All Work and No Play

It's been such a long time since I posted!  I have been working on a couple of really big projects at work and have been putting in long hours, leaving very little time and energy for getting anything creative done!  I did take a small break to spend a few days at Paducah, shopping (I actually didn't buy that much, but had a great time looking) and taking a Sashiko class from Pepper Cory.  The class was wonderful!  I'm not sure if I will ever use the technique but it was incredibly fun to learn the history and give it a try.

I would highly recommend taking a class from Pepper.  She was a fantastic teacher!

We also had the opportunity to attend a little get-together with Lisa Bonjean of Primitive Gatherings at a cute little barbecue "boutique" in downtown Paducah.  Lisa shared her tips and tricks for wool appliqué and answered questions from the audience. The highlight of the night was a sneak peek at the 2014 summer BOW.  It is gorgeous!  It just posted this week and I'm already signed up.  I can't wait!

Lisa gave everyone who attended a great little pin cushion kit and also drew names for door prizes.  I was lucky enough to win one - a great kit and pattern for a table topper.  I finished stitching my pin cushion tonight.  I still need to fill it, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. It's a fun little souvenir from the event.

The day after returning home from Paducah we attended Hook-in St. Louis.  I actually managed to finish my Wool Club challenge piece on time (not counting the label...). I am not thrilled with how it turned out - it is okay, but not my favorite rug.  Thankfully it was a small piece and didn't take all that long to do.  

The hook-in was a lot of fun and I did a great job of restraining myself... until the end. Red Barn Rugs had a couple of rugs I absolutely loved - one that is fairly reasonable in size and the other is ridiculously huge. I resisted temptation until the last hour of the hook-in...then went to look again and she didn't have either of the patterns. I should have taken that as a sign and walked away...but in an incredibly weak moment told her to send them to me.  I am not sure what I was thinking - that big one will take me five years to hook!  I can only hope that she will lose that piece of paper with my information...

Inspiration Overload

The past few weeks have been filled with inspiration - frequently interrupted by reality, but inspiring nonetheless!  There were so many beautiful quilts shared during show & tell at the Academy.  The pictures are not all that great due to the lighting and the fact that the ladies holding the quilts seemed to be in a hurry - they were even more incredible in person.

This quilt was done by Rita and her "girls" for Elly's re-release of "Spoken Without a Word" (supposedly due out sometime this year).

Here's a gorgeous version of Esther Aliu's "Love Entwined" center:

Shifting from quilts to rugs, I traveled to Lenexa, KS this past weekend to attend the Rock Creek Hook-in. It wasn't a complete shift...I did stop by Quilter's Station and Prairie Point Quilts and managed to find several things I couldn't live without (including some Jo Morton fabric that I have already started a new project with)...but the purpose for the trip was to see Nola's president rugs on display.  It was definitely worth the drive - it was so great to see them all hanging! This panorama shot doesn't do them justice.

Nola completed all of these rugs in 8 months.  Here are a few close-ups that give a better idea of how amazing these rugs are...

There were many other beautiful rugs at the show, including this sunflower that I absolutely fell in love with. I am going to have to add this one to my list.  Isn't the border incredible?!?

I really liked the colors in this one:

With all of this inspiration I couldn't resist starting a new project, so I spent Sunday in my sewing room getting a start on a project from Jan Vaine's latest book, "Embroidery and Patchwork Revisited".  I am in love with the fan quilt in the book (you can see the picture here).  Here are my first two blocks ready for embroidery:

And a third block that needs to be appliqued.  I'm not sure I love the way the instructions call for putting these together - the background is appliqued onto the fan - but I figured I would see how the first few turn out before trying to create a template and piece by machine.  The first two look pretty close to the same, and the curves look fairly smooth.  I'm hoping once the embroidery is added the slight difference won't show.

I can't wait to start stitching!  How many more days until the weekend??

Applique Academy 2014

This year's Applique Academy was by far the best I've attended!  The new facility was absolutely wonderful. There was a little less interaction with other attendees than in years past due to the facility layout, but the beautiful scenery, comfortable beds and outstanding food more than made up for that shortcoming! 

I was in Sandra Leicher's class for two three-day sessions. This was the view from our classroom:

We ate most of our meals at the restaurants on property.  My favorite was the James Landing Grille.  The food was delicious and the view was beautiful.


 

On Wednesday night we met with Rita to share our progress on our Rising Sun projects. It was very cool seeing several of them together and to see how different they all are! Below are a just a few - Diane's is in the foreground, Ann's at the right edge, and Katie's is upper right.  I'm not sure who the purple and orange version belongs to.

Here Rita is discussing greens with Ann...

 

 
And here is Rita's version:
















I don't have any of the applique prepped yet - I hope to get started on that this weekend.  I somehow failed to send myself a picture of mine to include here so I will have to post it later (hopefully along with some of the applique!).

I have tons of other photos of quilts to share but will save those for another post. It was such an inspiring week - all I want to do is stitch!

Quick Update

I don't have much to show for the last couple of weeks... I have been working on my Rising Sun (still on the first diamond wedge) and on my LeMoyne Stars. I did manage to finish another star block.

That leaves two 12" and seven 6" blocks to go. Unfortunately one of the remaining 12" blocks is a mini-Lone Star...I'm going to be sick of sewing diamonds! 

I did complete the crocheted rug I was working on. I can't share a picture since it was done for Nola's next book, but it turned out very nice and was a lot of fun to work on. I will get it back eventually, but it will take a couple of years.  The crocheting was so relaxing, though, that I'm thinking about making another.

I'm off to the Applique Academy for two classes with Sandra Leichner next week. I am really looking forward to the classes and the vacation, but I am probably most excited about the possibility of seeing green foliage. I've had enough of winter!

New Year, New Project...

I know that I said I wasn't going to start any new projects to ring in the new year, but I obviously have no self control!  I had already planned to start my challenge rug so that it would be ready for the hook-in so it shouldn't count, right?  Nola held a two day Wool Club camp to kick off the year and I used the opportunity to start on my crows.I'm actually a little farther along than the picture shows (two more birds and a little bit of background hooked). I intended to post it last week but never got a chance.

Nola suggested a technique I have never done before for the wire - it's stitched with yarn. I had to couch another piece of yarn under it to get the proper height.  I am loving how it looks and it is fun to do.  Here's a close-up:

I will probably change out the eyes - I'm not sure that I like them the way they are but haven't decided what I want to do - perhaps French knots?

I also started another project that I am really having fun with - a crocheted rug.  I'm not posting a picture of it as it is intended for a book Nola and her sister will be publishing in the next year or so and I am assuming they don't want photos circulated.  It is a simple pattern that is really fun to work on. It's a fun break from my "regular" hobbies.

It is really tough to fight the temptation to start other new projects!  My daughter created a painting over her holiday break (inspired by something she saw on Pinterest) and I am dying to make it into a rug pattern.  It is done on four canvases (shorter than she wanted, but all she could find at JoAnn's) and looks really cool.  She has it hanging in her dorm room now.

I think it would be incredibly fun to paint the wool for the backgrounds and hook the strips in order - something I have been wanting to try for a long time.  I'm definitely adding this one to my "someday" list! 

Longest Week Ever!

It doesn't seem fair that the first week back to work after the holidays has been snowy and bitterly cold. It's hard enough to get back into the swing of things without having to fight an extreme case of cabin fever.  I've only left the house once in six days...and that was to go to the gym.  I am really looking forward to a weekend of rug hooking at Nola's. I need to get out of here!

I  have been getting a little sewing accomplished while stuck in the house every night.  I finished another one of my LeMoyne Star blocks last night.

I had somehow convinced myself that I only had three of the 12" blocks left to do (including this one), but then realized to my dismay that I still have three left after this one. So I still stand at three 12" and seven 6" blocks to go.  I will get there eventually...

I have been having a lot of fun (and wasting a lot of time) looking at all of the new BOMs and quilt-alongs for 2014. They are all so inspiring!  I've resisted the urge to join in on starting a new project, but I did find one initiative that is absolutely perfect for me: The Totally Useless Stitch-Along. I have been saving my ORTs (Old Ratty Threads) and will be ready to post my "progress" at the next new moon (Jan 30). This is just my speed - love it!

Celtic Solstice Update

I'm not sure if it is Blogger or my internet that isn't functioning well this morning, but this post has taken me much longer than it should to complete!  Perhaps it's the fact that it is -6 degrees this morning...nothing wants to work when it is that cold!

Here's where I stand on my CS project:

Step 1 - Complete

Step 2 - 15 of 244 completed

Step 3 - 61 pinwheels completed

Step 4 - 228 of 300 completed 

Step 5 - 70 of 244 completed

Still a long way to go, but I am making progress.  I think I am still working toward making the king rather than scaling it back to a queen.  The last couple of queen-sized quilts that I have made seem a bit too small on my bed.

The other decision I need to make is how to set the blocks.  Several very creative people have opted to turn their chevron units around for a slight variation in the setting.  I can't decide which look I like best - both are pretty cool.  Here are a few blocks arranged in the original setting:

And here is a mock-up with the chevrons turned around:

 

I'm not sure that my colors have enough contrast to go with the second look.  The piecing is a bit muddled in the centers.  I do like the "star" look, but I think I am leaning toward the original layout to better highlight the piecing.  Decisions, decisions!

Check this week's Monday link-up on Bonnie's blog to how everyone's quilts are coming together.  They are all beautiful!