Monster Photo Post

Sometimes I make something and I'm kind of shy and I only post two or three photos because they capture the piece enough and I don't want to be obnoxious.

And sometimes I can't help myself.

When I make a quilt, I strive to mix fabrics in a way that makes each block and then the quilt as a whole...sparkle.  That sounds terribly girly and immodest.  Maybe shine is a better word.  I want each block to get its own time with the eye.  I want the finished quilt to make your eyes move around the entire thing.  The human brain is fickle and impatient and makes snap judgements.  Some quilts can easily be summed up by the brain as two or three colors/shades--one pattern--symmetry--light--dark--okay, I get it--I'm moving on to look at something else. 

I want my quilts to make the brain do a double take.  What?--I don't get it--Why would you add that color, too?-And what is with that pattern next to that one?--And how many freakin' shades of one color do you really think you can get away with here?

I can't really judge if I achieved that here.  I'm still too close to it.  I can tell you that I am not a good enough photographer nor do I have a good enough camera to truly capture the colors and the values in this quilt.

But I did try...much to Ben's chagrin.  I can't even count the number of grumpy-husband-with-sore-arms photos vs. annoyed-and-sick-of-orders-from-bossy-camera-lady pictures I deleted.  This one is probably the best of the bunch.

And this is the second best.  See?  Annoyed...by holding up his own darned quilt.

I guess I am a pain in the butt with the camera.  

Oh well, here is the back.  I used one of my favorite DS Quilts manly prints on the left, a green IKEA sheet on the right and some ash gray solid and KF shot cotton.

The labels are kind of schmoopy.  "to lovebug from indigo bunting" comes from the inscriptions on the inside of our wedding bands.  I think it is healthy to remember the old nicknames as we are married longer.  It softens the annoyed looks and bossy lady moments.  "I think I like you" is the name of the quilt and I blurred out our last name on the final label.

Some of the other designers and fabrics used in this quilt are listed below.  (There are a handful of fabrics that I just can't recall where I bought them, let alone designers and lines.)

Martha Negley, Farmington, Feathers, Twig Branches, Tree Rings
Anna Maria Horner, Innocent Crush, Bubble Burst and Woodcut
Anna Maria Horner, Field Study, Fine Feathered
Carolyn Friedlander, Achitextures, Ledger, Blueprint and Scribble Notes
Denyse Schmidt, Hope Valley, Prairie Rose, Diamond Dandy and Cactus Calico
3 Sisters, Etchings, Antique Architecture
Erin Michaels, Lush, Wood grain and Painter's Palette
Parson Gray, Curious Nature, Starcomb
DS Quilts, Richmond, Plaid and Tiny Berry
Sweetwater, Hometown, Small Text and Marketplace Floral
Timeless Treasures, Sketch Basics
Joel Dewberry, Modern Meadow, Herringbone
Suzuko Koseki, Kitchen and Arts Crafts prints
Melissa Averinos, Dazzle, Basketweave
Violet Craft, Madrona Road, Memoir
Art Gallery Oval Elements
Sarah Watts, Timber and Leaf, Tree Rings
Cori Dantini, Beauty is You, Tiny Seeds
Dear Stella Honeycrisp

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, thank you for your patience.  I think you can tell that I'm happy with how this one turned out.

I hope your sewing projects shine, too.

"I think I like you"

I'm so happy that I'm finally making a quilt for my husband.  He puts up with a lot of nonsense from me and he's extremely supportive of my quilting habit.  I tend to hog my summer blanket, so it is about time I made him one of his own. 

Each block is 10" and the finished quilt is seven blocks wide and nine blocks long, so it is roughly twin size. 

I'll use bamboo batting again to make it a nice, lightweight quilt.

In case I forgot to mention earlier, the pattern is Boy's Nonsense, a tutorial by Leila of Where the Orchids Grow.  It is a really striking pattern and I love how much she taught me about value in the process of picking out fabrics for these blocks.

My parents are visiting this week.  My dad is 6'1" and he still had to stand on a stool for the photography session.  He was just as patient as Ben is when holding quilts up for the proper photography :)

This quilt is called "I think I like you" and is named for a song that we both like.  The quote, "I'd watch C-SPAN with you if you asked me to," always cracks me up.  Isn't that what like/love is all about?

Flitting like a butterfly

Henry has recently fallen in love with The Very Hungry Caterpillar all over again.  And now we play "cocoon" twenty times a day.  I ask him to "lay down like a caterpillar" on the couch, cover him completely in a quilt and then flip the quilt back as we declare the he is a "beautiful butterfly!!"  We are still working on the graceful sweep of the arms to mimic wings flapping.  I think (at nearly four years old) that this is his first pretend play and I am so proud.

Anyway, I was thinking about that as I flitted between sewing projects today.  I was trying to decide what I should work on next.  I could continue my progress on my rose star blocks.

Or I could finish Charise's Paris-themed bee block for the Ringo Pie Bee (those darned y-seams have me procrastinating).

Or I could decide what solid to use to put a border on this long-overdue quilt top.  (You'd think I could be bothered to iron this quilt top before taking a picture and sharing it here, but no.) 

Or I could work on piecing some blocks for my husband's quilt.  (It sure was fun to come up with the new fabric combinations.)

Well, this butterfly will settle on something soon. Maybe some more hand piecing tonight and continue to procrastinate on the bee block? Hmmm...

 How do you decide what to work on next?

A bit frantic

We are moving soon. I've lived in Wisconsin all of my life, and now we will be making the big move to Maryland, perhaps as soon as the beginning of December.  I always like to close up loose ends by the end of the year, but packing up an entire house in a matter of less than three weeks is a bit much.  So today's post is a jumbled mess of about four posts all jammed together so I can focus on packing for the rest of the week.

First up is my sunglasses block for Tamiko in the Ringo Pie Bee.  She asked for Magnum P.I. themed blocks.  This block was due in June, but it took me quite awhile to find the right fabrics and the right techniques to achieve my vision for this block.  I hope she loves it as much as I do.
 

Next up is a recent distraction.  I've been collecting fabrics and perusing patterns for a quilt for Ben for many months now.  He is a mathematician and a birder.  He loves camping, patterns and lists and taking notes about the birds he sees.  I fell in love with Leila's Boy's Nonsense tutorial for the Value Added project and everything came together perfectly. 

I made eight blocks this weekend and now I'll have to pack them all up to save for another sewing day after the move.

My Trim the Tree Ornament Swap mittens are done.  I added a little detail work with size 8 perle cotton.  I hope my partners like them.

And you saw this quilt a couple of weeks ago.  It will be traveling to...

...the Pine Ridge Reservation along with the quilt below to keep a couple of babies warm this winter.  The quilt above was my first ever attempt at baptist fan quilting.  The one below was my second attempt.  I think things got better, but I still need a lot of practice. 

Okay, I'm off to pack up my sewing and crafting mess into boxes.  I'll have to save a few hand projects and maybe a couple of other tidbits to work on.