EDITED VOLTRON!

 The more I thought about it, the less I liked my solution from yesterday regarding the Voltron! project.  

I liked the idea of the darker section being on the bottom, but lazily turning it upside down disturbed the composition I had worked so hard on.

So, a solution would be to take the dark top section and move it to the bottom.  That involved un-sewing.  I feel like I did as much un-sewing on this project as I did sewing.  So, what's a little more?

I think the solution worked really well and I'm much happier with the way it looks now.

And, I have found a name for it.  It will be called Tractor Beam from now on.  I started thinking about backing for it and pulled some teal fabrics from my stash. But, I'm too drained to work on that today.

Then, as a palette cleanser, I made another improv block with the Playcation 2022:

VOLTRON! IS A TOP

 I completed the last big triangles in the bottom corners.  And had everything sewn into big chunks that were ready to sew all together.

It is now a top.  Once I got it done, I felt the top was the darkest part, the heaviest part, making the composition seem top-heavy.  So, I flipped it upside down.  It looks better.  But, I may change something, like taking the dark top off and sewing it onto the part that used to be the bottom.

Well, I'm all done and here is the pile of scraps and leftovers.  omg, it never ends.

STILL WORKING ON VOLTRON!

 I'm still spending the greatest part of my days working on my Voltron! project.

It's still a puzzle.  I'm still editing as I go.  I've had to make more strip sets, too.

I've sewed some of the bigger pieces together and moved it up on the design wall, so that I can work on the bottom to make it a bit longer.

But, it's coming along.

TROLL IN THE PARK

 The Danish artist, Thomas Dambo, has installed one of his trolls in Lincoln Park.  We've been watching the construction process over the past week.

Today we walked down to the beach (along with hundreds of fisherpeople).  

This is Bruuniden, playing her flute in homage to the Orcas.  She is wearing jewelry of shells and tree bark, made by local artist John 'Coyote' Halliday.

I sat down to sketch her.

TINY POINT

 I was enarmored with this tiny little pink triangle today as I worked on Voltron!

QUILTS IN THE PARK

 I met with some of members of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild this morning.

We brought quilts to display and admire and talk about.

I brought the books I'm donating to the guild and passed them off to the librarian.

V V AND MORE V

 I'm still working on the Voltron! project.  It's coming along slowly.  Seems like the more I have pieced together the harder it becomes to fit them together.

It's a puzzle.

THREE MORE BLOCKS

 To take a break from Voltron!, I made three more improv blocks from Playcation 2022.

MORE ON VOLTRON!

 I'm continuing to work on my Voltron! project (it still needs another name).

I've fixed those too big green pieces by adding some yellow strips.

It's better now - they fit in much nicer this way.

EDITING VOLTRON!

 I'm editing as I sew these parts and pieces together.  Sometimes I need to trim, sometimes I need to add something, to make things fit together.

WORKING ON VOLTRON!

 Sewing together my Voltron! project.  It needs a name.

OHIO STAR MINI

 Today, during the BP-Monday Sewcial get-together, I made this week's Art East Quilting Mini block, #34 - The Ohio Star II.

CHARMED, I'M SURE

 I loaded this small quilt yesterday and got it partially quilted.  We finished it up today.  

The quilt is made from a Charm Pack of 5" squares by Art Gallery, spaced with some strips in a black and white print.

I used Karlee Porter's Graffiti Quilting pack of designs for the pantograph.  It quilted out really nice, if somewhat slowly.  I'm really impressed with it.

While this was going on I started sewing together the Voltron! parts and pieces I had thrown up on the design wall yesterday.

HAPPY NATALIE

I received a photo from Natalie whom I gifted my Pi quilt to.

She's taken it to college with her.

She loves it.

This makes me so happy.

 

NUMBER FORTY

I got up into the studio and made one more improv block in the Playcation 2022 series.  Then it got too hot and I left.

This is number forty.  

 

HOT RHINO

 Since it was too hot to sew, I finally got out this DIY metal Rhino kit that I've had for a month or so and started putting it together.  There are over 800 parts and pieces to this thing and I've never done anything like this.  But, I set up down in Darrell's bench room, where it's considerably cooler than my studio and plunged right in.  Well, slowly plunged.  I had to get things organized and figure out a few things. 

I've discovered I'm not very dexterious with tiny little parts.  I feel like my fingers are big clubs.  But, it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours - out of the heat.

This is just the beginning.  It looks like a rhino now, but there are a lot more parts to it and a long ways to go.  It will take me months.

TWO IMPROV BLOCKS

 I made the next two improv blocks with Cheryl Arkison's Playcation 2022.

This is week #37.  Mine ended up not looking anything like hers.  I got carried away with my own ideas. Sorta.

Then she was on to week #39.  I don't know what happened to week #38.

Then it got too hot up in the studio again and I had to leave.

REGISTERING FOR QUILTCON

 Good grief.  This morning at 7am registration for the events at Quiltcon 2024 began.  You can login early and then are randomly assigned a place in the queue.  I was number 2121.  I didn't get a chance to pick events until after 7:35am. 

 I didn't get what I wanted, a tour of the Special Exhibit with Mary Fons.  They were all sold out by the time I got there.  None of my buddies on Brave Patch got in either.

Oh, well.  I did get the lectures I wanted.  I wasn't going for any workshops.  I don't need any more projects.

TWO ART EAST BLOCKS

 I caught up with the Art East Quilting's Mini Charms by making last week's and this week's blocks.

Block #32 The Flies

Block #33 The Tree

I couldn't stay for the whole of the BP-Monday Sewcial, it got too hot upstairs in the studio.

POP-UP BUCKET

 I got a pattern for this Pop-Up Container with my latest order for fabric from Missouri Star Quilt which arrived this morning.

After putting the fabric into the wash I set to work on making this container.  I think it will come in handy when I go to workshops.

It wasn't as fun as it appears to be.  But, the memory of the pain will soon fade and I will only know that I love this thing that I made.

MORE IMPROV BLOCKS

 Cheryl's next video actually contains instructions for two more improv blocks.  Apparently, she took week 34 off so she could go on vacation with her family (well deserved).

So, we made blocks #34 and #35.

AUGUST ROUND BOM

 I made the next parts for the August round of Seattle MQG's Block of the Month for 2023.  

NUMBER 34

 I watched Cheryl Arkison's Playcation 2022 and made week 34th's block. She called it the light from the sun.

Then I worked on hand-sewing the facing down on the back of City Noise.

QUILT PHOTOS

 Today I set up two quilts and Darrell photographed them for me.

FLING IS QUILTED

 I finished the quilting on the Fling quilt.

P.S. Jelly is fine now.  She woke up this morning and the 'hives' were all gone and she doesn't appear to be itchy.

QUILTING FLING

 I decided to name this quilt Fling.  

I got it loaded onto Erik the Bold, my Q24 longarm.  I set up the program for an all over pantograph and got him going.

I noticed I had put my name on it - in blue ink.

I probably could have got the whole quilt quilted today, but there was an emergency with Jelly.  She broke out in itchy bumps all over.  I was advised to get her some Benadryl.  So, I stopped Erik in his tracks and ran to get some.  Poor baby.