What's in a Name?

I started some propeller blocks a few years ago for a commission. I liked the fierce retro airplane fabric; chosen for the fellow receiving the quilt. He had a penchant for vintage airplanes. The companion fabric, sort of pebble looking, was something I loved. The colors worked, so I gave it a try. I used chartreuse blades for the first quilt, then switched to red bandannas for this second one. I was thinking about a Quilt of Valor (QOV) for my cousin Joey Holbrook, who was a pilot during the Vietnam War for the air force. He grew up on a sheep ranch and it seemed homey and fitting. There weren't enough for a big quilt so I sewed some airplane blocks from a book titled, 'Quilts for Kids' by Carolann Palmer written in 1993. (I used to sew with Carolann at Quilter's Anonymous retreats in Washington.) After I made a fleet of airplane blocks I realized that coordinate or not, the two blocks did NOT work together. So, I made an airplane QOV for Joey and relegated the propeller blocks back into the UFO basket.

The top needs to be quilted, I will do that before Memorial Day, when the annual Holbrook family reunion happens in Chesterfield, Idaho. I'll present it to Joey and give him a big thank you hug for his service. Meanwhile, the propeller blocks finally got my attention. I auditioned several fabrics for sashing and had just enough to make it work using both of them. I did not intend for this to be a dark quilt, but between the curry inner sash, the navy outer sash, and the outer border being a dark taupey grey it is dark. The corner stones wanted to be included and then shocked me with their presence when the top was finished. As I was pondering this lovely strange little dark quilt, I thought about ceiling fans.

They are often unseen but vital in our open home. We have a wood stove that heats the loft super fast. The warm air needs to be circulated and thank goodness for ceiling fans. Also important in the summer to move cool air up and hot air down and out. So, the quilt became my ceiling fan quilt.

This little quilt borders on being one of those UFOs where I wonder, "what was I thinking?" I like it, I like the darkness, the strangeness, and the name.

Clearing out my Qi

"In the midst of winter, I found there was within me, an invincible summer." (Albert Camus) I love zinnias. They represent the vibrancy of summer. I have a zinnia poster that I bought and had framed 33 years ago. It has sadly faded. I decided to recolor it with paints and markers, and after years of putting it off, finally got 'er done. Here is the finish:

Here is a before, with just the leaves greened up:

Much brighter. My studio looks much more cheerful, full of joy. The latest trend is decluttering your home and work space, sparked by Marie Kondo and her Konmari method. It is supposed to create joy as well as space. I scoffed and ignored the idea for a while, because, really? Is it possible to declutter a sewing studio? Every time I come in this space a bomb goes off and stuff flies. I have worked to keep it somewhat tidy but it has been a losing proposition. I read a couple of encouraging blog posts and decided to give it a try. Who doesn't want a nice, joyful, spacious sewing room? First I put away the knick knacks, the thimble collection, wiped the shelves and got a few big baskets to hold stuff. I have been going through my bins of fabric, sorted by colors, and if it doesn't give me joy, into the thrift store bag it goes. I have already tossed half a dozen arm loads of stuff.

Notice anything in the basket? I am not going to try to explain the whole concept, or give pointers on how to find your joy. I can, however, state that I feel much better, and so does Rootin' Tootin'. I am working on a top secret project. One part of it is invisible machine applique with monofilament thread. The fabrics, glorious Kaffe Fassett prints, are being fused to the background. The whole idea is to make a wonderful yet affordable piece of art. I can attest to the speedy delivery this approach has, and the results are very satisfying. Here is a little teaser of the results:

I think it is a success. Have you tried any new techniques that gave you joy?

Eat Dessert First

   The recurring feeling I have is too much to do and not enough free time. Even though I am retired and my days are my own I still feel this way sometimes. As I was writing my Morning Pages I listed all of my to-dos. Then I wrote about wanting to do some fun sewing as a reward for doing the chores. But wait! I thought. Eat dessert first! Do the fun stuff first and then the chores. Who is the boss of me anyway?
   So here is a recap of some of the sewing projects I have finished since my last blog post. It will look like a lot because I haven't blogged in forever.

Rose Garden lotto blocks from the quilt club. I added a few in tones with a touch of yellow to push the color perspective. 

Bugss in the garden. I LOVE bug fabric. This is Cotton and Steel from my sister. 

I am donating the Rose Garden Quilt to my quilt guild's annual Quilt Auction. A portion of the money goes to our tiny community.The rose garden blocks were a UFO from several years ago.

Angies Butterfly Get Well Quilt.

The Butterfly quilt above was made for cousin Angie who battled lymphoma, and beat it into remission. The center big butterfly is made with golf fabrics. That is a nod to my cousin Angie's favorite hobby. My sister and I made the blocks, I put it together, and then Pam quilted it. It is 84" square, made from a fun Elizabeth Hartman Pattern.

I made another butterfly quilt to raffle for my son-in-law's fund raising efforts. He had a liver transplant 3 months ago for a fatal liver disease, PSC, and is recovering very well. His transplant was a partial liver from a living donor.  The donor, Rachel is completely recovered and both have regenerated full livers.

Don't Quit Before the Miracle Happens

This quilt was sewn with all Moda batiks and the colors are so pretty. Pam is quilting this one as well.

Other quilts I've made were for my aunt Sonja who is my prime fabric enabler. She sent me the fabrics and I did the fun part...sewing.

Pioneer Spirit panel and disappearing 4 patch blocks

Hidden Kittens, a Moda kit.

I modified the eyes and nose on this quilt. the pattern had tiny eyes too wide set. I found the repetitive piecing and machine applique a bit tedious, but the overall effect is modern and fun.

8 weeks old.

A kitten after my own heart, in the fabric

6 months old, still petite at 5 lb.

And our new family member, Rootin'Tootin' Raspberry. She is a sweet independent cat who likes to spend most of her time outside running Nascar laps around the 3 acre property. Mr. Thimblepie named her after a character we remember from 1962 TV, a pistol packin' cowboy of the same name.

Ahh the politically incorrect  old days. Enjoy your hobbies and eat dessert first.