CONTRAST

Here is the design I made to show 'Contrast' for my Design Class with Joen Wolfrom at Quilted Strait quilt shop in Port Gamble.

VARIATION

Here is my homework project for my Design Class showing 'Variation'.

3 PROJECTS

I sewed together some of the pieces for my Pi quilt.  It's coming along - still a long way to go.

It didn't take long to sew together the pieces I had glue basted.  Next they need to be trimmed to size.

Afterwards, I worked on this other new project - something quick and easy (more or less).  I've switched out the fabrics for the 'sashing' parts a few times now.  I may just try something else - because it is not making those center squares, with the bird fabric that I just had to have and love, stand out.  This bright sashing is making them look dull.  Jeez.

I even managed to finish up my project repairing this one side of the outdoor fireplace.  I got this piece of quartzite custom cut and we set it on top of the old bricks that I had poorly re-mortared into place. 

It used to be a barbeque grill with a place for a woodfire below - see the neat old metal door?  I cleaned out the old ashes and things that were growing in there.  We have been thinking about what to put behind the door now - maybe a collection of bug statues?  or slugs?  maybe frogs?  We'll see.  

UNITY

As part of my homework for the Design Class I'm taking with Joen Wolfrom, this is the design I made to show 'Unity'.

NINE PIECES

Okay, the  value quilt, Bona Dea, is now sewn together as much as I can.  

It's in nine pieces, all labeled.



I can't sew it completely together until after I show the value blocks that I made for the Design Class I'm taking in a few weeks.  These value blocks were the impetus for making Bona Dea.

VALUE NAMED

This quilt/assignment I've been working on and refering to as the Value quilt has been named.  I'm calling it Bona Dea, good goddess.  It is named after a Roman goddess, a Spring goddess representing fertility.  I settled on this name because the quilt was made in the month of May and Bona Dea is a goddess representing May.

Anyway, I finally got the upper pieces sewn together and moved up so I could add more rows onto the bottom. 

Still need to sew them together.

I still have a few pieces left.

OHME GARDENS

After a restful night in Winthrop, we left and headed south.  We had a great big breakfast in Chelan at the Apple Cup Restaurant.

We toured Chelan for a bit then headed towards Leavenworth with a short stop at Ohme Gardens.

The weather wasn't great, with overcast skies, so we didn't spend much time in Leavenworth. We stopped at the Forest Service Center, for another stamp in our passport, then we went for a short walk on the Wenatchee river at the park. 

Then it was lunch, Reuben sandwiches, at Fresh Burgers Restaurant.

We headed over Stevens Pass on Hwy 2, to complete our Cascade Loop, and home.

NORTH CASCADES

For my birthday, we left today to drive the Cascades Loop.  We went up Highway 9 instead of I-5 and saw some places we'd never seen.   At Arlington, Waze had us turn off onto Highway 530 which took us through Oso, where we'd never been.

Finally, onto Highway 20, we stopped to stretch our legs at a short walk out to a lookout over the High Gorge Dam.

We continued onto Newhalem, where we stopped at the National Forest Visitors Center.  We bought some souveniers and got our passport stamped.  We talked to a Ranger to confirm that our choice for a hike was a good idea and off we went to the trailhead of Thunder Knob, a four mile roundtrip hike with an elevation gain of at least 400 feet.  At the top was a great view of Lake Diablo.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  Once at the top we sat and ate our lunch.  Darrell wandered about taking pictures while I sat and sketched.  It was wonderful.

Afterwards, we continued east, with a short stop where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway.  I wanted to say I'd hiked the PCT, but there was too much snow (!), so I just took a picture of the sign.

We spent the night in Winthrop at a cute little place called the Bunkhouse Inn.  We brought homemade spaghetti.  We heated it in the microwave and ate sitting on a picnic table out front.  

It had a great open shower with nice pressure and very hot water.  The furniture was rustic and handmade.  It was really nice and just what we needed.  

SIX IN A ROW

I treated myself to six new ceramic pots and six geranium plants to go in them.  

A QUILT OF VALUE

After I finished the five blocks on value for my Design Class, I figured I'd just continue on and make them into a quilt.

I have to leave them in block format until after class next month.  But in the meantime, I started planning out the rest of the quilt.

This is it so far.  I'm thinking I will add a few more rows of mostly dark on the bottom.  But first, I've got to sew them into bigger chunks and mark them so I can take the top rows off and move the whole thing up.  I don't have any more room at the bottom to add rows on the wall.

TOTALLY FINISHED

I got the binding finished.  This quilt is done!

Now I just need to take pictures.

QUILTED

I finished the quilting on Starry Starry Peace and moved on to making and attaching the binding.

I got the binding sewn down on one side, but I ran out of time and will.  Tomorrow.

ALMOST

I was hoping to get the quilting on Starry Starry Peace done today, but It didn't happen.  I'm so close, just one and half rows to go, but I gave up for the night - it's too hot up here.

While Eduard was busy working on this quilt, I kept busy working on my Value Study quilt.  I gotta get a better name.  I was trying to incorporate the blocks I made for my design class into it.  I don't think that one on the bottom left is going to work - it's gonna get ejected.

The dogs were hot, too, and happy to finally leave the studio.