This and That

Another Max figure has joined the group of "littles" atop the drawer unit used for Max's bobbins.

I've had the Grinch-themed Max for a couple of years.  

Max from Where the Wild Things Are was a gift last year.  

The new Max is from a set of Jim Shore Grinch-themed Christmas ornaments that jumped into my cart when I wasn't looking.  Younger son quickly claimed the Grinch with a decorated tree and the other two Grinch figures will be added to our "character" tree come December.

After a too-long pause, there are now two quilted pillow cover slabs.  

With the ice broken, it shouldn't be too long before all twelve are ready to be trimmed and squared.

This is one end of our October mantel.  With it getting dark earlier and earlier, the fairy lights are even more welcome than they are during warmer months.

And when she wasn't looking, I took this photo of the scurry's newest studio squirrel.  Cinnamon is Fluffy's little sister.  

She quickly claimed this top shelf in my sewing studio as her spot where she can keep an eye on Fluffy and whoever else comes into the studio.  I'll keep trying to get a photo of the siblings together, but don't tell Cinnamon that's my plan.

Be back in a few days when I have new progress photos to share.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Open your day like a squirrel opens a misplaced acorn; with purpose, curiously ready to devour."

Joey Doherty

A New Twelve-Chapter Project

I've thought about this new project for a long time, finally decided how I want to format my ideas, and named it Celebrate the Ordinary.

There will be twelve standard traveler's notebook inserts, one for each month of the year, when I'm finished (think "moodboard" but in my eclectic scrappy journal format).  Each insert contains 30 pages (mine are dot gridded).

I've started with the "BER" months - September, October, November, and December.

September's is partially complete.  I've layered base items on the pages, sorted out extra bits that will go in later, and gathered the things I want to add in my own handwriting like birthdays, holidays and observances, thoughts and feelings the month evokes, notes on our seasonal decor which will also provide the overall color palette for each chapter, quotes and notes, maybe 3"x5" prints of this year's monthly backyard photos, and whatever else comes along that fits.  

The October chapter has its base layer items tucked between their pages, ready to be secured.  The extras are waiting on a tray and I'm in the process of gathering the written items to be added after the glue dries.

The November chapter has its covers adhered and an assortment of potential papers waiting on a dedicated tray.  

December's chapter is simply a pile of random bits and pieces for now.

I was fortunate with the covers for these first three chapters.  I was able to use pages saved from a matte finish wall calendar.  Three large pages were each trimmed into two 4" x 8" pieces, one for the front and one for the back.  I have one more page from that calendar set aside for January (but not December).  After that I'll see what feels right in the moment.

The game plan is to use what I have on hand (as in no new purchases aside from glue sticks) and work on each chapter during that month.

We shall see how it all plays out over the coming year. 

* * *

Elsewhere, I've been tidying the studio, prepping pieces to sew the top layers for December's utility mats, and pin basting the twelve pillow top sandwiches; none of which is especially photo worthy.

I'll be back as soon as I have new photos and stories; and maybe Cinnamon, the newest studio squirrel, will get over being camera shy and let me take her photo so I can properly introduce her here.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced." 

Leo Tolstoy

Githerments - the Quilt

Githerments, the third bonus quilt from the Macnas series, is finished.  

(an old Yorkshire word that refers to a random assortment or mix of items)

G's flimsy reveal is HERE and that post shares more about the top and . . . 

. . . the scrappy back that absolutely delights me.

There are elements from Pretty in Pink, Fandango, a few bits from Blossoms, leftover binding strips, and the last of my green-pink Fish Lips fabric; all surrounded by three different pink yardages from the stash.

Quilted with Glide thread in Pink and my liberated free motion nested spirals.

I used Brandon Mably's black and white Creased for the binding.

I love how the late afternoon autumn sunlight illuminated the colors.

* * *

In January, I shared this hope in one of my posts:  

"I've set the studio squirrels a challenge to keep me on task as the year progresses - we'll see if they can keep their end of the agreement."

I'm delighted to share that with this finish of Githerments,  I have indeed managed to stayed on task and the squirrels absolutely kept their end of the agreement.

The twelve quilts inspired by Macnas and three of the four bonus quilts made with leftover rectangles are finished with the fourth bonus quilt top donated to become a comfort quilt.

In the coming weeks I'll start sharing a series of posts as a celebratory recap for this multi-year effort.

Quiltdivajulie

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"There is a particular kind of afternoon sun that exists only in autumn."

Ayana Mathis

Not Really AWOL

I'm still here - It's just that the weather has been so wonderful I've been sitting on the back porch reading, watching the birds, listening to early morning quiet, and contemplating everything under the sun.

Aside from packing away September's decor and dressing the downstairs in October-ish things, the biggest studio thing I accomplished was to finally finish taming this wrinkled and very thready assortment of silks.

One piece at a time, the silk was pressed before stabilizing it with fusible tricot interfacing.

Now they're all flat and ready to be cut when I get brave enough to actually begin this long-thought-about scrappy project.

This angle gives you a better perspective on just many different silk pieces are layered in the project box.

Design wise, I am thinking about a column quilt with each of the silks cut to standard widths but with variable lengths for an eclectic,  shimmery surface.

Time will tell (as in sometime next year).

Quiltdivajulie

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"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

from Anne of Green Gables

October Begins

Time to switch out some of the quilts for October.

Top -  Coddiwomple

Left stack - Inglenook, Plaidmania, and my first quilt (2004)

Right stack - Groundhog Day, Resplendent, Topsy Turvy, 

and Leaf Peeping

The new buffet runner looks even better than I thought it would.

October 1's backyard photo.  

The annuals have been removed and our hostas that have been so heat stressed are slowly starting to show a bit of green near the roots (their toasted leaves are a loss for this year).  One pumpkin and a few mums in the newly-emptied pots will last us through the fall.

The 10-day forecast shows highs in the 80s, which everyone here will appreciate.  We are all SO over the near-or-over 100 degree days.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"Falling leaves are nature's confetti."

unknown

September Monthly Recap

September was a month filled with pondering, planning, stash shopping, and stitching.

Studio Squirrels Exhibit A  - the quilt top and scrappy pieced backing for Ludiosis were started and finished, neither of which were seriously on the radar until after the first of the year.

The long-planned set of twelve new pillows achieved a major milestone with the top slabs stitched and the batting and backing for those slabs cut.  Next month I'll get them sandwiched, quilted, and trimmed to size before cutting any of the pillow envelope backing pieces.   The goal is to have them in use by early November.

The vacuum sealed pillow forms were released from their packages and are expanding while the rest of the process proceeds.

Exhibit B for the studio squirrels is Candy Corn - a gift project that saw a quilt top and a finished quilt started/completed during the second half of September.

Exhibit B-Part 2 is the long runner made using the three extra columns from Candy Corn.  

On the intentional side of things, Rastro (the second bonus quilt from the Macnas series) became a finished quilt.

Githerments, the third bonus quilt from the Macnas series, was pin basted and is ready for quilting/binding in October with thread chosen and bobbins wound.

Motley, the fourth bonus quilt top from the Macnas series, was donated to Many Hands and Many Hearts along with yardage I had planned to use for binding.

September saw plans come together and significant prep work for several sets of seasonal utility mats and placemats.  

The squares cut for December's set of reversible utility mats (posted here) have now been sorted into groups for 5 top slabs and 5 back slabs ready for piecing.  Batting and binding strips were also cut.

(Above) Six 

tops (gray print), six backs (spotted black), and six pieces of batting were cut this month with lots of binding made for a second 

set of January placemats.  

I pulled this gathering of pieces from the resource boxes to make a companion set of five utility mats for January.

The scrappy tops will be pieced using these fabrics and the backs will be cut from companionable yardage (pulled but not shown).

I finished this pair of gift pillowcases on the 29th making them the last project of September.

Finally - squirrel Exhibit C - introducing Dug.

* * *

Stay tuned for lots more stitching/quilting/binding during October. 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Little by little, one travels far."

J.R.R. Tolkien

Candy Corn - the Quilt

The gift quilt for Young Man's house is done and it even has a tiny label.

Quilted with Glide thread in Raven (supersize to see the purple stitching) using my liberated all-over nested spiral fans.

Candy Corn measures 51" x 70" for the month of October on their living room ottoman.

(details on design and fabrics are here)

The binding is a Paula Nadlestern print with tiny dots and scattered stars in green and shades of orange.  It plays well with the colors in the quilt and adds a bit of sparkle around the edges.

I found the high contrast colors had not always been true in some of my photos so here is the quilt against our backyard grass which is still green but will start moving towards khaki before long.

Backed with spiderwebs on soft black that pre-washed with no bleeding at all.

To be gifted sometime this week. 

* * *

Candy Corn was a mid-September squirrel project that was, amazingly enough, completed three days before the end of September.

Next up is a pair of pillowcases for younger son's bed.  They're cut out and ready for me to sit and sew.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos."

Saul Bellow

Welcome to the Studio

Welcome to the studio, Dug.

Given that he's the one who uttered "Squirrel!" in the movie UP, it seemed only fitting that he join up with my studio squirrels.

(birthday present from younger son who gets my squirrel-y sense of humor)

I used the three extra columns from Candy Corn and turned them into a 15" x 70" runner for our dining room buffet as part of our October seasonal decor.  

Quilted with Glide thread in Raven (deep purple) using closely spaced uneven wavy lines.

Candy Corn is now pin basted and the bobbins for Max are wound.

The goal is to get this one quilted and finished so it can be gifted during Sunday's family dinner. 

* * *

This was my "big" birthday present from DH . . . I haven't even begun to figure out all the things it can do but I have managed to customize the screen photos using several of my own pictures.  

One step at a time.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

Henry Ward Beecher

Rastrophiliopustrocity aka Rastro - the Quilt

This is Rastro crumpled on the sewing table just after I finished sewing down the binding.

I can't tell you how much I ADORE everything about this quilt!

Rastro (for short) is the second of the Macnas series bonus quilts designed to use up more leftover rectangles from earlier quilts in the series.

(Rastrophiliopustrocity - noun meaning a spontaneous combustion of creative spark followed by action in order to manifest and bring into existence)

In case you didn't notice them in the photo above, do supersize these photos and check out the amazing early morning clouds in that beautiful light blue sky.

(I took quite a few more photos of those clouds to save for drearier days)

I couldn't resist this shot with the flamingo picnic tablecloth clip and the flamingo fabric beneath it.

(and yes, I did sew the binding on using hot pink thread)

I am thrilled with how the Philip Jacobs Peony and Chrysanthemum backing originally intended for Motley suits Rastro.

(Motley's top was donated to Many Hands and Many Hearts)

Quilted using Glide thread in Graphite and my liberated free motion nested spirals.

51" x 71" 

* * *

After Sunday's family dinner, as he was lighting the candles on my birthday cake, Young Man asked how old I was. 

"MeeMah!  The two numbers in your age equal my ten!"  

Gotta love how he looks at things.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The artist is the one who recaptures that child-like fascination with the world."

Rick Rubin

Candy Corn - the Flimsy

The Luminescent Leaves print (Ann Lauer for Benartex) used in the backing for Ludiosis was released in multiple color ways.  

Tuesday morning as I put away the remaining fabrics from making Ludiosis, I realized that this purple, green, orange, and black version of that print would be perfect for an October/Halloween ottoman quilt for Young Man's Family (a wish quietly thought out loud by elder son back when Ruska was gifted).

The purple (Alluring Butterflies, also by Ann Lauer) and orange (Button Mosaic, Kaffe Fassett Collective) yardage have been stashed for too long.  The too-perfect binding was already made having been abandoned from some previous project.

So YES, this quilt NEEDED WANTED to be made NOW.

By Thursday afternoon the top was sewn, pressed, and pinned on the design wall.

I used the 3-Hour Baby Gingham Quilt free download from Fat Quarter Shop and altered the tutorial's approach to suit the size I needed (55" x 70").

Straightforward cutting, lots of paired strip sets pressed to the dark, 14 very long sub-cuts, followed by ten long nested seams.

(I previously used this tutorial when making Merry and Bright)

This on-sale backing is on order and due here early week so there's a pretty good chance I will have Candy Corn quilted and ready to gift by the end of September.  

Candy Corn (named by younger son) most definitely qualifies as a total squirrel project.  

Plus there are three extra long vertical columns to play with - yet another seasonal squirrel waiting in the wings.

Rastro has been pin basted and is about to be quilted.  The pin basting pool noodles are empty and ready for Candy Corn as soon as the spiderweb backing arrives.

And slowly, a few at a time, I've been fusing these smallish pieces of sari silk onto tricot interfacing so they're ready for action when their time eventually comes.  The wide backing the un-fused silks are resting on is a 2025 print by Alison Glass for Andover.   

I've named this project Silfira (noun meaning "silent fire - an inner, quiet confidence that doesn't need to be loud to be powerful").

 

* * * 

Looking back over this post I realize once again how true the opening words from my profile in the sidebar really are:   "Liberated. Eclectic. Colorful. Scrappy. These four words encompass who I am as a quilt maker."

Quiltdivajulie 

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"Creative people don't relax. We just change projects."

Jaya Lakshmi