Oh My Gosh, My March One Monthly Goal Is Finished

Everything takes me longer than I think it will.  (Maybe that's the way things go for many introverts.  Or maybe it's just me....)  At the beginning of the month I thought I had things under control for choosing sashing for this quilt and that it would sew up quickly in an afternoon.  About two weeks into the month, when I began to look closely, I realized that what I thought I was going to do wasn't what the quilt wanted.

When I should have been at least half-finished I was beginning all over again.  I finally chose brown for the sashing and a red/rust for the cornerstones.  I cut the sashing and cornerstones, no problem, and I thought stitching would take an afternoon.  Hah!  As I said, things take longer than I think they will.  And then, as usually happens, partway through stitching the top together I wondered if I'd made a bad choice for the sashing color and again questioned the arrangement of blocks.  I'm satisfied with the sashing and cornerstones.

My lesson with this goal is not to set a time limit on a creative decision.  I really can't rush creativity.  I need time to imagine possibilities, play with options, and let the quilt speak.  (Maybe it's another introvert thing.)

Above is a flash photo taken inside.  The colors are just a tad too bright.  Below is a photo taken between rainbursts today when the clouds thinned out just a little.  The colors appear greyed and less warm than they really are.  (But this quilt will have other opportunities to be photographed.)

Despite the problems I mentioned yesterday and despite how it looks in the photo above, the quilt did turn out very close to square -- an attribute I always aim for because it means my piecing and stitching are becoming more accurate.

As it is now, the top measures 59" x 82".  I think it needs a border.  I've had several ideas but need to play and dream a bit before deciding.

Even without the border, I've accomplished my One Monthly Goal for March:  to sew the star blocks together with sashing.

Please visit OMG: It's Finished! Prizes added to March Linkup! at Red Letter Quilts to see other quilters' finishes for March.

I'm also linking this post to
> Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict 
> finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Thanks for visiting.
--Nancy.
.

Coddling a Quilt

I know several  of you readers said you liked the red sashing but I finally decided that the stripes I thought I would use were just too busy.  I searched for other reds but didn't find fabric I liked enough to use.

I chose brown sashing with red/rust corner stones.  I like it, I love it, I don't like it, I'm not sure.  But then it's still a work in progress.

I've had to coddle this quilt to as I sew it.  I stitched the first two rows together, then had to rip, repin, and stitch again.  Even with pins the fabric shifted but I finally managed to get the seams sewn evenly.  I laid the first two rows on the floor.  They were wavy.  I realized that hand appliqueing had caused the accurately-cut 10 1/2" blocks to shift and stretch a little.  I didn't want to re-cut them because I assume that they will nestle back to their rightful shape with a little coaxing and pressing (coddling!).  I have one more row of stars and the top row of sashing to sew and then it will be finished -- at least finished enough to claim it as a finish for my One Monthly Goal (OMG) for March.

And here is my basket of (never-ending) light scraps with a few 4 1/2" blocks on the left.  I have enough of those to make 6 more blocks.  I haven't spent much time on them lately.  You can see the blocks these will become here.

Thanks to the ladies who host the following link-ups:
> WOW:  Cherry Delight! at Esther's Blog
> Let's Bee Social #118 at Sew Fresh Quilts
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

Happy stitching to you!

--Nancy.
.

Hallelujah, He Is Risen!

I couldn't choose between two videos and decided to share both. The first is about my Savior Jesus Christ and the second is the Hallelujah Chorus. Enjoy!





Happy Easter to you and yours!

--Nancy.
.

A Spot of Color

After working on light, scrappy blocks for a week or so I needed a spot of color in my quilting life.  So I started making this:

The squares are stitched into 4-patches and the 4-patches into strips, but that's as much as I've managed to do.  I need to cut triangles for the top of the basket and the sides, and a handle and background for the top, and then stitch them all together.

This is not an original idea.  I saw Marie's basket blocks at QuiltBee and she found the pattern in an Edyta Sitar book.  I don't usually like basket blocks but I couldn't resist this one.  I thought, Hey, I can make those.  They will be small, easy, quick.  Not!  Small does not equal fast.  There are 60 little squares sewn into 15 little 4-patches, for a basket that's 10" along one diagonal side.  I don't have a pattern, just going by what I see.  I don't think it will be too hard to figure out the rest (says the one who thought it would be a quick block).

It may not be fast but it is cute, and bright, and colorful.  I may stop at one or make more.  It was a pleasant, colorful, little diversion.  Just the spot of color I needed.

I'm linking this post to
> Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
> Main Crush Monday #12 at Cooking Up Quilts
> Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times 
Thanks you for hosting, ladies!

Happy quilting to you!
-Nancy.
.

Architectural Salvage

Let me begin by saying that I love old -- old fabrics, old dishes, old linens, old homes -- practically anything old.  So when we learned of Columbus Architectural Salvage in Columbus, Ohio, we decided to visit just to look around.  It was enchanting, in an old, odd way.

I expected a dark, dusty warehouse filled with posts and beams.  We found it to be much more interesting, filled not only with architectural materials but also with decorative items removed from old homes and other buildings before they were demolished.  (And probably from at least one garage, too.)

I thought the owners of this business were adept at reusing and upcycling interesting salvaged items into new uses.  Not all would work in a home, of course.

There were lots of windows, many made of stained glass; lots of lamps, and many mantles.

We saw many grates to cover heating and cold air vents, some repurposed for others uses, like this table.

The table below had a wagon wheel on the other side, too, which gave the impression of a cart.

Some of the larger items had information about the buildings from which they came -- old churches, Odd Fellows buildings, theaters, etc.

I liked the graphic aspect of this piano keyboard hanging above a mantle.

And I loved the idea of using an old window to display photographs.

Our last home had been built in the 1880s or 1890s.  We put a lot of work into improving it but when it came time to sell we were lacking a grate to cover a warm air vent in the living room ceiling.  We searched high and low but there was no salvage store anywhere nearby at that time and we did not find a grate to fit the hole.  I remembered that a year or so before we'd been to a historic home in the city where they showed us a small table made from papier mache.  I told my husband I would just make a vent cover.  He didn't have much hope of success but when it was screwed to the ceiling neither the realtor nor the buyer guessed that the cover was not metal.  I chuckle to imagine what the new owner thought, and then chuckle again when I imagine her trying to find a metal one to fit. 

Do you love old, too?

--Nancy.
.

To Knot or Not

I've always used a knot, buried in the batting, to begin hand quilting.  Is that what you do, too?

As I was reading a quilting book last week I learned of another way to begin.  In Scraps, Blocks & Quilts:  Patterns and Techniques, Judy Martin recommends cutting a length of thread 24-36" long, threading the needle but not knotting it.  Take a stitch and pull the thread halfway through the fabric and begin quilting.  When at the end of the thread, don't knot it.  Instead, take a small backstitch, push the needle between the layers to a seam, take a small stitch in the seam line, then push the needle between the layers again back in the direction it came and along the seam line.  Bring the thread to the top and cut it even with the top layer.

To continue stitching, go back to the other half of the thread that was left on the top of the quilt and being stitching in the other direction.

Anyone ever do that?  I haven't tried it yet.  I'm not sure how secure the thread would be without a knot at the end.

I've made a little progress on blocks for this quilt this week.

I've been making a pile of parts of blocks and instead of putting them together I decided to make a hefty stack and then sew the sashing between to make the blocks.  I keep finding more scraps and if I sew the four small blocks and sashing together as I find the scraps, some of the same fabrics may end up in groups.  Can't have cliques in my quilts, can I?

I'm linking this post to
> WOW at Esther's Blog
> Let's Bee Social #116 at Sew Fresh Quilts
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
.

About a Book: Big Magic

I recently finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic:  Creative Living Beyond Fear.  As the subtitle suggests, the author assumes that the reader is fearful of either living a creative life or of being creative.  There were more than a few times while reading the first chapter that I determined to send the book back to the library unfinished but always picked it up again later to continue reading -- and came away with several pages of notes and quotes.

Gilbert's use of the word creative is very broad and includes activities from writing to dance to painting to music and everything in between.  And though she didn't specifically define the word, it also probably includes plenty of activities in addition to those.

One of Gilbert's most interesting theories is this, in her own words:

     I believe that our planet is inhabited . . . by ideas.  Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life-form.  They are completely separate from us, but capable of interacting with us--albeit strangely.  Ideas have no material body, but they do have consciousness, and they most certainly have will.  Ideas are driven by a single impulse:  to be made manifest.  And the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner.  It is only through a human’s efforts that an idea can be escorted out of the ether and into the realm of the actual.

She believes that ideas are always searching for and trying to get the attention of someone to work with.  If they cannot, they will search for someone who is more receptive.  I'm not sure why but this was a very freeing concept for me.  I could imagine saying to some ideas, "You're a great little (or big) idea but someone else will be able to work with you better than me" and to others, "Oh, I'm going to write you down so I don't forget you."  There should be no guilt in not accepting an idea and moving forward with it.  Gilbert has a lot to say about ideas and how they get our attention, how we work with them, and what causes ideas to be lost to us, even after we've begun working with one.

Some other thoughts I garnered from the book:

• Authenticity is more important than originality.  If an idea is completed with authenticity it will seem original.
• Complaining will scare away inspiration and creativity.  Don't complain about how difficult it is to be creative but, instead, enjoy your creativity and delight in the work.  Inspiration will be close.
• Forget perfection because it's unattainable.  It prevents people from finishing their work and sometimes from beginning.  It sometimes disguises itself as a virtue.
• Completing is an achievement.  (Most people don't finish what they start.)
• She recommends that we get over our insecurities and self-focus.  She says most people aren't thinking about you, anyway.  They're thinking about their own lives and work. 
• Don't quit too soon.  Maintain a perspective that both challenges and failures are interesting. “Don’t let go of your courage the moment things stop being easy or rewarding.  Because that moment?  That’s the moment when interesting begins.”

The message I came away with was to engage whole-heartedly and joyfully with inspiration and creativity.  A failure is just another learning experience.

If you read the book I hope you'll let me know what you think.

--Nancy.
.

Fourteen Down

Just a bit of hand stitching today, working on this quilt.

I've quilted fourteen blocks so far.  There are 35 whole blocks and 20 half blocks (around the edges).  I have lots of hand quilting ahead of me on this particular quilt.  Good thing I like the quilt, huh?

After I quilted around the edges of the first block I wasn't sure I would continue with it, but I've stayed the course.  My lines aren't perfect but they're getting better.

I'm linking this post to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Kathy.

--Nancy.
.

Red, or Brown, or . . . .

All along I thought the color I would use for sashing for these star blocks was red.  Specifically, these two red striped fabrics with the stripes going cross-ways between the blocks.  (They're not all laid out that way below because the fabric isn't cut.)

I like the reds well enough but I had the impression that the quilt wanted either something more or some other color. 

I placed some blocks against a mix of browns.  Hmmm.  Brown adds a different kind of warmth.  My husband likes the red because it's brighter but brighter isn't necessarily better.  I like the darkest brown on the far right.  But for the whole quilt?  Will I like it when it's finished?  Will I like it for years and years? 

These blocks are laying on the floor in a room where I pass frequently enough that I can look in and catch them unawares, surprise myself to see what my first reaction is, so to speak.  I need to add some corner blocks as I did with the red, above. 

How do you choose sashing colors and widths?

I'm linking this post to
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> Design Board Monday 25 at Bits 'n Bobs
> Moving It Forward Monday at Em's Scrap Bag
> Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
> Main Crush Monday #11 at Cooking Up Quilts
> Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times


Thanks for visiting.

--Nancy.
.

Addictive Little Blocks

I am enjoying stitching together bits of fabric to make these little blocks, and then stitching them together with sashing and a center square.  They are addictive and oh-so-easy to make.  The only accuracy needed is the final cut into a 4" square.  And cutting the sashing accurately, too, of course.  (The color's a little off, maybe a little too creamy:  no sun today and evening flash.)

I don't know what the final layout will be.  They'll probably get circles, large or small, but I'm waiting to finish more blocks made to decide.
 
I still have heaps of light colored scraps.  (These colors are off too -- not creamy enough.  Oh, sun, please shine again soon.)

They are fun but they are time-intensive.  Some of the pieces are as small as an inch by an inch-and-a-half.  (I can't seem to throw them away.)  And I press the seams.  I know some of you wouldn't but I think pressing makes the blocks flatter. 

Sometimes I question the value of the time I spend stitching these together and wonder if the fabric could be put to better use, or if my time could be put to better use.  Do you ever question an in-progress quilt?

I knew this quilt would be light.  Maybe it's going to be even lighter than I thought.

While I'm working on these, the stars are on the (design) floor with two different colors of fabric to try out sashing options.  More about that quilt tomorrow.

I'm linking this post to
> Scraptastic Tuesday at Mrs Sew and Sow
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> WOW at Esther's Blog
> Design Board Monday #24 at Bits 'n Bobs
> Let's Bee Social #115 at Sew Fresh Quilts
Thanks for hosting, ladies.  I appreciate it.

Thanks for stopping by to look at my blog.  I hope you'll leave a comment.  Happy quilting to you!

--Nancy.
.

One Monthly Goal (OMG) for March, 2016

This month I'm setting three smaller goals combined into one, all to be accomplished by the end of March.

Goal 1.  Decide on the placement of blocks.

Goal 2.  Decide on sashing, cornerstone, and border fabrics and width. 

From the beginning I thought I would use these two red striped fabrics.  They are not the same but I don't have enough of either to do all the sashing.  One fabric leans toward rust, the other just slightly toward rose/maroon.  The differences don't seem to show up too much in the photo so maybe they would work together.  I'm all for scrappy, you know.  But maybe a different color (or several colors) would be better for the sashing.  Brown, putty, rust, black, charcoal/brown....  And the cornerstones won't be circles.  I just laid the circles there to give an idea of colors at the corners.  One color/fabric, or many for the cornerstones?  Lots to consider and decide.

Goal 3.  Sew the top together!

March is a longer month and I'm a slow decision-maker so maybe everything will work together and I can accomplish this goal.

I'm linking this post to
One Monthly Goal (OMG) at Red Letter Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Heidi.

--Nancy.
.

Scrappy Leftover Blocks

I surprised myself and worked on three different quilts today.  Amazing!  But I'm just showing photos of one in this post.

These are the scrappy leftover blocks from the star quilt, both backgrounds and cut-outs from the circles.  I'm just playing.  Maybe a smaller circle in this position.... 

The colored strips finish at 3/4".  They are so narrow because I'm cutting them from collars and cuffs of upcycled shirts and blouses.  The color range is across the pink/peach/apricot/coral range/rose.

These blocks are stitched (four of them) but the circles are not sewn because I'm still playing with arrangements.  I'll make more blocks before choosing if and/or where to place the circles.

In the off chance I decide not to applique circles I used center squares in darker fabrics in the coral/red/rose/pink range.

I enjoy this part of the quilt-creating process, this playing.  It's fun to see what happens when elements are changed and blocks are moved around.  I have so many light scraps.  I hope I can use most of them for these blocks.

There's nothing like photographs to show what my eyes don't naturally see -- like the dark cream fabric that runs horizontally on the left, then skips a space, then appears on the left side of the upper right block again.  They're not stitched so I can rearrange one of those two blocks.  I suppose, though, that after a whole quilt was together, one would not specifically notice things like that.  But maybe....

I'm linking this post to the link-up parties below.  Check them out to see what others are working on.
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> WOW at Esther's Blog
> Let's Bee Social #114 at Sew Fresh Quilts
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
.