Simplicity

This special order baby quilt is about as simple as they come, per the Mom-to-be's request. The baby's gender is not yet known, and the nursery is being prepared in various pastels. I lobbied unsuccessfully for a more complex block pattern, something more "special," but in the end I dove into my pastel polka dot fabric collection and made this simple one-patch. I used a pastel plaid flannel for the backing, and the result is extra soft and cuddly --- made even more cuddly with the added stuffed koala and matching mini quilt. I guess simplicity can be special, too!

Super-sized Ozzy

I got to puppysit again last night, and if you've seen my previous posts about "Grandpup" Ozzy you'll note right off that he's grown just a tad! When Lisa got him in mid-August he was about 9 weeks old and weighed 12 pounds; now he weighs almost 45 and is still growing. He loves his new back yard, with all it's mature shrubs and trees --- and all the squirrels who live in them. Well, maybe he doesn't love the squirrels, but he sure loves chasing them! The squirrels, for their part, tease and taunt him unmercifully, using the utility wires to travel from tree to tree. And there's poor Oz, literally barking up the wrong tree. He's going to Puppy School now, so hopefully he'll learn more productive ways to expend his energy!

Aqua and Brown???

This is another special order quilt that stretched my comfort zone, color-wise. I was told that the baby's nursery was going to be aqua, with brown accents. I liked the color combination well enough, but it didn't say "baby" to me. My era (late Stone Age) favored the standard pink for girls and blue for boys, but it's a new world out there, people!

Fortunately, I was also told that the Mom-To-Be liked polka dots and stripes. I love polka dots, so we shared common ground there. And though I find striped fabric difficult to work with (because the stripes are often at odds with the grain of the fabric) it's easy to create a striped look by choosing the right block pattern. So now I had a plan.

After piecing the top I thought it looked too "boxy," so I quilted freehand spirals in the center of each block. This softened the squares and added a kind of funky look that seemed, to me, to compliment the color scheme. Anyway, I love the final product, and hope the baby will too! I like to think each baby quilt will become a child's beloved "blankee," a tiny scrap of which eventually goes off to college with it's owner.

Orange & Purple???

A few months ago, Customer Brenda sent me fabric she wanted me to use in a Halloween throw for her. Individually, each fabric was cute. But they didn't add up to a color combination pleasing to my eye, and I dragged my feet for several weeks, waiting for a visit from the Quilting Muse. (Yes, we have our own Muse, and she's extremely helpful in cases of quilter's block. Pun intended!)

Eventually I settled on a design, and went fabric shopping in my stash (which you may recall is one of my favorite things to do!) I needed some medium values of orange and purple, to coordinate with the intense colors Brenda had sent. I also needed to just jump in and START the project ----- overthinking ideas is not at all productive. At some point you have pick up the rotary cutter, take a deep breath, and make that first slice. The neat thing about quilting is that there really are no mistakes; there are only design modifications!

The other neat thing: sometimes you get to surprise yourself by stretching your comfort zone. I ended up really liking Brenda's Halloween quilt, despite the fabric choice I would not have made on my own. Happy Halloween, Brenda!

Fall in Vermont

We just returned from a train trip to New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, to see the Fall colors. The colors were gorgeous, the weather was sunny and cool, and our sleeper compartment was teeny-tiny-tight! I'd like to meet the person who designed it. I can just imagine him/her getting the assignment: "Into this 6'6"x3'6" space you must install two seats that convert to a bottom berth, a folding table, a suitcase rack, a pull-down upper berth, a toilet and fold-up sink that double as steps to the upper berth, a covered trash bin that doubles as a side table." The entire roomette was dual purpose!

I was able to visit only one quilt exhibit, but I made up for it at numerous Ben & Jerry's! We also visited a castle, the Von Trapp Lodge, and rode a cog train to the top Mt. Washington, where it was snowing. I loved the ride back down; it was so neat being in the snow and seeing the red and orange and yellow trees spread out below.

It was a great vacation, but it's good to get home, too. So, tomorrow I start cutting a new baby quilt, and real life resumes.

Design Style Guide Team Blog

Today is my day to post to the Design Style Guide team blog, so be sure to check it out!

Scrap Quilts

I keep a basket on my sewing table, to collect scraps as I sew. I consider anything less than 1/4 yard to be a "scrap," and will save pieces as small as 2 inches square. When my basket is full, I organize the scraps by cutting the larger pieces into 12, 8, 6, and 4-inch long strips; I cut the longer strips first, and then finish up with the smaller strips. Width doesn't really matter to me, but it has to be at least one inch wide to be worth cutting. Depending on the size of the scrap, it may lend itself to being cut into squares rather than strips. Again, I cut the largest square I can, which is most often 6 inches, and work my way down to the smaller ones. I keep all the strips and squares sorted by size as I cut. This is the sort of task I do in the evening, as I'm watching TV or chatting with my husband, so it doesn't cut into my work time. (We quilters love to play with our fabric, so this is not considered "work!")

Once I cut all of the scraps in the basket, I have to decide what to do with them. Most often I put them in baggies, labeled by size, and keep them in the wire baskets in my quilt studio's closet. When I get a nice selection of strips and squares, they beg to be made into blocks. When I have enough blocks, Presto: I have a quilt! How painless is that?! Quilt teachers say that a "true" scrap quilt should be totally random --- just put your hand into the baggie and pull out the next scrap to sew to the previous scrap. As you may be able to tell, such total randomness is not in my nature. I have to arrange my strips and squares in a way that is pleasing to my eye. No clashing allowed!

Baltimore Album, Block One

I finally finished a block that I like for my album quilt. This one is done in the traditional reds and greens, but I plan to use a lot of different colors in other blocks. I have three special orders waiting, but when I get those done I'll start my next applique block. I'll keep you posted!