Dear Monster,

 I really do love you, my dear monster quilt.  And it is not as though you are king size.  You are just a bit outside the realm of do-ability for me and my trusty old Bernina.  We are pushing on though.  That is, pushing, tugging, twisting and shoving.  I have had classes with machine quilting teachers that advise the “fluff and stuff” method of getting the bulk of your quilt under your sewing machine.  My method for this one has rather been one of “cram and curse.”  We are way beyond rolling or pleating.

 

My shoulders ache, my hands are killing me, and my back is questioning the age stated on my driver’s license.   But I am not giving up on you now, monster baby!  I am playing the victory aria Nessun Dorma from Puccini's opera  Turandot, getting back rubs and pep talks from my husband, who keeps bringing in more tables to support your embarrassing weight.  So, monster darling, get ready for another session of cursing and cramming.   In the words of Puccini, no one will sleep!  My machine will be humming all night and “at dawn, I will win!”  We will win!

Now then, what was I saying?

First a job change (not voluntary), then a move, then various life and family events, plus Mom needing just a little more daily care and, woosh!  Massive amounts of time goes by!
But the constants (loving hubby, great kids, sweet sisters and, of course, quilting) keep life humming along.
I have made some favorite quilts in the last couple of years,

 

been to Asilomar and Empty Spools seminar, where I enjoyed a week-long workshop wit Pam Holland,

 

and had the most amazing trip to England with my daughter, the English Prof, and her class.  There I was inspired by so much beauty, especially Kew Gardens.  This is the quilt I made from one of my water lily photos.

 

 

I have seen many stunning water lily quilts, but this has special meaning for me as it reminds me of that time in London with my daughter.  I have not done a lot of traveling in my life, so it was just a joy for me the whole time!
And now I have new projects to keep me busy.  I took part (for some insane reason!) in a block of the month program that featured 5" blocks.  Some with many, many pieces!  The blocks - 63 of them - were from Lori Smith's book, Road to Freedom, and used civil war reproduction fabric.  The program was through The Temecula Quilt Company.  It was a lot of fun, and I finally finished all the blocks, but decided to design my own setting instead of the original pattern.  That took some time, but I am happy with it and am now quilting it.  It is really too large to do on my home machine, but that has never stopped me before!!  Believe me, it is like trying to wrestle an uncooperative giant squid through the machine to get the center area quilted.  But quilt it, I will!
I am also participating in an Facebook quilt-along, but that is another story!

Big Years and Life Lists

At the beginning of 2011 I decided to try a new twist on New Year’s Resolutions.   Usually I enjoy making resolutions, and like most people, have had a mixed bag of results.    But last January I decided to choose a word for the year instead.  The word I chose for my inspiration for the coming year was, bold.  Actually, it was BOLD!  I pinned it up on my bulletin board in my workspace (more than a sewing room, less than a studio) and saw it every day. 

 I began to see it other places, too.  And I am really happy with the effect it had on my work.  My quilts, and my approach to my projects, were indeed, bolder than ever before.  Gutsy even. 

 I wondered what I would use for my “word for the year” this year – where would the inspiration come from.

Inspiration came from an unlikely source:  Mark Obmascik bestseller, The Big Year.  In this book, the author chronicles the bizarre sport of competitive bird watching, focusing on three very different birders, men similar only in their common passion.  It was a fascinating read.  (I like birds, too.)

Basically, a Big Year is a list of birds spotted and recorded by an individual who is trying to list the most birds identified in a single year by any one person.  There are international versions, as well as regional (in this case North America), statewide and local categories.  Earnest birders are also always working on their Life List, a compilation of all the birds they have ever personally identified.

So, why did this concept resonate with the quilter in me, and how would it relate to my quilting?  I suppose I could choose to go to every major quilt show, conference and confab in 2012 and record every type of quilt I saw.  But, no.  What I am thinking is that I can use this year to try as many different techniques in my quilt making as possible.   As many different colorways, as many different constructions and uses as I can.  Of course, this will force me to be a little more diligent in my record keeping and journaling, too.  And there is that Life List that is interesting to think about.

January offered me the perfect opportunity to begin My Big Year (as I’m calling it!).  I participated in a workshop with Karen Eckmeier, a wonderful designer from Connecticut.    She was teaching her technique of layering fabrics to achieve landscape views in quilts.  It was a great workshop and in a few days I finished up my “Walking the Dunes” little beach landscape quilt.  One down for My Big Year!

The other project that I am excited about for 2012, is a block exchange that my daughter and I are doing.  We have done this before.  Since we live so far apart, the monthly exchange brings us a little surprise from each other on a regular basis – so fun!  This time around, our blocks will all be star designs with neutral backgrounds.  Size, color and style are in the “anything goes” category.  This means that the construction of the quilts at the end of the year will most likely require fill strips and additional blocks.  I finished my first block and it will go in the mail tomorrow! 

 2012 should be a productive quilting year for me.  And all that sewing will help to block out all the political yammering, too!

The Quilt Speaks

The Quilt Speaks

 I cannot count the times I have heard or read a master quilter answer the question of how they determine how they will quilt their finished quilt top by saying, “The quilt top will tell you what it wants.”

Oh really.

I finished a quilt top last year.  The piecing went really well.  I used many of my favorite fabrics.  I added some new techniques.  In all, I was really happy with this project.  I let it “rest” for a while before deciding on the quilting.  Summer 2011 came and my guild was asking for submissions for our fall show.  I got that top back out and put it up on the design wall.  I took it down. I laid it out on the table.  I walked around it for days, weeks.    I was quiet - waiting for the quilt to speak to me.  Then, it happened.  My quilt did speak to me.  Loudly.  It said:

 “Don’t #!@%* this up!!”

I left the room.  I guess we were both feeling a little nervous about this.  Each time I went back into the sewing room, my quilt reminded me of how I had put only the best fabrics into it.  How every star point and corner was perfect.  How easily it could be ruined with the wrong choice for the quilting.  I asked myself, “What’s the worst that can happen?”  That sent me running from the sewing room and slamming the door behind me.

But I kept thinking about it.  I doodled. I sketched ideas.  I began to think about thread.  I got out a practice piece to try some stitches.  I obsessed about batting.  Gradually, each decision was made until everything was done that could possibly be done... except for actually quilting the quilt.  Then my quilt and I had a more reasonable conversation.  I was encouraging, but firm.  We began with a sunflower motif in the center of the star. 

 I drew the circle with chalk, but everything else was freehand in that dark red star.  Then came the small gold stars.  They got a little swirl with YLI gold silk sparkle thread. 

 Then the large white background areas were marked for an overlapping ½” circle design.  That was the end of the marking.  All the rest of the surrounding areas were free motion feathers and fill designs. 

 We were flying!  The outer border had one more feather design.  I bound, washed, and blocked the quilt and sewed a label on the back.  Off my quilt went to the show judge and I finished another quilt that I planned to display in the show, but not submit for judging.

That bossy quilt that tried to intimidate me has nothing to say now.  It appears happy with the two ribbons it won in the quilt show – 2^nd Place for pieced large wall quilt, and show-wide Excellence in Machine Quilting.  I guess we’re both pretty happy.

The Stash Wants What the Stash Wants

I had great fun taking my two older sisters to visit my favorite local quilt store last weekend.  Neither are quilters, but my oldest sister has made quilts in the past.  She was not prepared for the all glorious contemporary fabric, however!  I believe we looked at every bolt in the store, but I don’t suppose that is really possible.  We demonstrated our three distinct styles in our choices, but admired each other’s picks, too.  I wasn’t going to buy anything (heard that before?) this trip.  But then I saw them.  The chickens.  Holy Moley!  Eight elegant roosters in a panel.

I am not really a big fan of “country” style decorating, or Americana.  But these chickens, or roosters, I suppose, are just too fabulous!  From the Chanticleer line from Robert Kaufman fabrics, they are dramatic and nearly regal.  For chickens.

I guess they made me think of the Minnesota State Fair and how I always wanted to go see the poultry house first thing!  All those crazy looking chickens in Technicolor and stereophonic sound!  Makes me giggle just to think of them!

Now to say that I don't need any more fabric is to say that the heavens don't need any more stars, Oprah doesn't need any more shoes, and the Gulf coast doesn't need any more disasters.  If I, and all of my progeny for the next five generations, make quilts until we die, there may still be some fabric left from my stash.  A common condition for quilters.  Or crafters of any type, I guess.  Those chickens just needed to come home with me.  Of course, it is doubtful that I have all the fabric I need to go with this new acquisition.  And so, back to the quilt store!

June Gloom?

Our family from the Pacific Northwest is arriving today and I have a bit of bad news for them.  Here in the sun and sand paradise of California, we are experiencing our usual June Gloom.  Yep.  The marine layer builds during the night and by morning we are cloudy and cool.  This morning I went out early to sweep the walk (the rabbits scatter the mulch around, with glee, I am sure, each night), and found everything as damp as if it had rained.  Now, I know what’s coming in a few weeks. Heat wave!  So I don’t mind this pause in our summer weather.  But if you are from Washington State, heading to Southern California, you want sun!!  I know my sister, who grew up here, is imagining herself right now laying on a beach towel, feet digging into the hot sand while the muffle of shouting kids, laughter, waves breaking, gulls calling and oldies music on someone’s radio transporting her back to the late fifties!

I have other activities planned to distract them from the cloudy sky.  We will cook together, we will look at old pictures, and share the new ones we’ve taken with our phones, we will relive the old family stories, walk around the farmer’s market, go to the movies.  And we will still go to the beach.  It may be a little cool yet;  we’ll wear our sweatshirts.  But we will look for shells and walk along the edge of the Pacific, scooting in and out of the foam.   And I have downloaded the Drifters, for the sounds of the fifties to keep us company.  Up On The Roof, On Broadway, Under The Boardwalk…

Presto Change-o

 I am really lucky to be able to walk down the hall from my bedroom in the early morning hours, in my jammies, and get right back to whatever sewing or quilting project I left from the last session.  But, my sewing studio doubles as our guest room.  Sounds familiar, right?  And it is now June.  You know what that means.  Time to magically transform the sea of fabric, thread, books, magazines, rulers, sketches and bins into a welcoming space for visitors.  Great to have company - awful to loose sewing space!!

This time, I'm going to get sneaky and move one of my sewing tables into the bedroom.  Where?  Well, I think it will fit - just fit - next to hubby's side of the bed between the bed and the sliding doors that open onto the little balcony.  While he is laying back playing Angry Birds on his Ipod, I will be continuing on my project!  Our guild show is this fall and the pressure is on to submit new work!
Next challenge?  Well, the guests we have coming next week include:   one diabetic, one lactose-intolerent vegetarian who is allergic to soy, and two people on the Blood Type Diet (?!) - with different blood types, natch.  I have the lists of foods to avoid, the acceptable lists, and no clue what to prepare.  Thankfully, it is early June in Southern California and fresh delicious produce is king!  I will be packing all these lovely, but cuisine headache prone folks off to the Farmer's Market to choose their own food!  Ha!