15 minute challenge ~ feb. 14th

~!!~happy valentines day~!!~

cyclamen love . . . or maybe i should say passion~!
;- )

here is my valentines day report card:

• tuesday, feb. 7th: pineapple trial block
• wednesday, feb. 8th: practice with TAST (chevron stitch) ~ chevron stitch onto stocking
• thursday, feb. 9th: quilting on the pink lemonade doll quilt
• friday, feb. 10th: quilting on the pink lemonade doll quilt
• saturday, feb. 11th: quilting on the pink lemonade doll quilt
• sunday, feb. 12th: made 3 fabric covered buttons
• monday, feb. 13th: quilting on the pink lemonade doll quilt

if you would like to see what others are doing with their 15 minutes or you're interested in joining in, you should visit Kate at Life in Pieces. she is currently doing  some fun give-aways for those participating in the 15 minute challenge.
i have found it to be an excellent way to continue  making my own sewing/creative time a priority.

how about some button love~!?!~

since the beginning of the new year i've been in the process of figuring out what i should do next with my scrap basket and it's exuberant contents. the pineapple block has always been a favorite of mine so when i spotted a tutorial on one  of my favorite blogs for making this block pattern based on Gyleen Fitzgerald's book: "Trash to Treasure Pineapple Quilts" i was immediately intrigued with trying it out. the problem was i would need yet another special ruler and since i'm making an effort to simplify my life and another ruler just doesn't seem like a good idea i decided i should at least try to do it without  one. i'm not a math wizard and  it took some time and help from my daughter but i was finally able to convert one of my regular square rulers into a make-do pineapple ruler using some masking tape to mark where i should cut as i sew up the block. i also have a couple of pages of copious notes and strange diagrams which anyone else might think were just plain scary as well as completely confusing.

i did do a little bit of un-sewing, re-figuring and then some re-sewing and a few more (pages) scribbled notes but with a lot of luck and a pinch of pixie dust maybe i'll be able to duplicate this whole process to make more . . . it turns out there really is a good reason why these handy dandy rulers (and accompanying books) are so popular~!

my scrap basket is now a tall laundry basket that's about three quarters full. at one time it was the same laundry basket (but totally overflowing) plus a very large, very deep drawer stuffed full so i do know that i am making progress towards my ultimate goal of keeping my scraps in a much smaller basket sometime before i pass on to the great quilt teacher in the sky. btw: this great teacher's first note of instruction is going to be to use the right ruler for the project . . .

recent gifts include:

• the feeling of being loved
• the feeling of loving someone else
• romantic dinners for two

Texture Tuesday

it's Texture Tuesday and here i am right on time~!
:-)


using two of kim klassens (free~!)wonderful textures this time: Not to Shabby and Portrait

if you haven't already discovered this great site and you're interested in photography and  what you can do with your own shots you should really click on the Texture Tuesdays button on my sidebar and check it out. i've been dancing around this activity for years and finally feel like a have a wonderful community of support in which to actively learn and use these skills. i do have a lot to learn and a long way to go to get as good as many of the participants but their talent and sharing spirit is totally inspiring.

this week it's a "garden party" going on over there~it's okay to be fashionably late but do at least come and partake a little~!!~

 Anticipation

this is my original photo which is part of a series of shots recently taken in my garden. i shared another of these shots in a recent post but felt this one was a bit "washed out" looking. i do love what the textures did for it.

today's gifts include:

• starting a new novel and being totally drawn in (The Help)
• seeing many different (and beautiful) birds at the feeder as they make a pit stop on their migratory paths
• water warmed and at the ready whenever i should want or need it (that shower felt good this morning)

today has been a rainy day. i've enjoyed the soft silvery light and the way that the steady fall of moisture has deepened the greens in the grass almost as i watch. that almost sounds as if i've been just sitting around and watching the grass grow doesn't it!?!
;-)
in truth i suppose that i did do some of that today . . .

the tulips and other spring flowers have been graced with an array of moist silvery pearls.

inside the house i have my seed/sprouts. the night time temps are still a bit too iffy to risk planting them so i faithfully carry them outside during the day and bring them back in at night. they really can't be called sprouts anymore though. the above photo is a part of one of those pumpkins that i planted. sometimes i feel like Jack and his beanstalk when i look at them in the morning. they have large buds and blooms on them that i really should be trimming off but i can't always do it . . .

i know the photo here is not a good one but the yellow summer squash that i started have begun to bear fruit~!!~ the smallest one in the above shot is about the size of my thumb and some are bigger and some smaller but these plants are already prolific. we may be eating squash off of the plants before i can even put them in the outside garden if they continue as they are doing . . . now that i think about it we should be picking those off too and eating them as baby squash so that the plant can continue to work on roots and leaves.

we have managed to put the tomato plants in the ground with the cold frame erected around them. they should be okay unless we get a hard frost. i'm hoping to have a large yield this year so that we can preserve them for winter eating. i believe i have about eight plants in there so we should be kept quite busy when the time comes.

my hands/needle have been working on these small bird applique blocks. i'm not sure how many i will ultimately make but i thought they might eventually get combined with the vine i recently finished . . .

i think they're pretty cute.
they are part of a bigger pattern called "Homespun Nest"within the magazine shown below.
btw i did not completely follow their instructions so have a slightly different result than them. it seems i almost always have to change things at least a little bit and i won't sew them up as part of that particular quilt although i found it quite cute. i have another idea brewing around in my head . . .

i actually found a lot of cute ideas and patterns within the Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine and am pleased to have a subscription for the next year's worth of issues.

todays gifts included:

• the pleasure of hearing the rain and enjoying the soft cloud covered sunlight
• the realization of just how many creative blogs/friends i have on the internet (due to my accidentally having deleted the WHOLE list in one fell swoop)
• a settle on the sofa to watch the first hummingbirds find the feeder which led to a very nice nap

*****   *****   *****   *****   *****

so as i said i did have a bit of an accident with my sidebar list of blogs. i'll just have to add them back as i can. i hope everyone understands and if you were on there before and i've overlooked you feel free to let me know and i'll get you back up there.

i'm reading a book by Ann Voskamp called "one thousand gifts".

it has been an interesting look at the power of gratitude. i'm not finished with it but i am far enough along to know that it has come into my life at just the right time with just the right message. and i am listening.

today's gifts included:

• homemade brownies
• April showers (both rain and snow)
• the mind numbing awe that i feel while observing those vigorous pumpkin sprouts

do you feel it too?

Amish Inspirations Fragment Quilt

i'm happy to announce that my Amish Inspirations Fragment Quilt is finished~!!~

(except for the label). i WILL get that done within the next few days.

i made this one as part of a collaborative experiment with Lori from Humble Quilts. She discovered a beautiful antique Amish quilt that happened to whisper sweet nothings into both of our ears. she shared a pattern for the center (medallion part) inspired by the blocks within that quilt. i hand dyed some fabrics that were similar and we were off.

be sure to take a look at the photos of  Lori's beautiful piece too. she has hand quilted hers beautifully using a black thread which was a traditional choice for many Amish women.

i also used inspiration directly from the book called Amish - Inspired Quilts by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins of Piece O' Cake fame. i've been wanting to make one of the fragment style quilts discussed within that book for quite some time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

it's final measurements are 22.25 x 26.75 inches. i happened to have a piece of fabric that was a red on orange toile print that i thought worked well for the backing and had just enough of the orange hand dyed to make a binding. this small quilt has taken me a while to finish but i am very happy with it.

i hand quilted mine as well using a variegated thread in rich copper to gold colors. one of my loves is hand quilting. i love to do it. i love to see it. i love the way i feel after i've spent the quiet time it takes putting in the stitches. it's all good~!

if you enjoy hand quilting as much as i do you should visit Janet at Mrs. Sew n' Sew. she has recently posted a white on white piece that is wonderful~!
Barbara from The Sanguine Stitcher has many wonderful skills and hand quilting is definitely among them. see this cute prim heart place mat full of her wonderful stitches.

btw, if you know of some beautiful blogs that feature a love for hand quilting please feel free to share with me.
:-)

remember these? way back before the holidays i dyed this group of fabrics.

i was inspired by a photo that i seen on Lori's beautiful blog. she seems to go to a lot of quilt shows and is very generous in sharing her experiences/photos with all who follow her blog.

this particular quilt was one that she seen and admired at the Old Aurora Colony Quilt Show.

it was made by Matilda Knight Stauffer.

i thought it was pretty awesome too. i've always been a big fan of the antique Amish style of quilts and this one struck me as particularly beautiful.

Lori and i did a little brainstorming, i dyed some fabric, she had a friend who was willing to help out with the pattern making and before you know it Lori and i were both sewing up our own personal interpretations of this beautiful antique quilt.

in addition i had a book (within my obscenely huge personal library) called Amish -Inspired Quilts: Tradition With A Piece O' Cake Twist by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. i've admired the quilts in this book for quite some time and especially loved the "fragment" style quilts that are depicted within it.

so i decided to combine all of these inspirational sources within the piece that i've been making and these are my results.

starting with a variation of the block within the Matilda Knight Stauffer Quilt and setting it on point within the turqouisey blue fabric. this produced a piece that measured 16.25 inches (finished).

i then added a skinny cheddery yellow border of 1.75 inches (finished) and wider green border of 3.5 inches(finished) to the top and the bottom.

then the holidays were in full swing and i had to set it aside. but i knew that i wanted to take the piece into the "fragment" style at this point and so i cut a 6.5 inch (unfinished) strip of the red fabric. i pinned these pieces up onto my wall and thought about them A LOT.

i drew up sketches and played around with the idea of adding a vine applique as well as some quilting possibilities . . .

and finally i've been able to get back to it and begin stitching that vine. the center "stem" is nicely in place and i will begin to cut and sew leaves tomorrow . . .

meanwhile, Lori has been exhibiting the patience of a saint as she is much faster than i am and has her wonderful piece already quilted.

this has been wonderfully fun and some day soon i hope to show the finished results of my little Amish inspirations fragment quilt. hopefully you'll show as much patience as Lori has.

research or dictionary mania ~!?!~

consider this an explanation of sorts as to why it takes me so long to complete anything.

sometimes i like to read through dictionaries. especially old dictionaries. i'm not sure why but i find it both fascinating and comforting to sit and quietly peruse the thin crispy pages. i have a small collection of them and am always on the hunt for more. this morning i settled in with a 1946 edition of "The New Century Dictionary"; volume one (A - pocket veto)

i actually had a goal when i started but then the spell was cast and i found myself wandering from definition to picture to definition . . . pages turned . . .

time passed . . .

eventually i felt compelled to get the camera out and collect a few of the images that might be useful in my "feathers and fins" theme. ah yes, back to the goal . . .

this is definitely a fish with a beak . . . 

it's interesting how similar feathers and fins are . . . 

what a show-off~!~

then i began to notice how similar many leaves are to feathers and/or fins . . .

and even insect wings looked like they belonged somehow . . . 

i was absolutely fascinated~!!~

hhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm . . .

i did get a little distracted at times . . .

but eventually got back around to the inspiration of "feathers and fins".

my head is full of ideas and directions to go now and my spirit strangely calmed by the act of wandering through old print and hand drawn images.

however, i must get back to the daily stuff of life and set this all aside to simmer a bit within my head . . .

inspiration is like that for me. i'm Alice down the rabbit hole for quite a while before it all perks back up into some usable fodder: (fod' er), n. Food for cattle, horses, etc., esp such food as . . . oops, sorry.

what is the creative process like for you? share with me your process (or one of) that you use to slip into that wandering, wondering, pondering pool that then enables you to swim happily to your own strange island of imagination.

our creative processes are as unique as what is actually created i think.

while you think about it i've got to get to the dishes and laundry.

darn it~!

it's October~!!~
we've had an unexpected warm spell for the last couple of weeks and our fall weather seems a bit delayed which somehow makes October an impossibility in my mind . . . time races on though and it is indeed Autumn. within the last couple of days we've had some cooling off and the wind is blowing colder . . .


once the season/weather turns i catch myself being drawn to the visual warmth of this 9-patch quilt that i made for my husband. not only does it make me feel warmer on the inside somehow but it also echos the riot of autumn colors that are growing brighter by the day.

this is one of the few quilts that we have in our collection that are of my own hand. it seems they get given away before they're even finished~! i'm sure that many of you quilters out there know how that goes.
it was a gift for him on the Christmas of 2002. it was started and completed in a relatively (for me) short period of time (approximately 9 months).
although not a bed sized quilt (app. 47.5 x 56 inches) it is actually showing quite a bit of wear and has a wonderful cozy feel to it.
if folded in half lengthwise it fits perfectly on the back of our small leather sofa. it's gained a permanent sort of "home" there as it looks quite nice in that space. we currently have this sofa in a reading nook and it really doesn't get the same sort of use that it used to get when it was part of our living room furniture and i believe that that is where this quilt received most of it's "wear and tear". it was quite handy to snuggle under on cool winter evenings.

i'm a huge fan of the Amish style of quilt making and decided to try it using fabrics that i had hand dyed myself. the fabrics were, for the most part, dyed in small batches which accounts for the color variations that you can see within this piece. that was exactly the look i was trying to achieve and was pleased with the final effect. i did not attempt to make all of the 9-patches the same throughout the quilt and sometimes went out of my way to create blocks using "non matching" squares. i like the look of make-do that happens when choosing colors/fabrics in this somewhat random way. the 9-patches measure 5.5 inches (sewn) and i set them on point because it adds a dynamic element to what would otherwise be a somewhat static pattern. within each of the pieced blocks i quilted an "echo" 9-patch.


i did decide to use a batik fabric for the back which is not in keeping with the Amish style at all. i liked the warm tones of it and those leaves begged to be incorporated into the quilting. i created a stencil from a tracing of one of the leaves and used it within the main body of the quilt as well as throughout the first (dark charcoal colored) border which measures 4.25 inches (sewn).


i liked the way that this choice subtly tied design elements to both the front and the back.

to dye a true deep dark black can be difficult and mine ended up being a dark charcoal. these photos don't quite capture the depth of that color very well as the camera flash washed it out quite a bit. but the quilting/leaf pattern can be seen nicely in this shot so i included it within the group of photos. i used the same variegated cotton thread throughout the quilt. it was similar in tone and color to what was within the fabric/batik back.

within the widest outer border i quilted a feathered cable. this border, which is a wonderful rusty brown, measures 7.25 inches wide.

i found this pattern in one of my books by Pepper Cory called Quilting Designs from Antique Quilts. i used it at the size that was presented within the book (pages 46 and 47) and i, once again, cut my own stencil/pattern.

the quilt uses a 100% cotton batting and is bound in a narrow dark orange fabric/color (also hand dyed).

i used this same fabric to cut a leaf silhouette from. the leaf is the same as the one used for quilting and "floats" gently on the back acting as the quilts label.

i hung this quilt on my bedroom wall in order to take the shots.

notice that i've painted the wall in a wind blown, color on color, leaf pattern . . .

hhhmmmm . . . maybe i have a thing for leaves . . .

"Above all, we cannot afford not to live in the present."

Henry David Thoreau



i've been allowing myself to take life a little slower or perhaps i should say i've been allowing myself to ENJOY taking life a little slower. the end of summer can be a sad time for me . . . i hate to see it all end so soon and i know that a loooong winter is almost upon us . . . the whole thing kind of throws me into a temporary funk.



since moving to a tropical climate is not currently one of my choices i've been doing a lot of reading (rather than a lot of blogging). some of the books i've read are pure pleasure. just a good story to immerse myself in as i feel the sunshine on my skin and breathe the warm garden scented air as the summer season fades into fall.



some of my reading choices have been more about spiritual growth and a desperate attempt to drive back the ugliness of a recently mounting depression. in addition to this reading i've been practicing becoming more mindful of the moment through reflection and meditation.

i'm happy to say that it has been quite effective.

i am getting back into the rhythms of living in the "right here ~ right now". as has happened before, once i get back into the simplicity of that lifestyle i feel great peace and happiness. it's amazing to me that it's both so easy and so hard to keep oneself in the present moment; that i've been here before and with similar results and yet somehow the busyness of life can and will insert itself into the equation if i'm not constantly diligent about the practice . . .



so this is where i've been and what i've been up to. my internet time has been cut down drastically and i do miss it but MUST moderate it in order to find a better sense of balance within my life. so if you notice that i'm visiting a little less often this is why. hopefully you'll bear with me as i work to find this balance. there is a part of me that wants to apologize for this but in truth i am not sorry nor do i really have anything to be sorry for. i began my blog as a way to record thoughts and creativity primarily and a way to interact with others of like mind secondarily. i'm happy with that and hope you are too.



this all relates nicely to the joy i feel while i have my photographer's hat on as well. when i am behind the lens of my camera i am absorbed by what is happening in the here and now. my attention is completely within the moment and discovering what it has to reveal to me. i love being able to capture that moment and share it with the viewer. there may be future posts that have only photos and no words . . . or fewer words . . . don't be alarmed or worried if this happens; it's just me enjoying my moments and sharing them with you in hopes that you too might get some pleasure from them.

i went for a tour around the garden this a.m. and found much abundance and beauty that i want to share with you.

drama queen: given to excessive performance

the artichoke plants have become my garden's drama queens during this late summer /early fall season. they now have a cold frame/green house around them so that i can watch them carry out their powerful performances. i'm quite happy that i allowed them to go into blossom and so are the bees . . .

these flowers have a very intense fragrance and have drawn a constant stream of Bumbles into the enclosure. i noticed that they flew in on a much straighter course than they flew out . . . as if they had become completely intoxicated. some of them even bumping into the walls and needing a temporary rest on the ground.

the trumpet vine grows in a part of the garden that has it's own warmer micro climate and has not yet been damaged by the frost. i've discovered quite a few little nooks like this tucked away here and there within the garden . . . delightful surprises of summer remembered.

i have also found some time to be creative with my needle and this is a fabric postcard made using a needle worked corner of an antique handkerchief. the (HAND) stitching is uber tiny and one practically needs a magnifying glass to appreciate it fully. i don't know who did the work as i came by it via a bulk buy of vintage linens. i didn't even get the piece in it's entirety but was able to salvage what was left nicely.
the background (green) fabric is one of my own hand dyed bits.

this card is a birthday card for a special someone.

i have also experimented with a new format; the ATC (artist trading card).

these typically measure two and a half inches by three and a half inches and are made using a wide variety of mediums. they are made as original artworks and traded one for one with other artists. traditionally they were only traded in person at large "meets" but currently many are traded in other ways using the internet as a tool to reach out further than one might be able to travel physically.

i'm still learning about them but found this one fun to do and the size/format challenging in new ways. i've already traded it and my card is in the mail all the way from the Norwegian West Coast.

Ati from www.malinaplass.blogspot.com was brave enough to trade with this first timer and is sending me one of her amazing ATC's in return. it's gorgeous and i'll be sure to post all about it when it arrives.