Playing with Scraps and New Tote Bags

It makes me both excited and a little nervous when the scrap bins start to overflow. I usually have some projects lined up for when the selection gets really good, and so now I'm simultaneously making a number of things.

I'm collecting strips and squares for the scrap quilt pictured in the background of this photo. I think I have enough and I should stop stuffing pieces into this bag.


I've also got these two sets of blocks in the works. The brown background is up there only for contrast. Any suggestions on colors to use in the background of the scrappy star?

And I've been making bags. I love it that I see more and more people in the market with reuseable cloth bags. This one was once a muslin wood carrier. I stitched up the sides and inked over an iron-on transfer with sharpie. I also added pockets inside and outside. That's Bunny the cat walking by.

This bag is more of a purse. I used the Alexander Henry "Loteria" (Mexican Bingo) card fabric I got so excited about, and some deniim from my stash. I added lots of pockets, including a zipper pocket, on the inside.


Have a restful and creative weekend!

Thirty Seconds from My Day

I look out the front door and think, "what's wrong with that cat?"But Fatty has just found the perfect place to relax.
Michael scratches the place the rocks don't reach. He's so thoughtful.
When Louie comes by to join the party, Fatty will have none of it.

I hope your day is half as relaxing as Fatty's. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post.

The Table

Now that I have a usable dining room table the inevitable has happened: it has been loaded up with a sewing machine, some bits of fabric I’m piecing into scrap blocks, and a stack of books I’m reading for a course I’ll teach in the fall. I’m using my Janome, which is permanently installed in the sewing room, to machine quilt my last QOV, so I decided to set up my Featherweight on the dining room table so I can do some piecing when I feel the urge.
I haven’t used the Featherweight in quite awhile. I’ve really come to love the automatic thread cutter and all the other luxuries of the new machine. But the Featherweight is as decorative as it is useful, and I like seeing it on the table. I also like seeing my work in progress displayed in my home’s public space.
A table is a powerful thing. I recently had a party for a friend and colleague who won a campus award. People from across the university were invited. In preparation, I cleaned my house, and especially the living room, so that people could have a variety of places to sit and visit and eat. However, most of the guests stayed in the kitchen around my green table and an expanding array of food (it was a potluck). Guests stood around the table two and three deep and only a few people sat comfortably in the living room. It was as if the kitchen table was a magnet. There were plenty of plates so that guests could serve themselves food and move around the house, I had even set up chairs on the porch, but the kitchen table remained the focal point.

The kitchen table is an important icon of African American feminism. Rather than exclusively a place of women’s oppression, it is recognized as a space where women build community and solve problems. It is a place where women’s confidences and wisdom are articulated and shared. The kitchen table is a space for spiritual healing and transformation, for nurturing and restoration.
The dining room table, in contrast, (for those of us who have one) is a formal space where we set the scene for meals that mark important days. But between formal celebrations, the dining room table gets reclaimed for everyday uses. The work of the kitchen spills out into dining room. It is a platform for both creative and mundane tasks.
A lot of dining room tables sport sewing machines. In my previous homes it was the only space where I could set up a sewing machine, even if I had to take it down daily so people could sit and eat there. It’s not coincidental that I’ve also used the dining room table over the years as a place to write. The dining room table is the crossroads of the domestic and the creative, of the familial and the individual. It can be the space in the house where we can claim even a temporary space for our creative lives.

A Different Kind of Orphan Block

I love orphan blocks and orphan quilt tops. Finn has started a fun challenge on orphans that you should check out.

I collect not only orphan blocks and tops, but also orphan embroidery projects. There's something very poignant to me about an incomplete project of any kind. They're full of dreams and hopes unfulfilled, but by completing them, we can close that loop and fulfill the vision of the maker.

I'm on the verge of finishing this little quilt for my sister's birthday. It has an orphan piece of embroidery as a focal point. A few months ago, I found in a thrift shop an unfinished stamped cross-stitch kit of Holly Hobby from the 70s. She's an old favorite of mine and of my sister. I finished the kit and then pulled some complementary fabrics from my stash for a simple 50x50 quilt. I deliberately included some bits of that old vintage calico, and the binding strip uses up the last of my supply of red. The framing of the embroidery is uneven and I decided that fit the style of the quilt. If you try something like this, interface the embroidery before you trim it up because linen and loose weave cotton are very unstable. I'm currently machine quilting it in straight lines on the diagonal and I'm using a 100% cotton batt, because I love that old fashioned drape.

While visiting one of my favorite thrift shops last week I came upon two items I've been scouting ebay for. One is a scroll embroidery frame. I've collected a couple of larger crewel embroidery kits that would be better to do on a frame, and the one I found came with not one, but two orphan projects and all the wool yarn needed to complete them.
Now these projects are not the kind that I would intentionally buy, but they came with the frame so I took them gladly. I like house motifs, but the kits are for long stitch, which is pretty boring. I'll probably complete the one on the frame, but the other I'm not sure about right now.


I also got this skein of wool yarn for 95 cents, and four unopened packages of stamped quilt blocks in a pattern that is not too hideous. I don't know why I have this affinity for stamped cross stitch and I love those quilts made from stamped blocks. I have enough in this pattern for a twin quilt, 24 blocks. I'm going to need some long winter nights to get through this one. Or maybe it's a summer project since one block at a time isn't too much to hold in the heat of the afternoon. I'm sure the original owners of these projects had the exact same visions. See, these things are the stuff of dreaming.

Summer Projects

Last week I painted my living room. When I moved into this house 9 years ago, all the walls were white. The living-dining room is now a light camel. The hall and entry way are terracota. The dining room used to have the table pushed up against the wall and we used it for a computer table for the kids. The computer is now on a desk upstairs, and I got my dining room back. The quilt, of course, was made by moi, and the black and white photos were taken by my daughter. Those are my smaller Madonna quilts in the hall. I was planning to paint these chairs black, but I'm sort of sick of painting right now.
Curtains are next. I have the fabric, I just have to sit down and sew them. Not as fun as quilting.

I'm planning my next 12x12x12 quilt, following my bird theme and being inspired by Finn's recent posts about using orphan blocks. My take on orphans is a bit different. I found this one block, which is an orphan because having made one (wonky) hand-pieced pickle dish block, I never wanted to make another. But I recently retrieved it from the bottom of the drawer...
...and paired it with these drawings, which are inspired from some Mexican ceramics. I'm off on my next bird quilt. Let's see what develops...

The Folly of Stash Reduction

Here's a shot of the quilt I was making while using up a sizable portion of my stash of brown fabrics. The lovely embroidered blocks were made by Debra, and the pattern is inspired by one I saw in an Australian magazine. The inner and outer borders were also conveniently from my stash, but before I decided to use them, (the blue one was hiding in the blue drawer, even though it fit perfectly in this brown quilt) I foolishly doubted I had anything that would do, so I went out and bought these fabrics

So much for stash reduction, right? Maybe we should call it stash refreshment instead. I think I'll use one of the dark browns for the binding. If I don't already have the perfect fabric in the brown drawer already, right? This quilt top is now finished. The borders are sewn on, and it's joined the line of tops in the closet waiting to be quilted.



I've been weeding through my stash and converting fabrics I don't think I'll use into strips so that I can crochet another rag rug. The first one was made from old t-shirts, and I'm happy to report that it washes very well and that after the first washing it doesn't fray at all. These cotton strips were cut at 3/4 of an inch, so I'm hoping for less of a struggle pulling the stitches through than last time. Here's a link to the post with a picture of the first rug.
There are lots of patterns on the web for making bags and such out of plastic bags you cut into strips just like you do to make rag rugs. Here's a bag I made. Guess what I use it to store?

Yes, those are balls of plastic strips waiting to be made into another bag. The New York Times comes delivered in bags this lovely shade of blue. How nice of them to use such an appealing color.

Whew!

I'm so happy I made it through the school year--a little tattered, but still chugging along. Immediately after school let out I embarked on two projects: I had my house painted on the outside, and I started packing up my office to move to a new building on campus. The painting is done, and I'm very happy with how it came out. Here's a shot of the front door. Once the painting was done, I did a major clean-up of the landscaping. Next, the decks will be refinished (hopefully my daughter will do this part) and then the outside will be done for now. The move is on-going, and I'll continue to purge and pack next week.

In the meantime, here are some shots of quilts I've been working on in dribs and drabs over the past month or so. First, a top I finished piecing. This is my birthday quilt for myself, hence the cake fabric.
Lately, I've been very attracted to pink.

I've also been working on a brown quilt featuring embroidered blocks Debra sent me. Aren't they great? When I finish piecing the top, I'll post a picture of the whole thing.
My strategy lately seems to be to use up various batches of fabric in my stash. This quilt and another brown one I have in the works are practically emptying my drawer of brown fabrics. I'm not sure what I'm making room for, but it's very satisfying to use up fabrics I'd been saving for some mysterious future project.

I hope everyone has a great long weekend. Look for more frequent posts in the coming days.

Seven Things

Allie tagged me to do the 7 Things About Me meme. Here's some fuel for those inquiring minds.
1. I have two boyfriends. One is the amazing Michael:
The other is the lovely Louie:
2. Michael brings me flowers and chocolate every week. Yes, every week. This week it was pink tulips and a chocolate banana slug.
3. The banana slug is the mascot of U.C. Santa Cruz, where both Michael and I went to college so it's a kind of inside joke. He got his undergraduate degree there in the 60s, and I went to graduate school there in the 80s.
4. Louie doesn't bring flowers or chocolate, but he sleeps faithfully next to my legs every night. Except for that time last week when he slept with my daughter--hey, this is sounding like an episode of one of those tawdry afternoon t.v. shows.
5. Speaking of questionable t.v., I love to watch some these shows in the name of studying popular culture, and of keeping up on the things my students are watching. I like The Hills, Project Runway, and America's Next Top Model. A woman can't live on literary criticism alone.
6. I'm resistant to new technology. My t.v. is almost as old as my almost 19 year-old daughter. It's a good thing I have a man and teenagers to nudge me into the modern world, or I'd be watching The Hills in black and white. I do however love my laptop, wireless internet and my ipod...
7. Speaking of ipods, my latest indulgence is listening to podcasts. I worship Brenda Dayne, whose knitting podcast Cast On is total bliss. If you don't have an ipod, you can download it to your computer and listen to it there.

I took forever to respond to the challenge, so I may be the last one to post in this go-around. If anyone is left who hasn't posted yet, consider yourself tagged. I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Cats and Quilts

I've finished the top of my third QOV. Vicki is quilting the first two, and did a fabulous job. You can see the photos on her blog

This quilt is made from Hawaiian fabric donated by Debra and from fabrics from my stash. The pattern is yet another one from Evelyn Sloppy's book Sew One and You're Done. I think I've made four of these quilts now, and there's still at least one more I want to make. It's amazing that I had the exact colors in my stash to go with the focus fabric. When I saw it, I thought I would have to go out and look for the right red to coordinate, but low and behold, I had a large piece of the perfect shade. I've pieced the back of this quilt from the remaining blue fabric, and I'm going to take a deep breath and quilt this one myself. This isn't my favorite part of the process, but I've done it a number of time before.
Louie is again the subject of the cat portion of this post. Recently in a fit of nostalgia I took out some of the kids' dolls from storage and installed them on chairs in the living room. Louie has decided that if he needs a lap, they will do just fine.
Aren't cats experts at getting comfortable and taking it easy? Now that you've seen such a good example, I hope you find a moment to curl up and take a rest.

Lucky Days

We had a little excitement around her for Friday the 13th. My daughter Allie was in a car accident with two of her friends. No one was seriously injured: the three girls got whiplash but otherwise are fine. Allie's friend Maggie was driving, and her car was rear-ended while she was waiting to make a left-hand turn. A teenage boy driving a large truck didn't stop in time, and rear-ended the equally large truck that hit Maggie's car. Her small car may be totaled, but neither of the trucks was damaged. After the three girls got checked out in the hospital, we went out for ice cream to celebrate the fact that everyone was fine.

Here's my lucky girl modeling a jacket I recently embellished. As part of my on-going love affair with Aunt Martha embroidery transfers, I ironed this peacock transfer to the back of an old denim jacket. The transfer, which was black, is permanent, and I traced over it with a fine point sharpie marker. In the places where the transfer blurred, it looks a bit like shading, but otherwise, I like the way the image looks almost like a tattoo. This is also a fast project. It only took about an hour to trace the transfer.


I started cleaning out a drawer of some old leftover 4-patch blocks made from home dec fabrics, and it morphed into this quilt. I pieced the 4-patches into the center of this quilt, and then kept adding other home dec sample pieces. I also decided to use the vintage bark cloth fabric you see in the outer border, rather than let it keep warming the shelf. I'm really in a stash busting mood these days.

I love these soft gold and pastel colors. As soon as school lets out I'm planning on doing some painting and re-decorating, and this will fit nicely in my plans for my bedroom.

Since I cleared some space in the stash I felt good bringing this home Saturday morning.
The Methodist church near me has an annual rummage sale, and they always have some good deals. I got this office paper box of flannel pieces (there's also a bit of regular cotton) for $2. Not in the photo is a 2-yard cut of beige and orange flannel. I think whoever donated this was making ragged-edged quilts. Some of the pieces are cut into rough 10-12 inch squares, but there are also a lot of bigger pieces. I won't be making a ragged-edge quilt, but will probably make a modified rail-fence pattern.
The irises in my garden have come up. I really need to get out and weed the yard, but this corner looks magnificent right now. The cats are enjoying our sunny afternoons, which are interspersed between rainy days. Here's Louie, our newest (and sweetest) cat, who's been with us for about 6 months, enjoying the sun.
I'm waiting impatiently for the summer, for some time off work and some gardening weather.

Morning Glory

I've finished my piece for the 12x12x12 challenge. It's a crazy quilted block that I've also used to incorporate some of the stitches from the Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge. Being that I'm an expert multi-tasker, this is also the last piece in the series on the Madonna that I've been doing with Debra Spincic. We each set out to make four quilts incorporating images of the Madonna roughly based on the seasons. We chonicled a lot of our earlier work on the series on our blog The Madonna Idea. Morning Glory is my Spring quilt in the series.

Some of the stitches I used in this piece include: cross-stitch, fly stitch, eyelet stitch chevron stitch, open cretan stitch, detached chian stitch, buttonhole, and herringbone stitches. The hummingbird and morning glory motifs are transfers from an Aunt Martha package. You can still buy those and I find that Walmart, of all places, has a good selection. The hanging charms are hearts and leaves that were part of a bracelet I bought on clearance at Target.
One of my challenges in this piece was to connect the motifs so that they weren't so isolated from each other. I did this by extending the vine to connect the motifs, even through the floral print in the background. If I had planned ahead, rather than made it up as I went along, I would've used a higher contrast green to make the vine. But live and learn, right? I ripped out and edited a lot as I was making this piece. Perhaps I'll move to working more on paper as part of the process. In the future I might make a photocopy of the block and them play with embellishment options.

My future 12x12x12 pieces are going to incorporate bird images. I feel like I'm not quite done with the Madonna images yet, so I expect to continue to use those as well.

Here are links to my other Madonna quilts in the series:
La Ofrenda (42x43) 2005
House of Gold, Pray for Us (26x16.5) 2005
O Serene Like the Moon, O Resplendent Like the Sun (24") 2006

Another Service Quilt

This is my second one-block quilt from Sew One and You're Done for the 40 Quilt Service Project. All the fabrics were in my stash except for the pink floral. Without it, the quilt was a bit somber, and the pink makes it more cheerful. I'm going to use the same pink fabric for the back. Originally I used more green, but that really made it dark and formal looking, so I substituted the blocks with other colors until I was happy with how it looked. Vicki is going to quilt this one and the one in the last post.

Doing this quilt has really caused me to review my stash. I've bought little fabric in the last year, but before that I bought a lot of remnants and fat quarters in a random fashion, which is good for scrap quilting, but not so good for more coordinated projects. As I make these quilts I'm cutting down any small pieces of fabric I find into uniform sizes for a big scrap quilt. It's a way to clear the stash of stuff that I'm not likely to do much with because the pieces are small. On the other hand, these 1-block quilts are great for using 1 yard pieces. 4-5 one yard cuts make a 60" quilt, so I've been clearing out a few larger miscellaneous pieces as well.
This blue quilt was made completely from stash. I haven't sewn it together yet, but it's waiting patiently for me on the design wall. The black floral is actually from a dress my mother gave me specifically so that I could use the fabric. I think I may have to make this one up for her for Mother's Day.

I'll be making at least one more of these 1-block quilts. Debra sent me a cut of Hawaiian floral fabric from her stash, and I'll use it to make another charity quilt. That one will be a lot of fun since the colors are so vibrant, and nothing says "vacation" like tropical prints.