The last time I posted about these stars was September 9, 2013. I can’t believe how time has flown. I have worked on them, but a couple of bindings and the Christmas stockings as well as the Christmas and Birthday thank you notes got in the way.
I’ll need some more of these to work on in the car during an upcoming car trip, so I will need to cut some more fabric. I like the way Scrapitude is coming out and think I will use dots on white background for the alternating rows of this project.
I am surprised at how many of these stars are in the blue range and am wondering if I decided to concentrate on these colors and have forgotten?
I had 16 items on my list last time. I have removed four that I completed prior the January To Do List post) and have crossed off the ones I completed since January 4. I also added two new ones, so it doesn’t look like I made much progress.
“Unless you are looking to create a sense of chaos or absence, you must learn to manage the contrasts present in your artwork so as not to overwhelm or bore the viewer.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.102)
It is the “placement of varying elements, including color, within a design.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.198)
Types of Contrast:
In this section, you might want to have a color wheel handy.
Emphasis by contrast: we talked about this when we talked about emphasis and focal point, so you can go back and review that episode, but I want to bring it up again from a different angle: the contrast angle rather than the emphasis angle. When you have a prevailing design scheme and one element contrasts with that design scheme, that element becomes the focal point, because it is in contrast to the rest the of the piece. (Pentak & Lauer, pg.48-49)
Contrast of scale: “Unusual or unexpected scale is arresting and attention getting. Sheer size does impress us.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.61) Seeing something far larger than other elements of a composition provides scale contrast and visual interest.
Contrast of Hue: ” …easiest contrast to attain by simply using pure, intense, undiluted colors. This contrast is greatest when using the primary color combination of red, yellow and blue.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.103)
Light/Dark Contrast: using black and white is the boldest contrast obtainable. (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.104)
Cold/Warm Contrast: the color combination of red orange versus blue green is the strongest cold/warm contrast. … The contrast of temperature is very effective when trying to depict depth, the concept of near and far or three dimensionality.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.105)
Complementary Contrast: “…gives a sense of equilibrium to the eye of the viewer. The pairs of colors that lie opposite each other (look on your color wheel) on the color wheel have a diametric* contrast to each other. They complete one another, but can also cancel each other out. … Complementary contrasts are”, generally considered “pleasing to work with and offer the artist the opportunity to hone his or her skills in creating balance.”(A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.106)
Simultaneous Contrast: “… is perceived by the viewer rather than being objectively present. … When a pair of direct complements are used together in their pure hues, exclusive of any other part of the color scale, the line where the colors meet will look as though it is moving. This happens because the colors are contrasting off each other at the same time. Our eye has a hard time discerning where one intensity begins and the other ends, thus causing the sense of movement or ‘sizzle’.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.107)
Contrast of Saturation: “…refers to the contrast between pure, intense colors and dull, diluted colors. Saturation can be diluted in four basic ways – the addition of white, black, gray or a color’s complement.” The purity of the color is changed, but also the inherent temperature, brilliance, behavior, and emotional response. (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.108)
Contrast of Extension: “… is the contrast between space and size using two colors, one light and pure and the other dark or dull.” Shapes will look larger or smaller depending on the brilliance of the colors and how much two colors contrast with each other. (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.109) A sharp contrast in color can give a small object more significance in a large space. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, pg.9)
Contrast of Value: Often the key to the success of a strong design. “When there are many colors present, it is harder to judge value, but it is critical to be able to see value changes in a color composition and employ them to the advantage of the design. Two different colors with the same value in a composition can have less contrast or impact than two different values of the same colors.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, pg.47)
Notes:
Art is at its best when the contrasts included provide managed, well-balanced interest in such a way so as not to fatigue the participants. There are at least 7 types of contrast, many of which have to do with color, but not all. You can have contrast of big and small, for example in your quilt as well (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.102)
” Each art form has its own type contrast.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design, pg.102)
Book or movie: good vs evil
recipe: contrasts of sweet and salty
Woven shawl: smooth and nubby fibers
Unity is enhanced when variation and contrast are included in the design. “…the design’s interest is strongest where contrast exists and the unity is broken.” (Adventures in Design, pg.99)
Example: Galaxy (quilt) by John Flynn of Billlings, MT, 2003: http://bit.ly/Kp3kRt
“The strength of the design lies in the contrast, not in the repetition. That being said, the design needs its repetitive features to create unity,” (Adventures in Design, pg.99) but the repetition allows the contrast to exist.
We are really getting into principles and elements working together. Have any of you had a hard time trying to work with just one principle or element?
If contrast in size is combined with a contrast in color, a focal point becomes even more obvious.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, pg.29)
Before I left with the DH to go to Jackson, California, I looked up quilt shops (of course I did!) and found a few in the area. The issue is that ‘area’ in the surroundings of Jackson can mean anything from 5-30 miles. There is a lot more driving there than in my area. I ended up not being willing to drive the 45 minutes to Galt and Angels Camp, thus only visited one shop.
The Sewing Cottage turned out to be a very nice shop. It is the kind of shop I wish were near my house. It is in the same shopping center the restaurant where we had lunch on Friday (the day before I visited the shop). Clearly, my quilt radar was not working, because I didn’t see it. I did know where it was once I spoke with the owner.
They had very nice shop windows. One of them showed samples from their applique club, which was taken from a QNM magazine or series.
I also thought the unique way of using fan blocks was clever and interesting. There is a real sense of doing things in an unusual, clever, but not weird way in the shop. It seemed like they didn’t mind trying things.
Sewing Cottage: Dresden PlateSewing Cottage: View across the width of the shop
The shop had a wide variety of styles of fabric. They had a little bit for everyone, which is probably a good decision in this type of area. The only thing I didn’t see was much turquoise fabric in the shop. They may have been out. I still found a few things to buy. 😉
Looking at this photo across the width of the shop, I was looking at their shelves of batiks.
Sewing Cottage: View down right side of the shop
They are also a Brother dealer. They had a few machines. I didn’t really spend any time looking at them — just a glance.
They had a lot of batting. Laurel, one of the owners, said that when she and her sister, Olive, bought the shop, the previous owners had a longarm. I don’t know if the batting is leftover from that time or if the local quiltmakers just prefer batting on a roll. They no longer have a longarm and I didn’t ask why not.
Sewing Cottage: View down the Thread wall
I was amazed to see the variety of thread this shop had! Yes, they had Aurifil. I just had to buy a spool of my favorite piecing color, #2600.
It was a fun diversion while DH spent time in meetings.
Stop by and visit Laurel and Olive if you’re in the area:
The Sewing Cottage
Address: 11974 California 88, Jackson, CA 95642
Phone: (209) 223-0393
Hours: Friday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Accessories (album), a compilation album from Dutch alternative rock band The Gathering
Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.
We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP
The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.
a. A subordinate or supplementary item; an adjunct.
b. Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result. See Synonyms at appendage.
2. Law
a. One who incites, aids, or abets a lawbreaker in the commission of a crime but is not present at the time of the crime. Also called accessory before the fact.
b. One who aids a criminal after the commission of a crime, but was not present at the time of the crime. Also called accessory after the fact.
adj.
1. Having a secondary, supplementary, or subordinate function.
2. Law Serving to aid or abet a lawbreaker, either before or after the commission of the crime, without being present at the time the crime was committed.
[Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin access?rius, from accessor, helper, from Latin accessus, approach; see access.]
ac?ces·so?ri·al (-s?-sôr??-?l, -s?r-) adj.
ac·ces?so·ri·ly adv.
ac·ces?so·ri·ness n.
Usage Note: Although the pronunciation (?-s?s??-r?), with no (k) sound in the first syllable, is commonly heard, it is not accepted by a majority of the Usage Panel. In a recent survey, 87 percent of the Panelists disapproved of it. The 13 percent that accepted the pronunciation were divided on usage: more than half accepted the (k)-less pronunciation for all senses. A few approved of it only in fashion contexts, and a few others approved of it only in legal contexts.
One of the gifts I received for my birthday was a box of Aurifil threads, 50wt. This is my first box of Aurifil thread, though, as you know, I was part of the Aurifil Club at the Quilt Bear for awhile. I am starting to think there might be a conspiracy afoot to get me back to my sewing.
Yes, Happy Aurifil Colors
I didn’t even know this group existed and I was really excited when I saw it, because they are truly happy colors. They look like a box of candy!
When I saw them it made me think that I would have to start piecing with colors to match my fabric. I want to use these right away.
One the other hand, I might just want to look at them for awhile and admire them.
I told you I was going to change this post to reflect the progress that I have made on the 26 Projects List. I really only have two “really old” UFOs left on my list – the Pointillist Palette and the Tarts Come to Tea. The others are old, but they have a different feel to me. I may be kidding myself, but that is what is in my head right now.
I am really pleased that I finished the Attack of the Hexies top and am feeling like I have made a huge leap forward.
Still WIPs
Aqua-Red Sampler – Frances and I are stalled. She has been talking about getting back to it. I am thinking about the next tutorial., because I can write it without her, though I am not that motivated.
The Tarts Come to Tea: I still haven’t worked on this since April 2011, though, periodically, I think about working on it.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. I still haven’t worked on this, though, every once in a while I think about using some of the squares as leaders and enders.
See: needs satin stitching. Small, also a possibility for finishing before the end of the year, though with all the cutting I have done recently, perhaps not so much.
Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. I like the piece, but don’t know where to go from where I am. Mouth? Hair? The attitude I need to have is that I can’t ruin it; there is always more fabric. Possibility for abandonment.
Under the Sea: class project; like the design, but not the colors much. Possibility for abandonment. I have to face reality.
Ready for Quilting
New:* Wonky 9 Patch: needs quilting and binding. I am still thinking about quilting this myself and I am thinking about it more and more. I am wondering how far apart I can quilt it so that it has some drape. (Not on original list)
Infinity blocks: blocks sewn together into a quilt top, borders on. Back and binding made; at the quilter.
Spiderweb: Top is together, binding is made. This is at the quilter.
New:* FOTY 2012: top, finished. Back and binding are complete; at the quilter.
New:*Star Sampler: Top finished, back and binding finished; at the quilter. (not on original list)
New:*Fresh Fruit: Top finished, back and binding finished; at the quilter. (not on original list)
Flower Sugar Hexagons / Attack of the Hexies – Top finished 1/12/2014: I finished the top, back and the binding on January 12. It is ready to be taken to the quilter.
In the Finishing Process
None in January.
In Process
I decided that I had better put in an ‘In Process’ category. The difference, at least in my mind, between ‘In Process’ and ‘UFO’ is that I am actively working on a project that is “In Process.”
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I will use a grey for the background, because if I use more of the cut fabric patches, the pattern will be lost. The pieces are too oddly shaped and I don’t want to lose the pattern in a mass of scraps.
Stepping Stones #2 using Bonnie & Camille fabrics Bliss, Ruby, Vintage Modern: made two test blocks, but still in the thinking stage while I decide on the background colors. I want the contrast to be good.
Super Secret Project #3: working on color choices.
Abandoned
Nothing so far for 2014
Last update for the 26 Projects List. Read it. There’s some interesting stuff there.
I thought you might want to take a look at the first list I made, the one with the 26 Projects. I started the list in October 2011. I have made progress. I plan to stop this post when I have no more projects from the original list to write about. I wonder when that will be?
*New – Project started after I started working on the 26 Projects list
A week or so ago, before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Sandy and AJ started ‘a thing’ on Twitter about the the Disappearing Pinwheel block. I have made a Disappearing 9 Patch (Food Quilt) and really like the disappearing part, so this ‘thing’ caught my attention.
Mod Century
I watched the video (see below) and found a layer cake. I also played around with the techniques on paper and then got busy and haven’t done anything yet. I have a Mod Century Layer Cake and thought the pattern would be a good use of the Layer Cake. I haven’t done anything yet.
A lot of people are working on the Disappearing Pinwheel, including many Twilters. While I was out of town for work and political wifery, Daisy already has a top done, Carole has her blocks done and Torie is close to having her blocks done. Jackie, Gretchen and Valerie are close behind. It is awesome how dedicated they are and how they got to this project so quickly.
Daisy’s DPWRobin’s DPW (via Daisy)
Gretchen’s DPW
Torie-Test’s DPW TestTorie’s 2d DPW
Now, Carole is an interesting case, and I don’t mean ‘interesting’ in a derogatory way. Carole uses a bold palette that makes a lot of her work look really different than other work I have seen. Carole’s DPW is no exception. I don’t know where she comes up with these ideas, but she succeeds with flying colors. I am so glad she agreed to allow me to share these photos with you!
I was not at the quilt retreat with my CQFA peeps this weekend. 🙁 I was off in the Gold Country with my darling husband. He had a Native Sons event and wanted me to come along. We arrived around 2:30 and wandered the town after checking into the National Hotel, a historic hotel with a bathroom in the bedroom! The toilet had its own space, which was good.
DH saw the above sculpture as we walked around, which reminded me of the sculpture I saw in Toronto in 2005 when I was there for work.
The main drag (think small town main street) was really, really busy on Saturday and cars kept driving by as the Natives were gathering on the stairs of the National Hotel to recreate a photo taken in the last century. It was an issue, because the photographer was set up in the middle of the street!
The main street has a lot of empty shops, which is sad, but the rest are filled with antique and vintage items. The prices are really good. I saw 4-5 really beautiful cake plates. There is a FANTASTIC candy shop on the main street. It has a lot of old fashioned types of candy, a soda fountain, a cooler with drinks I haven’t seen in years, like Bubble Up. I bought a chocolate fizzy drink in a bottle. It was yummy!
They have a small section of hobby materials as well. Most of the time, though, I spent smiling at the members and their wives and being a nice supportive wife.
Jackson tile
As you know, I also like tile. I saw a great bit of tile at the entrance to one of the shops that would be a wonderful quilt border. I wasn’t quite tall enough to get the full repeat, but you get idea. Who will be the first one to make it into a quilt border?
I am back on the idea of doing and embroidered quilt of California land marks to raise funds for the Native Sons Cleft Palette effort. I spent some time collecting images, not to copy, but to use as inspiration, if I ever do it.
My local grocery store has a lot of interesting magazines and they change them up quite frequently. I saw one called ‘Salt’ once and then never saw it again.
Last Tuesday, I was doing the weekly shopping and saw this magazine at the checkout stand. Of course, I had to buy it.
It is a publication by the same people who make Threads. Scrapitude is on my mind, so I grabbed it to see what quilty loveliness was there.
It is actually more of a book in magazine format, though here is no title page.
The whole magazine appears to be written by Joan Ford and discussing her Scrap Therapy program/system. I was interested in the various sections (they weren’t really articles) and how she presents the system.
One thing she does is cut her scraps into 2″, 3.5″ and 5″ squares. She explains how much can be done with those sizes, including how well they fit together. It occurred to me that I could test this on a donation quilt at quilt some point.
Aside from the sizes, her system seems to include the concept of Scraps+1. Fortunately she has the sense to point out that it is fine to buy a background fabric to go with your scraps. She considers design when she is discussing laying out the scraps, which I appreciate greatly.
Included is a sensible approach to some of the basics. She has a section on accurate cutting and shows a slightly different way to hold the ruler to keep it in place. In places where she does things slightly differently than the assumed norm, she explains why she does it that way.
The projects are interesting, too. One thing that s a given is that more fabrics are better than one. Many of the projects are inspired by the Infinite Variety show, but do not mimic the quilts in that show. One of the quilts inspired by the show is blue and cream. I love that! I love that she shows how to expand beyond what the pattern shows.
There are a lot of photos and diagrams, which helps explain the techniques. Applique’ as well as piecing is included and Ms. Ford marks the patterns by difficulty. She does not shy from intermediate and advanced patterns.
If you see this magazine, it is beautifully done and well worth the money.
I plowed through, via audiobook, a number of the Jo Beckett series of mystery novels by Meg Gardiner while I was home over the holidays. They novels are a little formulaic, but I like the characters and the relationship of the characters to one another. The latest one, The Nightmare Thief, is the best, I think, though I liked the character development in the others as well.
Want some free audio books, so you can listen and sew? Try openculture.com. They have a lot of public domain stuff.
Housekeeping
We moved the blog to a new hosting site. This will alleviate, with any luck, the 500 Internal Server errors that were recurring with some regularity. If you are reading this, you have gotten through the worst of it. If you commented before the move, but not since, your comment will not show up until I confirm you are not a spammer. I try to be very quick about it, but if you are on the East Coast and commenting at 6am, you’ll have to wait until I get up a few hours later. 😉
We have noticed a few missing posts. If you commented on one of the missing posts, we will have to restore it and then I can respond to the comment on the blog. I’ll try to send you an email sooner, though. Polly, you leave such fabulous comments and you are one of the ones in this bucket. So sorry! Data conversion is a *itch!
Projects, Patterns & Tutorials
Quiet Play blog has a very appealing BOM called Sew Kitschy. It is appealing for me because of the turquoise and red. The imagery consists of 1950s looking kitchen accessories. I am not sure how the artist will create some of the patterns, but I look forward to seeing what you all make.
I found a pillowcase pattern that might be more my speed. I haven’t tried it, but there is nothing about selvedges, which might be a blessing. Thanks to Pam for pointing me to it.
There is an interesting Blog Hop going on called Dreaming of Stars. I saw it on the Magnolia Bay Quilts blog.
Now I know what crumb blocks are. Daisy mentioned it on her podcast and I had a minute to go look up the explanation on Bonnie Hunter’s site. I know it as mosaic quilting! I do it all the time and make new fabric from like colors.
I really like the Super Size Castle block from Sew Mama Sew. After the Swoon and Round and Round, I am thinking that blowing up some of these blocks with 85 pieces is a good idea and a lot of bang for my buck.
Joyce, over at Quilting Adventures, has a blog post up about making Hearts. It came about because of the upcoming Valentine’s Day. She acknowledges that many do not celebrate VDay and this project transcends those people to be all inclusive. It is a really sweet idea and an easy project – really good for TV time, or doctor waiting room time.
Helpful Hints, Tips, Traps & Tricks
If you need to know how much yardage a layer cake has in it, take a look at this page of quilt terms. I didn’t check the math, but it is a start.
Robin has a great, temporary, but not lame, tip for preventing your rotary ruler from shifting while you cut. You can find it and a brief overview of other more permanent methods on her blog.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim has 474 free art books available online. There is excellent access to catalogs, bulletins and other hard to find art materials. thanks to Timi for pointing that out to me.
From ResearchBuzz “Wellcome Images is releasing over 100,000 high resolution images under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY). “The earliest item is an Egyptian prescription on papyrus, and treasures include exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts and anatomical drawings, from delicate 16th century fugitive sheets, whose hinged paper flaps reveal hidden viscera to Paolo Mascagni’s vibrantly coloured etching of an ‘exploded’ torso.” Good morning, Internet…” I am sure you’ll find some inspiration for your quilts there.
I heard a recent lament from a quiltmaker friend who hadn’t followed her own advice and put the kind of information on her label that she really needed. Yes, she put name and year, but not whether the quilt was from a guild challenge or made especially because of some specific inspiration. What if we all put QR codes on the backs of our quilts? Then, we could tweak the related page infinitely. I saw an article recently about prettifying QR Codes. There are Android & iOS versions to play with for free.
Fabric, Supplies, Tools & Jewels
I popped by the CraftSanity blog and was thrilled to see a feast for the eyes. The fabrics shown are gorgeous and I feel the first stirrings of interest in buying some fabric that I have felt in awhile.
Timeless Treasures has a hilarious vampire fabric. You don’t often see hilarious and vampire in the same sentence, I know, but this fabric made me laugh.
Exhibits
Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr will have an exhibit of Modern Quilts at the Wisconsin Quilt Museum from now until the beginning of April. If you are a reader from Wisconsin, I would love to hear what you think.
The California State Parks are celebrating the 150th (WOW!) anniversary of the system with a quilt contest. Make a quilt, make history. The contest will include an online show of quilts created by quilters throughout the state to honor our state parks. The theme of the quilts is any aspect of California State Parks that inspires you. There are no restrictions as to quilting style, fabric, technique, size, etc!!!
Other Artists
Friend Julie has a new website and her own domain. Check it out at JulieZacconeStiller.com. I am jealous. I really need to work on Artquiltmaker.com, but haven’t done it. Yes, I am putting it on the list.
You can still read Libby Lehman’s CaringBridge site. She went home last week, which is great news. You have to log in to leave a comment.
Frank’s Lovey
I am in an online quilt group and periodically a member will have a really terrible year. this happened to a member recently. We all made blocks and one of the members put them together into a ‘lovey’. I no longer remember which block I made, though I suspect it is the Sawtooth Star with the black on white background to the right of the center. I think I made it during my Star Sampler craze last year.
I was interested in the way the author of the With Strings Attached blog calls quilt tops ‘flimsies.’ I have never heard that before. She has a page with all of her flimsies listed (no links, though) so you can take a look.
Quilty Fun
Most Interesting Man
I do think that quiltmakers, for the most part, are funny people. Recently I saw this posted to Instagram by MissouriMel and retweeted by Alex Veronelli of Aurifil fame. I wonder if the most interesting man knows?
Some of you read of my computer woes last summer. After reading a brief article about Windows 8, I feel a bit vindicated in my frantic search for a Windows 7 machine when Windows 8 was taking over the world.
Are you interested in cheesecake (@HQSuz??). I met a librarian at a recent conference who bakes cheesecakes in his spare time. Then he writes about them in a blog. He is a librarian, after all, and that is what we do. You can see the regular blog as well, which has interesting bits of information, things about life, books, etc.
The major cause of rain production is moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts. If enough moisture and upward motion is present, precipitation falls from convective clouds (those with strong upward vertical motion) such as cumulonimbus (thunder clouds) which can organize into narrow rainbands. In mountainous areas, heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation which forces moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall along the sides of mountains. On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by downslope flow which causes heating and drying of the air mass. The movement of the monsoon trough, or intertropical convergence zone, brings rainy seasons to savannahclimes.
The urban heat island effect leads to increased rainfall, both in amounts and intensity, downwind of cities. Global warming is also causing changes in the precipitation pattern globally, including wetter conditions across eastern North America and drier conditions in the tropics.[citation needed] Antarctica is the driest continent. The globally averaged annual precipitation over land is 715 mm (28.1 in), but over the whole Earth it is much higher at 990 mm (39 in).[1]Climate classification systems such as the Köppen climate classification system use average annual rainfall to help differentiate between differing climate regimes. Rainfall is measured using rain gauges. Rainfall amounts can be estimated by weather radar.
Rain is also known or suspected on other planets, where it may be composed of methane, neon, sulfuric acid or even iron rather than water.” Wikipedia
Jung Ji-Hoon (born June 25, 1982), better known by his stage name Rain, is a South Korean singer, actor, songwriter, dancer, model, producer and designer.
“Rain” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, credited to Lennon–McCartney and first released in June 1966 as the B-side of the “Paperback Writer.”
Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.
We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP
The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.
I feel somewhat self indulgent by sharing my birthday report with you. I had such a great day, though, that I can’t help myself. I love my birthday and really strive to savor it every year. I think I would love to have it more than once a year, but then I would get really old, really fast and it wouldn’t be as special. The bonus was that I had a day off of work!
First, I got up and wrote in my journal and drank my tea. The boys got up and DH made us an omelette (I didn’t even have to ask!), then I started opening gifts. I couldn’t believe the generosity of my friends and family. I couldn’t even open all the gifts at once.
Granary Fabrics
Later, I went to pick up my sewing machine and out to lunch with Maureen. Our favorite lunch place is right near the Granary, so while I waited for her, I looked at fabric. Julie and I are going to do a block project with the 100 Modern Quilt Blocks book by Tula Pink and I saw the perfect background. My mother-in-law gave me some money and the fabrics are the result. I really like the Granary. The fabrics are all commercial and most of the ladies there tend towards non-art quilts, but I like the busyness and the variety of products in the place. They have a lot of fabric that is well organized and it is clean. They have lots of everything as well.
Birthday Gifts
And then there was the birthday box! OMG! TFQ out did herself this year and sent me the most luscious quiltmaking fabric and supplies and inspiration. If I don’t buy anything else this year, I will be all set.
I also put the books that Julie gave me and some gifts that DH gave me in the picture. I am not tall enough to include them all.
One item I received was a FitBit. I have been wanting one and am pleased to finally be able to see where I am in terms of fitness. My first morning workout was over 2,000 steps, which is amazing!
I am back on the donation quilt bandwagon with the Black/Grey Donation Quilt. I was afraid this would be a little depressing, but I think it will be great for a teenager.
I used the patches as a leaders and enders as I was working on Scrapitude.
It isn’t turning out exactly the way I thought, but I like it. I have four other blocks around somewhere, but they are misplaced. They’ll turn up.
Remember last week when I showed you the Pink Spider Looking at the Stars? Well, Amy and I are friends on FB and she chimed in about her version of the quilt. She was in my quilt group and made another quilt with the same fabrics. She sent me a photo and gave me permission to post it. I am posting it here.
This is a great example of the same fabrics being used in completely different ways. I really like the white background as it gives the quilt a lightness.
