Staying Warm and Busy

Look's what's finally on the machine!!  Makes me feel so productive - a great way to start 2014.

I know so many of you live where it gets REALLY cold, but let me just tell you, this is a first for Pensacola.  We've lived here over 40 years, and while we've had snow several times, we have never had ice.

Our poor azaleas don't really know what hit them. And the high was only 29 yesterday, so they still look like this today.  Not sure what that means for blooms in a few months... we'll wait and see.

I know this isn't snow, but it looks so weird when I look out my front window.  The roads are all basically closed with ice on them, so I've had a really good excuse to spend quality time in my studio.

Early in the morning, I finished another donation quilt (just the quilting) for our church ministry and then started on Orca Bay.  Stayed busy and happy :).  Hopefully I will finish the quilting today.

This morning this is what the back deck looks like, those little icicles are still there.  It should melt today, and I am so ready to get back to normal.

Have a great day,

Karen

Orca Bay - Final Word

I appreciate all the comments on the direction of the squiggles, in the end I went with sideways. 

 To be more accurate, I went with perpendicular, which means that it's going both ways :)!  So everyone was right in the end.  I think it frames it perfectly, and I do love how the blue border pulls out all the blue string blocks and helps balance out the red.

And I added some of my leftover broken dishes block in the borders.  I had to make the one a little smaller because I didn't want a 2 1/2" blue border.  Adds a little interest I think.  This fabric really is busy when viewed in person.  I think to have run the sides lengthwise would have overpowered the quilt.

So this is now done!  I really wanted to use all stash fabric, but sometimes as hard as we try, it just doesn't work out.  I'm glad I went with these choices.

After I finish the project currently on the machine, I will be quilting this...... feels good.

Have a great day,

Karen

A Clean Start

This chair sits in my studio.   When I redid my sewing space several years ago, I got this chair because I thought I might sit in it to do hand sewing, or applique or just rest and watch tv.  I have done none of those because this chair is usually buried (and I mean buried) under piles of fabric, projects, ironing, mending, you name it.  Today I rescued it.  I filed everything away, I did all the ironing and mending and for at least one day, it looks so pretty :).  And you can actually see my Amy Butler quilt that I made specifically for this room!

On the other side of the room you might remember that a few weeks ago my cutting table looked like this.

Today it looks like this! Little happy dance.  This took much longer than the chair as there were tons of little pieces I had pulled for my Celtic Solstice.  

I won't show you the side of the room where the fabric is, that's still a work in progress :).

Yesterday I broke down and bought fabric for the borders of my Orca Bay.  I am determined to finish my BH mystery quilts this year and not let them languish any longer.   I found this black and white print. It's got a lot of movement in it, but I thought it looked like water and it kind of went with the quilt.  It's pretty dark but I think it helps stop all the chaos going on in the center. 

I really like it going both ways.

I went with a bright blue for the inner border as I thought the quilt has enough red in it. I do think it helps to pull the blue out.  Here the black is going sideways.

Here it is running lengthwise.  So my last decision is which way to run the squiggles.  They each have their pros and cons.  Any opinions out there??

Hope you had a productive Saturday.  I just keep walking in my studio and smiling.  I'm sure it won't take long for "creative clutter" to take over again, but for today it is clean and waiting for me to create.

Happy stitching,

Karen

Celtic Solstice - All Done.....Sort of

Today was the day - I finished piecing my Celtic Solstice :).  It is a happy little quilt and I really like the final layout.  It's much smaller than Bonnie's, mine is 58 x 58.

I took some pictures as I was building this.

Here are all the 4 patches done - using some darker greens and moving the really bright green ones around.

Then I finished the pinwheels and the corner units - all that was left were the green "V" units.

When all the blocks were done I had to decide about the border. I thought about turning some of the orange triangles (instead of all going in the same direction) - kind of blah.

I changed up the orange triangles, thought about adding some neutral ones to visually finish the blocks, tried using some of the 4 patches I had taken out and auditioned a yellow inner border.

In the end I went with all orange triangles, a neutral inner border and no green 4 patches.  I really like it, especially my little rogue block in the very center.

So now Celtic Solstice joins the pile of Bonnie Hunter mystery quilts - from 2010 Roll Roll Cotton Boll. This was my first and is probably still my favorite.

Next was Orca Bay - 2011.  I didn't like the original border and three years later I'm still trying to decide how to finish this.

This is a black and white check.

This is a blue inner border with a black and white print (it wouldn't be that wide).  Any suggestions????  Maybe the answer is - it IS done- no border.  Although to me it looks unfinished, like it needs a border.

And this is Easy Street - from 2012.  I had  tons of pink, red and grey scraps left over.  When I decided to enter the NYC MQG DWR challenge, I immediately thought of those scraps and they ultimately became Organic Pink Pickles.

So there is my saga of BH mysteries, the tops are all pieced (except for Orca Bay) and they are just waiting to be quilted.  Maybe 2014 will be my year to quilt up some of my tops that have been languishing.

Celtic Solstice has been fun to make, I'm glad I made mine smaller and that it's done.  Considering it's only January 11th, I'm really rather impressed :).  

Now it's on to a project that was started over a year ago.  I've been procrastinating but I'm determined to not do anything else until it's done - except for the never ending hand quilting my Jubilee quilt.  I am determined to finish it before our quilt show in April.

Happy stitching,

Karen

Orca Bay almost done

I can't believe how even when you make a real effort to pay attention and pin things in the right order, something like this happens!!  And it was completely sewn down with all seam matching before I put it back on the design wall and discovered it!

Needless to say, it needed to be ripped out, but not before I made sure that I didn't like it this way better.  I experimented with several different sets, but in the end I didn't like them better...... so I spent time with the frogs.. rippit, rippit :).  I'm trying out different inner borders. I tried red and blue, but they didn't work - so I'm left with black and gold.  I'm thinking of using some of my 400 plus black and white hourglass units for the second border - I think I'll have enough.  I kind of like what happens but it will need to be set off with the right fabrics.  The first time I used black, but I kind of like the gold

I made the gold border smaller and this is where I am now.  The whole top is pieced and I'm going to live with it for a day or two and see how it grabs me.  I like how it pulls out the gold, but it may need to be smaller yet.  I also want to try the Kona black on the outside.  Any thoughts? Suggestions??

Until next time,

Karen

Hangin' Out at Orca Bay

I've been trying to finish someWIP's (works in progress) and today's it's Orca Bay. Since I started working on this in Dec. I had only completed 3 of the steps (blue string blocks, red string blocks and b&w hourglass blocks). Once I saw the reveal I decided to make some changes to Bonnie Hunter's original - I'm adding a third color and making it smaller.What is so interesting to me about watching this pattern emerge, it what happens to the blue sting blocks. The black squares seem to bring out the red triangles.

I decided to use a piece of marbled (kind of a batik) orangey-red-gold for the centers. So it's the same fabric, it just looks different from block to block. (I thought it needed a third color besides the red and blue).

What is interesting to me about this stage, is that as the triangles are added to the red string block to make a big flying geese unit, it makes the blue pop out.

And instead of using black and white for those pieced triangle units, I used another orangey-gold fabric. I'm thinking I may leave it this size - much smaller than the original. Not sure what I'll do for a border. I'll need to find something to do with the leftover pieces. Now it's on to making the star blocks and putting this thing together!!

(I think I'll move my can of starch!!!)

Until next time,

-Karen

American Girl visits Orca Bay

The sewing machine has been humming, going back and forth from capes and dresses, to what seems like thousands of black and white HST's!! Here's my progress so far.... all the blue string blocks done and I'm making serious headway on the HST's.
I am really intrigued to see what Bonnie has in mind for all these. I still have a bunch more, but I am more than half way there. The rest will have to wait until after Christmas, I'm done for now.

These little dresses are for my granddaughter's AG doll and a matching one for her best friend's doll. There is something so enjoyable about creating gifts for children/ grandchildren, especially your own! One of my friends suggested maybe a business opportunity in light of my imminent unemployment. I'm not so sure about that, but I had a blast doing these and a matching flannel nightgown for my DGD and her AG doll.

Until next time,

-Karen

Batman Visits Orca Bay

I want to say thanks for all the kind words and good thoughts regarding my recent job loss. I've been busy trying to distract myself, and I seem to be doing a pretty good job. This Batman cape I made for my 4 year old grandson for Christmas. I found pictures online of both blue and black capes, but when I saw this blue fabric, I was thrilled. I downloaded the image and machine appliqued it on. I put a velcro tab on the neck so I hope that works. It's really cool looking in person - I think he'll be thrilled too.
As you can see, I've fallen prey to Bonnie Hunter's latest challenge. I had never done a challenge before last year, when I made Roll, Roll Cotton Boll. I actually waited until I saw the finished quilt to decide I wanted to do it. This time I'm playing along..... very behind on the weekly assignments, but going along at my own pace. This afternoon, I helped pass the time making the blue string blocks by watching/listening to Les Miserables - the 25th Anniversary edition. I am completely smitten by this musical after watching it on PBS several months ago. And this video is phenomenal!!

I have to make 72 blue string blocks, and I am just over half way there. The black and white triangles are a little more time consuming. I'll have to psyche myself up to finish 448 hst's or 224 hourglass blocks!! Yikes, I might have to put Les Miz in more than once!!

Thanks again for the encouragement, I'm coping pretty well at the moment - trusting that just the right door will open up.

Have a great day,

-Karen