Communication Breakdown

I feel like I have just returned from the Twilight Zone. After the big power outage we have been hit with storm after storm. I love storms, but it seems that it can't just "rain" anymore. Lightning hit our Internet tower and we were without a connection for over two weeks... not amusing when you are getting ready for a teaching trip. I really felt disconnected and discombobulated. Boo hoo! This is my apology for being absence for so long. The Internet was down again yesterday, too! So I rushed to get this posted today before something else happens.

It was also 100 degrees and humid during the communication breakdown and we had to begin taking photographs for the new book (more on that later). At this point, I have at least 50 quilts made with my fabrics that need recording and more on their way. So we soldiered on and prepared the studio for a photo shoot.

Greg set up a clever rigging for the lights and I was his assistant. Technology has changed since our last big shoot, so it was a bit nerve racking, especially since I couldn't go on line to get any tips. All went well, however, and we have another batch to do this week. But the weather is cool and lovely, so the studio will be more comfortable and the routine is established.

Here is a stack of quilts awaiting their turn in the limelight. It has really been fun to dig through all these past projects and revisit some of my favorite fabric designs. The book will be a nice record of the past eleven years of designing for FreeSpirit.

I am also making some new pieces for this venture and this is the latest. I am a minimalist at heart, even though some of my quilts are over-the-top with pattern. I quite like the simplicity and starkness of this design. The quilting should be just as clean and clear as the top.

I appliqued the quarter circles to 12" whole blocks and attached then with topstitching. The Willow Wands fabric is from the current Garden Divas collection and the rest of the fabrics are from various previous lines. This is a good design for mixing and matching from your stash. In this case, I used blues, green and pinks for a comforting and cool feeling. It also has huge graphic impact but is easy to put together... perfect for a dorm or baby quilt.

Here are some pillow cases that would be welcome in the dorm room, too. School started here this week and there were scrubbed and bright little kids and their parents on almost every corner waiting for the school bus... such memories.

Next week I'll take you on a tour of the vegetable garden, beware of mosquitoes!

Garden Divas Finally Materialize!

 

Welcome to the new season of inspiration from the Idea Book. This week I have been busy sewing things with my new FreeSpirit fabric, Garden Divas. There are so many possibilities and ideas that I want to try, so I have been trying to organize my time in the most advantageous way. Basically, it comes down to serious sewing, designing and office work during the day, handwork (burying threads) for relaxation in the evening and dreaming about new projects at night. I actually have several jobs going at the same time, which is unusual.

Here is a little broderie perse quilt that is hot off the sewing machine. This was made by fussy cutting Zinnias from the Pastel colorway that are backed with interfacing. The interfacing adds stability and also helps to keep the colors bright. I was careful to keep a bit of the blue background surrounding each flower, so the applique stitching would not eat into the blossoms and blend into the blue background.

 

The pot, background and border ( Lively Silhouette- Green) are also backed with interfacing. After arranging the bouquet, the pieces are appliqued from the bottom up and the background is cut away from underneath. This keeps the quilt nice and flat by removing the multiple layers.

Then I got to practice my free-motion quilting by stitching in the white outlines. It's not perfect, but it really gives the piece a wonderful texture. I used 12 weight (topstitching) thread to quilt the flower pot and around the border.

Here is an extension of the idea, through the magic of Photoshop. The butterflies are too regular, but that would be easy to change in "real life." This could be a wonderful quilt to hang over a bed or above an entryway. The quilt could be made in any of the colorways by matching your background fabrics... red for the Exotic colorway and black for the Peacock Zinnias.

This has been wonderful fabric to brighten the cold and cloudy days this week. I hope it has brought a little cheer into your life, too!