As you can see, I haven't got "Kenny" fixed yet so still no "fancy" stitches for me. The Featherweight is a charm though, I'm getting very chummy with it. I try to keep the table picked up as I go but it was a disaster yesterday. I'll spare you the glimpse of the mess I made while piecing CQ blocks. A tornado has nothing on my block making technique. ( You can always click picture for the bigger view)
I'm always working on my creative journal, alittle of this and alittle of that. I've always kept clippings my whole life, little did I know what I was actually "doing" while I was collecting it.... other than it felt good to put thought and vision to something memorable. I remember taking a Kodak camera box with a hinged lid and glueing pictures of James Taylor, horses and flowers all over it. LOL... I would love to take Sharon Bs Journal Class on Joggles, to find out how to use these ideas to their best advantage. Maybe the next time she offers it.
So here's what's been /is going on ...
I pieced this queen pillow from the scraps I got while downstate. It's comfy, soft and so up north-ish. A great find of fabric for $1.00. And it's 2 sided.
I know now that my colors are dark and jewel like... I love working them as they soothe my soul. This is an oblong square, roughly 20 x 12.. I had no plan when I made it.. it just talked to me as I went along. I really seem to enjoy the piecing of CQ blocks , maybe even more than embellishing them ???
I signed up for a block swap over at CQN. The idea of this one got me out of lurkdom and back involved with some great ladies I've been absent from. The theme is "Where are You" and it's a block to depict your locale and where you live. I'll say no more other than I'm from "The Great Lakes State".
As always there's the TIF, ( Junes link) which I really enjoy doing. I'm going after the story of the big bad wolf, I'll tell more later. This has a ways to go but it's summer after all, many avenues of "playing" calling my name. I love trying to put the theme and the colors together into something cohesive and I like the deadline. The time-frame seems to be the main thing that pushes me "further" and it's also showed me that I'm pretty well set in my designs and things I feel comfortable with. Although I can always improve my workmanship I'm finding a concurrent source in myself and that feels good too.
I said I was cleaning out stash..... so after putting together a few goodie bags for mail I decided I couldn't let these go without at least doing some stitching on them. This turned into quite the pile of blocks... hmmm, a good twin sized quilt... I'm trying to decide where to "purvey" these.
To prove to myself that I'm not always a "purple" colored person fabric wise, I put together this combo to do another block.... if for nothing else but to remember the sunshine.
More scrap blocks made of these, the batch of fabric scraps that won't go away... they're in my header here on the blog, they're on my shelf, they're in my scrap box and part of a piece done way back here..... I'm thinking in terms of a Christmas tree skirt now ??? several more ornaments ???..( Yeah, Christmas...it's coming and I'm always off guard) Where did these all come from ??? Was I manic or something??
Last but not least, my friend Roxie gave me this narrow, elongated frame... I have pansies that I've over-dyed ( 3 years ago) to put in it and am working out the logistics now. Lot's more UFO's with good intentions here but I'm living better with them now..especially after my last "stashbusting/clearing out" episode. I may have been under the wire but things are shaping "U.P."!
These are the books I've been consulting most often the past 2 months. Much source of education and inspiration this season but I found these tiny, ittsy bittsy fairy flowers (below) that are still nameless among them .. does anyone know what they are???
This would be a photo of the the dreaded TICK that latches on to man and animal. A thirsty, blood sucking, disease causing parasite that is the bane of summer here in Michigan. This speciman comes to you tweezer-ized from the leg of Felon. I've found several on me, still crawling,(thank God) not yet attached. Lyme Disease is something me or mine don't even want to fool with.
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Now down to the chitter chatter beyond quilts..... we're scheduled for an 8 hour power outage through UPPCO tomorrow. We had an appt. to change from the Dish to Direct TV that I had to cancel because of it. The Detroit Lions will be broadcast via "The Ticket" in this house hook or crook come September.
We'll be taking the fishing boat out on the Huron Bay where power doesn't matter anyway. Alot of people will be enjoying the imposed "3 day weekend".
I cheated with the going grey regime when I went downstate a month ago. I used a Clairol "rinse" because my hair was so putrid. Well the rinse is gone, my roots are long and the sun is helping me in the transition. I'm still committed to letting my hair go au' natural and I'm thinking it's coming out in a silverish tone. I can only hope.
I'm still involved with the Arvon Historical Museum and over July 4th, I'll be giving them a few more hours of time while the pie social at the Zion Church is going on. We had a feast of a pot luck last weekend at the museum's annual meeting, they love pot luck around here. LOL The parade at Witz's Marina and all the extra tourists and summer visitors will make this small town seem like city. I'll be happy to sit in the shade with a needle and a cold drink.
Till the next time.. and do have a happy and safe Independence Day !!!! Jane
PS.... Drawing for the giveaway will be Saturday.. I'm excited to see who the winner will be...
The lupines were phenomenal this year... rivers of color all along the roadsides... this was a gorgeous purple field! I could imagine that this is what heaven is like... I felt like I'd died and gone there walking amongst them.
I must say they're my favorites. This was last Saturday... they're drying up now.
This looked to be a type of Aster but their not supposed to bloom until Fall. (Hope that doesn't mean anything!)
Orange Hawkweed
Orange Hawkweed Cluster
Buttercups
I'm not sure what this is.. it's down at the Arvon Park on the bay. I'll be taking another look at it.
Rue Anemone
Wild Thyme
I don't know my butterflies and couldn't rightly find the name right now. Of course he's on a daisy.
Blue Flag Iris
Meadow (Smooth) Rose
We got to go out in the kayaks. I love getting out on the water in these.
It must have been dragonfly breeding day as there were hundreds of thousands of them. Their wings broke the air, comparable in sound to paper being crumbled. This guys liked the free ride.
But along with play comes work and although it's just June, the woodpile needs to be loaded up again, Dan is busting his butt piling this in. He split by hand last year, this year he bought a log splitter and although it's still a job it's not as hard on his body as the maul splitting was.
It's looking good, eh? It'll feel pretty good come October. Now let me work on my posting of what I've been up to at the quilting table.
I wasn't on the ball enough to realize that I let my one year anniversary slip by! May 12th 2007 to be exact. Little did I know how big my world would become in regards to the friends I would meet. And bigger still would be the amount of inspiration and encouragement that I would receive just by sharing my own ups and downs on my creative journey.
I started this blog to coincide with a Crazy Quilt Round Robin I was involved in, to chronicle the beginnings of our up north adventure and to stay in touch with family and friends. I was yet to realize at the time how important blogging would become to me, both in the reading of all my favorites and by putting my own thoughts out there through "Crazy Here and Now".
THANK YOU, EACH and EVERYONE OF YOU FOR VISITING ME THROUGH THIS SITE !!!
In honor of the Lupine blooms up here in the northwoods, I put together a little fabric collection of lupine colors and the "Dear Hannah" book that is a take off from the popular "Dear Jane".
PS. Now that my camera is back, I'll be back to posting soon..
Till then, Jane
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