Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tuesday rambles


I put together a new website for the new block gather project.
Please head over there to show, inspire, ask questions and to stay up to date on the project.
I sent invites to all participating so that you can post,
if you have not gotten the invite for some reason please shoot me an email.
I did notice one person's email, whom I email regularly has come back for some unknown computer issue.



I thought it was humorous when I posted this quilt the other day that several people commented, they liked the "Chopsticks" quilt.
I thought, that was a clever name, then it was pointed out that it wasn't so unique!
go figure! I guess I don't read enough quilt magazines. ;-)

My inspiration came from two sketches I have here in the studio.
The blue and green one, was for a mural painting I was going to do in my new
kitchen at my house, but it never came to be..
So it has been hanging here for a good 5 years, and looking at it every days,
I thought, hmmm, that might make a nice quilt.
I'm thinking the mural still needs to become a quilt that actually resembles the sketch... the whole blue green thing is indeed very "me!"

Just below the above sketch hangs this black and white sketch.
Same concept, different mediums, simple, yet striking.
(match sticks, chop sticks, counting by 5's, etc. etc.)
I need to pick a nice name for this quilt...


which goes to show you: Nothing is original... But hopefully authentic.



One particularly great thing I picked up from Shelly this past weekend,
was when machine quilting, put on its undergarments before you start quilting it!
This, first I thought very funny, Shelly does have a fun sense or humor.
And second, it made a lot of sense.
She said stitching in the ditch does two things.
one, sets up the quilt in a way you can take out the basting pins
which will make it easier to quilt,
and two, gives the designs more refinement.

So don't forget your quilts undergarments!

I finished up these two little projects with her theory.
I think it will help me a lot and give me more patience in machine quilting larger pieces...

And lastly,
The PIXIE DUST BLOCKS go together today! Yippee! I just made a few adjustments to the layout, after I took this image. And now will begin sewing them together, and decide on a border choice... I am still amazed at how lovely this quilt looks already.
You guys are talented & awesome!

10 comments:

Janet said...

I'm so excited to be participating in another of your challenge/charity quilts. I really like YOUR chopstick quilt. I would say to my art students that there is really nothing new under the sun, only different interpretations that make it yours. Shelly's advise is sound and I will remember. Love our pixie quilt.

Kit Lang said...

Yes, I've seen several examples of the "chopsticks" quilt - yours reminded me that I want to do one with some scraps I got at a textiles sale.

Don't feel bad - when I first started quilting, I thought I invented pinwheels.

I'm serious! :D

Good luck with your "gather". :)

What Comes Next? said...

love your two little projects you finished up! One tip I've picked up along the way is to use wash away thread with your in the ditch stitching if you don't want it to remain in the final project (of course, asumming you will be able to wash the quilt!) The pixie dust gather is looking fabulous - nice layout & way to go everyone who participated!

MichelleB said...

Quilting the undergarments is very interesting! I might have to try that. Love your new little projects!

craft-crazed said...

Im gonna have to try quilting the undergarments first.. Im getting ready to machine quilt my first big quilt and its a turning twenty quilt so that will be very helpful and Im sure look really nice... also for your "chopsticks" quilt it makes me think of pick up sticks, that game... I used to love that game

~candace

Cheryl Arkison said...

Love that tip about using wash-away thread for the in the ditch stuff. I stopped doing it because I didn't like the finished look from the back. Yes, I'm that picky.

Jackie said...

Yes, I have to say that I made a "chopsticks" quilt about 12 years ago. I found the pattern/technique in a Singer quilting book. I loved making it and have considered making another sometime soon. I love the pixie dust quilt, just beautiful!

shellysquilts said...

Your quilting looks great! And indeed I am big on stitching in the ditch before you free-motion. It makes all the difference in the world in that it makes it much easier to free-motion and on how the quilt looks. (How much better do most of us look when we are wearing the right bra or even spanx sometimes?) And I do want to add that I personally never worry about how the back of the quilt looks as opposed to the front. That is why it is the bsck of my quilt. (And I gotta say my stuff is lookin good.)
The pixie quilt looks great. I can't wait to see it finished. And you know I luv your chopsticks quilt. Happy quilting, my friend!

amandajean said...

i LOVE that quote that you posted. it's amazing. originality is something that i strive for a lot of the time...but it's nice to know that it is actually non existent. i can cross that off my list of things to worry about.

the pixie dust quilt is looking amazing!

Christina said...

LOVE the quote. It is so true and something you will hear me muttering quite frequently.

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