Table Runner #2

Here's another table runner made from one of the pieces of Japanese Yukata cloth that I purchased the other week at the quilt show.


The cloth is a joy work with. I love how well suited it takes to being stitched, patched and quilted.


This runner has such a beautiful, soft earthy pallet... even though it's new, it feels and looks old, like it has a story of it's own to tell.

Now available in my shop.
(Update - sold)

Pincushions, (again!) and Sew, Mama, Sew!

Three more pincushions, and this time I added a vintage button to each one...


The design and peeling red paint on this button really speaks to me.




A sweet vintage flower button in honor of springtime.




One of my favorite types... a vintage lucite button with sparkly bits of mother-of-pearl embedded inside.



They are now listed for sale, (along with the individual "Crossroad Flags" from the post below) in my Etsy shop.

And here's a big YAY! My Work Quilt #2 is featured today over at Sew, Mama, Sew! where they are featuring a "quilt-of-the-day" all month long!



Head on over and check it out... leave a comment at Sew, Mama, Sew! and you'll have a chance to win one of the great prizes that they are giving out this week. Good Luck!

P.S. Loved hearing how you all felt in the comment section of my last post. Hugs to each of you for sharing. xo

New Quilt, Old Barn

Hello Everyone!
I hope that your Holidays were very happy and that your New Year is off to a great start!

The last few weeks of 2009 were a bit of a crazed blur at our home, starting with my daughter getting stranded for a few extra days in London due to bad weather and canceled flights, (happily she made it safely home 2 days before Christmas) then the plumbing broke and the car died. 2010 rolled in to save the day, just in the knick of time, and all is now well, (knock on wood!)

The Quilt

In between all the "fun", I did manage to start a new, utilitarian inspired work quilt, which helped calm me immensely. This is the first layer. I started with various sized pieces of shot cottons in blues and greens, pieced together to form long rows.


Next I machine quilted lots of closely spaced rows, of varying widths, followed by long rows of multi colored hand-stitching


I have just a few more rows of stitching to complete, and then I can move on to the 2nd and final layer which will be made up of appliqued patches and more stitch work.


The Barn

You may have noticed that I have a new blog banner to start off the new year. I wanted something to reflect the new path I am headed in and since I find a lot of visual, and soulful inspiration from the old, weathered barns found around where I live, I thought it would be fitting to use one in my banner.

The barn I choose to use in my banner is my new favorite. It is almost within walking distance from my home, but I never knew of it until a few weeks ago when my husband took me to see it.


Situated on State Game Land, it is gloriously removed and remote, with nothing but fields and trees all around.


Here is the date stone... 1795... isn't that incredible?!? To think it has stood for so many years and now has entered its 4th century! I find that most inspiring.

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Over the next few weeks I hope to start making some more changes to the blog and to my shops. I will be emptying my Etsy Shop of any remaining merchandise, (the big sale is still on, but not for too much longer!) and slooooowwwwly be filling it back up with new stitched work. Stay tuned!

Work Quilt - Finished Photos

Early this morning the sun played a little game of peek-a-boo, before deciding to hide once again behind dark ominous clouds. It was just enough light to get these shots...


I know to some, this quilt may look like a lot of random patches just thrown on and sewn down, a bit of cloth chaos. However, each patch of fabric and every stitch was placed with a lot of thought and intention.


The oddness of it was intentional as my muse were the heavily patched work quilts from long ago, where scrap patches were placed wherever the hole was, and stitching was simple but often varied and sometimes a bit quirky.


I find myself becoming increasingly drawn to those old patched textiles. Maybe it's my age, for as I grow older I am starting to feel worn in some places, and with each new phase of life I feel a bit more patched and mended, (teenagers will do that to you) and layered with memories and stories but with a lot of life and purpose left in me... Just like those old quilts. I think there is an inherent beauty to that and I am looking towards exploring it and expressing it in my work during this upcoming new year. This quilt is the first step on that path.


Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback you have given me on this piece during its construction. I hope the final results didn't disappoint. I am really in an exploratory stage right now, fumbling a bit in the dark and I truly appreciate how accepting everyone is each time I shift directions in my work!

NOTE: You can see close up, detail photos of each of the individual nine blocks that make up this quilt on my Flickr site. You can also see the richness of the colors and the clarity of the stitches more true to life over on Flickr, (not sure why but the photos are always a wee bit fuzzy and the colors a bit off on the blog). xo

Almost Finished

All the hand stitching is completed now and I am ready to sew the binding on, which I hope to do later this evening. The light is lousy today as it is pouring rain... so these are the best photos I have to show...


I struggled a bit not just with that whole perfection stuff, but also with the balance between overworking the stitching and under-working the stitching, and staying true to my initial vision... Hoping I got it right.


I will post pics of the whole (and finished) quilt later this week, assuming the sun comes out to play. :0)

Silencing the Inner Critic

Okey-dokey. I've finished the second layer of my work quilt, (which consisted of sewing on more patches, and quilting many more rows of machine stitching, both straight and zig-zag stitch). Now I have moved on to the 3rd and final layer, which consists of hand stitching, (I still have a long ways to go on the hand stitching.)


I knew from the get-go that I wanted this quilt to have a "rough" quality to it. By that I mean I didn't want it to be precious or perfect, with lots of neat and straight rows of stitching. I wanted the machine work to be a bit crude and crooked. I wanted the hand quilting stitches to be irregular, on the large size and a bit unevenly spaced.


Well, I have followed what I set out to do, but in truth the perfectionist in me, that part that likes everything just so, is really having a hard time. She is being very critical of this piece. (But my true spirit, where the child in me still resides, loves it.)

In the past I have often struggled with this overbearing, critical side of me, and have felt that although it comes in handy in insuring I make good, solidly constructed work, it also at times can be a real hindrance to my artistic self-expression. I feel that the perfectionist side of myself keeps me boxed in by playing on my fears. She knows how to keep me afraid to explore all of the ideas I want to explore. The perfectionist in me censors my creativity. I am really getting fed up with her.


I am fighting everyday to muzzle that perfectionist, appearance driven, part of me. I am pushing myself to keep going with my intial vision. I am begging myself to not get hung up on outside approval, or fear of failure. Ask anyone of my family members and they will tell you, this is a real and daily struggle for me.

So, this may appear to be just another quilt, but for me it's becoming an exercise in letting go, trusting my inner guidance, and following something that has been tugging at my heart strings for sometime.

Work in Progress

I have been fiddling around with this new piece for the last few days, constructing the individual blocks, and piecing them together to make the top shown here.


I knew that I wanted a contemporary quilt which was reminiscent of an old utilitarian work quilt. Utilitarian quilts were made from old recycled scraps and bits of fabric left over from other projects. While elements of creativity and thought were definitely put into their making, they also weren't terribly fussed over in the design and construction since they were going to be used for everyday day needs and would get a lot of wear and tear. Because of this, utilitarian quilts often have a wonderful randomness about them, as you had to use what was on hand and make it work the best that you could.

To help give my quilt top a utilitarian feel, I picked certain colors of blue that I had on hand and constructed the blocks from strips that were intentionally cut fairly straight, but not exactly straight.


Each block was stitched without any idea of how it would look in relation to the other blocks, as I wanted to be surprised and challenged with how they would best look when laid out. (This turned out to be much more of a challenge then I thought it would, and I am still not sure if I got it right, visually speaking.) Bits of red were added for the "pop!" element.

The top measures about 33" square, which will make for a nice lap quilt, throw or wall hanging. Hoping to get her quilted this week, wish me luck!