Belated Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day to my Mom #2, a very wonderful sweet woman who takes delight in the wonders around her. She's always happy, upbeat and so excited to see snow on top of the mountain, a flower budding in the yard and the hummingbirds at the feeder... A true joy to be around.

I made this little quilt for her a few years back. She's a shell fiend, so I designed the quilt with this border fabric in mind.

This was just a quick project. I know it's freehand fan quilted, but I think I used 3-strands of embroidery floss to get the color I wanted. Pretty sure I didn't have the perle cotton in that color. I actually love the "m" in my, how it wobbles to one side. I'm pretty sure that was a happy accident rather than deliberately done, since I can't figure out how I would have done it on purpose.

Meanwhile, I've gotten the blocks pieced together. They vary in size - measuring up to 5.25" (across or down) and think the narrowest is about an inch less. I think one block is a square and the rest are all manner of rectangles. I did make some of these a wee bit smaller, taking a quarter inch off here and there.

My plan is to put oversized sashing on them and then cut all the blocks down to a consistent size. I know and love how that looks, but have to admit I've never seen it done with cornerstones. Gonna try it with a few blocks and if I hate it, I'll drop the cornerstones out.

Another option at this point (the option I'm not planning on taking) would be to make each of the blocks the same size now. I could add strips to the extra small squares and whack off bits of the biggers ones. Well, I'm going to add a bit of fabric to 4 different blocks, but that's it. Maybe.

Lily, if you are interested in doing this, please email me (the addy is in my profile). I'll talk you through it. You can be my test subject (mwa ha ha ha) to see if any of this work is appropriate for beginners. Of course it might drive you away from patchwork forever. As far as I can see, it's all doable, so long as you get at least a quarter inch seam allowance (too small and the project might come apart). And use pins. I hate to say that last bit cuz I've fought against pinning for ages, but it does actually help since at least my machine just doesn't feed evenly.

I've had a good time looking at what some of ya'all are doing with the letters. Joyce finished her house and words quilt (great purple background and machine quilted names) and I love the teapot quilt she's working on right now. Forest Jane is working on a patriotic quilt and asking about her letters not being consistently sized. I personally LIKE all the letters ending up different. It's folk art. To try and do otherwise would just make my brain hurt too much.

Lois has her liberated house lap quilt together (I'm still in love with the colors and fabrics) and check out her birthday banner (I love the D). Last but not least, Karen made a Quiltville Random Ohio Stars quilt, using photo transfers and the letters.

My sweetie and I watched a Wallace and Gromit short over the weekend - A Grand Day Out. I love it like crazy. It's their earliest adventure and the technique is wobbly here and there, but the storyline is so sweet and so very very English. The duo have run out of cheese, so decide to build a rocket ship to go to the moon, which everyone knows is made of cheese.

How About Four-Patches?

I'm finally feeling tip-top and energetic. Woohoo. I did some sewing. In fact I did some over-sewing since I forgot what I was doing and made an extra six Os. I've got a minimum of 18 of each of my letters, so I finally have enough units to play.

As I mentioned, I have actually made a scrappy Crazy Love quilt before. So I figure for this one, now dubbed Hot Crazy Love, I would make four patches. It still says LOVE, never you worry. I'll probably keep maneuvering the letters around some and I know I'll have to sew some extra fabric on here and there (I seem to have made some mighty tiny Ls and Vs) to make the sizes work out, but that's just to get the blocks together. The four-patches don't have to be the same size.

These remind me of Bonnie's crumbs, only with colors she'd never use - except the cheddar. This is kinda neon cheddar :)

Hmm, maybe with some red sashing and yellow cornerstones...

Crazy Scrappy Letters

Here's another way to play with letters.

(I know, I know, I said I'd do the lower-case letters next, but I've got cramps on top of cramps and I'm just gonna play. I'll get to the tutorial when I'm more coherent.)

So yes, I started a new project. It looks pretty darn similar to my last one since I'm working with leftover bits and strips.

Hubby was not happy to see these colors back up on the design wall. I thought he just didn't care for the Terms quilt, but it's the colors he objects to. I didn't really know that since in the past I never picked these colors up and played with them together. And now I can't seem to stop.

So, the goal of this "exercise" is to make letters, but be totally scrappy about the fabric placement. Okay, I have been known to cheat here and there when I haven't wanted big chunk of red right next to almost-exact-same-but-different chunk of red. So I do throw strips back into the pile and pull out new ones.

Right now I'm repeating one word over and over again. I might decide to change it up and throw in other words. Maybe. Here's the word:

And here's the bunch of letters I made yesterday:

I'm making this in the same way I made Fruit Punch. Just making lots of letters, not worrying much about the size. I say that, but it's not like I'm making any monstrously large blocks. These go from about 2.5" to 3.25".

I've actually made this quilt before, back in 2002 I think. (No picture, or at least not one you can see anything in. Just a big squishy mess.) That one was in monochromatic red/pink/white. I did include my first name, the month, and year in that one.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Looks very cotton crazy and yet there is a bit of repeating pattern in there to make it interesting. Some people couldn't figure out what they were looking at even when they were told, but I had a couple of friends who instantly figured it out.

This is actually a good learning project. It's a way to make letters, but they can be completely imperfect since you never even have to tell anyone they're letters at all. Plus you get to practise the easy ones and get one harder one. Start with the L, then the O, the E and finally do the V. (That's right,we're talking about LOVE.) Throw in some hugs and kisses (O and then X - don't worry that the background on that letter would stay consistent instead of scrappy) and there isn't a letter you can't do. I work in batches of about six. Six Ls, then six Os etc.

This would also be a fun way to do someone's name. Or how about a secret message?

Sweetie and I are rewatching Stargate. We started with the movie and are more than halfway through the first season, mainly because we're skipping a lot of the cheesy episodes. And we're more than halfway thru Alias Season 4. I'm so mad at Vaughn at the moment - the idiot. The show is definitely overdosing on the whole "I want to know more about my father/mother" issue. Get over it already.

Big Fat Lines

Can I just say you're all marvelous? Thanks for the support and encouragement. Good thing I mentioned the book first and then started looking at submission guidelines on the internet after. Aaghhh. Let's see, I have hardly any teaching experience, no publications, no credentials, no professional memberships, or any of the other things that are supposed to make me qualified. I'm just gonna ignore that for now, otherwise I'd just quit before I ever started.

Unfortunately, I'm still a sickly, pathetic, whiny girl. My fever has gotten lower, but refuses to get lost. I am feeling better tho, despite my complaining. I'm even managing to get some quilting done.

This reddish pink with purple batik is on the middle right side of the quilt. I didn't want a strong quilting color there and ended up going with a pale orangey yellow floss. I took a photo of this, just because I wanted to show you how I use a wide chalk marker to make my lines. I sort of follow it, move from one side of the line to the other and don't really worry about it too much.

I finished the block and it photographs terribly. The floss isn't very contrasty, but I like that. The bigger problem is all the chalk that's still on it - can barely see the chalk, but boy is it noticeable in the pic. You can see the quilting (and chalk marks) much better in black and white:

I'm now on one of the much narrow fabric chunks. I tried putting in a couple of endearments sideways and didn't like how they looked at all. And going from top to bottom, no, don't like that either. Ended up putting in three really short words.

I have to decide how to quilt the rest of it. I'm thinking of either using regular quilting thread (red I think) in a fan pattern or else doing each bit separately in perle cotton. Possibly even perle cotton fans. This is probably going to have to be determined by actually starting the quilting and seeing how it looks. I'm leaning towards the first option.

This book thing - yes, back to that again. It's got to be all about the letters and words. No houses (sorry, Joyce), hearts, asterisks or anything fun for now. The words is something no one else is doing so that's the focus. I gotta show the book publisher something they can't get anywhere else.

Ya'all can help me by making some quilts using the words. Lots and lots of words.

Wish I knew more about copywrite. Think it's okay to quote a song lyric, but honestly don't know. If you don't know either (and do want the possibility of publication) then stay clear of anything that might be a problem. A Shakespearean sonnet tho? A-ok. Something that you write from your very own brain? That would be the best of all.

When I'm feeling more with it I'll start doing a lower-case alphabet tutorial for ya'all. Anything else I can do? You know I'll give you all whatever support and/or advice you need. That includes you lurkers too - you're invited to the party.

Fever Dreams

Here's a another applique from Fattoh and Sons. It has nothing to do with the subject of today's post, but it looks pretty.

I'm a sickly pathetic girl. That illness my hubby had last week? Well now I've got it. Fever, nasty stomach cramps, nausea, and another symptom I'm just not gonna detail. Haven't actually yacked and my fever hasn't gone above 100 degrees. I can't really complain cuz my sweetie had this much worse - his temp hit 103. He was a sweetie yesterday and came home early (aka, didn't work any extra hours) to take care of me.

Watched all of season one Gray's Anatomy. I wish they'd get rid of the voice-over - makes Meredith so much whinier than she needs to be. Patrick Dempsey - ah, remember "Can't Buy Me Love?" - I was just the right age when that one came out.

Pine Ridge Laura has got me thinking about doing a book. Again. I did attempt it once before but it didn't work out. I think I can happily narrow the focus this time to just the letters. I do remain adamant that there will be no patterns. Don't like 'em, don't need 'em. Some "inspirations" or "ideas," not quite sure what to call them, but no patterns with yardage amounts. And a "student" gallery of quilts that have used the letters as a starting point and gone their own direction.

I just have to look at the remarkable quilts that some of you have made with minimal guidance to see that it can be done. One of my favorite quilts of all time is Bonnie's The Best Things - I can't say enough positive things about it. And I hope she'd let me put a pic of it in my book, assuming there ever is such a thing. That quilt and another one with letters that I know she's got on the back-burner somewhere...

I think this book should be about making incredibly personal quilts, using free-pieced and quilted words.

So hopefully this isn't just the fever talking. I think it's doable. I'm hoping that all you who are interested will help me out. If you've used the letters, please give me feedback.

And of course there are no promises, no guarantees that this project will ever come to fruition, but if some of these ideas appeal to you and you'd want to make the quilt anyway, then try out some of my inspirations and maybe you can get a pic of your quilt in the book... If there ever is one. And working without using one of my ideas - I love that too.

Here's one "inspiration", a family love quilt, like this one. Make it your way, in your colors about your family (oh, okay, or about someone else's family if it's a gift, but you get the idea). It doesn't need to look like mine, in fact it should NOT look like mine. It's got to be YOURS. Take the idea and run (sew?) with it in any direction you choose.

The one thing I'd request is that you not use someone else's copyrighted blocks as part of any work that you would like to have considered for the book.

Whaddaya think? Am I making any sense?