Catching up

I have pieced together the piping and binding for The BIG EZ  but there it sits. 

Promise, ... I'll be getting busy with it SOON!


With the Easy Street QAL being shared by Bonnie Hunter right now. I was thinking about joining in on the fun while it's happening and ride the creative wave with many of theother quilters. But I am in a quandary of which colors to use.

A Cheddar and white Kona Snow for step 1. Thinking a Yellowish orange, Purple, aqua and lime green combination could be gorgeous. (I actually have lime, purple along with some black and white prints all kitted together to make the Carolina Crossroads pattern of hers.) I won't go into the basement to find that container of fabbies to show you but believe it's there. The purples are varied and a much darker palette.
Also I did finish the Orange Crush mystery quilt of hers which I call Key West Sunset.
 

 



Key West Sunset, aka Orange Crush Mystery QAL

 

Another option is to use this:



A UFO from a class taught by Camille Remy at Paul Smith's College in 1998-99?
How to Design your own quilt.    Calss requirements, a light, dark and something medium.  My interpretation.
 

When sewing the sewing Machine Cover and the pin cushion/thread catcher bag I ran across this UFO.  I threw in the scaps of my machine cover bits into this UFO container thinking of finishing it with a lime green thrown in too.  Imagine my surprise with Bonnie Humter selecting all of these colors for her current QAL.     I'm just unsure of how much periwinkle I have in.  For part 2 a periwinkle sky with pure White geese could be wonderful, resembling hte many snow geese that migrate through our region.  There I go dreaming again!

Is this synchronicity with the heavens telling me to work on it all together?   Notice the backing of theBIG EZ in the background, top right? So perhaps my involvement with Easy Street could be to add borders with those Easy Street Parts surrounding it. Though the name Easy anything wouldn't qualify for it if I do that!  It also would be a nice finish of designing the rest of this quilt with the typical block parts of HST, four patches and flying geese units.  Bonnie might be the incentive I need to push this UFO to the finish pile. 

 I just might start it and work on it though until I see the driection this quilt needs to go.  I can see many  Black and white four patches in my very near future.  LOL





Meanwhile, when I am sitting down I've been playing  catch up on the Little Miss Shabby stitcheries (LMS).   November is done and now it's on to the September block. 





Lil Miss Shabby December Block

Realizing while stitching these a verbage is going on in my head.  "What ever happened to me?  I'm timid and delaying in applying threads while trying to decide which colors to use and where....?"  How ever did that happen?   I'll never know.  I used to be fearless with applying color now I seem to second guess myself so much.  Even telling myself to break that thought and just get to it.    Though dealing with this back /neck and other health issues, I really do think that the Rxs I'm on have really affected me in so many ways besides the pain and depression that hovers ever near.   I will beat this and prevail.  Oh well, some good days and then some others thrown into the mix.  It's a good thing I come from such hearty stock.




Now that 6 blocks are embroidered I'll share my vision of how these will be displayed.   Using these, YUMM!

A more modern Blend of Fabrics for my Little Miss Shabby embroidered Blocks of 2011, I'm stitching in 2012. 
Using the Haven's Edge fabric  line with some other Tina Givens fabbies thrown in, of course just for fun.

I'll follow the recommended pattern with an immediate surround of 2 inch pieces mismashed of color followed with a solid ecru boundary.  Then for the sashing and cornerstones, more 2" mismashed pieces.  Perhaps the cornerstones will be the same fabric that I select for the main borders.    This should be done by March.

 

Or I might just have a simpler log border of a different fabric for each block then the 2" pieces and etc.....

 

 

I'm happy too that I shopped online during the Black Friday sales at Quilt in a Day.  What great prices and with the LMS fabrics I have in of  a Fat quarter pack of  Haven's Edge to set the blocks and sashing with was a great find. It's a perfect match since there are many birds and stylized birds scattered through out many of the prints.   Only three fabrics were on sale from that line that might work and so I picked up plenty for borders, backing and binding with enough for a pillow case or two.  8~)

Black Friday Goodies

 

As you an see I picked up another Accuquilt Go Die of the Leaves and Stems,  9 yards of the Black from  Island Batik besides a couple more patterns too.  I noticed out in blogland, sorry I can't remember where to point you in that direction, of a dresden plate quilt made in a class taught by Edyta  Sitar of Landry Basket Quilts that I thought it was stunning.  Perhaps some Kansas style fabbies would work nicely with that pattern,  so when said pattern with a template included  and another of her lovely patterns besides  a Fig Tree  pattern were spotted, I quickly added them to my shopping basket.  All total, 33 yards of fabric plus all the goodies for a little bit of nothing compared to their normal pricing.  Oh yeah, a roll of Invisigrip jumped into my cart too.  What can I say,  Merry Christmas to me. 

 

While blog hopping, I ran across this wonderful blog with a very talented creator of quilts, knitting and knowledge called  Quilting After Dark.  She shared a link of a video where Renate explains beautifully the use of hands here.    I'm linking it up here so I'll know where to find it. 

 

Enjoy your blessings,

Jane

First of May

Alleluia! First of May
Outdoor playing begins today!

This ditty has been in my head for years! It all started with a co-worker 20+ years ago quoting this. Of course I prettied it up a bit so it would be politically correct here lol but ever since on the first of May I think of him. I actually was quite shocked and very surprised when I heard it for the first time but have since learned more and know it's very traditional with the May Day pagan Traditions of the past.

Being a new first, I have been reassessing my projects AGAIN! Lordy I do get into creative messes at times and besides the recent finish of the bracelet my creativity, stitching and sewing was ground to a halt. I have given myself some major slack with all that I had going on in our lives. Besides the typical chores around the house besides the additional bookkeeper, arranger, scheduler, etc.. I now am the official chauffer of my household. DH was able to start cardiac rehab this past week so that is 3 additional trips into town a week. At least while he is there I am motivated to walk city blocks for my own health. I was almost tempted to run errands on his second trip, but brought myself back to the "ME First challenge" and said "NO you need to exercise", (I think I actually said this out loud, so it's no wonder I received some quirky looks, they probably thought I was off my rocker!) so far am managing to keep to that. How silly to see that as an accomplishment, but I really do. I tend to always put everyone else first and have been forcing myself to put me first more, especially this year, 2011.

Yesterday at our Circle of Friends get together I wasn't sure which UFO to bring. So what did I do you might ask? Ahhh... I started a NEW Project of course!



Little Miss Shabby started a QAL in January and I have been saving and printing out the instructions all along. While pondering my selection of what to bring yesterday, I thought those Tina Givens fabrics I have in would be lovely together and a very cheerful coloring to work with so this is what I used to select the threads for stitching those shabby chics!



Not bad for several hours of work. I hope to get this January block done in two weeks. I hope to finish 2 a month until I am caught up with the rest. I like using an interfacing under my embroidery fabric square so my block constructions will be done after the stitching is completed.

Regarding the April UFO CHallenge with Judy Laquidera, I failed terribly this month. Am not beating myself up about it either, just couldn't get to it. This is as far as I got.



Managed to pull all the fabrics and actually started laying them out to audition which strips will be placed where during the construction. The plan is too cut varying widths of fabric and just a quilt as you go mode. Since everything is out, I will be getting to this in May even though another number will be getting pulled.

Looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day. My plan is to tackle many chores so I best get off this computer and actually get to some of them.

Enjoy your day!
Jane