Time out for a birthday...

Not mine -- my Monkey Girl will be turning 10 next month, and we'll be celebrating next week before she and her family return to their island life. Time to whip up another doll quilt!

Archie was unavailable for this photo op, though I'm not sure he'd approve of his stand-in.

Yes, that's the slipcover fabric. I think I'll be making things from that material for the next twenty years. But at least it will match her and her doll's pajamas! The off-white fabric was recycled from the old house, too -- those are the bathroom curtains I made five years ago. I love recycling!

I got the zinnia quilt all pin-basted, and was hoping to get the majority of it quilted before I left for Michigan this week. Alas, more basement contractors, car repairs and other bits of life got in the way, and it will have to wait for my return.

Looking forward to visits to two of my favorite quilt shops over the next two weeks -- I'll try to be good and not buy too much, but I'm not making any promises!

Zinnias in bloom...

The Zinnia quilt is taking shape. I contemplated doing some more complicated designs, but in the end opted for something simple, and something I could guarantee would get finished after all this time.

Can I just say that I LOVE hanging out on this side of the color wheel? I already have ideas in my head for the leftovers.

I'm still arranging, and have thought about going bigger, but I'm not sure Mom really needs another bed quilt (and I wouldn't have leftovers!). I'm also considering white sashing, but I kind of like the paint-box feel of these colors right up against each other.

The white squares in the center aren't fabric -- they're grid labels pinned to each block to guard against this:

Archie still isn't a big fan of my layouts, but I'm not sure his are any better!

Happy weekend, all!

Finding my marbles...

...as opposed to losing them, I guess -- this week is all about regaining my sanity through sewing. And praying for it to Just. Stop. Raining.

Here's my pull for fabrics to pair with the zinnia blocks. Some were purchased way back when with the focus fabric, and some came from the stash. All are marbles, though not all Moda.

As you can see, Archie is thrilled with my selection. Let's hope he gets a little more excited when there are actual blocks to chase around the kitchen floor!

Another UFO in the works...

As a respite from all the flood frenzy, I resurrected yet another UFO. I was working on it when the building browned out on Sunday and the day turned upside down.

My mother had picked out these jewel-tone zinnia fabrics quite a few years ago (2006? 2007?), and I'd promised to make her a lap quilt. For some reason, though, I couldn't wrap my head around them; a pattern just wouldn't gel in my head despite several starts, so they got set aside to await inspiration. It's been a long time coming.

I made at least three attempts on this project over the years: first some crazy quilt blocks, like these from "More Quits from The Quiltmaker's Gift"...

...then a colorwash pattern inspired by "Pieced Stripes" quilt in "Glorious Patchwork"...

...then more recently -- though I don't remember exactly when -- I framed the flowers (some of them fussy cut) with white.

These squares, of the three alternatives, seemed like the easiest and safest route to pursue, so I finished framing about a dozen more flowers and have about 40 ready to go...

...I'm just not sure where. Stay tuned!

Good riddance, July...

Oh man, July sucked. "Sucked the Big Wazoo," as I like to say. It started out OK, but then took a major dive toward the end of the month, and I am elated that it's finally over.

Things I learned in July:

• July 23 was the rainiest calendar day in the recorded history of Chicago (8.68 inches!)
• 4" of it ended up in the basement of my building.
• Five days later, another big storm and more water; Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humor.
• The 140-year old drainage system in my neighborhood was just as surprised as we were by the amount of water both of these storms produced.
• Despite being warned, some people are stupid enough to store mattresses (and other valuable items, like rugs) on the floor of a basement with a 140-year old drainage system lurking fifteen feet away.
• Drywall sucks up an amazing amount of water.
• Wet drywall starts to smell after three days and needs to come out.
• Wet mattresses smell worse than wet drywall.
• The term "bio-scrub" involves moving and wiping down a LOT of stuff.
• Some people are too lazy to throw their own crap out.
• $80,000 of drying equipment running 24/7 + 12 air conditioners cranked in 92 degree heat = a blown buss breaker.
• Commercial grade buss breakers are extremely hard to come by on a Sunday afternoon.
• Ten hours without power makes some people very cranky.
• Power surges can fry things like transformers for the building's buzzer system and the blower motor for a brand new water heater.
• Foundation repairs are really expensive.
• I don't do well on two hours sleep three days in a row.
• Multiple shots of espresso make my knees shake.
• Being forced to take charge of things when all one wants to do is hide in one's condo and sew makes a person very surly. 
• Being Condo Board President has NO perks whatsoever.