Black and white quilts - plus

There are current trends in quilting that just don't tickle me at all, but one that seems to have some staying power is one I like a lot - black and white quilts with a flash of colour.

My current quilt is built on that theme. It starts with two sets of squares - black and grey, and red and pink. (PINK!! she shouts, pink not being a colour she is very fond of, reminding her as it does of fancy dresses that weren't wearable by real children, and their spawn, the bridesmaid's dress.)

Right now, we're in the making pinwheels part.



As we all know, making pinwheels can be a tedious job, starting as it does with half-square triangles and then more half-square triangles. I fall into the category of "quilting weenie" which means I square all my HSTs when they're done. Some days, I spend more time trimming than sewing, which is why I have given my quilting friends permission to say they know little about my quilting skills, but can atest to the fact that I am a master trimmer. (Can you see that on my tombstone? Wife, mother, hellishly good trimmer. Loved by all.

So, given my penchant for trimming, this is the output of a day. Not much to show, is it?



A small pile of six inch pinwheels, a few half completed, a pile of HSTs and many more to trim. (And a whole lot that haven't been cut yet, but that's for another day.)

Black, White and Embarrassed All Over

The beginning of a new quilt. This one is put together from eight inch squares (or something like eight inch), cut into four by eight inch rectangles and somewhat randomly paired. There is a range of blacks and greys and then reds and pinks. The pinks I'm not too sure about, but we'll see.

Because my imagination is at a low these days, I'm doing something simple so that I can do something at all. This is the beginning - a pile of triangles to be sewn together into half-square triangles.



This is my travelling Brother. Not a fancy machine at all, but since my trusty Singer does not travel, I needed something that could be packed into a bag and wheeled down the road.

Cranberry Wishes

Two days of quilting with the Wheat City Quilters - that's the name we're going by. Four of us this weekend, which amounts to three paper piecers plus me. I have yet to master paper piecing (and for that matter, may never even try) and admire from afar, which means from the other side of the table.

I had a Moda grouping - one package of charm squares, one of 10" squares and a Jelly Roll. To start - 21 eight inch pinwheels - and there you can see in the centre of the photo - my entire Sunday's contribution - three eight inch blocks of small pinwheels.

This quilt will almost certainly be for my brother John, who has been bugging me for a quilt for a very long time. This one can go in the living room of his new house - assuming, of course, I can get it finished before it's time to put him into the personal care home.

That will mean finishing the renovations at home - but hey, what is a litle pressure for?

(The fabric is Cranberry Wishes by Kansas Troubles. These aren't quite my colours, but John will love them.)

Time to start quilting again

It's been almost a year since I did any serious quilting. When we began the renovations on our house, we put most of my sewing room into storage. I wish I could say the renovations are done, but that would be stretching the truth more than it can take, so I won't do it. Instead, rather than think about the baseboards that aren't on the bottom of the walls, the cupboard doors that don't have doorknobs or the cupboard that doesn't have a door. Nope - I won't think about that.

Instead, it's time to start quilting again, regardless of whether the house is read for it, because I need it. I miss it - I miss me.

I can't be the only quilter who has stopped for a while because life got in the way.

Today I decided that if I wait for the renovations I will never get my sewing machine out, so with some trepidation, I took off the dust cover and opened the cabinet. Dust - less than I feared, but more than I want, so I gave my trusty 1949 Singer a thorough cleaning and did a few test seams. They're okay, I think and the machine doesn't seem to be running too badly - although I suppose that is a very loose definition of badly. There is a sewing machine repair shop in town, so I will take it in soon to have it cleaned professionally. My old Singer and I have been together too long and through too many things for me not to treat her well.

It's mid - July and fall is coming - I know this because the Sears catalogue for Fall has appeared. We haven't had any stinky hot weather and I haven't had a vacation yet, but already I'm ready for cooler nights and for my house to be done so I can go back to living in it instead of camping in the basement.

Maybe the renovations will be done one day

Maybe. Maybe. I'd hate for anyone to see our house right now. We still need water in the kitchen, the cooktop and oven are still in their boxes and there is drywalling to be done. That means the trusty sewing machine, my beloved 1949 Singer is still under wraps. Only people who have or are living through renovations know what the dust is like. It's everywhere. One day you dust, and then the next day you need to dust. I'm not sure where it comes from.

I should have bought stock in Rubbermaid. I think we all say that at some point or another, but thank goodness for plastic containers. My fabric is well protected from the dust and I know that when I dig it out it will all feel like new again.

The problem is it's been more than six months now without sewing and I am really feeling it. At first it was difficult because I was so used to sewing every day. Then I kind of got used to a different routine - until the spring quilt shows hit - and now, I can hardly wait for this to be over.

One day. And maybe I won't be mad first.

The Boy is going home

My daughter has just informed me that the Boy (the MAS) is going home. She now has her apartment and can that means I no longer need to board him while she gets settled. Little rat - he wormed his doggy way into my heart and I will miss him. He will miss my studio, of course - with fabric on one side and yarn on the other. Somehow I managed to make a life of art and comfort and dogs and now I will need to find another dog. Losing two dogs in one year will be hard. The Boy grew up once the Beloved Border Collie went to the Rainbow Bridge.