Spring Purse

I did manage to start stitching on this:



I'm sure I'll have time to work on it some more later.

Pansy Block

Just a quick update today before we head out for breakfast:



I finished up on this little project yesterday. I'll make this into a little doorknocker too. It'll add some Spring to my living room!

Thank you!!!

Hello everyone! First, I just have to say "thank you" to my readers who take the time to leave such lovely compliments for me on the projects I've done. I can't begin to tell you how happy I feel when I hear that you find inspiration from my stitching. It means so much to me! Thank you very much everyone!

I completed the stitching on my little "Good Luck Robin" design yesterday:



I just love St. Patrick's Day so I'll be keeping this little one for myself. I'll sew it into a doorknocker during the week sometime.

When I finished up that little project, I started on this one:



Again, Kim stitched up the little pansy for me which is one of my "gift" designs:



If you would like to stitch this for one of your projects, click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download the large version.

Today will be another stitching day so I'll finish up on the pansy doorknocker and then perhaps work up a Comfort Cat Doll.

I have several larger projects on my list too but haven't decided on which one to do next. Allie asked me about manipulating Waste Canvas in order work the borders from my book around curves. I hadn't really thought about it until Allie suggested it. I have no clue how she does that wonderful curved piecing technique of hers. I asked her if she would consider piecing a block for me so I can give it a shot and she very kindly took the time to do so.

I have a good idea on how to manipulate the Waste Canvas and I think it'll work perfectly! That will be one of my next projects so I'll be posting a photo of the pieced block that Allie did for me in the very near future. As soon as I'm sure of what I'm doing, I'll offer that as a tutorial here.

I also am feeling the need to have a new purse. A Spring purse actually and I have one pieced already. I'll share that one soon too. It'll be a bit different than anything I've done before. I just have something really cool to sew onto it!

You may remember my January Blizzard purse. I have to tell you, I only used that one for about a week into January. With all the storms we've had this year and way more snow than we usually get, I just couldn't stand looking at it so I put it away. I've been using my Blackwork Peacock purse but pretty soon, I can start switching them around again. It just doesn't quite feel right to carry a purse with a bunch of flowers on it when there's 2 feet of snow on the ground!

Anyway, be sure to stay tuned for these upcoming projects. I'm sure you'll find them quite interesting and maybe get some more ideas for your projects!

Also, next Saturday is the first of March. Yah!!!!!!! Sharon will be announcing the concept and color palette for the Take It Further challenge which I have to tell you, I am so much enjoying! I haven't put my Apollo 13 block away yet. It's sitting on my Hoosier cabinet where I can see it each time I walk by. I never would have thought of such an interesting theme had it not been for Sharon's challenge. Needless to say, I'm quite excited to hear about the next concept.

We're planning on our Eagle weekend for next Saturday. We couldn't go last week due to weather conditions but so far, it looks like next weekend will be quite good for driving to Peoria, Illinois. The Bald Eagles hang out on the Illinois river during the Winter months. We'll spend the weekend with my in-laws, visit a few antique malls and see those gorgeous eagles! If our photos come out as well as they did last year, I'll share them here.

Last but not least for today, I wanted to share this with you:



I received this beautiful fabric CQ postcard all the way from Jo in New Zealand! What a thrill it is to receive something from so far away! It arrived safely in perfect condition and I have it sitting here on my desk. Jo's stitching is perfect, isn't it? Jo, I know you're having computer issues but if you happen to be online somewhere, thank you so much!!!!

Well, that's my ramblings for today! Have a great weekend everyone. I know we're going out for breakfast in the morning but I'll try to post a photo of my finished little pansy block before we leave.

Floral "A" Block Continued.....

I did a bit more embroidery on this block yesterday and added some more beads:



As you know, I have a bit of dilemma as to what to do with that hard corner at the bottom left of the "A". Allie suggested that I embroider a fan there but that just doesn't call to me.

Crazy quilting is of course an "abstract" artform. I've always thought of abstract art as something that exists in another dimension. A dimension which our physical eyes cannot see. It's the type of art where both the creator and the observer must use an intuitive sense to comprehend the piece.

For me, it's not just a matter of technique, color and composition. Yes, those are indeed necessary components but they are only tools so to speak.

What I'm really doing in my crazy quilting, is conveying a thought or a memory. Thoughts & memories are absolutely real but they exist in a realm outside of the material world. Our general term for that is "abstract". Again, in order to interpret the abstract world, one has to rely on their "feelings" in order to express their thoughts and memories.

You've probably noticed that in most cases, I start with a touch of realism and expand on it in a non-realistic way.

In this case, working off of that gorgeous floral "A" from Allie, my thought is that of Summer and it's vast array of bright colors found in a garden. That is certainly a cheery thought for me considering it's only 2 degrees outside right now!

In attempting to deal with that hard corner in the conventional way, trying different lace appliques and a few other little do-dad's that I have here, and finding that none of them visually suited my purpose, I reached deeper into my thoughts and feelings and memories of Summer. I remembered that not only do bright, cheerful flowers dominate the Summer landscape, but so do a variety of beautiful busy bugs!

When I start on a block, I'm not usually aware of the final result. I've always considered work on a crazy quilt to be a journey rather than a destination. Certainly, it's fun to arrive at the final work but the joy is in the creation for me, feeling my way through and around a block as it develops.

So, to get on with how I will soften that hard corner, I have decided to allow the perfect imperfections of nature take care of itself. Not all gardens are perfect (esp. mine) yet they are all beautiful and filled with living things, both seen and unseen. I have a nice collection of little bug pins that I can use to soften any area that isn't quite what I'd like it to be. I have a beautiful bee pin, a dragonfly and a butterfly. I'm sure one of them will work on that corner and I'm sure I'll be adding some other bugs here and there throughout the block. Of course, being a garden theme piece, this block must have a spider and web on it. Does anyone want to guess where I will put it?

Comfort Cats & Update On Floral "A" Block

I did some finishing yesterday on a few projects including these two little cat dolls for The Comfort Doll Project:



I don't know which one I love more! The yellow one is so bright and cheery but the green one so pretty with the purple embellishments! I'll package these up today and mail them to Pat later this week when I go to the Post Office again.

I also did some stitching yesterday on my Floral "A" block:



I tried every little appliqué I have and nothing seems to work to soften that hard corner at the bottom left of the "A". I have some ideas but want to do some more beading on the seam treatments before I start working on that area.