FINDING JOY

This is not really a quilt; nor is it an art project.  It is just what I have been working on the last month or so in reliving the joys of my life in this time of uncertainty. 

It became much more complicated than this picture appears; so instead of just doing a blog post about it, I have made a new page located below the heading above that explains the whole process.  Just click on the tab "Finding Joy" and it will take you to lots of pictures and explanations of the process if you are interested.  It is lengthy --- thanks to those who wade their way through it.  

I hope you are able to find a bit of joy every day in your own reality.

CAITLIN'S DOLL QUILT

Unearthed a long forgotten quilt that I didn't know where it was. 

This doll quilt was made in the early 2000s. Kathy Emmel and I embroidered the 'little girl' blocks on her embroidery machine; I then assembled it; and Sandi Fruehling machine quilted it --- a joint effort by old quilting friends. 

The day I finished binding it, I gave it to my granddaughter who was then a preschooler to take home for her doll. I never documented it at that time; nor ever saw it again.

 It's now documented for my records, and is now in Caitlin's possession again. She is now an adult; and was thrilled to get it back. She is saving it hopefully for a little girl of her own someday. 

Oh, the travels that quilts could reveal!!

BROAD SPECTRUM

I enjoy making a quilt that employs small pieces, many fabrics in lots of colors, and with simple repetitive sewing.  This quilt has it all -----

1.  Lots of little pieces ---- Each log is 1/2" wide. This quilt contains 49-3 1/2" blocks with 9 logs in each block for a total of 441 pieces plus the four pieces that comprise the border.

2.  Many fabrics ---- Since I am on pandemic isolation mode (no shopping), all fabrics came from my bins of little pieces of scraps.  I did use some scraps more than once, but I still estimate there are over 200 fabrics in this 28" square quilt.

3.  Deep into color ---- This quilt originated from those bins of my scraps including red, pink, coral, purple, blue, green, teal, rust, tan, chocolate, dark brown, and black.  I'm always amazed to see how colors interact with each other.

 4.  Mind-numbing repetitive sewing ---- I find repetitive sewing so relaxing, and this quilt provided that in this time of uncertainty.  It was paper-pieced with point-to-point machine quilting.

 I love this quilt ---- I REALLY love this quilt!

I'm joining the following:
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

RAY OF LIGHT, GLIMMER OF HOPE

Working on this quilt during this time of isolation because of COVID-19 has been both difficult and rewarding.  At times, I have been depressed with the process of working on it; but, then, when I experience a little success, I'm excited to continue.  Such has been our journey with the 'stay at home' order.  When this little quilt was finished, I realized that the glow was a ray of light and there was indeed a glimmer of hope. 

Below, were some of my thoughts about this quilt.

DISCLAIMER:  I've never had an art class; not even any high school art instruction.  I took advanced geometry/trigonometry instead.  So, I don't claim to be an artist --- I play with fabric, sew, and make quilts.  

That being said, I've always been interested in quilts that appear to have a source of light within or a glow to them.  In 1989, I experimented with that concept with some publishing success.  This quilt was on the cover of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine #221.

 In 2002, I designed and made this quilt top, which was machine quilted by Terri Ballard as a raffle quilt for Colorado Quilting Council.

On occasion over the years, I've dabbled with the glow again.

The time has come to experiment once again with the glow factor.  I find it difficult because in geometric quilts the edges appear so sharp.  I imagine it would be an easier concept to grasp in an applique quilt, but applique is not really my thing.
So, off we go ----

I wanted to try something not so structured.  Starting with 121 2" finished units, I cut squares, rearranged, cut more lights, more darks, rearranged again and again.  This went on for several days.

Finally, I decided that something was wrong with the scale.  For a small quilt, the squares were too big making the edges more pronounced.  So I proceeded to cut all 301 squares smaller (1 1/2" finished unit) -- insanity, I know.  Art (?) is hard work -- I think I enjoy just making quilts more.

Rearranging daily, I sewed the squares together.  Finally deciding I had to quit, I slapped a border on to confine this madness.  The machine quilting is simple so the 'glow' shines.

There is a ray of light with a glimmer of hope with every struggle.  And, with faith and hope, there will be an end to the current pandemic.

I don't know if this quilt is a success. To me art is subjective and so are quilts.  The success to me has been in the process.

GATHERING WOOL AGAIN

January is my normal month for all of my medical appointments; and with all of the poking, prodding, x-rays, waiting for lab reports, etc. etc., I knew I needed a distraction project.

I decided on a wool project, as I hadn't done one for awhile.  I find wool easier than cotton to work with no seam allowances and a more forgiving nature.  Just what I needed.

I'm totally committed to Colorado --- I was born and raised here; my family came here in 1876, the year Colorado became a state.  Both of my parents, one of my grandparents, and I were born in the little town of Rocky Ford on the Colorado prairie.  My Colorado ancestors were cattle and sheep ranchers and farmers. Therefore, wool is part of my DNA - I sleep under it, wear it, collect it, and sew with it! 
We've lived in Canon City, Colorado in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains for the last 40 years.

I've had in my mind for awhile some crazy quilt blocks with a Colorado theme.

Time to do it!

(STATS:  "Gathering Wool Again", 2020, 24"x24", 4" blocks, wool, machine appliqued, machine pieced, machine quilted.)

Various blocks reference the beauty of Colorado including the Spring wildflowers, the Fall aspen leaves, and the stars over the mountains.

In my signature block, lower right, is a drawing of my current hometown's famous Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.

Colorado state flower - The Columbine and the Colorado state flag adopted in 1911.

 Sunset on the Rocky Mountains

 The U.S. flag in 1876 when Colorado became a state contained 13 tiny stars (beyond my appliqueing ability) around a large center star. 

The lower right block above is a salute to the town of my birth which is famous for growing melons and fields of zinnias for seed.

This was such an enjoyable project that stretched some of my appliqueing and machine sewing skills.  It certainly was the catalyst that helped me through the months of January and February which included 3 weeks of the regular flu with respiratory issues; and then, a skin surgery with a graft.
I'm feeling so much better; but since I'm now at risk, I'm hunkering down in order to miss the current viral infection. 

Hope this finds everyone safe, healthy, and enjoying some time to quilt!

P.S.:  No pattern available -- I just make it up as I go!

I'm joining the following:
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

CHRISTMAS SEWING

Not a lot of Christmas sewing this year.  I did make a wool lap throw that turned out to be more work than I planned.  More on that after Christmas.

BUT,  Pinterest inspired me to try a simple Christmas sewing craft.  I didn't have a pattern so I made my own in the size I wanted.  It is basically a paper-pieced log cabin block, that is then cut diagonally to make into halves forming two bodies.  By adding hat fabrics to each diagonal cut forms two 7" squares.  Next, add batting and a backing; embellish with buttons; and fold and tack each to form two Santa's.

I'm not sure -- is it a Santa, a gnome, or a gnome dressed as Santa?  I don't know!

Does it have a purpose?  By adding a hanger, it becomes a large ornament.  

It could be a bottle topper. 

 Or, maybe, it can replace the "Elf on a Shelf" phenomenon and become "A Gnome on a Roam".

OR, possibly you'll find one hanging out at your local Goodwill store in a couple of years; and, you too, can have one!

At any rate, it occupied me on a snowy afternoon plus used up some more scraps!

VIEW FROM MY SEWING ROOM WINDOW ON A SNOWY AFTERNOON

JENNI'S DRESSES

I finally completed a very old unfinished project.  I was always a sewing-maniac mother, but my daughter never once complained about all of the home-made dresses with ruffles, lace, pinafores, and floral fabric.  My mother always took pity on her and bought her plenty of jeans, t-shirts, and sweaters to also wear.

Back in 1973 when I started to sew for my baby girl, I started a box of scraps from all the dresses, etc. that I made for her.  I always planned to make her a quilt from those scraps.  Finally now for her 47th birthday, I finished that quilt.

It is small at only 26" inches square, but contains over 100 different pieces of fabric and the lace and trims I used over the years.

 It was tricky, on occasion, to combine different kinds of fabrics from cotton to velvet, polyester knits to lace.  I backed some of the rebellious fabrics with a foundation which helped. 

In 1989, I remember struggling sewing a black velvet dress basting each seam.  It was the same sewing the tiny square of velvet into the quilt.

My favorite ones to work on were the teal peau-de-soie long formal and her senior pageant dress with all the beads and sequins hand-sewn on the bodices. 

In addition for her birthday,

I accumulated pictures into book form of her wearing some of the clothes I had made.  I also sewed for her brother until he started to school when he started to rebel.  I had sense enough to quit sewing for him!  Some of the pictures are really bad, but they still bring back many fun memories. 

Remember the Gunne Sax dress craze? - of course, I had to make one for her.  Thank goodness for middle school and contact lenses, so those huge glasses were a thing of the past.  She also had her share of quilted vests.  After all, I was a quilter!

We were really into the lace and florals in middle school.

This quilt will never win a prize or mean anything to anyone but Jenni and me.  

Happy Birthday, Jenni.  Hope you enjoy the reminiscence, and thanks for being so patient with me.  I know you lived in fear I would stick a straight pin in you!

I'm joining in the following:

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Ems's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

ROUNDABOUT

I have always enjoyed combining two different blocks in a quilt to produce secondary patterns.  This is an idea I have used repeatedly over the years.  Especially, it is fun to combine 45 degree triangles with 60 degree triangles to give the illusion of curves.

These are the two blocks I alternated in this design.

 The centers for block #1 were fussy-cut to make center medallions.

Part of the design was carried into the border to partially complete the illusion of a curve.

"THE STATS"
Roundabout, 2019, 27"x27", Paper pieced, Machine pieced, Machine Quilted

I'm joining the following:

Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers Wednesday

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop Friday

FALLOW GROUND

Awhile back I posted about reinventing a quilt that I made in 1986 called "Orchestral Maneuvers at Dawn" (named after a favorite band of my son's at the time).

It was a simple alternating two-block design.

I knew that by using newer fabrics and a different layout of the two blocks, an entirely different quilt would emerge.

Here are the two blocks in the new fabrics.

And here is the finished quilt which I have named "Fallow Ground".

Hosea 10:12 and Jeremiah 4:3 in the bible talks about fallow ground.

"THE STATS"

'Fallow Ground', 2019, 23"x23", Paper Pieced, Machine Pieced, Machine Quilted

Every thing old can be new again!

I'm joining the following:

Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers Wednesday

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop Friday