What's up? What's new?

Wow, six months or more since I posted last; looks as though time has gotten away from me.  It's not that there hasn't been anything to say, it's just, well... dropping one activity to work on another, and not feel guilty about walking away from that first 'whatever,' keeps me from doing anything some days.

I have had to put Vincent aside for a while bec-a-a-a-a-a-use we adopted two new rescue cats, the last one in February, and wherever I go and whatever I do in the house, my little shadow follows.  His feral way of life has had to be worked around and altered, and his sad state of being (digestively speaking) has taken a lot of effort and cash to even out a little.  But that's a whole other story, so I'll get back to what we're all here for.

Odin (my tiny shadow) explores everything and eventually unleashes havoc somehow or another.  To keep him away from Vincent, and those thousands of tiny pieces, I have stayed away from the area and bits that would entice him.  My time and energy has been focused on the Crazy Quilt project called "Peacock," and one other portable project that had been rummaging around in my head for quite a while. The second quilt is a wall hanging that is a pseudo-broderie perse piece.  [see photo]  The applique portion is moving along, and I find I need to finish dyeing the background before I can lay out and stitch down the next set of pieces.

Stay tuned, I will post more photos sooner (or later).

Quilt yoga

Lessons learned from making a quilt.  As a respected and seriously talented (and prize-winning quilter has said), "We learn something from every quilt we make"...(I say) even if it is something we may have to learn over and over again.

This made me begin to wonder what I have learned over the decades and taken for granted.

Mostly I have learned to relax and enjoy the process (or processes - since there are many to every aspect and step in creating a quilt).

- I have learned to stand up and move away for a few moments (or hours) when tired or bored with a repetitious portion.
- I have acquired the ability to look at - and love - the thing I am creating with less critical eyes.  Knowing that nobody else will ever view it in as harsh a light as I will cast when disappointed with some little piece of the magnificent whole.
- I have learned to expect the unexpected; to cherish learning something new from somebody else; and to set expectations at a more achievable and less lofty realm.  It's always much more fun to surpass a goal than to never attain it.

Currently I am re-learning to stretch my abilities, test boundaries, and to trust my intuitions and my mind's creative eye.  This was a part of my current 'quilt yoga' experience

.

Just because

Yes, there's progress.

No, not as much progress as I would like, but this isn't a full time thing....this is the 'traveling project.'

A little progress, a little housework, a lot 'o' job searching

I managed a little progress on some of the seams on a new "Peacock" block (two different blocks, actually), and I am making plans for additional fussy embroidery embellishments for several seams between larger sections; taking my cues from old crazy quilted works of art.

Hopefully this will help create more visual interest - and a feel of antiquity - for the finished piece.

STILL looking for some deep navy blue velvet (not a crushed panne' or stretch velvet) for use on two or three of the blocks.  I really want that variety.  Waiting to finish building the blocks until I can find it is crimping my plans for final layout.  Grrr.

What are you working on today?

Bits of this 'n' that

This last week was very busy - Christmas notwithstanding.

I ran from here to there (hither and yon) good-deed-doing (repeatedly), making appointments, hustling a son to computer mecca for innards (good golly, the crowds), and teaching a last-minute crazy quilt class of eight folks.  That last bit materialized out of nowhere, but it sure did make an impact on our Christmas!

Thank you again, Rebecca, if you read this.

So much non-Christmas-y activity (at least, not Christmas-y for my own purposes), and still, a lot of what went on was meant for glad tidings for others. Strange that.

I did manage to make a small dent in "Peacock", finishing (for the most part) the stitching on one of sixteen blocks and beginning the stitching on a second block.  I have to make a final decision on how I intend to treat the round seam of the fan configuration, but I have narrowed down my options to essentially two choices - so that's something!  And I do have a bit of embellishment to do to two seams on the first block, but I have managed to embroider all of the seams down, and this works for me. It is a bit of accomplishment in order to free me for moving forward, rather than to feel as if I am standing still and getting nowhere.

Still would LOVE to find just enough dark blue (NAVY) velvet to cap the fans on at least two of the eighteen pieces....but my search for navy velvet is proving fruitless.  I shall keep looking, though, because at some point material outlets will have to restock it.  Right? ? ?

What are you working on?

In between

I now have eight of the sixteen necessary blocks created and basted for stitching, [looking around conspiratorially] and I even engaged in a teensy bit of stitching on one seam last night.

It felt self-indulgent, since I have other more pressing things to get finished.  But, oh!  To actually begin laying stitches into the silks and taffeta's of "Peacock" - it was as indulgent as eating two large pieces of dark chocolate......laced with whole hazelnuts!!

I have been doing the piecing in between fits of looking for a job, housework, errands, doctor and school appointments, other quilting projects (two of them SALES!), and, well....everyday life.  But it somehow makes me feel more *something* to be able to create another groovy something to work on; something fresh and new.  What is the word I want?
Do I feel more worthwhile as a person?
More necessary for the beautification of a tiny corner of the world?

At least, I don't feel so much an insignificant loser for not being able to persuade stupid would-be employers how ignorant they are for having looked me over and passed me up.  That makes them the losers, anyway - not me.

[sighs - one of contentment, one of disappointment]

Photos later, for now I need to get on with my day.

For obvious reasons....

Plans were to help a friend with a drywall repair job, and then stretch my first applique' project for quilting, but a nasty knock-me-down-drag-my-butt-to-the-curb head cold has me mostly doing nothing but sneezing, keeping hydrated, and moaning because my throat is so sore.  Boo.  I hate being sick.

Oh, and moo.

I've named this experiment "Peacock" for obvious reasons.

To cheer myself up I laid out these squares using the lovely sunshine, thoughtfully provided by heaven and Mother Nature.  

For the time being I will be putting away the crazy quilted Christmas stockings and returning to VG with a vengeance.

Work will continue on the 'RWBQuad,' too, but only late in the evenings in front of the telly.

So why, with all these projects ongoing (and MANY more sitting sidelined), would I need to begin something new?  Oh, I hear you questioning me.  The answer is simple:

Monsieur Fowl simply needed to be let out of my brain.

Decisions, decisions

I have been taking a break (for much of the past two months) from VGS, and I feel ready to get back to it.  Sort of.

I have accumulated a good selection of the background colors found throughout the far left hand side of the image (from row G through row J), and desperately want to move further down the image than normal just to 'play' with something other than yellows.  Say....two to three rows ahead, and just get that portion out of the way, but I feel that that would prove disastrous once I return to the area at hand.  Because, at some point in time, I would have to get back to what remains of E.

So I remain committed to finishing Row E first.

Steadfastly.
Resignedly.
Sadly.
Utterly.
Gloomily.
Committed.

However, during the time away from VGS I did manage to get other things accomplished, and I have sort of cleansed my mental palette of the nagging thoughts that there are other things I could/should do/finish/begin.  Here is one of those projects.  This weekend I will complete the colorful portion of this top, and when I can afford to get my hands on the necessary 'white' for the border (not to mention the backing and batting), I will stretch then quilt it, too.

Until such time (and funds) presents itself, I have decided I will (sort of) happily dive back into VGS.  It needs me.

And I need it.  Sort of.

And so it begins

I have wanted to applique' since I began to make quilts in earnest, and that was a little over half my lifetime ago.

In all honesty, though, the urge (desire) to applique' probably r e a l l y didn't manifest itself in me until a few years after I began quilt-making, but that's neither here nor there.  What really matters is that the desire (urge) to applique' has only grown stronger over the last two or three years, mostly when I realized there were some quilts I wanted to make that could be created no other way than to applique' them.

So, here I am.

I am cutting my teeth on a fairly easy project as my quilt path diverges yet again.  It is a 2/3 portion of a Picasso line drawing, and the materials were supplied by the mom of the young person it is going to.  The photo is hours old by now, and since I snapped it I've finished sewing down the large black and yellow torso-and-arm piece.  I've also basted down the leg that will be to the far left, and have that appliqued in place (oh, about a quarter of it).

But now, it's time for a little housework and dinner, so all fun stuff halts for a little while.  If I can make myself stick with it tonight, I might be able to finish off the left leg, and maybe baste down the head for this whirling dervish figure before my eyes slam shut.

What are you up to?

Holy smokes

As if VGS wasn't enough of a handful, I have decided to go ahead and start my first actual, all applique' quilt.  It's just a wee bit of a thing, but it's still applique', and not something I know much about.  In fact, aside from sort of appliqueing a two-inch lure/circle on a stocking, using a feather stitch (crazy quilting, don't ya know), I know nothing about applique'.

Oh, wait.
I do know I love looking at it.  LOVE it!  But I don't/can't/have never applique'(d).

So, here I am, diving into the deep end, beginning a thank you gift in exchange for a dining table and chairs.

More later, for now I just need to go pick up that needle before I lose my resolve.  More later - including images.

Just a smattering

I love the sound of the word "smattering".  It puts me in mind of the sound of bacon frying in a pan and the smokey-yummy flavor it leaves on my tongue.

At any rate, here is a smattering of the colors I managed to bring home after my recent expedition with Jean.  These are all obviously yardage and/or FQs.... and therefore does not represent those lovely bits of fabric scrap finds from Bay City.

And YES, I have already used a good many of these new recruits in row number two!

Ugh, uh-oh, ummmm

Hello, friends.

Hello, acquaintances.

Hello, family.

I have yet to sign myself into an asylum as I am not quite screaming bonkers (to this point).   Signs to the contrary are - well....they're contrary.

The first one-thousand pieces are together, and (hopefully) Row A will be complete by nightfall. 

Yes, I am still working on the 16K monstrosity.  Computations show I've managed to cut nearly 400 different materials (grammar police, do your thing) to get to this milestone!

=^. .^= 

There is no sun today so I will be assembling the final square-and-1/3 using overhead lights.  I find that tends to muck with the color values to some degree, so I end up comparing each piece with previous color choices from earlier blocks to keep the quilt even and true to itself.  It's a bother and takes more time, but I need to finish this first row today.  I have to have this progress for myself.

Each row consists of 1,130 pieces; those are sewn into 11.3 blocks (yup, that last 1/3 block is really a strip block of 3x10).  With the completion each row I will have assembled the equivalent of approximately one-quarter of PQ1!  By the time I finish with this 'masterpiece' I will have sewn through the equivalent of more than three-and-three-quarters PQ1s!!  3.9 PQ1s to be more precise.  That quilt is 4,225 pieces, not including the back and binding.

Hhmmm....maybe a whole cloth quilt wouldn't be a bad idea, eh?



Just as an example

So, you know each block is 100 pieces, and I think I've said there are a LOT of blocks in this one (equating to an insane amout of pieces/piecing).

Here are the first few blocks together just so you can get a small idea of what's happening.

Above is a snap of the first three blocks alongside the portion of the pixelated image they correspond to.  Below is a close-up of block number four and the image I am matching to.  Well, actually, the image is to the left, and the piecing is to the right...but you get the idea.

Now, maybe, this will help to illustrate the enormity of the scale.

M a y b e.

16,198 - take THAT!

Thing is, I need to get some serious cutting done (in fairly quick order) so I can finish off this pesky first row. 

Actually, if I can manage to make myself buckle down and cut about 2,100 1" squares of just the material I have currently pulled from my stash (for this project), I will be able to think about piecing the entire first row AND begin work on the second row, too!

There are ten-point-three (or, 10-and-1/3) columns, and 14 rows of  (plus a little bit of an extra) 10x10 blocks to construct overall, and it's starting to make me sit up and take notice.  Yes, that's 16,498 pieces, all starting out as one inch squares.  You read me right - ONE INCH CUT SQUARES!

And as if to make myself completely doubt my own sanity, I started thinking.  Never a good thing for me to do - at least, not without chocolate and dubious amounts of liquor at the ready. 

The thought I thinked while thinking, you wonder.  ANSWER: The realization that these first two rows will be the equivilent of just over half of PQ1!....but hardly a dent in this particular quilt.

Make that 16,398!

Yup, the first block of 100 is together!

I can do this (just not as quickly as I would like to).

Lots

Another new mess

Lots of stuff to do...lots of ongoing projects (aka "unfinished"), and a fair amount of projects I would love to dive into. 

Ping! Ping! Ping!  Thoughts zip into my brain at lightening-like speeds and deliciously colorful visuals smack around in my head, bouncing off one another and igniting exciting ideas; my pencil and notebook always at the ready.

I know, I know - "one at a time."  But is there anyone who can hold themselves happily to creating just one thing at a time when your brain is churning out so many lovely fabric dreams and desires??

Very recently I began making a mess with a little something I have been itching to get going on for about a year.  Made up my mind which one of two ways to construct it, then stared at the model for this wonderful 'thing' for an additional two months! The whole while I debated my sanity for even considering it. 

The undertaking of cutting well over 16,000 one-inch squares has only just become daunting, and I haven't even finished laying out the first 100, yet!  However, the prospect of sewing all those 16,000++ squares is now sinking in, and while I am terrified at the thought of devoting so much time to it all, I am confident and eager, too. 

Being crazy has its advantages. ;)

There is a lot of math I could throw at you, but I won't.

OK, I said I wouldn't, but just as an example: I would need to finish three 10x10 blocks a week to have the top completed in fifty-five weeks.  Or, if I worked at it more as an 'all-consuming-and-only' sort-of project, and completed 4-5 of those blocks in a week, I could conceivably complete the quilt top in less than a year. 

Somehow, to my crazy brain, this second thought seems much more palatable and satisfying - never mind the unreasonable and insane aspects!

I mean, who wants to plan on taking more than a year to start and finish a quilt?  Just because we allow this to happen on a fairly regular basis (thereby creating a pile of UFOs as a quilter's gold standard), doesn't mean we should plan on it!  Does it?

Lots of questions.  Lots of what-ifs and maybes.  Lots more piecing ahead, but even more fussy cutting in my immediate future.

More in a while, right now I need to make lots more mess.

Lofty goals

I have set a fairly lofty goal for myself for today. My mission (and yes, I have chosen to accept it) is to get two more blocks completed before end of day.

"Why is that such a lofty goal," you may wonder; and if you're not wondering, well, I'm gonna tell you anyhow.

I am working on a slightly miniaturized version of PQ1.  It will be 36" square versus the original 65", so....yes, 'slightly.' 

That nearly twenty-inch difference will mean a world of difference during the quilting process!

Incidentally, I've managed to streamline my quilt design even further, and have come up with a much smaller version - so 'quilt legal' miniature copies can be made (24" or smaller).  Although, if I had made this current version with 1" cut pieces, it would be a 'quilt legal' miniature version, because the scale would have been correct, and the finished 1/2" blocks would have made an 18" finished quilt top.  (Did you follow all of that?) 

Ah well.

"OK, but you still haven't answered why two blocks is a lofty goal," you insist.

Ah, my bad.  Sorry. 

"Lofty" = 162 pieces.  Yup, each block is 81 pieces of one-and-one-half-inch cut squares.  Meaning the finished quilt top will contain 1,296 1" pieces.   But that's nothing.  PQ1 is 4,225!  Of course, I also intend to lay out another block or two to have ready for assembling the next time a few hours presents itself.  There is an urgent need to get this quilt top copy finished before mid-February, so I am trying to be a good girl and work diligently on this one.

This one's a cinch (comparatively speaking).

What are you up to today?

The deed is done

Or, maybe I should have said: "THE DEED IS DONE!"

[contented sigh]

The entry form (and necessary) bits are on their way to Paducah for the AQS 2013 contest.  Next steps will happen for PQ1 after notification in early March!

In other news: I will be back to work on the string quilt, "Black Widow I," this afternoon. 

Finally figured out how I wanted to back it (weeks ago), but didn't do it as there wasn't enough time to get it done (thought I would be entering it along with PQ1), so I devised a back-up back, but still ran short on time for the quilting portion. S-o-o-o-o.... 

Now that the pressure is off, I can create the backing I wanted to in the first place, and save my secondary creation for another quilt top!  Wait 'til you see it!

I love scraps!

(photos around Christmas - if all goes well)

What are YOU up to?

Not a great photo...

...but a photo of greatness.  ;)

Just a quick shot of the progress on Black Widow 1, thus far.  Yes, "Black Widow 1" - because I feel a series coming on.

Sometimes, my favorite color sandbox (primaries) inspires me to keep going....and I can see all sorts of potential in this combination between color and quilt block.

More soon. :)

How are your projects coming along?

What have I been up to?

Well........now I have a heap 'o' ironing to accomplish before I can get to cutting the strips of blacks I have decided to incorporate into the new Spider String Quilt.

WHA????? (ala Craig Ferguson)

"NEW"???

I know, I know. I thought I wasn't going to begin anything new until I had knocked off a few more unfinished objects from the considerable list, either - but...here it is.

I had fooled myself into believing I could have this phantom project in my periphery, giving it a little attention "here and there"; pulling it out once in a while, as time permitted and fabric scraps dictated. [sigh]

Ah well.

At any rate, I now have a lot of ironing to do, as a good deal of yesterday was spent scouring my stash for appropriate black material and then rinsing it out to be sure of their colorfastness ( - put a few more patches and squares together, too). I am determined to purchase nothing new for this project. 

Well, OK. 

I can see where maybe that's sort of unrealistic.  There will be a need for backing material when the time comes, but I am not there, yet, so there's time.  LOTS of time.

So tell me, what have YOU been up to?