hexipoluza #4

  As I have mentioned I'm using Jennifer Clouston's book for my CQ class

I am trying to follow each of her examples so my students have a tangeble block they can go to to see, touch and study how the stitches are put together

I have used cottons in all my blocks because it is much more forgiving of mistakes than silks and satins are and much less daunting to a beginner to put together

As most of my ladies are sane quilters first, I know they have a ton of this kind of stash at home and can easily put a block together with what they have in hand

Another part of my reasoning has been, if I can make all these prints look good together, it will encourage my ladies to use more color in their pieces as well

I also try to put a few "impossible" colors together to show how you can "blend" them back into a piece to soften it's impact.
I do realize that dark blue is a really stark contrast to the rest of this block but more in that later
 

 I also want to have fun with this as well so Ive used many colors on the back as well as the front.
Life is too short and there are so many wonderful colors to play with.

Hexipoluza #3

 so my Philosophy of zen quilting is this, slow hand sewing should be a safe non-judgmental place. a place where we as women, mothers and humans should take time for ourselves to be quiet and reflective.

Take as long as you need to finish that seam or embellishment and if it's wonky, so what?

 when was the last time you gave yourself permission to make a mess?

Ask yourself

Does it always have to be perfect?

Does it always have to have a purpose?

Does it always have to be meaningful?

 I want my classes to be a place where perfection is not the goal because you are not coming to class with the skills to make it so.

You are coming to class with the desire to learn and in so doing, wil make mistakes and your seams will be wonky.

So much of sewing is muscle memory.
Like driving or cooking when you are concentrating on it you notice how far away to not hit the curb or just how much of a spice for that perfect taste

It all becomes second nature after you do it for months and years but untill then, you concentrate on just how long that stitch should be before you can just "feel" it.

So go ahead, give yourself permission to make a mess, take a few days to get that stitch.
We as women and mothers don't do that for ourselves as much as we should.
We need to realize if only at our sewing table, it's ok to take our time, to make mistakes and do it over again.

Our lives are so busy taking care of everything and everyone we forget to take care of ourselves. We forget that we need "quiet time".
SLow stitching does that for me and I like to share it.

Introducing Bernie

 Isn't she a beaut!

My DDH is the absolute best!

And I got her for a song! I'm so happy with this machine, you have no idea!

It's made me realize just how sad my poor 30 year old Viking Lily was getting.

This baby sews smooth like a babies bottom!

 I'm excited can you tell?

I finished quilting this almost queen sized scrapbasket quilt in 3 days!

Yes the stitching is a little wonky but I do need a little more practice, whee!

I really could not have done this on my old machine at all. Poor thing was refusing to do circles and absolutely balked at any kind of curve at all.

The last time I used it I whent through 4 needles for a single one of those "S" motifs, my DDH said that if I could find a reasonable price for the machine I wanted he would consider getting me a new one.

So when this sweetie came up for sale as a trade-in at one of my local shops that sells and repairs nothing but Berninas, I jumped right on it!

I'm in quilting heaven!

I did the yellow one as a test piece, the day I got Bernie home.
I did  my son's quilt on the long arm at quilting mayhem, over in Snohomish, so I could give it to him for his birthday last week. And I finished mom's lap quilt on the Lily before we left for  Chicago in april.
I now have 5 more tops to finish And I'm so excited now to get them done!

Hexipoluza #2

 I'm going to dribble these out in batches since I'm also posting them on facebook as well.

I've tried to follow Jennifer Clouston's blocks as much as possible  as to have examples for my students they can see, touch and feel. Her book is so easy to teach out of!

(thank you!)

 Also in doing this I used all cotton prints and odds and ends from my stash, things I only have a little of or bead soup from old projects and tipping disasters.

So much of what is on these are one offs fitting in nicely with that 2020 challenge that's going around as well but I don't think I'll join as I don't have the dicipline to count all that!

The Hexi craze is enough for me and I've  had these done for a couple of years. Well past tim to show them off.

There's also my ultirior motive, I've got almost nothing else done.

It's been a slow summer for stitching. Though I got a new machine and am getting my quilt tops done but that's a post for another time.

Hexiepalooza #1 yellow and pink block

Jumping in on the Hexi craze

these first dozen blocks have been in use for a few years actually.

I Run a class out of Gathering fabrics Quilt Shop in Woodinville WA., once a month and I use Jennifer Cloustons book and several others, to teach crazy quilting and embroidery from.


I use these hexies to show color theory, stitch placement building, sre, use of materials, etc.

I try to teach my ladies how to bring out their creative side, the zen of hand sewing and how not to be afraid of color.

They are vEry colorful ;)

CQJP 2017 Paris block #3

 this block cellebrates all the open parks in the city and the art neuvo influence that you will see scattered everywhere

first up is the moth, in a vine you will see them in the dusk after the street lights go on banging their heads against the glass

then the duck, she was supposed to be a swan but oh well shes a pretty enough duckriding the waves of a pond

the phrase is from one of my favoriet Edith Piaf songs and is the title as well" Je ne regrette rien" I do not regret anything.

 the little pump in a cistern is a common sight as well usually behind large houses or in country

I did a fair amount of sewing on the flowers in the middle portion mostly because we took a 2 day train trip to see family in CHicago and 2 days on a train is the perfect place for sewing

squares for watering the gardens, horses and the other family animals

 and look what decided to flower this Year! The irises are huge and have may blooms on each stalk. I suppose this is what happens when they hybernate for 8 years!

to be fair i had them in a different location and only mooverd them 2 years ago to where they are now but they didnt bloom last year either.

I also found this fellow sleeping on my allium drumstic this morning.
he must have been caught out when the sun whent down over the trees, it gets cold quite fast around here after dusk.

more is in bloom in the garden and ill have pictures of those too soon.

sane quilting Woodland quilt

One of my inspectors is back, making sure there are no parts missing

As you can see there is a perfectly good cat basket behind her bUt no,

She must sit on my pile of work

*Sigh*

Such is the life of a cat owner, one must put up with these sorts of foibles.

 Good thing I have finished this top now

Not without more help though.

At one point while trying to get the placement just right, the catscapades ran through and messed up my ordering.

Then violet, the above mentioned menace, decided it was the perfect spot to play ball and messed up the ordering again, aaahhh!

So the top is now done, yay! It just needs borders, binding and a back.

As it happens I still managed to get two brown blocks and two deer back to back.

Oh well.

2017 CQJP 2 Rue Glycene

The story of this panel starts with a picture taken during a meandering walk,

in which I decided to wander the streets, looking for nothing in particular.

After passing the rather disreputable looking door,

 As the door was deeply set into the wall and ajar I entered this unexpected fairyland,

Located down a little covered corridor which opens onto one of Paris' many pocket streets.


In which there is a little courtyard

containing 3 or 4 homes with balconies

overlooking this glorious little fountain tinkling merrily in the sunlight.

Each entrance with their own potted garden and ancient wisteria vine

covering entrance and balcony, in purple and pink splendor.

Fairies en Rouge

so, I just finished putting together 4 of my blocks from the last year, or so.




 Do you know how hard it is to catch a fairie?



 and then they just giggle at you

 and toss rosehips at your head, when you try to sew them together.

             Cheeky!

sanity claus

 What project would be complete without my assistants mrs. molly fluffy butt and her daughter miss. Violet fur pants


 As I have said before I'm keeping myself sane by sane quilting.

 I've moved a sewing machine table into my little area. It looks more cramped than it is. I like the way I can reach everything I need, except maybe the iron. I need to think on that.

 Not that I have fallen out of love with the crazy, I have been feeling the need for instant gratification and accomplishment.

I think we can all agree that crazy quilting is not a fast project, at least not the way I do it.


I need the high of quickly completed quilting.


That being said I still have to sandwich, quilt and bind the silly things so there is more to do than just the topping I've been doing.

But that's for another day.

Right now I'm in the zone out, zen up, of piecing.

I'm loving 1/2 square triangles right now!

and flying geese...

 of course the hubs had to get into the act.........

 I've been on a toot lately.

It has partly to do with keeping myself busy and not paying to much attention to the news.

I've been an avid news ie since high school and this last election and the turn of events since, has been frustrating.  I will leave it anttentionnvinnd that.

So it stead of throwing things anttentionnvinndtthatt my radio I've been creating.

I'm on # 5 sane crazy patch quilt.

Going through my stash I have discovered fabrics that have been languishing in the back of shelves, that should really be used for something other than dust generation.

This gives me an excuse to do some quick work quilts and use up some of my " scraps to large to toss but to small to use "

I should also make my son a new quilt as his irish chain came bak from Afghanistan more string than quilt owing to the armies quality laundry equipment.

It's amazing how much I've got when in hardly ever buy more than fat quarters. They cuddle up and make fat eighths I suspect.

As always my helpers, violet and molly soaking up the watery sunshine while it lasts.
Notice how molly has settled herself in front of the iron for a little extra warmth.

paris! CQJP 2017

Starting a new project is always always little difficult.

Where do I start?

There's nothing to work off of, no stuff to build on.

The yawning chasm of the blank canvas.

Sometimes design comes easy, sometimes, not so much.

My advise, just start. Roll the dice, pick a few random numbers and pick a book, choose choose a design and go for it.

 I love the sre basket of flowers and the blue bird

The pretty floral bonnet is felt sewn down with floss and sre accordion rose


I wanted something to fill in but not take away from the  lavender fabrics it seemed to not be playing well well with the rest of the block

I did a lot of beading on this piece as well

 Every year I challenge myself with something new or something I need to work on

Year one was stitches and beading

Year 2 was living through the year

This year it's sre. I don't do a lot of  it so this year I've challenged myself to do more, bigger, blousier sre.

Also to do more inn the way of embroidered scene motifs

Like the bird and the bonnet

Then integrate that within my style of over zealous beadwork and intricate seam treatments 

The bjp got dropped on the floor last year

So I will try to pick that up again as well with something over beaded like the pink, blue and green trim in the bottom right hand corner

Though I still need to work on that idea

It's  the best I have so far