Tiny quilts, museum bound......sort of...

Kristine H. recently put out a request for small quiltlets to be hung in a mini-model gallery that she is building for a class. I couldn't decide on a color scheme, so I did two and sent her both. After the model is no longer needed, she plans to make the quiltlets into a small wall hanging to donate to the Omaha convention in July.
She asked that they be signed on the front, but that seemed like it would take up too much room, so I added my "mark", the heart with the long stemmed rose on one side. I haven't been very good about using it, so maybe this will help get me in gear. This is definitely the smallest I've ever done it, about 1/2". Each block is about 3 1/2" square (finished size).
She said she would send pictures when she gets it assembled, so perhaps she'll let me add them to my blog.

Color study, part 2.....reinventing the wheel

For some reason yesterday, the idea of the color study and the color wheel came together in my head and wouldn't let me rest until I had planned (yes, I actually "planned"!) out a new project. I drew out a 26" circle on two chunks of butcher paper (taped together) and divided it into 6 equal pieces. I used a lid to make a center circle. Then I cut muslin foundations for each of the 6 wedges and one for the center. My fancy fabrics were already sort of divided up by color, so I was able to piece both the purple and yellow blocks.

Here's how they look right now and how they will be oriented on the final quilt. The center circle will be black and white. I found a beautiful satiny black and silver brocade at Joann's last time I was there, but I have some other fancies to go with it.

Even though I'm starting over as far as the color study is concerned, I think I'll be able to finish this in time for the fair. I'm excited about it, it means 2 fewer blocks to do, and I've been thinking in terms of monochromatic work for a month or more.

Color study; purple

Here's my all purple block for my color study project. The lace is some that I dyed using the soak-water from black beans. I soaked the beans overnight and the next morning after I drained the water off, I soaked some lace in it for an hour or so, then put it into vinegar as a mordant. It gave this lace an overall purple tone with spots of blueish purple.
I included the 3 linked rings that are found on some antique quilts, some very pretty buttons, and a lovely purple iridescent spider on her metallic lavender web. I made good use of one of the Sassa Lynn threads that I bought from Susan; it's a variegated purple.

As I write this, I'm reminded of an old family joke. When I was a girl, I went with my grandmother to Montgomery Wards. She needed a good all-purpose coat, something that would work for the coolish weather of spring and fall. She asked the salesclerk if they had any all-purpose coats, and the clerk got a puzzled look on her face. "I don't think we have any all-purple coats...." We all got a good laugh out of it, and now it's a family joke to look for an all-purple coat.

Up next: the yellow block.

Finished bag

Here's two sides of the finished bag. It is made of heavy black denim with the CQ squares on the outside and is lined with other cottons.

Laurel Birch mermaid bag

Every year for the past 4 or 5, I have made a donation of a block or something CQed to the Crazy Quilt convention in Omaha. The items are raffled or auctioned either to benefit breast cancer research or for scholarships to the convention. Last year I made a tote bag with some CQ blocks, and this year I'll be using the same pattern, but have chosen some Laurel Birch designer fabric with a mermaid and sea horse print.

Two of the blocks have a patch of the sea horse print, along with some "poke you in the eye" coordinating colored patches and stitching. I would have loved to add beads and all that fun stuff, but I'm hoping this will be a usable bag, so I restrained myself and just used embroidery, lace, yarn, and buttons.

This block has a mommy mermaid with her child. I added a wreath of sea flowers to her head and a button cluster for her to hide behind if anyone unfriendly comes too close.

This mermaid is even more shy; she needed a fan coral and some colorful seaweed to duck behind. She's holding a parrot of some aquatic type, so she got pink feathers along with the flowers in her hair.
When the bag is finished, I'll post a pic of it.

Season to season spring block

Here is Sue's spring block after my work. A close up of the bouquet and button cluster.

The pink and magenta bouquet on the left is Sue's work. Those tiny flowers are about 1/4" across and look like the most perfect little roses. She had put on two fans, one as a lace motif and one in embroidery and beads, so I added the fan button to the left of my bouquet. I also added two spring bonnets; one is a button and the other is a charm. This block was delightful to work on while winter was having its last hurrah outside.

Saturday afternoon....

Here's how last Saturday afternoon looked at our house.....

We had Corbin and his plethora of dinosaurs....

Playing a game with Michaela and her My Little Ponies.....and Zack overseeing it all.
And they all got along beautifully for at least an hour.

Another food fight block

Here's another block I made for the swap I'm hostessing. This one is for green chili with pork. The recipe makes a soup or a sauce for burritos. We most often eat it as soup, and it's really good with corn bread.


So far I've received 2 blocks from other swappers, and I'll post those here soon!

Sane again....

Here's the second of the two sane wedding quilts. The focus fabric on this one is some I bought from EQuilter.com. It comes in two color ways; this one and a gold, brown, ocher one. I debated about which to get for this project and finally decided I just rather work with the cool purples and blues. So the quilt is mostly black, blue, and purple....rather like a huge bruise.
The only thing I knew going in to this project was that I wanted to leave the horse print as whole as possible. It really is a lovely print, and EQuilter is a good place to buy fabric from; I'm not affiliated with them, just a happy customer.

Crazy Easter eggs

I have two friends that have birthdays soon after Christmas and this year I wasn't on the ball enough to get them presents, so I've made them Easter presents instead.

I used a toy plastic egg for a template and drew the oval shape on muslin.

Then I pieced each egg shape in pastel colors. I embroidered and added some buttons and charms. Then I cut the same shape out of light cardboard, two for each egg. After hot gluing some batting down to one egg shaped cardboard, I stretched the crazy piece over it and glued it down around the outside on the back. I glued a piece of fabric over the other piece in the same way to be the back of my egg. Then I added some lace around the edge and a ribbon hanger at the top of the crazy piece and attached the back with hot glue also.



And just when you thought it was safe to go into the living room........SHARK-BOY!!!

Hazle's block

I recently traded some work with a friend from CQ4N. She has an embroidery machine and offered to do some bugs for me in exchange for my working on a block for her large quilt project. I used a piece of lace and some trim that I dyed myself, and the iris-like flowers in the upper left corner are done in some DMC size 8 perle cotton that I also dyed in a dusty rose and lavender variegated color.

This is a button, bead, and silk ribbon embroidery motif. The iris is a hand painted (not by me) plastic button.

In the lower right corner are some climbing roses done in French knots and cast-on stitch, which I am finally getting the hang of!

And here's the whole block. The colors and fabrics are really pretty, so they inspired me. I hope Hazle likes it, 'cause I LOVE the bugs she did for me.