Spirals

Where has the last month gone?!?!?! I think part of it disappeared with a weekend trip and then recovery, scrapbooking, starting a new quilting group, attending an existing group every week, shopping for more fabric, a little dyeing, reorganizing my quilting area, etc., AND I'm trying to learn to knit!! Hopefully more on that later!! I have also been reading alot this month. Read Jodi Picoult's My Sisters Keeper & Nineteen Minutes-both very good. Also read Debbie Macomber's Shop on Blossom Street and have started A Good Yarn-two new favorite authors!!

I didn't get DHs quilt made yet but it is cut out and I will finally start sewing on it Thursday. I wasn't happy with the selection of fabrics I got so went out and got more, now I have 30+ reds and 30+ blacks and think it will be much nicer than less than 15 of each. Photos of some of the blocks next week.

Now for the tease in my title, here are the spirals I made, some for a swap and the extras for my stash. I used Dharma clear yellow and two of their new colors, carribean blue and imperial purple. The first picture shows the fabric tied up ready for dye, the next with the dye applied and then the results. The fabric in the smaller pieces is 1/9th yard and the larger piece is a FQ.

MIA

Wanted to show what I've been working on and explain where I've been. We had to have a new AC put in so that meant cleaning out the garage so they could get in there to work. It needed to be done and in the process we have decided to get a storage building for DH to move his stuff to and close the garage in for my studio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooooo, I was even more motivated to throw stuff away and insist on Christmas stuff going into the attic. We have also been shopping for new appliances and finally made the purchase last night-new fridge, freezer, washer and dryer. Not a minute too soon!! Last Friday I decided to make DH a quilt for our anniversary which is May 15 so spent Saturday shopping for fabric. Found what I wanted, it is now all pressed except the border and backing and the pattern I chose is a quilt as you go so need to get the backing pressed so I can get it started but that will have to wait until Sunday because my sister called yesterday and said they are having a cookout for Mother's day tomorrow so we are headed there tomorrow for the day. I may have to give him what is done on Thursday and promise the rest ASAP!!

OK, as for what I have been doing lately, besides the above and working on my beach challenge which I will get finished and show after I get the anniversary quilt finished, lots of pillowcases, some for myself, DH, the boys and gifts and the Shadowed Squares quilt-it still needs the dark brown border.

Hope everyone has a great Mother's Day!!

And the winner is .....

Sorry I forgot to do the pillowcase draw yesterday. So without further ado...the winner is #4 - Margo!! Watch your mail. I hope to mail it out tomorrow.

Pillowcase tutorial and giveaway

I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged. I promised a tutorial for my pillowcases, so here goes:
Fabric requirements
3/4 yd - cut 27x41 body of the pillowcase
1/8 yd - cut 3x41 trim (doesn't have to be exactly 3")
1/4 yd - cut 9x41 cuff (doesn't have to be exactly 9")


Fold fabric for body of the pillowcase in half, rights sides together, begin sewing from the raw edge to the fold. I like to sew mine on the serger but they can be done on a sewing machine but you might want to zigzag the edges or cut them with pinking shears or a pinking rotary blade.

Next sew the long raw edge of the body of the pillowcase, fold the cuff and trim in half, right sides together and sew the short seams.

Turn all right sides out. Fold cuff and trim in half, matching raw edges, press.

Layer like photo, matching seams.


Pin onto bottom of pillowcase body. You won't be able to see the trim piece when sewing but it should be between the body and the cuff so that you will be sewing through all pieces.

Press and now you have a beautiful or fun pillowcase. I don't usually wash my fabrics before making the pillowcase but do wash them before using.

OK, for the giveaway is this pillowcase. It is made with a very soft and silky feeling 65% bamboo and 35% cotton fabric. Comment on this post before Monday night and I will do the drawing on Tuesday.

Swaps, pillowcases, quilts

Light med dark values

Med value with black, grey and brown additives

My preferred way to mount a color wheel

Make a shade gradation

Half step 50% gradation

I can't believe it has been over a week since I last blogged. I have been busy mounting the many dyeing swaps that I have participated in-I have mounted about 150 color wheels, 70+ gradations and a few misc type swaps, like make a shade where you add black, brown or grey, etc.

I have also cut out a lot of pillowcases, a few purses (3 or 4 I think) and quilts (including my Montana quilt and the teal and brown shadowed squares). I am one that likes to do assembly line stuff sometimes and really like to cut a lot of projects out at one time and then sew without having to stop and cut the next project so I am set for a while now. When I was a teenager my mom and I would spend an entire weekend cutting out pants and tops for her once we knew a pattern fit and she liked it, cutting out 2 or 3 at a time, to save time and then would pin the steps and when I was finished with one, all of the ones we had cut out would be finished.

In a few days I plan to do a tutorial on the way I do my pillowcases and will do a giveaway on the one that I use for the tutorial, so watch this space.

On Saturday I will be going to the quilt show in Melbourne and will be meeting Ellen Lindner in person (I took her Instant Art Quilt class online) and taking my IAQ for her to see and get some ideas for quilting. I can't wait. She is doing a talk entitled "Increase Your Fiber with Raw Edge Appliqué".

Baby quilt finally finished!!

I have been working on and off this baby quilt for waaaay too long but it is finally finished and delivered. I used the Yellow Brick Road pattern and pink Minkee for the back. It is tied with 1/8" baby pink ribbon, every 4". The request my DH had was for a PINK, all PINK quilt, as the mother wanted everything for this baby pink. I said there has to be a color other than pink so I chose to pull out the green from the leaves. It turned out nice and the new parents LOVED it so now on to other projects with NO guilt!!!!

Shibori swap and new patterns

I received some gorgeous shibori pieces in the mail today from a shibori swap I did with one of my dyeing groups. We could do any type of shibori so I received a variety of styles. Artist listed left to right - if their name is in a different color click on it to go to their blog

Kate
Karen
Wil
Kelly

Maya, dyelicious.com/
Linda
Ann
Ellen




I also got the Shadowed Squares pattern I bought the brown and teal fabrics for the other day and one I ordered from twowackywomen called Magical Slice and Dice for some kinda oriental fabrics I bought. It is similiar to a stack and whack quilt but is done with 4 squares so it doesn't use as many repeats of the fabric. I saw it on Robin's blog, one of the wackywomen and she has done it with some beautiful large floral fabrics - 3 different ones from Alexander Henry . If you go to Jan 27 she used Astrud, on Jan 21 Abbey Road and Dec 27 Day of the Dead