More Bits and Pieces

With the top for Rastro laid out on the design wall, I pulled out the project box for Motley, the fourth Macnas bonus quilt.

Featuring the potato chip block design, centers for the twenty 12" blocks will be leftover pairs from Grandiose (no. 8).  

This is the backing and binding for Motley.  I'm so happy to be able to finally use this gorgeous long-stashed Philip Jacobs Snow Leopard yardage.

Because I had so much fun making the Ottoman Quilt and Esperance, I started a project box to collect leftover strips and trimmed backing pieces to make another scrappy quilt top/back.  

And after creating four Macnas bonus quilts, I'm calling an end to using up leftover pieces and parts . . .  So I've added the remaining 2.5" x 4.5" colors to that future scrappy project box.

I also set up a low volume scrappy collection box for these end cuts from the original Macnas series rectangle cuttings as well as any remaining 2.5" x 4.5" pieces.  

(in looking at this photo, I need to move that darker pink print to the other project box)

Day 5 of DH's ongoing efforts to clear the frozen ice/sleet/snow slab from our main driveway.  

(the food-coloring outlining the edges of the driveway is just in case any of the delivery drivers venture out - so far we haven't seen any of them since last Friday)

And across town, this is how Young Man and his friends (and their parents) are spending their snow-day afternoons . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

An Aboriginal Fabric Saga

In August 2023, I finished the quilt top for Coddiwomple (which is still waiting to be quilted).

This was my first foray into Aboriginal fabrics and the stash enhancing aspect got a bit out of hand.

In late September 2024, Lynne started sharing posts about what became her Nightingale tutorial and I offered to be a tutorial tester.  

I didn't want to use brights on blacks like Lynne (and later Susan) did, so I pulled out the darkest of my aboriginal fabrics.

A week later, when my foot surgery was delayed due to the hospital's water damage, I went on a cutting spree.

I cut way too much fabric - as in WAY too much fabric.

I even had backing chosen along with a name for my quilt - NIGHT OWL.

But after the foot surgery happened and I lost three months of studio time,  I lost interest in making these into a Nightingale quilt.

Sigh.

Since then, I've been sifting through ideas for how to use all those cut up fabrics.

Decision One - I'll use the widest strips to make a four patch quilt top using these warm camel tones as alternate squares.

I'll keep the NIGHT OWL name and backing fabric as originally conceived.

But then there were the rest of the aboriginal fabrics staring at me . . . 

DECISION 2 - I decided to use a stack of 2.5" strips to create another Macnas series top (number 6) named WALLAROO.

(click here for the name's background info)

I'll pair the aboriginals with a mix of scrappy grays, use this long stashed steampunk yardage as backing, and use the black/white aboriginal print on the left as binding (eventually).

But even after two quilt projects, there was still more aboriginal fabric to be dealt with . . . 

DECISION 3 - I cut the smaller pieces into 7.5" long random width strips to eventually make a scrappy coins quilt top (actual design TBD once the sewing process begins).

I've named this one DIGERIDOO (click here for the name's background info).

When the time comes, I'll use any remaining fat quarters to piece a scrappy aboriginal backing/binding.

And if there are aboriginal fabrics leftover at that point . . .  

* * * 

HUGE REMINDER TO SELF - I am a liberated, eclectic, scrappy quilt maker and running out of a given fabric is a good thing that forces me to use the stash in ways I might not have expected.  

NOTES ADDED SHORTLY AFTER POSTING:

I found most of my aboriginal fabrics online, especially through Etsy sellers - notably DarkStarFabrics.

And yes, Grace - these fabrics are indeed an embarrassment of riches.

ADDITIONAL NOTE added mid-2025:

1.   Night Owl's pieces and parts were gifted to a friend (who may or may not ever make them into the Crossroads design).

2.  Wallaroo was made, although not as shown above.

3.  The remaining aboriginals were gifted to another quilt maker after I realized I was never going to actually make Digideroo or any other aboriginal quilts.

And so the saga ends.

Quiltdivajulie

Macnas and More

Macnas is growing on the design wall.

I am working on this with sets of two rows sewn into one unit.

So there are three more sets of two rows each yet to piece and press.

Several people have mentioned the size difference between the original KF prints and their newly re-done versions - part of his 85 and Fabulous line.

I happened to have this length of the original Oriental Trees in the stash.

And here is a section of the new yardage purchased for the backing of Macnas.

On the left is the new yardage.  

On the right is the older-original yardage.

As you can see, the newer yardage is larger in scale but honestly not as much as I expected.  

I don't know if this size relationship is typical for all of the re-done designs, but if push came to shove I think I could strategically use both versions of this particular print in the backing and very few people would notice.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes.  Break rules.  Leave the world more interesting for your being here."

Neil Gaiman

More Squirrel-y Additions

National Squirrel Day Part Two: 

I sorted my collection of KF books into date-published order and added small labels to the spines so it will be easy to put them back in chronological order. 

Of course I had to sit and browse through some of them . . . 

When I encountered TUSSIE MUSSIE from Quilts in Italy, I remembered how much I've always wanted to make this.

No time like NOW to create the fabric pull . . . so off I went.

TA-DA . . . Proposed backing on the bottom, fabric stacks in the middle, and possible binding fabric along the top edge.

I will go ahead and cut strips from each of the stacked fabrics since this glorious assortment is monopolizing my design-cutting-basting table.

But as I was taking this photo, one of the comments left on Saturday's post - the one from Cherie (no blog) who was part of the SSOBB (see sidebar for permanent link) - popped into my head.  

Cherie wrote:  "I found a cool stuffed squirrel while thrifting shirts and he has lived in my studio ever since"

I quickly headed downstairs to the spot where we keep our grand-dog's toys.  

We bought her this squirrel because her very favorite thing to do when she visits is to watch for and bark at and chase the squirrels.

Since she does not like the toy (with a squeaker in his tail, even), I have now claimed it as mine and moved him to my studio!

His name is CHASE, for obvious reasons.

After he checked out the greens in my diamond squirrel project, he hopped to the other side of the room to meet up with Max.

And then he was off to the design studio where he just had to get paws-on with the new fabric pull for Tussie Mussie.

 (Note to self:  Blogger's spell checker does NOT like those two words.  It keeps turning them into "Aussie Aussie" -- so I must come up with another name for the project)

And because there is never ONE squirrel anywhere, I have this character on order.  

(the print will arrive unframed but I have one ready and waiting)

I've chosen the name Hunter.  

There's quite a difference of opinion here as to Hunter's gender and so I chose a neutral name meaning a hunter or provider - of ideas in this case.

* * *

And so ends National Squirrel Appreciation Day 2022.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

Albert Einstein

Introducing Ruth

So what did I do on National Squirrel Appreciation Day?

I played in the stash instead of working on things that I should have been doing.  

I've had the Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements yardage for quite a while (center - from his Abandoned line, Rue le Peltier) but have never found a quilt that it suited.

So this time I created a fabric pull to suit the backing.

The fabrics on either side are from the Kaffe Collective except for one (lower left, second fabric) which is by Anna Marie Horner (one of the few of hers I own).

And rather than squash the fabric pull into a project box, I went ahead and cut the sets of WOF strips for a Maggie Pearl quilt (free downloadable design from Penelope Handmade).

While cutting, I started calling this Cordelia (one of my aunts) but finally named it RUTH; the name of DH's maternal grandmother - an artist and definitely not afraid of color.

Again, I need to get a three projects quilted and piece/quilt that big brother quilt before I can sit and sew these strips into sets, but I know they'll wait patiently in their project box until I'm ready.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Society pushes us since childhood to be in a chronic state of fight or flight.  Rush to school.  Compete for good grades.  Compete in sports.  Achieve.  Perform. . . . Our nervous system needs:  stillness, quiet, play, and creativity.  We're humans, not machines."

Dr. Nicole LePera

It's All About the Fabric

After the new aboriginal fabrics were laundered, there was a bit of folding to do.

This group involves the new fat quarters. 

This stack contains half yards.  Some of these were already in the stash while others are new additions.

Can you spot the imposters?

The new ones were all ordered from the "Aboriginal - Australian Fabrics" category but clearly some of them are not truly authentic (colors too bright and designs too symmetrically repetitive).  

There are three yellow/orange pieces (below the center-line) and two light blues (above the center-line) that will go back into the stash (if not a few others) since they don't blend into the overall medley well. 

Changing gears, I don't know if I will follow through with this inspiration idea or not, but if I do this color family will be where I will start.  (the black and white will change, maybe to the blue/black Jumble?)

Agilejack made a quilt top over the past week or so using Kaffe reds and a pattern named Fractured.

Check out Ann's quilt top "finish" post HERE.  It's worth scrolling back through some of her process posts just to enjoy the fabrics she used.

And this is the current state of the replacement top for my sewing table.  

Life caused a full week delay but the drop-in opening is now cut for my Bernina and the plexiglass-surround insert is ready for final fitting once the existing base and the new top are assembled - in another week or so.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Good artists borrow.  Great artists steal."

Pablo Picasso

Bits and Pieces

I pressed the first stack of HSTs for Flaneur.  You can see that there are still a lot more to be pressed.

I also sub-cut all of the scrappy trips tubes for Raconteur.  

It was so nice outside Saturday that I sat and unpicked the strips.  That means eighteen more blocks are now ready to assemble as time and energy permit.

When I sub cut the tubes, there was one extra 2.5" "ring" from each, so those were turned into a very long strip of 2.5" squares.  

Once pressed, I will set this long strip aside to use as an insert into the low volume backing.

Jan O. posted about a recent finish for her guild's charity program and a light bulb went off in my head.

I have a large stack of 2.5" scrappy brown strips (foreground) left from an unknown project that would work perfectly with her design.

I'll pair each brown with a low volume - scrappy of course.

I've named this one Hospice 1 as it will be a comfort quilt.

Hospice 1 is now ready for its first round of leader-ender (or mindless) stitching.

And then I thought about this jelly roll that has been in my studio for eons (from long before I quit buying pre-cuts).  Again, pairing the darker prints with low volumes would make another comfort quilt, which I've named Hospice 2.

Hospice 2 is also ready for its turn as a leader ender or mindless stitching project.

* * *

Progress comes in many forms . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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Lots Going On

I have finished up the sorting/editing of my resource boxes - they look calmer and more inviting now.  The single box (spare parts for a pending placemat project) on the lower left shelf was moved after the photo was taken.   

Breathing room is highly under-rated.

While things were in such an uproar, I sorted out 130 or pieces from the "warm neutrals" yardage and resource box so I could cut strips to make a lower volume Scrappy Trips quilt.

I have made two scrappy trips quilts before.  One was made with a stash-enhanced impulse-purchased jelly roll (never again) and the other was made from a pair of perky jelly rolls from my early, early quilting days.  The "perky" quilt was donated and the other was gifted to my sister.

I've named this all-from-the-stash-and-much-more-personal project RACONTEUR meaning "a gifted storyteller."  

And here are the sets of six 2.5" x 20" strips to make blocks later in the year.  The process of getting to this point is what takes the most time/effort and makes the most mess, so I'm glad to have this part done.  

Six weeks ago we purchased "off peak" tickets to see this exhibit (highly recommended by Nancy of Near Philadelphia).  It did not disappoint although our version did not have some of the introductory items Nancy mentioned (the bedroom model and bedroom comparison in his paintings for example).

This was one of the introductory panels.  The projections were larger than life size and photographed beautifully showcasing the texture of Vincent's brushstrokes.

Here is another of the introductory panels.  I knew of Vincent's paintings and a bit about his tragic life story but I did not know many of the factoids shared in the story line and certainly not that he was such a prolific and thoughtful letter writer.   

The immersion room was mesmerizing.  If you do a search on you tube you'll find several videos uploaded by others from many of the exhibit's venues.

Very glad the three of us were able to share this experience, especially only 50 minutes from home.

Our arborist friend who operates a tree company was here with his crew Thursday to clean up our large oak trees after Winter Storm Landon's heavy ice.  These two trees had significant trimming done to reshape and remove troublesome limbs.  They look SO much better.

It still amazes me that I lugged these three trees home in the back of our station wagon shortly after we moved to TN (just over 30 years ago).  They tower over the neighborhood now and provide the most wonderful shade in our back yard.  

Trees are such an investment and many area homeowners who have not had their trees trimmed through the years had damage far worse that ours.  

And as you may have seen on Lynne's blog, she is making more of her liberated birds as she cleans up her studio.  She also set up this bin for assorted orphans and "orts" for me to use during our sewing sessions when I visit NH in June.  (I last visited her in 2014 - you can read about that visit by using the BOSTON 2014 label in my sidebar.)

Quiltdivajulie

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“Real magic in relationships means an absence of judgment of others.”

Wayne Dyer