Solstice - Starting a new year!

Happy Solstice!

Quilts are falling into my head like the snow that doesn't hit Texas very often. So many quilts. It's like a quilt-alanche inside my skull. Nice and warm, so I am okay with it.  :)

I did not meet my goals - but not for lack of trying. I came up 1 short on the piecing for the last year. But all things considered, I will not ding myself for that!


Piecing:
1. Hawkeye Minimalist - Done
2. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - Done
3. AQ - Done
4. Mermaid Scales - Done
5. Aztec Sunrise - Done
6. Cathedral - Done
7. Fiestaware - DONE
8.  NOT DONE.

 Quilting:
1. AQ - DONE!!!!! 
2. View from Godzilla's Mouth - DONE!!!
3. Mermaid Scales - DONE!!!!
4. Cathedral - DONE!!!
5. Clipper Ship - DONE!!!

Now comes the planning for the next year. Currently, I will shoot for another 5 quilted and try to hit my goal of 8 pieced. (if I manage to get both done this time, I will raise the numbers... maybe).

Piecing:
1. Uffington Horse
2. Blues
3. Squid
4. Chupacabra
5. Mandala
6.  War Quilt
7. Across
8. Girl Dreams

Quilting:
1. Fiestaware
2. Hawkeye Minimalist
3. Crazy Diamonds
4. Door to Moria
5. hopefully one of the above from piecing!!

The quilting part of the list will be the toughie! Two of these are full on pictures, like Clipper Ship was, but they are (or will be) on full-sized quilts (as in the bed size full size). Fiestaware also has a picture to be quilted into it. I... should get started, shouldn't I??

I also want to play with conductive thread and fabric in the coming year. It seems so far away right now... I have 365 days to play with everything. But if I break it down (which is probably a bad idea), each quilt to be quilted could only take 73 days.  Each piecing project can be no more than 45 days - sounds like a lot of time... but it isn't really.

Wish me luck!

Planning!

When I stress, I design quilts. Or piece quilts. Or applique quilts. Or even quilt quilts.

Right now my brain is handing me one design after another, as fast as I can write them down. They are not all winners. I only write down about half the ideas. I know I will never get around to the majority of them, but it’s interesting to see what my brain gives me.

The two best ones of the day:

War Quilt – a trench warfare scene done in sepia tones, land in black, sky in shades of sepia and the people in silhouette, and black explosions above the ground. Quilted into it are words: blood, death, soldiers, civilians, patriotism, nationalism, despot, and so on… enough to fill up a quilt.

Across – I haven’t figured out a way to do this one yet, but the image in my head is of an appliqued figure of one gender. Quilted into it is a figure of other gender, representing what they are inside, whatever the outer shell reflects. I don’t want it to be insulting or demeaning. I kinda want to piece the applique so it looks more Picasso-esque – the sense of the body being just not right, but I am not sure if that would be confusing.

There is a texture quilt forming in my head – all the same color, but different textures. I could only manage that if I could find white fabrics that would take dye in the same way, so the shades are damnably close. But I want it so much.

***

I don’t think in pictures. I think in words, in textures and scents and sounds. The only things that creep into my brain in picture form are quilts (and the occasional random thought that just makes me go “?!?!”).  I have tried other arts and other crafts before, but quilting is the only one that truly produces a result that matches what is in my head. I doodle, but I do not draw. The few I have attempted have garnered only laughter, no matter how much work has gone into them. It’s not an innate talent, and the remembered humiliation keeps me from trying anymore. But quilting… quilting works for me.

I get satisfaction from a completed quilt. It’s work – designing, choosing fabric, piecing, quilting, and binding – but it is utterly satisfying to look at a quilt, and think “I did that. Start to finish. That was me.”  

 I put another quilt in the hoop the other day. It will take me a while – it’s 100  12” blocks, and each block will have a geometric design quilted into it with variegated thread.

But I know what will be next on the list after that. I am building my goals for the next year, and we shall see how I do again! (The next one will be for me – a Hawkeye pin-up pic quilted into my Minimalist Hawkeye Logo quilt. Sometimes it IS just for me).

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Closing in on the end

Getting close to the end of my year...

Piecing:
1. Hawkeye Minimalist - Done
2. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - Done
3. AQ - Done
4. Mermaid Scales - Done
5. Aztec Sunrise - Done
6. Cathedral - Done
7. Fiestaware - DONE
8. Beekeeper's Quilt - this will take forever, but I have all my hexies cut out and am making pieces.

 Quilting:
1. AQ - DONE!!!!! still need to get pics.
2. View from Godzilla's Mouth - DONE!!!
3. Mermaid Scales - DONE!!!!
4. Cathedral - DONE!!!
5. Clipper Ship - DONE!!!

I have succeeded on the quilting front! Woohoo!!!

One more to go on piecing. I have a couple of options that I am considering.

I know people who quilt and piece more, who quilt and piece faster. But for me, this is pretty darned impressive. I am keeping up with my goals.

Come the end of the year - which for me will change over at the solstice - I will lay down a new set of goals for the next year. I haven't quite figured out what those will be yet, but that's on the to-do list.  :)

I have SO MANY IDEAS.

1. Hawkeye pinup. (ooh.... I could quilt this into the Minimalist Hawkeye quilt!!)
2. Uffington Horse (and quilting)
3. Blues (all about the fabric)
4. Squid
5. Chupacabra
6. Zen Garden Quilt (lots of quilting)
7. Mandala Quilt
8. Door to Moria Quilt (in which quilting is the point)
9. Quilt Fiestaware
10. Japanese Tea Garden
11. Quilt Crazy Diamonds

I guess I could start with these! (Right now on the frame is Crazy Diamonds.... it's gonna take a while!)

Wow - we're back!!!

Update after a long hiatus:

I know... it's been a while. There was a great deal of stress and anxiety and depression in there. It's still there, but I have enough energy to post! Yay!!

Last year, at winter solstice I decided to start a list of what I wanted to accomplish in terms of quilting. I gave myself a year to piece 8 tops and complete 5 quilts.

I'm doing pretty well! Updates below!

Piecing:
1. Hawkeye Minimalist - Done
2. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - Done
3. AQ - Done
4. Mermaid Scales - Done
5. Aztec Sunrise - Done
6. Cathedral - Done
7. Fiestaware - DONE
8. Beekeeper's Quilt - this will take forever, but I have all my hexies cut out and am making pieces.

 Quilting:
1. AQ - DONE!!!!! still need to get pics.
2. View from Godzilla's Mouth - DONE!!!
3. Mermaid Scales - DONE!!!!
4. Cathedral - DONE!!!
5. Clipper Ship - SO CLOSE!! Almost done!!




It looks like I will make it on the completed quilts portion of my goals list. Depending on the next few weekends, we will see if I will make it on the piecing front! I am determined to do so, although it won't be on Beekeeper's.

I feel like there is something missing from the piecing list, but right now I have no clue!!

Random Quilt Ramblings

Thinking a lot about quilts this morning. Not only did I crawl out from under two of them this morning when I finally got out of bed, but I stepped around another one lying on my floor in a heap. And passed another three on my walls. Looked at another one hanging up at work – also mine.

Started a list of all the quilts I have finished. I am up to 27 so far. I’ve gifted 6 that I remember, so there may be more. I don’t keep very good track of the ones I’ve finished. It’s mostly the process for me.

Of the ones that are more complicated than basic squares or rectangles in straight-ish lines,6 are made with my own piecing pattern. One is from a pattern Donna made. All the applique work is my own design except one. 1 complete quilt is from a commercial pattern.

I have 10 that need to be quilted or are in the process of being quilted. Two that I am currently actively working on piecing.

And a lot more that exist only in my head or in my quilt journal.

I love quilts, obviously. J I love the art, the craft, the time and the effort. I admire other people’s work. There are better quilters than I am, people who make a living designing fabric, doing classes, selling quilts. I am not one of those. Maybe I never will be. But I learn more with every quilt I make, and from most of the quilts I see. I learn what other people like, what sorts of things win at shows, and so forth. But at the end of the day, what's more important? Winning a show or enjoying the quilt I make? One day I may design one that checks off both boxes - we shall see. Either way, I will keep making.

I am not a visual thinker. I think in words – if I visualize, it is usually the words scrolling across my brain. But in quilts, I think in pictures and texture, and sound – the sound of the scissors and the machine, and the tearing of the fabric.

I used to ponder what kind of quilter I am – not traditional, not modern, not art. I didn’t fit a category, which is fine with me. I am a utilitarian quilter. I want my quilts to be used. Most are at least throw-sized. Those that aren’t, *shrug* can be hung on the wall as art, I suppose. Up to 29 counted now, forgot about a matched set of smaller ones.

I’m a little selfish. I wish there was a Patreon or Kickstarter or something for quilting – lots of people chip in to give me money so I could stay home and make quilts. There isn’t, though. So I make quilts in my spare time and when I match a quilt with a person, I give it away.

I like quilts. They warm, they comfort, they speak to me. They tell me about people and about the things that intrigue them. They welcome. They decorate. They fill a niche that no other art form can, as far as I am concerned.

Why do you like quilts?

S

Hexies and blankets

I did it. I made my weighted blanket. And I did it the cheap and easy way, too!

It occurred to me that I didn't NEED to piece it. Since it's only 36" square, I could just cut two pieces of fabric the size I needed and stitch them together! (D'oh). So that's exactly what I did.

I stitched them together on three sides, right sides together, and then turned it right side out and ironed it. Then I measured and marked lines 6" apart on the back like a grid.  I first stitched the channels that ran from the open side - the "top" to the bottom.

Then I had to do math. :)

I wanted my blanket to be 10 pounds. So I took 10 lbs. and multiplied it by 16 (oz. in a lb.) to get 160. Then I divided 160 by 36, for the number of squares I was going to have. That gave me almost 4.5 ounces of filling pellets per square.

So, into each column went approx. 4.something ounces. Then I dragged it over to the sewing machine and stitched the horizontal lines, sealing those 6 squares off. And repeat, allllll the way to the top. It went faster than anticipated, and it wasn't THAT hard to stitch, except for the last row. For the top, I folded the fabric over twice and stitched over that. Hopefully that will keep those pesky little pellets in the quilt where they belong!

It was simple, and quick, and it works lovely! As I finished it, I was already thinking of ways to improve on it. So I will be making a few more, including a much smaller one - 12" x 36" that isn't as heavy (obviously), that I can take to work and lay in my lap when I need it. The big one is just too bulky for my office chair.

Of course I took it to my therapist, to show her. She was enchanted by it, and now wants one of her own.  :) I call that a win! It's such a nice weight - not too heavy, but not too light either. I can feel it, and it helps calm the anxiety and the sensory stuff, and seems to even help with restless legs. Not a cure-all, but darned handy!

I am still cutting hexies - as of last night I am up to 1,945. Soon... sooon! Soon I will have to start stitching them together and buying a ton of stuffing to go in them. I haven't even exhausted our stash o' fabrics yet. Although I am getting closer.

Here's a pic of a calendar I was sent... I have ALMOST decided to make a quilted version. Not that I am obsessed with Hawkeye or anything... but if it comes out well, I could try some of the others from the inside. It's SUCH a cool calendar!!! I don't know if it's State Fair quilting, but it would be funny!!!

More pics and such later!!

Diving right in:

Over the weekend I made calculations on how many hexies I will need to make my beekeeper's quilt. Grand total: 2400. Yikes!!!

As of last night I have 1400 (it may be 1500, but I can't find my notes. So... 1400 it is, and if the quilt turns out bigger than anticipated, so be it!)

Even when we went shopping for fabric, I didn't buy anything just for the quilt. Although I may have bought some fabric for another quick project that won't take up all the fabric I bought... so I might be cheating a little. Maybe.

Here's about 1100 hexies strewn out over the worktable in the studio. It doesn't look like much right now... but hopefully by the end of the long weekend I will have several hundred more hexies done.

And then - then I can start the sewing!!! Woot!

The best part of this process has been the browsing through fabrics. I pick them up all over the place - on road trips, on random trips, in my state, in all the states around my state... and some from fabric swaps. Right now, the piece that has traveled the furthest came to me from Ireland! And almost every piece has a bit of story attached to it. Quilts I've made that have gone to people I love. Quilts that other people made after I taught them to quilt. A piece from this trip. From this person. It's a scrap book in quilt form. It has, for the moment, helped me ameliorate the symptoms of depression by showing me all the ways I am connected to people, through my quilts and other sewing projects.

Rambling through the internet today, I found something ELSE I am going to make for myself: a lap blanket or lap weight. Last year, for those who haven't been following long, I was diagnosed as high-functioning autistic. That was news to me - although looking back it makes sense, which I guess is the way things work. I have always loved snuggling under several layers of blankets, which works out to a weighted blanket. But at work that isn't really feasible. I sometimes feel like I need a seatbelt at work, and it FINALLY occurred to me that I could make a weighted mini-blanket - a small lap blanket - and keep it at work for both warmth and weight. (duh. I know. Sometimes it takes me a while to think about things like this).

It won't be anything special, but it will be made of fabric that I like. Basic piecing, basic stitching, but I am already looking forward to it! Hopefully I can get that done and pictures posted before too much longer has passed.

Shay

Drowning in Quilts.... and loving it

I did not realize how prolific a quilter I've become (relatively speaking - there are always people who make more!)

I've only been quilting in earnest about 7 years. Before that, I had made all of one quilt. But I have amassed about 30 quilts of all sizes, from 20"x40" to 120"x120". That's not half bad!

A gorgeous knitted beekeeper's quiltlet

The next one on the list is going to take me a while. Like, forever. It's a Beekeeper's Quilt - which is usually done in knit or crochet. I cannot do either with any consistency, so I decided I would do it in fabric - hooray! Because I am just that crazy, apparently.

The Beekeeper's Quilt is made of little stuffed hexes, called hexi-puffs. I made a test one, and like the way it looks in fabric. So, away we go!

The goal is to make a truly scrap quilt - to purchase NO fabric for this. We have plenty of scraps in the studio, so it shouldn't be a problem. I've sorted through one box for scraps so far, with another box of printed scraps and a box of solids to go through still.

It's August now, so I am sneaking up slowly on my year of quilting. It's done well so far, and if I keep making progress like this, I may continue it next year! I have managed to piece 7 quilts so far. My goal was 8, so I am almost there! For quilting, the goal was 5, and I have managed 3 so far.

Piecing:
1. Hawkeye Minimalist - Done
2. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - Done
3. AQ - Done
4. Mermaid Scales - Done
5. Aztec Sunrise - Done
6. Cathedral - Done
7. Anniversary Quilt - now an XMas quilt - in progress
8. Fiestaware - DONE
9. Beekeeper's Quilt - this will take forever.

Quilting:
1. AQ - DONE!!!!! still need to get pics.
2. View from Godzilla's Mouth - DONE!!!
3. Mermaid Scales - DONE!!!!
4. Crazy Diamonds - on the list and on the frame!
5. Fiestaware - on the list
6. Cathedral - in progress


On other fronts...
Writing took a hit, but it does sometimes. My ego is recovering and I will dive back into it pretty quickly here soon.

The Last Phoenix, Part Two

Apparently I am not good at waiting.

I went ahead and made the top for The Last Phoenix. It didn't take too long, just a trip to a LQS about 40 miles away (one of my favorites!) and back again, and then a center seam and some applique work. Nevertheless, I am pleased with it.

Err... ignore the lawn mower. We need a place to store it while we're using it, and the studio is a good place with free space.

The quilting will have to wait, though!

The other thing I worked on on Friday (took a day off from the day job) was the Anniversary Quilt. It HOPEFULLY will go smoothly. We will see! I have everything ready, just have to do it. That is, applique a whole lot of stuff and quilt a whole lot of stuff.

At any rate, I also finished The View from Godzilla's Mouth.

That makes my lists look something like this:

Tops:
1. The Last Phoenix - Done!
2.  Hawkeye Minimalist - Done
3. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - Done
4. AQ - Done
5. Mermaid Scales - Done
6. Aztec Sunrise - Done
7. Cathedral - Done
8. Anniversary Quilt - in progress! (Woo-hoo!)
9. Goth Cathedral Window (in progress!)

All I have to do to meet my goal for the year (as far as piecing tops goes) is to finish the Anniversary Quilt. I feel like I may have under-estimated my desire to piece things!

I was only intending to quilt 5 quilts:
1. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - DONE
2. Mermaid Scales - Done
3. AQ - Done
4. Goth Cathedral Window - in progress
5. Clipper Ship - in progress

I am beginning to wonder if I under-estimated on quilting as well! (In terms of blocks, Clipper Ship is a quarter done).

The Last Phoenix

Today is a random quilt idea kind of day.

I have a quilt planned - not just the idea, but the whole shebang. The quilt, the colors, the design to quilt into it - everything. Even down to the very fabric I want to use, which is unusual for me. I need to track down some Moda Grunge, which shouldn't be terribly difficult, in grey couture. The other colors will come from my stash.

It will be called The Last Phoenix. The feather will be reds, yellows, and oranges, maybe over-painted with a glow-in-the-dark wash. Quilting will be done in gray or black. There will be quilting all over the piece, not just as shown. I'm just lazy, and this is the first sketch.

It will have to wait, but right now it really wants to be made. It's a good thing I don't have any of the grunge fabric, or I might just make it now!

Shay

Building Momentum

For those keeping track at home:

Piecing:
1. Hawkeye Minimalist - Done
2. The View from Godzilla's Mouth - Done
3. AQ - Done
4. Mermaid Scales - Done
5. Aztec Sunrise - Done
6. Cathedral - Done
7. Anniversary Quilt - in progress!
8. Goth Cathedral Window - in progress!

Quilting:
1. AQ - DONE!!!!! (pics to follow when delivered to recipient)
2. View from Godzilla's Mouth - in progress! Ghidorah left to quilt!
3. Mermaid Scales - DONE!!!!
4. Goth Cathedral Window - in progress! (hooray quilt as you go!)
5. Crazy Diamonds - on the list

For those new to my blog, at Winter Solstice I determined to piece 8 quilt tops this year and complete 5 quilts. I seem to be ahead of schedule right now, as it's only April 19th. I am certain that things will slow down now that I am working on the Anniversary Quilt.

But I find it amazing that I have managed to do so much in 4 months. Maybe I should raise my goals! (I'll revisit that idea after faire, when I have more spare time).

I still want to do Ballet Folklorico this year, so I can show it to the many people I have discussed it with.

On other fronts:

I'm also still submitting to agents with my novel. So far no bites, but I'm still in there swinging.

We'll be holding a class in July or August for the roomie's Scales pattern. So I need to start planning that - making sure her instructions are clear and concise, without any weirdness in them. Then we can set up the time and date and start advertising it.

I leave you with a photo of one of my beeswax thread conditioners: Iron Man! Hand poured and ready to go, Iron Man is there when I need him to be!