WIP Wednesday...

I know it's Thursday, but never too late for a WIP Wednesday! It's been a busy week here so far. I've presented two guild programs - carrying over 40 of my modern quilts along. It's a lot of hauling, especially in 95 degree weather, but so much fun to hang out with great people who like to talk about patterns and fabrics!

So here's my progress in the sewing room...

I finished my "Fresh" quilt from Camille's book Simply Retro. And one of our local long-arm quilters has agreed to custom quilt it for me!

I've got a good portion of my St Louis Modern Quilt Guild Ohio Star challenge machine quilted. I'm doing straight lines to keep it super modern and moving right along...

Our guild also has a sew-in this Saturday. I've been wanting to make "On a Whim" and I was reminded of it when so many started popping up on Instagram (#onawhimquilt). On a whim I bought a fat quarter pack of Florence, Denyse Schmidt's new line, and decided it was meant to be.

I'm using a solid gray-green for the corners...

And finally, many hours were spent cutting the pieces for "Bangles" from Hand Quilted with Love by Sarah Fielke. This is going to be a slow project with lots and lots of Y seams. I hope I'm up for the challenge!

You have to start by laying all your pieces out on a design board. If you like puzzles, you might like this one!!

So I plan to take some of this with me to the sew-in on Saturday - if I can keep it in one piece. Please don't anyone sneeze near my piecing!!

Looks like I was too late to link up to Lee this week, but be sure to check out all the great stuff over there!

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Looking up

Is it just me, or do all bloggers get somewhat flustered, when a commenter asks a question, but doesn't leave you any way to answer???

Anyhow.....the rug is a sock rug made from Solmate Socks, and it is 7' wide, and it is being woven by TWO of us, on a Toika countermarche loom.  It will be 10 ft long, plus a little.  It is ONE of TWO.

One of my commenters sent me this, and it has been on my mind all day long. Wow.

Darkness deserves gratitude. It is the alleluia point at which we learn to understand that all growth does not take place in the sunlight.
Joan Chittister
Uncommone Gratitude  

It is perfect for me TODAY.  Right now, at this point in my life.  Maybe my alleluia point will take place in the Operating Room.  Or waking up with all limbs moving on command.  Or finally finding myself drugged up, but safely on my way home up the Interstate.
Maybe it will be a gradual alleluia, with gratitude just piling up along the way.


Today, L and I did the first half of the second rug.  Tomorrow we will finish it, and the TWO 7'x10' sock rugs will be on their way via UPS.

Good thing we had help.

 And it will be a great relief to me, that we managed to get them done, in spite of present circumstances.

Then I can get back to my towels.  :)
My not so secret little addiction.

This afternoon, I played with this.......which I made for Ava from a pair of old jeans.  I have a feeling that both my grandgirls are going to want more like this.
I have a few ideas.

Can ya' believe it??
 

 

 

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It's time.

I know that many of you are out there waiting, and wondering what happened with my MRI.
I got the news last Friday, but to be honest, I wasn't much in the mood to talk about it.
I have been trying to "act as if"..........like as if I didn't hear that.

My neurosurgeon was surprised, and not happy, at what he saw.  Once again, the bone is growing where it shouldn't be, between the two rods in my cervical spine, pressing on my brain, making my face feel like it met up with a baseball bat when I wasn't looking.

I had about 24 hours of spontaneous tears, just dripping off my face throughout the day.
I have had a couple of sleepless nights since.  I have been angry, sad, incredibly disappointed.  Even a little worried. But in the end, all the fears, anxieties, resentments, and insecurities have to lay down their ugly selves, so that you can keep living your life.

My headache has ramped up, like "oh well, now she knows what is going on, no sense putting any shade on this".  But I can't lie on the couch with a warm, wet wash cloth on my forehead.
That's just not going to cut it for me.

I find that if I just keep keeping on, doing as much of what I normally do as possible, I don't think about it as much.
I took my grandgirls to the county fair.

 

 We ogled the pigs.

 They wanted to bring a baby pig home.

We held baby chicks.

 

We looked at cow butts.

 

They rode the swings, giving me the head rush.  There they go............

When I was all alone, I sat at the end of the day with a Corona, and beautiful, golden light.

 I held my boy, Next.

 

I wove with L on a freaking HUGE SOCK RUG.

 

 I ate greens out of the little garden that COULD.

 

I found incredible pleasure in sharing my friend Michelle's woven shawl, that she just finished.

It was extra special since I taught her to weave, and she has become a talented weaver all on her own.

Heart be still.

 

I even helped her pick out some threads for it.  It really, really turned out well.  Honestly, it's just STUNNING.

 

I spent time with friends,  and reveled in the knowledge that I have sent many new weavers off on new adventures  with their looms.

Here is another past student, Sue, talking about her accomplishments and sharing pictures.

I am happy that they feel so comfortable coming back to the studio.

They've become good friends.

In fact, weaving has made me a lot of friends.

 

So yes, I am unhappy about the MRI results, and what they mean.  I don't look forward to another surgery.  And it's a little nerve wracking, waiting for the doctor to research and find ways to stop the bone from growing, once he removes it AGAIN.

But on the other hand, I ain't done yet.    Nope.
And I don't want to waste any of my precious time on earth, worrying about what will happen next.
When I get there, I'll do the best I can.
Until then, well, there's life to be lived.  It's a no brainer.

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How I chose fabrics for a quilt...

Today I'm guest posting over at Stitch This, the Martingale blog. I'm often asked about how I select fabrics for my quilts. I rarely use an collection exclusively and love mixing in some stash fabric. I'm sharing my process over there!

I've been pulling some fabric for my next project using this piece as my inspiration...

And came up with this...

Having "basics" in your stash is really helpful. I like to go through new fabric lines and buy the basics in my favorite colors. Here are some of my recent additions...

Domino Dots from Waterfront Park by Violet Craft.

Sun Print Feathers by Alison Glass.

Dots, Numbers and Sparkle from Gracie Girl by Lori Holt.

Read more and comment at Stitch This for a chance to win my new book, Simply Modern Christmas!!

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Using a focus fabric...

If you're like me and love beautiful fabric, you probably are drawn to those pieces that seem just too pretty to cut up. I'm always on the lookout for patterns that really show off a great print.

Three of the projects in my new book, Simply Modern Christmas, do just that!

"Seeing Stars" is the perfect example. I specifically designed it so that you can feature a favorite print in the center square and accent it with some fun patchwork. This one features a line by Laurie Wisbrun called "Brrr!" and I'll bet you can find many beautiful fabrics that would be perfect for this small quilt.

My "Simply Simple" table runner also uses a feature fabric in the center strip. It's accented with some scraps and voila! Super easy and can definitely be adjusted in the length.

And finally one of my favorites from the book and the cover-girl, "Snowball Games". It actually gives you an opportunity to feature several focus fabrics!

I couldn't resist making another one up for my new grandson using a fun animal print.

This quilt is one that goes together really quickly. In fact, a friend of mine bought the book on Thursday and had a top made in a couple of days (great job, Sandy!).

So there you go, a little more info about some of the quilts in the book. I would love to see what you make from the book (and so would everyone else!), so I've started a Flickr group for you to add your photos. Please, please, please - share! {I've added a link on the right under the social media icons}

You can also share photos on Instagram - #simplymodernchristmas

Thanks!!

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Lois at the Fair

She may kill me, but I think what Lois has accomplished deserves her own post.

Three years ago, "L" came to the studio with no weaving experience, newly retired, and with a lot of free time. You may remember that she said she didn't want to weave, she just came to help.

It wasn't long before I had a big rug to weave, and I needed her help on the other end of the loom.
She cringed, but she stepped up to the challenge, and it was just the first of many, many huge rugs that she has helped me make.  She was pretty much a natural at it, and we are now a smoothly oiled machine working together on 7' wide rugs.


 This week, she has been doing a weaving demonstration at the Washington County Fair.
She is very outgoing, and sociable, and there is NO ONE she can't carry on a conversation with.
Just sayin'.

After her first "big rug" with me on the Toika, she started weaving sock rugs.  She caught on quickly, and since then has woven just about everything there is to weave in the array of rugs from Crazy as a Loom.
She has two looms at home, and she has made some dish towels, some scarves, and some awesome framed studies in black and white.   Her own creation, I might add.

She has mastered this antique barn loom as well.

 This loom is circa 1700's.  Here is the braking system.  There are little "knots" in the stick, that catch in those holes.

 

On the other end, the stick is holding the beam still in bigger holes.  When it is time to advance the warp, she has to go back there and turn that beam by hand.

She has worked hard for three years, and she is definitely a bona fide weaver.  I am proud of what she has done, and she should be.

Not to mention that she hates cats still, LUCKY THEM.

 And she has single handedly made it possible for me to play hookey while having my head rearranged, taking care of everything at the studio, including 5 pesky cats.

And the best part is that she has become one of my best friends, someone I can always count on, no matter what.
She may blush, but she has a heart as big as they come.

 She even advertises the studio while she is at the fair, check out her shirt!!!!

The infamous "L" is really apprentice extraordinaire, Lois, a very special person.
I think you've graduated, girl.

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Block Making...

It's been a week of making blocks for me. Well, actually this one was made a week or so ago. I could't show it until the recipient had it in her little hands. I made this mug rug using scraps from my Marcelle Medallion quilt for a very generous and ridiculously funny quilter. Just a little thank you for Carrie who blogs here: La Vie En Rosie. The block is one of the Lucky Stars paper-pieced blocks.

And speaking of Lucky Stars, I'm caught up and August is complete...

I'm up to nine blocks and it's not looking like I originally envisioned it, but I'm totally lovin' how the blocks look together. So typical of me with long-term projects; they evolve!

I also made a couple of bee blocks this week...

House blocks in Kaffe Fassett fabric for my Girls Group...

And a solids block called Lucky Pieces by Faith from Fresh Lemons Quilts for Carolyn in the Redbird Bee...

And finally, I finished up by blocks for "Fresh" from Simply Retro...

For the first time in a while we have a free weekend, with no plans except for a dinner date. Maybe I'll get these set together.

Have a great weekend!!

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