Monday, July 19, 2010

A Peek Inside

On any given day I can be found surfing flickr, reading blogs, and looking at crafty magazines and books.  I love soaking it all in never knowing what direction inspiration will take me.  Then in my sleep (or sometimes in the shower) all these images and ideas get mixed together and I have an idea, a direction, a starting point.  Let me take you on a tour of my current obsession.

This is a plate that I've had for a couple of years.  I love the warm, summery, saturated colors.  This is a color pallete that I wouldn't come up with on my own, but I *really* love it.  I've been saving it as an inspiration piece.  It keeps returning to my thoughts like a cd that keeps skipping.


One night, I was reading an interview of Kaffe Fasset and I was particularly moved my his Stripescape quilt.  It was followed quickly with a compulsive purchase of these shot cottons.  Left to Right: Pea Soup, Veridian, Magenta, Clementine, Prune, Navy, Cactus



That same night, I found myself pondering these stripes and linear shapes.

1. Stripescape by Kaffe Fassett, 2. weekend forecast ..., 3. mondrianesqueishpdxstyle .54


I started playing with a random stripe generator and came up with this: 


Some of my inspiration quilts are here, here and here.  I am thinking of sewing long strips of random(ish) heights together, then cutting them across the strips, and staggering them.  I like the idea of playing with scale and shape.  I don't know if it want it saturated with color or if I want to add some white too.  I need to go play and see what the fabric says.  : )

Sometimes I feel like I'm taking an immersion quilting course not knowing where I will end up.  There are so many interesting paths to explore.  I admire so many quilters whose style I recognize without introduction.  I am not in that place yet.  I have so much to learn and so much to do before I can find what is mine.  Show me your modern, contemporary, traditional, scrappy, wonky, color coordinated, bold, soft, single fabric line, hand picked, quilt kit, quilt pattern, sashed in white, lined in linen, dotty bordered quilts and I will show you me. 

-A

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Swappin' and Summerin'

I joined my first two swaps last month and had so much fun.  I found them to be a little nerve wracking and a little addicting.  I hear that it comes with the territory.  ; )

First up, a Scrappy Pincushion Swap.  I had some performance anxiety making this.  It's hard to make something special for someone you don't know.  I had a very specific image in my mind of what I wanted to make.  It turned out *almost* as I saw it in my mind.  This is what I sent my partner who likes Red, Linen and Letters...



I also joined a Siggy Swap.  I sent in 101 signed quilt blocks and I will receive 100 different signed blocks from all over.  The lovely and patient Julie organized this.  She will use one set of blocks for a charity quilt.  I used Laurie Wisbrun's Tufted Tweets and Amy Butler's Love for my blocks.


A TIP:  A strip of painters tape underneath will stabilize your fabric so you can write on it.

June brought a lot more summerin' and a lot less craftin'.  Sprinklers, iced tea, gardening, painting, picnics in the backyard, sandcastles, squirt guns, BBQs, ice cream, popsicles, movies, staying up late, and road trips.

I'm thinking about more pincushions, a faux smocked sundress for Little Miss and Kaleidoscope quilts.

Catch ya later,
-A

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