Hey Buddy! Is That Kleenex In Your Pocket or are you Just Happy to See Me?

I have allergies. Seems like every tree in Metro Portland is blooming. I take meds and use my Neti pot and get much relief but... for a couple days, at least, every year the pollen is so bad I just want to hide in my highly filtered, home bubble. My husband has super bad allergies as well, so when we got the A/C, he also got an electronic air filter and some kind of germ killing light bulb thingy... this is me shrugging and walking away because DH has it covered. what ever. It really works. Yesterday we set up Mom's new tree and her patio display of flowers. It was lovely and sunny, and we're all now suffering from too much outdoor time today. itchy eyes.
Project Improv:
Err.. so, yes I have a top I am going to quilt. But I had also promised that I would make some wonky log cabins, which I never did. Today, I got one of those dreaded "hey bum where's your blocks?" emails along with 20 other losers... okay I'm projecting, but I did get an email.
I can admit when I suck!
Okay so here's what happened... I tried to make them, they sucked, I spent like days on them on and off ... lame. Then I sent postage, this was an impromtu action on my part to assuage my guilt. No star magically appeared by my name. damn.
Then today I mentioned something to my husband as he was leaving to go off to work and he got that weird slightly disappointed look on his face like " you signed up to do something and now your gonna blow them off. not cool." ouch.

I made 4 blocks ... in 7 hours! I am not a wonky log cabin maker. Just not.
Ta da...

I went to Art School dang it! I'm trained. I should be able to do this. Anyway, it's over, in an envelope and ready to go to post. Wiping brow. wheew!

Lilac buds. interesting.
I'm gonna think about which books I can be rid of so I can go buy some quilting books. Must have Simple Comtemporary Quilts. Thanks to chickenfoot.
Quilters Rock!

Project Improv Is In the House

I got my Project Improv quilt top to quilt. I am looking forward to it.
But today I went spring crazy!


We have a couple of feeders and last week we even had a stunned hummer in our hands(what do mean my camera is charging in the dock???) spring is also in the house.

My radishes are growing, they sprouted. hurray, I always worry.

Stella says check out the flowers for the patio!

My Mother and I planted up stuff for the patio. You know its spring!

How You Doing?

Well, I didn't post a WIP Wednesday. About 2 weeks ago I went out in the garden with my husband. After we moved a couple years ago we decided to build up the soil here and get back to growing our own vegies. Last year we hobbled along with some salad greens and tomatoes but we wanted to get the garden area in shape, till in some amendments and maybe even get some more flowers planted.
So, we were preparing to till and I was lifting some sodish weeds into the green bin when I heard a snap in my back.. .. and then I could feel a great pain. Somehow, with the slight bend and lifting of weight I wrenched my back and have been "in recovery" ever since. I haven't quilted, I have sewn a bit... What I have been doing is playing a lot of Animal Crossing on the Wii.
I am a bit obsessed with the garden. I need to get it planted, so we can eat it's goodness. This last week I have been feeling better, but not 100% . I have been doing lots of planning... .

Fast forward to this week!
I am roaring to go. I made 2 quilt tops today and am quilting as we speak. I am waiting to get a Project Improv Quilt top to quilt. In the mean time I tried my hand at the Zig Zag Quilt with no Triangles.

While I was out of commission I had a brain storm on how to explain and share how to easily make my Spare Change Quilt. So I made an experimental top with that in mind.

Right now I have a simple quilt top on my Quilter and I have a few stitches I can do pretty well, so I am mixing them up and kind of working on a Improv style. Im not sure I am going to use it on my Improv Top but it's good practice. Traditional style quilting is not what I want to be doing, and yet at the same time I get tired of the meander, freehand fake pantos and stipple. etc etc..
I am hoping to go some where more interesting (to me, anyway) ... Im hoping to develop a style that morphs from this stitch to that with some "fill" play in between. Im working on it. We'll see.


I'll let you know.
Tomorrow I go shopping for spring flowers for the patio. I love annuals!
Quilters Rock!

Lets make a ZIG ZAG quilt with out piecing triangles!

I know you want to ....
find a tutorial HERE

The tut says its not for fat quarters ... But I did the math and .... if you had a perfect fat quarter you'd get 6 3" strips that are 22 inches (four 5.5 squares) long giving you (6x4=24) 24 squares.

So, each fat quarter is plenty to do a strip. Let's do it from stash....the most we would need is background.

Sunday Stash

In the past I would be drawn to greens, aqua, blues when I went shopping... I just wanted to add that to my stash.
Now: it's grey.. I am loving the grey.
Last week I went shopping at Fabric Depot, a supermarket sized fabric store and one of the great perks of living in the Portland area. I got these fabrics.. maybe half yards of the patterns and the Kona grey is yards- maybe 3.

So ... last Sunday I hurt my back trying to get the garden going... Completely out of commission.
Bed ridden week of boredom hell followed...
Today I finally got out to the garden and planted my lettuce and onions. My mom came over and helped me, she did good but she really hates getting her hands dirty and was done the minute it sun got low.

IS IT WIP WEDNESDAY ALREADY?? - a project improv update

This is a picture of my machine binding.... I love binding by machine. Love it.
Its taken me a long time to learn to do this well, and I love that it's all machine, all the time.
No handwork for me... hoorah!
I can't believe its Wednesday already...

I quilted my "job" and then my time was my own to work in the studio before I got more outside work. I have one more job in my que but it isn't in the house yet. Speaking of which, did you know I take quilt jobs? Would you like me to quilt your quilt? Most jobs under 75$!
Shameless Pitch over.
I needed to work on my Project Improv Quilt - remember how I said I was doing a "Big Idea" quilt... Boring and abandoned... auggh! Now I am open to any idea...

I put on "Mr. Smith Goes to Wahington" and started goofing around.


and hmmm... how do I feel about that? Anything raw edge needs to be pinked- that's what I think.

so then I tried this with a fat quarter... the white bits are place holders for fabric.

Here it is finished.. It's 30's fabrics and it's really a Fabric Doodle.
Took me a good part of the day - but still a doodle...

here is a little detail...

Here's where I am going with it...


Using little barkcloth squares and a solid. This is a block - its gonna get trimmed to 10".
I have no idea if this is where I am going or what is gonna happen with it...

Finally Got Something uploaded to Etsy

Took me long enough! I only loaded about half of what I have finished and then I have about the same unquilted. I feel kinda buried in inventory. Notice the Etsy button?