Using Photoshop for a color preview...

The new batik top is done, though I'm tempted to add to it and make it queen-sized -- it's just got such a good summery feel, and I could use a new bed quilt! I'm usually a big Kona Snow consumer, but I used bright white with these blocks, to give it a crisp and clean look. It reminds me of the colorful houses in Bermuda with their bright whitewashed roofs.

I was waiting for a sunny day to get a good picture, but it's been raining since Saturday (didn't get much golf in like I'd hoped), and I'm beginning to think it's never going to clear up.

And yes, that's "Currents" unbound on my living room wall. If I had to wait until it was bound, it'd never get up there.

"Bermuda Blocks"

This was an easy, easy pattern, for anyone looking for something quick. Because the blocks have strips on only two sides and get rotated, there aren't many seams to match up.

Archie had to help, as always. Fortunately, the floor under my refrigerator is pretty clean -- I pull toys out from under it on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis.

Busted!

Enough with the cat photos, let's get to the point of this post.

Photoshop enables you to add an adjustment layer to compensate for less-than-ideal photo conditions (poor lighting, for example). Pictures with artificial light usually have too much yellow, so I add a bluish layer to balance it out and get the colors back to how they look in real life. Sometimes it works really well, sometimes it doesn't. This morning as I was preparing the above photos for posting, I made a cool discovery.

Forgive me if you already know about this, or if you don't know what I'm talking about, but I feel the need to explain the process.

I clicked on the wrong selection and mistakenly added a Hue/Saturation layer instead. It's kind of the same thing, but with a greater ability to tweak things -- and when the options came up, I started playing with the color balance. And discovered that this is a GREAT tool to preview different color combinations!

Look! No more wondering "What if I made that quilt with different blues? And more yellow?"

Or "What if I'd bought those purple and green bundles instead?"

You really enjoyed putting that top together and would like to make another, but aren't sure if the colors you had in mind would translate. "What if I worked it up in pinks and greens?"

And then there's that question that nags us all: "That fabric was almost too cheap to pass up! Should I go back and get it?"

Um, no.

"I loved AmandaJean's Pete + Repeat quilt. Would that work here?"

Actually, I really like this. I may have to make it.

Or you could just take five different pictures of the same quilt, adjust the colors, and tell everybody that you'd been crazy productive this past week.

The possibilities are endless!

The week's progress...

I needed to do a quick project, those little paper pieced geese are killing me! Don't get me wrong, I love the way they're turning out -- but after seeing all those quilts at IQS, I HAD to make something and see results. Right. Now.

Even though I was working from fat quarters, this jelly roll pattern from this book did the trick. I wasn't crazy about their assembly method so I did my own version, and I like the way it's turning out.


About halfway through cutting, I was afraid it was going to come out a little too Howard Johnson-y. The colors are a bit strong (to say the least), but it's turning out to have a great tropical feel, and will make a nice lightweight summer quilt. I also like that this arrangement is giving me secondary blocks at the intersections.

I'll finish piecing the top this morning, and then put this aside until next week -- with weather in the EIGHTIES today and through the weekend, I'm headed to the golf course! We've skipped right over spring (this past Monday's forecast included snow) and jumped into summer! Golf season has arrived!

Happy weekend!

I came, I saw, I bought...

I usually go a little nuts at IQS. There's way to much to choose from, and it's sensory overload for a fabric magpie like me. I see dozens of projects I'd like to attack, and arrive home with a backpack crammed with way more stuff than I'd ever have time to make...hence the growing stash and my recent attempts at reorganizing.

This year, I tried a different approach, motivated by overcrowding and unemployment. It's called focus. It probably should have been called total abstinence, but I'm just not capable of that.

I made a list. At the top was binding for "Currents." After much auditioning, I've decided that using one of the medium gold batiks (someone also suggested putting a narrow bit of dark purple piping before the border; that's still up for consideration) was the best way to go. So I cut a piece from my remaining fat quarter to take along.

I also needed to find some "special" fat quarters to supplement some I'd already pulled together for QuiltDad to settle our little bet on the NCAA Championship.

Yeah, I walked right into that one -- MSU never had a chance.

Next on the list was this really cute chicken fabric I'd seen while surfing the Robert Kaufmann website a few days ago. I thought it would be perfect for an upcoming birthday for one who shall remain nameless.

And last but not least, Paintstiks. I'm not ready to do my own hand dyeing just yet, but I've seen these used before and I'd like to experiment a little.

Four items. Simple enough. But it turns out that once a fabric magpie, always a fabric magpie...in my quest to find binding, I bypassed most of the fabulous prints and was drawn to batiks. And ended up with quite a collection:

A new set of purple, brown and blue fat quarters for another Blue Underground pattern (or something similar). I have a friend who really liked "Currents" and is interested in something similar. Woo-woo! A commission!

More pinks and browns to supplement leftovers from last year. This color combination is pretty striking, and for some reason, really popular baby dec here in the city. And those babies just keep on coming!

These just jumped out at me. So much so that they came home...

...and by Sunday morning had become this pile of four patches.

Yes, I've started another project. Call it IQS Fever. Attribute it to my Crafter's A.D.D. But this one's chugging along, and who am I to stop it? Gotta ride this inspiration train 'til I fall off!

So out of four items on the list, I got two: a little Paintstiks starter kit (way cool, started playing already), and John's fat quarters (which will have to remain a mystery for now).

Turns out that the binding I'd chosen (and the color family) is a few years old, which should teach us all about hanging on to our fabric for too long...or not buying enough in the first place. I couldn't find anything I really loved instead, but ran into a vendor who knew the manufacturer (Hoffman, 2005), and I was able to order some online when I got home. I never saw the chicken fabric, so I'll shop in my stash for some new ideas. I've done enough damage for one week.

To be honest, I think I got off easy.

Scenes from the IQS...

I spent Friday at the International Quilt Show at the Rosemont Convention Center out by O'Hare Airport. It's no secret I've been looking forward to this show for months -- mostly because it was going to be the end of Kate's Fabric Embargo (which, technically, it wasn't, but oh well), but also because it's the one time all year I can remind myself that I'm not the only goofy quilt-crazy person out there. The place was packed as soon as it opened at 10am, and didn't thin out until well after 4pm.

Hundreds of booths, thousands of quilters, millions of fat quarters...eight hours later I emerged, a little poorer (I'll get to my purchases later), somewhat overwhelmed, and totally inspired.

Quilts from Heritage Designs (Amana, IA)

Quilt from Embellishment Village

Quilts from Superior Threads (St. George, UT)

Quilts from Superior Threads (St. George, UT)

There was more fabric...

And thread...

And buttons...

And books than you'd ever be able to use in a lifetime.

I assured this woman she wasn't in the shot. Whoops!

The juried exhibits are, in a word, spectacular. There were hundreds of quilts in the competition, it was hard to choose which ones to show here.

And in compliance with the show rules, I've posted the following pictures with full credits.

There were traditional quilts...

"Triple Four Patch" by Susie Andersen (Cos Cob, CT)

"Paisley Peacock" by Faith Wescom (Lebanon, MS)

Contemporary quilts...

"Overcrowded World" by Irene MacWilliam (Dunmurry Belfast, Northern Ireland)

And everything in between. The craftsmanship on all of them was extraordinary.

"Forest Floor" by Janet Bednarczyk (North Vancouver, BC)

"Leaf Motif" by Laura Wasilowski (Elgin, IL)

"Twist & Shout" by Diane Simancek (Bellaire, MI)

"Construction: Concrete and Stone" by Deborah Boschert (Lewisville, TX)

"Postcard from Ketchican" by Linda Beach (Chugiak, AK)

"A Year Under the Aspens" by David Taylor (Steamboat Springs, CO)

"A Year Under the Aspens" detail (leaves were loose, stitched down under tulle)

"Zodiac" by Martha Brown (Pickering, ON)

"Zodiac" detail

This was one of my favorites. Kathy York knocked my socks off with "Little Cities" a couple of years ago, and didn't disappoint with this one. It's overdyed and very closely quilted. Satin stitching separates the color fields.

"Winter to Spring" by Kathy York (Austin, TX)

"Winter to Spring" detail

And as inspirational as all these pieces were, they were also a very humbling. As one woman said after walking through the exhibit, "I'm such a failure! This just makes me want to go home and throw all my quilting supplies away! There's no way I could do anything like these!"

I couldn't agree with her. I just kept thinking maybe, just maybe.

Someday.

ADDED 4/23: The Quilt Show blog has a link to a little IQS slideshow. Check it out!

Easter observations...

1. Six days without Internet access can make you crazy. So can six days of living with elderly parents who don't hear very well:

Me: "Are you ready?"
Mom: "You want spaghetti? Now? We just ate!"

2. Easter finery was not meant to be worn with a winter coat.

3. It seems to me that if one were invited to sing at the Detroit Tigers' Opening Day that one would know a) how the song goes and b) how to sing. Kid Rock did neither. I understand the need to represent your roots, but dude, come on! How can you not know "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"????

4. Fabric abstinence only goes so far when confronted with little bundles of extreme happiness.

3.5" of Easter-y cheer! Adorable 4.5" basket handmade by Mom.

I don't even remember when I stopped buying fabric. November, maybe? Anyway, I lasted a week short of my goal (the IQS this weekend) and would have held out, but these little fat eighths wouldn't let me leave the store without them. They were way too cute to resist!

Happy Spring!

Weather be damned -- inside, it feels like spring!


Happy holidays, all!

Eating crow...

Well, that's what I get for letting my Michigan Sports Bravado get the best of me. I should know better!

That game that was so painful to watch that more than once I paused it, flipped over to watch "Medium," then came back and fast-forwarded through the carnage to catch up. There were so many turnovers it smelled like someone was baking in my kitchen!

Thanks to all who jumped on the Big Green Bus with me. There's always next year -- or, better yet, maybe next year the bus will be Maize and Blue?

I can dream, can't I?

Send me your address, John, and I'll put your fat quarters in the mail. Congratulations!

Quilting smackdown...

QuiltDad's most recent post engendered an oddly defensive reaction in me today.

I'm not a diehard college basketball fan, but I love the buzz the NCAA Tournament creates. And while my blood runs forever Maize and Blue, my Wolverines have been experiencing somewhat of a drought in the athletic arena as of late (I know I know, that's an understatement) -- so I feel compelled to rise to the defense of that other home state powerhouse.

As a result, there are four fat quarters riding on Monday night's game. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Spartans, don't let me down!

I really don't need another hobby...

Before I got laid off, I used to work late hours that (mercifully) prevented me from shopping all the cute little boutiques in my neighborhood. By the time I got home they'd all be closed, and I'd pick up my takeout from the sushi bar at the corner that knows my voice and my order and has it ready when I walk in the door (gotta love that, it's like "Cheers" with fish), and make my way home to collapse on the sofa with my TiVo.

But now that I'm home during the day I've taken to exploring the neighborhood, and discovered a bead store just around the corner where the fortune teller used to be. And all I can say is "oh, crap."

Yes, they're hanging from my Christmas reindeer. Still hasn't
made it to the basement, but came in handy for this shot!

The place sucked me in like a star into a black hole (I might have red-shifted a bit) -- I was powerless. In my defense, I already had the tools (wire, pliers, etc.) from a project I did ten years ago for Christmas gifts. So picking up some head pins and a few little stones and charms was only logical, right? Right?

Goose bumps...

I have a love/hate relationship with paper piecing, freezer paper or otherwise. Give me strip sets and a rotary cutter or an improv project and I'm sewing and slashing away, cranking out blocks at an astonishing rate (for me, anyway).

This is the same reason I've always liked biking over running: you get to your destination faster.

Paper piecing just requires more time. And patience. And sewing in straight lines, which my Singer seems to be having a problem doing. Or maybe it's me.

Another gratuitous cat photo, in which Archie displays a love of fabrics that make him look even whiter.

At any rate, after much sewing and picking and resewing and ironing, the first six blocks are done. They are testing my patience, but they're so adorable they're worth it. They feel like Easter to me, all those pinks and oranges and purples and yellows. Maybe I'm trying to rush Spring? It seems like it could use a little help!

On to the next two blocks -- only 37 to go!

And only 6-11 working days until I get my Bernina back! Can you tell I miss it?