just little bits
Seminar aftermat – inspired to sew! …or sew inspired? :)
September 18, 2012Some science, some color inspiration, good giveaway and even a recipe!
October 3, 2012Good morning all, Mary Ellen here.
Have you been working on your seminar projects? If so, you’re putting me to shame. My 2 blocks which I finished during Anita’s pineapple class are pinned to the wall in the sewing room for inspiration, and the rest of the fabric, freezer paper, the book, etc. are in a pile nearby. I am determined to add more for a red and white Christmas wall hanging-don’t think I’ll be making enough for a full-fledged quilt. But… you never know, I love how crisp and precise the red and white look together, and Anita’s technique makes it so easy to get that precision. I do know I will not be just packing it away for later!
I’ve decided to follow some of Beth’s advice that she gave in the lecture about getting rid of some of those old kits and UFO’s that I have hanging around. Many of mine will be going into a cache for seminar prizes-perhaps at Christmas we could all donate one kit or some yardage to the guild for all of the guild’s prize needs. How about a quilt challenge where we put kits in a pool, choose someone else’s and make it up to sell in the boutique for guild funds? Anything to reduce the number of kits in the closet!!
Finally am getting around to reading the quilt magazines that have been arriving in the mail and piling up while I was busy with seminar. In the most recent American Quilter from AQS (the Nov. issue) I discovered a photo of a lovely quilt made by our member Lauren DeVantier. She won second place Quilter’s Choice in the Grand Rapids AQS show. I’m sure you have seen and admired Lauren’s work in our shows. I missed the meeting where she and Norma talked about their collaboration. Perhaps the winning quilt was there for you to see up close and personal! Congratulations to the 2 of them on a beautiful project.
Are you one of the millions of Americans who loves to decorate for Halloween? Got a new project going for this year? I made a fabric witch hat that is pretty cute if I say so myself. I’ve admired for years a hand embroidered pumpkin and witch hat which are then stuffed to make them 3D. Can’t think of the embroidery designer’s name off-hand. I even bought the pattern for the pumpkin a few years ago–but it’s still on my bucket list! The hat I made this year uses decorative stitches from my machine for instant gratification, and it’s not as large as those projects I’ve been admiring. But the good thing about my version? It’s finished!
What quilting projects are on your bucket list? I’ve hinted at a few of mine–a red and white quilt, a crazy quilted hand embroidered pumpkin, a bed sized drunkard’s path quilt for myself, a bed sized dresden plate quilt for myself…
How about your list? Tell us about those projects you want to complete “someday”.
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I put colored tabs on all of the quilts I want to make that are in the magazines that I subscribe to. Well, I have so many magazines and so many tabs that you could not possibly complete them in one lifetime. I started to go through them and revisit and sometimes I say to myself “what was I thinking?” and others I say “Can’t wait to make that!”. Still won’t finish them all in one lifetime.
I use the same system! After a few months I go back and tear out the ones I really like and put them into binders. Now instead of a collection of past issues of magazines, I have a collection of binders. Doesn’t seem to have solved the accumulation problem. Am I a hoarder?! Still will never finish them in several lifetimes, but it’s fun to go back and look at what I used to like, what used to be “in style”, how the colors have changed in magazines,… There are lots of ways to get enjoyment from this hobby besides actually quilting.