh. Because every idea can be a dumb idea. Or NOT. How do we know until we try?

Don't misunderstand. You will still THINK these things and you might even be right about some of them. Many people do not and will never like predominantly yellow quilts. That's a fact. What is important is that you don't let these 'facts' diminish your desire to play with the color 'yellow' or whatever weird color that is currently tickling your fancy. Over and over again if that's what makes you happy! I can tell you that if you love a color and it shows to the point that somehow you make an amazing looking quilt with it? {'Cuz you will if you love it that much.} It won't matter if that's my least favorite color in the whole world! Suddenly, I'm gonna start thinking of ways to incorporate that very same element into my own quilting!

Gonna have to keep this one!

If I would have started out by capitulating to all these silly {mostly imaginary} external pressures, this quilt would never have been. It would have died in its infancy and those fun Rising Sun blocks would still be buried in the orphan totes or maybe even in the garbage! Where's the fun in that? I just want to make beautiful {to me} quilts even if nobody else will ever be moved by them, understand them, appreciate them or possibly even be inspired by them. By starting from a place of  'even if nobody cares', then we free ourselves exponentially to the making of more and more beautiful things. It's like a perpetual motion motion. We make. We like. We respond positively and enthusiastically. We make more. Others like it too? That's just bonus and oh yeah. Inspiration flowing to them. See how that works?

Funnily enough, this is a quilt that I stare at sort of in amazement. I did this? Made this? SO not me and yet, very, very me all at the same time. I'm constantly learning and growing and pushing myself and slowly, slowly the quilts show signs of that forward progress. When this quilt was laid across the foot of my bed, there was this huge feeling of achievement. Wowsers! What a bright, happy quilt! The challenge was the perfect impetuous to try something a little different and overall I'm beyond delighted with where it ended up.

Easier to stitch the letters to a background fabric first

Next up was the Coins and Baskets quilt. Yes, it's finished too. It was another challenge from our AHIQ friends that involved 'coins'. This one seemed super easy at first and the ideas flowed very quickly. For some reason I immediately fell in love with the idea of using up older fabrics from the stash. Where have you heard that one before?

A mix of hand quilting and stitched-in-the-ditch

Eventually, it became obvious that the original spark for the quilt was proving to be a spectacular fail. Of course, that doesn't slow me down for long as frustration is an unacceptable resting place. The ideas were parceled out into two separate projects for two completely different looking quilts. Other ideas got dumped, as well they should be.

Last minute words that seemed like a good idea

Can I just say that improv. coins are sheer fun to cut out and sew together? There will definitely be more of these in the foreseeable future! I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of grouping together several narrow rows and then creating an every-other block out of the result. Of course, something needed to be done about the rest of the quilt, but as you can see, my beloved element {baskets} to the rescue!

Really glad it has the brighter greens included

It was a fairly interesting quilt to make once the proper direction were sorted out. You can read more about that here. Lots of quick, simple decisions with the minimum of stress. Will that fabric work? yes. How about green for most of the baskets? Yes. Things like that.

Count Your Blessings is the obvious new name

Though I wanted this quilt to look good, it always felt like it had unspoken limitations. Sometimes its not a bad thing to know absolutely that the current project is never going to win the beauty pageant. We do our best to make it into the running and then just finish it out. By starting with the old gold, rusty reds, browns and black, {not to mention the improv. coins}, my default position went immediately to the 'primitive' vibe and never veered off of that particular path.

Always good to get in another finish....

I talked at the start of this post about making 'beautiful things'. You can believe that this quilt got plenty of attention too though I never believed it could end up looking 'amazing'. Close-up, there are some lovely fabrics used and I for one, happen to think that the baskets are very sweet. I even allowed myself to be persuaded into adding words onto the quilt--at a point where it probably seems ridiculous!

This quilt washed up very nice and wrinkly, giving it the proper cozy feel that every good snuggle quilt needs. It's being gifted to a friend as a comfort sort of quilt. Hopefully no-one would ever assume it was meant to be an heirloom {hands-off the precious textile!}, but rather, sit and drink coffee or tea while having it draped comfortably across their lap. No doubt you've gleaned that this quilt isn't nearly as exciting to me as the previous quilt, but I'm not a bit reluctant to claim it as one of my 'makes'. I gave it lots of love and now it's going out to spread some love. What can be better than that?

Some Quilts Are Easier Than Others

Big Tipsy Basket was a very fun quilt to hand quilt. Unfortunately they aren't all so easy. I had to mark the many echoing lines around the outside of the basket and of course the double lines inside the basket too. Totally eyeballing whatever I could get away with, because marking is a pain. I really, really hate marking. Yuck.  But the thing is, you do all of that, get it done, firmly behind you, and then the rest can be free sailing.

Big Tipsy Basket is finished!

Well, as free sailing as slow hand quilting ever is! So relaxing though. Can you tell that I thoroughly enjoy hand quilting? Especially when using Perle Cotton thread, which is all I use anymore. I'm possibly an addict. There's just something about that instant texture that still speaks volumes to my utility quilt loving soul! I've even started wondering about getting rid of all the usual Gutterman etc. hand quilting thread around here. It hasn't been used in several years now and thread does start getting old. Would anyone be interested in doing a trade of sorts?

#3 in the Big Basket Series

I do agonize a little when starting with a new quilt in the hoop. Wonder what in the world I can do to help make it all look better. This basket quilt had so much of the background fabric showing that it almost intimidated me. But like always, I picked a selection of complimentary thread colors, stuck the quilt in the hoop and just started stitching. {You can't let fear of the unknown paralyze you into inertia or you'll never have any quilts to show off.} If it didn't look good, then I took it all out and started over with a different thread color or maybe even a different stitching pattern. Whatever it takes. Nobody wants to spend eons hand quilting only to dislike it later!

Looking at the texture

Getting started is often the hardest part. So many decisions to make and me? I feel pretty inadequate because most of what I end up doing is just easy peasy stuff. None of those gorgeous feathers and entwined cable motifs around here! I mean, not that I really, truly want that for my quilts or it would probably be happening. But there is a little teensy part of me that sometimes tries to insist that those harder, more complex quilting patterns should probably be the default position. Right? Aren't we the funniest creatures! Building up this imaginary pressure in our heads because of what? Still scratching my head here.... 

After finishing up one or two hoop fulls of quilt though, making all those thread color and stitching design decisions, the rest is a breeze. Seriously, after settling into how the stitching is actually going to proceed, all those little doubts and concerns just melt away and I'm good to go. Maybe that's why I'm still here, quilting away. Those ideas pop up from time to time and I give them a little consideration. Of course I do, 'cuz I'm human! Then I take a good long look at MY quilt and just swat the 'should-do'ems' away. Poof! just like dandelion seeds. This is me, doing my thing, thank you very much. And I couldn't be happier with the end result! Don't listen to the haters, even if they're only in your own head.*wink

Still happy with the border solution

Next up in the hoop is the Make Beautiful Things quilt. It's pretty bright and obviously, has lots of attitude to boot. First off, I pinned it so that there could be some machine stitching in the ditch. Now it's in the hoop for very important hand quilting details. Ha! Not going to be a fast quilt. Nevertheless, I am enjoying the opportunity to take a closer look. And yeah... contemplating the next wordy quilt idea that may or may not be in the works.... 

Make Beautiful Things next up in the hoop

These rising sun blocks do have a few puckers that, after the hand stitching is completed, are proving much more difficult to see. Oh yeah. Totally what I was hoping would happen! The worst thing about stitching on this quilt is that all the blocks are about the same size as the hoop. So what is the problem? Basically there is a choice to be made. Go ahead and center each large block in the hoop and then take off a clamp on the side that I am stitching on, so as not to keep running into the edge of the hoop with the needle. OR, I can keep taking the quilt in and out of the hoop, so as to perfectly center about a fourth of each block at a time. Ughh.  Guess which one I'm doing? Yep. Centering the entire block and removing clamps as they get in my way. A little harder on my hands in certain areas, sure, but I definitely don't have an unlimited amount of patience! Once I get to the longer wordy rows and the borders, the entire dynamic changes and it should be business as usual.

Lots of area to figure out how to add in stitching

After writing that little bit the other day about 'labeling all my quilts once a year', I had a little pang of conscious. Did that really happen last year? Um, no, probably not. Only the quilt show ones and like always, the ones that are given away. So... I reluctantly decided to go through every stack and even the displays of quilts throughout the entire house. Just to check. Surely there weren't that many unlabeled quilts? 

A wonderful pile of guilt

About that.... This stack doesn't even represent the quilts that may have been given 'unlabeled' to my own kids. They're supposed to be checking and getting right back to me, darn it all anyway. This is a time-expired offer! How does this happen? On a good note, I was able to select four more quilts for the giving away pile {though two will have to wait until after the quilt show} and that helps me to feel better about continuing to keep making quilts. Though I fully intend to hoard the lions share, I wouldn't want anyone to start feeling, perhaps, suffocated? by all the mountains of quilts developing in our humble abode. Linking up to Wendy's Peacock Party.

Taking a Good Look at the Current AHIQ Projects

It's that AHIQ time of the month again! Considering how close to the end of the year we are, it feels like a good time to evaluate what projects are currently 'in the works'. Here is where things left off back in October for the 'Use Your Words Quilt', now changed to 'Make Beautiful Things'.

Make Beautiful Things getting a little border work!

Since I was feeling a bit lazy about taking the pieced borders completely apart, my goal was to find a small change that would make everything {somehow} work wonderfully well together. Hopefully with a minimum of fuss and confusion! And I think the solution was finally found in these small lavender and purple crosses. The addition of these small bits of color seems to take some of the punch and power away from this hot, hot pink that was trying to overpower the rest of the quilt. I'm having a hard time finding enough floor space during the holidays to lay the entire quilt out and show you how it will look in entirety, but trust me. Though the color is a little tricky, it somehow works to the good. At the moment there are still lots and lots of crosses to stitch. Ahem! Did someone mention a minimum of fuss?

Another AHIQ project that has been in the works for a long while, but was barely moving forward? These are the slab strings that will eventually be turned into postage stamp basket blocks for the every-other blocks in The Pineapple Quilt.

Slab strips for the improv. postage stamp basket blocks

Right now I am wincing at some of the Seahawks colored combinations, but when paired with the other fabrics from the stack, it all makes perfect sense. My mock-up postage stamp basket block is shown below--totally made from the scrap bin so don't pay attention to those fabric choices! These slab strings will have to be trimmed to a 9 1/2" square, stay stitched around the outside edge, sewn hst style throughout the middles and then carefully cut apart, then finally be sewn to a central square in which basket handles can be stitched down to. {Probably best to stitch the basket handles prior to sewing on stringy triangles though!} I really had to play with the measurements before I got something that should match up with those pineapple blocks. Totally worth the effort though as these feel like a fun choice.

 I'm really excited to introduce navy and other blues into the mix, but there are lots of nerves yet with this particular plan of attack. I switched gears at the last minute and combined blues with the greens instead of the rose reds I originally intended. And you never know, I could totally end up with two completely separate quilt tops once again. It's happened before around here! Some blocks/colors just don't wanna share quilt space with others no matter how much we plead and cajole...

A practice {improv.} postage stamp basket block

The only other open ended AHIQ project I have is the Vintage Lily quilt. So far the only thing accomplished is the centerpiece, and that's not even totally complete as it needs some kind of framework before joining with rows of blocks. What has happened with this project--is the fact that I've finally made a few decisions about how to move forward. Whew! So much time spent dilly dallying just trying to settle and then of course, trying to stay content with that particular choice!

For this project I have had it in my mind to try and evoke a old timey patchwork look. Something very simple and no frills. There are so many ways to approach that idea that my mind was simply overwhelmed with options. And there I stuttered-stepped and bounced around until eventually I just hit pause for awhile. I didn't come back to it until yesterday when I finally narrowed it down to one of Sujata Shahs free form blocks in a 'square in a square' pattern. I've always loved the idea of including improv. for this particular project and also, I don't want the piecing to be too perfect. This decision at the very least gives me a place to start, which is not always as easy as it seems!

Vintage Lily

So that's that. All three of my {current} AHIQ #28 projects are on the move! In contemplating whether or not to continue with improv. work in the next year, my answer is a resounding YES! I have not been able to join up with every single linkup since the beginning, but it's definitely worked as a gentle prod to keep opening up to and experimenting with different aspects of improvisational piecing and/or design.

It's absolutely slow going for me at times, although thankfully, not nearly as bad as it once was. Not something that comes naturally to me {still have the training wheels on}, so I often have to push against my default position of well..., whatever negativity that my brain is telling me might happen. I still occasionally {mentally} kick and scream at the idea of starting out without any concrete sort of plan or get balky at cutting fabric with abandon and potentially wasting some precious bits of fabric. The horror! Then later on, I always wonder what it is exactly I'm fighting against?

The beauty of continuing on with what my gut tells me is so very necessary, is that the outcome is more and more what I have wanted and needed to see happen in regards to my own personal quilting style. That utility look that comes about from free style piecing is something I wholeheartedly adore. There's a connection to the old style of utility quilts that deeply resonates for me, as it can feel genuine and authentic. You know, it if all turns out exactly the right way. hehe  So thank you Kaja and Ann for the supportive community, year round prompts and encouragement, and also the constant source of inspiration! With or without the AHIQ linkups {of which I'm obviously linking up to this month!}, I can't imagine ever leaving this sort of style firmly behind.

Christmas Dinner 2017

Hope you are all having a marvelous holiday! We have really needed this family time and of course the food.*sigh  Not much needed, but still, greatly appreciated regardless. SO much food that we are all in danger of starting to waddle.....

Adhoc. Improv. #26 Progress

Thanks for all the wonderful comments on my last post! Such an interesting and lively discussion about keeping and/or gifting the quilts we make. Congrats to the winner of the magazine giveaway--Georgia! I've sent an email your way as well as announcing it here.

The Ugly Quilt is finished!

Knowing that AHIQ #26 was coming up, I was rushing to get in another good finish. This 'Ugly Quilt' was started clear back in the late fall of 2015. It was a rough start, just playing around with a couple fabrics I liked and no pattern at all. Just at the point where I thought it needed to be round-filed, the quilt finally started developing a personality. I decided to incorporate some of my tentative improv. skills for the last border and after that was sewn on, the quilt decided it was done. Finito.

Loving the stitching....

Some quilts just wanna be square! I still smile at how quickly this one turned from really ugly to starting-to-get-sorta-interesting. It has several pieces of 90's calico in it, some make-do piecing and one lovely Coxcomb applique attempt. The free-style Baptist fan stitching makes it look so wonderfully cozy and now I just want to snuggle up with it for the whole rest of Fall. I couldn't believe it had been almost two years since I started this one. Where oh where has the time gone?

I can wholehearted say that I'm much, much more confident about improv. now than when I started this quilt. And also, I noticed while stitching on this quilt, that my initial goal in joining up with the Adhoc. linkups is starting to be realized. I am slowly, slowly starting to think about ways I can use different improv. looks to use in most all my quilts, whether in block piecing, borders or just attitude. While branching out from my safe space occasionally in color and style, simply by using the fabrics I love and continually working on that timeless 'utility' look, my quilts are starting to look even more make-do'ish than ever. And I adore it. LOVE that it doesn't look so forced and cheesy now.

I'm always happy with a good medallion look!

This past week I've also tried to make time for the 'Use Your Words' quilt. I liked the simple, almost stark look when all sewn together, but thought it needed just a touch more color.

Make Beautiful Things

And so I added on a mixed green and bright pink repeating squares border. Hmm... Maybe a bit too in-your-face now? The borders are not sewn on at this point so there's plenty of time for changes. I almost want to cut the sides of the borders down--change the look from fat squares to skinny rectangles. There would be lots of waste, but it might be worth it. Oh my, life has been a little bit too busy lately for me to properly concentrate on getting the best solution figured out. Maybe next week?

Auditioning a border....

This project was a result of last quarters prompt over at Ann and Kaja's. I took their prompt, grabbed some some orphan blocks and tested myself with a challenge to learn improv. letter piecing--wallah! Somehow that quilt top above happened. {I still call it a squirrel!}. The next quarter will be a 'consolidate and review' so yay! for me. Lots of time to get this quilt top squared away and maybe even dive into another improv. idea niggling at the back of my mind. Or two. Wouldn't want things to get boring around here!

It's also that time of the month to link up to sew-stitch-snap-SHARE#15. Progress is progress is progress....

The Use Your Words Improv. Quilt

I had grand plans to have this particular quilt top all sewn up, or at very least, the basic outline. Oh no, These letters take much, much longer than you would think. They aren't difficult, but wowsers do they burn up the time!

A rough layout

But maybe that's just me. I do seem to have a love/hate relationship with them. They are so simple and logical to figure out. Really, it's like a puzzle! Which is all very interesting. Until it just isn't fun any more. And that's when the tedium sets in.*ughh.....

Using a quote by Saul Bass

I was very disciplined this afternoon {knowing this was my window to make real forward progress}, not even leaving the upstairs quilting area for another cold drink when the first disappeared. Our air conditioner has been switched off and the afternoon heat was making me positively drip! There was a pre-determined stopping point in mind and finally.... finally... we got there.

Trying to make them all 5" tall

All along, I was trying to incorporate this part of a quote by Saul Bass 'I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares'. If I was going to make a quilt about 'using your words' as the base inspiration for making a quilt, well then, it had to be relevant to my world at the moment. Honestly, I'm not the least bit interested in making anything political, sappy or even too terribly introspective right at the moment. Quilting is my happy place and there it shall stay.*wink  {And please don't comment about anything political because I promise you, I will not respond!}

Although I've had a rough idea of where and how these words were going to play in the entire scheme of things, I wasn't sure just how many words would be needed to fill the front of the quilt--if this part of the quote would be enough? So I made a few extra words of my own, which will probably end up on the back of the quilt. There might even be more words, because I just can't resist. See? There is a strong push/pull in sewing more of these words that makes me laugh. Love 'em, hate 'em!

Joining the letters to make blocks of the words

I can tell there needs to be other colors added into the border, perhaps in a piecing effort. Things have gotten a bit stagnant with all this gold and brown, but those two fabrics were what seemed to work best making the words clearly stand out. Plus, I had lots of that gold fabric leftover from an older quilt top and yeah... those wheels. They sort of limited my color choices. Oh well! I can't imagine this quilt without them and it's always a thrill to use up orphan blocks!

Auditioning border colors

Overall, this quilt feels like a 'squirrel' sort of quilt. Definitely taking me off in a direction that I didn't see coming. Regardless, it has been a great challenge, making me think, instigating a decided push to get into the 'Word Play' book and start figuring it out! {Loving my applique style, I may be the very last quilter on earth who has.} 

I had forgotten how much I enjoy these style of quilts--the ones where you start with a specific element, add in a ringer {how bout using up those orphan blocks?} and then see what in the world you end up with. Still lots left to do with getting those word rows filled in with more of that gold fabric, sewing rows together and then working toward a set border plan. In the meantime, I have been hand quilting up a storm in the evenings! Never a dull minute.

Linking up with Anne and Kaja for AHIQ25, and also with Linda and Julie for sew, stitch, snap, SHARE!  Thanks ladies, for taking the time to host the linkups. As always, it's some of the best motivation to keep projects rolling forward!