Dreamcatcher

I quilt for enjoyment and relaxation. I love the entire process from design to the last stitch. The whisper of an idea can be transformed into a beautiful item. Dreams to reality.

I finished Dreamcatcher a few weeks ago. It is an adaptation of a quilt photo found on Pinterest. The combination of a shoo fly block with 9-patch star block isn't new, but the color placement gives it a modern look.

I combined scrappy bright prints and solid light gray on this 42” square quilt. I used Accuquilt dies: 3” finished triangle in square, half square triangle and square. I laid out the colors in EQ8 software before fine tuning on my design wall. Backing and binding is a gray and white triangle print. Stitching with gray thread in large overlapping circles across the blocks creates the dreamcatcher effect.

Sewing and cutting can be quite messy, because I pull out lots of fabrics to audition for a spot in the quilt. I try to put everything away after I finish, clean off my tables, sweep up bits and threads. A clean space gives ideas room to grow. But not always. That next quilt is waiting to be stitched.

Sometimes magic hides behind chaos.

Crazy Days

Maybe I'll get a chance to post later...

 

Woven Scraps and Snow Cream

I'm staying true to my loose ends theme with this latest lap quilt. I used up more scraps and completed another unfinished project. I sewed these random strips last spring while we were camping, with the idea of using them as a border. As I laid some out on the design wall, another thought came to mind. I sewed a simple rail fence block using solid pale yellow on either side of the scrappy strips. Depending on how you look at it, they appear woven like a lawn chair or floating on a field of yellow. 

We had nearly nine inches of fluffy, beautiful snow last Friday and Saturday, one of the biggest 24-hour totals I've seen since we moved up here on the ridge. For once the weather folks were nearly spot-on in their predictions. It was perfect for snow cream! I made two big batches of sweet goodness, then worked it off by shoveling the back sidewalk.

Useful Notion: Quilters never grow old. They just go to pieces. 

 

Loose Ends

I was in the sewing room last week, putting the finishing touches on two small quilts that had been sitting around for a couple of months. As I worked on the binding, I thought about how easily things get put off. I could have finished these many times and I would have benefited from the escape to my sewing retreat. Instead I let them hang there and taunt me every time I walked into the room. Why didn't I make the time?

Later on I found a group of fat quarter fabrics that I bought last summer with no particular use in mind. I picked up a quilting magazine, chose one of the patterns and began to cut. I totally enjoyed focusing on my sewing and listening to music. The next day I finished this pretty little lap quilt: Bohemian Rose.

Maybe I have a theme for 2016. No unfinished business here. Tie up loose ends. Do what needs to be done. Say what needs to be said. Use it or lose it. Embrace it or toss it. 

Make time for yourself.

I've already started.

"There are always going to be loose ends in life.  You just have to decide whether they need to be tied up, woven in, or cut off." ~Katie Scarlett