The Games Quilters Play

I've finished the next two games in Quilters Playtime - but tops only, so far. They ARE square and even - but I just had them pinned to the stash on the shelf for the pic. One was TicTacToe and I designed it in spice colors, to look (more or less) like a spice merchants tray of wares. I'm not sure I got what I wanted, but I DID learn to play the game. It has a layered look to it, which I do like, even if not in the particular setting fabrics/colors that I used. It's titled Spice Merchant - here it is:


The other one didn't have a name untilI took it's picture a few minutes ago. I had to name it something in my picture file (cuz I always do a name), so I just called it Potpourri. The game I played on this one was Mucical Chairs. But it's a lot like Stack the Deck, tho maybe not as much fun. The game was a little bit awkward to my way of thinking..... maybe I was just missing the chair all the time. Never was good at that game, anyway!! There is more color difference in the actual quilt than shows on the photo. But it's an ok picture, I guess. Putting that dark green border on it helped a LOT..... I was about to pitch it before I added the frame. Both of these pieces look washed out - I forgot to turn off the flash. I'll do another pic when I get them quilted and finished, and they'll look better then.

And those are my big adventures for the week. Well, the ones I can talk about, anyway. Don't even get me started on the work stuff!! And the snow and accompanying problems (We ended up with about 18", total). But it's melting a little now - we are supposed to get rain tomorrow, tho. That should be interesting.........

Today, I dragged out a couple of boxes of scraps to sort thru. Now, when I'm talking scraps, there are scraps then there are scraps of scraps. These are the latter, for the most part. Why I would ever keep anything less than an inch wide??? Who knows. Some of them consisted of no more than a dozen threads, held together by a little lint. So I sorted them out, pressed the ones that are big enough to keep (pitched the rest), then started working on a few Dancing Logs blocks that I have (for a while, now) been wanting to try. The quilt was in a Fabrications issue - a UK magazine I've purchased a few times. But this log block is sort of crazy-quilty, but not really - it's log-cabiny, but not really that, either - more a hybrid of the two, dependent upon value for the split, which is done vertically rather than diagonally. Then you butt them up with dark value to dark value (and light to light) in rows. It takes 100 blocks to make the quilt. I have 5 done. So we probably won't be seeing THAT on the blog anytime soon!!

I also came to the conclusion today that I'm tired of making string blocks (for now), so I took the paper backing off the 30 I have, did my calculations as to what I need for sashing bars (another strip? row? setting) and borders, and now am on the lookout for the suitable fabric to blend that whole mish-mash together. I have a dk. blue with small tan/lavender/plum floral print - very subtle - very midnight-garden-y. But I decided I'd rather save that for something else. So now, I'm looking again. I have been known to scavenge the $1 bin at (GASP!!!) WalMart for such things. This, after all, is a true utility quilt, and nothing I'd expect my great-grands to be fighting over at any point. I should go to the quiltery and see what I have out there in a 3-yd piece, but that would mean putting on real shoes and shovelling some more snow. HA!!

As I think about it, I'd guess about one-third of my more traditional quilts are made in the bar (or row) setting. The one on our bed is - I have one waiting to be quilted, plus these two today, the bright baskets quilt on the loveseat is sort of that setting. Maybe I'm developing a "signature"!! At least for my everyday quilts. That would be OK I guess - it's an easy set to quilt on the big machine. That is probably why I like to use it. And it's one that not everyone else does - makes me feel a little more original, maybe!!

First Day of Spring!!

My dad's mother always said to beware of storms that may come at the time of the Spring Equinox (which is today, btw). Well, Gma was right (no, the photo is NOT her - he's an emmigrant from one of the Amana colonies in Iowa).... but I, too, have noticed that we often get either rain or snow at about that time. Rain Sat/Sun this week, then starting at about 2 p.m. Sunday and continuing to THIS minute and projected to continue until midnight tonight. You got it - SNOW. We are rumored to be expecting up to 15 inches, which is a lot for this area (Southwestern Nebraska) at one time - and most especially if the wind keeps blowing. But we need moisture to keep grass fires from being a hazard next month when the lightning starts. And we've had far worse equinox storms - in '81, it was 39" with wind. We were operating a dairy farm at the time and all the tractors were drifted inside the quonset with a 20 ft. high barrier to the door! So here are my First Day of Spring photos!! (Please excuse the lack of photographic composition - NO WAY was I going to step off the cleared sidewalk!

Crazey daze

It really HAS been a crazy week for me. Problems with clients, busy at work, and I have to work today, too, after being out with the same client until almost midnight. (Job is structured for that.) But tomorrow I have the day off. So I think I'll blow off housework and spend the day upstairs "making". Especially if it's going to snow all day. I'll start some soup or chili and disappear into the nether-studio.

So what am I working on? Well.... I have started thru the book "Quilter's Playtime" by Diane Hire. It teaches methods of improvisational cutting and piecing that are really quite fun. I did one small quilt last week (tho it's not yet bound), and have started cutting fabrics for another. The one finished is "Twink" - in theory, a stars/night sky theme. I think it's called "keystoning" what I did to that pic - the edges are not parallell and perpendicular, even tho they are in real life. OR... maybe it's the old-style panel door it's taped to - going over a ridge just right of center. But anyway, this is it - not great, not not-great. Just OK. The stamped spirals show up better in the pic than in person, I think. I did the stamping after everything else was quilted. I call it my "bravado" technique - defined (by me) as a combination of bravery and stupidity. But hey - we all need to live on the edge once in a while.

Tomorrow, my working title is "Spice Merchant" - give you any hint on my color choices?? Actually, I may stay with that theme (spice trade) for a couple of other pieces I'll work from that book. I dye a lot of spicey fabrics - buy spice-colored fabrics - So much for the "color image" theory, which always tagged me as a cool "blues" person. HA! Fooled THEM!!!

Excuses - or not

I am not a very consistent blogger, apparently. Or perhaps I just post when I have something to actually say. OK, well today, I do.

I mailed my entry for the "Changing Perspectives" challenge off to CA today. I think I got mixed up and assumed it had to be there by Wednesday, but apparently from something I read last night, it only has to be mailed by then. But I had it finished so it went.

My title is "One Excuse After Another", and it's about just that - excuses. I directed it somewhat toward some of my clients, but in a major way it's directed at me, too. I'm an excuse maker from way back - childhood, probably. But working on that little quilt gave me a lot of time to think about excuse-making, the benefits and downfalls. And believe me, the downside TOTALLY outweighs any benefits I can name!

So I may be done with excuses in my life, or at least be much more aware of them. And I enjoyed the experience of making that piece enough that I want more experiences like it - I'm considering about 3-4 other competitions/opportunities to expand my little world.


And so, without futher ado, here's my little excuse-BREAKER!!