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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.

I’m still coughing my head off, but I am now able to follow a train of thought for more than five minutes. That means I am becoming reacquainted with my sewing machine. Since I have had no artistic breakthroughs for new work I am quilting the pieces gathering dust in the fabric closet.

Under the needle this week is “The Left Coast.” I wrote about designing it, but now I am trying to add texture with quilting. I gathered about 15 spools of thread to use and began with walking foot quilting. The past two days have been all ...

I can't tell you how wonderful it is being out in the world again, and what joy to feel warm and away from a cold Melbourne winter. And that's just the start – the real fun has been spending six days at Threads of Life, batiking and dyeing fabric to my heart's content.

Then I switched to going through things in my main floor studio and found a box with these die cut pieces from 2010 before I had my die cutter.  Another person cut the pieces for me with her die cutter.  I have made one small quilt top with the blocks and now I have ...

It’s so easy to get tangled up in choices when I design a piece. Since my starting point is usually rough, at best, many shape and color decisions still need to be made. And it’s easy to slip into not … Continue reading →

Some only have two layers of color but some have many more.

I am taking my time deciding how I will make the best use of them.

I silk screened the heart motifs over 30 years ago, overdyed the squares about 8 years before I constructed it, and constructed it several years before it was finished.

It was one of 12 quilts finished in 2020.

The year started with 29 works in progress and finished with 26.

It was constructed 

First things first… Pat Pauly!  I just posted my interview with Pat Pauly on my YouTube channel.  For those of you who may not be familiar with Pat, she is a brilliant, multi-talented artist, who also hand paints and dyes fabrics that she sells on her website, is a sought after teacher and does the […]

There’s nothing quite like being woken in the middle of the night only to then not be able to go back to sleep. I took this opportunity to read. I read about Britney Spears and her ongoing battle to gain her full independence and then an article about how learning a new language will increase […]

When last we met, I had just pulled my Bernina 790 out of hibernation only to find it did not fit my Koala sewing cabinet and so I had to order a new insert. Check, check and check. Who says I’m not getting sh*t done? I know all of you want to know how Pat… Continue reading Organisms & Hand Stitching

I am doing a new 5-day workshop! Improvisational Stitching! But what does that mean, exactly? Well funny you should ask, because I’ve given it a great deal of thought. Improvisational Stitching is what I call what I do when I begin with a piece of fabric, usually a piece of hand dyed linen, with no… Continue reading New: Improvisational Stitching Workshop!

 Hello and happy Tuesday!  This post needs to be a "quickie" because I have a dentist appointment to get ready for.  I like making these Tuesday To-Do lists, even if I don't always cross everything off before the next Tuesday rolls around.

Last week, I managed to eke out two more 5" sampler blocks for my '80s Retro Building Blocks sampler quilt:

5 Inch Puss In the Corner Block

Neither of these blocks is in the original Moda Modern Building Blocks quilt, by the way.  I always try to mention that in case anyone out there is working on ...

Alright you guys, I know you've heard me sing this song before, but THIS time I mean it.  THIS is the quilt I'm making for Son-the-Younger's upcoming high school graduation:

77 x 99 Kaleidoscope Quilt in Blues, Greens, and Purple

1. Graduation is only 5 months away, and I have ...

Often referred to as a negative, I’ve always thought of obsessions as a lifeline to exploration, creativity, joy and boundless energy. Being obsessed with something (rather than someone) results in any number of truly awe-inspiring things, such as these artists who carve thread spools into amazing miniature works of art. Or Andrea Love whose website… Continue reading The Joy of Obsession

I’ve been thinking about relationships a lot. Perhaps that’s because I’m coming up on my 20th wedding anniversary with this awesome man. Our relationship has seen its ups and downs, but we are committed to doing the hard work of showing up for each other no matter how painful and difficult that may be. As… Continue reading A Commitment to Show Up

It all began with the Stem Stitch, a much over-looked stitch. I decided I needed to explore it and see if I could find a little excitement while doing so. I had no idea that this stitch would be the beginning of something wonderful! I pulled out some hand dyed linen that I’d bought and… Continue reading Design, Exploration & A Finished Piece