take it outside

Take it outside.

You do realize it's JULY 31st today right?
(Don't forget to pinch and punch for the first of the month tomorrow!)

EEK! Summer is whizzing by.
I took everything and everyone OUT of the house today.
Whatever you do,

Do it outside, because in a month we will be back in NYC, INSIDE THINGS...

Inside, School
Inside, homework,
Inside, sewing
Inside, snuggled under many blankets because Winter is coming.


So I kicked everyone out of the house.
including myself...
I cut my last blocks for the green and purple circle quilt,
I opened my mail, since hubby brought out a LOAD
of envelopes for me (Orphan blocks), from all you lovely Peeps!
See them all in the photo above!

I'm sending you all a little postcard, but since I did them outside, in my lap
forgive my sloppy, not sitting at a desk handwriting!

I wont' be back to NYC til Sept, so if yo0u don't get a card from me,
it's because no one is there to bring me my mail...
I'll have tin invite someone out, on the condition
that they stop by my place and bring me my mail!
(any takers? ;-)

Andrea? Amy? Helen? Marianna?
;-)

Jenny Egg would like to thank the person, who sent this lovely Dog block...

She wanted to walk off with it, but I told her
to keep her grubby little paws off it.
So she drooled on it instead...

Thank you all you fabulous peeps for your orphan blocks.
Once I get back into NYC, I'll start working on a special
Kitchen sink Quilt... the Blogger kitchen quilt. ;-)

GOODIES: I got this beauty on ebay. A summer quilt, all quilted with embroidery floss,
appliqued, and Divine.. Nobody wanted this. I got it for $29. I think it's a steal.
I LOVE IT!

Speaking of divine... Look at this lovely scrappy star quilt,
with two HALF STARS at the bottom.

Genius.

I'm so happy I own this I could well, lots of things...
Dance, sing, twirl around, or even stand on my head...

and now, lastly, one more outside chore:
a nap outside in the hammock after a dip in the pool.
After a root beer float...

Happy Sewing!

sumthun 4 me.

I've been collecting fabrics to make myself a new quilt for my bed in the loft in NYC.
I don't use one of my own quilts on my bed! GASP! I know right?
I "make myself" quilts and then don't use them...

Anyway, since it is now painted that lovely raspberry ice color I posted the other day,
and my floors are dark chocolaty walnut color...
I've been geared up to dive into these fabrics...

But what to do with them?
I had scrambled ideas around in my head for ages... no luck
I was nearly sure that I just wanted to Cut them into 2" half square triangles,
to make a huge quilt out of them... when yesterday,


I saw this rug.
Now, this is a pretty easy block.
My dilemma had been, my loft is very MODERN, and I didn't want a quilt
that looked like a grandma's quilt..
(don't get me wrong. I LOVE GRANDMA quilts, very much so!)
but it wasn't the look I needed in my loft.
Everything is very square.

I liked the idea that I could show off the fabrics,
that inspired me for this project anyway...

PAULA PRASS Woodland Delight Blooms (love her prints!)
and

Tanya Whelen, grand revival fabric

This is how you work three projects at the same time..
sigh.

It's very sort of LOUD for me, (don't laugh!)
But I am thinking I will put a light border around to
KILL the LIGHTNESS...
The thing I love love love about this quilt
is the WARM and COLD combo... Gray and browns together.
with the pinks and purples... SO delish!
and high contrast! gotta love it.


It was a very easy block to put together...
I cut 10.5" blocks, then wrapped two sides with 3" wide pieces of one fabric
and 3" wide of a different on the other two sides, I then cut a template for a 13.5"
block, turned them wonky woo, and cut them out randomly as I went along..
being mindful that one tilts up , the next tilts down...

very easy piecing.. I only started this quilt at 10pm last night...
yeah I know. it's summer though,
I worked til 1:30, and got up at 9 and finished this first part at 12pm today.

I had to through in ONE Bright BLUE block in there just to throw it off...
had to. can't explain it... I just felt it...


And lastly,
This to the left, is the remaining fabrics... My plan is to use it all up for the borders...
Light borders, with all the scrappy bits I cut off thrown into the borders...
and WILL TRY NOT TO BUY ANYMORE for this quilt. (except for the back)
Use it all up like I did in the wonky log cabin in the last post...

(note: the dog is alive.)

Look mommy, there's an airplane up in the sky...

(DUCK! low flying planes!)

long last finish

Yes.
I have many many quilts here, that just need Binding....
Yesterday, I pulled this quilt out, and finally got the binding done on it...

This quilt was my first attempt at a Quilting bee.

I sliced up a bunch of fabric into strips, sent each person one strip of each color
and asked that they make a 12" block wonky log cabin quilt without
cutting or cleaning up my uneven strips...then when they reached the 12"
size, to then use the scraps to make a little tiny block,

and lastly, send all the crumbs back to me,
as I used EVERY BIT OF FABRIC I bought, to make this quilt.
See that little tiny purple square upper right below Humphrey the elephant?
(someone's lovey was left on my bed!)

anywho, there are many 1/2" square bits in this quilt....

I had to throw in some stars with a print fabric... the all solids wasn't working for me...

SO this is how to NOT ADD TO YOUR SCRAP BINS...

buy it,
use it.
all of it.
(wish I could do that all the time!)

Than hang it outside to photograph it, while the fed ex man honks
at you because your still in your PJ's....
LOL!
**********

AMAZING....

We were at the children's museum the other day, and this plaque caught my eye...
Fannie Tunison...Sews and painted with only her mouth as she was paralyzed from the neck down... Can you imagine?
I googled her to see what else I could find out about her....
Miss Fannie Tunison, (click for more info) does all her work with her lips and tongue. It may sound incredible but nevertheless remains a fact, that not only she threads a needle using only her lips and tongue, but executes the most elaborate embroidery, by the sale of which to patrons she supplements her earnings. She is also American born.


Happy sewing!

nearly wordless wed.

I'm finding my zone...

;-)

Do you like the color on the right?

My loft in NYC is being painted this color as we speak...
the entire thing.. walls, ceiling... I'm not there to inspect it...(fingers crossed)
I was so tired of "white" with NYC dust attached...
I think it fits my CALM... and the creative forces... ;-)


OH! another question....

Does anyone know a great sewing Retreat center that has space to sew,
place to sleep,
AND
cooks for you?? (has food available on site?)

anywhere in the u.s.

thanks!

CALM

"All true artists, whether they know it or not,

create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness."

Eckhart Tolle

A facebook pal posted this the other day... and I thought,
Hmmm, yeah, I get that,
(all though I would change, ARTISTS to just PEOPLE)
(everyone creates... weather it be labeled art or not)

it's called the "ZONE"

I've been juggling so many projects lately, I lost the zone...
I needed to slow down, step back
and look to see where I've been and where
I'm going...

It's so easy to get caught up in life, that we forget that
QUIET and STILLNESS are achievable if we are open to it.

I think that is why I like to quilt the way I do.

I've had many conversations with many different people about quilting.

Some say, TRADITIONAL is the only way to go, or it's not a quilt.
Some say, free piecing is sloppy,

Sloppy?

I say, what ever you stitch together, and it stays together, is both

A quilt, and Art.

Sewing mindless, in the CALM, and stillness,
brings me complete joy.
I use what I have, I appreciate the utilitarian use of a quilt,
I appreciate that there is MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT.
pardon the expression.

I try to focus on what brings me to that place of stillness,
usually...not thinking so hard.

think of it this way.
....


A child can draw and draw and draw.
Nothing is flawless, nothing is scrutinized, it flows and it happens, uncluttered.
(an it's prefect in it's "unperfectness")

We lose this quality with the more info we pour into a brains.

Focus on that childs mind. finding that place... We get calm.

We can all use calm right?
We can all use joy?

Find a way that let's you hold onto the calm.
3 minutes, 15 minutes, at least, a day.

it's not to much to ask for.

Do you work best from the motion or the calm in your life?

Does this become a part of why you create?
Does it relate to your creative expression?
or do you just create because, "well, what else do I have to do?"


I'm off to take my 15 minutes...
and to find That ZONE.

happy sewing.

fun in the sun

Does this house block make me look big?


Dog days in JULY?


Hot and steamy days...fogged up my camera

All your house blocks are going a loooooong way!

Now I am hungry for Rainbow sherbet!

If you have a orphan block you can spare,
please see last post...

thank you!!!

help me!!

Happy day.

It's so fun to get mail.
I had a lovely surprise in the mail when my hubby came out to our house yesterday...
in the mail was a box from Toni.
Inside the box was this lovely turq/red/white fabric
that I was drooling over, (several of us were)
and several of us bought the Yellow version of it, because Toni
was lucky enough to have gotten the last of the bolt...

EEEEK! I screeched in PURE DELIGHT.
Then I proceeded to do a little happy dance...
The fabric is by Jennifer Paganelli,
and you know how much I love her fabrics!!!


I cut into it IMMEDIATELY with the package all laying on my cutting mat...
And added it to one of my star blocks...(above)

thanks Toni.
I love it.




I have a question for all of you.

Can any of you spare
ONE Orphan Block?
(orphan block = any pieced block that has not found a home in a quilt)

I'm working on a project
(not a charity quilt)

and I need a some
extra Random squares...
Any size,
any colors
any block design


NOTE:
I don't need 10 of the same block.
And I don't need TONS of blocks...

So if you have ONE block you want to contribute...

Please send to:

Bumble Beans Inc.
335 W 38th St, 8th fl
New York, NY 10018

*****



It's not all BASICS quilts over here...
I took a break on this triangle commission quilt...
now am back at it...

My go cutter from accuquilt has been so helpful with this project...
Once get the borders on, I am gearing up for the applique portion...
Horses, girl, house, from the design on the pink fabric..


And lastly. But most importantly.

11 years ago, I said " I DO"

And I'd say "I do" a million times over to him again...

Happy Anniversary, Hubby!

Kids Quilt

quilted , washed and bound.
It's a dreary rainy day today , hard to get great pictures...

I started quilting this last night at 10 pm, and didn't stop til 2 a.m.

That, is not normal for me! I'm a in bed at ten kind of girl...
But I really wanted to get this First BASICS KIDS quilt done.
I have one more to make...
this will be auctioned off with the first 20 BASICS HOUSE BLOCK quilts
that many of you contributed...


I left the raw edges of the pieces the kids laid out, so when I washed it, the edges curled up
and raveled... The soft flannel backing, makes it a really soft quit....


The binding was nice and cheery! It's from the robot line from Michel miller...
A great stripe.. I love stripes...
Feels good to finish it!


Why did I stay up til 2 a.m. quilting it?

Because I played hooky from sewing during the day
so I could get my motorcycle serviced...

It was a nice day, what can I say...

Things just got to be done! ;-)

now to get back to my 15 minutes of play.

Quilting for a cause

A couple weeks ago I received a nice email from Linzee,
asking for information for an article she was writing about Quilting for Charity,



and my project BUMBLE BEANS BASICS

She's a lovely person, talented writer, and a blogger too.
please, go check out her site.
Thank you Linzee for your support!

You can see the etsy/Storque article here.

and also see her blog for another story

Picture of Me with kids from the BASICS project, making quilt blocks for
two quilts to be auctioned off Sept 2nd. 2010

Do you have a quilt you can send?

The quilts donated by you, will go to one of the 700 families currently
on the list waiting to be placed back in housing.

Please stop by

BumblebeansBasics.com

for more information.

PLAY

Play

play (pl)

v. played, play·ing, plays

move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly;
"The lights played on the varied fabrics"

be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children;
"The kids were playing outside all day"; "I used to play with trucks as a little girl"

act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome;
"This factor played only a minor part in his decision"; "This development played into her hands"

participate in games or sport;
"we played with fabric all day long"



engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion;
"On weekends I play";



"I play most days"



act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome;
"This factor played only a minor part in his decision";
"This development played into her hands"

"This development also played into exposing our paper into lovely artworks"

put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game; "He is playing his cards close to his chest";

"Water played an important part of developing our pictures."

"We were playing with Nature while playing with Sun paper"

Happy Playing