FABRIC SEARCH

 I've had this piece of Ikea fabric for a few years.  I started using it for the Monday 30 Minutes of Play improv pieces.  I was getting so upset because the piece kept getting smaller and smaller.  And I love it!  So, I went on a search for more.  I've been searching Etsy, Ebay and Google to no avail.  Ikea isn't making it anymore and no one has any for sale.  Heartbreaking.

Then, the other day, I ran across this a fabric, made recently, that was the same pattern, but a lot smaller.  I bought two versions. They aren't anywhere near as nice, but.... Here they are with the original on the bottom:

If you have any of that bigger print, I'll buy it from you!

CRUSHING THE PARTS

 I'm working on making a pattern called All Eyez On Me by Latifah Saafir using her Clammy Ruler.  I'm going to name my quilt Crushing It because I'm using the Kona Color of the Year 'Crush' Fabric.

I sewed together a bunch of 5" squares today.  They still need to be trimmed using the Clammy ruler.

BLACK AND WHITE STRIP

 I took all of the leftover cuts from the black and white strips and the white and black strips I cut the 5" squares from for the All Eyez On Me quilt that I'm starting.  This was an easy sew - mindlessly (well, almost mindlessly) alternating darks and lights until I had a very long strip.  I'll use it on the backing - if I ever make the top.  I think I'm going to call it "Crushing It".  Because.

Then I made HST squares out the leftover pieces from the charm pack I used.  I paired them with a white with black crossword print fabric.  Now I also have 24 4" HSTs for the back.

BLACK AND WHITE SQUARES

 I spent yesterday going through my stash, choosing black with white fabrics and white with black fabrics for an upcoming project.

I cut a strip from each, then cut them down into 5" squares.  I need at least 240 squares of each.  

I put a good dent in my stash.

MONDAY SEWCIAL

 Today was Brave Patch's Monday Sewcial, our weekly get-together.  We decided last week to do some  improv play at the start of our meet.  Claudia spun a wheel and came up with some prompts and we got busy sewing.

Here's what I ended up with:

NINE-PATCH PI BACKING

 I started yesterday and finished up the backing for the Nine-Patch Pi quilt.

It's almost too small, I think I'm going to have to add some to the length.

BACK AND LOADED

 I made a backing for the Long-legged Star quilt and loaded it up on the longarm.

I had found this great ombre cloud print in my stash - it's an oldie, probably from the late 90's by Nancy Crow.  I didn't make a label, but I did ink my name in one of the white stripes.  

Then, I loaded it onto the longarm and started quilting it.  I got about half way.

SASHED

 I originally wanted to put white sashing with small black crosses in the intersections.  I have lots of Kona black, but I was surprised that I had no White.  

I looked through my white prints, but nothing seem right.  So, I went with this black and white strip that I fussy-cut to be all the same.  It turned out kind of funky.

LONG LEGGED STARS

 I started making these star blocks in Joe Cunningham's Quilt Freedom Workshop last weekend.  Instead of just throwing the three blocks in the scrap bin I decided to make more and turn them into a little quilt.  So, this morning with the Monday Brave Patch group, I made some more!

BACKING PROBLEM

I ordered three yards of black and white fabric with numbers for the back of the Nine-Patch Pi quilt.

It arrived with a small hole in it.

I thought about complaining since I wanted to use it in one piece for the backing.

But, I will be piecing parts in because there isn't enough for the complete back.

I don't need to worry, they would probably only send me a quarter yard anyway to make up for the hole.  More trouble than it's worth.

SATURDAY WORKSHOP

 I'm signed up to take a monthly zoom workshop with Joe Cunningham called Quilt Freedom Workshop.  This month was about two color quilts, or two fabric designs.  I started out thinking I would use black and white.  Then when I saw the project I changed the black out for a print with black and white.  (it's not actually white, it matches Kona Oyster which I used as my white).  

Here's how it ended up at the end of the day:

I want to spend more time moving the pieces around before I settle on the final.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION

Jeez Louise.  I had started out with a stack of white and black fabrics, gradating from light to dark.  And as I've gone along, I've had to reject and replace a few because I didn't have enough of that particular fabric.

It happened again today, when I started on the fifth row.  I didn't have enough and just went with the next one from the stack.    So, after I made the fifth row with this fabric, I re-assessed and realized that some of the upcoming rows I didn't have enough of the fabric I had picked, so this problem was going to just get worse!  I went through my stash and come to the conclusion that I didn't have the fabric range to do this right.  I've even been thinking it would look better with just one 'white'.

I decided this last one would look great for that.  I had recently bought it at Quilted Strait, so there should be more of it out there somewhere.  But, I need to make sure I can get some more (enough) to finish the project before I commit and do something stupid.

But first, a really nice walk in the park!

Here's how it looked at five rows (soon to be redone).

I erased some of the trees in this painting and lightened the sky.  I'm still not happy with it.  Is it the colors?  I'm beginning to think I hate this palette.  The trees are all the wrong colors!  But, what do I want?

BLACK AND WHITE TOP

I got the top done. 

FRIDAY LITE

We picked up Quentin early this morning.  He's going to spend the weekend with us.

First stop was breakfast at PCC.  He wanted waffles.

Then I went to Puyallup to drop off a couple of quilts for the Fair.

Back home, I worked on the black blocks for the Black and White quilt.  I have all of the parts made, but only got one block sewn together.

After lunch, Quentin and I painted.

I even did a quick drawing of Jax in the garden.

SOME OF IT

Well, I didn't have a whole day, but I did get the four-patches and the centers of the black blocks done.

B&W BLOCKS

I worked on the Black, White and Red blocks (I need a name for this quilt).

I finished the white blocks and have got everything cut out for the black blocks.

Need a long day to get the top together.

When I called his name, he chose to shun me.

DISTRACTION

Instead of doing things I should be doing, I've started a new project.

It's a palate cleanser.

It should use up some of the black and white prints I have a draw full of.

CONNECTING ART TO STITCH LESSON #1

 I found a very interesting book the other day, Connecting Art to Stitch by Sandra Meech.  I've read the first few chapters and decided to start doing some of the exercises in the book.  It's purpose is to show/teach you how to take your artwork and interpret it in fabric/sewing.  

This first lesson was about doing a simple scene in shades of gray.  I looked through my file of still life photos and came up with an old one I've always liked.  It shows an ashtray on a table with a chair, looking down from above.  I converted it to black and white in Photohop, and used a filter to simplify it.

Having read the chapter a few days before, I went out to the studio in the morning and started painting paper with acrylic paints in seven shades of gray going from white to almost black.  That in itself was quite a learning experience.  It took me a lot longer than I thought and I really enjoyed doing it because of all the things I learned.  I was really impressed with the results, too!

But, I didn't think it all the way through, and I didn't do it the way the book suggested with tracing paper and charcoal.  I just used the regular paper I would use when painting with acrylics - I should have used thinner paper.  This paper is too thick for this project, but it takes the paint well!

I used a tracing paper overlay to aid in alignment, and cut the pieces out with an exacto-knife.  The white edges of the paper show, particularly on the darker ones.  I was very disappointed at first, but since it's consistent throughout, I think it looks okay.

This is 'Ashtray' in cut painted paper, approximately 8" by 10".

I really want to do this in fabric now!