After posting my recent BOM square, a member in the group suggested turning the bottom corner. I had not seen how the placement was just a little off. It didn't take much to go back with a ripper and piece that part the other way.
I could have left it and a non-quilter would not have seen it. I didn't see it. With the dark blocks lined up, they make the 'holding bar' for the ladder.
I know I have blogged about the ripper tool before, but it is really an essential item and one can easily rip all the way until the quilt is basted, changing one's mind and changing the outlook of the quilt. This switch-out took me maybe 15 minutes to do and its such a subtle change that it was hardly worth mentioning.
Hardly worth it, except that it demonstrates the difference of our perspectives, the way we see a thing.
And the act of making a re-do is so precious. Many times there is no chance of making something right as easily as this was. The thing about these mystery quilts, or any art a person makes, is that its deeply personal and dependent upon the artist's vision and expression.
For instance, I am not a fan of Jackson Pollack's work, even though those silly little tests you take to see who you are most like showed that I was a Jackson Pollack kinda person. When I first looked at his drip painting or Abstract Art, it seemed like some toddler created it. There was too much chaos and lack of identifiable form. It was hard to sit with it without pushing something inside me out. It was action painting. I tried to make sense of what I was seeing and that was not the goal.
Evaluations of his work say that he pushed the boundaries of what the medium of paint is capable of expressing. He explored innovative ways of creating art using liquid paint, and was less concerned for tradition. He used to say he got "in his painting". When I gave into actually seeing the work, looking at it, suddenly I felt a lot of emotion within the canvas. Maybe I am like that. Less concerned with tradition. It has been said that his work was an unorganized explosion of random energy. Maybe this is me inside too.
One thing that seemed to mark him was the ridicule he experienced from traditional painters who could not see this new art form as valid. This piece is called "Moon Woman Cuts the Circle". I tried to like this one. Here it seems like he created the image of the fearful goddess, the fateful godmother, the poisonous nurse of all the moonstruck in the world. Its too much for me to take in and get. Its a different perspective that makes me step out of what I know and what I believe to be good. http://dhowell.com/the-favours-of-the-moon-by-charles-baudelaire/
While I want to quilt beyond convention and tradition, to stay within the groups I have joined, means I need to quilt the way our mother's mother's mothers quilted. Whenever I get to the point where I can step outside those boundaries and have a new perspective, then...well, I will.
With a new cat in the house (he is 7-years-old), as he is adapting, so must I. Its like having a vulnerable child around. Things I took for granted with my environment, or let slip as part of housekeeping, such as leaving loose threads on the floor or not putting pins away, are habits that need to go. Soon enough, we will both get into a routine.
I went into town to buy a few things that didn't come with him from his previous home, such as this litter catcher mat. Its a convenience for both of us. I did not get him some toys but after he pulled a bird decoration from one of my plants this morning and was batting it around like crazy, I realized that he would welcome the activity of some small toys.
Meanwhile, I want to be sure he doesn't get into the habit of laying on any fabric or finished quilts. Its up to me to keep them in their containers and off of any furniture.
His entry into my life is a huge shift. After my last cat took ill and passed over the rainbow bridge into the Light ahead of me a couple of years ago, I did not think it was wise for me to share my life again. Rico, his name is Rico, lived in a household with an infant whom they determined was allergic to cats. As soon as I saw his photo, my heart opened and so did my home.
Besides the cleaning and re-organizing, I did do some quilting. This is a 4th of July Mug Rug for a swap that's binding is almost ready to be hand sewn. I am also working on the same two quilts right now....the Cat Paper Piecing project and my older Son's Constellations quilt. Both are top priority to finish.
Again, they will take up most of my time until they are completed. And of course, there is gardening to do. This is the season where the lawn needs mowing a couple times a week and because I put in some new plants outside of the underground water system, they need watering every day. I love being outdoors and it becomes harder to want to stay inside and sew.
I wonder why I thought planning randomness would be that easy. Its not. Seems there is more work at many levels of a project required than if it just was unplanned.
I finished basting another quilt and think it will look nice with a stitched seam echoing the joining seams for the blocks. Thing is, that means it must be in alignment with the N-S/E-W seams on back. Hmm. Luckily, this quilt can go out when it is finished and I am able to have it sit awhile.
The primary finish for right now is the Cat Paper Piecing quilt, so I plan to draw the stitch line on it today for machine basting the perimeter, and then get to taking off the paper backing and clipping threads. The paper on the back makes me nervous because it won't allow the fabric to lay flat until it is off. My discomfort is because I am out of my usual comfort zone. Duh.
The last two star blocks were added to the Constellations quilt and the next step is to join triangles for the border and then add the border. It's getting there.
And I finished 2 blocks called Broken Herringbone for a quilt block swap partner in Australia. She asked for white as the sashing and one color for the block. I do hope this will work. Its a charming block that finishes at 13", which I hope she keeps to finish her quilt just that tiny bit larger.
The BOM group issued the 4th block, Jacob's Ladder. This is another 'mystery' quilt that started by me gathering the required number of FQs from my stash and purchasing fabrics for the block frames and borders. It looks like it will be stunning when completed and I do have a plan for who will get it when I am done. These blocks are so easy that I might pull out the B&W project and add some of them to it.
Randomness. It makes me laugh. The other day, a Black & White Norwegian Forest Cat needed a home. I have been saying that I was not going to have animals in my life again, and suddenly here he is. His history says he was hit by a car and so was found in a rescue center 7 years ago. A child in his family is allergic to cat dander, and because he is a long-hair, I am sure that the child needed relief. Of course, he is with me now. Because of him, I am being given another chance to evolve and allow myself to be affectionate and receive affection from another being.
It meant cleaning up my sewing act...no more loose threads, no random needles or pins, and also the loss of some storage so his litter box had a place. I spent a fair amount of time condensing my storage and then sweeping the house with a broom and dust rag.
The Universe always amazes me. I think of the planned randomness She expresses and smile.
I worked on a number of blocks and was able to finish the last two of them needed for Jake's holiday quilt. Later this morning, I plan to baste another quilt at the clubhouse.
The first block I made is a variation on the Friendship block. The angel fabric came from my friend Virginia's Mother's estate. The block requires pieces that are 4 7/8" square for the HSTs and the WOF piece I had was just at 5", so it worked perfectly. The darker red has a gilding on it, so again, looks different from any of the other blocks.
This second block I made is the Waterwheel. I reversed colors from the pattern to make it a red and then used a directional vintage print with deer and rabbits on it.
Both are good additions to the quilt top. My next step is to measure blocks. With so many quilters contributing to it, I want to make sure that any differences in sizes will go in the same rows so that the sashing can be cut to make them all fit together. I know that some quilters in the swaps are adamant that the finished size be 12.5", making it easier to quilt away on their projects.
I know we do our best and that sometimes things work out differently than planned. Its always best to have a Plan B in case the original plan didn't work.
While waiting for the car repair guy to check out my car (yes, they come to the house here in Tehachapi and even drive it back to the shop), I wanted to do some paper crafting so I could be in the front of the house. He knocks so quietly that I don't hear him.
It gave me a chance to finish the foreign cancelled stamp project I started. I need to put some decoupage on it, cut it to post card sizes, and use the remainder as notes when I send swaps. It turned out nice. If I do this again, and most likely will, I might want to take time to sort stamps into like sizes and draw grid lines. It almost looks like a quilt!
And then I laid out the blocks to my younger Grandson's quilt, built from International swaps and some of my own. As I looked at it, I thought about how it would be machine quilted and am not sure yet how that will work. Some blocks have a speciality look, which means they do not have the usual piecing. They might do better with shadow quilting (an outline) and so would have to go on corners for ease on the machine. I bought a green print for sashing and gold for corner stones. While waiting in the room in front of my windows, I went through my patterns and settled on two that are not in the assortment, and have cut out the pieces for them. Looks like this quilt will be 5 blocks wide by 5 blocks long.
The car's throttle box needs replacing and the part might be here some time later in the week. I'm not sure if the car guy will take the car to his shop or do the work outside the house. Either way, I know that I will need to plan ahead for projects that can be done in front of my windows.
Lavender is a favorite herb of mine, and I have one plant that started growing in the sun and is now in shade because the trees stand taller. Its preference is full sun, so next fall, I plan to plant at least three more in the South garden.
Some of it was ready to harvest, and filled a large basket. I've never had the experience of insects with the harvest but am always on the lookout. After being spread on my studio floor, it got separated into several vases to stand up tall, got hung upside down, or cut shorter for sachet bags. Some will be dry in a few days, others hanging might take a week. If there is going to be an issue with bugs, it would show up in the first hour when they are spread on paper bags. I've just never had any problems with them.
Dealing with this project took me away from most of my quilting today, but this room smells extraordinary! I do not mind the switching of energetic gears.
While watching a movie video, I finished the binding on the Mystery Quilt named Comfort & Joy, and all that is left to it is to check for loose threads and ensure the seams are correct. Its surprises me that it looks so nice and will be a perfect quilt for a young man. For as lovely as they turn out, Mystery Quilts present a real lesson in letting go of any control I might have. There is simply no way that you can envision how the project will look. Its getting way warm in the house to have a quilt over my lap. Soon the AC will go on and it will be nice to have a cover.
When I asked the Infant Center Teacher for what she might want or need, she said that her babies in the Center range from laying down, to crawling and then, by the time they start toddling, they move along to the Toddler Room. The Teachers each have a max of four babies in their care at one time according to the Cali State Laws.
So when they take the babies outdoors, they might be able to put four of them into a wagon (with sides) to go for a walk, but some of the excursions might just be out in the air, and at best babies could crawl a few paces. What she said they need is a crawl mat that provides a little cushion and a little barrier.
I brought out my container of flannel scraps. The darker piece measures at 2 3/4 yard by WOF (width of fabric), so it was the standard size I needed to cut down the hearts on chocolate fabric. There were two ways to make the crawl mat, either to seam it for a square or make it uncut into a rectangle. She opted for the rectangle because it could transition from their door to the back yard and 'crawlers' could make the journey themselves, have enough room to play, while the 'layers' could have their seat-belted seats put at the end as a sort of wall to stop 'crawlers' from going farther into the yard. 'Layers' transition to 'crawlers' as they learn to push themselves over and need a variety of environments to test their new skills.
The fabric was trimmed and squared, sewed right sides together and is ready to be top-stitched at the edges. The plan is to join the two pieces with a serpentine stitch between the bigger heart on the top fabric so it will lay relatively flat when tossed on the ground. Its light enough to go into the washer / dryer, not too hard to handle, and soft enough for baby skin.
I had hoped for that bin of flannel scraps to come down more than it did, yet, this was a remarkably easy project that made use of two lovely pieces. It is never my intention to toss perfectly good fabric away, and always my intention to make the best use of what I have. This project pleased me.
