Design Wall 8-12-13

Today is our actual anniversary.  41 years.  Can you believe I am that old?  I can't.

I went to a Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana (CFAL) meeting yesterday and got inspired.  There are some fabulous fabric artists in this group.  One works with recycled garments; another with her own dyes; another with bits of things woven into her pieces; another with books.

One announced that she has 4 pieces accepted into various parts of the Houston Intn'l Quilt Show this year.  I rub elbows with greatness.......full of themselves, but greatness nonetheless.

This week, my measly self will work on figuring out how to quilt the 5 pieces that came home with me from the retreat a few weeks ago.  I have another retreat at the end of this month.  I am going to see what I need to finish and start compiling stuff.  Grouping, any way.  Grouping things that need to be finished that I can work on there and get done.

I need to get some grey for the Taking Names quilt to finish up those sides.  Rest assured, it is actaully even, but my angle is not.



Last time I was in the Felicianas at the retreat, I did the Ker Bloom. Remember that?  Maybe I will actually get that quilted soon!

 I hope you have a great week.  Mine will be busy once again!  I am going to get over to see Charlene since I miss that face!  Monday, hopefully.  If it doesn't rain on my parade!

Stash Report 7-28-13 Lots of Usage!

 Boy did we have some rain on Saturday!

Baby Elephants

It has been so long since I have had a stash report, i forgot when it was due!

Turquoise Strips

I didn't get much done this week, a combination of health issues and mom and people falling and Frank being out of town.  You know.....LIFE!

The week before I was at the retreat and got so much done but nothing actually completed.  I came home with all those tops ready to quilt and use up some fabric for the backings!  Yes.

So here is my list of what I got done:

Swissy Raffle

1.  Raffle Quilt for GSMDCA - The Swissy People! - 4.75
2.  Turquoise Strips for Carrie - 2.25 yds
3.  Soar - Airplanes - 5 yds
4.  Baby Elephants - 3.75 yds
5.  Taking Names - triangles - 4.5 yds
6.  Moulin Rouge - 3 yds
7.  Elephant Binding - .75 yd
8.  Binding another quilt - .5 yd

Taking Names

9.  Elephant sleeve - .33 yd


So here is my report year to date!  

used this week	-25
Used July	-25
added this week	0
added July	0
used YTD	-95.25
added YTD	38.5
stash reduction	-56.75

Design Wall Monday 3-13-13

Before you do anything, you must look at this traditional quilt short.

http://www.nfb.ca/film/quilt/

I was sick in Las Vegas all last week, see my previous post for some fabulous pictures of the Valley of Fire and some of the Vegas Strip.  And my commentary on being sick in Vegas without the benefit of alcohol.

I do have wonderful plans for quilty work this week.  Not a single thing done last week because we were on Vegas Vacation, but plans for this week are evolving nicely.

I am actually cleaning out my closet.  Which is not my quilt room, which desperately needs it more than the closet, but I did find something I just can't throw out or give to the Purple Cow.  But what it means is that I am that much closer to cleaning up my quilt room.  Yes.  Really.  In this lifetime.  Maybe.

Quilty work planned for this week:

Piece Taking Names:  there are two options since I don't like what she suggested.  She wants them in huge hexagons with blanks between them.  First off I don't have any background orange left since I was an idiot and cut way more strips than I needed before anything even started.  And I just am not a hexie girl.  I really like the boxes though.  I can manipulate light and dark and have the most fantastical piece.  There are 110 triangles so that means there are 55 squares.  Since I am not a math major, I will measure it when I finish it.

Piece Tea Towel Moulin Rouge or  Chat Noir:  That should be fairly easy to do.  I have the plan for Chat Noir. It is not brain intensive, no measuring, no nothing.  Perfect for the liberal arts physics courses I took in one of my degrees.  No math.  Just fabric and a sewing machine and a cup of steamy hot Darjeeling or Dragon's Mane tea or even thick dark New Orleans Coffee and Chicory with plenty of evaporated milk.  Gotta have tea when you are making a tea towel quilt.

Thursday Work - Finishing Up on Triangles

Court yesterday was odd.  I sat for more than 4 hours watching the dregs of humanity parade their odd clothing and behavior in front of this very patient judge.  In the cruelty case I was there for, his atty asked if he could plead guilty to attempted cruelty, and the Asst DA an I were not happy.  There was no "attempt" at cruelty, it was pure base anger and hatred.  So his atty asked for and got a continuance.  I guess he needs to concoct a story and come to court.

Frank picked out these wonderful kleenex boxes for McGee to eat next.  I wonder if the different colors taste different flavors?  Looks like luscious fabrics to me!

I have one more set of triangles to go for the Taking Names quilt sets.  These are the red/black/white ones.  And I can do those this afternoon and see about getting to the post office tomorrow to mail them off.

I finished the two that had greens as their major color.  One was a batik green and brown and the other was to be earth tones.  I really don't have much of either but I made do.  I think I sneaked in a couple that really didn't go, but I was just being creative!

Check them out.

I really like both of them and realize the need to get more brown and green batiks in my stash.

Remember, there are 8 other people doing 12 triangles each and these will be mixed in with theirs.  I have 5 sets of my grey triangles, so I am waiting on doggy toes to get a crack at them.

Doggy toes?  Well, I figure if Carl Sandburg's Fog sat on little cat feet then I am waiting on doggy toes!
Look how pretty we can sit! All those stories mom makes up about us being so bad.......huh, did you hear that?


Oh wait.......was that a squirrel?

Friday Finishes

Oh, you HAVE to go see this Hey Girl!
http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com/2013/02/top-5-hey-girl.html

I just died laughing!

Well, this is not really a true finish finish, but a finish of sorts.  This is the 4th of the group of 8 people's Taking Names I have completed.

See that pink swirl?  That is the background on this one, and she wanted any fabric in a color that appeared in the swirls.  That opened it up to purple, orange, blue, white, pink.

Her final quilt will be interesting.  I used the light light blue in there, see it in the center, I am not sure it is a favorite of mine, but I am sure others will pick out that light blue.

We each make 12 and there are 8 people in each grouping.  And with the set she makes for herself they will be one of 108 triangles.  I am sure it will be fine.  If not, she can change it out.

We are meeting the Maylee and family of Maylee's quilt and Maylee's Doll Quilt fame this weekend.  I should have some photos of that hopefully tomorrow.  The people who have seen it say it is really so much better in person, but aren't we all!  (well, there are SOME people who are better NOT in person!)

I am getting there with getting stuff done.  Slowly but surely!

Yesterday's Work

I spent the afternoon doing these beauties for the Taking Names Group.

I have one more set of Black and White but this time with a bright red.  I thought I would love one over another but they are all wonderful.  I love them all.  Now I don't want to send them back!








More today, I have to finish the B&W and Red, and then a batik and a green and a few more!

The need to go out by March 5, so I am still OK.

And I got one group of my Shades of Grey back.  Here are mine co-mingled with Eva's.

Looking good!

I (Heart) You!

I do!  All my little peoples who follow me and the dogs and read me and be in a guild with me!  I (heart) you all!

We have had a rough week and on the way home from a difficult board meeting last night, Frank looked at me and said, you will have to wait for your Valentine's card.  Geez. Did he not know it was coming???  Did that pile of Valentine candy on counter he has been munching on not make a dent in his consciousness?  Sigh........

Add caption

Ann, I should have brought you the things I got for the kids yesterday.  What a DUH! moment that was when I looked at it after I got home from lunch and said, Geez.........Sigh.........

I have been working on a couple of the Taking Names triangles today.  I am having fun going through scraps and matching to what the players have requested.  Like 4 of them want black and white and I have a very limited supply, so I guess I will either be cutting into yardage or heading to the Fat Quarter Wall at Red Stick.

Here are a few of the "blue" set.  She wanted browns, medium and dark.  Maybe that orange is too much?  It is just a spot, but now I am obsessing over it.  I guess she can take it out if she hates it.  Geez.........Sigh........

And I don't have any nails to speak of (geez....sigh......) but I did see a great tutorial for making a heart on your nails with nail polish.  Take a piece of tape, scotch tape, and cut a heart out of it.  Place the negative space on your nail that has a base color and then take another color and paint on the tape.  When you pull the tape off, you have a heart that you cover with a top coat!  Cool!