Stitchy Witchy Sisters

not for me

2011-10-09T23:01:00.001-04:00

Hi.

So I've been toying with the idea of machine binding quilts. Y'know, to get the Product out there Quicker.

On the one hand, it makes SO much sense: fast, simple, strong, easy (if you are good at topstitching, which not everybody is, but I happen to be, prolly cuz I am maniacally precise).

On the other hand, it makes your quilt look like it came from Pottery Barn.

I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. The Pottery Barn is Lovely. (Do you know what they pay their "quilters"? I'm afraid I don't...)

I learned how to quilt by hand. Totally by hand. My first (and probably second, and third,) quilts were entirely stitched by hand. Hand pieced (because that is how I learned), and hand quilted. It taught me what I wanted to learn from quilting: How To Be Patient. That's the shorthand I dubbed it almost 20 years ago, but now I'm realizing that keeping your hand (literally, Your Hand, that Thing on the end of your arm) in your craft is crucial.

The moment that artists (of any kind) remove the muscle (of any kind) from their work, is the moment that it is (probably) Not Art.

Please Believe Me! I love Tools! and shortcuts, and innovations resulting in quicker results. But I've decided that I will make a customer wait another two days (or so) while I sew the binding onto your custom quilt by hand. I need that (time-consuming, yes) interaction with my creation for You. Forgive me, but even the incitement of quicker payment can not pull me away from what is my Joy.

And just to show you all how good I am at this machine binding stuff, here's proof.

This is not an Ego thing. I know I can finish those quilts easy and fine, but I'd rather not lose the only honest interface I have with y'all. I'd rather do this:

So that is my Art vs. The Other 1% thang.

Please: Use your Hands. For Anything.

It is worth the dirt under your fingernails.

xoS

unbottled rainbows...Finish

2011-09-20T11:51:00.001-04:00

So, there have been plenty of finishes 'round here.

This one is perhaps the most massive.

Y'all remember Rachel's Bottled Rainbows?

(oof, it hurt my pride a little to have to go all the way back to FEBRUARY to find that link,

but I have to remember that is was a pretty massive QAL. Besides, it's been finished now, for

a whole month... :-/ )

The pictures hardly do it justice (do they ever?).

I wanted to back it with something neutral, something to anchor all the bits and colors,

yet something that still had some of the playfulness of the top.

I fell in love with those circles by Robert Kaufman,

and for the first time in a loooong time, I made a back out of one fabric.

It was so great to get the back done so fast, because the top took sooooo long.

And it went 'specially fast, because, as you might remember, this is a

Quilt as You Go project, so once I put together the back, I was just about done!

When I had finally finished all the blocks ,

I loved each one so much, I didn't think I wanted them all crowded next to each other

so I decided to torture myself even more, and retroactively add the sashing.

It had to have the batting basted onto it, to match the blocks,

so off I went.

I had to cut the Kona Bone sashing pieces,

spray baste them onto the same size cut batting

and just start sewing them onto the blocks.

Mr. Spray Basting is My Friend.

(Well, not really, cuz you'll notice it says "Danger" and "Toxic" and all that

but I'm REALLY good about opening up all the studio's big windows

and running fans and stuff. I really don't know what I'd do without it.)

I pressed all the seams open.

That way, the only quilting I needed to do once I got the back on

was along each side of all the sashing seams.

This secured it nicely to the back, and kept all the fat seams under control.

(I think it even looked cute "from behind".)

So that's my "adventure" with Bottled Rainbows!

Someone left a comment on one of my earlier posts that said

"each block is an adventure". I love that. It's so true.

I really enjoyed working on this piece. It currently graces our bed.

But it seems someone really likes it...

Thanks, again, Rachel, for the inspiration!

what now?

2011-09-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

Now what?

I don't know how he got in there.

But what do I do now?

I'm trying really hard to NOT let this be an excuse to buy

a really good, high-end iron....

Any suggestions?

as promised...

2011-08-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

So, as I promised, here is some background to

"where I have been/what I have been up to".

Let me start with Anna Maria Horner.

Not a bad place to start.

I don't know why, but I went on a serious ANH kick.

I rarely do this, glom onto a front-line designer,

but her colors and patterns really, Really have been

calling out to me lately.

And I have several new patterns I've been itching to try.

Both of these are from Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Oops! and then

I bought some fabric while I worked!

I am a sucker for snails.

I have a whole bin of stash dedicated to snails.

Someday to be a snail quilt for ME!

Back to Anna Maria Horner: Loulouthi.

This line captivated me, and I immediately knew what

I wanted to make for my dear friends

Kate and Lily

who are getting married in August in NY.

It's feminine, and vintage,

and blocky (therefore masculine) and

groovy. All at the same time.

Perfect for two fabulous gals.

This was ENTIRELY the inspiration of

Rachel at Stitched in Color.

Meanwhile, I will contemplate what to do with this.

While I do so many other things.

Which you will hear about.

As promised....

where i've been

2011-08-07T12:25:00.000-04:00

I am so ashamed that I haven't posted in such a long while

that I'm going to hide behind pictures of

what I've been up to.

Oh, and this.

Explanations for my actions will be forthcoming...

second time round....and round

2011-05-23T17:16:00.000-04:00

Remember this?

It's my second go at Amanda Jean's

Round and Round quilt-a-long.

It's for a dear friend who got into a bidding war with

another dear friend for my first one during

a benefit for yet another dear friend.

I thought I'd make another and double the money donated.

I let her pick the fabric, and she chose Prayer Flag for Moda,

which I picked up at Burgundy Buttons fabulous sale!

I don't know if I was just more precise (doubtful)

or it's just second time luck,

but this one came out even better!

Have you ever tried something again and found it worked better

for no apparent reason?

Hey, I'll take it!

even more unbottled Rainbows...

2011-05-19T23:19:00.000-04:00

Just some more Bottled Rainbow success.

Four more. Up to Eleven. Five more to go.

What Fun!!

I've discovered fabrics I never knew I had, or had at least forgotten.

I keep finding fabrics and I say

"...ooooh! that should have gone in the (blank) block!"

I examine each scrap for its true color.

Thank you Rachel for putting this project out there!

more soon, leave me a note, let me know you are curious!

mother's day splurge

2011-05-16T18:54:00.000-04:00

I've been really good about not buying too much fabric lately, really....

I've even been keeping a yardage tally,

which I've been meaning to post about, really...

I think I was at negative 11.5 yards or something, even!

That is, until Mother's Day coupons from

Burgundy Buttons and

Wonderous Woven Fabrics

appeared in my inbox.

But I am weak. So very weak.

But oh! so happy!

Lookie! Lookie!

(left) a fat quarter stack of Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush

(right) half-yard stack of Mod Sugar Pop

Sugar Pop! There's something about those bright colors, Baskin-Robbins-style, almost!

And I've been a huge fan of Innocent Crush since, well, forever.

Yummy Sugar Pop!

And totally enticing Innocent Crush. I love that "shattered" design.

And rarely do I buy quilt patterns, but this found it's way into my cart.

Maybe it was the Sherbet Pips in the picture.

Maybe it was the thought of this pattern with either I.C. or M.S.P.

Or Maybe it was just me being a kid in a candy store...

Oh well. Whatever....Happy (belated) Mother's Day!

Oh, and check out these crazy creatures...

Etta. 3 weeks old. Still chick-ish...

Etta and Trixie. 4 weeks old.

Look at the difference a week makes!

Check out the feathers on their heads, completely changes their look!
Such homely teenagers.

But I love them so...

newness

2011-05-06T14:44:00.000-04:00

Can you even handle how cute this is?

I got two new chicks to beef up my flock (pun intended).

I disguised my weakness at the Feed store as gifts for the kids for Easter.

Nothing says "Happy Easter" like chicks.

And then there is this ~~beast~~ glorious thing.

It's another queen-sized quilt.

I used 56 different fabrics from my stash!

I keep thinking my little machine will never make it through all that quilting,

but she never ceases to amaze me.

Still, I'm looking forward to getting "certified" to use the long-arm machine

at Steve's Sew and Vac in June!

Thank god for string piecing. I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

And it makes such interesting photos!

Meanwhile....

Remember this quilt-a-long from Amanda Jean?

I finally quilted it (it took me THREE tries, and ripping out of seams

before I settled on a quilting pattern), and donated it to a benefit for a

friend. He's been diagnosed with testicular cancer.

We raised thousands to help him and his young family through these tough times.

I love being able to contribute something in situations like this.

I had fun with the back.

Turned out there was a bidding war for this quilt,

so I agreed to make a second and we doubled the money raised!

I've already started making the second, using a jelly roll of Prayer Flag by April Cornell.

I'm really psyched to have another chance at this quilt,

because there were some mistakes the first time round,

and I'm looking forward to being more precise with this one.

I donated another quilt, too.

I am kinda thrilled about this one,

because I can say it's the first time I've designed something myself!

A while back Liz over at Goddess in Progress pulled a bunch of us into

cranking out a ridiculous amount of half-square triangles.

I think I made 300 or so HST blocks.

I made a big throw-sized quilt top.

I made two quick and easy baby quilts.

And then I decided to make a second quilt to donate to the benefit.

I don't know where the inspiration for this pattern came from.

Maybe from Rachel's Bottled Rainbows project

(which I am also working on, and working on, and hopefully someday finishing).

Anyway, I Love how this turned out! I ended up listing it for sale in my Etsy shop,

and I've already sold one! I have it up on my design wall right now!

(and I still have a tub full of HST squares left over)

The buyer said she liked the "luminous" quality of the quilt,

and I must say, I agree.

I'm really enjoying working with colors in more disciplined ways.

I see why color has everything to do with light!

On the back I made three blocks with primary colors,

which was my smarty-pants way of complimenting the rainbow of the front.

A special shout-out to my friend Jessica,

who's good eye helped me choose the colors for the stripes,

and she was the one who figured out the red-pink/red-orange square ends.

So that's what's new around here.

Chicks and quilts.

(Ella named this wee black chick "Trixie", because, as she says,

"Trixies are always dark and up to no good".)

I thought they look like yin/yang here....

Ok, ok... enough with the chicks.

I'm getting back to work on those quilts.

Oh, I can't help it...just one more photo shoot with Etta the chick....

Don't chicks and quilts go well together?

oops....

Happy Spring!

hexies!

2011-04-07T21:42:00.000-04:00

I've been working on these hexies off and on at work.

When I have a few minutes between scenes,

it's great "listening busy-work".

Something I can do and keep listening to the play so I stay in it.

I've been gathering them up, doing them and doing them.

They are addictive, as we've heard from so many

here, here and here.

Finally, they started asking me what I was planning on doing with them.

This is one answer I gave those cheeky monkeys.

But there are still so many, I think I'll have to give that pillow

a little duvet cover brother or sister...

What fun things are you doing with your hexies?

more rainbows unbottled...

2011-04-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

Don't laugh. There is an order to that chaos.

If you look closely, you can actually see the

Bottled Rainbows QAL in there.

I've actually ~~excavated~~ cleaned up, and found strata of projects underneath.

(I'll get to them eventually...)

Until then, I've finished up another couple of colors:

Lime Green

So Fresh!!

And cheery Orange.

Snails AND Owl and the Pussycat?

I mean how much fun can a girl have?

I'd be happy to stop with these four,

but it's really just beginning!

They are on hold for a couple weeks while I crank out a couple o' commissions.

But I will be back, especially as spring continues to sproing.

Bottled Rainbows!

2011-03-22T21:04:00.001-04:00

I've started!

Finally I had some time post-commissions and pre-auction quilt final rush

to start in on Rachel's Bottled Rainbows QAL.

I'm really excited to work on something I know a little bit about and love

(ticker tape quilts)

but really it's a way in to working on things I vowed I would work on this year

(color, quilt-as-you-go, different applique techniques)

I mean, look how cute! I'm trying pinking the edges instead of straight cutting.

I know it'll change once washed, but I'm hoping the "fray" will be

a little easier to handle with the pinked edges.

Because I'm lazy and addicted to getting done faster,

I free-motion around each piece instead of using my walking foot and turning,

and turning, and turning, and ...well you get the idea.

I know this makes for less straight lines, but I've found that

once washed, the stitching nearly disappears.

And I think it helps with the sort of cracked glass look.

This is such a fun project! I get to work on the precision of the color picking,

and improvise at the same time.

I've finished these two, red and violet. I'm still looking for a couple of perfect colors.

I ordered the fat quarter packet from Whipstitch, made especially for this project,

but I didn't like a few of the colors, too bold and candy-like,

so I'm filling them in from my Kona stash,

and hunting for the rest on my (seemingly) daily pilgrimages to Joann's.

Meanwhile, I leave you with some latest pics of a few of the chucks.

I love them so.

Allison.

Moonlight

Sunny (sorry, girl, to interrupt your laying)

Happy Spring!

People's Light Auction Quilt

2011-03-15T18:39:00.001-04:00

Here we go!

People's Light and Theatre's annual auction is coming up!

Which means my donation of a hand-crafted quilt is underway!

I picked up this bag of remnants from the costume shop.

They are from this fall's production of Legacy of Light by Karen Zacharias.

I was in this production and it was one of the most satisfying experiences

I've ever had on stage.

So the idea of making an auction quilt from the fabric remnants thrilled me.

Even if working with silks and sheers and non-cotton fabrics is super challenging.

But I've learned a trick:

Sheer weight fusible interfacing!

I bought 10 yards of it ($1.99/yd and then 50% off at JoAnn's!)

and just stabilized big chunks (about a fat quarter or so)

of all the pieces I wanted to use.

So much less fraying! So much easier to measure and cut,

needless to say, to sew!

So I'm making up a bunch of simple, improvised log cabin squares.

Trying to keep it simple, to let the elegance of the fabric do the talking.

Sweet, yes? And I think the simple elegance has a casual, easy-going feel, too.

I have 16 9" blocks so far. I wanna make 24, maybe.

The finished quilt will end up measuring approx. 42" x 64".

And I think I want to do something easy and, well, more comfy

for the backing. I was thinking a nice silver-gray linen

or polished cotton. I think it'll go more with the modern elegance of the blocks,

and make it more usable.

I always think it is such a shame to only use a quilt as a wall hanging, don't you?

So, stay tuned for the finished product...

starting...

2011-03-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

... on the Bottled Rainbows project! just starting....

I just couldn't wait for the complete pack of Kona Cottons to arrive from Whipstitch Fabrics.

So I looked through my (vast) stash of Konas, and found

several of the colors prescribed in

Rachel's QAL!

I've only just begun to pull scraps and bits from my stash to go with the solids.

Oooh, boy. This is gonna be fun!

Join us?

pip! pip! hooray!!

2011-03-04T23:40:00.000-05:00

I can barely contain myself!

It's Here!

Aneela's sherbet pips!!

when the Fat Quarter Shop announced it...

I went right for it.

During a 10 minute break from rehearsal.

On my iPhone

How could I wait any longer for that swinging girl?

And I'm not a dog-girl. But I Love this dog.

And the dots! and squares! and dots in squares!

and scarves!?! I think they are my favorite...

but then I saw the snail crawling oh-so-quietly amoung the flora.

and you know (or maybe you don't) about my

forever-obsession with snails.

Thanks, Aneela, for giving this to us.

What should I make with this treasure?

how much is Too Much?

2011-03-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

Can there be TOO many quilts?

or a quilt that is TOO big?

If I can complete the quilting on this without committing hari kiri,

it might be really cool!

oh, and a sneak peek at an original quilt I'm making for friends

who gave me a box of fabric memories

(wool tartans, handkerchiefs, school uniforms, ties, tablecloths, etc)

and said: "Have Fun!"

a twist on the "t-shirt quilt".

another commission. She wants three!

And the restaurant across the street wants quilts to offer to

customers who want to eat their meal in the park.

(eat your veggies!)

The restaurant is called Yo Dogs, and they are the best dogs, burgers, and fries EVER!

These are all things I'm working on this moment.

It doesn't even include the three (yes, THREE)

finished tops and backs (all twin size or larger)

waiting for their batting and quilting.

Have I gone off the deep end?

I am having a blast, so no worrying allowed.

:-)

love...

2011-02-11T01:05:00.001-05:00

Are you ever surrounded by Love?

I had to make some of these for my son's Valentine's Day at school.

In fact, I Loved making them.

And I was blessed enough to be able to make this for an old, dear friend.

She's in Love. And pregnant.

So much Life!

And, thanks to Liz, I am making this beauty.

I Love how the color squares come alive out of the almost-gray sashing.

I am even Loving getting better at this, making the points really match,

concentrating, almost meditating, on the technique.

It's a sign that our appreciation for the Craft is worthwhile.

A sign of our Love, perhaps?

And I Love how my cat, "Dude",

Loves the new quilt, the Stranger Quilt

(and the curious sewing-tool bits).

Love is all around us.

It is in every fiber, every late night in the studio,

every ripped out stitch, every long-deliberated fabric purchase on Etsy,

every beast that cuddles up to the new-guy quilt,

every friend who waits ever-so patiently for your "masterpiece",

every husband who lets you wallow in the Love that might not be about him this time,

every child who needs 20 Valentine's cards which you INSIST on making and not buying,

every heart, every new song, every laugh,

every friend who Loves you back.

Feel the Love. It is there, all around you, us.

Happy Valentine's Day.

warmth and color

2011-01-29T13:33:00.000-05:00

My husband and I were so lucky to get away to a warm and colorful place last week.

That's me in front of my new home,

overlooking Waterlemon Cay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

We hiked up to this magical spot, once someone's estate, probably a Dutch slave-owner's,

which confuses my feelings about the place, but there is just no denying the stunning vista.

And yes, I hiked in my bikini and sarong. That's just how one rolls on St. John.

(I've never once worn a bikini other than on St. John. I won't. Just can't do it.)

We communed with the wildlife.

Or maybe I should say, the wildlife communed with us.

This guy just partied with his girlfriend behind us on the beach for a couple of hours.

And we took in the local artwork of the resident artisans of Maho Bay Camp.

I've decided there is something truly sexy and mesmerizing about glass blowing.

There's something medieval about it. I dunno, everything about it captures me.

And, of course, I just couldn't keep my fingers still.

I loved hand-stitching onto my sarong bits of hand-made batik from the fabric artist at Maho.

That sarong, and my red bikini, could be the flag to my country-sized love for St. John.

I won't bore you with pictures of the snow we came home to. Most of you have the same view out your windows right now.

Just know that somewhere, not too far away, it is warm and colorful.

newness

2011-01-01T23:53:00.001-05:00

Nothing is ever new, I've realized, except everything.

This is new for me. I'm designing my first quilt from top to bottom, so to speak. It's for a dear friend of mine. I'm enjoying the process very much so far, I must say.

So far...

And I am diligently plugging away at Liz's Triangle Madness QAL.

250 HST's and counting...

And: I had my first quilting accident. I was distracted and put a machine needle through my finger. See that mark on my middle finger there? the needle went right through the nail, broke off, and I had to have it extracted at the ER.

That's the broken off needle. It gives an idea of how much metal was stuck in my finger.

I could show you a really graphic shot of my finger right after it all happened, but that really isn't necessary now. Needless to say, I am grateful for all my digits, and for my overall health. And for my husband, who insisted on bringing me to the ER even though all I wanted was a shot of whiskey and a pair of pliers.

Happy New Year. Don't take anything for granted. Everything is a Gift. Accept it, and make the best use of it as you can.

Best to You and Yours in this randomly selected set of 365 +/- days....

Quilt Sale!

2010-12-17T14:58:00.002-05:00

Jump for Joy!

My quilts are on Sale!

15% Off!

And the Four in these pix are ready to ship NOW!

You could have one these quilts in time for Christmas!!

(What a great gift that would make, yes?)

Just visit my Etsy shop .

and use the coupon code: XMAS2010

A little warmth in the Dark time of the Year.

Wishing you much comfort and great joy.

(chickens not included :-) )

New fabric, HST's and Process

2010-12-14T15:03:00.003-05:00

First, my new favorite fabric store! I know, every week it seems I have a new one, but this is for Real (this time). Alewives. In Maine, but boy, do they deliver. And for those of you who really know me, the shop name alone makes it special.

I mean, look at these veggies! Peas and Pods! I love them so. And where else would you find onion fabric?

and look at those eggplants! And I don't even like eggplant. But I love these.

Some stripes and geos for binding. And there was even more... And the service was so quick and lovely.

I'm still deep into the Triangle Madness inspired by Liz. I'm even leading my daughter's Brownie troop in making quilts for Project Linus. Each girl got 12 HST's and made their own design with them. This is my mock up. I can't wait to show you what those girls came up with. Every single one is different! Thanks Liz, for turning me onto Half Square Triangles!

I just had to take a shot of this pretty pile of Brownie trimmings (hmmm...that doesn't sound so good...)

Finally, I snapped some shots of my process in quilting a grid on my boyish blocks quilt. I was rather proud of myself for just figuring out how to make nice straight lines with the crazy tools I happened to have lying around. Like a few 1x2's I'm still waiting to finish the studio windows with, and some painter's tape (my new favorite can't-buy-in-a-quilting-store tool).

The lengths of wood sure are long and straight... and it's a cinch to measure from one seam to the wood.

It doesn't get much easier to sew a straight line than this. Then just pull up the tape and you have a pretty terrific grid. Now I just buy rolls of tape from Home Depot. Cheaper than fabric markers and more precise and easier than chalk pencils.

What's your favorite can't-find-in-a-quilting-store tool?

P. S. 10 more days til Christmas..... ooohhhh!

Current projects

2010-11-22T15:38:00.000-05:00

I've been so lucky to have LOTS of reasons to spend every free moment in my studio!

Three (!) commissions. One for my "it takes a village" quilt, which I've been wanting to do for a while!
a couple of details from that...

And I've been trying to catch up to Liz's Half Square Triangle Madness madness.

That's a pretty impressive stack of HST's, no? the leaning tower of madness...

Here's my design wall back in action with another project. I love those little squares. Ashley over at FITF turned me on to this design.

I'm making this one for my brother. My other brother got one for xmas last year. I'm digging the darker gray in this one.

I actually have a long list of things to make for xmas, but I'm having a hard time getting to them. But I'm not complaining....

What are you working on instead of holiday projects ?

Giveaway at Burgundy Buttons

2010-11-17T19:53:00.001-05:00

I just had to do a quickie post about my new fave fabric store and the awesome giveaway they are having!
Burgundy Buttons is giving away a $25 gift card to their shop!
This is on top of their already amazing prices, service and selection.
Last week I got these two jelly rolls...ooooh! such plans....

I highly encourage you to check out their blog, enter their giveaway, sign up for their newsletter, and just enjoy the fabric love!

catching up

2010-11-16T15:52:00.000-05:00

Wow. Sometimes things can really get away from you.

I've been trying to do some catching up on Liz's Half Square Triangle Madness.

Now I know why she's called it "madness".

I even got my daughter's Brownie troop doing them.

(Which means I'm the one doing them.)

I really must be going mad.

I haven't counted yet, but I have a pretty tall skyscraper of them.

(My computer didn't download all my pictures because it ran out of space.

That's how many there are.)

Meanwhile,

I did manage to catch up on a bit of much-overdue yardwork,

and I admired the last summer rose.

Oh, and I did a little catching up with these dis-embodied youths.

(the chickens didn't much like all the leaf shenanigans.)

Yay Autumn!

Blogger's Quilt Fest!

2010-11-01T22:46:00.003-04:00

summer surf

I made this quilt this summer.

I also played with my daughter. On Cape Cod. My home turf. She helped me take the pictures.

There is only one rule on the Cape beaches:

Ok, ok. Since your sign is so intimidating...

This quilt is made from Elizabeth Fransson's "New Wave" pattern.

I call it "summer surf".

But the best part of it is that it has already brought so many folks so much joy.

It is residing at our house on the Cape, which we rent during the summer, in order to make ends meet.

(there are a lot of ends)

Several guests have commented on it. In a good way.

I like it because I picked the fabrics straight out of my stash,

without knowing what the *beep* I was doing,

and it wasn't until I was sewing the binding on, (sitting at the Lake,

while I had some rare down-time) that I thought:

this quilt makes me think of summer, Cape colors, waves, and ocean sunsets.

I love this quilt for more than just its quiltiness.

I love the pictures it has given me.

The time with my daughter it has given me.

The new appreciation for orange it has given me.

The ability to love something from afar.

I love more than just the quilt.

I love....

sweet

2010-10-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

Remember this?

I borrowed (and adjusted) it from this.

And it started to do this.

And then this.

And now, in my shop, you can find this.

In unrelated news (although, everything is connected, right?), my show opens tonight. That's two babies in a week. Wow.

Soon.... (argh!)

2010-10-04T00:32:00.001-04:00

I'm sorry. But I'm having trouble expressing myself.

(that's a blank design wall, if you can't tell..)

But at least there is new inspiration (again, in the form of chickens).

And there is movement. I know that movement is good (one a day, yes?)

And, I promise, there will be This. (see binding clips? Proof!)

So please, bear with me.

Soon. xoxo.

Oh, how I miss you...

2010-09-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

oh, my dear space of mine. how i wish i could tend to you.

There's the back of AmandaJean's Quilt-A-Long that I have conflicting thoughts about...

(and after almost $100 of entirely enjoyable shopping at Keepsake Quilting ((Me = Luckiest Girl in the World)), I think I'm gonna go rogue and improvise the back with leftover strips/scraps from the front.)

...and some much needed Indian Summer cookin'...

Raspberry/Peach Jam.
Skillet Apple Pie.
Peach Grunt.
Dill Pickles.
Creme Brulee (well, when where there are chickens, there will be eggs. And where there are eggs, there will be custard. And where there will be custard, there will be Creme Brulee.)

And tending/marvelling at the garden (first Morning Glory!).

I have been a bit distracted.

Also, I've been in rehearsal 8 hours/day. It's my Work, I get Paid. But I am so Very Lucky. Because, this time, I get to immerse myself in the life of Emilie du Chatelet, the "mother" of Enlightenment, and Votaire's longtime companion and lover. She was an obscure (read: "female") scientist, who was the first to translate Isaac Newton's work into something other than Latin, and who basically was the first to discover that Light has no Mass. And then she died in childbirth at the age of 42.

I am reeling a bit trying to bring her story to, well, the Light.

So, when I'm not cramming lines, I embrace the Season. No One is happier about the ending of summer than I.

I find myself still inviting inspiration. There will, eventually, be a back to that quilt. I will get to my X'Mas projects. And I will make myself one bitty top or something to model on that dress form (from the yard sale for $10 - (yeah gurl, got a dress-form, from a yard-sale, for ten dollah!) AND, I WILL make a bunch of Xmas gifties for family and such. I know It Will Be.

We are always working, no matter what, aren't we. What are you working on, that might not show, I mean?

summer bits

2010-09-03T22:21:00.000-04:00

It's been a good summer. And if you know me, you know I rarely say that. I'm not big on summertime. Especially since I've been living in the mid-atlantic. I guess I got spoiled growing up on Cape Cod. Summer is way better on Cape Cod, I'm sure I don't need to elaborate...

But this summer is bringing me first eggs, and more eggs, my first successful tomatoes, and leeks!

Yes, Leeks! from my garden! Along with cukes, and beans and squash and herbs and more tomatoes, and more eggs, and on it goes...

I've finished quilts, and finished more quilts.

(Claire's quilt, I call it a "modern crazy quilt", because it sure is crazy.)

But it definitely is Claire's.

I took a road trip with my family, from Philly to Boulder, where we visited my mom-in-law. It was a great trip. I don't have too many pix, but my husband and daughter have been blogging about it.

I did finally get to photograph the quilt I made for Barbara last year.

I loved seeing it in her garden.

And I did a bit of work on the Process Pledge.

When I get further, you'll see more! Oh, ok, here's a peek:

It's coming along just as I imagined. Funny how processing is good for that.

I'm about to go into rehearsals for an intense show, so my crafting may be sporadic, but hopefully, I'll be better at blogging. Stay tuned...

The String Quilt that Kicked My ....

2010-08-07T12:09:00.000-04:00

It is finished. And, ok, I admit it turned out pretty great.

This thing kicked my butt.

But, boy, am I glad it's done.

And am I thrilled with the results.

But it'll be a long time till I do that again.

First Egg!!

2010-07-18T01:15:00.000-04:00

So, on a whim, I opened up the hens' nest box...

Omg!I don t even know what to say... I found this!
It's the most beautiful egg ever. Light blue-green. My hens were just as amazed as I.

This is the mama. Allison. She's the most beautiful, and yet most aloof.

The kids were thrilled.
And it happened on the day my mother was born, July 17th. Rest her soul. She would be over the moon with such confirmation of the world's goodness. (We never had colored eggs like this from the brood we raised on the Cape. Just weird shaped eggs from an old hen named Big White.) I miss my mom especially today. It's been 21 years since she's been here. So you can imagine my utter delight when I opened the egg box and saw this perfection. As my stage manager once put on the call board on the last night of our production of THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH: "As it was in the beginning, Is now and ever shall be, World without end, Amen, Amen."
I feel close to the cycle of Life today.

And then there is this. It's nearly killing me. But it proceeds.

How cool is that? 64 excruciating blocks. But it's rockin', no? (I hate it, but I know it's good)

Sorry, I can't stop thinking about that egg...

I wish there was a quilt equivalent, but, no, I get it. There is nothing as remarkable as an egg.

breathe, sooz...

2010-07-11T17:57:00.000-04:00

My birthday present to myself came this week!! My family thought I was having some kind of weird attack when they saw me nearly hyperventilate when I saw this. But, really: Its a whole BOX! From HARTS FABRIC! I opened it, and that's when I thought I would pass out...

Do you see what I see?

Oh yeah, baby...

The whole freaking line. Half yards. My heart is palpitating just writing about it now. My friend Meg (my true stitchywitchy sis) just stopped by and told me I should write myself a "Thank You!" letter.

Dear Me,
Thank you for giving me half-yards of the whole line of Heather Ross' "Far Far Away II". I like it even more than I thought I would. You rock.
Love, Me.

So I have to move a couple of projects out of the studio before I'm allowed to wallow in FFA2. Good thing it's July and I can stream the Tour de France whilst I work on my heinous string quilt.

Maybe you can't see, but that's Lance in the Alps. Oh, how I love the Tour...
And I caught up with Amanda Jean's Quilt A Long.

That's gonna be pretty.
Now I've gotta go mail my letter to myself...hee hee...

oh me oh my

2010-07-08T01:03:00.000-04:00

Yes.

This is a good indication of a fine day.

This confirms it.

Ben dropped off Ella with me today, as I am putting in the final push to get the Chatham house ready for 6 weeks of renters. Painting, cleaning, supervising handymen (who happen to be somewhat unhandy, but that is a different story...)

I was so happy to see my Little Little, as I call her, as I haven't seen my family for a few days, and she seems to be missing me a bunch now. Maybe it is the new teeth growing in that makes her want to be with her mama?

I had brought up the quilt that is now finished (and for sale!) and when the heat broke this evening, I grabbed it and said to Ella, "lets go to the beach! Isn't it awesome to be somewhere where you can just say that and make it so?

To the beach we went.

We had a most excellent photo-shoot for the quilt, and for her, but I'm saving most of those pix for Etsy, and my 13th anniversary with aforementioned hubby.

But I'll tell you one thing: now I know why the pattern is called "new wave". I mean, just look at that...!

I feel so blessed....

a pilgrimage and a design wall!

2010-07-04T10:52:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I've been quilting for 15 years and have never made the pilgrimage to Lancaster County quilt and fabric shops. Oh sure, I'd gone out to take in the gorgeous farmland, ogle at the Amish, and indulge in fresh produce and shoofly pie. But the Amish are also known for their striking quilts, and as the tourism has grown around their lifestyle, several amazing fabric and quilt shops draw crafters from up and down the East Coast.

Amish quilts are usually simply, traditionally designed, with bold, saturated colors, highlighted by the signature black sashing and borders. So I was surprised (and elated!) when I walked into the Old Country Store and saw this!

My dear friend and stitchy-witchy sister, Megan, was my partner in crime. In fact, the pilgrimage was her idea, her birthday present to me.

We didn't hold back...
We became giddy....

.... and a little immature...

but at the end of the day, we'd gathered some goodies...

The rows and rows of Kona could not be ignored...

And I just adore the border on these... another skirt is in my future...

I promised my daughter a little somethin' somethin'...

Meg and I split a Tula Pink layer cake. We're looking forward to making sister quilts!

And we went back the next day and did even more damage.

So when I got home, I exercised great restraint and, instead of immediately cutting into my new acquisitions, I put together the design wall I've been wanting and needing for a while now.

A frame custom fit to my wall space, about 64" x 64". I used 1x3's, painted them a nice purple, cuz that's how I roll...

I cut up some 6 ft x 2 ft foam insulation to fit in the "frame".
I mounted the frame on the wall first, separate from the hard foam. Then I glued the foam pieces together, covered the pieced panel first with an old cotton sheet (to give it a bit more structural integrity), and then stapled the batting on.

Then I screwed the finished panel to the wall, inside the frame, and voila!

And it really works! Even big blocks stick up there easy peasy.

I don't know how I went so long without it! Notice my crazymomquilts Quilt A Long block in the upper right hand corner?

And the promised fairy project in progress on the right...

(I can't tell you about the blocks on the left...yet...)

Now... back to those goodies from Lancaster!

2010-06-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

So, how cute is THIS! I've always been intrigued by these spit-em-out coasters (easy, peasy, lemon, squeezy) and when my dear, Dear friend Yami said she loved my chicken quilt and would buy it for her friend who (also) is raising hens but she can't quite afford it, I said: Never Fear. Fabric/Chicken Woman is here! I stayed up late starting a new Chick to Chick quilt, but then I thought of this. Good, fun, homemade chicken coasters! Hope that will be ok, Mims...

Also, it was my birthday this weekend. So I treated myself to this (from Runner Girl Fabrics):

and, very excitedly, this, from Whiptstitch Fabrics, who had a 40% coupon On My Birthday:

Castle Peeps! By Lizzie House! I can hardly stand it! I have no idea what to do with it, (well, a couple of ideas, like this one from Julie at Jaybird quilts--great blog post)

And yes, I have become a true dork quilter, and am gathering fabrics for xmas crafts. I confess! Go ahead, call me names....

Now, off to work on step 4 of AmandaJean's Quilt A Long! I hope you are joining us!

I mean.... wouldn't you?

2010-06-23T23:12:00.000-04:00

I must admit it felt odd at first.

Sitting in this Adirondack chair by the side of the lake of my soul , watching the kids play endlessly in the cool, early summer water, sewing away at the binding of my latest.

And I wasn't "working". Or sweating. Or doing laundry or painting a room or raking up last fall's debris or oil-soaping the cabinets or trimming the rhodies or ...

I was just taking a few hours to enjoy the place I love the most, simply binding a quilt.

And being with my kids for Real.

(I definitely got wet.)

ooo...such plans

2010-06-19T19:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, indeedy. I have such plans for you.

And you. pillow cases, perhaps?

And because my inner soul is made of pastels (I mean, whose isn't?)....

there is a Master Plan for these.

and this mini-bolt (yes, I purchased 10 yards of this fine, fine white at my local quilt shop's sale today)

Stay tuned...

What if...

2010-06-19T00:25:00.001-04:00

... you really don't love a project?

So a project rears it's (ugly) head.

My dear, dear Aunty Anne and Uncle Batch ("AA&UB") live REALLY close to Keepsake Quilting store in NH. You know, it is only Mecca to us quilters.

AA&UB are two of my few living relatives closest to my heart. They moved to NH from NYC where they were working deep in the theater and theatre-making community. UB: co-pres of Staging Techniques of NYC, lighting Pink Floyd's "The Wall", and the unveiling of the Boeing 747 and among many, Many others; AA: head of Casting at Young and Rubicam/NYC, y'know, one of the leading casting agencies on the east coast. She (AA) is my dad's younger sister, he (UB) and his kids (my cousins) spent every xmas with us since 1970. We. Are. Close. I LOVED visiting them in their Awesome NYC apt on Riverside drive which they bought for peanuts in the 70's and sold for millions in the 90's. As I was getting immersed into the theater world, I used to live with them for a few days twice a year for the Equity LORT auditions that People's Light used to have to go to. Hey, living in NYC ain't so bad if you can live like that...

But then they got older, and wanted to leave the Big Apple. She grew up in the White Mountains of NH, with my dad. *Pow* right when she gets her first AARP letter, she (can you tell who wears the pants in this relationship) says, We are buying a House in Wonalancet, NH. (It's not on the map. don't bother looking.) They'd both gone from innovators to retirees.

This is a long way of saying that they love my quilting, but they don't really get it. And it is hard for me, that these people, who were the epitome of modern thinking in my life, are only interested in very, very, traditional crafting. They've stuck themselves in 1975. That was Modern! Crazy! to me . . . at the time. Now... not so much.

So, each birthday and xmas, they send me a fat quarter packet of fabrics from Keepsake Quilting. It is a Very Fine Gift. But I've been gathering 10 years of FQ packs that haven't really interested me AT ALL, but, as said, are Very Fine.

I must do something with these fabrics, I said to myself, every year I got a new one.

Now, it is happening. But it is such a chore.

I'm not crazy about the fabrics (never have been, clearly AA loves them), and they've been gathering dust in my stash for, oh, years.

Ashley made a string quilt look like so satisfying, I thought it would be a perfect project to use up this fabric for a quilt for AA&UB.

all good, but not "moving" me.

it takes a long time. every piece needs to be chosen, sewn, and ironed.

I started working on this in March, during down time in LEAR, pasting white center strings to foundations (recycled REAL SIMPLE mag pages).

I sew the strips to the foundations. One. At. A. Time. and iron them One. At. A Time.
and even though my blocks are large-ish (8"x8"), it takes For. Ev. Ver. to get enough of them done to feel like you have a shape for a quilt.

Maybe I'm just impatient.

It just takes so long to get here.

Or here.
My plan calls for 48 of these blocks. I have 18. And I've been working since March. Oy.
Sometimes love for family is hard work. And I Do Love You, AA & UB.

And....we're back.

2010-06-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

I've been barely able to contain my euphoria lately, as my daughter has begun making her first quilt!! She's always been into the fabrics (she was instrumental in helping me organize my stash), and she's been bugging me to teach her how to use "her" machine (actually, it was my mother's, a 1935 workhorse White. Makes the straightest seam I've ever seen. I learned to sew on it, and it will, eventually, be passed onto Ella, but it's not officially "hers" yet.) But when she saw me sketching out a plan for a new quilt on paper with colored pencils, she clearly got the Process Pledge bug.

She was really into it, until she realized that she was wasting time drawing the mermaid in Heather Ross's Mendocino, when she could be handling the real thing. So she got the gist with the plan, and then laid out all the 6" x 6" blocks (which I cut for her, even though she was dying to use the rotary cutter...uh...I'm all for kids learning their independence and trying to handle tools by themselves, but I draw the line at rotary cutters big enough to cut off all five fingers of her little hand with one fell swoop).

It sure will be cute! She's already got all the blocks sewn into rows! What a clever girl. Cute, too.

Sometimes she likes to dance on the back deck while I work in the studio. Always to Miley Cyrus. It's become my quilting soundtrack. I'm so proud of her, and thrilled to be handing down the joy.

What I'll Be Missing

2010-06-13T13:57:00.000-04:00

So, I'm fretting because I'll be away from my studio all week. (pesky day jobs!) I snapped some comfort shots the other night, just to tide me through.

a key for a fancy quilt I made for the Theatre auction....
....a portrait of my grandmother, painted by my great-grandmother...

random things that have heart and meaning to me from many moons ago...

....glass art and paper (coupon) weights from Maho Bay on St. John....

....another painting by my great-grandmother, the sea shore where I grew up....
...two of my favorite pix of my kiddies...

...men I love, and who I wished loved me....

...my next tattoo...

... my work: scripts and scraps....

...spurs, wine, and New England sentiment. In my world, they go together....

I'm gonna miss my space.

The Good, The Bad...

2010-06-10T17:46:00.000-04:00

... and maybe it's ugly, but in a beautiful way.

It's the top of the New Wave quilt! Pattern by Elizabeth at Oh, Fransson! It's a fun way to showcase fabrics, but I can see where I need some discipline in choosing a color scheme.

the Bad: What up, cutting mat? I think you're dying a slow, flaky death. I keep finding blue specks all over my fabrics.

and all over my rotary cutter. Hmmm... I smell a 40% coupon at joanns in my future...

The Good: I'm a WINNER!

So I'm spending WAY too much time on line, stalking old and new quilt bloggers, and entering giveaways, because, well, that 's what we do, isn't it? And I get a comment on one of my posts (which is exciting enough!) that I've won a Giveaway! I ran to tell my husband, who I know doesn't really get it, but I was bursting with excitement!

The prize came in the mail today. I was happy just with the beautiful stamps on the outside...

and the sweet tissue package and sticker! And Cindy at Sewing on the Edge wrote a very nice note even! I felt like it was my birthday, only better!

and look what was inside! One of her pincushions made from selvages of Tufted Tweets by my heroine, Laurie Wisbrun! I've been a big fan of Laurie's Urban Circus line, and just this morning caved and bought up a bunch before she discontinues it. I'm waiting for my local quilt shop to get Tufted Tweets in.... waiting...waiting...

so cute. that's the back.

and there it is, in action! I'm so excited to have a little something to remind me of how much I love my new quilty "community".

what tool or object do you use in your crafting that makes you happy?

Be my friend?

2010-06-09T12:33:00.000-04:00

I'm making all sorts of new friends as I wallow in the depths of quilters/crafters blog-land. You can see a long list of blogs I love on the side there, and I keep making more. Check out Jennifer over at Sugar Stitches. I love her Wordless Wednesday post.

a picture says a thousand words, yes?

I hope you make a new friend today. And while you're at it, will you be my friend?

Process...PROCESS!!

2010-06-08T23:56:00.000-04:00

I am committed to Process.

So you get to see it in action:

Here we go! Cutting into the background, Kona White.

Lots of strips....

Labeled carefully...

Then add my homemade jelly roll strips... and voila!
Ready to start sewing, AmandaJean!

Embracing the Flubs

2010-06-08T15:58:00.000-04:00

Remember this? I was so proud of it. So cute, I thought. Well, it could have been. But I seriously flubbed on it, and was too gaga in love for the fabric to notice. So when I took it out to wear the other day, now that it is all warm and breezy and linen-lovin' weather, I was kind of appalled. It looked like I was wearing a bustle! And I couldn't find the center-seam!

I mean, look! The back right is way more gathered than the left.

And look! To compensate for it being too big, I just sewed a new seam right down the middle, leaving a huge "pleat", which I just topstitched over. What, did I think that was going to hide that ridiculous flub?

And, really, look ....The brown under-layer is supposed to be the center front. What's up with the seam way off center there?

I didn't even care about hiding my stitches securing the facing on the inside. Brown thread and all.

Oooh! More totally random topstitching! I wonder what I was trying to hide there..?..

That's it. This fabric is way to cute to live a life of misery in a badly made skirt. There is plenty of it (especially on the right rear "bustle"!), so I'm gonna do something drastic, and cut it up and make into another, much more carefully made skirt. I might even design the pattern myself (yeah, right...)

Any good skirt pattern ideas?

big pear

2010-06-06T14:45:00.000-04:00

it's done. and in my shop.

and i'm a little bit heart-broken.

i imagine this is what it'll feel like when my child grows up and goes off to college.
my rare, one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable child. off to spread it's joy elsewhere.

so bold. so strong. so lively. so perfect.

i'm sure someone will love it as much as i do.

and that's a very good thing.

homemade jelly roll

2010-06-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

I am embracing both my Pledge to Process, and my participation in Amanda Jean's quilt-a-long. I picked out my fabrics. Oh, believe me, I was tempted to buy a fresh charm pack, or jelly roll, or whatever tempting tasty that we all know is out there. But I held fast. And I am very excited to work with all the new fabrics I've received this week.

So, today, while I was helping my 7-year old daughter learn how to quilt (!!) (post about THAT to come), I cut 2.5 inch strips from these lovely bits and made my own jelly roll. (Amanda Jean is terrific about letting us know what fabric yardage we need, and how to prep.)

Oooh. Is that pretty or what? New life goal: making home-made jelly rolls.... Maybe a fabric store will hire me?..?

Now I just need a bit more Kona white for the backing and I will be ready to start quilting a-long on Monday!

Join us?!

Re-Inspired

2010-06-03T15:04:00.000-04:00

She's Back!

I woke up to some wonderful news this morning, a little bit old news, but I'm a little slow on the uptake.

Amanda Jean over at Crazy Mom Quilts came back to blog-land!

Not to be too creepy, but I'd been inspired by Amanda Jean many times when I first started this bloggy thing. She gave me the inspiration for

this,

and this...

and this...

and so on...

When she announced in January that she was leaving her blog, I cried. When I found out this morning that she was back, I cried again.

(ok, I'm being a little dramatic, but it is just such good news.)

I hope you go visit her. and I hope she's not too weirded out by my undying admiration.

Oh, and can you guess what else has got me rockin' today... ?

It's a beautiful world, no?

i've been a baaad (good) girl...

2010-06-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

I've been so weak lately. These all came in the mail in one week.

And this doesn't even include pix of the delicious Kona solids from BlueberryBuckle. Nor the gorgeous linens from fabric-store.com.

I even fooled myself into thinking it was ok to order EVEN MORE when I saw that Kristen over at Sew Mama Sew! was giving away fat quarters, 1 for every $20 worth of fabric ordered. I was just thrilled to let her pick for me... I thought that made it ok to feed my addiction.

Frightening, isn't it. I really think I have a problem.

So I've been hard at work to ease my guilt. Produce, baby, produce. And I'm trying to make a promise: no more fabric until I've listed at least two more things in my shop.

The majority of the new fabrics are going into this beauty using the New Wave pattern I purchased from Elizabeth over at Oh, Fransson!

First there is the cutting.

That's a lot of fabric! (oy! look how badly my floor grid needs some upkeep.)

And thank goodness for chain-piecing. I remember learning that trick eons ago...

Before and after ironing....

....and waiting to be joined together. They'll have a long wait. It's a big quilt.

Look how yummy. See, this is why I'm addicted!

I've also been whipping up some other goodies to keep the family and friends happy. Kinda like throwing meat at the hungry wolves... only nicer.

My daughter and her friend discovered my stash of decor fabrics, and insisted on their very own purses.

I love making these, and this was the first time I tried a strap. Now I can make one for me!

The purse made Ella happy. She "borrowed" my camera to show me how much.

(boy, I'm gonna be so sad when those teeth finally grow in. this is my idea of true beauty.)

I also made this sweet top, for me, from a book of Japanese patterns Meg ~~made me buy~~ directed my attention to. No, neither of us know Japanese. But boy have we had fun figuring it out.

(yup. that's me.)

I immediately felt guilty when the linen order came in, that I made another just like this for my friend, Sam, only in a beautiful cobalt blue.

The need to work off my fabric orders continues, however, so I'm toiling away at this, which I'll show you when it's done.

**pant**pant**pant**

So, have I made up for my weakness yet?

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-28T18:50:00.000-04:00

I must say, I feel a little silly entering this quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I mean, after reading Erica's post over at craftyblossom, I almost perished the thought of entering at all. I mean, my quilt is about....chickens. A far cry from the kind of heart and meaning in so many of the other quilts in this festival. But, then, a very different urge took shape, and I realized that, in the spirit of our bloggy community, this is not about comparing, but about how All Things can have heart and meaning.

And, after all, it's not just about chickens.

It's about beauty.

And growing. . .

. . . and growing.

And the miracles of Mother Nature.

It's about my kids, who LOVE these hens.

And yes, as my husband might insist, about re-living a bit of my childhood.

It's about remembering my mom, Marie Louise Linder McKey, who would just stand beside the (much bigger) coop we had growing up, happily watching her brood.

About finding a whole new way to quilt...with wood! and circular saws! and hardware cloth! and TufTex roofing!

and awesome barn red paint! Who-da thunk?!

This quilt is a fun celebration of all these things.

(and, of course, about re-discovering these fun fabrics I've had for YEARS, now that I've organized my stash....)

It is a sweet quilt.

It reminds me of things in my life that have heart and meaning. And it reminds me of how grateful I am to have found this blogging community. For instance, Ashley at filminthefridge inspires me daily, as her design did here.

So that's my entry. Hope you like it. Oh, and if you think I'm in love with my hens now, wait til they start laying (late summer...)!

Why don't you give it a try?

Getting Serious

2010-04-28T18:59:00.010-04:00

So, I've started to Get Serious. About this quilting thang, the chicken-raising thang, and well, Life in General.

I had another happy customer from my Etsy shop who is thinking about commissioning another boyish blocks quilt. She wants a big one, 80" x 80". I thought, wow, that's serious, and then I realized I had to keep up and get serious, too. She's curious about what other fun prints I have in my stash, and I said, Oh, let me send you a few pix, and then I was in it deep.

Now, I have been drooling over, and wondering if I could ever live up to such admirable stash re-organizations as these: Liz's at teeny tiny quilts, Ashley's at filminthefridge (and again here), and Nettie at a quilt is nice, to name only a few. It seems to be all the rage. Spring cleaning, I guess. But my stash, you see, was large, yes, but in piles on every surface and in every plastic tub I could get my hands on. If I felt my stash was getting out of order, I would just go down to Joann's with my 40% coupon and get some more plastic tubs. When my happy customer wanted some pictures of what I had, I walked into the studio with a happy face, and suddenly became deeply embarrassed.

See, part of Getting Serious (opening my Etsy shop, taking commissions), has meant I have gone a little (a lot) overboard in beefing up my stash. There's been this,
this ,
this,
oh, this ,
and, mmm this . Lots of mail lately. Fabricworm, Hawthorne Threads, and SewMamaSew are my post-box lovers.

But things got out of hand, fast, as they do, when one indulges, which I clearly did. I couldn't find anything, had no sense of what was what, or where, and I was starting to wonder, Why??

Then, thinking I should just get some more plastic bins, I struck out for Joanns, but swung by my local mom 'n pop fabric/quilting shop. They've been hurting lately, are downsizing, and are looking to move some of their inventory. Why not, I thought (like the addict that I am). Well, needless to say, I came home with this . Pretty, yes? And all for a steal, I might add. Maybe I'll go back and get some more.....Help!! Somebody stop me!

So I enlisted the professional help from my 7 year-old daughter, who suffers from the same O.C.D. as I do, and LOVES to organize (has loved it, since she was a baby) and she came to the rescue.
Oooo...this one is very pretty! she says. And then drops it into the specific color pile (which she had designated, on my floor grid, btw). That picture shows her about 5 minutes into the project. It took over an hour. My floor was covered with fabrics, the grid was obliterated. She was making fabric angels on the floor, I'm not even kidding. I don't have pics because I was literally wading through the fabric.

Then, today, I did this . A thing of beauty, yes? It's so not fair to show the chaos and then the result, because, believe me, the process was long, arduous, and niggling. But deeply, DEEPLY satisfying. Just look at this ,
and this
and this ,
and this ,

and this , and even these !

I just want to pour a big glass of wine, pull up a stool, and just look at it. I've even plastic-binned my "current" projects, some designer collections, and basics like backing (Ikea sheets!), heavyweights, linens, and muslins. And of course, a giant bin for SOLIDS. I love my Kona Solids (see picture above!) And everything is labeled, for your safety.

Now I can REALLY get serious. So many ideas came to mind just sorting stuff out. But I kept on target, have my tiers of goals (things that have to get done Yesterday, things that have to get done Tomorrow, things I want to do sometime Soon, and things I want to do Someday) and feel like I know where I am, which is all it's really about, isn't it?

Now, I can concentrate on this

and this .

Oh, and I promise, next time, to tell you about this. And this.

Talk about getting serious. What is getting you serious these days?

Growing

2010-03-19T21:49:00.004-04:00

I finally finished Barbara's quilt! I think it came out quite nicely.

I especially like the back.

The quilting is just a big stipple, with some fun wavy details. It went surprisingly quickly.

I'm trying this new thing with labels. I like the unbleached twill tape.

And then, there are these funny girl creatures....

I have very little to do with the making of these. They are growing all by themselves.

They are like teenagers, now, getting into trouble.

I better take a break from the quilts and finish that coop!

Look what came in the mail...

2010-03-07T20:22:00.004-05:00

It's been a fabulous week in my mailbox.

I was looking up Marimekko panels after drooling over Ashley's boots for elephants. I found this:
Isn't it divine? It's about 38" by 56", big! I have the perfect backing for it. I hope to put it up in my shop, but now I'm getting ahead of myself...
These also came. Sales at Fabricworm!

But this was the best of all:
It looks like an ordinary package, but this one PEEPED!

Look what was inside!

All five were so happy to stretch their legs and grab a bite and a drink.
And I am so happy to welcome them to our family! Names: Sunny, Allison, Moonlight, Rabbit (or Bunny), and Dave (her real name is Rebecca, but she goes by Dave). Eggs this fall, friends!

Pride and Joy

2010-02-19T12:51:00.005-05:00

I have taken the plunge. I opened an Etsy shop yesterday. I am selling these quilts, or, rather, ones like these, as these exact quilts already have homes.

I call this one "wiggle".
This one: "it takes a village".
And I call this one "confetti parade". I've already sold two of these. A good thing, too, as my scrap pile is getting out of control again.

Find my shop at Etsy.com It's called "a brace of eggs". I will put a permanent link to it on our sidebar here.

Oh, and I took another plunge this week: I ordered 5 chicks. They arrive next week, USPS willing.

I'm gonna be a busy girl. Just the way I like it.

Eureka!

2010-02-10T09:14:00.006-05:00

I love having "Eureka!" moments. I was struggling this week with the layout and construction of a quilt top. I rarely use patterns anymore; I am too busy being inspired by the amazing leading ladies of the modern quilt movement, like Ashley over at Film in the Fridge. I've been wanting to make a quilt inspired by her Animal Sherbet Squares. I just love the haphazard blocks.

So I started a long overdue quilt for my mother-in-law. I've had this lovely, bright, Japanese art-inspired fabric for a couple of years, with her in mind. I'd just been waiting for the right pattern idea to come along. The first mini-eureka moment: a haphazard block quilt a la Ashley's for my most wonderful mom-in-law, Barbara. Thanks, Ashley, for the inspiration!

As I mentioned, I had bought the fabric a couple of years ago, when I was in a Stack-n-Whack craze.
We call this one Orange Madness. It goes perfectly with our ridiculous couch, which we also call Orange Madness. (Ella obviously prefers the flannel quilt on snowy days like this, which is fine as it gave me the opportunity to snap a quick photo of Orange Madness : ) )

This mermaid fabric was a blast to stack-n-whack and I had so much fun quilting this baby with waves and swirls and eddies. I have to remember that I still have a bit of this fabric left...hmmm...another mini-eureka!

Now, this is the beginning of the current quilt. Whole piece of fabric on right, stack-n-whack octagons on left, and scrappy block in center.

The kaleidescope stack-n-whack blocks are fairly big, so I only have five of those, and then I filled in with simpler, smaller scrappy blocks, made from some stash fabric, and some new lovelies that just happened to jump into my cart while I was at Joann's picking up thread.... crazy how that happens, right?

I holed myself up in the studio during the past week of blizzards and snow days, and when I wasn't having most excellent walks through the thigh-deep snow (hip-deep to Griff!),
I just churned out these blocks.
Do you ever find it is hard to stop? They are just so much fun to make...no two are alike!

Now comes the Big Eureka moment. I was having a hard time finding a system to assemble the blocks and background fabric. There's always a system, right? Well, I laid out the blocks on the floor, and just started piecing the tan in between, but it was really tedious and not as fun as I suspected it really could be. Then, the Ah HA! came when I noticed that the rug squares matched up with the size I wanted the quilt (jeez, as I write this I realize what a moron I can be sometimes...it's sounding so obvious now with hindsight...) and I thought "Grid!" So I taped out the grid of the rug squares, which are perfect 18" squares, and now I can piece a square at a time. I can be much more accurate, and it actually helped me adjust the layout more evenly, as each square has about the same number of scrappy squares in it.

You may be saying, "duh, Sooz", but I am saying "Eureka!" Sometimes it is more satisfying to discover something by yourself, rather than just being told how.

Now enough of this blogging about my silly, slow brain, and back to the studio to make those blocks!

Brothers' quilts

2010-01-15T23:58:00.003-05:00

I finally finished (most) of my brothers' quilts. One is entirely done. The other is awaiting a few spare hours (and not so frigid temps) in the studio to complete the back and put it all together. The one turned out great and I am really happy with the results.

I had lots of inspiration, mostly from Ashley over at Film in the Fridge. I love how it is so masculine, but still fun and cuddly. Sorry about the fold/crease lines. I realized I hadn't taken a photo until after I had packed it all up to send for Xmas! I couldn't let it go without documentation. Who knows when I'd see it again?

I can't wait to back and quilt the second, and send them both off. Well, I obviously can wait to send them off. I clearly don't want to part with them at all, I cannot tell a lie.

Happy New Christmas Birthday Year, my Bruders. I hope you like these first quilts from your Schwester. I promise they will be in the mail before spring....maybe...

Island Girl

2010-01-15T23:36:00.008-05:00

I was the luckiest sister in the world earlier this month and was whisked away to Maho Bay on St. John (USVI). Suffice it to say I had never experienced island life that wasn't Hebridian or Cape Coddish. I'm a convert. I will be there next winter, I guarantee. and I will bring back more yum yums.

The camp where my sister and I stayed supports artists of all kinds. Glass, ceramic, batik, etc. As if it wasn't enough that I was soaking up the sun and the humidity and the warm sea, I was in crafter heaven as well! I fell in love with glass, and the art of making glass and the mesmerizing process of glass-blowing.

These guys, John and Pete, from New England (my homies!) were better than any TV. I watched them work for hours.

I also brought home lots of their artwork. Supporting fellow crafters, don't you know..

I know! Little glass rings on a leather cord! The coolest necklace ever...

The batik artist wasn't there, but a few scraps of her stuff was for sale in the shop, made from old sails. The colors were so St. John. I had to make something from them right away. So I dug out my tiny sewing kit from my luggage and set about adorning my new hat. It was ecstasy to be working with fabric While I Was On The Beach.

The colors don't show up so well in these photos, but they are so calm and cool and sea and sky-like, it makes me especially happy to put on my hat now that I'm back home in the cold mid-atlantic.

I had whipped up a couple of linen wraps for me and my sister before the trip, big rectangles of fabric, really, to use as sarongs or something to lie on on the beach, or whatever. We used them constantly. They hung to dry on branches, and looked like prayer flags marking our spot on the beach. I have further plans for them: I think I will decorate them with the left-over batik scraps I got. And then with the left-over leftovers, I want to piece a string of prayer flags. I couldn't get enough of the fabric/Maho Bay combo, obviously.

Ellen, my sister, made me take this shot. A wee scrap, returning whence it came...

Things I can't begin to express in words but must call attention to:

The colors of the caribbean bays.
The flowers.
The softness of the water.
The ease of breath. (Don't even ask me what I mean by this, it's just a real thing.)
The indistinction between outside and inside.
The sound of the gentle surf.
The entire cast of Finding Nemo only a snorkel and mask-length away.

Did I mention that I must go back there?

My Day

2009-11-16T22:40:00.009-05:00

Amy over at Park City Girl asked for a peek into our daily lives. I love this curiousness. We are remarkable in our individual ways, seeking out and making beauty.

I will keep it short, as the minute details often don't tell the big story.

I get up when I have to. Some mornings it is at 6 when the 10 yr old boy needs assistance getting out the door. Sometimes it's 7 am when the 6 year old girl needs it and the boy has gone off with the husband. Sometimes, when I am very lucky, it is when my body wakes, because I am working late nights and the husband knows how it can be to work until midnight and need to sleep it off till 9-ish, say.

We are professional actors, theater actors, and have ridiculous, erratic schedules based upon actor union timetables and traditional night-time hours.

My latest craziness, the annual Panto, which takes too much time to explain here, but suffice it to say, requires as many hours as we are allowed by Actors' Equity to get up and rolling. We open Saturday.

I look at these production shots and it is impossible to tell how exhausting this work is. But it is huge and when the audience finally shows up tomorrow night we'll be even more whupped.

I get home from work late, usually 11 or midnight. I get up (see above) and usually first attend to the house. Why can't boys do this simple task? I swear it is ingrained in us ladies to make sure the house is clean/presentable/not disgusting before doing ANYTHING else. Boys are perfectly happy to go about their business without wiping counters, emptying dishwashers, or putting away clothes. Or even noticing that any of that needs doing.

I drive a lot. Usually an hour to work and back. And often another 10-15 miles picking up/dropping off kids, or soing shopping. I spend a lot of time in my car. I wish I had a picture to share right here. My transport is a 1998 Honda CRV with lots of bumper stickers on it declaring my bleeding heart liberalism. A friend once called it the PolemicMobile. It is true.

My time quilting comes in fits and starts. This past week, while we've been in tech, and therefore called all the time but not used all the time, I've had my machine and a project or two with me at the theatre, at my place in the dressing room. It makes for good time-filler (I am such a shark and cannot be still and must always be moving/working with my hands) and even better conversation starter. The musical director of this show is a knitter. We share inspirations. She loves when I bring in the new fabrics I've received. I love hearing about how she hand-dyed wool with Kool-Aid.

Monday is my day off. I spend as much time as I can in my Studio.
This was actually a shot taken to impress my husband with my leaf-raking skills (there is a giant sugar maple right next to studio that had recently dumped itself inches thick on the "lawn"). The prayer flags draw life energy into the little white shack that is my studio.
It may not look like much, but this little transformed garage has saved my creativity, my marriage, and my heart. I love spending a whole day out here, listening to NPR, drinking coffee/tea/wine (in the evenings) and losing myself in my latest project/s. Often I take a break and sit out on the wee deck and watch the wildflowers in the park that abuts our yard. It's amazing how they change every day.

Of course, there are the kid-lets. They know how important my Studio is to me, they come in and out, I keep plenty of toys and crafts in there so they love to "work" alongside me, or Griff (the 10 yr old boy) might spend time making "improvements" to his tree-house (see above, the yellow thing).

Every day for me is a new day. I can't illustrate it in a schedule, or grid, but it is always full, and usually fun. And lately, since finding my quilty-community, full of inspiration.

Carpe Diem.

Post Script: for a hilarious and honest description of my blog-mate Meg's day, see earlier post "Life As Rollercoaster" October 4, 2009.

Community

2009-11-15T14:45:00.010-05:00

I have to say right here and now that I am so grateful to my blogmate, Meg, for opening my eyes to the whole quilters'/crafters' blogosphere. I am so inspired and joyful when I stumble across a new blog or website, and I know I have barely scratched the surface. A friend told me that one of the very first communities formed when the Internet was born were the quilters. This doesn't surprise me. We love being a part of a community, sharing ideas, insights, and beauty.

That's just a little shout-out to my new muses, lately Amandajean at crazy mom quilts. Her "ticker-tape" inspired me for the quilt I made last month for my new niece, Cora. Amandajean was also working on this sweet wee house quilt. So I thought I'd give it a shot for my new nephew who was born just a week later!

Some "in progress shots":

I had so much fun making these itty bitty houses, each about 2 x 3 inches, and then the free motion quilting was a blast. When was the last time we were able to say that?

This is the perfect preciousness of humanity that this humble quilt is for.
Welcome, Sir Oscar Lewis Johannsen. You bring great promise to our troubled world.

And, in contrast, my very own, very grown-up brothers are due a little quilty-lovin' from their little sistah. Here's some fabric I found for that very purpose from down shadow lane and Hawthorn fabrics. I Heart Etsy.

This will be a Male Quilt (two, I hope, for both my bros), again inspired by friends I've made online. this time, Ashley at film in the fridge.

I also have to give a Sammy Sosa-like heart-kiss salute to Erica at Craftyblossom. She's my latest muse. Instant love.

I urge you to Reach out. Feel your community. Talk back. We all have beauty to share. It's all good.

Odds and Ends

2009-11-03T21:28:00.007-05:00

I'm embarrassed to have let almost an entire month go by without a single post. But we've been busy. and I have to remind myself, blogging about my hobby is not my job. Working, and mothering, and paying bills (etc) is my job. This is just a tether to my heart. Hmmm... maybe that's why my heart has felt floppy lately...

Anyway, here's what I've been up to.

Remember those scraps I had plans for? Inspired by CrazyMomQuilts Tickertape Quilt? Well, I made my own. (Thank you so much, Amandajean, it was such a fun quilt to make!) And the baby who I was making it for did me the great favor of being a week late (Welcome to this crazy world, Cora Simone!) and I finished it just as she was being born.

Maybe it looks tedious to you, but I found it so satisfying. I think part of every quilter is an OCD sufferer. This project goes straight to that itch.

And I continued to have fun with the backing. I totally heart Ikea fabric and sheets for quilting materials!
And after I washed it it got all nubbly and perfect for a wee baby's curious fingers.

I'm sorry to see this treasure go. But I know it is going somewhere very, very special.

Happy Birthday, Cora!

I also wanted to post about the flannel quilt I made last year. This is the first autumn season I've pulled it out since making it, and it totally warmed my heart. It took me a whole year to finally finish it, probably because I knew it was for me and me alone, so it always took a back burner to the other projects for babies born, auctions, and commissions.

It's FLANNEL!!

I had so much fun with a new kind of free motion quilting, jaggedy instead of swirly. It's not perfect, but it goes with the pattern. I cannot tell you how snuggly this quilt is. I'm already making another flannel quilt for my son. It's a great "guy quilt" option. I think new quilts for my brothers are on the list...

I've also started working on the next baby quilt for the next baby, due in a couple of weeks. I fell in love with this other project of AmandaJean's, Happy Little Community,
which she found here
and I just couldn't help myself.
I've actually gotten a lot further along now, and will post more pics soon. It is really so sweet, and although I am a little nervous about the quilting, since so much white will highlight the quilting, I have faith in the loveliness of these little houses, and the ideas in Mindful Meandering, the free-motion quilting book that has been my bible lately. Link to that to come.

And last, but not least, I promised a pic of the top I made after I made dresses for my daughter and her friend. Here 'tis, and I look forward to wearing it again when I'm not rehearsing and sweating so much.

It's hanging off an old vine I helped clear out of the park that abuts our yard, another reason I love where I live.
it is so important to find peace in creativity, in sunlight, in nature, and in the everyday beauty right in front of us.

this is not new thinking.

just a gentle reminder.

blessings. peace. simplicity.

embrace it.

a well earned nap, and a skirt to boot!

2009-10-10T15:40:00.007-04:00

Remember those linens I found at (sotto voce) JoAnn's?

Actually, I only went to find something that might go with the pale green linen I already had (former very wide-legged pants that had lost its elastic and made me look huge anyway), but when I found that awesome print, the skirt project veered in a whole other direction.

anyway... after a couple of setbacks (never try to follow a pattern late at night), sleeping on it, waking multiple times with ideas on how to fix it,

and then toiling away in the sunny studio (note coffee AND tea mugs),

I finally got a finished product:

It goes nicely with the autumn, don't you think?

The sun today is giving me multiple lighting options.

Sometime when I'm less tired I want to write about making clothes from patterns. This experience tested me. And I've had plenty of pattern experience, but every one seems to be written in a slightly different language, and that will be the thesis for my rant.

So, now, a nap (hopefully) before wearing new skirt on a date with my husband while the kids are off with their Tanti. She's teaching them how to be more helpful around the house:

Love something that is linen today. the weather is ripe for it.

The Scrap Pile...

2009-10-08T17:29:00.009-04:00

...of Life.

I'm warning you right now this post is metaphorical.

So, here are a few scraps I'm working on during this one week of unemployment

1. Finishing Erin and Aaron's wedding quilt.

I should mention they got married over 15 months ago.

Prayer Flags offer Peace for a happy marriage.

You know the first cat to jump on a quilt means good luck?

Of course, Lucy Blue wears her own natural quilt.

2. I picked up some linen today at Joann's Fabrics (don't judge me). I am making a skirt. I'm working backwards: I've been inspired by the pattern first, then the fabrics. That's how the scraps of Life work sometimes. Intention first, then Impulse. Imagine that?

Yum Yum.

I would just drape them willy-nilly all over me and call it a day but I would embarrass my kids, I'm sure.

So that is one skirt, two quilts (still binding the auction quilt-god help me and let be over already) oh! and the quilt that inspired this post, and, well, so many other things...

3. My Inspiration today comes from Crazy Mom Quilts blog, her quilt called "ticker tape". I'm not blog-savvy enough to insert here a link to this quilt. (Meg is--link inserted!)

crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2009/09/ticker-tape.html

ok, I don't know what that will do, but that is the link to this quilt I. Will. Make. I've already started gathering the scraps.
There are two babies being born in my extended family this month. I may be sorry for embarking on such a labor intensive quilt for a baby that could be here today, but, remember, I am inspired.

By Scraps.

I've noticed that the scraps of Life can be just as beautiful as the scraps in my bin. Sometimes the scraps add up to something way beyond the sum of their parts, something unexpected, inspirational. Sometimes the scraps are just beautiful on their own, and may never add up to anything else than their own individual, teeny, tiny beauty. I need not elaborate here.

We shall see what these scraps of mine bring. Meanwhile, never overlook your own scraps. They may lead to something remarkable.

Then again, they may not. No worries.

Primal

2009-10-01T18:30:00.011-04:00

I can't help it. It is Primal. So deep in the fiber of my being. This spit of land jutting out into the sea is my soul. It is the only god I know.

I just spent three days here on Cape Cod, where I was born and raised. Most of my time this week was spent alone, in glorious fall weather, clear, cool and fresh.

I know it bothers some people who are close to me when I call this "Home", because I've actually lived in the Philadelphia area longer than I lived (full-time) in Chatham. But this is the water and the sand and the sky of my youth, my learning, and I'm going to take this new-fangled blogging opportunity to display a pictorial collage of my home, my gut, my self.

This is what one might expect of a mother who is trying to encourage the love of this place to her kids.

And it working, I dare say.

But this is the beauty that sends me reeling, touches someplace so simple, yet so profound.The Green, green ivy in the clear, clear sun.The Hydrangeas, draining their color into the last stroke of the autumn fall.
The Last Fall teeny tiny Rose The walkway my mother laid 40 years ago. What a cool-shaped leaf.

And then, of course, there is the Lake.
The water of my youth. There is probably more of that lake water flowing through my veins than anything else.

Today I found some surprise raspberries. I love raspberries, finding them on the vine. The feel of one coming cleanly off it little nipple. The look of them in a bowl. I planted these raspberry vines about 7 years ago for my dad. He really loved raspberries. He had no idea how to take care of them, and for years they produced a slight handful at best. This weenie 1/4 pint of raspberries I found made me do crazy things, like take portraits of them in unlikely places.Surprise!This way to the berries
straight and round they go together, somehow.

Perhaps I will never be able to explain it. Maybe that is my Lesson in Life. What touches me and inspires me about my home turf is my story, one that belongs to me only, and the more I let it feed me and make me smile on the inside, and the less I try to explain it away or teach it or promote it, the Better.

A few parting shots.

Summer leftover

It was a good one.

October fishing. Why not?

This is not a cat. It is a Cat Stump.
In honor of all the crazy and lovely cats who roamed this sandy little corner of Indian Hill Road. May you walk with the natives now.

Go out and really look at the nature of your homeland. We will all be much closer then.

Why I do this

2009-09-30T12:47:00.005-04:00

So I had to take a break from the silks and fancy-schmancy quilt making to get real.

I had picked up these glorious fabrics at Cloth and Bobbin in Narberth, and this sweet Amy Butler pattern. I was going to make "matching" Mom and daughter dresses. The pattern is great because it has both girls and ladies sizes, and you can make 5 different length tops/dresses.

I made Ella's first.

But when Lily saw it, she wanted one, too. That made me happy.

I finally finished mine, but I didn't take a picture yet because I was too busy marveling at this:

Sometimes life just has a way of being so perfect.

First Stitchy Post

2009-09-29T18:08:00.006-04:00

So, one of the things I'm learning about blogging, is it takes up time. And I am the kind of person who struggles with doing something that takes time from things I want to be doing. So, now, as I make this post, I'm wishing I was working on the thing that I am posting about, and not just blogging about it. Ah, the perils of virtuality. I just made up that word. Look, if Shakespeare could do it, so can I.

Voila. The 2009 People's Light & Theatre Auction Quilt (top).

Every year since 2000 I have donated a "hand crafted" quilt to People's Light, my artistic home. In 2000, the quilt sold for $12,500. It was one of the proudest and most shocking moments of my life. Every year, the quilt is featured in the fund raising event, so much so that I don't even have to have it finished, or conceived even, before auction date. Now, PL&T auctions off the "promise" of one of my quilts and, although they've never fetched quite the ridiculous amount it did in 2000 (that was before 9/11, remember), it is a much anticipated moment. Go figure. All monies from the auction benefit the People's Light Project Discovery programs, which brings theater and its processes to thousands of students yearly. This is a program I've worked in extensively, and believe in wholly, and am eternally grateful to for shaping my approach to theater, and thus, my love and life.

Back to the quilt. This year, it's a Bargello pattern, one I've used before, and, like every year, I use remnants of fabrics used in the costumes from productions from the current season.

A couple of previous years' auction quilts:

This used calicos from the production of SPLITTIN' THE RAFT, a 4 character telling of the Huck Finn story, so there were some great 19th century vintage fabrics. I think this was my favorite. It was hard to give it away, but the winners are dear friends, so I know it is well-loved.

This is more typical auction quilt style. I like how the stars almost twinkle.

So: the Bargello is fun because the design emerges out of precise ordering of pieces and a kind of mathematical system. It appeals to my love of geometry, and beauty unfolding out of pattern.

Strips of different widths await their turn in the pattern. I manage the unpredictability of the fabrics (these are mostly silks and they shed and fray terribly) by keeping them uber-organized. I learned (too late for this year's project) from the awesome lady at my new favorite fabric store in Narberth, Cloth and Bobbin, that using very lightweight fusible interfacing before cutting the strips make fancy fabrics much more manageable.

It's funny. Putting the strips together doesn't really pay off until they are all connected. It starts off looking very blocky and formulaic and I wondered if I hadn't made a terrible mistake in the pattern and choice of colors. They don't really talk to each other and move together until it is complete.

Cool, huh? I know, the colors are whacked from different lighting, but it really is the same quilt.

I like the trippy picture because it really captures how this very precise, strict patterning ends up creating so much movement when completed.

Then just add some borders and off we go.

It really is quite luscious, even if completely unusable. I guess some quilts just get to live the lazy life and their only job is hanging on some wall and looking pretty. It doesn't appeal to my pragmatic nature, but there you have it.
Sometimes beauty is just, well, Beauty.

2009-09-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

There is only one good place to start: that is with Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding, baby!

First, I was forced to simmer the pears in lots of butter and sugar. It was torture, I tell you.

Then the recipe made me bake it over the Challah Bread that had been soaking in vanilla custard overnight . How dare they.

Look what happened! I was burdened with this heart stopping desert that even my 10 year old swooned for. I should be put in jail for this.

This recipe came from Meg's unbelievable book "Rustic Fruit Desserts" that, in many ways, was one of the inspirations for starting this blog about how even disorganized artist mothers can have blog-worthy moments in our lives. Note the word "moments". We can't claim to live like this all the time. But I like the idea of catching the beautiful moments when they happen, and I think Meg and I inspire each other to do that.

I promise there will be a "stitchy" post soon, so as to live up to what we've named this crazy venture. Meg, maybe you want to post the first "stitch"?

Today: eat something that just makes you happy, even if it isn't technically healthy. Mental health will improve.