What Next?: January 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013

First Finish of 2013

After more than a week of working on this small wall hanging quilt it is finally finished!

Now back to thinking about the fish....

I like it a lot better after Sarah's suggestion of making it a Flower Reef. It does feel and look more balanced so will see where this takes me.

Happy sun coming through the window!!!!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

No, this isn't about football. Hubby is entrenched in front of the TV as this weekend is the play-offs leading up to the Super Bowl. This would have been a good weekend to go fabric shopping as he never would have notice what or how much of what came through the door. Since this didn't happen, it was a good weekend to look at the stash and begin a new project or two.

And that is what happened....honest! I must confess that last week there was a day spent in Eugene with a stop at my most favorite quilt store - "Piece by Piece" and a whole new bundle of fabric and patterns did come home and through the door.

So technically I am working from my stash....

Notice pattern on the left. This was the very last one left in the store and it was hanging on the wall with the finished quilt...if you plead and beg and smile and say thank you then it gets to come home with you. I love the sheep material and just had to use it.

The door and windows on this section is my addition. If I had a field of sheep I would want to see them from every window and every house should have a red door.

It is that time of year here when the sheep are lambing and the babies are so cute. Denise will be getting four lambs this year and I missed the picture taking last year but this year I will be there with my camera.

Back to the pattern. It never said to reverse the pattern if doing fusible applique so I am making two.

I really don't think it matters which way the house is facing as quilting is more of balancing color, print, and design.

These two are relaxing to work on as someone else went to the trouble of making the pattern. God bless the creative people in the world!

I've been playing with the Christmas fish and thought Garden Fish would be a great follow up. The principle of design is the same, technique is the same so where am I going with this. I must confess I am totally stumped. The idea is good, the fish will work but the audition of flowers just isn't working.

This blog is like my drafting table so bear with me. Fish need a lot of work but what is interesting these flowers show up better here. This is only for audition purposes... okay, so dark is better even if color is not quite right.

This should work but doesn't. The flower material is the same as the fish fins so the color family is a carry through which should balance the fish but doesn't. If I reverse the background color from lime green to a dark blue, change the fish from dark blue to lime green then would it work? So for right now this might go somewhere or it might not. It is for darn sure it will not be ready for the Douglas County April quilt show.

Time to go pick up a book and leave this project on simmer.

Happy 'almost end of football season'!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Fish 101

Five ladies, 4 sewers, 4 fish kits, and lots of creativity!

Today was a day of firsts for some of the neighborhood ladies. Amid a lot of enthusiasm, chatting, cutting, and beginning sewing, the creativity flowed.

Jan was given a new sewing machine for Christmas and today was its maiden trip, Denise has had her sewing machine for years but was seldom used, Linda brought her old faithful machine (we won't talk about her new one that was left home!), Deb has sewed her clothes years ago but was using a Bernina for the first time, and Mo came to watch and give a helping hand.

The project was fusible applique fish. A simplified take off on quilter Sue Carlson whose work is awesome (google her name and see some of her art work.)