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No change in the numbers.

I had quilt group this week, and one of the members was downsizing. She sent two boxes of odds and ends to pass around. I only took a few bits, too little to count.

The pile includes some dyed cheesecloth and batting and a scrap of vinyl. Our homework is to make two things from what we took. The group didn’t decide that until everything was distributed. I’ll definitely have to add from my stash.

Fabric In: 16.5 yards

Fabric out: 22.125 yards

Net Fabric Used: 5.625 yards

How did ...

My September OMG was to finish the challenge quilt, which I called Still Life. The photo doesn’t do justice to the background fabric.

Except for the veins in the leaves, I either dyed or painted all the fabrics. I learned the free form piecing technique at a class I took at Guild several years ago. The quilt is the size of a cutting mat.

The inspiration for the next challenge is hanging on my design wall, where I can listen to what it has to say.

Visit Stories From the Sewing Room for all the other OMG finishes.

Here we are again, another month that seem to just fly by. Its amazing considering we all seem to suffer one way or another from the weather.

Here in NE Oklahoma it was extreme heat and humidity.

A good thing because of it I was inside a lot, which meant I was keeping myself busy with projects.

Was pretty successful too.

This is going to be a picture heavy post.

I'll start with the one that I had been working on the past few months

the Spring Fling Shop Hop from 2015.

It turned out so pretty, and next ...

I had forgotten how much work a website is.  I have test patterns to make, swaps to complete, and a whole lot of dyeing and video making to do.

But….here I sit working on my website.  At least I can sort of do it when the migraine wanes…. I don’t dare put needle to cloth until it is over.

Back in the fall when I decided NOT to have a website anymore (read previous blog for the sad details), I could not really come up with a good reason to put in all of the work. 

Fast forward ...

I recently saw some lovely hand dyed shibori fabrics and was immediately in "lust" with them.  It reminded me that I my "someday" list had "try making shibori fabric with fabric paint rather than dye." Needless to say,  it had been on the list for some time, and I said "Okay, today is the day." Of course that extended to two or three days of experimentation.   

Back in the fall of 2022, I woke up one morning to a website that was no longer there.  It was completely and utterly gone.

I didn’t panic at first, because there is always a backup.  Right?  Always a backup.  Except when there isn’t.

I reachout out to my provider and was informed that my “basic” package did not include automatic backups and how lucky I was that it took 12 years to crash and burn.  Somehow I didn’t feel so lucky.

My blog was more like a memory keeper for me, so I wasn’t really ...

That was the catch phrase for a 1950s TV sitcom called “The Life of Riley.” It’s still relevant today for situations like the one I got into with a humble lap quilt. On the down low I’ve been making a bricks pattern quilt with an assortment of materials that range from hand dyed cottons to commercial prints, with thermofax prints and Spoonflower printed photographic fabric as well. Its chief purpose is to use up experiments and large scraps that I’ve had too long.

Construction was uneventful. I found a backing fabric, on sale of course, and handed ...

I bought another neutral piece for my boho heart quilt. I am using these colors as the background.

Stash report November 27, 2022

I bought muslin for my shirt quilts and a fun jelly roll of stripes in bright colors. I know I have muslin somewhere in my stash, but I can't find it. Where does it go.

I found some interesting neutrals to add to my stash. I think these will be fun when I go scrappy with neutrals.

3 yards

Stash report October 2, 2022

Time to get the Improv Houses 

up on the design wall...

No change in the numbers.

A busy week of meetings and household tasks kept me out of the sewing room. Next week should be calmer.

Last weekend’s quilt show inspired me to order some new dyes and paints.

A few of the dyes look gray but are not. I will have to give everything a try to see what I get. It’s always fun to play with a new palette of colors. All were purchased with a project in mind.

Fabric In: 0.5 yards

Fabric Out: 8.875 yards

Net Fabric Out: 8.375 yards

How did ...

I was pawing through the fabric cupboard

and found these surface design fabrics...

No countable fabric in or out this week.

I gave some wool to a member of my art quilt group last month who is learning to dye it for applique. She dyed what I gave her and brought me some back to share the wealth.

It came out great. The colors are very clear and soft. The original blazer was cream.

The pieces in total are about 1/16^th of a yard, too little to count.

Fabric In: 0.5 yards

Fabric Out: 8.875 yards

Net Fabric Out: 8.375 yards

How did you do this week?

This improv piece has been sitting

around for almost 2 years...

It has waited long enough.

The top consists of Pick Up Stix blocks...

This is a piece I hand dyed and

         silk screened.

I sliced it up and created borders...

The quilt top is ready to be basted and

go under the needle...

Fabulous Finish....Number 3

Laughing with Mom – Photo by John Kelly “Have you dreamt about her?” This was a question a number of people asked after my mother died.  But I wasn’t.  I hadn’t.  In fact I couldn’t remember dreaming about anything or anyone, until this past week.  Maybe it was because it was the first Thanksgiving since she […]

Many years ago I took a shibori class through my Guild. I don’t remember who taught it, but I do remember she made a living through installation art and not teaching or writing books.

The best part of the class was her examples of different shibori patterns. This is what I came home with after a full day.

Definitely not the number of samples I expected. These were created using stitched resist and dye.

Prior to the class I produced this piece by wrapping fabric around PVC pipe and painting it.

I have also tried folding and clamping fabric ...

It's still hot here, just barely starting to cool down. It's a real tease, feeling the whiff of cool air in the early morning before it heats up for the day!  I have two quilts this week in a cool color palette.  This first one is a do. Good Stitches NURTURE circle quilt from a few years ago.  

Everyone made about (8) 1" wide strips joined into a panel and these were joined into the quilt top by Briawna. Ultimately life happened and the top didn't get quilted, so Pam was kind enough to finish that step ...

The grandkids are visiting for the summer, which means I’ve been busy juggling a toddler and a bigger kid, both of whom need things to do outside.

Taking this video as inspiration, I decided to go for something we could do TODAY from start to finish and see results. [YouTube video: “Indigo Dyeing with fresh indigo leaves // 生葉で藍染”]

Our local soil is kind of garbage. It’s sandy, silty, and blows away in the wind, but we find ways to work with it.

I ordered indigo seeds from The Dogwood Dyer several months ago and lo and behold, they ...